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Hypertension induced by hypoxia at high altitude is one of the typical symptoms of high-altitude reactions (HARs). Emerging evidence indicates that endothelial abnormalities, including increases in angiotensin-2 (Ang-2) and endothelin-1 (ET-1), are closely associated with hypertension. Thus, low blood oxygen-induced endothelial dysfunction through acceleration of Ang-2 and ET-1 synthesis may alleviate HARs. In this study, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on rat blood pressure (BP) and endothelial injury. We found that BP increased by 10 mmHg after treatment with 10% O2 (~5500 m above sea level) for 24 h. Consistently, serum Ang-2 and ET-1 levels were increased along with decreases in NO levels. In endothelial cells, angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE) and ET-1 expression levels were upregulated. Interestingly, nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) levels were also upregulated, consistent with the changes in ACE and ET-1 levels. We further demonstrated that NRF1 transcriptionally activated ACE and ET-1 by directly binding to their promoter regions, suggesting that the endothelial cell dysfunction induced by hypoxia was due to NRF1-dependent upregulation of ACE and ET-1. Surprisingly, testosterone supplementation showed significant protective effects on BP, while castration induced even higher BPs in rats exposed to hypoxia. We further showed that physiological testosterone repressed NRF1 expression in vivo and in vitro and thereby reduced Ang-2 and ET-1 levels, which was dependent on hypoxia. In summary, we have identified that physiological testosterone protects against hypoxia-induced hypertension through inhibition of NRF1, which transcriptionally regulates ACE and ET-1 expression.

2D carbon ribbon/Al2O3 was synthesized with two-dimensional metal organic frameworks 2D-MOFs as precursors using the solvothermal and calcination methods. Batch experiments of adsorption parameters such as pH, liquid/solid ratio, adsorption kinetics, adsorption thermodynamics, and anions competitions were investigated to understand the adsorptive behavior of fluoride on carbon ribbon/Al2O3 and nitrogen-doped carbon ribbon/Al2O3. The adsorption of fluoride on carbon ribbon/Al2O3 could be described as the chemical and multilayer adsorption, while the adsorption of fluoride on nitrogen-doped carbon ribbon/Al2O3 followed the chemical and monolayer adsorption phenomenon. The fluoride on nitrogen-doped carbon ribbon/Al2O3 had a much faster adsorption rate of 3.1×10−7 m/s than carbon ribbon/Al2O3, which was 1.2×10−7 m/s. The nitrogen-doping on carbon ribbon enhances structural defects and improves the adsorption performance of fluoride. Also, the diacetylene linkages (—C≡C—) and pyridinic-N were studied to understand their influences on removing fluoride. The result indicates that carbon ribbon and nitrogen-doped ribbon could serve as good adsorbents for removing fluoride.

Multiple alleles were constantly detected in Alternaria solani isolates by simple sequence repeat (SSR) analysis, and sectors were also observed in their subcultures. These preliminary results and observations point to a possible parasexual cycle in A. solani. In this study, codominant SSR markers were used as molecular markers on the chromosomes of A. solani and single-conidium subculture was used to simulate the mitosis process of A. solani in nature. The number of alleles at locus As-95236 changed from 2 to 1 as a molecular marker for haploidy of parasexuality of A. solani. Fifty monosporic F1 strains were tested. The results showed that two parent strains lost allele with a haploid probability of 38%. For F2 strains, the results showed that all four F1 strains lost allele with a haploid probability of 75%. Since sexual recombination of A. solani has not been found so far, the allele lost in the subcultures of A. solani isolates provides molecular evidence for the existence of parasexual reproduction in A. solani.

Connection to nature is positively associated with happiness among adults. However, whether and how connection to nature is associated with children’s happiness remains unknown. The current study aims to examine the association between connection to nature and children’s happiness and the moderating effect of temperament (negative affectivity and effortful control) on this association. Four hundred fifty-eight children aged 7–12 years and one of their parents participated in this study. Our study found that connection to nature is positively associated with both children’s self- and parent-reported happiness. Children’s negative affectivity moderates the association between connection to nature and self-reported happiness, and the moderating effect differs by gender. Specifically, the negative affectivity of girls strengthens the association between connection to nature and happiness. These findings highlight the positive impact of connection to nature on children’s happiness and the importance of considering children’s negative affectivity and gender when exploring the association between connection to nature and positive development.

Here, a novel phosphate-solubilizing bacterium (PSB), Klebsiella aerogenes Wn was applied to develop an environmental-friendly method to simultaneously stabilize Pb and Cd. The maximum dissolved phosphate was up to 701.36 mg/L by the strain Wn. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Pearson correlation analyses showed that the acetic acid produced by the strain Wn was significantly positively associated with the released phosphate. Moreover, 100% of 500 mg/L of Pb and 100 mg/L of Cd were simultaneously stabilized in the classical NBRIP medium and the major products were Pb

Early blight (EB) disease, caused mainly by

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is the major intermediate filament III protein of astroglia cells which is upregulated in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here we reported that GFAP is truncated at both the C- and N-terminals by cytosolic protease calpain to GFAP breakdown products (GBDP) of 46-40K then 38K following pro-necrotic (A23187) and pro-apoptotic (staurosporine) challenges to primary cultured astroglia or neuron-glia mixed cells. In addition, with another pro-apoptotic challenge (EDTA) where caspases are activated but not calpain, GFAP was fragmented internally, generating a C-terminal GBDP of 20 kDa. Following controlled cortical impact in mice, GBDP of 46-40K and 38K were formed from day 3 to 28 post-injury. Purified GFAP protein treated with calpain-1 and -2 generates (i) major N-terminal cleavage sites at A-56*A-61 and (ii) major C-terminal cleavage sites at T-383*Q-388, producing a limit fragment of 38K. Caspase-6 treated GFAP was cleaved at D-78/R-79 and D-225/A-226, where GFAP was relatively resistant to caspase-3. We also derived a GBDP-38K N-terminal-specific antibody which only labels injured astroglia cell body in both cultured astroglia and mouse cortex and hippocampus after TBI. As a clinical translation, we observed that CSF samples collected from severe human TBI have elevated levels of GBDP-38K as well as two C-terminally released GFAP peptides (DGEVIKES and DGEVIKE). Thus, in addition to intact GFAP, both the GBDP-38K as well as unique GFAP released C-terminal proteolytic peptides species might have the potential in tracking brain injury progression.

Contains fulltext : 251563.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: Despite being well established, acute surgery in traumatic acute subdural haematoma is based on low-grade evidence. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of a strategy preferring acute surgical evacuation with one preferring initial conservative treatment in acute subdural haematoma. METHODS: We did a prospective, observational, comparative effectiveness study using data from participants enrolled in the Collaborative European Neurotrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (CENTER-TBI) cohort. We included patients with no pre-existing severe neurological disorders who presented with acute subdural haematoma within 24 h of traumatic brain injury. Using an instrumental variable analysis, we compared outcomes between centres according to treatment preference for acute subdural haematoma (acute surgical evacuation or initial conservative treatment), measured by the case-mix-adjusted percentage of acute surgery per centre. The primary endpoint was functional outcome at 6 months as rated with the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended, which was estimated with ordinal regression as a common odds ratio (OR) and adjusted for prespecified confounders. Variation in centre preference was quantified with the median OR (MOR). CENTER-TBI is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02210221, and the Resource Identification Portal (Research Resource Identifier SCR_015582). FINDINGS: Between Dec 19, 2014 and Dec 17, 2017, 4559 patients with traumatic brain injury were enrolled in CENTER-TBI, of whom 1407 (31%) presented with acute subdural haematoma and were included in our study. Acute surgical evacuation was done in 336 (24%) patients, by craniotomy in 245 (73%) of those patients and by decompressive craniectomy in 91 (27%). Delayed decompressive craniectomy or craniotomy after initial conservative treatment (n=982) occurred in 107 (11%) patients. The percentage of patients who underwent acute surgery ranged from 5·6% to 51·5% (IQR 12·3-35·9) between centres, with a two-times higher probability of receiving acute surgery for an identical patient in one centre versus another centre at random (adjusted MOR for acute surgery 1·8; p

Setting off fireworks during the Spring Festival are a popular traditional custom and recreational activity in China. Intensity of firecracker burning can quickly deteriorate air quality. Airborne bacteria are also important constituents of atmospheric particulate matter and contain many pathogens. However, few studies have reported variations in the bacterial community structure in PM2.5 during firecracker burning. In this study, PM2.5 samples were collected at four different sites in the city of Guilin during Spring Festival from February 4 to 8, 2019 and a high-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the variations of bacterial diversity and community structure in PM2.5. The results revealed that Proteobacteria was the predominant bacterial phylum comprising 94.3% of the total sequences, followed by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Deinococcus-Thermus. At the genus level, the top five abundant genera accounted for 81.8% of the total sequences. The proportions of major genera (Cupriavidus, Sphingobium, Brevundimonas, Sphingomonas, and Pseudomonas) were apparently affected by firecracker burning. In particular, the relative abundance of Brevundimonas genus increased dramatically from 3.2 to 60.1% at the Huaqiaonongchang (HQ) sampling site during intense firework burning, while those of other major genera and potential pathogens detected including Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Serratia decreased. In addition, compared with the normal condition, the number of operational taxonomic units and the diversity and richness of microorganisms in PM2.5 samples decreased apparently. Pearson correlation results also revealed that they were negatively correlated with the NO2, SO2, and PM2.5 concentrations.

Tinea capitis is a type of dermatophyte infection primarily affecting children. We report a case of an elderly woman with well-controlled diabetes mellitus presenting with a six-month history of erythema with yellow crusts on her scalp and extensive erythematous patches with scales on the body skin. She adopted a stray cat before the disease onset. Dermoscopic findings and manifestation under the Wood’s lamp favoured the diagnosis of tinea capitis. Further microscopic examinations of her scalp, including direct KOH and fluorescence stain examination, fungal culture and polymerase chain reaction sequencing identification confirmed the diagnosis of tinea capitis caused by Microsporum canis. Treatment with oral terbinafine was effective. Adult tinea capitis is often misdiagnosed due to its rarity and atypical presentation. However, in some regions, the incidence of tinea capitis in immunocompetent adults is rising which requires the awareness of clinicians. A thorough history (including the animal contacting history), physical examination and further mycological examinations are required for diagnosis. Trichophyton violaceum is the most common dermatophyte species in most regions while adult tinea capitis caused by Microsporum canis is less common. Terbinafine, griseofulvin and itroconazole have been reported to be effective drugs for the treatment of tinea capitis, and terbinafine can be considered as systemic treatment in elderly patients with comorbidities to reduce the drug–drug interaction.

Due to the large transverse edge effect for U-shaped ironless permanent magnet synchronous linear motor affect the distribution of air gap magnetic field is large, it will reduce the no-load back electromotive force and thrust. This paper proposes a novel method to evaluate the effect of transverse edge effect based on Kriging surrogate model. By comparing the results of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite element analysis of the air gap magnetic field of the motor, it can be seen transverse length of the motor, air gap height and thickness of the permanent magnet are the main influencing factors.

The MIL-53(Al)-NH2 was designed to remove fluoride with hierarchical hollow morphology. It was used as an adsorbent for fluoride removal at a wide pH range (1-12) due to the positive zeta potential of MIL-53(Al)-NH2. The pH did not significantly influence the fluoride adsorption into MIL-53(Al)-NH2. However, the adsorbent indicated good adsorption capacity with maximum adsorption of 1070.6 mg g-1. Different adsorption kinetic and thermodynamic models were investigated for MIL-53(Al)-NH2. The adsorption of fluoride into MIL-53(Al)-NH2 followed the pseudo-second-order model and a well-fitted Langmuir model indicating chemical and monolayer adsorption process. When mass transfer model was used at initial concentrations of 100 ppm and 1000 ppm, the rates of conversion were 8.4 × 10-8 and 4.7 × 10-8 m s-1. Moreover, anions such as [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], Cl-, and Br- also had less effect on the adsorption of fluoride. Also, experimental and theoretical calculations on adsorption mechanism of MIL-53(Al)-NH2 revealed that the material had good stability and regenerative capacity using alum as regenerant. In a nutshell, the dominant crystal face (1 0 1) and adsorption sites Al, O, and N combined well with F-, HF, and HF2- through density functional theory. It opens a good way of designing hollow MOFs for adsorbing contaminants in wastewater.

BackgroundAlthough rehabilitation is beneficial for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), a significant proportion of them do not receive adequate rehabilitation after acute care.ObjectiveTherefore, the goal of this prospective and multicenter study was to investigate predictors of access to rehabilitation in the year following injury in patients with TBI.MethodsData from a large European study (CENTER-TBI), including TBIs of all severities between December 2014 and December 2017 were used (N = 4498 patients). Participants were dichotomized into those who had and those who did not have access to rehabilitation in the year following TBI. Potential predictors included sociodemographic factors, psychoactive substance use, preinjury medical history, injury-related factors, and factors related to medical care, complications, and discharge.ResultsIn the year following traumatic injury, 31.4% of patients received rehabilitation services. Access to rehabilitation was positively and significantly predicted by female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.50), increased number of years of education completed (OR = 1.05), living in Northern (OR = 1.62; reference: Western Europe) or Southern Europe (OR = 1.74), lower prehospital Glasgow Coma Scale score (OR = 1.03), higher Injury Severity Score (OR = 1.01), intracranial (OR = 1.33) and extracranial (OR = 1.99) surgery, and extracranial complication (OR = 1.75). On contrast, significant negative predictors were lack of preinjury employment (OR = 0.80), living in Central and Eastern Europe (OR = 0.42), and admission to hospital ward (OR = 0.47; reference: admission to intensive care unit) or direct discharge from emergency room (OR = 0.24).ConclusionsBased on these findings, there is an urgent need to implement national and international guidelines and strategies for access to rehabilitation after TBI.

Heavy metal–contaminated sediment is a common environmental problem. In situ stabilization is an effective and low-cost method to remediate heavy metal–contaminated sediment. In this study, a red mud-based low-cost composite (RMM) was used to stabilize heavy metal–contaminated sediment. RMM was mixed with heavy metal–contaminated sediment at the doses of 0%, 1%, 3% and 5%. The CaCl2-extractable, DTPA-extractable, leachability (TCLP) and heavy metal fractions were analysed to evaluate the stabilization efficiency of RMM for heavy metals. The selected properties and microbial activities of the sediment were analysed to verify the safety of RMM to sediment. The results showed that RMM reduced the DTPA-, CaCl2- and TCLP-extractable heavy metals in sediment. At an RMM dose of 5%, DTPA-, CaCl2- and TCLP- extractable heavy metals were reduced by 7.60%, 72.34% and 69.24% for Pb; 18.20%, 76.7% and 23.57% for Cd; 32.7%, 96.50% and 49.64% for Zn; and 35.0%, 61.20% and 55.27% for Ni, respectively. TCLP- and DTPA-extractable Cu was reduced by 71.15% and 12.90%, respectively. In contrast, CaCl2-extractable Cu increased obviously after the application of RMM. RMM reduced the acid-soluble fraction of Zn by 6.99% and increased the residual fraction of Ni by 4.28%. However, the influence of RMM on the fractions of Pb, Cd and Cu was nonsignificant. In addition, the application of RMM increased the pH values of the sediment, and the microbial activity in the sediment was also obviously enhanced. These results indicated that RMM has great potential in the remediation of heavy metal–contaminated sediment.

International audience; Thermococcus gammatolerans is anaerobic euryarchaeon which grows optimally at 88 °C and its genome encodes a family B DNA polymerase (Tga PolB). Herein, we cloned the gene of Tga PolB, expressed and purified the gene product, and characterized the enzyme biochemically. The recombinant Tga PolB can efficiently synthesize DNA at high temperature, and retain 93% activity after heated at 95 °C for 1.0 h, suggesting that the enzyme is thermostable. Furthermore, the optimal pH for the enzyme activity was measured to be 7.0–9.0. Tga PolB activity is dependent on a divalent cation, among which magnesium ion is optimal. NaCl at low concentration stimulates the enzyme activity but at high concentration inhibits enzyme activity. Interestingly, Tga PolB is able to efficiently bypass uracil in DNA, which is distinct from other archaeal family B DNA pols. By contrast, Tga PolB is halted by an AP site in DNA, as observed in other archaeal family B DNA polymerases. Furthermore, Tga PolB extends the mismatched ends with reduced efficiencies. The enzyme possesses 3′-5′ exonuclease activity and this activity is inhibited by dNTPs. The DNA binding assays showed that Tga PolB can efficiently bind to ssDNA and primed DNA, and have a marked preference for primed DNA. Last, Tga PolB can be used in routine PCR.

Serum biomarkers are promising tools for evaluating patients following traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, their relationship with diffuse histopathology remains unclear. Additionally, translatability is a focus of neurotrauma research, however, studies using translational animal models are limited. Here, we evaluated associations between circulating biomarkers and acute thalamic histopathology in a translational micro pig model of mTBI. Serum samples were collected pre-injury, and 1 min-6 h following mTBI. Markers of neuronal injury (Ubiquitin Carboxy-terminal Hydrolase L1 [UCH-L1]), microglial/macrophage activation (Ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule-1 [Iba-1]) and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) and astrogliosis/astrocyte damage (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]) were measured. Axonal injury and histological features of neurons and glia were also investigated using immunofluorescent labeling and correlated to serum levels of the associated biomarkers. Consistent with prior experimental and human studies, GFAP, was highest at 6 h post-injury, while no substantial changes were observed in UCH-L1, Iba-1 or IL-6 over 6 h. This study also found promising associations between thalamic glial histological signatures and ensuing release of Iba-1 and GFAP into the circulation. Our findings suggest that in diffuse injury, monitoring serum Iba-1 and GFAP levels can provide clinically relevant insight into the underlying acute pathophysiology and biomarker release kinetics following mTBI, providing previously underappreciated diagnostic capability.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and can lead to persistent hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (PHH) and poor outcomes. We hypothesized that autoimmune and inflammatory mechanisms contribute to PHH pathogenesis. Men with moderate-to-severe TBI (n = 143) were compared with healthy men (n = 39). The TBI group provided blood samples 1–12 months post-injury (n = 1225). TBI and healthy control (n = 39) samples were assayed for testosterone (T) and luteinizing hormone (LH) to adjudicate PHH status. TBI samples 1–6 months post-injury and control samples were assayed for immunoglobulin M (IgM)/immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-pituitary autoantibodies (APA) and anti-hypothalamus autoantibodies (AHA). Tissue antigen specificity for APA and AHA was confirmed via immunohistochemistry (IHC). IgM and IgG autoantibodies for glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) (AGA) were evaluated to gauge APA and AHA production as a generalized autoimmune response to TBI and to evaluate the specificity of APA and AHA to PHH status. An inflammatory marker panel was used to assess relationships to autoantibody profiles and PHH status. Fifty-one men with TBI (36%) had PHH. An age-related decline in T levels by both TBI and PHH status were observed. Injured men had higher APA IgM, APA IgG, AHA IgM, AHA IgG, AGA IgM, and AGA IgG than controls (p

Cathepsin B (CatB), a lysosomal cysteine protease, is important to brain function and may have dual utility as a peripheral biomarker of moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The present study determined levels of pro- and mature (mat) CatB protein as well as cysteine protease activity within the frontal cortex (FC; proximal injury site), hippocampus (HC; distal injury site), and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) collected 1–7 days after craniotomy and penetrating ballistic-like brain injury (PBBI) in rats. Values were compared with naïve controls. Further, the utility of CatB protein as a translational biomarker was determined in CSF derived from patients with severe TBI. Craniotomy increased matCatB levels in the FC and HC, and led to elevation of HC activity at day 7. PBBI caused an even greater elevation in matCatB within the FC and HC within 3–7 days. After PBBI, cysteine protease activity peaked at 3 days in the FC and was elevated at 1 day and 7 days, but not 3 days, in the HC. In rat CSF, proCatB, matCatB, and cysteine protease activity peaked at 3 days after craniotomy and PBBI. Addition of CA-074, a CatB-specific inhibitor, confirmed that protease activity was due to active matCatB in rat brain tissues and CSF at all time-points. In patients, CatB protein was detectable from 6 h through 10 days after TBI. Notably, CatB levels were significantly higher in CSF collected within 3 days after TBI compared with non-TBI controls. Collectively, this work indicates that CatB and its cysteine protease activity may serve as collective molecular signatures of TBI progression that differentially vary within both proximal and distal brain regions. CatB and its protease activity may have utility as a surrogate, translational biomarker of acute-subacute TBI.

Aim Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare malignant disease. Its prognosis depends on early diagnosis. The role of fine-needle aspiration (FNA), including smear cytology, cell block (CB) techniques, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) sections in the diagnosis of PTL is still unclear. Here we reported 19 cases of PTL and literature review to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy for lymphoma by cytology. Methods Our study retrospectively reviewed 19 patients diagnosed with PTL at the affiliated hospital of Southwest Medical University in China from June 2011 to May 2019. According to the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology, the CB sections were evaluated for the presence of single tumor cells. IHC was performed on CB. Results The diagnostic accuracy for PTL of FNA, CB with smears, and the joint application of the three methods (FNA + CB + IHC) of our study with 19 cases was 68.4% (13/19), 83.3% (15/18), and 100% (17/17), respectively. Conclusion The present study demonstrates that FNA has low sensitivity in diagnosing PTL, but the joint application of FNA, CB, and IHC might provide high diagnostic accuracy for lymphoma and should be applied in all cases where the clinical suspicion is high regardless of the FNA findings.

We prospectively evaluated serum concentrations of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin c-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), total tau (T-Tau), and neurofilament light (NF-L) from collegiate athletes at baseline and acutely after sport-related concussion (SRC) using the Quanterix Neurology 4Plex "B" (N4PB) multiplex assay. Uninjured controls were matched on age, sex, race, sport, and concussion history. Clinical outcomes included acute symptom severity, balance, rapid automated naming, computerized cognitive testing, and recovery duration. Baseline (

Guilin, a famous tourist city, is located in northeast Guangxi Province of Southwest China. However, recently, abnormal haze events occurred frequently in the winter. To characterize inorganic elements in PM2.5 and associated sources during a winter haze episode, 30 samples were collected from 6 sites in Guilin from December 16 to 20, 2016, and 24 inorganic elements were measured using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The results showed that the sum of 24 inorganic elements varied from 5.47 ± 0.45 to 9.26 ± 0.73 μg m−3, and accounting for 6.81% ± 13.35% to 8.63% ± 15.05% of PM2.5 at all sites. Among them, crustal elements, including K, Ca, Na, Mg, Al, Fe, and Ti contributed approximately 82% ± 6%–90% ± 3%. Cluster results combined the coefficient of divergence and hierarchical cluster for inorganic elements and the sites showed that YS designated as the background site had obvious spatial heterogeneity, specially, mass concentration, and Igeo (index of geoaccumulation) values of Ni, Cr, Mo, and Ba were higher than those at the other five sites, which indicating that PM2.5 in Guilin was significantly affected by interregional transport. The results of source apportionment showed that Al, Ti, B, Fe, Ca, Mg, and Cr were derived from road and building dust, whereas Sb, As, and Hg originated from coal combustion, Co and V from vehicle emission (such as diesel and gasoline combustion), and other metals (Zn, Pb, Mn, Ba, Cu, Ni, Se, Cd, Mo, Tl, K, and Na) from coal combustion and industrial processes.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based membranes with superior mechanical properties are of particular interest in purification, separation, and catalysis. Nevertheless, their fabrication still remains a grand challenge. Here, fungus hyphae (Mucor) were used as a robust scaffold to load the MOFs and induced the formation of porous and flexible membranes. ZIF-8 was used as a representative of MOFs. The ZIF-8@Mucor membrane was formed by the in-situ growth of ZIF-8 on hyphae and then a vacuum filtration of the ZIF-8/hyphae composite. ZIF-8 was effectively dispersed on the ZIF-8@Mucor membrane, and the shear modulus of ZIF-8@Mucor-3 was 864 MPa by calculation. The ZIF-8@Mucor membrane exhibited promising properties for adsorption application to remove the highly toxic Pb2+. The adsorption capacity of this membrane was as high as 1443.29 mg/g. Results from dynamic adsorption indicated that the penetration concentration of Pb2+ ions was less than 5% of the original level before 80 min whereas after 160 min, penetration concentration of Pb2+ ions was more than 90%. This study would open a new way of how to synthesize composite MOFs/bacterial membranes for energy and environment purposes.

Remote sensing estimations of glacier flow velocity could provide effective methods for the long-term monitoring of glacier flow velocity. This paper calculated the velocity in the line-of-sight (LOS) direction by combining DInSAR and offset-tracking technology with ascending and descending Sentinel-1 images of the Urumqi Glacier No.1 from 2016 to 2017. Meanwhile, the velocity in the azimuthal direction was obtained by combining MAI and offset-tracking technology. Then, the eastward, northward, and upward flow velocities were retrieved using the Helmert variance component estimation method. Finally, the standard error of the mean and mean errors of surface velocity in non-glaciated areas of the Urumqi Glacier No.1 were calculated to evaluate the accuracy of the results generated by the proposed method. The results showed: (1) The ascending LOS velocity and the descending LOS velocity were 1.812 m/a and −1.558 m/a from 2016 to 2017. The ascending azimuthal and descending azimuthal velocities were 0.978 m/a and −2.542 m/a, respectively. (2) The glacier flow velocities were 2.571 m/a and 1.801 m/a, respectively, for the eastward and northward directions. In the vertical direction, the velocity was −0.554 m/a. (3) The accuracy of the results generated by the proposed method were 0.028 m/a, 0.085 m/a, and 0.063 m/a in the east, north, and vertical directions. Therefore, it is suitable to use ascending and descending Sentinel-1 images and the study method proposed in this paper to estimate the surface flow velocity of mountain glaciers.

The contamination of soils by mercury (Hg) seriously threatens the local ecological environment and public health. S-functionalized amendments are common remediation technology, yet, Hg re-activation often occurs in the commonly used immobilization remediation by S-functionalized amendments, resulting in an unsatisfactory remediation effect. In this study, a novel FeS-Se functionalized biochar composite (FeS-Se-BC) amendment was prepared and applied for the efficient remediation of Hg-polluted soil. An immobilization efficiency of 99.62% and 99.22% for H

INTRODUCTION: This protocol outlines the steps which ViroTrakr contributors need to follow in order to submit their data to NCBI. It includes how to: - establish your new BioProject at NCBI; - link it to ViroTrakr; - create BioSample numbers for your submission and submit raw sequence data to the SRA database; - submit assembled data to GenBank and link them to ViroTrakr (optional). ViroTrakr, a genomic database initiated by CFSAN and housed in NCBI, aims to (1) cover sequences of a wide range of foodborne viruses (e.g., norovirus, hepatitis A virus, sapovirus, etc.) from clinical, food and/or environmental specimens and (2) provide real-time reference sequences for phylogenetic analysis and epidemiologic studies linked to foodborne illnesses. Pipelines are under development with which ViroTrakr will eventually integrate to an international genomic reference database, GenomeTrakr, which has been successfully employed for bacterial pathogen surveillance in multiple countries. ViroTrakr: foodborne viruses (ID 396739) - BioProject - NCBI (nih.gov) GenomeTrakr: Multispecies (ID 593772) - BioProject - NCBI (nih.gov) Reference: NCBI submission protocol for microbial pathogen surveillance V.5: NCBI submission protocol for microbial pathogen surveillance (protocols.io)

Fringe projection profilometry has gained significant interest due to its high precision, enhanced resolution, and simplified design. Typically, the spatial and perspective measurement capability is restricted by the lenses of the camera and projector in accordance with the principles of geometric optics. Therefore, large-size object measurement requires data acquisition from multiple perspectives, followed by point cloud splicing. Current point cloud registration methods usually rely on 2D feature textures, 3D structural elements, or supplementary tools, which will increase costs or limit the scope of the application. To address large-size 3D measurement more efficiently, we propose a low-cost and feasible method that combines active projection textures, color channel multiplexing, image feature matching and coarse-to-fine point registration strategies. Using a composite structured light with red speckle patterns for larger areas and blue sinusoidal fringe patterns for smaller ones, projected onto the surface, which allows us to accomplish simultaneous 3D reconstruction and point cloud registration. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective for the 3D measurement of large-size and weak-textured objects.

This paper studied laser induced thermal-crack propagation (LITP) dicing of a glass-silicon double-layer wafer with high scanning speed. A defocusing continuous laser was used in the experimental system as the volumetric heat source for the glass layer and the surface heat source for the silicon layer. Based on the principle of thermal-crack propagation, the commercial software ABAQUS was used on the simulated analysis, and the results of temperature field and thermal stress field distribution with high and low speed were compared. The experiment was executed in accordance with the simulation parameters. The surface morphology of the cut section was described by optical microscopy and a profilometer, and combined with the results, the non-synchronous propagation process of the crack under high speed scanning was revealed. Most importantly, the scanning section with a nanoscale surface roughness was obtained. The surface roughness of the silicon layer was 19 nm, and that of glass layer was 9 nm.

ImportanceUnderstanding the posttreatment prognosis of skin lesions in patients with psoriasis is essential for improving patients’ treatment satisfaction.ObjectivesTo model the prognosis of skin lesions for patients with psoriasis after 3 types of therapy.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis prospective cohort study included patients with psoriasis who visited a dermatologist and were enrolled in the platform of the Psoriasis Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment Center in China from August 2020 to December 2021.InterventionsBiologic, traditional, and systemic therapy for psoriasis.Main Outcomes and MeasuresSkin lesions were measured by the Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) scale subsumed into 4 stages of severity (IGA 0/1, IGA 2, IGA 3, and IGA 4), with higher scores indicating higher severity. The matching method was used to balance baseline covariates between patients receiving each of the 3 treatments. Transition probabilities from IGA scores at baseline to 0 to 1 month and 1 to 12 months were estimated.ResultsA total of 8767 patients were included in the final analysis (median age, 38.6 years [IQR, 28.7-52.8 years]; 5809 [66.3%] male). Across the 3 therapies, as the follow-up duration increased, the probability of improvement transition into a less severe IGA stage (from IGA 4 to IGA 0/1) increased from 0.19 (95% CI, 0.18-0.21) in 0 to 1 month to 0.36 (95% CI, 0.34-0.37) in 1 to 12 months. Biologic therapy was associated with greater improvement transitions for severe conditions, with transition probabilities from IGA 4 to IGA 0/1 increasing by 0.06 (95% CI, 0.02-0.09) vs traditional therapy and by 0.06 (95% CI, 0.03-0.09) vs systemic therapy in 0 to 1 month and by 0.08 (95% CI, 0.04-0.12) vs traditional therapy and 0.11 (95% CI, 0.07-0.14) vs systemic therapy in 1 to 12 months.Conclusions and RelevanceThis cohort study modeling psoriasis prognosis provided a complete prognosis of skin lesions, and biologic therapy was associated with improved prognosis of moderate to severe psoriasis compared with traditional and systemic therapies. The study provides insight on using transition diagrams to assess psoriasis prognosis and to communicate with patients in clinical practice.

Prediction of drug-protein binding is critical for virtual drug screening. Many deep learning methods have been proposed to predict the drug-protein binding based on protein sequences and drug representation sequences. However, most existing methods extract features from protein and drug sequences separately. As a result, they can not learn the features characterizing the drug-protein interactions. In addition, the existing methods encode the protein (drug) sequence usually based on the assumption that each amino acid (atom) has the same contribution to the binding, ignoring different impacts of different amino acids (atoms) on the binding. However, the event of drug-protein binding usually occurs between conserved residue fragments in the protein sequence and atom fragments of the drug molecule. Therefore, a more comprehensive encoding strategy is required to extract information from the conserved fragments. In this paper, we propose a novel model, named FragDPI, to predict the drug-protein binding affinity. Unlike other methods, we encode the sequences based on the conserved fragments and encode the protein and drug into a unified vector. Moreover, we adopt a novel two-step training strategy to train FragDPI. The pre-training step is to learn the interactions between different fragments using unsupervised learning. The fine-tuning step is for predicting the binding affinities using supervised learning. The experiment results have illustrated the superiority of FragDPI.Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.1007/s11704-022-2163-9 and is accessible for authorized users.

Utilizing nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) to purify groundwater contaminated by arsenic species [As(III/V)] is an efficient technology, but the fast and severe aggregation of nZVI limits its practical applications. Herein, nZVI was anchored onto the mussel-inspired polydopamine-coated cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs-PDA-nZVI) as an efficient material for As groundwater remediation. In this set, the introduction of nZVI was expected to significantly enhance the arsenic removal property, while cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) endowed nZVI with ultrahigh dispersibility. The batch results showed that the maximum As adsorption capacities of CNCs-PDA-nZVI (i.e., 333.3 mg g

Interface solar steam generation (ISSG) are charming for its applications in desalination and wastewater treatment. Biomass is an attractive substrate for utilizing solar vapor evaporators because of its natural pore structure and water transportability. Polymers like polydopamine (PDA) and polypyrrole (PPy) with broadband spectrum absorption are fascinating in photothermal materials (PTMs). Herein, PDA coated daikon-based (PDA-DK) and PPy coated daikon-based (PPy-DK) PTMs have been exploited for solar steam generation. When polyethylene foam (PEF) was used as an insulating layer to limit heat loss from the PTMs to bulk water, the evaporation rate of PDA-DK and PPy-DK was raised from 0.82 kg m–2 h–1 and 0.96 kg m–2 h–1 to 1.50 kg m–2 h–1 and 1.60 kg m–2 h–1, respectively. Meanwhile, the corresponding photothermal conversion efficiency was increased to 89.01% and 98.97%, which was increased by nearly 40% under 1-sun irradiation. In addition, PDA-DK and PPy-DK exhibited remarkable stability for the solar steam generation without significant change through 15 cycles. Furthermore, PDA-DK and PPy-DK could effectively desalt seawater and purify dyeing wastewater. All the results indicate that PDA-DK and PPy-DK have great potential in real-world applications for solar steam generation.

EBioMedicine 77, 103933 (2022). doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.103933, Published by Elsevier, Amsterdam [u.a.]