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Silk proteins are synthesized and secreted by the silk gland. The differential gene expression in it leads to different silk yield among various silkworm strains. As crucial factors, microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate protein synthesis at post-transcriptional level in silk gland. MiRNAs expression level in the silk gland of three silkworm strains (Jingsong, Lan10 and Dazao) was analyzed and 33 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were discovered between JingSong (JS) and Lan10 (L10), 60 DEMs between JS and Dazao, 54 DEMs between L10 and Dazao respectively. The DEMs target genes were predicted combing with two different methods and their functions were annotated according to gene ontology. Our previous studies showed that a batch of genes related to silk yield were identified in JS and L10 strains by comparative transcriptome and quantitative trait loci (QTL) method. Thirteen DEMs whose target genes are related to protein biosynthesis processes were screened by combining with these researches. Twelve DEMs potentially regulate nineteen genes which exist in our QTL results. Six common DEMs potentially regulate the genes in both of previous results. Finally, five DEMs were selected to verify their expression levels between JS and L10 by qRT-PCR, which showed similar difference as the results of small RNA-sequencing. MiRNAs in the silk gland may directly affect silk protein biosynthesis in different silkworm strains. In current work, we identified a batch of DEMs which potentially regulate the genes related to silk yield. Further functionally study of these miRNAs will contribute to improve varieties and boost the silk yield. Our research provides a basis for studying these miRNAs and their functions in silk production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of Co 2 O 3 addition on the electromagnetic properties of NiCuZn ferrite were investigated, by considering the variation of complex permeability, complex permittivity and quasi-microwave absorption property in the 1–1000 MHz frequency range. Results show that the introduction of Co 3+ ions in NiCuZn ferrite leads to the marked shifting of magnetic resonance towards high-frequency and a slight increase of the permittivity. These Co-related effects enhance the maximum reflection loss in NiCuZn ferrite to reach −55.1 dB with its absorption bandwidth being tunable in the frequency range 480–1000 MHz, which provides a potential absorber for the anti-electromagnetic interference applications in electronic industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radargrammetry is a powerful tool to construct digital surface models (DSMs) especially in heavily vegetated and mountainous areas where SAR interferometry (InSAR) technology suffers from decorrelation problems. In radargrammetry, the most challenging step is to produce an accurate disparity map through massive image matching, from which terrain height information can be derived using a rigorous sensor orientation model. However, precise stereoscopic SAR (StereoSAR) image matching is a very difficult task in mountainous areas due to the presence of speckle noise and dissimilar geometric/radiometric distortions. In this article, an adaptive-window least squares matching (AW-LSM) approach with an enhanced epipolar geometric constraint is proposed to robustly identify homologous points after compensation for radiometric discrepancies and geometric distortions. The matching procedure consists of two stages. In the first stage, the right image is re-projected into the left image space to generate epipolar images using rigorous imaging geometries enhanced with elevation information extracted from the prior DEM data e.g. SRTM DEM instead of the mean height of the mapped area. Consequently, the dissimilarities in geometric distortions between the left and right images are largely reduced, and the residual disparity corresponds to the height difference between true ground surface and the prior DEM. In the second stage, massive per-pixel matching between StereoSAR epipolar images identifies the residual disparity. To ensure the reliability and accuracy of the matching results, we develop an iterative matching scheme in which the classic cross correlation matching is used to obtain initial results, followed by the least squares matching (LSM) to refine the matching results. An adaptively resizing search window strategy is adopted during the dense matching step to help find right matching points. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated using Stripmap and Spotlight mode TerraSAR-X stereo data pairs covering Mount Song in central China. Experimental results show that the proposed method can provide a robust and effective matching tool for radargrammetry in mountainous areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-rich SiC powders with high dielectric loss were prepared via pyrolysis of polycarbosilane (PCS). The effects of pyrolysis temperature on microstructures, dielectric response and microwave absorption properties in X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) of PCS-derived SiC powders were investigated. The PCS-derived SiC powders are mainly composed of SiC nanocrystal, turbostratic carbon and amorphous phase (SiC and/or C). The size of SiC nanocrystals and the graphitization degree of carbon both increase with the elevation of pyrolysis temperature. Furthermore, the residual carbon is transformed from amorphous into turbostratic structure with a phenomenon of regional enrichment. Moreover, the relative complex permittivity increases notably with the higher pyrolysis temperature. Meanwhile, the dielectric loss tangent increases from 0.19 to 0.57, while the microwave impedance decreases from 73.20 to 53.58. The optimal reflection loss of −35 dB for PCS-derived SiC powders is obtained when the pyrolysis temperature is 1500 °C, which exhibits a great application prospect in microwave absorbing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-situ grown mullite toughened zirconia ceramics (mullite-zirconia ceramics) with excellent mechanical properties for potential applications in dental materials were fabricated by gelcasting combined with pressureless sintering. The effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of mullite-zirconia ceramics was investigated. The results indicated that the columnar mullite produced by reaction was evenly distributed in the zirconia matrix and the content and size of that increased with the increase of sintering temperature. Mullite-zirconia ceramics sintered at 1500 °C had the optimum content and size of the columnar mullite phase, generating the excellent mechanical properties (the bend strength of 890.4 MPa, the fracture toughness of 10.2 MPa.m 1/2 , the Vickers hardness of 13.2 GPa and the highest densification). On the other hand, zirconia particles were evenly distributed inside the columnar mullite, which improved the mechanical properties of columnar mullite because of pinning effect. All of this clearly confirmed that zirconia grains strengthened columnar mullite, and thus the columnar mullite was more effective in enhancing the zirconia-based ceramics. Simultaneously, the residual alumina after reaction was distributed evenly in the form of particle, which improved the mechanical properties of the sample because of pinning effect. Overall, the synergistic effect of zirconia phase transformation toughening with mullite and alumina secondary toughening improved the mechanical properties of zirconia ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home-made SiC nanofibers were introduced into Si 3 N 4 matrix for enhanced electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties. The microstructural characterization revealed that SiC nanofibers modified Si 3 N 4 ceramic is composed of SiC conductive networks made of uniformly distributed SiC nanofibers, micro-pores and insulating Si 3 N 4 matrix. Moreover, EMI shielding effectiveness (SE T ) for SiC nanofibers modified Si 3 N 4 ceramic is dependent on SiC nanofibers content. When the SiC nanofibers content is increased from 0 to 8 wt%, the EMI SE T of as-prepared ceramics increased from 3.43–4.15 dB to 5.58–9.31 dB. Due to the low electrical conductivity of as-prepared ceramics, multi-reflection caused by the micro-pores and nanofibers networks is mainly responsible for the EMI shielding. The study indicates that introduction of SiC nanofibers would be a favorable solution for Si 3 N 4 based thermostructural material with an improved EMI shieding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xinmo landslide occurred in the early morning of 24 June 2017 at about 5:38 am local time. This catastrophic event caused enormous casualties and huge economic losses in Xinmo Village, Mao County, Sichuan Province, China. In this study, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) datasets acquired by X-band TerraSAR-X, Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR-2) aboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2), and C-band Sentinel-1 over the disaster area were collected and analyzed to characterize this landslide. The high-resolution TerraSAR-X intensity images were used to evaluate the landslide disaster and delineate the sliding area. Afterwards, two ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 image pairs and a stack of 45 Sentinel-1 images were processed to detect precursory movements of the landslide surface, using the conventional differential InSAR (DInSAR) method and advanced time series InSAR analysis. The unstable source area near the ridge was identified from the displacement rate map derived from Sentinel-1 datasets. The maximum displacement rate detected at the source area was −35mm/year along the radar line of sight (LOS) direction. The time series of LOS displacements over 2 years presents an easily discerned seasonal evolution pattern. In particular, a sudden acceleration of the displacement, dozens of days before the collapse was clearly captured by the Sentinel-1 observations, which might suggest that early warning of landslide disasters is possible given the availability of operational SAR data acquired in frequent repeat-pass mode, such as the Sentinel-1 twin-satellite constellation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic insulator Fe 3 O 4 -modified flaky Fe 85 Si 9.5 Al 5.5 (FeSiAl) powders with significantly enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption properties in the frequency range of 2–8 GHz were prepared by chemical co-precipitation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have confirmed the formation of nanoparticles Fe 3 O 4 precipitated on the flake-shaped FeSiAl. The electromagnetic measurements of the modified flakes presents a nearly invariable complex permeability and decreased complex permittivity in the 2–8 GHz, as well as improved impedance matching performance. More importantly, an excellent microwave absorbing performance with the bandwidth (RL <−10 dB) of 5.36 GHz is achieved in modified sample with the thickness of 1.5 mm, which is a promising microwave absorbing material in 2–8 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ganoderma sinense or “Chinese Lingzhi” is a well-known medicinal fungus in China for more than 2000 years. Polysaccharide is the main immunomodulatory and antitumor component in G. sinense . In 2010, G. sinense polysaccharide (GSP) tablet is approved as an adjunctive therapeutic drug in China for treating leukopenia and hematopoietic injury caused by concurrent chemo/radiation therapy during cancer treatment by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). β-glucan, an established immunostimulant, is one of the components in GSP. Based on CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), VIP (Chongqing VIP Chinese Scientific Journals Database), Wanfang database, and PubMed searches, we have not only summarized but also translated all the basic and preclinical studies about GSP published in Chinese into English in this review article. Unfortunately, all the clinical studies about GSP tablet could not be found during the search or by contacting the drug manufacturers. However, both basic and preclinical studies showed that GSP has antitumor, antioxidant, anticytopenia, and unique mushroom-poison detoxification properties that are different from that of G. lucidum polysaccharide, another “Lingzhi” polysaccharide. The structure and molecular mechanisms of GSP are also discussed. This article urges availability of clinical study results of GSP tablet that would allow in-depth evaluation if the tablet is appropriate to serve as an immunomodulatory drug during cancer therapy at world stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Bleomycin is a clinically used anti-cancer drug that produces DNA breaks once inside of cells. However, bleomycin is a positively charged molecule and cannot get inside of cells by free diffusion. We previously reported that the cell surface negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) may be involved in the cellular uptake of bleomycin. We also observed that a class of positively charged small molecules has Golgi localization once inside of the cells. We therefore hypothesized that bleomycin might perturb Golgi-operated GAG biosynthesis. Methods: We used stable isotope labeling coupled with LC/MS analysis of GAG disaccharides simultaneously from bleomycin-treated and non-treated cancer cells. To further understand the cytotoxicity of bleomycin and its relationship to GAGs, we used sodium chlorate to inhibit GAG sulfation and commercially available GAGs to compete for cell surface GAG/bleomycin interactions in seven cell lines including CHO745 defective in both heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate biosynthesis. Results: we discovered that heparan sulfate GAG was significantly undersulfated and the quantity and disaccharide compositions of GAGs were changed in bleomycin-treated cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. We revealed that bleomycin-induced cytotoxicity was directly related to cell surface GAGs. Conclusion: GAGs were targeted by bleomycin both at cell surface and at Golgi. Thus, GAGs might be the biological relevant molecules that might be related to the bleomycin-induced fibrosis in certain cancer patients, a severe side effect with largely unknown molecular mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-17 receptors (IL17Rs) mediate the activation of several downstream signal pathways to induce inflammatory response and contribute to the pathology of many autoimmune diseases. In this study, six IL17Rs (IL17RA1, RA2, RB, RC, RD and RE) were cloned and characterized from Epinephelus coioides , an orange-spotted grouper. Multiple sequence alignment and structural analysis revealed that all members of IL17Rs were low in sequence identity with each other. But their structures were conservative in grouper, which contain signal peptide, extracellular FNIII domain (IL17RA1/RA2/RB) or IL-17_R_N domain (IL17RC/RD/RE), transmembrane domain and SEFIR domain in their intracellular region. The analysis of tissue distribution showed these six genes were ubiquitously and differentially expressed in all major types of tissues. What's more, it is interesting to find their high expression in immune tissues (liver, gill, skin and thymus). IL17RA1 and IL17RA2 were significantly down-regulated at all time-points in gill and spleen after Cryptocaryon irritans infection, however, there was no significant change in other grouper IL17Rs. It suggests that the C. irritans may escape from the host immunity or the host prevents serious inflammation by inhibiting the expression of ILl7Rs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a series of novel L -phenylalanine dipeptides were designed and synthesized by a multi-step sequence of reactions, including carbodiimide-mediated condensation, hydrolysis, mixed anhydride condensation, and nucleophilic substitution. Among them, compound 7c exhibited potent antitumor activity against prostate cancer cell PC3 in vitro and in vivo via inducing apoptosis. We investigated the significantly differentially expressed proteins in the cells caused by the compound 7c to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of PCa cell growth, which indicated that 7c mainly regulated the protein expression of apoptosis-related transcription factors, including c-Jun, IL6, LAMB3, OSMR, STC1, OLR1, SDC4 and PLAU; and 7c also regulated the protein expression of inflammatory cytokines including IL6, CXCL8, TNFSF9, TNFRSF12A and OSMR, and the phosphorylation levels of RelA. The action target confirmed that TNFSF9 protein is the critical binding target of 7c. These findings suggested that 7c could regulate the apoptosis and inflammatory response related signaling pathways for the inhibition of the proliferation of PC3 cells, implying that 7c could be considered a promising therapeutic candidate for PCa therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon fiber reinforced/carbon-boron nitride (C/C-BN) dual matrix composites were fabricated via adding hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) powders into the needled carbon felt and subsequent chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process. An experimental investigation was performed to study the influences of BN volume content on the microstructures and tribological properties of C/C-BN composites. The results indicate that the pyrolytic carbon (PyC) in the C/C-BN composites is regenerative laminar (ReL) due to the inducement of BN powders during CVI process, whereas the PyC in the C/C composite is classic smooth laminar. Additionally, the friction coefficients of C/C-BN composites with three different BN contents in volume fractions (4.5, 9 and 13.5 vol%) are all higher compared to the reference C/C composite (0.22). Note that the highest coefficient of friction (0.29) is obtained when the BN volume content in the C/C-BN composite is 9 vol%. Moreover, the linear and mass wear rates of C/C-BN composites as well as the 30CrSiMoVA counterparts are significantly decreased with the increase of BN volume content. The favorable friction and wear properties of C/C-BN composites are attributed to the synergistic effect induced by the ReL PyC and BN. The microstructural variation of C/C composites modified by h-BN could improve the compatibility between the C/C-BN composites and 30CrSiMoVA counterpart, resulting in an enhanced adhesive attraction between the wear debris and the surface of 30CrSiMoVA counterpart. Furthermore, the investigations concerning the friction surfaces indicate that the formation of sheet-like friction films with large areas are more easily to occur on the surfaces of 30CrSiMoVA counterparts mating with the C/C-BN composites rather than mating with the C/C composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A double Claisen rearrangements synthetic strategy was established for the total synthesis of 4,4′-dimethyl medicagenin (compound 6c ). A series of its analogs also were prepared, including two novel 3′,5′-diprenylated chalcones, in which ring B was replaced by azaheterocycle. The structures of the twenty-two newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and ESI-MS. In vitro , the cytotoxicity of the target compounds was evaluated using cancer cells. Noticeably, compound 10 exhibited broad-spectrum cytotoxicity on PC3 prostate cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells (MDA), HEL and K562 erythroleukemia cells with IC 50 values of 2.92, 3.14, 1.85 and 2.64 μM, respectively. Further studies indicated that compound 10 induced apoptosis and arrested the cell cycle phase of the above mentioned four cancer cell lines. By contrast, compound 6g selectively displayed potent inhibitory activity against the proliferation of HEL cells with an IC 50 value of 4.35 μM. Compound 6g slightly induced apoptosis and arrested cell cycle phase of HEL cells. Preliminary structure-activity relationship studies indicated that, in all cancer cell lines evaluated, the 3-pyridinyl group was essential for cytotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon carbide nano-fibers (SiCNFs) were in-situ grown on the surface of carbon fibers by catalysis chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) with Ni nano-particles as catalyst at 1000 °C. The phase composition, microstructures, oxidation resistance and microwave absorption properties of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Thermal gravity analysis (TGA) and Vector network analyzer, respectively. The results show that the as-grown nano-fibers which are mainly composed of β -SiC, present a withe-like morphology with diameter of 20–50 nm and aspect ratio of 100–150. Additionally, the TGA curves indicate that the oxidation resistance of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers is significantly improved in comparison to the pure carbon fibers. Moreover, the investigation reveals that the microwave absorption properties of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers are effectively enhanced. The reflectivity of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers is less than −10 dB within the frequency ranging from 9.2 to 11.7 GHz and the lowest value of reflectivity can approach −19.9 dB when the thickness of specimen is 2 mm. While the reflection loss of the pure carbon fibers is higher than −2.1 dB within the whole band ranging from 2 and 18 GHz. The superior microwave absorbing performance of the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers is mainly attributed to the improved impedance matching as well as dissipation resulted from hopping migration. In conclusion, this study provides an effective modification approach to improve the microwave absorption properties of carbon fibers. Finally, the SiCNFs coated carbon fibers could be considered as a promising candidate in light-weight microwave absorbing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene is considered as a promising modifier to improve the photocatalytic performances of TiO 2 due to its excellent electrical property. However, due to the high defect density and low BET area of the widely adopted reduced graphene oxide (RGO), practical performances of the reported RGO-TiO 2 composite photocatalysts are not as good as expected. In this study, three-dimensional graphene networks (3DGNs) prepared by chemical vapor deposition approach is adopted to fabricate composite photocatalyst with TiO 2 (3DGNs-TiO 2 ). Results manifest that corresponding decomposition rate constant of phenol increases more than 100% and 30% compared to that case of adopting pure TiO 2 and the RGO-TiO 2 under UV-light illumination, respectively. Continuous three-dimensional structure of the 3DGNs provides fast transport channel for electrons (and depresses the recombination of photo-induced electron-hole pairs in the photocatalyst). Moreover, the resulting 3DGNs-TiO 2 displays good catalytic activity under visible-light irradiation due to the sensitization of the 3DGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the results of a bibliometric and visual analysis of geo-ontology research articles collected from the Web of Science (WOS) database between 1999 and 2014 are presented. The numbers of national institutions and published papers are visualized and a global research heat map is drawn, illustrating an overview of global geo-ontology research. In addition, we present a chord diagram of countries and perform a visual cluster analysis of a knowledge co-citation network of references, disclosing potential academic communities and identifying key points, main research areas, and future research trends. The International Journal of Geographical Information Science , Progress in Human Geography , and Computers & Geosciences are the most active journals. The USA makes the largest contributions to geo-ontology research by virtue of its highest numbers of independent and collaborative papers, and its dominance was also confirmed in the country chord diagram. The majority of institutions are in the USA, Western Europe, and Eastern Asia. Wuhan University, University of Munster, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are notable geo-ontology institutions. Keywords such as “Semantic Web,” “GIS,” and “space” have attracted a great deal of attention. “Semantic granularity in ontology-driven geographic information systems, “Ontologies in support of activities in geographical space” and “A translation approach to portable ontology specifications” have the highest cited centrality. Geographical space, computer-human interaction, and ontology cognition are the three main research areas of geo-ontology. The semantic mismatch between the producers and users of ontology data as well as error propagation in interdisciplinary and cross-linguistic data reuse needs to be solved. In addition, the development of geo-ontology modeling primitives based on OWL (Web Ontology Language）and finding methods to automatically rework data in Semantic Web are needed. Furthermore, the topological relations between geographical entities still require further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Facile synthesis of ultra-small ZnO-doped onion-like carbon nanoparticles is carried out on a large-scale. • Efficient microwave absorption with a filler ratio of 5% and a strong reflection loss of −58.7 dB is achieved. • Experimental results and theoretical analysis reveal ZnO dopant improves impedance matching of onion-like-carbon nanoparticles. Ultra-small ZnO-doped onion-like carbon (ZnO-OLC) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by metal organic chemical vapour deposition, and OLC NPs were subsequently obtained by HCl treatment of the as-synthesized ZnO-OLC NPs. For the ZnO-OLC NPs, an optimal reflection loss of −58.7 dB and a wide effective bandwidth of 7.0 GHz were achieved at a very low filler weight loading ratio of 5%; superior to those of OLC NPs. Experimental results and theoretical analyzes indicated that the ZnO dopant could degrade the permittivity and polarization loss of the OLC NPs due to interaction between Zn, O and C atoms, and thus improve their impedance matching and microwave absorption performance. This work provides a new insight into how the ZnO doping affects the microwave absorption performance of OLC NPs from a theoretical point of view, and is expected to be a useful reference for the future design of related microwave absorbers. Facile Synthesis and excellent microwave absorption properties of ultra-small ZnO-doped onion-like carbon nanoparticles. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To apply the Ziyuan-3 (ZY-3) for monitoring of sea state, this letter proposes an ocean integrated wave parameter retrieval model based on analysis of the spatial characteristics of ZY-3 satellite optical imagery. Using pseudo-top-hat operator, it retrieves significant wave height, peak wavelength and direction from ZY-3 images based on their spatial characteristics and the principles of optical shadowing of rough ocean surfaces. The experiment demonstrates the feasibility of this wave model capturing integrated wave parameters from ZY-3 images, with a maximum significant wave height error of 0.27 m and a maximum peak direction error ofunder the slight-moderate sea state in range 0.5–2.5 m swell waves, and the merit that the retrieval of integrated wave parameters does not depend on other measured data or the modulation transfer functions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Eleven triterpenoids were isolated from the fruits of Phellodendron chinense Schneid, and their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis. The results show that four new tirucallane-type triterpenoids 1 , 2 , 5 , and 6 and seven known compounds 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , and 11 were isolated. Structurally, compound 6 was uncommon; it has a chlorine atom instead of a methyl group at the C-20 position. The cytotoxicities of the compounds was evaluated against the in vitro proliferation of four human tumor cell lines HEL, K562, MDA, and PC3 using adriamycin as the positive control. Compound 1 showed a similar cytotoxicity as the positive control; compounds 3 and 10 showed moderate cytotoxicities compared to the control ( P < 0.05). This indicates that these compounds have great potential for the development of new antitumor drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oleanolic acid (OA), one of the major pentacyclic triterpenes abundantly present in nature, is a promising compound with various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, fungicidal and antiparasitic properties. Therefore, a series of derivatives of 1α,2α-epoxy-3β-hydroxyl oleanolic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their antibacterial activities were investigated in vitro . Based on these results, the compounds with antibacterial activity were screened by RT-PCR to determine whether they can regulate the expression of genes related to metabolism, haemolysis, and β-lactamase in vitro, and the structure–microbicidal activity relationship of each compound was analyzed. Our study shows that some of the modifications in the synthetic compounds, such as the introduction of an ortho -cyano-substituted benzyl group and a short chain alkyl ester at the 28-carboxyl, as well as the introduction of an acetyl group at the 3-hydroxyl group of ring A, could enhance antibacterial activity. This provides basic evidence for the optimization of 1α,2α-epoxy-3β-hydroxyl oleanolic acid derivatives. The antibacterial mechanism of the active OA derivatives appears to involve the regulation of expression of metabolism-associated genes in Escherichia coli , haemolysis-associated genes in Bacillus subtilis , metabolism-related genes in Klebsiella pneumonia and β-lactamase-associated genes in Acinetobacter baumannii . Some OA derivatives were bactericidal to three of the strains and appeared to regulate gene expression associated with metabolism, haemolysis, and β-lactamase in vitro. These newly designed OA derivatives possess unique antibacterial activities and may be potentially useful for prophylactic or therapeutic intervention of bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An online method with a three-hour time resolution was developed to monitor atmospheric intermediate organic compounds (IVOCs). • Method can monitor both targeted alkanes and PAHS as well as unspeciated complex mixture (UCM). • Method can provide high time resolution IVOCs data needed for SOA formation, source apportionment or other studies. As one of important precursors of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), intermediate volatile organic compounds (IVOCs) have attracted much attention in recent years. Most of the previous studies however largely focused on characteristics of IVOCs from different emission sources, while data from field observations to study their temporal variations was limited for lacking the sufficient time resolution monitoring data. In this study, an online thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS) method was developed to generate monitor data with a three-hour time resolution for gaseous atmospheric IVOCs. The method used two multi-sorbent traps that alternated for conducting sample collection and sample analysis. Compounds of C 12 C 22 n-alkanes and 2–4 ring PAHs were chosen as surrogates to evaluate the performance of this method. Regression coefficients of external calibration curves were greater than 0.93 and 0.96 for all individual n-alkanes and PAHs, respectively. Average relative standard deviation (RSD) values among replicate samples spiked at 3 ng for each individual standard were 9% ± 5%. The detection limits of this method for individual n-alkanes and PAHs were 3.1–16.2 ng/m3 and 1.0–2.7 ng/m3, respectively. Atmospheric IVOCs were continuously monitored from September 28 to 30 and October 22 to November 9 in 2018, in an urban area of Shanghai. Besides targeted n-alkanes and PAHs, unspeciated complex mixtures (UCM) of IVOCs as well as total-IVOCs concentrations in the atmosphere were also determined. Measured concentrations and compositions of gaseous IVOCs in the atmosphere in this study were comparable to other similar studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EZH2 is usually overexpressed in TNBC and other tumors, which has a great influence on the occurrence, development and prognosis of tumors. However, current EZH2 inhibitors, including Tazemetostat and GSK126, affect the methyl catalytic capacity of EZH2 and have little effect on the tumorigenic activity of EZH2 itself, resulting in poor efficacy against most solid tumors. Herein, we designed and optimized proteolytic targeting chimeras (PROTACs) precision targeting EZH2. The most active PROTAC molecule U3i has a high affinity for PRC2 complex (K D = 16.19 nM) and show good inhibitory effects on MDA-MB-231 (IC 50 = 0.57 μM) and MDA-MB-468 (IC 50 = 0.38 μM) cells. Compared with that of the GSK126, the growth inhibitory activities of U3i against these two TNBC cells increased by approximately 20- and 30-fold. Further studies showed that U3i can degrade PRC2 complex in TNBC cells, induce apoptosis, and cause little damage to normal cells. Therefore, U3i is a potential anticancer molecule for TNBC treatment. [Display omitted] • We designed, synthesized and evaluated a series of highly effective EZH2 degraders. • U3i could inhibit the proliferation of the two TNBC cells and did little damage to normal cells. • U3i maintained high affinity for EZH2 (K D = 16.19 nM) and could specifically degrade EZH2 in TNBC cells. • U3i can induce apoptosis of TNBC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim A high level of matrix metalloproteinase 9 ( MMP-9) is a predictor of poor wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers. In skin keratinocytes, site-specific DNA demethylation plays an important role in MMP-9 expression. Ten-eleven translocation enzyme 2 ( TET2) protein, one member of TET family, could rely on α-ketoglutarate (α- KG) as cosubstrate to exhibit catalytic activity of DNA demethylation. Here, we aimed to explore the changes of α- KG and its relationship with MMP-9 and TET2 during diabetic wound healing. Methods Seventy-one cases of patients with diabetic foot ulcers and 53 cases of nondiabetic ulcers were enrolled. Serum, urine and wound fluids were collected for measurement of α- KG levels and MMP-9 expression. Skin tissues were collected for the measurement of TET2 and MMP-9 expression. Clinical parameters were collected, and transcutaneous oxygen pressure (Tc PO2) levels of feet were detected. Results The levels of α- KG, TET2 and MMP-9 were significantly increased in diabetic wound compared with nondiabetic wound ( P = 0·010, 0·016 and 0·025). There was a significant correlation between a low Tc PO2 and a high α- KG level of wound fluids ( r = −0·395, P = 0·002). Further analysis showed that α- KG concentration had a positive correlation with both haemoglobin A1c (HbA1C) and 2 h postprandial blood glucose ( PBG) ( r = 0·393, P = 0·005; r = 0·320, P = 0·025, respectively). Conclusions The levels of α- KG, TET2 and MMP-9 were significantly increased in diabetic wound compared with nondiabetic wound. Elevated α- KG was related to local hypoxia ischaemia status and systematic poor glycaemic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image texture enhancement is an important topic in computer graphics, computer vision and pattern recognition. By applying the fractional derivative to analyze texture characteristics, a new fractional differential operator mask with adaptive non-integral step and order is proposed in this paper to enhance texture images. A non-regular self-similar support region is constructed based on a local texture similarity measure, which can effectively exclude pixels with low correlation and noise. Then, through applying sub-pixel division and introducing a local linear piecewise model to estimate the gray value in between the pixels, the resulting non-integral steps can improve the characterization of self-similarity that is inherent in many image types. Moreover, with in-depth understanding of the local texture pattern distribution in the support region, adaptive selection of the fractional derivative order is also performed to deal with complex texture details. Finally, the non-regular fractional differential operator mask which incorporates adaptive non-integral step and order is constructed. Experimental results show that, for images with rich texture contents, the effective characterization of the degree of self-similarity in the texture patterns based on our proposed approach leads to improved image enhancement results when compared with conventional approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need to develop new antibacterial agents because of multidrug resistance by bacteria and fungi. Schiff bases (aldehyde or ketone-like compounds) exhibit intense antibacterial characteristics, and are therefore, promising candidates as antibacterial agents. To investigate the mechanism of action of newly designed benzaldehyde Schiff bases, a series of high-yielding benzaldehyde Schiff bases were synthesized, and their structures were determined by NMR and MS spectra data. The structure–microbicidal activity relationship of derivatives was investigated, and the antibacterial mechanisms were investigated by gene assays for the expression of functional genes in vitro using Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , and Bacillus subtilis . The active compounds were selective for certain active groups. The polar substitution of the R 2 group of the amino acids in the Schiff bases, affected the antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus ; specific active group at the R 3 or R 4 groups of the acylhydrazone Schiff bases could improve their inhibitory activity against these three tested organisms. The antibacterial mechanism of the active benzaldehyde Schiff bases appeared to regulate the expression of metabolism-associated genes in E. coli , hemolysis-associated genes in B. subtilis , and key virulence genes in S. aureus . Some benzaldehyde Schiff bases were bactericidal to all the three strains and appeared to regulate gene expression associated with metabolism, hemolysis, and virulence, in vitro . The newly designed benzaldehyde Schiff bases possessed unique antibacterial activity and might be potentially useful for prophylactic or therapeutic intervention of bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive open online course (MOOC) is a new approach for teaching online. MOOCs stand apart from traditional online classes in that they support thousands of learners through content and assessment mechanisms that can scale. A reason for their size is that MOOCs are free for anyone to take. Here we describe the design, development, and teaching of a MOOC called Maps and the Geospatial Revolution. We explore the geography of the student population, the experience of teaching a MOOC, and evaluate its impacts on learning. We conclude with several key challenges and opportunities we see for MOOCs in geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radial dielectric spectroscopy of the carbon fiber bundle (CFB) array/epoxy resin composites have been performed over the frequency range from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. The complex permittivity of the composite increases with the volume fraction, which is attributed to the increase of polarization, and decrease with the CFB diameter along the electric field direction which is ascribed to the increase of depolarization field. A revised Wiener model is proposed for the calculation of the effective permittivity of the composite, and used to extract the radial permittivity of the CFB. The proposed model is validated by the experimental measurements. The proposed model is further applied to derive the radial permittivity of cylinder carbon fiber and analyze the effect of the bundle geometry on the effective permittivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A series of harmine-based dual inhibitors targeting histone deacetylase (HDAC) and DNA have been designed, synthesized, and evaluated. • Compound 27 exhibited HDAC inhibitory activity and the activity of binding to DNA. • 27 exhibited potent inhibitory activity against HCT-116 cells. • p53 Protein acted as a significant role of compound 27 inducing cell apoptosis. Overexpression of histone deacetylases (HDACs) are observed in different types of cancers, but histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) have not shown significant efficacy as monotherapy against solid tumors. Recently, studies demonstrated that it is promising to combine HDACIs with DNA damage agents to improve DNA damage level to gain better effect on treating solid tumor. Harmine has been demonstrated to cause DNA damage by intercalating DNA. Therefore, we designed a series of harmine-based inhibitors targeting HDAC and DNA with multi-target strategy, the most potential compound 27 could bind to DNA and cause DNA damage. Furthermore 27 caused cells apoptosis through p53 signaling pathway, and exhibited significant anti-proliferation effects against HCT-116 cells (IC 50 = 1.41 μM). As a DNA damage agent, 27 displayed low toxicity in normal cells. Compound 27 was demonstrated as a dual inhibitor targeting HDAC (HDAC1 IC 50 = 0.022 μM and HDAC6 IC 50 = 0.45 μM) and DNA, and had the potential in the treatment of solid tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Layered hard C embedded with ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by pyrolysis route. • The novel hard C/ZnO composites exhibit excellent microwave absorption properties. • Defects and organic functional groups in hard C lead to strong polarization loss. • Hard C/ZnO interfacial polarization significantly enhance the dielectric loss. C-based microwave absorbers have attracted intensity research interesting for more than 80 years, and many of them appear to be strong candidates as advanced high-performance microwave absorbers. Hard carbon (HC) based composites, as an important type of C-based materials, however, have rarely been studied as microwave absorbers, and their microwave absorption properties are largely unknown still now. In this study, the composites composed of layered HC embedded with ZnO nanoparticles (LHC@ZnONP) are synthesized by pyrolyzing the mixture of phenolic resin and ZnO nanoparticles. The morphology and structure of the LHC@ZnONP composites are examined by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffractometer, Raman spectrometer, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The microwave absorption properties of the as-synthesized composites are characterized by a vector network analyzer in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. The LHC@ZnONP composites are stacked by HC layers with thickness of ~100 nm and ZnO nanoparticles with diameters of 25 nm, and exhibit a low optimal reflection loss of −38 dB and broad effective absorption bandwidth of 5.7 GHz at an absorption thickness of 3.3 mm. Their high dielectric loss capacity is mainly attributed to the interfacial polarization from the ZnO/HC and LHC/LHC interfaces, as well as the enhanced dipolar polarization caused by the defects, nanopores, and residual organic functional groups in the HC layers. Our study for the first time confirms the excellent microwave absorption properties of HC-based composites, which may provide a new insight for the design of high-performance microwave absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the emerging mission-critical and data-intensive applications in industrial intelligent manufacturing, the software-defined network (SDN) based fiber-wireless access network (FiWi) is attracting considerable attention thanks to its capability of central control and large bandwidth. However, the heterogeneity of the network leads to new challenges, since the packet loss can be caused either by the poor channel quality of wireless links or network component failures. A novel and adaptive mechanism combining sparse random linear network coding with parallel transmission (SNC-PT) is proposed to achieve the fault-tolerance against high packet loss rate and any network element malfunction. We illustrate the benefits of using the SNC-PT mechanism to improve fault tolerance by characterizing the network performance with respect to the completion time and goodput along with its relationship to channel quality and node failures. We show that significant performance gains can be obtained in comparison with conventional uncoded transmission based on transmission control protocol (TCP). The simulation results show that the SNC-PT mechanism is fault-tolerant, while it can significantly shorten the data transmission completion time to at least 12% of the baseline and increase the goodput by about 10% compared to other coding schemes such as random linear network coding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GSK3 is a promising target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Here, we describe the design and synthesize of a series of GSK3 degraders based on a click chemistry platform. A series of highly potent GSK3 degraders were obtained. Among them, PT-65 exhibited most potent degradation potency against GSK3α (DC 50 = 28.3 nM) and GSK3β (DC 50 = 34.2 nM) in SH-SY5Y cells. SPR assay confirmed that PT-65 binds to GSK3β with high affinity (K D = 12.41 nM). The proteomic study indicated that PT-65 could selectively induced GSK3 degradation. Moreover, PT-65 could effectively suppress GSK3β and Aβ mediated tau hyperphosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner and protect SH-SY5Y cells from Aβ caused cell damage. We also confirmed that PT-65 could suppress OA induced tau hyperphosphorylation and ameliorate learning and memory impairments in vivo model of AD. In summary, PT-65 might be a promising candidate for the treatment of AD. [Display omitted] • A series of highly potent GSK3 degraders were designed and synthesized based on a click chemistry platform. • PT-65 exhibited most potent degradation potency against GSK3α (DC 50 = 28.3 nM) and GSK3β (DC 50 = 34.2 nM) in SH-SY5Y cells. • The proteomic study indicated that PT-65 could selectively induced GSK3 degradation. • PT-65 could attenuate tau hyperphosphorylation both in cell and in vivo models of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Novel L-shaped ortho -quinone analogs were designed and synthesized. • The cytotoxicities of most TD compounds were significant lower than those of TB1 and TC1 in LO2 cells. • TD1 , TD11 , and TD17 showed the most excellent broad-spectrum cytotoxic activity. • TD1 , TD11 , and TD17 induced cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle phase by target-binding with NQO1 protein. • Improved inhibitory activity of L-shaped ortho -quinone analogs was established. In this study, we present the design and synthesis of novel fully synthetic L-shaped ortho -quinone analogs with tanshinone IIA as the lead compoud, which is a molecule with numerous pharmacological benefits and potential to treat life-threatening diseases, such as cancer and viral infections. 24 L-shaped ortho -quinone analogs were designed and synthesized via click chemistry and introduced 1,2,3-triazole at the C-2 terminal of the furan ring. The cytotoxicity of these analogs toward different cancer cell lines was investigated in vitro. The new TD compounds showed potent inhibitory activities toward prostate cancer (PC3), leukemia (K562), breast cancer (MDA-231), lung cancer (A549), and cervical cancer (Hela) cell lines. Among them, TD1 , TD11 , and TD17 showed excellent broad-spectrum cytotoxic effects on five cancer cell lines by inducing apoptosis and arresting the cell cycle phase. Besides, TD1 , TD11 , and TD17 could target-bind with NQO1 protein in the prostate cancer cells PC3 leukemia cells K562. The results showed that removing the methyl group at C-3 and introducing 1,2,3-triazoles at the C-2 terminal of the furan ring were effective strategies for improving the broad-spectrum anticancer activity of L-shaped ortho -quinone analogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous reviews of the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis for elective inguinal hernia repair were not conclusive owing to the limited number of patients enrolled in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, since new RCTs involving patients undergoing tention-free hernioplasty have been published in recent years, we performed a new meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in the prevention of postoperative complications after this procedure. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of RCTs studying the use of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent postoperative complications in patients undergoing tension-free hernioplasty. Results:We included 6 RCTs conducted around the world in our analysis. Compared with the control condition, antibiotic prophylaxis was associated with a lower incidence of incision infection (odds ratio [OR] 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26- 0.77, p = 0.004). There were no significant differences in risk for incision hematoma (OR 1.57, 95% CI 0.60-4.10, p = 0.35), respiratory infection (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.17- 5.79, p > 0.99) or urinary tract infection (OR 1.81, 95% CI 0.38-8.52, p = 0.45) between the 2 conditions. Conclusion: Antibiotic prophylaxis use in patients undergoing tension-free hernioplasty decreases the rate of incision infection by 55%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Peer-to-peer systems are open communities, in which not only is there no overarching control, but neither is there any hierarchy of control among the system components. In such open communities where peers can join and leave freely and behave autonomously, selecting appropriate peers to cooperate with is a challenging problem, since the candidate peers may be unreliable or dishonest. Reputation systems have been proposed to boost trust and enhance collaboration among peers. However, conventional computational reputation systems tend to generate trust based on ad hoc aggregation techniques thus produce reputation values with ambiguous meanings. In this paper we propose a probabilistic computational approach to model and generate reputation. By explicitly separating the reputation between providing services and giving recommendations, our solution represents the estimate of service quality for a specific transaction as a probability conditioned upon each retrieved recommendation, thus taking the innate behaviours of reporters into account. A Kalman filter is applied to learn further the service reputation from the estimate. The proposed approach works well even when there is sparse feedback from the reporting peers giving output with well-defined semantics and useful meanings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Magnetic CoNi-wrapped Ti 3 SiC 2 composites were successfully prepared. • Obvious regulated electromagnetic parameters for the composites can be realized. • The EAB of 4.88 GHz and optimal RL value of −41.41 dB were achieved. The magnetic–dielectric composites with synergetic magnetic and dielectric losses have exhibited great potential in the practical applications of microwave absorbing material. This paper reports a simple low-temperature in situ hydrothermal approach for synthesizing novel composites composed of the dielectric Ti 3 SiC 2 wrapped with magnetic CoNi nanoparticles. The microstructure, morphology, electromagnetic properties, and microwave absorption performance of as-synthesized samples were investigated. By adjusting the content of formed magnetic CoNi nanoparticles on the surface of Ti 3 SiC 2 , obvious regulated frequency-dependence of electromagnetic parameters for the proposed CoNi/Ti 3 SiC 2 composites can be realized. Consequently, the effective absorption bandwidth (RL < −10 dB) and optimal reflection loss value of CoNi/Ti 3 SiC 2 -40 composites under thinner thickness of 1.55 mm can reach up to 4.88 GHz and −41.41 dB, respectively. Exceptional microwave absorption performance of the CoNi/Ti 3 SiC 2 composites is attributed to its simultaneously improved attenuation characteristics and optimized impedance matching, and thus can be undoubtedly identified as high-efficiency microwave absorbing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Polybutylene adipate terephthalate hollow porous microfibers (HPMFs) are prepared. • The loading capacity of polypeptide on HPMFs is improved compared with on MFs. • The inhibition rates of RGD@HPMFs on HeLa and A549 are higher than RGD@HPMFs by 14.1% and 6.9%, respectively. • Controlled loading and sustained release of polypeptide challenges are addressed. Although microfiber (MF) loaded polypeptides have been widely studied in the field of medicine, load control and slow release remain significant challenges. Herein, polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) hollow porous MFs (HPMFs) were prepared by improving and regulating the groups and structures of the MFs to address these challenges. The capacity of the HPMFs for the loading of polypeptide can be improved. Measurements involving the use of X-ray photoelectron, energy-dispersive, and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopies in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy measurements showed that the amount of polypeptide (arginylglycylaspartic acid, RGD) loaded on the HPMFs was significantly higher than that loaded on the MFs. Animal cell experiments revealed that PBAT grafted MAH has good bioactivity. By loading RGD onto HPMFs and MFs, RGD@HPMFs and RGD@MFs were obtained. A study on HeLa and A549 cancer cells showed that the inhibition rates of RGD@HPMFs were higher than that of RGD@MFs by 14.1% and 6.9%, respectively. The results obtained herein show that HPMF scaffold preparation by improving the material groups and regulating the structure of MFs can address the challenges associated with control of the load and sustained release of polypeptides and other drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cumulative evidence suggests that β-amyloid and oxidative stress are closely related with each other and play key roles in the process of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Multitarget regulation of both pathways might represent a promising therapeutic strategy. Here, a series of selenium-containing compounds based on ebselen and verubecestat were designed and synthesized. Biological evaluation showed that 13f exhibited good BACE-1 inhibitory activity (IC 50 = 1.06 μΜ) and potent GPx-like activity (ν 0 = 183.0 μM min−1). Aβ production experiment indicated that 13f could reduce the secretion of Aβ1-40 in HEK APPswe 293T cells. Moreover, 13f exerted a cytoprotective effect against the H 2 O 2 or 6-OHDA caused cell damage via alleviation of intracellular ROS, mitochondrial dysfunction, Ca2+ overload and cell apoptosis. The mechanism studies indicated that 13f exhibited cytoprotective effect by activating the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway and stimulating downstream anti-oxidant protein including HO-1, NQO1, TrxR1, GCLC, and GCLM. In addition, 13f significantly reduced the production of NO and IL-6 induced by LPS in BV2 cells, which confirmed its anti-inflammatory activity as a Nrf2 activator. The BBB permeation assay predicted that 13f was able to cross the BBB. In summary, 13f might be a promising multi-target-directed ligand for the treatment of AD. [Display omitted] • First in class ligands with BACE-1 inhibitory and Nrf2 agonist activities were designed, synthesized, and evaluated. • 13f reduced the secretion of Aβ1-40 in HEK APPswe 293T cells. • 13f exerted potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. • Mechanism study indicated that 13f could covalently activate the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway. • BBB permeation assay predicted that 13f was able to cross the BBB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Magnetic FeNi alloy-decorated Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene were successfully prepared. • Improved magnetic loss and impedance matching can be observed in the FeNi/Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene composites. • A broad effective bandwidth of 6.2 GHz was achieved in the FeNi/Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene composites with the thickness of 1.6 mm. MXene-based magnetic–dielectric composites with synergetic magnetic and dielectric losses have exhibited great potential in the practical applications of microwave absorbing material. In the present paper, novel composites consisting of laminated Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene decorated with magnetic FeNi nanoparticles were constructed via a facile in situ hydrothermal approach. The microstructure, morphology, magnetic properties, and microwave absorption performances of as-synthesized samples were investigated in detail, and corresponding mechanisms were further discussed. Results demonstrated that the frequency dependence of electromagnetic parameters for the FeNi/Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene composites could be easily regulated by simply changing the content of FeNi nanoparticles in favor of improved magnetic loss and optimized impedance matching. Consequently, a broadband effective absorption bandwidth (RL < − 10 dB) of 6.2 GHz with a thin matched thickness of 1.6 mm was achieved for the FeNi/Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene composites with 20 wt% FeNi loading, which could be identified as high-efficiency microwave absorbing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface functionalization on novel transition metal carbides Ti 3 C 2 MXene has been demonstrated to be effective strategy to broaden potential application. Herein, the effect of surface decoration of transition magnetic metals (Fe-, Co-, Ni-) on the electronic structure and optical properties of Ti 3 C 2 MXene is studied using first principle calculations. Energy band structures and corresponding density of electronic states investigations have shown that interlamellar spacing between Ti-layer and C-layer, as well as specific surface area, is inclined to expand after surface decoration. Besides, obvious peaks of d orbit have been observed, and demonstrated to play a dominant role in electronic states in Fe-, Co-, Ni–Ti 3 C 2 composite. More importantly, surface decoration of transition magnetic metal Fe-, Co-, and Ni-could greatly promote optical absorption coefficient of Ti 3 C 2 nanomaterials, covering ultraviolet region, visible region and infrared region. The increment rate reaches 50% within visible and ultraviolet region for Ni–Ti 3 C 2 composite, while the increment rate of Fe-substituted Ti 3 C 2 exhibits even greater than 100%. The remarkable enhanced optical absorbing properties over wide spectral region may be associated with interlamellar space expansion accompanied with more active sites and increased electronic mobility. All these findings are considered to broaden practical application of low-dimensional Ti 3 C 2 nanomaterial towards photoelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NUAK, the member of AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) family of protein kinases, is phosphorylated and activated by the LKB1 (liver kinase B1) tumor suppressor protein kinase. Recent work has indicated that NUAK1 is a key component of the antioxidant stress response pathway, and the inhibition of NUAK1 will suppress the growth and survival of colorectal tumors. As a promising target for anticancer drugs, few inhibitors of NUAK were developed. With this goal in mind, based on NUAK inhibitor WZ4003, a series of derivatives has been synthesized and evaluated for anticancer activity. Compound 9q , a derivative of WZ4003 by removing a methoxy group, was found to be the most potential one with stronger inhibitory against NUAK1/2 enzyme activity, tumor cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis of tumor cells. By in vivo efficacy evaluations of colorectal SW480 xenografts, 9q suppresses tumor growth more effectively with an excellent safety profile in vivo and is therefore seen as a suitable candidate for further investigation. Image 1 • A series of WZ4003 derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for NUAK inhibition and anti-tumor activities. • The necessity of piperazine ring and redundance of methoxy on the benzene ring for NUAK inhibition were confirmed. • The derivative 9q could be an excellent NUAK inhibitor and a promising candidate for the development of anti-tumor drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress and inflammation are significant risk factors for neurodegenerative disease. The Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway is one of the most promising defensive systems against oxidative stress. Here, dozens of piperlongumine analogues were designed, synthesized, and tested on PC12 cells to examine neuroprotective effects against H 2 O 2 and 6-OHDA induced damage. Among them, 6d was found to be able to alleviate the accumulation of ROS, inhibit the production of NO and downregulate the level of IL-6, which indicated its potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Further studies proved that 6d could activate Nrf2 signaling pathway, induce the translocation of Nrf2 from cell cytosol to nucleus and upregulate the related phase II antioxidant enzymes including NQO1, HO-1, GCLC, GCLM and TrxR1. These results confirmed that 6d exerted antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway. Moreover, the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay indicated that 6d can cross the blood-brain barrier. In general, 6d is promising for further development as a therapeutic drug against oxidative stress and inflammation related neurodegenerative disorders. Image 1 • A series of piperlongumine derivatives were synthesized as neuroprotective agents by structure-based design. • 6d showed potential on cell damage, alleviated ROS accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, Ca2+ influx, cell apoptosis. • 6d could activate keap1/Nrf2 pathway, and upregulate antioxidant enzymes including NQO1, HO-1, GCLC, GCLM, and TrxR1. • 6d showed good anti-inflammatory activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foaming behavior of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is extremely difficult to be regulated due to the special microphase-separation structure. Therefore, organic montmorillonite (O-MMT) was applied in TPU foaming to regulate cell nucleation, growth and stabilization simultaneously: (1) strong interfacial interaction between O-MMT with TPU could not only facilitate O-MMTs' nanoscale dispersion but also ensure a similar cell nucleation at various O-MMT loading, which effectively decoupled the complicated influences of cell nucleation and growth on TPU foam's shrinkage; (2) TPU/O-MMT topological network was constructed by O-MMT loading, regulating cell growth and corresponding decreasing cell size; (3) -OH group on O-MMT surface could hydrogen bond with TPU molecular chains in soft/hard segments, stabilizing TPU molecular chains and finally reducing foams' shrinkage. Combining hydrogen bonding and topological network resulted from O-MMT, it enables us to optimize TPU foam structure by controlling cell nucleation, growth and stabilization simultaneously, the optimal O-MMT loading was 1 wt%. Image 1 • Strong interfacial interaction facilitated O-MMTs' nanoscale dispersion in TPU. • TPU/O-MMT topological network has been constructed to well regulate cell growth. • Hydrogen bonding between TPU and O-MMT is beneficial to foams' cell stabilization. • O-MMT regulated foams' cell growth/stabilization without affecting cell nucleation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article titled "Security Measurement in Industrial IoT with Cloud Computing Perspective: Taxonomy, Issues, and Future Directions" [[1]], there was an error in the third and sixth affiliations. In addition, the Acknowledgements section should be updated as follows: "The authors are grateful to the Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University for funding through Vice Deanship of Scientific Research Chairs and partially supported by the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, University of Malaya, under Postgraduate Research Grant PG035-2016A." REFERENCES 1 Shah S., Khan M., Ahmad A. Security measurement in industrial iot with cloud computing perspective: taxonomy, issues, and future directions. [Extracted from the article]

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides (MXenes) exhibit great potential application in the microwave absorption (MA) field due to their layered structure, excellent dielectric loss and adjustable layer spacing. Herein, Nb 2 O 5 with different morphologies (columnar and irregular granular) was successfully synthesized in situ and implanted between the layers of a Nb 2 CT x MXene through a rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. Newly formed Nb 2 O 5 and Nb 2 CT x from an incomplete reaction composed the Nb 2 O 5 /Nb 2 CT x hybrids. Compared with that for the pure Nb 2 CT x , the Nb 2 O 5 /Nb 2 CT x composites showed enhanced MA performance, especially the Nb 2 O 5 /Nb 2 CT x composites with columnar Nb 2 O 5 (c-Nb 2 O 5 /Nb 2 CT x). The minimum reflection loss (RL) value reached −44.1 dB at 2.8 GHz with a thickness of 5 mm, indicating that approximately 99.99% of the incident microwaves were absorbed. The special morphology of the columnar Nb 2 O 5 , the increased lamellar spacing of the Nb 2 CT x , and the optimized impedance matching characteristic are all important factors that contributed to the enhanced MA performance. • Controllable morphology regulation of Nb 2 O 5 was achieved through oxidation of Nb 2 CT x. • Nb 2 O 5 with a columnar structure could supply expanded spacing between Nb 2 CT x layers. • Impedance matching and multiple scattering were enhanced for Nb 2 O 5 /Nb 2 CT x composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing circular economy is the only way to improve the efficiency of resource utilization. Whole-cell catalysis is an effective method to recycle enzymes, improve catalytic efficiency, and reduce production costs. The enzyme, α -L-rhamnosidase has considerable application prospects in the field of biocatalysis as it can hydrolyze a variety of α -L rhamnoses. In the present study, the genes for α -L-rhamnosidase (rhaB1) and enhanced fluorescent protein (EGFP) were co-expressed using a bi-promoter expression vector pRSFDuet1 and their enzymatic properties were evaluated. To our knowledge, this study has established an effective rhamnosidase-fluorescent indicator and whole-cell catalytic system for the first time. Moreover, we analyzed the change in the activity of the crude rhaB1-EGFP as well as its whole-cell during the biocatalysis process using fluorescence intensity. Recombinant rhaB1-EGFP as a product which contains rhaB1 and EGFP showed higher thermal stability, pH stability, and conversion efficiency than rhaB1, and its optimum temperature for rutin catalysis was ideal for industrial applications. Moreover, under the optimal conditions of a rutin concentration of 0.05 g/L, pH of 6.0, temperature of 40 °C, a yield of 92.5% was obtained. Furthermore, we demonstrated the relationship between the fluorescence intensity and enzyme activity. This study established a highly efficient whole-cell catalytic system whose activity can be evaluated by fluorescence intensity, providing a reference for enzyme recycling. Unlabelled Image • Two genes of rhaB1 and EGFP were firstly co-expressed by a bi-promoter expression vector. • Crude rhaB1-EGFP possessed higher thermal and pH stabilities than those of crude rhaB1. • Expression vector activity could be quantitatively detected by measuring fluorescence intensity. • Affinity of rhaB1-EGFP to substrate was not significantly reduced confirmed by SPR assay. • A labeled and recycling whole-cell catalyst was developed for flavonoids transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile approach is proposed to obtain ultra-small FeNi-C core-shell nanoparticles with tunable Fe/Ni ratio and excellent microwave absorption performance. • Ultra-small FeNi-C is fabricated via facile one-step metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on a large scale. • Microwave absorption properties of the FeNi-C can be tuned Fe/Ni ratio of nanocores. • FeNi-C exhibits a low optimal RL of -63.7 dB and a great effective bandwidth of 6.5 GHz at a thickness of 2.2 mm. • This work offers a facile method for the synthesis of ultra-small FeNi-C core-shell NPs for microwave absorption. A facile and scalable metal-organic chemical vapor deposition method is proposed for the fabrication of ultra-small FeNi-C core-shell nanoparticles. As-synthesized nanoparticles are composed of ultra-small FeNi nanocores of an average diameter of ∼ 6.2 nm and thin shells of 1–3 nm in thickness, which are stable in air atmosphere up to 210 °C. The ratio of Fe/Ni in the nanocores was tuned by varying the reaction temperature, suggesting a simple route to tailor the magnetic and microwave absorption properties of the synthesised nanostructures. These core-shell nanoparticles with a filler loading of 16.7% in paraffin wax exhibited a low minimum reflection loss (R L m i n) of -63.7 dB, together with a great effective bandwidth (B W e f f) of 6.5 GHz at a thickness of 2.2 mm, attributing to their ultra-small size and unique magnetic-dielectric core-shell nanostructure. Such core-shell nanoparticles should be a strong candidate as a light-weighted absorber with tunable microwave absorption performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• HIV-1 capsid represents an unexploited but attractive target for antiviral drug development. • Two linear diarylheptanoids, identified as hits in the homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence assay, inhibited HIV-1 replication in cell culture. • For the first time, natural products were identified as anti-HIV-1 agents by targeting the conserved hydrophobic cavity of the HIV-1 capsid C-terminal domain. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can effectively suppress replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and limit disease progression. However, ART is unable to eradicate the virus, and the requirement for lifelong treatment may have side effects and may lead to the development of resistance. New approaches to prevent and treat HIV-1 infection should therefore be developed. HIV-1 capsid (CA) protein is an unexploited but attractive target for antiviral drug development. The hydrophobic cavity of the C-terminal domain of CA (CA CTD) has been validated as a potential target for antiviral drugs. Binding of compounds to this conserved non-polar groove in CA CTD allosterically disrupts the CA assembly. This study screened 2080 natural products to identify potential antiviral agents for further development to combat HIV-1 infection. From the primary screen at a fixed concentration of 50 µM, 16 compounds were found to be effective against this target. Six compounds observed in the primary screen were confirmed in dose–response experiments, and were tested against HIV-1-induced cytopathic effects. Two compounds were found to inhibit HIV-1 replication, and the most active compound – rubranol – inhibited viral replication at a moderate micromolar concentration (EC 50 = 15.85 μM). The binding modes of rubranol and hirsutanonol to CA CTD were analysed by molecular docking, providing insight for the design of drugs targeting HIV-1 CA. This study reports, for the first time, identification of natural products that showed potential as anti-HIV-1 agents by targeting the conserved hydrophobic cavity of HIV-1 CA CTD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides and resultant barrier lakes are significant threats to human lives and infrastructures. Three-dimensional (3D) surface displacements can give vital clues to the exploration of internal structure of landslides, but they are difficult to be retrieved from spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) observations due to the intrinsic limitation of SAR imaging geometry. Meanwhile, studies on predicting slope failure based on SAR-measured displacements are rarely seen. Here, we used SAR pixel offset tracking to investigate the Baige landslide before the collapse on 10 October 2018. 3D surface displacements retrieved by combining satellite SAR and optical observations revealed heterogeneous spatial patterns within the landslide complex. We observed linear secondary creep and accelerating tertiary creep prior to the failure from multi-sensor SAR data. The possibility of forecasting the failure was demonstrated by applying an inverse velocity method to the time-series displacements measured by Sentinel-1 during the tertiary creep, which is valuable for risk evaluation and disaster early warning. • We retrieved 3D displacement field by combining SAR and optical observations. • The 3D displacement field revealed the spatial complexity of the Baige landslide. • We derived historic displacements of the Baige landslide from three SAR data stacks. • Creep evolution from linear to accelerating was shown by time-series displacements. • We demonstrated the possibility of landslide early warning with SAR measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]