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• Granules coupling anammox and n-DAMO are obtained in 6 months. • Using anammox granules as biotic carriers and stepwise increasing upflow velocity are two keys. • Cryosection FISH and sequencing are used to reveal microbial stratification in granules. • Anammox bacteria dominate outer layer, while n-DAMO archaea occupy inner layer. • A high rate of 1.0 kg N/m3/d is achieved from synthetic sidestream wastewater. Granular sludge exhibits unique features, including rapid settling velocity, high loading rate and relative insensitivity against inhibitors, thus being a favorable platform for the cultivation of slow-growing and vulnerable microorganisms, such as anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria and nitrite/nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) microorganisms. While anammox granules have been widely applied, little is known about how to speed up the granulation process of n-DAMO microorganisms, which grow even slower than anammox bacteria. In this study, we used mature anammox granules as biotic carriers to embed n-DAMO microorganisms, which obtained combined anammox + n -DAMO granules within 6 months. The results of whole-granule 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed the coexistence of anammox bacteria, n-DAMO bacteria and n-DAMO archaea. The microbial stratification along granule radius was further elucidated by cryosection-16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, showing the dominance of n-DAMO archaea and anammox bacteria at inner and outer layers, respectively. Moreover, the images of cryosection-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) verified this stratification and also indicated a shift in microbial stratification. Specifically, n-DAMO bacteria and n-DAMO archaea attached to the anammox granule surface initially, which moved to the inner layer after 4-months operation. On the basis of combined anammox + n -DAMO granules, a practically useful nitrogen removal rate (1.0 kg N/m3/d) was obtained from sidestream wastewater, which provides new avenue to remove nitrogen from wastewater using methane as carbon source. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ni-catalysis for direct insertion of SO 2 into aryl-benzyl sulfone synthesis. • Wide range of benzylic ammonium salts and various functional boronic acids are compatible. • Benzyl quaternary ammonium salt as novel electrophilic reagents in sulfonylation. • Arylsulfones could be prepared on a gram scale in one-pot procedure. A one-pot nickel-catalyzed synthesis of (hetero)aryl alkyl sulfones from readily available boronic acids, sodium metabisulfite and benzylic ammonium salts as electrophiles is described. This general and efficient synthetic process is of broad scope, occurs in two steps, and delivers structural diverse sulfones, and the intermediate sulfinate is isolated. The transformation exhibits application of benzylic ammonium salts as novel electrophiles for direct insertion of SO 2 as a novel area to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and efficient biocatalyzed methodology for the construction of functionalized quinazolinone derivatives via tandem / hydrolysis / decarboxylation / cyclization and transesterification reactions has been developed that works with a variety of 2-aminobenzamide and β-dicarbonyl compounds. [Display omitted] • Biocatalysis decarboxylation. • Selective synthesis of quinazolinone derivatives via biocatalysis. • Tandem reactions via the combination of two enzymes. • The reaction system required only mild conditions, avoiding high temperatures, acids and metals. A novel and efficient biocatalyzed methodology for the construction of functionalized quinazolinone derivatives via tandem / hydrolysis / decarboxylation / cyclization and transesterification reactions has been developed that works with a variety of 2-aminobenzamide and β-dicarbonyl compounds. This method requires mild conditions, and has demonstrated high catalytic activity, excellent yields, excellent chemoselectivity, and a broad substrate scope. Additionally, biocatalyzed decarboxylation does not require high temperatures or light activation, giving it a substantial advantage over alternative techniques. Most importantly, it offers a new example for the exploration of simple, convenient, and environmentally friendly synthetic routes utilizing enzymes in organic chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Serum uric acid (SUA) levels in CKD stage 3–4 patients closely correlate with hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN) morbidity. New uric acid (UA)-lowering strategies are required to prevent CKD. The multiple-purpose connectivity map (CMAP) was used to discover potential molecules against HUA and renal fibrosis. We used HUA and unilateral ureteral occlusion (UUO) model mice to verify renoprotective effects of molecules and explore related mechanisms. In vitro experiments were performed in HepG2 and NRK-52E cells induced by UA. Esculetin was the top scoring compound and lowered serum uric acid (SUA) levels with dual functions on UA excretion. Esculetin exerted these effects by inhibiting expression and activity of xanthine oxidase (XO) in liver, and modulating UA transporters in kidney. The mechanism by which esculetin suppressed XO was related to inhibiting the nuclear translocation of hexokinase 2 (HK2). Esculetin was anti-fibrotic in HUA and UUO mice through inhibiting TGF-β1-activated profibrotic signals. The renoprotection effects of esculetin in HUA mice were associated with lower SUA, alleviation of oxidative stress, and inhibition of fibrosis. Esculetin is a candidate urate-lowering drug with renoprotective activity and the ability to inhibit XO, promote excretion of UA, protect oxidative stress injury, and reduce renal fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Addition NO 2 − into MBfR fed with NO 3 − and NH 4 + could stimulate n-DAMO archaea. • Effective operation strategies of n-DAMO and Anammox process were developed. • The process of nitrogen removal from leachate using landfill gas in-situ was proposed. • The NRR of 6.05 kg N m−3 d−1 was achieved within 425-day operation in MBfR. Nitrate/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) coupling to Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) provides an opportunity for simultaneous nitrogen removal and methane emissions mitigation from wastewater. However, to achieve high nitrogen removal rate in such a process remains a critical challenge in practical application. This work investigated the interactions between n-DAMO and Anammox in membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) and then developed operational strategies of MBfR for high rate nitrogen removal from landfill leachate. Initially, influent containing nitrate and ammonium facilitated the development of n-DAMO and Anammox microorganisms in MBfR, but nitrogen removal performance is hard to be further improved even deteriorated. Detailed investigations of interactions among n-DAMO and Anammox microorganisms confirmed that extra addition of nitrite into MBfR fed with nitrate and ammonium not only stimulated the activities of Anammox bacteria, but also enhanced the activities of n-DAMO archaea from 172.3 to 356.9 mg NO 3 −-N L−1 d−1. Functional gene analysis also indicated that mcr A and hzs A genes increased after nitrite addition. Based on this finding, influent containing NO 3 −, NO 2 − and NH 4 + enabled nitrogen removal rates of MBfR increase from 224.9 to 888.2 mg N L−1 d−1. Finally, nitrate in the influent was gradually replaced with nitrite to mimic the effluent from partial nitriation of landfill leachate, but maintain the nitrate availability for n-DAMO archaea through increasing nitrate production from Anammox. These operation strategies enabled MBfR achieve the steady state with a nitrogen removal rate of 6.1 kg N m−3 d−1. Microbial community analysis revealed n-DAMO archaea, n-DAMO bacteria and Anammox bacteria jointly dominated the biofilm, and their relative abundance dynamically shifted with feeding regime. This work provides promising operational strategies for high rate of nitrogen removal from landfill leachate through integrating n-DAMO and Anammox process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy and apoptosis are two important evolutionarily conserved host defense mechanisms against viral invasion and pathogenesis. However, the association between the two pathways during the viral infection of T lymphocytes remains to be elucidated. Simian type D retrovirus (SRV) is an etiological agent of fatal simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS), which can display disease features that are similar to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in humans. In this study, we demonstrate that infection with SRV-8, a newly isolated subtype of SRV, triggered both autophagic and apoptotic pathways in Jurkat T lymphocytes. Following infection with SRV-8, the autophagic proteins LC3 and p62/SQSTM1 interacted with procaspase-8, which might be responsible for the activation of the caspase-8/-3 cascade and apoptosis in SRV-8-infected Jurkat cells. Our findings indicate that autophagic responses to SRV infection of T lymphocytes promote the apoptosis of T lymphocytes, which, in turn, might be a potential pathogenetic mechanism for the loss of T lymphocytes during SRV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposal of integrating ice-storage district cooling system into power dispatch. • Develop a new ice-storage operation strategy named as power-linked mode. • Develop a cooling pipeline operation strategy considering dynamic characteristics. • Adopt a linear model to solve cooling pipelines transportation delay and heat loss. • Applying two operation strategies improve hydropower consumption by 7.5%. Hydropower curtailment for the run-of-over stations has become serious in Southwest China. The ice-storage district cooling system is believed as an effective approach to provide flexibility for hydropower utilization. However, the existing ice-storage operation strategies in demand-side management cause that the ice storage cannot be adjusted in real-time to match the surplus hydropower, which brings difficulties for large-scale hydropower utilization. Therefore, this paper proposed the integration of ice-storage district cooling systems into power dispatch based on smart grid. Two operation strategies were developed for the integration to achieve power supply-side management of ice-storage district cooling system. One is the new ice-storage power-linked operation strategy, which was proposed to determine the ice storing/ melting capacity in the power dispatch. The other one is the cooling pipelines dynamic-characteristics-considered operation strategy, which was applied in the power dispatch. The dynamic characteristics were calculated based on a linear model to be compatible with the linear constraints in power dispatch models. Finally, effects of two strategies were studied by taking scenes in Chongqing as the example. Results showed that the application of the first strategy only reduces the hydropower curtailment frequency, while application of the second strategy reduces both the curtailment frequency and amount. Furthermore, the simultaneous applications of the above two strategies enhance hydropower consumption by 7.5% (200 million kW·h) and reduce carbon emission by 7.4% (34,000 tons) every year. In addition, there exists an optimal total ice-storage capacity per day, i.e. 8600 MW·h, under which the system's performance reaches the highest value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Biochar was prepared from residue cornstalk left after pretreatment and hydrolysis. • Prepared biochar was employed to improve H 2 yield from cornstalk hydrolysate. • Overall material balance shows biochar enable higher substrate recovery efficiency. • This study provides a new way for comprehensive utilization of cornstalk. This study presents a novel approach based on addition of biochar generated from residue of cornstalk left after pretreatment and hydrolysis (RCPH-biochar) to improve hydrogen production from cornstalk hydrolysate. RCPH-biochar at concentration of 15 g L−1 substantially enhanced hydrogen generation during batch tests, with the highest cumulative hydrogen volume (3990 mL L−1) being 1.7 times that without RCPH-biochar. Then, continuous hydrogen production performance demonstrated that RCPH-biochar was capable of retaining biomass in the reactor, at 6 h hydraulic retention time, hydrogen production rate (22.8 mmol H 2 L−1 h−1) was tripled compared to the control, meanwhile, glucose and xylose utilization reached to 82.3% and 54.6%, respectively. Overall material balance indicates continuous hydrogen production with RCPH-biochar enabled 63.4% higher cornstalk transfer to H 2 and 53.3% more cornstalk utilization. The findings reported is a closed-loop process and is economically and environmentally attractive, which might support comprehensive cornstalk utilization with less energy input in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk nanolaminated (NL) structures were obtained in a low alloying commercial aluminum alloy 5052, via a two-step process: grain refinement firstly by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and secondly by liquid nitrogen rolling (LNR). The microstructure and the properties including hardness, tensile properties and thermal stability were characterized. The results show that the average lamellar spacing of the NL structure is ~49 nm with high dislocation density (~6.4 × 1014 m−2) and high strength (σ 0.2 ≈ 515 MPa). Decrease of lattice parameter of the ECAP 8P + LNR sample, calculated from XRD data, unveils strong segregation of Mg to the lamellar boundaries. Close analysis indicates, although solid solution strengthening, grain boundary strengthening and dislocation strengthening accounts most of the high strength, strengthening related to solute segregation to lamellar boundaries during deformation process may also play an important role for this high strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel hybrid anaerobic-aerobic baffled reactor was constructed. • The reactor was used to treat manure-free piggery wastewater with low COD/TN ratio. • The removal of COD, NH 4 +-N and TN averaged 87.0%, 100% and 91.3%, respectively. • Anammox and heterotrophic denitrification were the dominant approach to TN removal. • The reactor was more cost-efficient than the previously reported treatment processes. A novel hybrid anaerobic-aerobic baffled reactor (HAOBR) with four compartments was constructed to treat manure-free piggery wastewater with an average COD/TN ratio as low as 0.98, without any supplement of external carbon source. Inoculated with aerobic activated sludge and operated at hydraulic retention time 36 h, 32 °C and reflux ratio 2.0, the reactor could perform steadily within 24 days. The removal of COD, NH 4 +-N and TN within the 21-days steady phase averaged 87.0%, 100% and 91.3%, respectively. Analysis of stoichiometry and results of high-throughput pyrosequencing revealed that the excellent nitrogen removal in the HAOBR was achieved by the cooperation of heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification with anammox as the dominant approach. Compared with the previously developed microaerobic treatment processes and the recently reported modified A/O process, the HAOBR was more cost-efficient in treating manure-free piggery wastewater because of the less energy consumption, rapid startup process and efficient nutrients removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel methods for efficient plant regeneration via direct somatic embryogenesis (SE) and SE-mediated transformation system under high concentration of NAA in Ranunculus sceleratus were established. On MS media containing a high concentration of NAA (10.0 mg/L) in the dark, all inoculated explants (root, stem and leaf) formed somatic embryos at high frequencies, respectively, 66.03, 126.47 and 213.63 embryoids per explant, and 100% of the embryoids developed into plantlets on 1/2 MS rooting media. Morphological and histological analyses revealed that SE in R. sceleratus followed a classical pattern. All inoculated explants can be used as receptors for genetic transformation in R. sceleratus, through direct SE-mediated method after Agrobacterium infection. RcLEC1-B, as a marker gene, changed the number and morphology of flower organs and the development of cuticle in R. sceleratus, which indicated that the efficient transgenic system of R. sceleratus was established. To our knowledge, this is the first observation that both direct SE and transgenic transformation system, via induction of a single plant growth regulator, have been successfully constructed in R. sceleratus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the impact of IL-1B gene polymorphisms (IL-1B –511C/T, IL-1B –31C/T, IL-1B +3954C/T) in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection by mean of a meta-analysis. The relevant studies were retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang databases until September 9, 2018. Odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the associations. Statistical analyses of this meta-analysis were conducted by using STATA 12 software. Totally, 45 articles including 9606 cases and 5654 controls were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Our results indicated that IL-1B –511C/T polymorphism was significantly related to an increased the risk of H. pylori infection under recessive model (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.00–1.27, P = 0.048). However, no significant associations were obtained between H. pylori infection and IL-1B –31C/T as well as IL-1B +3954C/T polymorphisms under all models. In addition, subgroup analyses were also performed by country, study design, and detection methods of H. pylori. This meta-analysis suggested that IL-1B –511C/T polymorphism was related to the risk of H. pylori infection. Further larger studies with high quality are needed to conform these findings. • 45 articles including 9606 cases and 5654 controls were enrolled. • IL-1B –511C/T polymorphism was related to H. pylori infection under recessive model. • IL-1B –31C/T polymorphisms were not associated to H. pylori infection. • IL-1B +3954C/T polymorphisms were not associated to H. pylori infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's disease (HD) are fundamentally caused by accumulation of misfolded aggregate-prone proteins. Previous investigations have shown that these toxic protein aggregates could be degraded through autophagy induced by small molecules as well as by nanomaterials. However, whether engineered nanomaterials have the capacity to degrade these protein aggregates via the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), the other major pathway for intracellular protein turnover, was unknown. Herein, we have synthesized biocompatible MnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) and demonstrated their unique effect in accelerating the clearance of mutant huntingtin (Htt) protein exhibiting 74 glutamine repeats [Htt(Q74)]. UPS, rather than autophagy, was responsible for the efficient Htt(Q74) degradation facilitated by MnFe 2 O 4 NPs. Meanwhile, we demonstrated that MnFe 2 O 4 NPs enhanced K48-linked ubiquitination of GFP-Htt(Q74). Moreover, ubiqinlin-1, but not p62/SQSTM1, served as the ubiquitin receptor that mediated the enhanced degradation of Htt(Q74) by MnFe 2 O 4 NPs. Our findings may have implications for developing novel nanomedicine for the therapy of HD and other polyglutamine expansion diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, although many successful bioinformatics efforts have been reported in the epitranscriptomics field for N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) site identification, none is focused on the substrate specificity of different m6A-related enzymes, ie, the methyltransferases (writers) and demethylases (erasers). In this work, to untangle the target specificity and the regulatory functions of different RNA m6A writers (METTL3-METT14 and METTL16) and erasers (ALKBH5 and FTO), we extracted 49 genomic features along with the conventional sequence features and used the machine learning approach of random forest to predict their epitranscriptome substrates. Our method achieved reasonable performance on both the writer target prediction (as high as 0.918) and the eraser target prediction (as high as 0.888) in a 5-fold cross-validation, and results of the gene ontology analysis of their preferential targets further revealed the functional relevance of different RNA methylation writers and erasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, although many successful bioinformatics efforts have been reported in the epitranscriptomics field for N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) site identification, none is focused on the substrate specificity of different m6A-related enzymes, ie, the methyltransferases (writers) and demethylases (erasers). In this work, to untangle the target specificity and the regulatory functions of different RNA m6A writers (METTL3-METT14 and METTL16) and erasers (ALKBH5 and FTO), we extracted 49 genomic features along with the conventional sequence features and used the machine learning approach of random forest to predict their epitranscriptome substrates. Our method achieved reasonable performance on both the writer target prediction (as high as 0.918) and the eraser target prediction (as high as 0.888) in a 5-fold cross-validation, and results of the gene ontology analysis of their preferential targets further revealed the functional relevance of different RNA methylation writers and erasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a complication that occurs during various diseases' treatment. Imaging examination is the gold standard for diagnosis. PRES frequently occurrence in patients with hematological malignancies results in poorer prognosis and higher mortality. We aim to establish a practical and operable scale for early prediction, assessment of the severity of the Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome, and timely intervention for better prognosis.Methods: The scale designed by reviewing the literature and by referring to clinical practice. We assessed the reliability and validity of the scale. Scale-based assessment of children undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia conducted as early warning and intervention for those who may have PRES.Results: Establishment of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome early warning scoring (PEWS) scale included three parts, as follows: (1) risk factors, including underlying disease, hypertension, Infection, and drug toxicity; (2) clinical features, including high cranial pressure, visual symptoms, seizure, and disturbance of consciousness; and (3) EEG features, including slow wave and epileptiform discharges. Utility assessment of PEWS scale showed that in 57 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 54 scored less than 10 and none of them detected as PRES. The other two had scores of 12 and 13 both diagnosed with PRES by brain MRI scan.Conclusions: PEWS scale can predict PRES early. PRES was highly suspected when the score was 10 points and more. Thus, prophylactic intervention can give to improve the prognosis of PRES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Several studies have been performed to investigate the association between SMAD3 gene polymorphism and osteoarthritis (OA), but the results were inconclusive. This study aims to determine whether SMAD3 polymorphism is associated with risk of OA. Method: A comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Embase, and ISI Web of Science for relevant studies was performed. After extracting data from eligible studies, we chose the fixed or random effect model according to the heterogeneity test. Estimation of publication bias and sensitivity analysis were conducted to confirm the stability of this meta-analysis. Results: In total, 10 studies from 6 articles with 5093 OA patients and 5699 controls were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The combined results revealed significant association between SMAD3 rs12901499 polymorphism and the risk of OA (allele model: OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07–1.38). Subgroup analysis revealed that G allele increased the risk of OA in Caucasians, but not in Asians (allele model: Caucasians: OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.18–1.44; Asians: OR 1.24, 95% CI 0.95–1.61). And the pooled results revealed significant association between SMAD3 rs12901499 polymorphism and both knee and hip OA (knee OA: OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04–1.34; hip OA: OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.18–1.44). Conclusion: The current meta-analysis revealed that the G variant of SMAD3 rs12901499 polymorphism increased the risk of OA in Caucasians. Further well-designed studies with larger sample size in different ethnic populations are required to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have measured the radial profiles of isophotal ellipticity (ε) and disky/boxy parameter A4 out to radii of about three times the semimajor axes for ∼4600 star-forming galaxies (SFGs) between redshift 0.5 and 1.8 in the CANDELS/GOODS-S and UDS fields. Based on the average size–mass relation in each redshift bin, we divide our galaxies at a given mass into Small SFGs (SSFGs; smaller than the average) and Large SFGs (LSFGs; larger than the average). We show that, at low masses (), the SSFGs generally have nearly flat ε and A4 profiles in both edge-on and face-on views, especially at . Moreover, the median A4 values at all radii are almost zero. In contrast, the highly inclined low-mass LSFGs in the same mass-redshift bins generally have monotonically increasing ε profiles with radius and disky feature dominated in the intermediate regions. These findings imply that at these redshifts, the low-mass SSFGs are not disk-like, whereas the low-mass LSFGs likely harbour disk-like components flattened by significant rotations. At high masses (), both highly inclined SSFGs and LSFGs generally exhibit distinct trends in both ε and A4 profiles, which increase at lower radii, reach maxima, then decrease at larger radii. Such the feature is more prevalent for more massive () galaxies or at lower redshifts (). This feature can be simply explained if galaxies possess all three components: central bulges, disks in the intermediate regions, and halo-like stellar components in the outskirts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of highly functionalized pyrroles via a new cycloaddition strategy is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]