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Xanthine can be converted into uric acid, and a high concentration of xanthine in the human body can cause many diseases. Therefore, it is important to develop a sensitive, simple, and reliable approach for measuring xanthine in biological liquids. Hence, a ratiometric surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensing strategy with one signal probe was exploited for reliable, sensitive, and quantitative monitoring of serum xanthine. 3-Mercaptophenylboronic acid (3-MPBA) was used as a typical reference with a Raman peak at 996 cm−1. First, 3-MPBA was bound to gold nanoflowers@silica (GNFs@Si) through Au–S bonds. Xanthine oxidase (XOD) catalyzed the oxidation of xanthine into H2O2 on GNFs@Si. Afterward, the obtained H2O2 further reduced 3-MPBA to 3-hydroxythiophenol (3-HTP) accompanied by the emergence of a new Raman peak at 883 cm−1. Meanwhile, the Raman intensity at 996 cm−1 remained constant. Therefore, the ratio of I883/I996 increased with the increasing of xanthine concentration, thus realizing quantitative detection of xanthine. As a result, a ratiometric SERS sensor for the detection of xanthine was proposed with a detection limit of 5.7 nM for xanthine. The novel ratiometric SERS sensor provides a new direction for analyzing other biomolecules with high sensitivity and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-crystal XRD crystallography discloses a new class of vdWs molecular crystals, long-chain tin(IV) alkanethiolates (Sn(SCnH2n+1)4, n ≥ 12). They exhibit a lamellar structure formed from molecular self-assembly due to the vdWs interactions of long all-trans alkyl chains, a nearly planar and rigid molecular geometry resulting from the coexistence of two trans and two gauche S–C bonds, and a variety of chain-length dependent physicochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and multi-axial compression deformation (MAC) are severe plastic deformation (SPD) processes that produce bulk nanostructured materials with ultrafine grains. The grains could be observably refined by multi-pass of ECAP and MAC. This research proposed new routes of cyclic equal channel compression (CECC), which combines ECAP and MAC to increase the mechanical properties of 6061 aluminum alloy. The tests, which are conducted through electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), were performed on the grain size, recrystallization distribution, misorientation distributions, dislocations, and secondary phase distributions of CECC-processed 6061 aluminum alloys on the purpose of exploring the mechanism of grain refinement. MEM is the short form for the CECC processing route of MAC + ECAP + MAC, which is one ECAP pass between two MAC passes. The tests results showed that the average grain size could reach to as much as 1.1 μm after two MEM deformation circles named MEM-MEM, with the non-annealing average grain size being 21 μm and recrystallization annealed average grain size being 28 μm. The dislocation cells, which could be transformed into sub-grains with the increase of the strain, were formed by the slip and the accumulation of dislocations. The secondary phase was Mg2Si, which could prevent the refined grains from growing up again by pinning at the grain boundaries. Above all, the dislocation proliferation and secondary phases will both lead to the grain refinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Aging is associated with progressive loss of active muscle mass and consequent decreases in resting metabolic rate and body temperature, and slowing of nerve conduction velocities and muscle contractility. These effectors compromise the ability of the elderly to maintain an upright posture during sudden balance perturbation, increase the risk of falls, and lead to self-imposed reduction in physical activity. Short-term superficial acute heating can modulate the neural drive transmission to exercising muscles without any marked change in deep-muscle temperature. Methods: To determine whether the short-term (5 min) application of local passive knee-surface heating (next-to-skin temperature, ~ 44 °C) in healthy older subjects of both sexes (64–74 years; eight men/eight women) enhances reflex excitability, we compared the voluntarily and electrically induced ankle muscle torque production and contractile properties with those of healthy younger subjects of both sexes (21–35 years, 10 men/10 women). Results: The application of local heating (vs. control) increased the maximal Hoffman reflex (Hmax), the maximal volitional wave (Vsup) amplitude, and the Hmax/Mmax amplitude ratio, and decreased Vsup latency only in older adults. In the older adults (vs. younger adults), the application of local heating (vs. control trial) was accompanied by a significant increase in maximal voluntary peak torque, rate of torque development, and isokinetic peak torque of plantar flexion/dorsiflexion muscle contraction. Conclusion: The spinal and supraspinal reflex excitability of older adults increased during local knee-heating application. The improved motor drive transmission observed in older adults was accompanied by increased voluntarily induced torque production of the ankle muscles during isometric/isokinetic contractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, our main objective is to construct quantum codes from quasi-twisted (QT) codes. At first, a necessary and sufficient condition for Hermitian self-orthogonality of QT codes is introduced by virtue of the Chinese remainder theorem. Then, we utilize these self-orthogonal QT codes to provide quantum codes via the famous Hermitian construction. Moreover, we present a new construction method of q-ary quantum codes, which can be viewed as an effective generalization of the Hermitian construction. General QT codes that are not self-orthogonal are also employed to construct quantum codes. As the computational results, some binary, ternary and quaternary quantum codes are constructed and their parameters are determined, which all cannot be deduced by the quantum Gilbert–Varshamov bound. In the binary case, a small number of quantum codes are derived with strictly improved parameters compared with the current records. In the ternary and quaternary cases, our codes fill some gaps or have better performances than the current results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to build an integrative framework for explaining society's information access disparity, which takes both structure and agency as well as their interactions into consideration. Design/methodology/approach: It adopts a qualitative survey design. It collects data on the development of 65 individuals' information access through interviews, and analyzes the data following grounded theory principles. Findings: A theoretical framework is established based on seven constructs and their relationships, all emerging from the empirical data. It rediscovers practice as the primary structural force shaping individuals' information access, hence society's information access disparity; it shows, meanwhile, that the effect of practice is mediated and/or interrupted by four agentic factors: affective responses to a practice, strategic move between practices, experiential returns of information, and quadrant state of mind. Research limitations/implications: It urges LIS researchers to go beyond the embedded information activities to examine both the embedded and embedding, beyond actions to examine both actions and experiences. Practical implications: It calls for information professionals to take a critical stance toward the practices they serve and partake in their reforms from an LIS perspective. Originality/value: The framework provides an integrative and novel explanation for information access disparity; it adds a number of LIS-relevant concepts to the general practice theories, highlighting the significance of embedded information activities in any practice and their reverberations; it also appears able to connect a range of human-related LIS theories and pinpoint their gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a family of one-generator quasi-cyclic codes and their applications in quantum codes construction. We give a sufficient condition for self-orthogonality with respect to Hermitian inner product. By virtue of the well-known MacWilliams equations, some binary and ternary stabilizer quantum codes with good parameters are constructed. Furthermore, we present a lower bound on the Hermitian dual distance of these involved codes. As the computational results, some good stabilizer quantum codes over small finite fields are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse finite element method (iFEM) has been used to achieve the shape sensing of small displacements based on linear elastic theory. However, with the development of smart structure technology, the formulation is not suitable for the anisotropic composite structures with large deformation in practical engineering. Therefore, a nonlinear iFEM algorithm is proposed to monitor the linear and nonlinear deformation of the anisotropic composite beams. The formulation not only involves the effect of orientation of composite fibers on strain distribution into the shape sensing model, but also accounts for the effect of shear deformation without any requirement of shear correction factor. Initially, the third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) is reviewed along with deriving the nonlinear strain field based on von-Karman strain theory. Considering the problem that the couple term of the shear strain and bending strain is unmeasurable, the relationship between shear and bending displacements is established according to the derived constitutive equations. Then, the proposed nonlinear iFEM method reconstructs the deformed structural shape, where isogeometric analysis (IGA) approach is used to construct the displacement functions and the experimental section strains are calculated from the discretized surface strains. Finally, several examples are solved to verify the proposed methodology. Numerical results demonstrate that the nonlinear iFEM algorithm can improve the reconstruction accuracy by 4% with respect to the linear iFEM method for beam structures. Hence, the proposed approach can be used as a viable tool to predict nonlinear deformation of composite structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Al/Mg-Li/Al composite plate with a flat interface. • Expanded the conventional frequency band from 30 to 1500 MHz to 30–6000 MHz. • SE of Al/Mg-Li/Al composite plate was enhanced by adjusting different thickness ratios. Magnesium alloy has good electromagnetic shielding performance, but its shielding effectiveness on high-frequency electromagnetic waves is weak. In order to solve the above problems, aluminum, which is also a lightweight material, is covered on top of Mg. The feasibility of this method is demonstrated by microstructure analysis and measurement of conductivity and electromagnetic shielding effect, and the results show that the Al/Mg-Li/Al-X sandwich structure is improved by nearly 10 dB at 6000 MHz, and the improvement of electromagnetic shielding efficiency is attributed to the absorption loss caused by the addition of Al layer and the reflection loss at the interlayer interfaces. In addition, the alternating arrangement of α-Mg/β-Li in the Mg layer, and the interfaces formed by the Mg 12 YZn hard phase particles and the matrix phase also contribute to the electromagnetic shielding efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focusing performances of high-numerical-aperture (NA) Fresnel zone plates (FZP) under different immersion media are investigated by combining the vectorial angular spectrum (VAS) theory and the finite-difference time-domain method. It has been found that as the refractive index deviation increases, the focus approximately linearly shifts along the positive z-axis. Simultaneously, the transverse size of the focusing spot gradually decreases, and super-resolution focusing is realized. However, the peak intensity declines with an increase in the refractive index. In addition, when the deviation of the refractive index of the actual immersion medium from the design value is less than about 30%, VAS theory can correctly estimate the focusing light field distribution, except when the FZP has only one or two transparent annuli. On the contrary, VAS theory cannot achieve an accurate prediction when the deviation is larger. These findings will benefit the practical application of high-NA FZPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the metabolization of xanthine into uric acid, and its relevance to diseases and food safety, it is significantly desirable to propose a rapid, sensitive, and reliable strategy to monitor the expression levels of xanthine in biological liquids. Herein, a H2O2-responsive colorimetric sensing system was triumphantly developed for xanthine assay by combining peroxidase-mimetic magnetic Fe nanoparticles (Fe NPs) and xanthine oxidase (XOD). XOD catalyzed xanthine oxidation to H2O2, which combined with Fe NPs to catalyze the oxidation of the chromogenic substrate 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to the oxidized form (oxTMB) along with the absorbance at 652 nm appearing and increasing. Therefore, a sensitive, rapid, and convenient colorimetric platform for H2O2 and xanthine sensing was successfully developed with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.029 μM for H2O2 and 0.034 μM for xanthine. In general, the Fe NP nanozyme with high peroxidase-like activity features low-cost, high-performance, and ease of preparation, thus providing an efficient and sensitive sensing platform for blood xanthine monitoring as an alternative to traditional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus spp. have long been used as biocontrol agents because of their efficient broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. We identified a novel strain of Bacillus atrophaeus, named JZB120050, from soil. B. atrophaeus JZB120050 had a strong inhibitory effect against Botrytis cinerea and many other phytopathogens. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed that B. atrophaeus JZB120050 produced many secondary metabolites, such as alkanes, alkenes and acids; some of which were related to pathogen inhibition. Enzyme activity analysis showed that B. atrophaeus JZB120050 secreted cell-wall-degrading enzymes, including chitinase, glucanase and protease, which degraded fungal cell walls. Both the novel glucanase gene bglu and chitinase gene chit1 were cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and the products showed strong enzyme activity. In addition, B. atrophaeus JZB120050 secreted siderophores and formed a significant biofilm. Future studies should focus on these antimicrobial factors to facilitate widespread application in the field of agricultural biocontrol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data augmentation has been shown to improve graph neural networks (GNNs). Existing graph data augmentation is achieved by adding or removing edges or changing the input node features due to graph data's complexity and non-Euclidean nature. However, the graphs generated by the above augmentation operations have similar or identical structures as the original graph, which leads to similar or identical structural information learned by GNNs from the original and augmented graphs. Two problems arise from this: restricted information and low applicability. To solve these problems, we propose Class-hOmophilic-based Data Augmentation (CODA), which improves existing GNNs by helping them learn adequate and extra structural class information, which is lacking in the original graph, and promotes GNNs' application to graphs with a large number of interclass edges. We first pretrain the GNNs and then design a new augmentation method that generates an approximate class-homophilic graph according to the pretrained GNNs. In the end, we design learnable node-level self-attention mechanisms with telescopic coefficients, which result in GNNs integrating the structural information of the two graphs in a more principled way to break the constraint of pretrained GNNs. Extensive experiments on various datasets show that augmentation via CODA improves performance and applicability across GNN architectures. The source code of CODA is publicly available at https://github.com/graphNN/CODA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of high-intensity interval training in children and adolescents. Methods: Eight databases were searched. Descriptive analysis of the efficacy and safety of high-intensity interval training on body shape, cardiorespiratory fitness, and metabolic risk markers of cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. Subgroup analysis was performed using age, participants, intervention time, and exercise frequency as covariates. Results: 47 studies included 2995 children and adolescents. The results of the meta-analysis showed that high-intensity interval training significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness indicators (VO2max, SBP, DBP and HRmax) and cardiovascular disease biomarkers (TC and HDL-C). HIIT had no significant effect on body shape indicators (BMI, BF% and WC) or cardiovascular disease biomarkers (TG and LDL-C). Conclusion: Currently, there is insufficient evidence that HIIT with interval running as the predominant form improves physical indicators in children and adolescents. However, HIIT can be promoted in children and adolescents to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce some metabolic risk of cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The quenching process of poly( l‐lactic acid) spherulites obtained by isothermal crystallization is simulated by ANSYS software in order to study the mechanism of crack formation. Regular concentric circular or hexagon crack is found by polarizing optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The rapid temperature variation which brings large thermal stress is considered to be the main reason for the crack, so a spherulite with diameter of 160 µm is modeled by ANSYS to compute the transient change of thermal stress. According to the temperature nephogram, it is found that the spherulites temperature almost reduces to zero during 1 s, also the thermal stress dropped by five orders of magnitude. The stress fluctuation of 35 nodes, which are equally spaced from spherulite center to outer, present regular attenuation of vibration periodically from 10−6 to 10−4 s while the peak values are different from each other. Furthermore, the differential result of the peak value shows a bell‐shaped curve while the maximum difference between two adjacent nodes reaches 0.12 MPa. Although insufficient of boundary condition will introduce error of calculation, this research is still an important attempt for simulation technique to solve problem in polymer crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly luminescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) were synthesized rapidly by one-step microwave-assisted hydrothermal method using citric acid as carbon source and ethylenediamine as dopant. The influences of reaction temperature, reaction time and raw material ratio on the fluorescence performance of N-CDs were investigated. Then N-CDs with the highest quantum yield were selected as fluorescent materials for fabricating white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Highly luminescent N-CDs with the quantum yield of 75.96% and blue-to-red spectral composition of 51.48% were obtained at the conditions of 180 °C, 8 min and the molar ratio of citric acid to ethylenediamine 2:1. As-prepared highly luminescent N-CDs have an average size of 6.06 nm, possess extensive oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups on their surface, and exhibit strong absorption in ultraviolet region. White LEDs based on the highly luminescent N-CDs emit warm white light with color coordinates of (0.42, 0.40) and correlated color temperature of 3416 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inonotus sanghuang (IS) is a mushroom species with some bioactivity. In this study, we characterized in Inonotus sanghuang polyphenolic compounds and assessed antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities. Inonotus sanghuang was first extracted using ethanol and then the resulting ethanol extract was sequentially partitioned into four fractions. Among these fractions, ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) appeared to contain constituents with the largest antioxidant capacity as demonstrated by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and lipid peroxidation inhibition assays ( p ≤ 0.05). This fraction also displayed the strongest antiproliferative effect against tumor cell PC3 (IC 50, 70.8 μg/mL) determined using a CCK-8 assay. Further, the EAF showed antimicrobial activities against 3 gram-positive bacteria evaluated using an agar well diffusion method. Using LC-MS, six polyphenolics, e.g., rutin, chlorogenic acid, quercitrin, isorhamnetin, quercetin and icarisid II, were identified in the EAF. Total phenol content of Inonotus sanghuang was correlated significantly with FRAP value ( r = 0.988, p ≤ 0.001). Thus, the EAF of wild Inonotus sanghuang contains constituents with potent antioxidant, antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of efficient electromagnetic shielding materials is crucial for the mitigating electromagnetic pollution. In this study, multilayered composites were prepared by stacking the Mg-8Li-2Y-Zn alloy and pure Al. The Mg-8Li-2Y-Zn alloy served mainly as the absorbing layer of the material, and the pure Al as the reflecting layer. When electromagnetic waves enter the multilayered composites, they are subjected to the processed of absorption, reflection, and reabsorption. Subsequent to a theoretical discussion of the shielding mechanism of asymmetric accumulative roll bonding (AARB) processed composites, based on the electromagnetic wave shielding model. The results indicated that the shielding effectiveness (SE) of the composites gradually increased with an increase in the number of AARB passes. The increased SE could be attributed to the obvious microstructural orientation caused by AARB and the increased number of interlayer interfaces resulting from the addition of Al layers, which facilitated the reflection loss and multiple reflection loss of incident electromagnetic waves. • A new Mg-8Li-2Y-Zn/Al composites are subjected to successive AARB processing. • The bonding between the layers was improved by increasing AARB passes. • Recrystallized grains were formed in the Mg-8Li-2Y-Zn matrix during the AARB 3. • Analysis indicates enhanced performance at high frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Two novel asymmetrical tetra-alkylcarbamides were developed, which showed stronger affinity to U(VI) than other actinides. • The ligands complexed with U(VI) in the form of UO 2 (NO 3) 2 ·2 L . • The interactions between ligands and U(VI) show mainly ionic characteristics. • This study enriches the coordination chemistry of actinides by tetra-alkylcarbamides. In this work, the solvent extraction and complexation behaviors of U(VI) by two novel asymmetrical tetra-alkylcarbamides, N,N'-butyl-N,N'-hexylurea ( L1 : SBHU) and N,N'-butyl-N,N'-pentylurea ( L2 : SBPU) in HNO 3 media were systematically investigated. Both two ligands extract U(VI) more effectively than other metals such as Pu(IV), Np(IV), and Th(IV) in a wide range of acidity. Under 5 mol/L HNO 3 , D U reached 5.25, while D Pu = 1.08, D Np = 0.11, D Th = 0.13.. Additionally, no third-phase was present by the extraction of highly uranium concentration solution with SBHU even under 7 mol/L HNO 3 after four cycles demonstrating good acid resistance and resistance to the formation of the third phase. Slope analyses and FT-IR indicate that the U(VI) complexes are a form of UO 2 (NO 3) 2 ·2 L for the two ligands during the extraction. Additionally, based on the DFT calculations, the NBO analysis, and topological analysis were analyzed in detail. The results demonstrate that the interactions between ligands and U(VI) are shown mainly as ionic characteristics, and the ligand-to-metal charge transfer was also observed. This study enriches the coordination chemistry of actinides: Th(IV), U(VI), Np(IV), Am(III), and Pu(IV) by tetra-alkylcarbamides, which may shed light on the design and synthesis of novel U(VI) selective ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early life stress such as maternal separation (MS), is a major risk factor for developing psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Connexin 43 (CX43), the main type of connexins expressed in astrocytes, has been indicated to participate in depression disorders. Nevertheless, the role of CX43 in MS-induced cognitive impairment and astrocyte dysfunction is unclear. Neonatal C57BL/6 mice were exposed to MS to mimic early life stress. Adeno-associated virus carrying CX43 was inoculated into mice for CX43 overexpression. Sucrose preference test, forced swim test and Morris water maze were performed for evaluating depression-like behaviors and spatial learning and memory of mice in adulthood. Real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was conducted to detect CX43 mRNA expression in mouse brain. Immunofluorescence staining and western blotting were used for measuring expression levels of astrocytic markers in murine hippocampal dentate gyrus. The results showed that overexpressing CX43 attenuated MS exposure-induced depression-like behaviors and decrease in spatial learning and memory in mice. Upregulating CX43 alleviated MS exposure-induced downregulation of astrocytic markers. Collectively, CX43 overexpression attenuates cognitive deficits and astrocyte dysfunction in mice exposed to MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Sertoli cells (SCs) play an essential role in providing energy for spermatogenesis, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of maternal exposure to plasticizer Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on the onset of spermatogenesis in male offspring through the metabolism pathway as well as the underlying molecular mechanism. Here, pregnant mice were treated with 0 (control), 50, 250, or 500 mg/kg/day DBP in 1 mL/kg corn oil administered daily by oral gavage from gestation day (GD) 12.5 to parturition. The in vivo results showed that 50 mg/kg/day DBP exposure could promote the expression of glucose metabolism-related proteins (GLUT3, LDHA, and MCT4) in the testis of 22 days male offspring. The in vitro results demonstrated that 0.1 mM monobutyl phthalate (MBP, the active metabolite of DBP) promoted the lactate production, glucose consumption, and glycolytic flux of immature SCs, which was paralleled by the upregulated expression of glucose metabolism-related proteins (GLUT1, GLUT3, LDHA, and MCT4). On the other hand, DBP/MBP increased fatty acid (FA) uptake, FA β-oxidation, and ATP production by promoting the expression of CD36 in immature SCs, which might accelerate the maturity of SCs to support the onset of spermatogenesis. Therefore, our findings provided a new perspective on glycolipid metabolism to explain prenatal DBP exposure leading to earlier onset of spermatogenesis in male offspring mice. [Display omitted] • MBP, the active metabolite of DBP, increased lactate by promoting glycolysis in Sertoli cells (SCs). • DBP/MBP increased fatty acid uptake and ATP production, which might accelerate maturity of SCs. • CD36 played an important role in increasing lipid uptake and ATP production of SCs after DBP/MBP exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of luminescent coordination polymers (LCPs) for effective detection of the environmental pollutants is urgent and important for human health and environmental protection. Three novel Zn-LCPs, {[Zn1(L)(4,4′-bbibp)]–[Zn2(L)(4,4′-bbibp)]}n [YMUN6 (for Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities)], [Zn(L)(1,4-bimb)]n (YMUN7), and [Zn(L)(4,4′-bidpe)]n (YMUN8), were fabricated from flexible dicarboxylic acid 1,3-bis(4′-carboxylphenoxy)benzene (H2L) and different imidazole ligands [4,4′-bbibp = 4,4′-bis(benzimidazol-1-yl)biphenyl, 1,4-bimb = 1,4-bis(imidazol-1ylmethyl)benzene, 4,4′-bidpe = 4,4′-bis(imidazolyl)diphenyl ether] using solvothermal conditions. They were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR), thermogravimetric (TG), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic techniques. YMUN6 possessed the "ABAB" interpenetrating 2D complanate structure. YMUN7 showed a three-interpenetrating 2D network. YMUN8 displayed a hcb 3-connected 3-fold interpenetrated 2D network. Photoluminescent properties of YMUN6–8 were investigated, and 6–8 served as "turn off" sensors that could detect chlortetracycline (Chl), Ag+, and Cr2O72− in an aqueous solution with simultaneous high efficiency and sensitivity. Notably, the investigation of Ag+ sensing was most focused on lanthanide metal LCPs, and Zn-LCPs have rarely been reported in this direction. Furthermore, selectivity and recyclability were also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Oxidation-etching of MOF to assemble CoMn mixed oxide catalyst was proposed for the first time. • Abundant mesoporous structures and multifarious active regions in the catalyst were achieved. • The obtained catalyst exhibited excellent low-temperature toluene catalytic performance. • Stepwise oxidation mechanism was explored with DFT calculations and in situ DRIFTS technique. For the first time, a nanosheet-state CoMnx mixed oxide with multifarious active regions was synthesized by oxidation-etching assembly of metal organic framework (MOF) precursor and applied for catalytic combustion of toluene at low temperatures. The obtained optimum catalyst denoted as CoMn6 showed excellent performance, which achieved 90% conversion of 1,000 ppm toluene under a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 60,000 mL/(g·h) at 219 °C. While, it also exhibited long-term stability with strong water resistance property. The characterizations of physicochemical properties indicated that the oxidation-etching assembly process built an abundant mesoporous structure in the CoMnx catalyst, which greatly increased the specific surface area (SSA). Especially, potassium permanganate as oxidant and manganese source led to uniform dispersion and assembling of cobalt atoms, which caused the generation of low-crystallinity CoMnx mixed oxide with abundant dislocations, vacancies, phase interfaces and amorphous structures, resulting in excellent low-temperature reducibility, outstanding lattice oxygen mobility and abundant active species such as Mn3+, Co3+ and adsorbed oxygen species. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrated that gaseous oxygen with the longer bond length (1.406 Å) and stronger adsorption energy (−4.443 eV) could be adsorbed and activated well on the MnCo 2 O 4.5 (3 1 1) plane, which is beneficial for the toluene oxidation. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) technique was applied to track the intermediates of toluene combustion under different atmospheres, which further deduced the contributions of different active regions and oxidation mechanism over the CoMnx catalyst. The present facile strategy of oxidation-etching assembly of the MOF precursor for the creating of novel catalyst with high performance could be applied in a wide variety of materials besides VOC combustion catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to complex preparation and low-yield syntheses, attaining high energy density while maintaining high power density remains a significant challenge for supercapacitor applications in the field of energy storage. Herein, two-dimensional (2D) nickel-based metal–organic framework (NiMOF) nanosheets are grown around carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to form NiMOF/CNTs composite, which is synthesized via a one-step solvothermal method at various temperatures. Thereinto, the NiMOF/CNTs composite synthesized at 180 °C (NiMOF/CNTs 180) exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity for ion and electron transport due to the addition of the CNTs, as well as the highest specific capacitance due to the unique 3D vine-like structure, which provides abundant active sites for electrochemical reactions. Specifically, the NiMOF/CNTs 180 composite demonstrates outstanding electrochemical performance with high specific capacitance (1855.0 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) and an excellent capacitance retention of 87.7% at 10 A g−1, indicating a favorable rate performance. The NiMOF/CNTs 180//AC asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) device assembled with NiMOF/CNTs 180 and activated carbon (AC) has a high specific capacitance of 320.0 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and a maximum energy density of 113.8 W h kg−1 at 800.0 W kg−1. Therefore, the present work provides a handy and efficient synthesis strategy for supercapacitor devices with high energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagellum (MMAF) have been reported to be an important cause of male infertility and reflect a heterogeneous genetic disorder. Previous studies have identified dozens of candidate pathogenic genes for MMAF, but the aetiology in approximately 50% of cases remains unexplained. The present study aimed to identify novel potentially pathogenic gene variants of MMAF. A Chinese family with a 32‐year‐old infertile proband presenting with MMAF was recruited, and sperm morphology of the patient was examined by Papanicolaou staining. Whole exome sequencing was performed on the proband and Sanger sequencing was used to identify genetic variants in the family. The frequencies of variants were assessed using public databases and the effects on protein structure and function were predicted by online bioinformatics tools. The patient exhibited asthenozoospermia and a MMAF phenotype. Novel compound heterozygous variants (c.5368C > T, p.R1790C and c.13183C > T, p.R4395W) of the DNAH17 gene were identified in the patient, and showed autosomal recessive inheritance in this family. These variants were very rare in the GnomAD database. The two mutated amino acids were located in a highly conserved region of the DNAH17 protein. In silico analysis revealed that the compound heterozygous variants may compromise the function of DNAH17. Our findings expand upon the spectrum of pathogenic DNAH17 variants that are responsible for MMAF, and provide new knowledge for genetic counselling of male infertility due to MMAF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high-performance, low-cost, and non-noble metal catalysts for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) as an alternative to oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has received much attention but remains a huge challenge. In this work, NiSe 2 /TiN@Ni 12 P 5 /NF catalysts with a stalactite structure were prepared by chemical vapor deposition to obtain the integrated electrode Ni 12 P 5 /NF on the nickel foam (NF), and subsequently NiSe 2 /TiN was formed on the Ni 12 P 5 /NF surface by the hydrothermal method. The designed catalyst delivers an ultra-low potential of 1.270 V at 10 mA cm−2, and a Tafel slope of 33.3 mV dec−1 for UOR. Furthermore, the catalyst only shows a 1.7% decrease in potential after an 80-h stability test, which demonstrates its excellent stability. The prepared NiSe 2 /TiN@Ni 12 P 5 /NF shows a high specific surface area, and the strengthening effect between TiN and NiSe 2 , endowing the catalyst a high activity and durability. [Display omitted] • The NiSe 2 /TiN@Ni 12 P 5 /NF catalyst with stalactite structure is prepared by the hydrothermal method. • The TiN as the second phase particle combines with NiSe 2 to form a catalyst with a dispersion strengthening effect. • The NiSe 2 /TiN@Ni 12 P 5 /NF catalyst indicates that the ultra-low potential of UOR is 1.270 V at 10 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysfunction of spermatogenesis is a major complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). This study characterized the protective effects of Dendrobium nobile -derived polysaccharides (DNP) against spermatogenetic dysfunction in mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. The diabetic mice had lower body and testicular mass, and fewer spermatozoa with a higher incidence of malformation. The testicular histology showed disordered narrow seminiferous tubules covering a smaller area, and fewer spermatogenic cells. Moreover, the qRT-PCR analysis indicated that DM was associated with high expression of the pro-apoptotic factor Bax and low expression of the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 in the testes. The qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis clarified that DM was also associated with low testicular expression of the Sertoli cell (SC) markers GATA-4, WT1, and vimentin, and genes encoding the glycolytic rate-limiting enzymes LDHA, PKM2, and HK2. DNP treatment increased the body and testicular masses, sperm count, and number of spermatogenic cells of the mice, and reduced the proportion of abnormal sperm. DNP also reduced the expression of Bax, and increased that of Bcl-2, GATA-4, WT1, vimentin, LDHA, PKM2, and HK2, in the testes of the diabetic mice. Thus, DNP protects against spermatogenic dysfunction in diabetic mice by inhibiting apoptosis and activating the glycolytic pathway in their testes. • DNP treatment alleviates the histology of the testis and epididymis of diabetic mice. • DNP ameliorates the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells in testes of diabetic mice. • DNP recovers the number and function of testicular Sertoli cells in diabetic mice. • DNP enhances the expression of genes encoding rate-limiting glycolytic enzymes in testes of diabetic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate the repolarization reserve of normal controls (NCs) and patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods. From January 1st, 2010 to December 31st, 2018, 200 age- and gender-matched inpatients in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University and Heji Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College were selected for treadmill exercise test (TET), including 67 patients in the myocardial ischemia group, 66 patients in the suspected myocardial ischemia group, and 67 patients in the normal control group. Coronary angiography (CAG) was performed on 49 of 133 patients in the myocardial ischemia group and the suspected myocardial ischemia group, and 9 positives and 40 negatives were identified. The heart rate (HR) and QT interval of TET examiners before exercise, during exercise (90 beats/min, 120 beats/min, maximum HR), and in the recovery period (1 minute and 3 minutes after exercise) were reviewed, and QTc values were calculated after being corrected by BaZett's. Results. The mean QTc values in NCs were all below 452 ms, before exercise, during exercise (90 beats/min, 120 beats/min and maximum HR), and during the recovery period (1 minute and 3 minutes after exercise). The comparison results of the RR interval between the two groups revealed P > 0.05 , indicating no statistical significance. Significant differences were present when comparing the QT intervals when the HRs were 90 beats/minute and 120 beats/minute during exercise (P < 0.05). And comparing the QTc values, it was found that the QTc values during different exercise periods were statistically different between groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions. NCs have good repolarization reserve. CAG can confirm true myocardial ischemia patients (i.e., patients with CHD) among myocardial ischemia and suspected myocardial ischemia patients screened by TET. Patients with positive CAG have poor repolarization reserve as QT interval represents ventricular repolarization adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Calprotectin has been well emulated recently in adults as well as in children. The aim of this study was to assess fecal calprotectin concentrations in healthy children aged from 1 to 4 years. Methods: Volunteers were enlisted from 3 nurseries. A brief questionnaire was used to ensure these children meet the inclusion criteria, and some clinical and sociodemographic factors were collected. Anthro software (version 3.1) was used to calculated Length-for-age Z-scores (LAZ), weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ), and weight-for-length Z-scores (WLZ) respectively. Fecal calprotectin was detected by a commercially available ELISA. Results: In total 274 children were recruited, with age ranging from 1 to 4 years old. The median FC concentration was 83.19 μg/g [range 4.58 to 702.50 μg/g, interquartile range (IQR) 14.69–419.45 μg/g] or 1.92 log10 μg/g (range 0.66 log10 to 2.85 log10 μg/g, IQR 1.17 log10-2.62 log10 μg/g). All of the children were divided into three groups, 1–2 years (12–24 months), 2–3 years (24–36 months), 3–4 years (36–48 months), with median FC concentrations 96.14 μg/g (1.98 log10 μg/g), 81.48 μg/g (1.91 log10 μg/g), 65.36 μg/g (1.82 log10 μg/g), respectively. There was similar FC level between boys and girls. FC concentrations showed a downward trend by the growing age groups. A statistic difference was found in FC concentrations among groups 1–2 years, 2–3 years and 3–4 years (P = 0.016). In inter-groups comparison, a significant difference was found between children aged 1–2 years and children aged 3–4 years (P = 0.007). A negative correlation trend was found between age and FC concentration (Spearman's rho = -0.167, P = 0.005) in all the participants. A simple correlation was performed among WLZ, WAZ, birth weight, or birth length with FC, and there was no correlation being observed. Conclusion: Children aged from 1 to 4 years old have lower FC concentrations compared with healthy infants (<1years), and higher FC concentrations when comparing with children older than 4 years and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SO 4 2 − / ZrO 2 -carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared through direct precipitation using ZrOCl 2 ·8H 2 O and H 2 SO 4 as raw materials and CNTs as support. The structure of composite samples was characterized through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Results show that CNTs may provide large surface areas and ZrO 2 tetragonal was closely coated on CNTs surface. This catalyst was used to synthesize acetophenone ethylene glycol ketal. Factors influencing the synthesis of ketalization were also discussed and optimum reaction conditions were confirmed. Experimental results show that the yield of acetophenone ethylene glycol ketal was approximately 98.5% under optimum reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A PCN-222@MXene-based electrochemical aptasensor is fabricated to detect trace oxytetracycline via differential pulse voltammetry. The electrochemical aptasensor has good stability, fine reproducibility, and high selectivity. [Display omitted] • PCN-222 is assembled with MXene nanolayers to form PCN-222@MXene composites. • The electrochemical aptasensor can sensitively detect trace oxytetracycline. • Differential pulse voltammetry is used as the sensing method in this work. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have received lots of attention in the field of electrochemical aptasensors in recent years, but most MOFs have poor conductivity to limit their electrochemical detection performance. Hence, it is still a great challenge to construct excellent MOF-based composites for fabricating outstanding electrochemical aptasensors. In this work, a zirconium–organic framework (PCN-222) is assembled with the MXene nanosheet to obtain a PCN-222@MXene nanocomposite. Due to copious Zr(IV) sites and abound mesopores of PCN-222, and the good conductivity of MXene nanosheets, the PCN-222@MXene nanocomposite is a good functional material to immobilize aptamers. Oxytetracycline (OTC), as an analytic mode, has been widely used in various applications, but the residual OTC brings a series of health and environmental problems. Excitingly, the electrochemical aptasensor based on PCN-222@MXene exhibits more outstanding sensing performance toward OTC via differential pulse voltammetry than many reported sensors, including low limitation of detection, high selectivity, available stability and reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we used nanocomposite saturable absorbers (SAs) in order to precisely design and modulate the process of compositing the light absorption by band gap engineering. Due to the higher absorption intensity of our MoS2/MXene nanocomposite, we have successfully shortened the pulse duration (1.2 ÎĽ s) of SA with enhancing saturable absorption intensity (7.22 MW cmâˆ'2), and the ultra-fast fiber laser based on this nanocomposite SA has shown wider Q-switching stable range in the case of high pump power. This strategy can efficiently improve the performance of SA and shows the potential application prospect of nanocomposites in nonlinear optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth trioxide (Bi 2 O 3) is known for its simple composition but rich polymorphism that allows a number of phase-dependent physicochemical properties and technical applications. We here report our controllable synthesis of highly discrete β-Bi 2 O 3 (tetragonal) nanoparticles (NPs) via the thermal oxidation of nearly-monodisperse Bi NPs. The size and shape (spherical and tear- or rod-like) of β-Bi 2 O 3 NPs are tunable by the size of parent Bi NPs whereas β and α (monoclinic) polymorphs can be selectively achieved by tailoring the oxidation temperature. The phase stability of β polymorph from room temperature to 450 °C enables us to perform an in situ high-temperature XRD study on the temperature dependence of its lattice parameters, which reveals a marked thermal expansion anisotropy in β-Bi 2 O 3 with a linear thermal expansion coefficient of +35.1 × 10−6 °C−1 in the c axis, fifteen times higher than that in the a axis. Meanwhile, the narrow band gap (2.27 eV for β vs. 2.77 eV for α) and strong visible-light absorption endow β-Bi 2 O 3 NPs with a good photocatalytic activity for the visible-light Rhodamine B dye degradation. We expect that our work could be a valuable reference for the studies on the size, shape and polymorph control, thermal property, and photocatalytic application of Bi 2 O 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We experimentally investigated the optimized phase matching condition for high order harmonic generation as a source of time-resolved Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (TR-ARPES) applications. In the loose focusing scheme, we find that the divergence of harmonics decreases with the increase of gas cell length, while the maximum intensity is obtained with 10–15 mm gas cell. Our result shows that stable beam condition with best temporal resolution can be realized for TR-ARPES by using a longer gas cell (longer than 25 mm in our experiment), and an appropriate gas cell length can provide balanced condition for good beam intensity and good temporal resolution. For the experiments carried out on HHG-based TR ARPES, the wavefront tilt of harmonic beam is inevitably introduced by the grating used in monochromator, leading to the boarding of pulse width and the dramatic decrease of the temporal resolution. A simple way to decrease the wavefront tilt is by optimizing the beam quality of high order harmonics. In our work, we aim to decrease the divergence of harmonic beam while keeping the enough intensity. We have experimentally investigated the intensity and beam divergence of high order harmonics generated in Ar for different gas cell condition. The divergence of harmonics decreases with the increase of gas cell length which is shown in (a), while the maximum intensity is obtained with 10 15 mm gas cell shown in (b). Our result c d shows that stable beam condition with best temporal resolution can be realized for TR ARPES by using a longer gas cell, and an appropriate gas cell length can provide balanced condition for good beam intensity and good temporal resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus is a complicated metabolic disease, whose pathogenesis is related to apoptosis within pancreatic tissue. In this study, the potential therapeutic benefits of Ramulus mori polysaccharides (RMP) on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice were evaluated. Our experiments indicated that RMP lowered hyperglycemia and increased insulin levels in diabetic mice. Histopathological examination revealed that RMP contributed to the reduction of STZ-lesioned pancreatic cells. In addition, the serum level of HbA1c was decreased. RMP treatment also showed increased Bcl-2 expression and reduced Bax protein level in pancreatic tissue. Furthermore, intrapancreatic expressions of p-JNK, p-p38 and cleaved-caspase-3 were down-regulated by RMP treatment. Collectively, the findings demonstrate that RMP exerts the pronounced hypoglycemic effect via regulation of the intrapancreatic JNK/p38 pathway to protect against STZ-induced apoptosis in pancreatic tissue, eventually ameliorating metabolic function in the pancreas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now the era of big data. Massive volumes of complex and dynamic data exist in a variety of industries, including internet finance. This paper briefly describes the current big data situation and its significance, discusses the big data resource service platform architecture that includes three levels: data resource identification and access, data resources storage and analysis, and network information service platform, and then introduces some work undertaken by our project team on big data analysis research and application of trusted transactions for internet finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S 2 O 8 2− /TiO 2 –exfoliated graphite (EG) solid acid catalysts were prepared by a sol–gel method using Ti(OCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 3 ) 4 and (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8 as raw materials, as well as EG as support. The structure of the composite samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results demonstrate TiO 2 anatase to be closely coated on the surface of exfoliated graphite. The effects of calcination temperature on the acidity, texture, and catalytic performance of S 2 O 8 2− /TiO 2 –EG solid acid catalysts were further studied. Factors influencing the synthesis of acetalation were discussed, and the optimum reaction conditions were confirmed. Experimental results show that the yield of benzaldehyde glycol acetal was about 98.8% under the following conditions: molar ratio of benzaldehyde to glycol of 1:1.5, catalyst quantity of 0.5% of feedstock, and reaction time of 50 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PT‐relaxor ferroelectrics exhibit excellent piezoelectric and quadratic nonlinear optical properties, making them prominent candidates for realization of phononic and nonlinear photonic crystals which rely on spatially patterned ferroelectric domains. However, formation of domain patterns, especially in three dimensions, has been challenging. This paper presents the first experimental demonstration of localized ferroelectric domains and their 2D and 3D patterns inside 0.62Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3‐0.38PbTiO3 (PMN‐38PT) single‐domain crystals engineered with focused near‐infrared femtosecond laser pulses. Two types of domains are optically induced. Primary domains are formed in the focal volume of the beam, and secondary domains appearing at higher laser power, in the shape of hollow cylindrical structures, are formed around the beam. A physical mechanism of optical domain inversion involving thermoelectric and space charge fields is proposed. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of domain formation and structuring in PMN‐PT relaxor‐based ferroelectrics, paving the way to integrate electromechanical, acoustic, and nonlinear optical effects in a single crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Different simulation methods were adopted to comparatively investigate their effectiveness for the dielectric property analysis of linear aromatic PI. • Density functional theory (DFT) calculation showed good D k -predicting accuracy. • The best functional/basis set combinations are CAM-B3LYP and 6–311++g(d,p) in DFT study. • Solubility parameter and fractional free volume extracted by molecular dynamic (MD) showed high correlation with the experimental D k. The dielectric properties of polyimides were analyzed by different theoretical methods, including the density functional theory (DFT) calculation for dielectric constant prediction and the molecular dynamic simulation for dielectric performance explanation. The best functional/basis set combinations are optimized to be CAM-B3LYP and 6–311++g(d,p) in DFT study. On the other hand, the molecular parameters of band gap, chain mobility, solubility parameter and fractional free volume were simulated and the latter two show high correlation with the dielectric constant. This work is the starting point for developing a reliable and efficient database to accelerate the overall process toward low dielectric-constant polymer discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a new algorithm to estimate the aortic BP waveform non-invasively. • Imaging is used to obtain aortic flow and diameter waveforms to derive aortic PWV. • Aortic BP is reconstructed from PWV and peripheral pressure recorded tonometrically. • The algorithm's accuracy is validated from invasive and non-invasive reference values. • This new approach gives central BP and additional clinically valuable information. Aortic blood pressure (ABP) is a more effective prognostic indicator of cardiovascular disease than peripheral blood pressure. A highly accurate algorithm for non-invasively deriving the ABP wave, based on ultrasonic measurement of aortic flow combined with peripheral pulse wave measurements, has been proposed elsewhere. However, it has remained at the proof-of-concept stage because it requires a priori knowledge of the ABP waveform to calculate aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). The objective of this study is to transform this proof-of-concept algorithm into a clinically feasible technique. We used the Bramwell-Hill equation to non-invasively calculate aortic PWV which was then used to reconstruct the ABP waveform from non-invasively determined aortic blood flow velocity, aortic diameter, and radial pressure. The two aortic variables were acquired by an ultrasound system from 90 subjects, followed by recordings of radial pressure using a SphygmoCor device. The ABPs estimated by the new algorithm were compared with reference values obtained by cardiac catheterization (invasive validation, 8 subjects aged 62.3 ± 12.7 years) and a SphygmoCor device (non-invasive validation, 82 subjects aged 45.0 ± 17.8 years). In the invasive comparison, there was good agreement between the estimated and directly measured pressures: the mean error in systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 1.4 ± 0.8 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure (DBP), 0.9 ± 0.8 mmHg; mean blood pressure (MBP), 1.8 ± 1.2 mmHg and pulse pressure (PP), 1.4 ± 1.1 mmHg. In the non-invasive comparison, the estimated and directly measured pressures also agreed well: the errors being: SBP, 2.0 ± 1.4 mmHg; DBP, 0.8 ± 0.1 mmHg; MBP, 0.1 ± 0.1 mmHg and PP, 2.3 ± 1.6 mmHg. The significance of the differences in mean errors between calculated and reference values for SBP, DBP, MBP and PP were assessed by paired t -tests. The agreement between the reference methods and those obtained by applying the new approach was also expressed by correlation and Bland-Altman plots. The new method proposed here can accurately estimate ABP, allowing this important variable to be obtained non-invasively, using standard, well validated measurement techniques. It thus has the potential to relocate ABP estimation from a research environment to more routine use in the cardiac clinic. A highly accurate algorithm for non-invasively deriving the ABP wave has been proposed elsewhere. However, it has remained at the proof-of-concept stage because it requires a priori knowledge of the ABP waveform to calculate aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). This study aims to transform this proof-of-concept algorithm into a clinically feasible technique. We used the Bramwell-Hill equation to non-invasively calculate aortic PWV which was then used to reconstruct the ABP waveform. The ABPs estimated by the new algorithm were compared with reference values obtained by cardiac catheterization or a SphygmoCor device. The results showed that there was good agreement between the estimated and directly measured pressures. The new method proposed can accurately estimate ABP, allowing this important variable to be obtained non-invasively, using standard, well validated measurement techniques. It thus has the potential to relocate ABP estimation from a research environment to more routine use in the cardiac clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ononin is a flavonoid compound found in several medicinal plants, including Astragalus membranaceus, Sophora flavescens , and Ononis spinosa. These plants have been traditionally used in various parts of the world for their medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects. Major depression is a common, long-lasting, and recurrent psychiatric disorder with a high suicide rate. Naturally occurring flavonoids treat depression via poorly understood mechanisms. The present study aimed to determine whether ononin conferred an antidepressant-like effect in PC12 cell models and chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced depressive rat models and to explore its possible mechanisms. Depression-related behaviors were measured using sucrose preference, tail suspension and open-field tests. Furthermore, to explore these mechanisms, we employed in vitro and in vivo assay methods, including neurite outgrowth, western blotting, quantitative RT-PCR, and staining methods. Treatment with ononin or BDNF significantly increased PC12 cells' neuronal growth and differentiation. Furthermore, ononin promotes the activation of TrkB and growth factors and upregulates the PI3K/Akt and BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathways. The in vitro results were consistent with CMS-induced depressive rat models, in which ononin treatment significantly decreased depression-like behaviors and activated TrkB, growth factors, and BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathways in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. Depression-induced microscopic alterations in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of rats with CMS-induced depression were also mitigated following ononin treatment. Based on these findings, we suggest that ononin is a promising antidepressant candidate for treating depression. • Ononin could significantly increase PC12 cells' neuronal growth and differentiation. • Ononin promotes the activation of TrkB and growth factors by modulating BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathways. • The in vitro results were consistent with CMS-induced depressive rat models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassica juncea is one of a unique vegetable in China, its tumorous stem can be processed into pickle or as fresh vegetable. For a long time, early-bolting as a main factor affects yield and quality of B. juncea, which happens about 15% all year round. As plant specific blue light receptors, FKF1/LKP2 involved in photoperiod flowering. To analyze the expression levels of BjuFKF1/BjuLKP2 and screen their interaction proteins in B. juncea, qRT-PCR and yeast two hybrid assays were recruited. qRT-PCR assays found that the expression levels of BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 were up-regulated expressed under both white and blue light. When under different light, BjuFKF1 was significantly increased at vegetative growth stage, but decreased in flowers under blue light. For BjuLKP2, its expression levels did not show significant changes under different light treatment. To investigate interaction proteins, BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 were used as bait proteins, and nine potential proteins were screened from yeast library. Yeast two hybrid assays was recruited to further verify their interaction, the results showed that both BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 interacted with BjuCOL, BjuCOL3, BjuCOL5, BjuAP2, BjuAP2-1 and BjuSKP1f, only BjuLKP2 interacted with BjuSVP-1 and BjuCDF1 in vivo. In this study, BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 were up-regulated expressed under both white and blue light. Yeast two hybrid results verified that BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 interacted with six and eight of those nine proteins in vivo, respectively. All of those results will provided reference genes to study BjuFKF1/BjuLKP2 regulated flowering pathway in B. juncea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. MutS homolog 2 (MSH2), with the function of identifying mismatches and participating in DNA repair, is the "housekeeping gene" in the mismatch repair (MMR) system. MSH2 deficiency has been reported to enhance cancer susceptibility for the association of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. However, the expression and prognostic significance of MSH2 have not been studied from the perspective of pan-cancer. Methods. The GTEx database was used to analyze the expression of MSH2 in normal tissues. The TCGA database was used to analyze the differential expression of MSH2 in pan-cancers. The prognostic value of MSH2 in pan-cancer was assessed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Spearman correlations were used to measure the relationship between the expression level of MSH2 in pan-cancer and the level of immune infiltration, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI). Results. MSH2 is highly expressed in most type of cancers and significantly correlated with prognosis. In COAD, KIRC, LIHC, and SKCM, the expression of MSH2 was significantly positively correlated with the abundance of B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, and neutrophils. In THCA, MSH2 expression correlated with CD8+T Cell showed a significant negative correlation. MSH2 had significantly negative correlations with stromal score and immune score in a variety of cancers and significantly correlated with TMB and MSI of a variety of tumors. Conclusions. MSH2 may play an important role in the occurrence, development, and immune infiltration of cancer. MSH2 can emerge as a potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic metabolic disease, severely impairs male reproductive function. However, the underpinning mechanisms are still incompletely defined, and there are no effective strategies or medicines for these reproductive lesions. Icariin (ICA), the main active component extracted from Herba epimedii, is a flavonoid traditionally used to treat testicular dysfunction. Whether ICA can improve male reproductive dysfunction caused by DM and its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, by employing metformin as a comparative group, we evaluated the protective effects of ICA on male reproductive damages caused by DM and explored the possible mechanisms. Methods: Rats were fed with a high fat diet (HFD) and then intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin (STZ) to induce diabetes. Diabetic rats were randomly divided into T2DM + saline group, T2DM + metformin group and T2DM + ICA group. Rats without the treatment of HFD and STZ were used as control group. The morphology of testicular tissues was examined by histological staining. The mRNA expression levels were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Immunostaining detected the protein levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in testicular tissues. TUNEL assay was performed to determine cell apoptosis in the testicular tissues. The protein expression levels of HIF-1α and SIRT1 in the testicular tissues were determined by western blot assay. Results: ICA effectively improved male reproductive dysfunction of diabetic rats. ICA administration significantly decreased fasting blood glucose (FBG) and insulin resistance index (IRI). In addition, ICA increased testis weight, epididymis weight, sperm number, sperm motility and the cross-sectional area of seminiferous tubule. ICA recovered the number of spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes and Sertoli cells. Furthermore, ICA upregulated the expression of PCNA, activated SRIT1-HIF-1α signaling pathway, and inhibited intrinsic mitochondria dependent apoptosis pathway by upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulating the expression of Bax and caspase 3. Conclusion: These results suggest that ICA could attenuate male reproductive dysfunction of diabetic rats possibly via increasing cell proliferation and decreasing cell apoptosis of testis. ICA potentially represents a novel therapeutic strategy against DM-induced testicular damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lignocellulosic biomass is an underutilized, renewable resource that can be converted to biofuels. The key step in this conversion is cellulose saccharification catalyzed by cellulase. In this work, the effect of metal ions on cellulose hydrolysis by cellulases from Penicillium decumbens was reported for the first time. Fe3+ and Cu2+ were shown to be inhibitory. Further studies on Fe3+ inhibition showed the inhibition takes place on both enzyme and substrate levels. Fe3+ treatment damages cellulases’ capability to degrade cellulose and inhibits all major cellulase activities. Fe3+ treatment also reduces the digestibility of cellulose, due to its oxidation. Treatment of Fe3+-treated cellulose with DTT and supplementation of EDTA to saccharification systems partially relieved Fe3+ inhibition. It was concluded that Fe3+ inhibition in cellulose degradation is a complicated process in which multiple inhibition events occur, and that relief from Fe3+ inhibition can be achieved by the supplementation of reducing or chelating agents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are usually working in intermittent heat source environments, and thus the phase change material (PCM) has been widely adopted in to maintain relatively stable temperature difference. The property matching between the PCM and the TEGs is one of the crucial problems to influence the performance of the PCM-TEG system. In this work, the influence of the phase change temperature of the PCM on the output power and generated electricity of PCM-TEG system is studied. Classic Enthalpy model and three-dimensional coupled thermo-electric equations are applied to study the heat transfer and energy conversion mechanisms. Our results show that the output electric energy of a PCM-TEG system can be optimized by tuning the phase change temperature of PCM. The total generated electricity can be enhanced as large as 15.6% by matching the PCM with the thermoelectric properties of the thermoelement. Moreover, by comparing three cases with different thermoelectric materials, we give relationship between the optimal phase change temperature of PCM and the temperature for maximum figure of merit (ZT) of the thermoelement, which provides a selection criterion of PCM for TEG module. Our work could be helpful to realize further high efficiency thermoelectric generators for intermittent heat sources. • Phase change material-thermoelectric generator system proposed for intermittent heat source. • Phase change temperature is optimized to maximize total generated electricity. • Optimal phase change temperature is determined by the thermoelements. • A selection criterion of optimal phase change material is addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the impact of oncogenic protein kinase C isoform ι (PKCι) on the microenvironment and the immunogenic properties of pancreatic tumors, we prohibit PKCι activity in various pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines and co-culture them with human natural killer NK92 cells. The results demonstrate that PKCι suppression enhances the susceptibility of PDAC to NK cytotoxicity and promotes the degranulation and cytolytic activity of co-cultured NK92 cells. Mechanistic studies pinpoint that downstream of KRAS, both YAP1 and STAT3 are recruited by oncogenic PKCι to elevate the expression of PDL1, contributing to constitute an immune suppressive microenvironment in PDAC. Co-culture with NK92 further induces PDL1 upregulation via STAT3 to stimulate immune escape of PDAC cells. Subsequently, inhibition of PKCι in PDAC alleviates the immune suppression and enhances the cytotoxicity of NK92 towards PDAC through restraining PDL1 overexpression. Combined with PD1/PDL1 blocker, PKCι inhibitor remarkably elevates the cytotoxicity of NK92 against PDAC cells in vitro, establishing PKCι inhibitor as a promising candidate for boosting the immunotherapy of PDAC. • PKCi regulates the expression of PDL1 via multiple signaling pathways in PDAC. • Suppression of PKCi down-regulates the endogenous expression of PDL1 in PDAC. • Suppression of PKCi also impedes the PDL1 upregulation induced by NK cells through a STAT3-related pathway in PDAC. • PKCi inhibitor enhances the susceptibility of PDAC to NK cytotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of metal chalcogenide nanowires (NWs) on metal substrates is challenging work since the direct reactions taking place between the chalcogen (S, Se or Te) and zero-valent metal (M0) are frequently unable to regulate the crystallization of nanocrystals in an anisotropic one-dimensional (1D) manner. We here report the use of Ag2Se seeds as catalyst particles to realize the growth of metal selenide (MSe) NWs on their respective metal foil or flakes, including ZnSe/Zn, CdSe/Cd, and MnSe/Mn material systems. Metal foil or flakes (M = Zn, Cd and Mn) serve as a support substrate as well as a metal cation source during the NW synthesis. The preformed Ag2Se seeds play the roles of not only catalytic particles that initiate a so-called solution–solid–solid process to produce crystalline MSe NWs on metal substrates, but also inert impurities that promote an electrochemical anodic reaction of the metal to supply metal cations (M0 − 2e → M2+) for the NW formation. The microstructural studies by HRTEM reveal the polytypism and particularly the diameter-dependence of crystal phases and growth directions in the resulting MSe NWs, which can be rationalized from the viewpoints of the energetics and the catalyst/NW interfacial structures. These semiconductor NWs grown on metal foil or flakes may find wide use in photoelectric catalysis and devices without a transfer process of free-standing NWs onto a conductive support substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal factor restricting large‐scale hydrogen production via water electrolysis is the development of inexpensive and efficient catalysts that attain high current densities to produces hydrogen at low potentials. In this study, a series of iron‐based phosphide catalysts (denoted as: PX‐doped Fe/NF) were prepared via one‐step electrodeposition from a eutectic solvent to examine their oxygen evolution reaction (OER) or hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. Notably, P30‐doped Fe/NF forms a porous interconnected nanosheet structure, providing a large active surface areas, abundant active sites and low charge transfer resistance. P30‐doped Fe/NF attained the lowest OER (284.15 mV) and HER (158.17 mV) overpotentials at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH of all the tested catalysts. When used in overall water splitting, the catalyst displayed outstanding adaptability to a range of potentials and current densities. This study provides a facile route for the synthesis of bifunctional transition‐metal phosphide catalysts for the electrolysis of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]