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In this short note, we prove interior regularity of weak solutions to a class of linear elliptic system with quadratic Jacobian structures in higher dimensions, extending the result of Hajlasz, Strzelecki and Zhong (2008) in dimension two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase-2 (SCD2) is a member of the Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase (SCD) family of enzymes that catalyze the rate-limiting step in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) synthesis. The MUFAs palmitoleoyl-CoA (16:1n7) and oleoyl-CoA (18:1n9) are the major products of SCD2. Palmitoleoyl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA have various roles, from being a source of energy to signaling molecules. Under normal feeding conditions, SCD2 is ubiquitously expressed and is the predominant SCD isoform in the brain. However, obesogenic diets highly induce SCD2 in adipose tissue, lung, and kidney. Here we provide a comprehensive review of SCD2 in mouse development, metabolism, and various diseases, such as obesity, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer′s disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson′s disease. In addition, we show that bone mineral density is decreased in SCD2KO mice under high-fat feeding conditions and that SCD2 is not required for preadipocyte differentiation or the expression of PPARγ in vivo despite being required in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the effects of two kinds of oxygen defects on the electronic and magnetic properties in SrIrO 3 bulk. One is the oxygen defect in IrO 2 plane (Ov1) and the other out-of-plane (Ov2). The results show that both oxygen defects enhance the inherent metallicity of the crystal and there is no tendency to achieve the Mott transition. Most surprised, we find that a small out-of-plane magnetic moment along c axis is formed due to the apical tilting of the defective octahedrons induced by the in-plane oxygen defects. While a local and weak ab in-plane ferromagnetic response comes from the out-of-plane defect which destroys the connectivity between adjacent layers and promotes a small in-plane rotation. In addition to the distortion of the defective blocks, the weak ferromagnetic phenomenon is also limited by the concentration of oxygen defects. Our research indicates that non-equivalent oxygen deficiencies exert distinct regulatory roles on the magnetic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tamarixia radiata (Waterston) is a predominant parasitoid of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), a destructive citrus pest and vector of huanglongbing (HLB) disease in the fields of southern China. To explore the functioning of target genes in T. radiata, the screening of specific reference genes is critical for carrying out the reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) under different experimental conditions. However, no reference gene(s) for T. radiata has yet been reported. Here, we selected seven housekeeping genes of T. radiata and evaluated their stability under the six conditions (developmental stage, sex, tissue, population, temperature, diet) by using RefFinder software, which contains four different programs (geNorm, ΔCt, BestKeeper, and NormFinder). Pairwise variation was analyzed by geNorm software to determine the optimal number of reference genes during the RT-qPCR analysis. The results reveal better reference genes for differing research foci: 18S and EF1A for the developmental stage; PRS18 and EF1A for sex, PRS18 and RPL13 for different tissues (head, thorax, abdomen); EF1A and ArgK between two populations; β-tubulin and EF1A for different temperatures (5, 15, 25, 35 °C); and ArgK and PRS18 for different feeding diets. Furthermore, when the two optimal and two most inappropriate reference genes were chosen in different temperatures and tissue treatments, respectively, the corresponding expression patterns of HSP70 (as the reporter gene) differed substantially. Our study provides, for the first time, a more comprehensive list of optimal reference genes from T. radiata for use in RT-qPCR analysis, which should prove beneficial for subsequent functional investigations of target gene(s) in this natural enemy of ACP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study on selenium (Se) transformation during coal combustion will facilitate the development of emission–control technologies. A fixed–bed reactor was used to conduct pyrolysis and combustion experiments involving three types of coal at 600–1000 °C. In an inert atmosphere, the release ratios of Se increased slowly as temperature increased, varying between 56% and 74% for different coals at 1000 °C. All forms of Se in coal were thermally unstable and the conversion of Se in other forms into residual and organic–bound Se occurred. In an oxidizing atmosphere, the release ratios of Se differed significantly for different coals at low temperatures, but approached 100% at 1000 °C. Each form of Se in coal was released in different ratios. The water–soluble and ion–exchangeable Se, and carbonate– and oxide–bound Se were produced in the solid products. The oxidizing atmosphere was more conducive to the release of Se because the sulfide– and organic–bound Se was fully oxidized. Se could be converted into water–soluble and ion–exchangeable form and released less in Ca–rich coal. Sulfur (S) prohibited Ca from adsorbing Se by forming CaSO 4 , promoting the release of Se in S–rich coal. Unlabelled Image • Se transformations during pyrolysis and combustion of coals were investigated. • An oxidizing atmosphere facilitated the release of Se from the coal. • Se forms differ in stability and may convert to other form during thermal process. • The effect of inorganic contents in the coal on Se transformation was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented cascade Heck–Aldol–Heck reaction was developed to form two C–C single bonds and one CC double bond in one process by a combination of palladium(0) catalysis and aminocatalysis. Various aryl iodides could perform the cascade reaction with readily available propenol and formaldehyde to afford novel (E)-trisubstituted alkenes in 66–81% yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease that affects the quality of life (QoL) of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in perceptions of PBC among physicians from different hospital departments and patients with PBC. Methods: An online survey regarding the general knowledge, diagnosis, and management of PBC was completed by physicians and patients. Results: A total of 239 patients with PBC and 239 physicians from eight hospital departments (gastroenterology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, hepatobiliary surgery, pathology, clinical laboratory, ultrasound, and radiology) completed the survey. The results showed that physicians from departments other than gastroenterologists and rheumatologists lacked knowledge of PBC, and that junior gastroenterologists were uncertain about the diagnostic and treatment pathways of PBC. Importantly, the lack of knowledge significantly impacted the QoL of patients, especially the emotional scores of PBC‐40 (odds ratio −2.556, 95% confidence interval −3.852 to −1.260, P < 0.001). In addition, there was a perceived knowledge gap between patients and gastroenterologists. Conclusions: Physicians must improve their awareness of PBC. Patient education and patient–physician communication are important for improving the patient's QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sepsis-caused multi-organ failure remains the major cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units with limited therapeutics. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), has been recently reported to be protective in sepsis; however, its therapeutic effects remain to be determined. This study sought to investigate the therapeutic effects of NMN in septic organ failure and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: Sepsis was induced by feces-injection-in-peritoneum in mice. NMN was given after an hour of sepsis onset. Cultured neutrophils, macrophages and endothelial cells were incubated with various agents. Results: We demonstrate that administration of NMN elevated NAD+ levels and reduced serum lactate levels, oxidative stress, inflammation, and caspase-3 activity in multiple organs of septic mice, which correlated with the attenuation of heart dysfunction, pulmonary microvascular permeability, liver injury, and kidney dysfunction, leading to lower mortality. The therapeutic effects of NMN were associated with lower bacterial burden in blood, and less ROS production in septic mice. NMN improved bacterial phagocytosis and bactericidal activity of macrophages and neutrophils while reducing the lipopolysaccharides-induced inflammatory response of macrophages. In cultured endothelial cells, NMN mitigated mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, apoptosis, and barrier dysfunction induced by septic conditions, all of which were offset by SIRT3 inhibition. Conclusion: NAD+ repletion with NMN prevents mitochondrial dysfunction and restrains bacterial dissemination while limiting inflammatory damage through SIRT3 signaling in sepsis. Thus, NMN may represent a therapeutic option for sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we are concerned with the lattice Boltzmann method for anisotropic convection–diffusion equations (CDEs). We prove that the collision matrices of many widely used lattice Boltzmann models for such equations admit an elegant property, which guarantees the second-order accuracy of the half-way anti-bounce-back scheme. Numerical experiments validated our results for both two- and three-dimensional anisotropic CDEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Simultaneous identify and quantify 11 chemical adulterants in antitussive and antiasthmatic herbal medicinal products by an NMR analytical method. • Highly selective chemical shift filters with TOCSY allows acquiring specific background-free signals for each chemical adulterants to reduce the possibility of false-positives. • Fast and efficient sample preparation and analysis, and 1D CSSF-TOCSY method was well validated, satisfying all of the validation criteria, which has broad application prospects. In this work, an NMR analytical procedure based on highly chemical-shift-selective filtration (CSSF) with total correlation spectroscopy (TOCSY) was used for the rapid identification and quantification of trimethoprim, benproperine phosphate, diclofenac sodium, pentoxyverine citrate, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, sulfamethoxazole, dioxopromethazine hydrochloride, chlorphenamine maleate, prednisone acetate, theophylline, and diazepam in antitussive and antiasthmatic herbal medicinal products. This method is advantageous for content determination owing to its specific background-free signals for each chemical adulterant and easy-to-perform pretreatment operations. Satisfactory results in terms of limit of quantification (0.70–1.35 mg/g), precision (relative standard deviation, RSD%: 2.05–7.08), accuracy (bias%: 0.16–6.51), and recovery (85.4%–106.5%) were achieved. Among 28 batches of antitussive and antiasthmatic herbal medicinal products, 27 batches contained illegal adulterants, which differed in terms of the amount and type of compounds. The established method was employed for the qualitative screening and quantitative detection of illegal adulterants in herbal medicinal products because of its strong selectivity and fast analysis. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two novel bis- and tri-indole alkaloids were isolated from B. mekongensis. • The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were established. • Their activity of preventing high glucose-induced podocyte injury was evaluated. Bousigonine A (1), an unprecedented eburnamine-voaphylline type dimeric indole alkaloid, and Bousigonine B (2), the first example of eburnamine-eburnamine-aspidospermine type trimeric indole alkaloid were isolated from Bousigonia mekongensis. Their structures were elucidated mainly by spectroscopic analysis and compared to published data. Their preventing high glucose-induced podocyte injury activity were evaluated for the first time, and compound 1 exhibited significant effect with EC 50 value of 2.5 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new indole alkaloids (1 – 4) and twenty known compounds (5–24) were isolated from the leaves and stems, and fruits of Kopsia officinalis. Their structures were confirmed by means of spectroscopic methods. All these isolates were evaluated for their antagonizing high glucose-evoked podocyte injury activity for the first time, and compounds 5–8 showed potent activity with EC 50 values of 3.0–12.0 μM. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tsukushi (TSK), a newly identified hepatokine, is a member of the small leucine‐rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) family. TSK was originally isolated and identified in the lens of the chicken. Preliminary research on TSK has focused on its role in various physiological processes such as growth and development, wound healing, and cartilage formation. In recent years, the role of TSK in regulating cell signaling pathways, cell proliferation, and differentiation has been studied. In addition, the research has gradually expanded to the fields of glycolipid metabolism and energy balance. This article briefly reviews the role of TSK in the physiological and pathological process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large eddy simulations and Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings acoustic analogy methods have been adopted to simulate the flow-induced noise for variable cross-section pipelines under variable flow velocity conditions in this paper, and the main influencing factors of flow-induced noise are analyzed numerically, including the flow velocity and variable diameter angle. Results manifested that the flow field distribution, sound source characteristics, and frequency spectrum characteristics of the sound pressure level (SPL) at different flow velocities follow similar trends. The average acoustic source intensity increases gradually with the increase in flow velocity. The maximum of the acoustic source intensity is located near the outlet of the variable diameter angle due to the vortex effect. The flow-induced noise in variable cross-section pipelines is mainly low-frequency noise, and its energy is mainly concentrated below 200 Hz according to the frequency spectrum characteristics. Additionally, the SPL increases with the increase in flow velocity. Compared with v = 1 m/s, the SPL at v = 2 m/s and v = 3 m/s increases by 9.4% and 22.1%, respectively. In addition, there is an approximate linearly increasing relationship between the SPL and the variable diameter angle. The minimum of the SPL appears at φ = 15.2°, and the maximum appears at φ = 25.7° at different flow velocities, which is up to 70.18 dB. Briefly, the flow-induced noise characteristics, including the average acoustic source intensity, the SPL, and the frequency spectra, are revealed in this paper. This provides a theoretical basis for the optimization of variable cross-section piping systems and the investigation of flow-induced noise control techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adjustment of the rotor blade installation angle of the two-stage variable-pitch axial-flow fan affects the surface pressure characteristics, which in turn affects the vibration characteristics of the rotor blade. In this paper, the finite element model of two-stage variable-pitch axial-flow fan is first established, and then the modal analysis of blades with aerodynamic and centrifugal loads is presented. The resonance of the blade is analyzed based on the pressure pulsation frequency domain characteristics. Finally, the equivalent stress distribution under variable blade installation angles is explored. Simulation results regarding the natural frequency show that the installation angle of the moving blade has a minimal impact on the natural frequency. In contrast, the centrifugal force load significantly affects the natural frequency of the moving blade. To ensure safety, we maintain a frequency margin of over 24 % to avoid the risk of resonance. Strength analysis results indicate that the maximum equivalent stress on the first-stage and second-stage rotor blades decreases by 43.14 MPa and 45.28 MPa, respectively. This reduction is attributed to a certain centrifugal load and a slight offset in aerodynamic loading. This research can provide guidance for the vibration control and safety research of two-stage variable-pitch axial-flow fan. • Finite element model established for two-stage variable-pitch axial-flow fan. • Rotor blade installation angle impacts surface pressure and rotor blade vibration. • Modal analysis with aerodynamic and centrifugal loads, analyzing blade resonance. • Centrifugal force load significantly affects natural frequency. • Ensure fan's reliability and reduce rotor resonance risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Takakura 3B ankle arthritis is featured as obliteration of ankle space with subchondral bone contact. Among these patients, some have medial distal tibial platform erosion. It is hard to treat this kind of patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of intra-articular opening osteotomy combined with lateral ligament reconstruction for Takakura 3B ankle arthritis with medial distal tibial platform erosion. Methods: From September 2009 to May 2016, 17 patients with Takakura 3B ankle arthritis were reviewed, including 3 male and 14 female patients. All underwent the operation of intra-articular opening osteotomy combined with lateral ligament reconstruction. All patients were available for analysis. The main outcome measurements included TT angle, AOFAS score, VAS score, SF-36 scale, and AOS scale. Results: All patients were followed for a mean follow-up of 87.2 months (range, 49 to 129 months). The VAS scale improved from 5.5 ± 1.6 to 2.3 ± 1.9. The mean AOFAS score improved from 47.7 ± 15.7 to 75.8 ± 12.0. The SF-36 scale improved from 41.6 ± 14.0 to 67.7 ± 14.6. The AOS improved from 60.9 ± 13.9 to 28.2 ± 17.7. The TT angle improved from 14.3 ± 5.0° to 5.3 ± 4.0°. The TAS and TLS changed from 83.4 ± 2.6° and 77.5 ± 2.3° to 90.7 ± 2.3° and 78.6 ± 2.2°. However, the LTAS was not corrected significantly. Conclusion: Intra-articular opening osteotomy combined with lateral ligament reconstruction is an effective method to treat varus ankle arthritis with medial distal tibial platform erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the stability of molybdenum carbide catalysts in dimethyl ether steam reforming (DSR), the inactivation mechanism and the performance of Pt modified catalyst has been investigated. The Mo 2 C oxidation induced by H 2 O is verified to be the main reason of catalytic deactivation. After modified with Pt, the H 2 production rate and selectivity are greatly enhanced, reaches 1605 μmol min−1·g cat −1 at 350 °C, in comparison to that of the Mo 2 C/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. Moreover, the 2%Pt–Mo 2 C/Al 2 O 3 catalyst is more stable with only 20% activity loss after 50 h on stream compares to the 73% activity loss in 12 h with Mo 2 C/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. By means of in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), the enhancement brought by Pt is ascribed to the consumption acceleration of intermediate oxygen species on catalyst surface and the decline of onset temperature of DSR reaction. It is expected that these findings can lead us to more practical molybdenum carbide catalysts in DSR. • Mo 2 C/Al 2 O 3 exhibits good activity in dimethyl ether steam reforming reaction. • The deactivation of molybdenum carbide is due to H 2 O oxidation. • Pt modification improves the stability by protecting Mo 2 C from surface oxidation. • Pt facilitates the formation of intermediates at lower temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic osteoporosis is a severe public health concern in the world. Puerarin (PU) is extensively attractive due to its superior bioactivities. In the study, we found that PU protected against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced osteoporotic changes in rats. PU treatment improved STZ-induced diabetes in rats, as evidenced by the reduced serum glucose and insulin levels. PU administration markedly attenuated bone loss and tartarate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity in STZ-induced rats. Bone mineral density (BMD) was significantly decreased in diabetic rats, while being prevented by PU. STZ-induced impairments in microarchitecture of femoral tissues were markedly alleviated by PU treatment. In addition, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) levels in serum or tibia were improved by PU in STZ-injected rats; however, TRACP isoform 5b (TRACP-5b), carboxy-terminal collagen cross-links (β-CTX) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) levels were decreased. Further, PU treatment inhibited inflammation and apoptosis in STZ-treated rats. Additionally, STZ injection increased histone deacetylase (HDAC)-1 and -3 expressions in femoral heads of rats, which were relieved by PU treatment. Notably, both HDAC1 and HDAC3 could enhance osteoporosis in vitro, as proved by the decreased ALP and Runx2 levels and the increased TRAP expression. Inflammation and apoptosis were exacerbated by HDAC1/3 over-expression, which were markedly diminished by PU treatment. In contrast, suppressing HDAC1/3 significantly abrogated fructose (Fru)-elicited inflammation and apoptosis in cells. Collectively, our data illustrated that PU is a potential therapeutic option to prevent diabetic osteoporosis by inhibiting HDAC1/HDAC3 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly discovered Tiantangshan tin polymetallic deposit is located in the southeast Nanling Range, Cathaysia block, Southeast China. The tin orebodies are mainly hosted in the greisen and the fractured alteration zones of the tufflava and trachydacite. However, the genetic relationship between the hidden alkali-feldspar granite and volcanic rocks and the tin mineralization remains poorly understood. This paper presents SHRIMP zircon U–Pb dating, whole-rock major and trace element analyses, as well as Nd isotopic data of the trachydacite and alkali-feldspar granite. The SHRIMP zircon U–Pb dating of the alkali-feldspar granite and trachydacite yields weight mean 206Pb/238U ages of 138.4 ± 1.2, and 136.2 ± 1.2 Ma, respectively. These granitic rocks have high levels of SiO2 (64.2–75.4 wt%, mostly > 68 wt%), alkalis (K2O + Na2O > 8.3 wt%), REE (except for Eu), HFSE (Zr + Nb + Ce + Y > 350 ppm) and Ga/Al ratios (10,000 × Ga/Al > 2.6), suggesting that they belong to the A-type granite. According to the high Y/Nb and Yb/Ta ratios, they can be further classified into A1 subtype. Their εNd (T) range from −3.8 to −6.5. They were likely generated by the assimilation-fractional crystallization (AFC) of the coeval oceanic island basalts -like basaltic magma. This study suggests that the A1 type granite is also a potential candidate for the exploration of tin deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prognostic value of PKM2 and its correlation with tumour cell PD-L1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is unclear.Methods: A total of 506 lung adenocarcinoma samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and 173 LUAD tumour tissues from Jiangxi Cancer Hospital were used to analyse the correlation between PKM2 and PD-L1 expression. We further established a stable LUAD cell line with PKM2 knockdown and confirmed the association via Western blotting and flow cytometry analysis. Moreover, the prognostic values of PKM2 and PD-L1 were evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models.Results: Based on the above two large cohorts, we found that PKM2 was significantly positively associated with PD-L1 expression (r = 0.132, P = 0.003 and r = 0.287, P < 0.001, respectively). Subsequently, we found that PKM2 knockdown substantially inhibited PD-L1 expression in the A549 LUAD cell line. Moreover, survival analysis showed that higher expression of PKM2 was correlated with significantly shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in lung adenocarcinoma patients (P < 0.001 and P = 0.050, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed that lung adenocarcinoma patients who expressed high PKM2 and PD-L1 levels experienced the poorest OS and DFS. Additionally, multivariate analysis suggested that high PKM2 and PD-L1 expression was an independent prognostic indicator for worse OS and DFS (HR = 1.462, P < 0.001 and HR = 1.436, P = 0.004, respectively).Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that PKM2 regulated PD-L1 expression and was associated with poor outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zaozigou Au-Sb deposit has been controversial in its genesis and remains one of the most difficult ore systems to fully understand in West Qinling. The mineralization shows a broad spatial association with Triassic dikes and sills, which were previously thought to be genetically related to mineralization. Our U-Pb zircon dating in this contribution indicates that the ore-hosting porphyritic dacites were formed at 246.1 ± 5.2 Ma and 248.1 ± 3.8 Ma. The magmatic zircons yield εHf(t) values ranging from −12.5 to −8.9, with corresponding two-stage model ages of 2.08 to 1.83 Ga. The magma therefore could be derived from partial melting of Paleoproterozoic crustal materials. The ore-hosting porphyritic dacites have low oxygen fugacity, with ΔFMQ ranging from −4.61 to −2.56, indicating that magmas could have been sulfide-saturated during evolution in deep chambers and precluding the possibility that metals were released from the melt. Zaozigou exhibits characteristics widespread volcanics, massive sulfide mineralization, rare reduced mineral assemblage and discrete alteration zones which are not typical of reduced intrusion-related or porphyry gold systems. We propose that the spatially-related Triassic porphyritic dacite and dike swarm is not genetically related to the ore formation of Zaozigou Au-Sb deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of monitoring sea level in coastal zones becomes more and more obvious in the era of global climate change, because, in coastal zones, although satellite altimetry is an ideal tool in measuring sea level over open ocean, but its accuracy often decreases significantly at coast due to land contamination. Although the accuracy of waveform processing algorithms for synthetic aperture altimeters has been improved in the last decade, the computational speed is still not fast enough to meet the requirements of real-time processing, and the accuracy cannot meet the needs of nearshore areas within 1 km from the coast. To improve the efficiency and accuracy in the coastal zone, this study proposed an innovative waveform retracking scheme for the coastal zone based on a multiple optimization parabolic cylinder algorithm (MOPCA) integrated with machine learning algorithms such as recurrent neural network and Bayesian estimation. The algorithm was validated using 153-pass repeat cycle data from Sentinel-6 over Qianliyan Island and Hong Kong–Wanshan Archipelago. The computational speed of the proposed algorithm was four to five times faster than the current operational synthetic aperture radar (SAR) retracking algorithm, and its accuracy within 0–20 km from the island was comparable to the most popular SAMOSA+ algorithm, better than the official data product provided by Sentinel-6. Especially, the proposed algorithm demonstrates remarkable stability in the sense of proceeding speed. It maintains consistent performance, even when dealing with intricate wave patterns within a proximity of 1 km from the coast. The results showed that the proposed scheme greatly improved the quality of coastal altimetry waveform retracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The structural defects and oxygen-containing functional groups of carbon materials as electrode materials for supercapacitors or capacitive deionization devices are critical to their electrochemical performance. The tuning of surface oxygen-containing functional groups and carbon defects during pyrolysis is key to achieve a high performance in ion storage. Herein, quinonyl-dominant defective porous carbon is prepared by a pyrolysis and cross-linking route using lavender stem and potassium acetate as precursor. Benefiting from the presence of abundant defect and surface quinonyl groups, porous carbon shows an ultra-high specific capacitance of 401 F g−1 (1 A g−1) and a high capacitance retention of 63% at a high current density of 100 A g−1 in a KOH solution. Meanwhile, as a capacitive deionization electrode material, it also exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 25.5 mg g−1 in 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution at 1.2 V. Theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrates that surface quinonyl groups and carbon defects can synergistically facilitate the adsorption of K+ and Na+ during the charge/discharge process. This work provides a new perspective for understanding the role of surface oxygen-containing groups and intrinsic defects of porous carbon materials in electrochemical energy storage and desalination applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Systemic inflammation occurs commonly during many human disease settings and increases vascular permeability, leading to organ failure, and lethal outcomes. Lipocalin 10 (Lcn10), a poorly characterized member of the lipocalin family, is remarkably altered in the cardiovascular system of human patients with inflammatory conditions. Nonetheless, whether Lcn10 regulates inflammation-induced endothelial permeability remains unknown. Methods and results Systemic inflammation models were induced using mice by injection of endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) surgery. We observed that the expression of Lcn10 was dynamically altered only in endothelial cells (ECs), but not in either fibroblasts or cardiomyocytes isolated from mouse hearts following the LPS challenge or CLP surgery. Using in vitro gain- and loss-of-function approaches and an in vivo global knockout mouse model, we discovered that Lcn10 negatively regulated endothelial permeability upon inflammatory stimuli. Loss of Lcn10 augmented vascular leakage, leading to severe organ damage and higher mortality following LPS challenge, compared to wild-type controls. By contrast, overexpression of Lcn10 in ECs displayed opposite effects. A mechanistic analysis revealed that both endogenous and exogenous elevation of Lcn10 in ECs could activate slingshot homologue 1 (Ssh1)-Cofilin signalling cascade, a key axis known to control actin filament dynamics. Accordingly, a reduced formation of stress fibre and increased generation of cortical actin band were exhibited in Lcn10-ECs, when compared to controls upon endotoxin insults. Furthermore, we identified that Lcn10 interacted with LDL receptor-related protein 2 (LRP2) in ECs, which acted as an upstream factor of the Ssh1-Confilin signalling. Finally, injection of recombinant Lcn10 protein into endotoxic mice showed therapeutic effects against inflammation-induced vascular leakage. Conclusion This study identifies Lcn10 as a novel regulator of EC function and illustrates a new link in the Lcn10-LRP2-Ssh1 axis to controlling endothelial barrier integrity. Our findings may provide novel strategies for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Context: The patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) has emerged as a novel tool for interpreting patient-reported outcomes. While the minimal clinically important difference values for various spine outcome instruments have been defined, little is known about the PASS thresholds for these measures.Purpose: To define threshold values on the neck disability index (NDI) corresponding to a PASS in patients undergoing surgery for degenerative disorders of the cervical spine.Study Design: Retrospective review of prospectively collected registry data.Patient Sample: The sample includes 613 patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for degenerative spine conditions between 2005 and 2014.Outcome Measures: The main outcome measure was the NDI. The PASS anchor question was adapted from the NASS questionnaire, "How would you rate the overall results of your treatment?" and the validation question was adapted from the AAOS cervical spine questionnaire, "Would you have the same treatment again if you had the same condition?"Methods: Patients were assessed preoperatively, 6 months and 2 years postoperatively using the NDI. Responses to the anchor question were dichotomized and used as the external criterion in receiver operating characteristics analysis to define thresholds on the NDI that corresponded to a PASS at 2 years postoperatively. Sensitivity analyses were carried out for various subgroups (age, gender, BMI, comorbidity status), baseline NDI (tertiles), time of follow-up (6 months and 2 years) and an alternate definition of PASS.Results: Of the 613 patients, 503 (82%) completed 2-year follow-up, of which, 81% reported their current state as acceptable. The areas under the curve (AUC) for the receiver operating characteristics were 0.75 to 0.89 for all analyses, indicating a good ability of the NDI to discriminate between attaining a satisfactory state or not. The PASS threshold was ≤15 points at 6 months (AUC 0.81, sensitivity 73%, specificity 79%) and ≤17 points at 2 years (AUC 0.80, sensitivity 86%, specificity 65%). Sensitivity analyses revealed that the 17-point threshold on the NDI was robust. PASS responders were approximately 12 times more likely to be satisfied (adjusted odds ratio 12.11, 95% confidence intervals 6.96-21.07) and 6 times more willing to undergo surgery again (adjusted odds ratio 6.12, 95% confidence intervals 3.47-10.80) compared to nonresponders.Conclusions: Patients with a NDI of ≤17 consider their postoperative symptom state to be acceptable. This PASS threshold can be used alongside the minimal clinically important difference when defining treatment success in spine outcomes studies. At the individual level, this threshold provides clinically relevant benchmarks for surgeons when assessing a patient's postoperative recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of electrochemical synthesis has developed rapidly over the last decade and has provided alternative synthetic methods with the absence of stoichiometric amounts of chemical oxidants or reductants. Although sustainable electrosynthetic procedures have been developed, relatively few examples of highly enantioselective catalytic electrosynthesis have been reported to date. The development of general strategies for electrochemical enantiocontrol has thus proven to be a considerable challenge. This Minireview highlights the current knowledge and recent advances in the synthetic utility of electrochemical transformations for asymmetric synthesis. Specifically, three major types of catalytic enantioselective strategy in electrosynthesis are outlined, including electrochemical activation of chiral catalyst‐bound substrates, asymmetric cascade electrochemical processes, and chemically modified chiral electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic compound that ameliorates postmenopausal osteoporosis by activating the estrogen receptor. Research has shown that resveratrol exhibits some type of estrogen receptor agonist activity, reducing the risk of breast cancer. However, its mechanism of action remains largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the effect of resveratrol on osteoblastic and osteoclastic differentiation and its potential role in the regulation of autophagy. Methods: Sprague Dawley (SD) rats underwent ovariectomies (OVX) and were administered resveratrol (at 10, 20 or 40 mg/kg/d) for 8 weeks. The calcium content and the bone mineral density (BMD) were measured in the lumbar vertebrae (L3) and the right distal femur-tibia bone region. The osteoblasts and osteoclasts were isolated from rat lumbar vertebrae by enzyme digestion and bone marrow induction, respectively. The cells were then cultured with resveratrol in combination with bafilomycin or leupeptin to inhibit or activate autophagy, respectively. Western blotting was used to assess the differentiation markers and autophagy-related genes in the osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Results: Compared to the sham group, the bone calcium content and BMD were significantly decreased in the OVX group (p < 0.05), while resveratrol attenuated these in a dose-dependent manner. In the osteoblasts, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and alpha-1 type I collagen (COL1A1) were markedly decreased, and in osteoclasts, the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) was increased in the OVX group, while resveratrol reversed this pattern in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of autophagy in osteoblasts and its activation in osteoclasts was observed in the OVX group. However, with resveratrol, this was reversed in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: Overall, resveratrol promotes osteoblastic differentiation and suppresses osteoclastic differentiation in a rat model with postmenopausal osteoporosis by regulating autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanisms by which vaccines enhance immunity to combat bacterial pathogens are not fully understood. Recently, we have found that live Edwardsiella tarda vaccine enhances ability against the bacterial challenge by metabolic modulation in zebrafish. Here we first explored the metabolic modulation promoted by inactivated E. tarda to eliminate the pathogen. Inactivated E. tarda vaccine modulated a similar metabolome to combat with the pathogen in zebrafish as live E. tarda vaccine did. Specifically, both vaccines promoted biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and the TCA cycle. However, due to relatively higher activated TCA cycle in inactivated vaccine than live vaccine, live vaccine promoted higher abundance of palmitate than inactivated vaccine. Consistently, the protection against E. tarda challenge was palmitate dose-dependent. Live vaccine activated higher expression of IL-1β, IL-8,Cox-2 genes and lower expression of IL-15, IL-21 genes than inactivated vaccine, which is similar to the results stimulated by high and low doses of palmitate, respectively. These findings indicate live and inactivated E. tarda vaccines stimulate differential abundances of palmitate that contribute to differential innate immunities against bacterial infection. Thus, metabolic environment contributes to immune response. Image 1 • Metabolic feature is revealled in zebrafish immunized with dead E. tarda vaccine. • Similar metabolic profile but low palmitate is detected compared with live vaccine. • Palmitate induces immune effective protection in a dose-dependent manner. • High and low palmitate induce altered innate immunity as live and dead vaccines do. • Metabolic environment contributes to immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of ferri ions in environment and human bodies is very important for environmental protection and disease diagnosis. Recently, conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) used for fluorescence sensing metal ions have attracted much attention, but this technique is done in organic solvents. In this study, the two new fluorescein-based CMPs named FLEDOT and FLBTh were synthesized by "greener method", direct arylation polymerization, with tetraiodofluorescein sodium salt (TIFS) and 3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene or 2,2′-bithiophene. Pleasely, the prepared fluorescein-based CMPs can fluorescently sense for Fe3+ in water with high sensitivity and selectivity. The quenching constants (K SV) of FLEDOT and FLBTh are 1.51 × 104 and 1.09 × 104 L mol−1, and the limits of detection (LODs) as low as 1.99 × 10−10 and 2.75 × 10−10 mol L−1, which are comparable to the sensitivity found in organic solvents' dispersions such as N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)′ dispersions. UV–Vis absorption spectra show that the fluorescence quenching mechanisms of Fe3+ are absorption competition quenching process and energy transfer process. The fluorescein-based CMPs were synthesized by DAP. They exhibit large specific surface areas and can sense Fe3+ in water. [Display omitted] • The fluorescein-based CMPs were synthesized by DAP. • They exhibit large specific surface areas. • They can sense Fe3+ in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron(Fe) is a trace metal element necessary for plant growth, but excess iron is harmful to plants. Natural resistance-associated macrophage proteins (NRAMPs) are important for divalent metal transport in plants. In this study, we isolated the MsNRAMP2 (MN_547960) gene from alfalfa, the perennial legume forage. The expression of MsNRAMP2 is specifically induced by iron excess. Overexpression of MsNRAMP2 conferred transgenic tobacco tolerance to iron excess, while it conferred yeast sensitivity to excess iron. Together with the MsNRAMP2 gene, MsMYB (MN_547959) expression is induced by excess iron. Y1H indicated that the MsMYB protein could bind to the "CTGTTG" cis element of the MsNRAMP2 promoter. The results indicated that MsNRAMP2 has a function in iron transport and its expression might be regulated by MsMYB. The excess iron tolerance ability enhancement of MsNRAMP2 may be involved in iron transport, sequestration, or redistribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary radiotherapy based on the 10B(n, α)7Li capture reaction. Nonradioactive isotope 10B atoms which selectively concentrated in tumor cells will react with low energy neutrons (mainly thermal neutrons) to produce secondary particles with high linear energy transfer, thus depositing dose in tumor cells. In clinical practice, an appropriate treatment plan needs to be set on the basis of the treatment planning system (TPS). Existing BNCT TPSs usually use the Monte Carlo method to determine the three‐dimensional (3D) therapeutic dose distribution, which often requires a lot of calculation time due to the complexity of simulating neutron transportation. Purpose: A neural network‐based BNCT dose prediction method is proposed to achieve the rapid and accurate acquisition of BNCT 3D therapeutic dose distribution for patients with glioblastoma to solve the time‐consuming problem of BNCT dose calculation in clinic. Methods: The clinical data of 122 patients with glioblastoma are collected. Eighteen patients are used as a test set, and the rest are used as a training set. The 3D‐UNET is constructed through the design optimization of input and output data sets based on radiation field information and patient CT information to enable the prediction of 3D dose distribution of BNCT. Results: The average mean absolute error of the predicted and simulated equivalent doses of each organ are all less than 1 Gy. For the dose to 95% of the GTV volume (D95), the relative deviation between predicted and simulated results are all less than 2%. The average 2 mm/2% gamma index is 89.67%, and the average 3 mm/3% gamma index is 96.78%. The calculation takes about 6 h to simulate the 3D therapeutic dose distribution of a patient with glioblastoma by Monte Carlo method using Intel Xeon E5‐2699 v4, whereas the time required by the method proposed in this study is almost less than 1 s using a Titan‐V graphics card. Conclusions: This study proposes a 3D dose prediction method based on 3D‐UNET architecture in BNCT, and the feasibility of this method is demonstrated. Results indicate that the method can remarkably reduce the time required for calculation and ensure the accuracy of the predicted 3D therapeutic dose‐effect. This work is expected to promote the clinical development of BNCT in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more severe subtype of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, can cause cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Macrophages play critical roles in initiating and maintaining NASH‐induced liver inflammation and fibrosis. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of macrophage chaperone‐mediated autophagy (CMA) in NASH remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of macrophage‐specific CMA on liver inflammation and identify a potential therapeutic target for NASH treatment. Methods: The CMA function of liver macrophages was detected using Western blot, quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) and flow cytometry. By constructing myeloid‐specific CMA deficiency mice, we evaluated the effects of deficient CMA of macrophages on monocyte recruitment, liver injury, steatosis and fibrosis in NASH mice. A label‐free mass spectrometry was utilized to screen the substrates of CMA in macrophages and their mutual interactions. The association between CMA and its substrate was further examined by immunoprecipitation, Western blot and RT‐qPCR. Results: A typical hallmark in murine NASH models was impaired CMA function in hepatic macrophages. Monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDM) were the dominant macrophage population in NASH, and CMA function was impaired in MDM. CMA dysfunction aggravated liver‐targeted recruitment of monocyte and promoted steatosis and fibrosis. Mechanistically, Nup85 functions as a substrate for CMA and its degradation was inhibited in CMA‐deficient macrophages. Inhibition of Nup85 attenuated the steatosis and monocyte recruitment caused by CMA deficiency in NASH mice. Conclusions: We proposed that the impaired CMA‐induced Nup85 degradation aggravated monocyte recruitment, promoting liver inflammation and disease progression of NASH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a research study by Umezu et al. which explores the role of exosomal miR-135b in mediating multiple myeloma (MM) cell-to-endothelial cell communication on chronic hypoxia. The research mentions the continuing drug development of MM as treatment for hematologic disorders. The study also outlines the clinical significance of exosomal miR-135b in patients with blood diseases.

Abstract The first new carboxylate complex [Cu 4 (SMIA) 6 (phen) 4 ](ClO 4) 2 (1) (SMIA− = Syn-2-Methoxyimino-2-(2-Furyl)-Acetate, phen = phenanthroline) with a rarely puckered-belt tetranuclear skeleton has been synthesized and characterized by EA, FT-IR, UV and X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 is consists of two independent binuclear copper units Cu 2 (SMIA) 3 (phen) 2 with two different coordination geometric Cu2+ centers bridged by two tridentate carboxylates. The π-π stacking force and C H⋯O hydrogen bonds are involved in the formation of weak intermolecular forces. Studies on the direct-current (dc) and alternating-current (ac) magnetic susceptibilities of 1 demonstrate that the magnetic coupling interactions between Cu2+ centers are overall antiferromagnetic and the compound has the spin glassy behavior. Under the UV light irradiation, the title complex displays high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B (RB), which is the simulants of organic pollutants in water. Graphical abstract A tetranuclear Cu(II) complex with a new flexible carboxylate was developed successfully and evaluated for its photocatalytic and magnetism properties. Unlabelled Image Highlights • SMIA− (Syn-2-Methoxyimino-2-(2-Furyl)-Acetate) has never been used to synthesize metal complexes. • The first example of the tetranuclear copper complex with SMIA− has a rare puckered-belt structure skeleton. • The copper(II) complex has a good photocatalytic activity for degradation organic pollutant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regioselective title reaction between vinyl benzoxazinanones and aryl, alkenyl or alkyl substituted enals delivers benzazepine derivatives in high yields, with high diastereo- and excellent enantioselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing highly active catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with low noble metal loading is crucial for the application of proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. Ir-transition metal (TM) binary catalyst with chemical leaching was reported to perform excellent activity with TM leaching. However, most of the studies on the activation-decay focused on the final status, and the variation process remains unclear. With cysteamine·HCl, a modified facile molten salt method was applied to prepared highly active Ir–Ni mixed oxide (c-xNiIrMO), which perform 5.5 times higher mass activity than commercial IrO 2. The variation of active surface area, intrinsic activity, conductivity of prepared catalyst layer during the activation process are studied to unveil the key factors for the activity enhancement. With further stability test, c-xNiIrMO with Ni content lower than 67% performs decrease intrinsic activity and improved kinetic performance in the first hundred cycles. After obtaining a stable Ir 0.95 Ni 0.05 O x structure, further cycling results in typical activity decay with dissolution of Ir. • Cysteamine·HCl modified c-NiIrMO performs a highest 2.51 times of Ir mass activity compared to nc-NiIrMO. • Cysteamine·HCl not only plays a role in particle fining but also contributes to the formation of active Ir–OH. • For activation with Ni leaching, surface enlargement plays a key role for c-IrNiMO with Ni content lower than 40%. • Formation of Ir–OH is the dominant factor for the activation of sample with higher Ni content. • A three–step variation process dominated by Ni and Ir dissolution can be observed in the activation-decay process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a two-sample test for the mean functions of functional data when the number of bases is much lager than the sample size. The novel test is based on U-statistics which avoids estimating the covariance operator accurately under the high dimensional situation. We further prove the asymptotic normality of our test statistic under both null hypothesis and a local alternative hypothesis. An extensive simulation study is presented which shows that the proposed test works well in comparison with several other methods under the high dimensional situation. An application to egg-laying trajectories of Mediterranean fruit flies data set demonstrates the applicability of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron (Fe) and (Mn) are essential for the plant but are toxic when in excess. Vacuolar iron transporters (VITs) are involved in plant metal storage and detoxication. In this study, we screened two soybean cultivars (HN51 and SN37) with different responses to iron stress. From HN51 and SN37, we identified a new gene GmVIT1, for which expression is closely related to iron stress response by transcriptomic and quantitative analysis. We obtained GmVIT1 and GmVIT1 promoter from the iron deficiency-tolerant soybean variety Heinong51. Sequence analysis showed that GmVIT1 contained a conserved 170-residue VIT domain and localized at the tonoplast. Moreover, GmVIT1 is expressed in soybean leaves, stems, and roots. The expression of GmVIT1 was significantly induced by excessive Fe/Mn in leaves and stems. GUS assay showed that excess Fe/Mn enhanced GmVIT1 promoter activity. Furthermore, overexpression of GmVIT1 in Arabidopsis seedlings showed reduced phytotoxic effects induced by excess Fe/Mn stress, including yellowing in leaves, decreased chlorophyll content, and accumulated MDA. GmVIT1 overexpression in Arabidopsis showed relatively higher soluble sugar content and SOD, POD, and CAT activity. In addition, the ferric reductase activity in GmVIT1 overexpression in Arabidopsis decreased under excess Fe, while it increased under excess Mn. By integrating all these results, we found that GmVIT1 plays a vital role in plant response to excess Fe/Mn. The results showed that GmVIT1 was worthy of metal homeostasis mechanism research in plants and could be applied in the metal toxic-tolerance improvement in crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gynura formosana Kitam. belongs to the Compositae family and has been traditionally used for the prevention of cancer, diabetes, and inflammation in China. Previous studies had indicated that the ethyl acetate extract of Gynura formosana Kitam. leaves (EAEG) exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. In this report, we demonstrated that EAEG possessed potent anticancer activity through autophagy-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation. EAEG induced a strong cytostatic effect towards HeLa cells and, to a lesser extent, HepG2 and MCF-7 cells. This cytostatic effect of EAEG was not a consequence of increased apoptosis, as neither DNA fragmentation nor change in protein expression level for a number of apoptosis-related genes including Bid, Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 was observed after EAEG treatment, and the apoptosis inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK did not inhibit the EAEG-elicited cytostatic effect. On the other hand, EAEG induced autophagy in a dose-dependent fashion, as shown by increased GFP puncta formation, enhanced conversion of the microtubule-associated protein light chain LC3-I to LC3-II, and downregulation of the p62 protein. Treating the HeLa cells with EAEG together with Chloroquine (CQ) further accelerated LC3 conversion and p62 clearance, indicating that EAEG induced complete autophagy flux. Importantly, the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3MA) significantly abrogated the cytostatic effect of EAEG, strongly suggesting that EAEG inhibited HeLa cell proliferation through the induction of autophagy rather than apoptosis. Our results provided a novel and interesting mechanistic insight into the anticancer action of EAEG, supporting the traditional use of this plant for the treatment of the cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the multifunctional nanocomposites (NCs) consisting of 19F-moieties grafted Cu7S4--Au nanoparticles (NPs) for negligible background 19Fmagnetic resonance imaging (19F-MRI) and computed tomography (CT) imaging guided photothermal therapy. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption can be reasonably tuned to the in vivo transparent window (800-900 nm) by coupling Au (<10 nm, LSPR ~530 nm) with Cu7S4 (<15 nm, LSPR ~1500 nm) into Cu7S4--Au heterodimers. The in vivo photothermal tests show that Cu7S4--Au show deeper light penetration with 808 nm irradiation, better photothermal efficacy, and less damage to normal tissues than Cu7S4 with 1500 nm irradiation. Moreover, compared to traditional ¹H-MRI, the 19F-MRI based on these NCs demonstrates much better sensitivity due to the negligible background. This work offers a promising strategy for multimodal imaging guided photothermal therapy of deep tissue with good efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Semiconducting single‐walled carbon nanotubes (sc‐SWCNTs) enriched by a conjugated polymer extraction process have been actively studied for various applications in both electronics and optoelectronics. Although the resulting tube samples usually have high sc‐purity and concentration, SWCNT networks from such dispersions typically contain residual conjugated polymer that may degrade device performance and its removal remains a challenge while maintaining uniform, dense SWCNT thin film networks. In this study, a novel polymer–SWCNT combination based on an alternating bisfuran‐s‐tetrazine and benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene copolymer abbreviated as PBDTFTz is proposed. This polymer decomposes at >250 °C or under UV irradiation. In situ transistor characterization under laser irradiation confirms the polymer decomposition. The study of the tube network in the transistor channel at various channel lengths reveals significantly reduced contact resistance attributed to removal of the wrapping PBDTFTz polymer. In ammonia sensing experiments, sc‐SWCNT networks demonstrate rapid and reversible responses, while the unwrapped nanotube networks prove superior in terms of signal to noise ratio and a detection limit of 2.5 ppb is calculated, almost four times better than polymer wrapped nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid model based on the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model and the health risk assessment model for assessing risks associated with sources of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water was established and applied at Dianchi Lake to test its applicability. The new method contains 2 stages: 1) the sources of PFASs were apportioned by the PMF model and 2) the contribution of health risks from each source was calculated by the new hybrid model. Two factors were extracted by PMF, with factor 1 identified as aqueous fire-fighting foams source and factor 2 as fluoropolymer manufacturing and processing and perfluorooctanoic acid production source. The health risk of PFASs in the water assessed by the health risk assessment model was 9.54 × 10−7 a−1 on average, showing no obvious adverse effects to human health. The 2 sources' risks estimated by the new hybrid model ranged from 2.95 × 10−10 to 6.60 × 10−6 a−1 and from 1.64 × 10−7 to 1.62 × 10−6 a−1, respectively. The new hybrid model can provide useful information on the health risks of PFAS sources, which is helpful for pollution control and environmental management. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:107-115. © 2017 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed regiodivergent annulation reaction of N-iminoisoquinolinium ylides with enals is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DDX41 is an intracellular DNA sensor that evokes type I interferon (IFN-I) production via the adaptor stimulator of interferon gene (STING), triggering innate immune responses against viral infection. However, the regulatory mechanism of the DDX41-STING pathway in teleost fish remains unclear. The mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) is a cultured freshwater fish species that is popular in China because of its high market value. With the development of a high-density cultural mode in mandarin fish, viral diseases have increased and seriously restricted the development of aquaculture, such as ranavirus and rhabdovirus. Herein, the role of mandarin fish DDX41 (scDDX41) and its DEAD and HELIC domains in the antiviral innate immune response were investigated. The level of scDDX41 expression was up-regulated following treatment with poly(dA:dT) or Mandarin fish ranavirus (MRV), suggesting that scDDX41 might be involved in fish innate immunity. The overexpression of scDDX41 significantly increased the expression levels of IFN-I, ISGs, and pro-inflammatory cytokine genes. Co-immunoprecipitation and pull-down assays showed that the DEAD domain of scDDX41 recognized the IFN stimulatory DNA and interacted with STING to activate IFN-I signaling pathway. Interestingly, the HELIC domain of scDDX41 could directly interact with the N-terminal of STING to induce the expression levels of IFN-I and ISGs genes. Furthermore, the scDDX41 could enhance the scSTING-induced IFN-I immune response and significantly inhibit MRV replication. Our work would be beneficial to understand the roles of teleost fish DDX41 in the antiviral innate immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various 1,2-diazepine derivatives are synthesized by regio- and enantioselective formal [4 + 3] annulation reaction between enals and in situ formed azoalkenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process is applied to various azaaurones and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to afford indole-based spiro compounds with a quaternary stereogenic center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the sensitivity and dose dependency of radiation-induced injury in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Adult C57BL/6 mice were daily exposed to 0, 2, 10, 50, and 250 mGy γ-ray for 1 month in succession, respectively. The damage of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in bone marrow were investigated within 2 hours (acute phase) or at 3 months (chronic phase) after the last exposure. Daily exposure to over 10 mGy γ-ray significantly decreased the number and colony-forming capacity of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells at acute phase, and did not completely recover at chronic phase with 250 mGy exposure. Interestingly, the daily exposure to 10 or 50 mGy γ-ray decreased the formation of mixed types of colonies at chronic phase, but the total number of colonies was comparable to control. Immunostaining analysis showed that the formation of 53BP1 foci in c-kit+ stem/progenitor cells was significantly increased with daily exposure to 50 and 250 mGy at acute phase, and 250 mGy at chronic phase. Many genes involved in toxicity responses were up- or down-regulated with the exposures to all doses. Our data have clearly shown the sensitivity and dose dependency of radiation-induced injury in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells of mice with daily exposures to 2 ~ 250 mGy γ-ray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]