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The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising strategy to convert CO2 to carbon‐based fuels and to simultaneously reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In this work, the bismuth subcarbonate nanoflowers (BOC NFs) are facilely prepared through a one‐pot synthesis method for efficient formate electrosynthesis through CO2RR. Benefiting from the crystal structure and sheet‐stacked morphology, the in situ measurements and theoretical calculation results reveal the self‐reinforced CO2 adsorption properties and rapid CO2 adsorption–desorption kinetics on the catalyst surface, which significantly facilitate the CO2RR process. As a result, the desirable Faradaic efficiencies of over 90%, with a maximum value of 98.9%, toward formate formation, are achieved in a wide potential window from −0.8 to −1.4 V in an H‐type cell. Moreover, in a flow cell, the superior intrinsic activity of BOC NFs guarantees the high throughput electrocatalytic performance of CO2RR and the FEformate of over 90% with high current density is achieved in a potential range as wide as 1200 mV, demonstrating the great potential of BOC NFs for practical CO2RR applications. These results underscore the effectiveness of designing electrocatalysts with self‐reinforced CO2 adsorption properties to improve electrocatalytic performance for efficient CO2RR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new composite with combination of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), termed Chitosan Oligosaccharide-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposites (COS-ZnO NC), was designed to enhance the quality of tomato fruits during postharvest storage. SEM analysis showed a uniform distribution of COS-ZnO NC films on tomato surfaces, indicating high biocompatibility, while the FTIR spectrum confirmed the interaction of COS and ZnO NPs via hydrogen bonds. The COS-ZnO NC exerts positive effects on post-harvest quality of tomato fruits, including significantly reduced water loss, fewer skin wrinkles, increased sugar-acid ratio, and enhanced vitamin C and carotenoids accumulation. Furthermore, COS-ZnO NC induces transcription of carotenoid biosynthesis genes and promotes carotenoids storage in the chromoplast. These results suggest that the COS-ZnO NC film can significantly improve the quality traits of tomato fruits, and therefore is potential in post-harvest storage of tomato fruits. Schematic illustration for preparation of COS-ZnO NC. The results indicate reduced water loss, increased sugar-to-acid ratio, and enhanced carotenoid accumulation in tomato fruits. [Display omitted] • Innovative COS-ZnO nanocomposites (COS-ZnO NC) improves tomato fruit quality. • Uniform COS-ZnO NC film reduces water loss of tomato fruits. • Sugar-acid ratio is improved by COS-ZnO NC treatment. • Increased carotenoid accumulation due to enhanced biosynthesis and plastid storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • In species was integrated on CuO to directionally maximize CO selectivity using a facile method. • CO formation was initiated at an ultralow onset potential of −0.196 V vs. RHE. • A remarkably high CO Faraday efficiency of near-unity was achieved. • A slow reduction of CuO to metallic Cu caused by the In species guarantees an unprecedented stability for CO 2 RR. • The reasons credited for the enhanced CO 2 RR performance are systematically explored. CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) is one of the most promising approaches to alleviating greenhouse gas effect and simultaneously producing value-added chemicals and has been widely studied in recent years. To this end, a composite of indium species on CuO (InO x @CuO) was facilely synthesized for CO 2 RR, and it is found that the selectivity of the target product could be accurately tuned through incorporating post-transition species with Cu-based materials; the desirable Faraday efficiencies of over 90%, with a maximum value of 97.8%, toward CO formation were achieved in a wide potential window from −0.3 to −0.7 V. Moreover, a high CO partial current density of 7.2 mA cm−2 and a long-term stability of 50 h with negligible degradation were obtained over InO x @CuO. More importantly, CO starts to be observed at an ultralow potential of −0.196 V, further confirming the excellence of InO x @CuO for CO 2 RR toward CO formation. The results demonstrate that the achieved superiority derives from the essential In species on CuO, which not only introduces more active sites, but also better stabilizes the key intermediates, accelerates electron transfer and increases CO 2 adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Gene therapy offers a potentially an effective treatment for many human diseases, including HIV/AIDS. One of the most studied gene delivery systems is the use of lentivirus based vectors, which can deliver genes into both dividing and nondividing cells. However, low infection efficiency represents an obstacle for proper evaluation of their biological function. In this study, a recombinant lentiviral vector which expressed short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeted against the HIV-1 vif/pol was transduced into various cells. An MHC class I molecule, H-2Kk, was used as a marker to accumulate the virally transduced cells through immunomagnetic sorting. In vitro testing of transduced cells showed 85% suppression of HIV in post-sorted PBMCs compared to 30% in pre-sorted PBMCs. In additional, using a mouse xenotransplantation model with the same treatment protocol for cell enrichment, a >95% decrease in HIV activity in post-sorted cells was achieved, as compared to nearly none in the pre-sorted cells. These studies offer a practical method to accumulate virally transduced cells, which can be applied to evaluate the performance of various shRNAs constructs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Cu 2 Se/Co 3 Se 4 multivalent hetero-nanocrystals are fabricated as efficient electrocatalysts. • Interfacial engineering facilitates rapid charge transfer at Cu–Se–Co hetero-interfaces. • Highly-selective methanol conversion to value-added formate is achieved at much low potential. • Energy saved generation of pure hydrogen as only gas product avoids O 2 /CO 2 emission. • In-situ formed Cu*/Co*−OOH and SeO x species act as synergistic active sites for methanol upgrading. Integrating organic upgrading and hydrogen electrolysis is recently regarded as a win-win strategy. However, it is still challenging to construct efficient robust electrocatalysts to considerably minimize their energy demand for such coupled reaction and simultaneously avoid the emission of environment-unfriendly CO 2. Herein, the Cu 2 Se/Co 3 Se 4 multivalent hetero-nanocrystals (CuCoSe-HNCs) are fabricated as efficient electrocatalysts through interfacial engineering, thus constructing abundant hetero-junctions on monodispersed CuCoSe-HNCs and facilitating the charge transfer at Cu–Se–Co hetero-interfaces. DFT studies reveal the multivalent CuCoSe-HNCs with hydroxylated surfaces, which possess complex species (Cu*−OOH, Co*−OOH, and SeO x) as synergistic active centers, thus effectively optimizing the surface adsorption/dissociation performance and suppress excessive oxidation to CO 2. Hence, the methanol upgrading conversion to value-added formate is achieved at much low working potential (1.11V) with high faradaic efficiency (>98 %) and without CO 2 emission, thus considerably decreasing the energy consumption for generating the only gas product of pure hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state cooling technology has attracted great attention to replace traditional vapor-compression cooling technology due to its advantages of environmentally friendly, energy conservation, and high efficiency. However, the cooling performance of a single field (magnetic, stress or electric field) induced caloric effect is still insufficient. Recently, a larger multicaloric effect is expected to be achieved by the synergistic regulation of multiple fields. In this study, we choose all- d -metal Ni 37 Co 13 Mn 35 Ti 15 alloy with magnetostructural phase transition and systematically study the multicaloric effect through the synergistic regulation of external stress and magnetic fields based on our homemade multicaloric effect testing device. The magnetic field and stress field play opposite effects on the phase transition, thus contributing contradictory caloric effect to multicaloric effect. By loading stress without magnetic field while unloading stress under magnetic field of 1.1 T, the stress hysteresis and energy hysteresis loss can be reduced by up to 45.2% and 54.8% in comparison with those obtained from a non-ideal regulation protocol. Moreover, the maximum adiabatic temperature change |Δ T ad | during unloading increases by 24% from 6.3 K to 7.8 K with the application of magnetic field (1.1 T), suggesting a larger multicaloric effect than that of a single elastocaloric effect. These results prove that multi-field synergistic regulation is an effective means to enhance the multicaloric effect and reduce the hysteresis and energy loss of materials with the magnetostructural transition. • The multicaloric effect of alloys is directly measured by a homemade device. • The caloric effects are compared under different protocols of regulation. • The adiabatic temperature change of multicaloric effect increases by 24%. • The energy loss and stress hysteresis of multicaloric effect are reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new NMR relaxation theory of shale oil is proposed and verified. • The effects of pyrite and clay minerals on NMR response are analyzed. • Petrophysical parameter conversion model between laboratory and downhole instruments was established. Shale oil reservoirs, characterized by a low porosity, complex mineral composition, and heterogeneity of organic matter distribution, are common unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods have great potential for the evaluation of petrophysical parameters in porous rocks. However, it is challenging to characterize the petrophysical properties of shale oil due to the complex mineral composition and heterogeneity of organic matter distribution. In this paper, a new NMR relaxation theory for shale was proposed for the first time, and the frequency dependencies of transverse surface relaxivity and internal magnetic field gradient for pore fluids were presented. The accuracy was verified by the extraction experiments, gas chromatography experiments, and multi-frequency NMR experiments for the first time. These experiments were also utilized to determine the transverse surface relaxivity and the transverse bulk relaxation time. Subsequently, the effects of the pyrite and clay minerals on shale oil T 2 distributions at different instrument frequencies were analyzed with random walk simulations based on digital core technology for the first time. The results show the echo spacing, instrument frequency, pyrite content, and clay minerals are important parameters affecting the NMR response. Compared with the oil in organic pore, these factors have a greater impact on the NMR response characteristics for water in inorganic pore. When the content of pyrite is 5.3 % and the echo spacing is 0.2 ms, the numerical simulation results show that the NMR porosity of water in inorganic pore is 65.3 %, 12.3 %, and 1.6 % of the real porosity at the instrument frequencies (IF) of 2 MHz, 21.36 MHz, and 200 MHz, respectively. When chlorite with high magnetic susceptibility exists near the formation pores, it can also affect the NMR response of shale oil. The results show the effects of these factors on porosity and T 2ML are non-negligible. The cross-plots of petrophysical parameters correction from shale oil T 2 distributions were established for the first time. This work provides a theoretical guide for the NMR-based shale oil evaluation, which may be helpful for petrophysical parameter conversion between downhole and laboratory NMR instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of conventional thermal sterilisation and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) sterilisation combined with glutamine transaminase (TGase) on the characteristics of set yoghurt were investigated. Upon thermal and HHP treatment, the addition of an appropriate amount of TGase had no significant effect on the acidity and viable bacteria count of the yoghurt. However, the water holding capacity, viscosity, and firmness of the yoghurt significantly improved. When yoghurt was thermal treated combined with TGase and with HHP followed by TGase, the optimal values of the yoghurt indicators were achieved when 2 U g−1 TGase was added. When TGase was added at 4 U g−1 before HHP treatment (TGase-HHP), the optimal values of the yoghurt indicators were achieved. It was clear that the proteins in TGase-HHP yoghurt exposed more TGase binding sites than the other two types of treatment. In addition, tests were performed with chroma meters, electronic tongues and electronic noses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale collimating solar simulators (CSSs) with a light half divergence angle (HDA) of less than 1° have been developed. The small HDA ensures that the CSS can effectively simulate the optical behavior between natural sunlight and optical devices. However, the construction of large-scale CSSs still has a strict threshold because additional optical modules (AOMs), such as large-area collimating mirrors, are usually required to correct the light into collimated light. The manufacturing, installation, and adjustment of these precision optical devices pose significant challenges. An excellent scheme to avoid AOMs is to use the collimating radiation module (CRM), which can directly produce collimated light. Unfortunately, CRM can only produce light with an HDA of more than 3° at present, far larger than that of CSS with AOMs. Here, we report a CRM that can directly produce light with excellent collimation (an HDA<0.955°) and uniformity (>90 %). We accomplished this by analyzing the deviations between an idealized geometric optical model and actual CRMs and eliminating them with high-precision parts and a high-resolution adjustment method. We further used 24 CRMs to prove that the single-module collimating solar simulator (SMCSS, a radiation area of 2.55 m × 1.57 m) could be modularly constructed by them. Experimental investigations involving light-concentrating experiments on a parabolic trough collector demonstrated the superior collimation and simulation capabilities of the SMCSS. By eliminating the need for AOMs, the CRM and SMCSS significantly reduce system complexity and cost and lower the construction threshold for large-scale CSSs. It will benefit all experimental scenarios that need large-area collimated light and greatly promote the application of large-scale CSS in civilian solar research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The codoping and coloading strategies enhance the solar photo and thermal conversion. • Photothermal synergy increases the hydrogen yield of SrTiO 3 by 2 times. • DFT shows that thermal effects can lower the energy barrier in water splitting. • Proposed mechanism of photothermal synergistic water splitting reaction by SrTiO 3. The synergistic coupling of light and heat in solar energy has attracted increasing research attention. In this work, both codoping and coloading were applied to SrTiO 3 -based catalysts to improve their solar photo and thermal conversion, respectively, and maximum productivities of 51.55 and 25.59 mmol·g−1·h−1 were achieved for H 2 and O 2 in photothermal synergistic water splitting. The yield of H 2 was nearly double that achieved via pure photocatalysis. In addition to many experiments and characterizations, DFT calculations were also performed to clarify the photothermal synergy. It was found that both the light absorbance and mobility of photoinduced carriers could be promoted by solar thermal effects in the material. Meanwhile, the energy barriers of the key steps were reduced with increasing temperature in the hydrogen production driven by solar photo effects. This work offers new ideas for designing catalysts for solar hydrogen production with photothermal synergistic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CC chemokine receptor-3 (hCCR3), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) expressed predominantly on eosinophils, is an important drug target. However, it was unclear how chemokine ligands, activators and antagonists recognize hCCR3, and quantitative measurements of hCCR3 inhibition or activation were rare. This study constructed a nanogold receptor sensor using hCCR3 as the molecular recognition element and horseradish peroxidase as the signal amplifier. We quantified the kinetic antagonism between chemokines and hCCR3 before and after adding hCCR3 antagonists. A molecular docking study was carried out to investigate how hCCR3 and its ligands work. The study results indicate chemokines interact with hCCR3 at low concentrations, and reversible hCCR3 inhibitors solely inhibit hCCR3, not CCLs. Moreover, a quantitative evaluation of hCCR3 chemokine activators and their antagonists was carried out using a directed weighted network. This offers a novel approach to quantitatively evaluate chemokine-receptor activation and antagonism together. This research could potentially offer new insights into the mechanisms of action of chemokines and drug screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately locating an indoor unknown radio emitter (URE) is a challenging target to ensure telecommunication security. The URE positioning method based on received signal strength difference (RSSD) has attracted considerable attention due to the advantage of not being affected by transmit power and frequency. However, the RSSD-based fingerprint technique cannot accurately express the constraint equations between signal characteristics and geographic coordinates because of redundant databases and false matching. In this paper, a novel RSSD-based indoor positioning method using factor graph (FG) for an URE is proposed to improve positioning accuracy and reduce computational complexity. Firstly, the databases are reconstructed by singular value decomposition (SVD) to eliminate redundant factor nodes. Secondly, Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) is utilized to determine the sub-positioning area. Combing SVD with PCC, the hyperplane equations are reconstructed to build an optimized FG model, called SP-FG. Considering simulation and experiment, the proposed SP-FG algorithm improves the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of average positioning error within 0.5 m by 10% and 14% compared with conventional FG algorithm and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm, respectively. In addition, this paper discusses the superiority of proposed SP-FG algorithm in positioning accuracy under different reference side lengths, access point (AP) coordinates and numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major, controllable risk factor of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2)-induced excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the trabecular meshwork (TM) has been demonstrated to contribute significantly to the development of high IOP. We previously showed that treatment with salidroside (Sal), a plant-derived glucoside, can ameliorate the TGF-β2-induced ECM expression in cultured human TM cells and reduce TGF-β2-induced ocular hypertension in mice. In the current study, its underlying molecular mechanism associated with microRNA-210–3p (miR-210–3p) was characterized. We discovered that, in TM tissues of POAG patients, there was an increase in miR-210–3p. And miR-210–3p mediated a portion of the pathological effects of TGF-β2 in vitro (excessive accumulation of ECM in cultured human TM cells) and in vivo (mouse ocular hypertension and ECM accumulation in the TM). Most interestingly, miR-210–3p was down-regulated by Sal, which appeared to mediate a significant portion of its IOP-lowering effect. Thus, these results shed light on the probable molecular mechanisms of TGF-β2 and Sal and indicate that manipulation of miR-210–3p level/activity represents a potential new therapeutic strategy for POAG. • MiR-210–3p is abnormally upregulated in TM tissues of POAG patients. • TGF-β2-induced accumulation of ECM and hypertension were reversed by Sal partially via down-regulating miR-210–3p. • Inhibition of miR-210–3p reversed the ECM deposition and high intraocular pressure directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background China has integrated hepatitis B vaccine into the Expanded Program on Immunization since 2002. We aimed to survey the seroprevalence of and immunity to hepatitis B virus (HBV) in children born from 2002 to 2014 in Jiangsu, China. Methods Totally 3442 children (M:F = 2072:1370) at the age of 7 months to 12 years (5.5 ± 3.6), from five cities and rural areas across Jiangsu province, were enrolled. Blood samples were measured for HBV markers by ELISA and quantitative microparticle enzyme immunoassay. HBV DNA was tested by real-time PCR and S region was amplified by nested PCR. Results Twelve (0.35%) children were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 34 (0.99%) were HBsAg negative and positive for antibody against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). Totally 2542 (73.85%) children had anti-HBs levels ⩾10 mIU/ml and 535 (15.54%) with 2–9.9 mIU/ml. All 12 HBsAg-positive children had detectable HBV DNA with a mean level of 6.1 ± 1.7 log IU/ml (3.3–8.1 log IU/ml); 8 were genotype C and 4 were genotype B. No mutation was detected in the a determinant of HBsAg. HBV DNA was not detected in all the 34 children with positive anti-HBc and negative HBsAg. Conclusion HBsAg prevalence among children in Jiangsu born after the introduction of universal vaccination against hepatitis B has significantly decreased. No mutation of S gene is associated with vaccine failure in the cohort of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin (IL)− 33 plays an essential role in regulatory T cell (Treg)-mediated immunosuppression in cancers and underlies the crosstalk between Tregs and the tumor microenvironment. However, the phenotypic characteristics of subset Tregs modulated by IL-33 and its association with the tumor microenvironment are not fully understood. This study aimed to examine the expression of ST2, the receptor of IL-33, on Tregs in tumors and to evaluate their association with cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and reciprocal influences on the prognosis of laryngeal cancer. Our results showed that increased numbers of Tregs were found in laryngeal tumor tissues. Tregs in stromal IL-33-positive tumor tissues demonstrated significantly higher expression of ST2 than those in IL-33- or adjacent nontumor tissues. ST2-expressing Tregs exhibited upregulation of Ki67 and CTLA4 compared with their ST2- negative counterparts. Furthermore, IL-33 in the tumor microenvironment was mainly derived from fibroblasts. ST2 expression on Tregs was correlated with the number of IL-33-positive CAFs. High ST2 expression on Tregs, combined high ST2 on Tregs and the presence of IL-33 expressing CAFs was associated with worse survival outcomes in laryngeal cancer. This study indicated that increased expression of ST2 on Tregs is associated with microenvironmental IL-33 signaling derived from CAFs in laryngeal cancer, unraveling the special role of Tregs and fibroblasts in modulating IL-33/ST2 involved immune-evasive tumor microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskites are the promising catalysts for various reactions, yet their structure evolutions and the composition-function relation in the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) are not fully explored. In this study, we report that the reconstructed BaBiO 3 (BBO) perovskite is able to facilitate CO 2 -to-formate (FA) conversion by both A- (Ba) and B- (Bi) site elements through the cooperative but distinct catalytic mechanisms. Specifically, the electrochemical reductions of BBO trigger the complete rearrangement of atoms with rapid kinetics at catalytically relevant voltages, giving rise to electricity-induced Bi metallene (eBBO) that efficiently generates FA with high selectivity and partial current densities. Moreover, the reconstructed BBO simultaneously enables Ba2+ release to the electrolyte, and the time-resolved FTIR and in situ Raman analysis collectively reveal that the Ba2+ adsorption enables easier CO 2 adsorption, thereby leading to enhanced CO 2 -to-FA conversion. This work is of direct significance in elucidating the cooperative catalysis between A- and B- site elements in perovskites for room-temperature CO 2 RR. [Display omitted] • Potential-induced reconstructions of BaBiO 3 lead to the in situ generation of bismuthene. • BaBiO 3 derived bismuthene exhibits high activity towards CO 2 -to-Foramte (FA) conversion. • A photoelectrochemical cell was constructed to initiate FA production at a low cell voltage of 2.5 V with high selectivity. • The simultaneous release of A-site element (Ba2+) into the electrolyte promotes the CO 2 adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two novel genes GhMML1 and GhMML2 regulating trichome branching were identified. We report that GhMML1 and GhMML2 belonging to SGB9 of R2R3 MYBs is responsible for trichome development. • GhMML1 regulate trichome branching in coordination with GhMML2. Most of our current knowledge on trichome pattern formation is derived from the genetic and molecular analysis in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the mechanism underlying different trichomes is fundamentally different. In this manuscript, we identified a new protein complex regulating trichome initiation and branching: two MMLs, GhMML1 and GhMML2, might physically interact with a bZIP transcription factor and form an active complex to regulate the expression of development-associated downstream genes and consequently contribute to the control of epidermal cell differentiation. Trichomes exhibit extraordinary diversity in shape, ultrastructure, distribution, secretion capability, biological functions, and morphological differences, which are strongly associated with their multifunction. Previous researches showed MIXTA-like transcription factors involved in regulating trichome initiation and patterning via forming MYB-bHLH-WD40 transcriptional activator complex to induce the expression of downstream genes. Here, we report the characteristics and role of GhMML1 and GhMML2 , members of subgroup 9 of the R2R3-type MYB TFs. GhMML1 and GhMML2 were preferentially targeted to the nucleus and prominently expressed in the early stage during fiber development. Ectopic expression of GhMML1 and GhMML2 respectively in the transgenic tobacco plants changed the morphological characteristics of leaf trichomes; that is, the unbranched trichomes turned into multiple branched, and in the meantime, the density of trichomes was reduced on the surface of the leaf. Y2H and LCI assay revealed that both GhMML1 and GhMML2 could physically interact with a bZIP transcription factor family protein (GhbZIP) in vivo and in vitro. It has been reported that GhbZIP's homolog TAG3 in Arabidopsis is involved in the asymmetric growth of leaves and flowers via direct interaction with BOP1. Taken together, our results demonstrated that two MYB MIXTA-like proteins, GhMML1 and GhMML2, together with GhbZIP might form a multimeric complex to involve in trichome development. This study highlights the importance of MIXTA-like genes from TF subgroup 9 and will help to uncover the molecular mechanism underlying differential trichomes and their development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • OH− ions were created by the in-situ synthesis of CdCO 3 (i-CdCO 3) on the electrode. • The i-CdCO 3 delivers near-unity selectivity for the electroreduction of CO 2 to CO. • An ultrahigh mass activity of 165.1 mA mg−1 was achieved on i-CdCO 3 at − 1.26 V. • The superior CO selectivity is due to an increased local pH which inhibits HER. Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to CO is an attractive approach for the sustainable carbon cycle. However, the activity and selectivity of the CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) are often limited by the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in aqueous media. In this work, in-situ generated hydroxides were introduced by the synthesis of rhombohedral CdCO 3 crystals (i-CdCO 3) under electrochemical CO 2 RR conditions. The generated hydroxides contribute to an increased local pH at the electrode/electrolyte interface, thereby effectively inhibiting HER. As a result, the obtained i-CdCO 3 exhibits remarkably higher CO Faradaic efficiency (over 90%) in a broad potential range, where a near 100% selectivity is achieved, as compared to a pre-synthesized CdCO 3 with similar morphology. Moreover, i-CdCO 3 delivers a large current density of − 24.8 mA mg−1 at − 1.26 V, together with a good stability of 36 h with negligible degradation, further demonstrating its superiority for efficient CO 2 RR. This study proposes a promising design strategy to boost the selectivity of CO 2 RR systems through in-situ producing hydroxides near the electrode to suppress the unfavorable HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A quantitative evaluation method for fluid components on 2D NMR spectrum was proposed. • The proposed method can be used to determine the number of fluid components effectively. • The proposed method can accurately calculate the saturations of different fluids. During oil and gas exploration, it is difficult to quantitatively evaluate fluid components and accurately calculate the saturation of different fluids because of the overlapping of fluid components on 2D NMR spectrum. In this paper, Blind Source Separation (BSS) is proposed to separate fluid components, which utilizes the statistical independence of fluid signals on 2D NMR spectrum. Fast Independent Component Analysis (FastICA) is employed for the inverted NMR spectrums in an entire logged interval to obtain the residual information to determine the number of fluid components. Based on the determined number of fluid components, Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is used to obtain the features of fluid components on NMR spectrum and the region on 2D NMR spectrum is divided into different regions. The overlapping regions are classified by distance or distance and T 1 / T 2 to obtain the modified NMR spectrum. Through T 2 - D and T 1 - T 2 numerical simulation, the fluid saturations calculated by the proposed method and NMF are compared to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results showed that the proposed method can be used to determine the number of fluid components effectively, and the calculated fluid saturations are more accurate than that obtained by NMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf shape is considered to be one of the most significant agronomic traits in crop breeding. However, the molecular basis underlying leaf morphogenesis in cotton is still largely unknown. In this study, through genetic mapping and molecular investigation using a natural cotton mutant cu with leaves curling upward, the causal gene GHCU is successfully identified as the key regulator of leaf flattening. Knockout of GHCU or its homolog in cotton and tobacco using CRISPR results in abnormal leaf shape. It is further discovered that GHCU facilitates the transport of the HD protein KNOTTED1-like (KNGH1) from the adaxial to the abaxial domain. Loss of GHCU function restricts KNGH1 to the adaxial epidermal region, leading to lower auxin response levels in the adaxial boundary compared to the abaxial. This spatial asymmetry in auxin distribution produces the upward-curled leaf phenotype of the cu mutant. By analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing and spatiotemporal transcriptomic data, auxin biosynthesis genes are confirmed to be expressed asymmetrically in the adaxial-abaxial epidermal cells. Overall, these findings suggest that GHCU plays a crucial role in the regulation of leaf flattening through facilitating cell-to-cell trafficking of KNGH1 and hence influencing the auxin response level., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) is a high-performance repairing material suitable for the interfacial disease of slab track. In this study, the early properties of MPC were optimized using central composite design (CCD) approach based on response surface methodology (RSM). Three factors with five levels and three responses were considered. The significance of the factors and their interactions were verified by using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result show that the mass ratio of water-to-binder (W/b) affects fluidity, while the mass ratio of magnesia-to-phosphate (M/P) and borax-to-magnesia (B/M) impact the setting time of MPC. Higher W/b results in higher fluidity, while an increase in M/P reduces the setting time by increasing the neutralization reaction. Borax addition retards the reaction, prolonging the setting time. The three factors significantly affect the early compressive strength of MPC. At M/P = 3.5, the interweaving of MgO and K-struvite (MKP) forms a dense network structure, enhancing the strength. Borax and W/b interact to affect compressive strength, with borax retarding MKP crystal growth and higher W/b reducing compactness. Combined with microscopic property test, the strength generation mechanism of MPC with optimized mixing ratio was revealed, And the feasibility of field application of MPC was verified by strength test., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Periodontitis, a common chronic inflammatory disease caused by pathogenic bacteria, can be treated with diverse biomaterials by loading drugs, cytokines or proteins. However, these biomaterials often show unsatisfactory therapeutic efficiency due to their poor adhesion, short residence time in the wet and dynamic oral cavity and emerging drug resistance. Here we report a wet-responsive methacrylated gelatin (GelMA)-stabilized co-enzyme polymer poly(α-lipoic acid) (PolyLA)-based elastic patch with water-induced adhesion and softening features. In PolyLA-GelMA, the multiple covalent and hydrogen-bonding crosslinking between PolyLA and GelMA prevent PolyLA depolymerization and slow down the dissociation of PolyLA in water, allowing durable adhesion to oral periodontal tissue and continuous release of LA-based bioactive small molecule in periodontitis wound without resorting external drugs. Compared with the undifferentiated adhesion behavior of traditional adhesives, this wet-responsive patch demonstrates a favorable periodontal pocket insertion ability due to its non-adhesion and rigidity in dry environment. In vitro studies reveal that PolyLA-GelMA patch exhibits satisfactory wet tissue adhesion, antibacterial, blood compatibility and ROS scavenging abilities. In the model of rat periodontitis, the PolyLA-GelMA patch inhibits alveolar bone resorption and accelerates the periodontitis healing by regulating the inflammatory microenvironment. This biomacromolecule-stabilized coenzyme polymer patch provides a new option to promote periodontitis treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Authors.)

KCNMA1 encodes the K+ potassium channel α-subunit that plays a significant role in the auditory system. Our previous studies indicated that KCNMA1 is associated with age-related hearing loss(AHL). However, the detailed mechanism of KCNMA1 involvement in auditory age-related degradation has not been fully clarified. Therefore, we explored the expression of KCNMA1 in the peripheral auditory of 2-month-old and 12-month-old mice by Western blotting and immunofluorescence. The results of animal experiments showed that KCNMA1 expression was decreased in 12-month-old mice compared with 2-month-old mice, whereas the ferroptosis level was increased. To verify the role of KCNMA1 in AHL, we downregulated KCNMA1 in HEI-OC1 cells by transfecting shRNA. After downregulation, the ferroptosis level was increased and the aging process was accelerated. Furthermore, the aging process was affected by the expression of ferroptosis. In conclusion, these results revealed that KCNMA1 is associated with the aging process in auditory hair cells by regulating ferroptosis, which deepens our understanding of age-related hearing loss., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Injecting water with chemicals to generate emulsions in the reservoir is a promising method for enhancing heavy oil recovery because oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions significantly reduce oil viscosity. To enhance heavy oil recovery efficiency, we developed new star-like branched AM-SSS copolymers (SB-PAMs) with reduction in the viscosity of the heavy oil emulsion, which was synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) controlled radical polymerization. The core structure of the branched polymer was RAFT polymerization of acrylamide (AM) and N , N '-methylene bis-acrylamide (BisAM), in the presence of 3-(((benzylthio)carbonothioyl)thio)propanoic acid as a chain transfer agent, followed by chain extension with AM and SSS. The core structures were achieved by incorporation of total monomer ratios [BisAM]/[AM] of 1:11. The expansion of the core structures by copolymerization of AM and SSS resulted in star-like branched polymer SB-PAM- co -SSS with apparent molecular weights ranging from 240 to 2381 kDa. 1 H-nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirmed the synthesized polymer structure. The molecular weight was determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The polydispersity coefficient was between 1 and 7, which has a broad molecular weight distribution. The polymer dissolves only 0.75 h in deionized water, faster than conventional polyacrylamide. At 50 °C, the viscosity of the 1000 mg/L SB-polymer solution can reach up to 45 mPa·s. First, heavy oil viscosity reduction by 800 mg/L SB polymer can reach 91.7%, at a water dehydration rate of 90.4%; second, with 0.6 PV injection, 800 mg/L SB polymer improved oil recovery up to 23.66% after water flooding; and third, SB-polymer-assisted hot water flooding shows that heavy oil recovery improved by 19.46% at 110 °C with 0.6 pore volume (PV) SB-polymer injection. This novel branched chain polymer with heavy oil emulsion capability will shed light on high-temperature polymer flooding and the development of a new candidate structure for heavy oil viscosity reduction., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background: China discontinued the zero-COVID-19 policy on December 7, 2022, and then COVID-19 surged mid-December 2022 through mid-January 2023. However, the actual incidence was unknown. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children shortly after ending the zero-COVID-19 policy., Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study included 1,065 children aged 8 months to 12 years from seven hospitals at six regions across Jiangsu province, based on the convenience sampling, from February 10 to March 10, 2023. Group I comprised 324 children aged 8 months-2 years without COVID-19 vaccination, group II consisted of 338 preschool children aged 3-5 years with varied vaccination history, and group III contained 403 primary school children aged 6-12 years with mostly vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccines were composed of inactivated SARS-CoV-2. In addition, 96 children's sera collected in 2014 were included as negative controls. IgG and IgM antibodies against nucleocapsid (N) and subunit 1 of spike (S1) of SARS-CoV-2 (anti-N/S1) were measured with commercial kits (YHLO Biotech, Shenzhen, China)., Results: None of the 96 children (5.1 ± 3.5 years; 58.3% boys) in 2014 was positive for anti-N/S1 IgG or IgM. Of the 1,065 children (5.0 ± 3.5 years; 56.0% boys), 988 (92.8%) were anti-N/S1 IgG positive but none was anti-N/S1 IgM positive. The positive rate of anti-N/S1 IgG in Group I, II, and III was 90.4, 88.5, and 98.3%, respectively, with significantly higher in group III than in groups I and II ( p  < 0.0001). The median antibody titers in group III (381.61 AU/ml) were much higher than that in group I (38.34 AU/ml) and II (51.88 AU/ml; p  < 0.0001)., Conclusion: More than 90% children experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection shortly after ending zero-COVID-19 policy in China, much higher than estimated infections by other studies. The widespread SARS-CoV-2 infection in unvaccinated children should be influential on the policy of COVID-19 vaccination in children in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhou, Xu, Tao, Gu, Zhou, Zhou, Jin, Xie, Xu, Zhou, Chen and Shi.)

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a critical role in various physiological and pathological processes. EVs have gained recognition in regenerative medicine due to their biocompatibility and low immunogenicity. However, the practical application of EVs faces challenges such as limited targeting ability, low yield, and inadequate therapeutic effects. To overcome these limitations, engineered EVs have emerged. This review aims to comprehensively analyze the engineering methods utilized for modifying donor cells and EVs, with a focus on comparing the therapeutic potential between engineered and natural EVs. Additionally, it aims to investigate the specific cell effects that play a crucial role in promoting repair and regeneration, while also exploring the underlying mechanisms involved in the field of regenerative medicine., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Controlled synthesis of sub-50-nm metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are usually called porous coordination polymers, exhibits huge potential applications in gas storage and separation. Herein, surface-confined growth of zirconium aminobenzenedicarboxylate MOF (UIO-66-NH 2 ) nanocrystals on polypyrrole hollow spheres (PPyHSs) is achieved through covalently grafted benzene dicarboxylic acid ligands using bridged molecules. PPyHSs modified with ligand molecules prohibit excessive growth of UIO-66-NH 2 nanocrystals on their confined surface, resulting in smaller-sized nanocrystals (<50 nm) and a monolayer UIO-66-NH 2 coating. Benefiting from the homogeneous dispersion of UIO-66-NH 2 nanocrystals with a smaller size (40 ± 10 nm), the as-prepared PPyHSs@UIO-66-NH 2 hybrids with high specific surface area and pore volume exhibit remarkable CO 2 capture performance. Moreover, the time required to reach the maximum CO 2 adsorption capacity shortens with decreasing UIO-66-NH 2 crystals size. As a proof of concept, the proposed covalent grafting strategy can be used for synthesizing sub-50-nm UIO-66-NH 2 nanocrystals for CO 2 capture.

Background: Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge leaves (XLs) are valuable resources rich in phytochemicals, especially in flavonoids, but they are rarely exploited and utilized., Objective: The purpose of this paper is to reduce the waste of XLs resources (usually used as agricultural waste) and extract the high added value of active ingredients from XLs., Methods: The extraction of flavonoids from XLs using ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) was reported. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to adopt different ultrasonic conditions such as ethanol concentration, liquid:solid ratio, and ultrasonic power. In addition, the chemical structures were identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and HPLC., Results: Response surface analysis indicated the optimal level of ethanol concentration, liquid:solid ratio, and ultrasonic power as 71.49%, 13.87 mL/g, and 157.49 W respectively for the maximum response of total flavonoids (5.52 ± 0.23%), which fitted well with the predicted value (5.68 ± 0.17%). In addition, the extracts from XLs exhibited potent antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) ammonium salt (ABTS)., Conclusion: The potent antioxidant activity of flavonoids from XLs is beneficial for their application in the food and drug industry, which will facilitate the rise of the added value of the flavonoids from XLs., Highlights: Myricetin, rutin, and epicatechin, which may be responsible for the antioxidant activity of the extracts from XLs, were confirmed by UPLC-MS/MS and HPLC analysis. The extracted flavonoids can be used as a natural antioxidant additive to food products., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: The aim of study was to investigate at what extent breastfeeding and vaginal delivery can increase mother-to-child transmission of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and to observe the clinical outcomes of postnatal infection in term or moderate and late preterm infants., Methods: In this retrospective study of prospectively collected clinical data and serum samples, during 2012-2015, 380 women with CMV IgG positive/IgM negative and their 384 infants (4 twin pairs) with gestational age ≥32 weeks were included. CMV IgG and IgM were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: Of 384 infants followed up at 10.2 ± 2.3 months age, 177 (46.1%) were defined with CMV infection based on the presence of higher CMV IgG levels than in their mothers. The infection rate in 190 breastfed infants was higher than in 194 formula-fed infants (62.6% vs. 29.9%, P  < 0.001). Vaginally delivered infants (172) had higher CMV infection rate than 212 infants delivered by caesarean section (55.2% vs. 38.7%, P  = 0.001). Compared with formula feeding and caesarean section, breastfeeding and vaginal delivery increased postnatal CMV infection respectively (OR = 3.801, 95% CI 2.474-5.840, P  < 0.001; OR = 1.818, 95% CI 1.182-2.796, P  = 0.007). Nevertheless, compared to uninfected infants, CMV-infected infants had comparable height and body weight and showed no adverse effect on the liver enzymes., Conclusion: Breastfeeding and vaginal delivery can increase postnatal CMV infection; however, the infection does not influence the growth of the term infants or preterm infants with gestational age ≥32 weeks. Thus, breastfeeding should be encouraged in these infants regardless of maternal CMV IgG status., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Chen, Zhou, Tang, Xu, Chen, Xu, Dai, Hu and Zhou.)

Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are at high risk of heart failure (HF). Early prediction and management of HF among ACS patients are essential to provide timely and cost-effective care. The aim of this study is to train and evaluate a machine learning model to predict the acute onset of HF subsequent to ACS. A total of 1,028 patients with ACS admitted to Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital between October 2019 and May 2022 were included in this study. 128 clinical features were ranked using Shapley additive exPlanations (SHAP) values and the top 20% of features were selected for building a balanced random forest (BRF) model. We compared the discriminatory capability of BRF with linear logistic regression (LLR). In the hold-out test set, the BRF model predicted subsequent HF with areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.75-0.77), sensitivity of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.96-0.97), positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.72-0.74), negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.60-0.66), and accuracy of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.72-0.73), respectively. BRF outperforms linear logistic regression by 15.6% in AUC, 3.0% in sensitivity, and 60.8% in NPV. End-to-end machine learning approaches can predict the acute onset of HF following ACS with high prediction accuracy. This proof-of-concept study has the potential to substantially advance the management of ACS patients by utilizing the machine learning model as a triage tool to automatically identify clinically significant patients allowing for prioritization of interventions., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with self-renewing, multilineage differentiation and immunomodulatory properties, have been extensively studied in the field of regenerative medicine and proved to have significant therapeutic potential in many different pathological conditions. The role of MSCs mainly depends on their paracrine components, namely secretome. However, the components of MSC-derived secretome are not constant and are affected by the stimulation MSCs are exposed to. Therefore, the content and composition of secretome can be regulated by the pretreatment of MSCs. We summarize the effects of different pretreatments on MSCs and their secretome, focusing on their immunomodulatory properties, in order to provide new insights for the therapeutic application of MSCs and their secretome in inflammatory immune diseases.

Oaks exhibit unique biological characteristics and high adaptability to complex climatic and soil conditions. They are widely distributed across various regions, spanning 40 degrees latitude and 75 degrees longitude. The total area of oak forest in China is 16.72 million hm 2 . There are 60 lineages of Quercus in China, including 49 species, seven varieties, and four subgenera. Archaeological data indicate that oaks were already widely distributed in ancient times, and they are dominant trees in vast regions of China's forests. In addition, the acorn was an important food for ancestral humans, and it has accompanied human civilization since the early Paleolithic. Diverse oak species are widely distributed and have great functional value, such as for greening, carbon sequestration, industrial and medicinal uses, and insect rearing. Long-term deforestation, fire, diseases, and pests have led to a continuous decline in oak resources. This study discusses the Quercus species and their distribution in China, ecological adaptation, and the threats facing the propagation and growth of oaks in a changing world. This will give us a better understanding of Quercus resources, and provide guidance on how to protect and better utilize germplasm resources in China. The breeding of new varieties, pest control, and chemical and molecular research also need to be strengthened in future studies.

Tactile sensations are mainly transmitted to each other by physical touch. Wireless touch perception could be a revolution for us to interact with the world. Here, we report a wireless self-sensing and haptic-reproducing electronic skin (e-skin) to realize noncontact touch communications. A flexible self-sensing actuator was developed to provide an integrated function in both tactile sensing and haptic feedback. When this e-skin was dynamically pressed, the actuator generated an induced voltage as tactile information. Via wireless communication, another e-skin could receive this tactile data and run a synchronized haptic reproduction. Thus, touch could be wirelessly conveyed in bidirections between two users as a touch intercom. Furthermore, this e-skin could be connected with various smart devices to form a touch internet of things where one-to-one and one-to-multiple touch delivery could be realized. This wireless touch presents huge potentials in remote touch video, medical care/assistance, education, and many other applications.

Electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) is a promising approach to convert CO 2 to carbon-neutral fuels using external electric powers. Here, the Bi 2 S 3 -Bi 2 O 3 nanosheets possessing substantial interface being exposed between the connection of Bi 2 S 3 and Bi 2 O 3 are prepared and subsequently demonstrate to improve CO 2 RR performance. The electrocatalyst shows formate Faradaic efficiency (FE) of over 90% in a wide potential window. A high partial current density of about 200 mA cm -2 at -1.1 V and an ultralow onset potential with formate FE of 90% are achieved in a flow cell. The excellent electrocatalytic activity is attributed to the fast-interfacial charge transfer induced by the electronic interaction at the interface, the increased number of active sites, and the improved CO 2 adsorption ability. These collectively contribute to the faster reaction kinetics and improved selectivity and consequently, guarantee the superb CO 2 RR performance. This study provides an appealing strategy for the rational design of electrocatalysts to enhance catalytic performance by improving the charge transfer ability through constructing a functional heterostructure, which enables interface engineering toward more efficient CO 2 RR., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to formate is economically attractive but improving the reaction selectivity and activity remains challenging. Herein, we introduce boron (B) atoms to modify the local electronic structure of bismuth with positive valence sites for boosting conversion of CO 2 into formate with high activity and selectivity in a wide potential window. By combining experimental and computational investigations, our study indicates that B dopant differentiates the proton participations of rate-determining steps in CO 2 reduction and in the competing hydrogen evolution. By comparing the experimental observations with the density functional theory, the dominant mechanistic pathway of B promoted formate generation and the B concentration modulated effects on the catalytic property of Bi are unravelled. This comprehensive study offers deep mechanistic insights into the reaction pathway at an atomic and molecular level and provides an effective strategy for the rational design of highly active and selective electrocatalysts for efficient CO 2 conversion., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Epidemiological evidence has shown that smoking is associated with an increased risk of hearing loss. However, the underlying mechanisms regarding the impact of nicotine on the cochlea remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic effects of nicotine on cochlear cells using cultured cochlear basilar membranes. Cochlear basilar membranes were isolated from newborn rats, cultured, and treated with 1-100 ng/mL nicotine for 48 h. Cuticular plates and stereocilia bundle staining were used to evaluate hair cell (HC) loss. Spiral ganglion neuron and acoustic nerve fiber staining were assessed to evaluate cochlear neural injury. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy imaging were employed to examine cochlear ultrastructural changes. Our results showed that compared to spiral ganglia and nerve fibers, HCs are more susceptible to nicotine-induced toxicity. HC loss was more severe in the basal turn than in the middle and apical turns, while nerve fibers and spiral ganglion cells were morphologically maintained. Ultrastructural changes revealed disordered and damaged stereocilia, swelling and decreased mitochondrial density, swelling, and degranulation of the endoplasmic reticulum. Our results suggest that nicotine causes HCs' degeneration and loss and may have implications for smoking-related hearing loss., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest., (© 2021 Yi Zhao et al., published by De Gruyter.)

Dimensionality reduction is crucial for the visualization and interpretation of the high-dimensional single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. However, preserving topological structure among cells to low dimensional space remains a challenge. Here, we present the single-cell graph autoencoder (scGAE), a dimensionality reduction method that preserves topological structure in scRNA-seq data. scGAE builds a cell graph and uses a multitask-oriented graph autoencoder to preserve topological structure information and feature information in scRNA-seq data simultaneously. We further extended scGAE for scRNA-seq data visualization, clustering, and trajectory inference. Analyses of simulated data showed that scGAE accurately reconstructs developmental trajectory and separates discrete cell clusters under different scenarios, outperforming recently developed deep learning methods. Furthermore, implementation of scGAE on empirical data showed scGAE provided novel insights into cell developmental lineages and preserved inter-cluster distances., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Cotton fiber is an excellent model for studying plant cell elongation and cell wall biogenesis as well because they are highly polarized and use conserved polarized diffuse growth mechanism. Fiber strength is an important trait among cotton fiber qualities due to ongoing changes in spinning technology. However, the molecular mechanism of fiber strength forming is obscure. Through map-based cloning, we identified the fiber strength gene GhUBX . Increasing its expression, the fiber strength of the transgenic cotton was significantly enhanced compared to the receptor W0 and the helices number of the transgenic fiber was remarkably increased. Additionally, we proved that GhUBX regulates the fiber helical growth by degrading the GhSPL1 via the ubiquitin 26S-proteasome pathway. Taken together, we revealed the internal relationship between fiber helices and fiber stronger. It will be useful for improving the fiber quality in cotton breeding and illustrating the molecular mechanism for plant twisted growth., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). As a new inflammatory biomarker of CVD, rare attention has been paid to the roles of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase (Lp-PLA2) in OSAS studies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between Lp-PLA2 and concomitant CVD in OSAS patients., Methods: In this prospective study, 152 OSAS patients were further divided into mild, moderate, and severe OSAS subgroups. They presented heart failure, coronary artery disease, or arrhythmia were confirmed with CVD. Thirty-one subjects without OSAS were recruited for the control group. The relationship between Lp-PLA2 and concomitant CVD in OSAS patients was analyzed., Results: Serum Lp-PLA2 values were significantly higher in the severe and moderate OSAS group compared with mild OSAS and OSAS negative groups (P = 0.025). Significant increase was noticed in serum Lp-PLA2 levels in CVD patients compared with those without in severe-moderate-mild OSAS (P < 0.05). In logistic regression analysis, the level of Lp-PLA2 was proved as a significant independent predictor for CVD (OR = 1.117, P = 0.008). The ROC analysis indicated that the best cut-off value of Lp-PLA2 for predicting CVD in OSAS patients was 238.09 ng/ml. The positive and negative predictive values were 72.5% and 70.5%, respectively. The sensitivity was 46.8% and the specificity was 87.8%., Conclusions: Lp-PLA2 might be associated with the severity of OSAS and the occurrence of CVD in OSAS patients. Lp-PLA2 is expected to be a promising biomarker candidate in predicting CVD in patients with OSAS due to test convenience., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this work, to achieve both clean energy production and carbon emission reduction, a united conversion to couple CO 2 mineralization with thermochemical hydrogen production is proposed. Natural magnesium silicate minerals are used to fix CO 2 in the form of carbonate minerals, whereas H 2 O is dissociated to produce H 2 in the thermochemical cycle. The integration provides a new solution to the challenges of the high energy consumption and poor economic value of conventional CO 2 mineralization processes, and the technical feasibility has been proven. Moreover, the energy economy and CO 2 conversion capacity were investigated. Hydrolyzation and carbonation experiments were performed in a homemade reactor, and it was found that an optimal MgI 2 hydrolyzation rate of 75% could be achieved without alkali consumption. A detailed simulation of the whole system was also developed. The optimal energy conversion efficiency of the cycle reached 47.6%, which is higher than most of the published theoretical energy efficiency values for sulfur-iodine thermochemical cycles. A modified calculation of the net energy requirement for CO 2 mineralization was carried out. Finally, a comparison and an evaluation of the energy efficiencies were made based on the calculation. In the optimal case, the modified net energy requirement is 1.4 MJ/kg CO 2 , which means that this method is competitive compared to those of previous works.

Background: We aimed to clarify whether presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers in cord blood indicates exposure to or infection with HBV., Methods: We prospectively recruited HBsAg-positive pregnant women and their neonates 2012 through 2015. All neonates received postnatal immunoprophylaxis. The infants were followed up at 7-14 months of age., Results: Totally 329 HBsAg-positive pregnant women and 333 neonates were enrolled. No cord blood was anti-HBc IgM positive. A total of 290 (87.1%) neonates were followed up at 7-14 months of age and 6 (2.1%) of them were infected with HBV. Of 146 neonates born to HBeAg-negative mothers, 38 (26.0%) and 30 (20.5%) had detectable HBsAg and HBV DNA in cord blood respectively, but none of 126 infants followed up was infected. Of 187 neonates born to HBeAg-positive mothers, 92 (49.2%) and 79 (42.2%) had detectable HBsAg and HBV DNA in cord blood respectively; 6 (3.7%) of 164 infants followed up were infected. Of seven neonates with HBV DNA > 10 5  IU/ml in cord blood, four had no infection and three others were infected., Conclusion: Presence of HBsAg and/or HBV DNA, even at high levels, in cord blood just indicates exposure to, but not infection with HBV. Presence of HBV markers in cord blood cannot define intrauterine infection., (Copyright © 2018 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Allotetraploid cotton is an economically important natural-fiber-producing crop worldwide. After polyploidization, Gossypium hirsutum L. evolved to produce a higher fiber yield and to better survive harsh environments than Gossypium barbadense, which produces superior-quality fibers. The global genetic and molecular bases for these interspecies divergences were unknown. Here we report high-quality de novo-assembled genomes for these two cultivated allotetraploid species with pronounced improvement in repetitive-DNA-enriched centromeric regions. Whole-genome comparative analyses revealed that species-specific alterations in gene expression, structural variations and expanded gene families were responsible for speciation and the evolutionary history of these species. These findings help to elucidate the evolution of cotton genomes and their domestication history. The information generated not only should enable breeders to improve fiber quality and resilience to ever-changing environmental conditions but also can be translated to other crops for better understanding of their domestication history and use in improvement.

Purpose: Immune suppression is common in patients with advanced breast cancer but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been sufficiently studied. In this study, we aimed to identify B7 family members that were able to predict the immune status of patients, and which may serve as potential targets for the treatment of breast cancer. We also aimed to identify microRNAs that may regulate the expression of B7 family members., Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas data from 1,092 patients with breast cancer, including gene expression, microRNA expression and survival data, were used for statistical and survival analyses. Polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure messenger RNA and protein expression, respectively. Luciferase assay was used to investigate direct microRNA target., Results: Bioinformatic analysis predicted that microRNA (miR)-93, miR-195, miR-497, and miR-340 are potential regulators of the immune evasion of breast cancer cells, and that they exert this function by targeting CD274 , PDCD1LG2 , and NCR3LG1 . We chose CD274 for further investigations. We found that miR-195, miR-497, and CD274 expression levels were inversely correlated in MDA-MB-231 cells, and miR-195 and miR-497 expressions mimic inhibited CD274 expression in vitro . Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that miR-195 and miR-497 directly target CD274 3' untranslated region., Conclusion: Our data indicated that the level of B7 family members can predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients, and miR-195/miR-497 regulate CD274 expression in triple negative breast cancer. This regulation may further influence tumor progression and the immune tolerance mechanism in breast cancer and may be able to predict the effect of immunotherapy on patients., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Map-based gene cloning is a vital strategy for the identification of the quantitative trait loci or genes underlying important agronomic traits. The conventional map-based cloning method is powerful but generally time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this context, we introduce an improved bulked segregant analysis method in combination with a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) strategy for rapid and reliable gene mapping, identification and functional verification. This method was applied to a multiple recessive marker line of upland cotton, Texas 582 (T582), and identified unique genomic positions harboring mutant loci, showing the reliability and efficacy of this method. The v1 locus was further fine-mapped. Only one gene, GhCHLI, which encodes one of the subunits of Mg chelatase, was differentially down-regulated in T582 compared with TM-1. A point mutation occurred in the AAA+ conserved region of GhCHLI and led to an amino acid substitution. Suppression of its expression by VIGS in TM-1 resulted in a yellow blade phenotype that was similar to T582. This integrated approach provides a paradigm for the rapid mapping and identification of the candidate genes underlying the genetic traits in plants with large and complex genomes in the future., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.)

The development of new promising metal-free catalysts is of great significance for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, a rationally assembled three-dimensional (3D) architecture of 1D graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanoribbons with 2D graphene sheets has been developed by a one-step hydrothermal method. Because of the multipathway of charge and mass transport, the hierarchically structured g-C3N4 nanoribbon-graphene hybrids lead to a high electrocatalytic ability for HER with a Tafel slope of 54 mV decade(-1), a low onset overpotential of 80 mV and overpotential of 207 mV to approach a current of 10 mA cm(-2), superior to those non-metal materials and well-developed metallic catalysts reported previously. This work presents a great advance for designing and developing highly efficient metal-free catalyst for hydrogen evolution., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Lentiviral vectors were powerful gene delivery tools for gene therapy. We developed a new lentiviral vector pBobi-MIL that constitutively expressed O6-methylguanine-DNAmethyltransferase (MGMT) and Luciferase, linked by the internal ribosomal entry site (IRES), to realize drug tolerance and real time monitoring in vivo. All results from RT-PCR, drug treating clones forming, immunofluorometric assay and chemiluminescence detection showed that cells infected by recombinant lentivirus L-MIL simultaneously expressed these two genes. This lays the foundation for the further research in gene therapy and can also help identify lentivirus titer.