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• Four types of chlorite identified in the Tongshankou Cu–Mo–W skarn deposit. • Chemical variations of the Tongshankou chlorite likely inherited from both protolith and ore fluid. • Spatial chlorite geochemical variations could vector toward concealed mineralized porphyry at Tongshankou. Recent years, the depletion of shallow mineral resources has drawn increasing attention to the exploration of hidden ore bodies in deep of skarn type deposits. Chemical composition of chlorite is an effective tool for tracing the hydrothermal fluid evolution, and has been increasingly used for deep-level exploration of porphyry Cu (–Au) deposits (PCDs). However, the technique was rarely applied onto (porphyry-related)-skarn deposits. The Tongshankou Cu–Mo–W deposit (0.55 Mt Cu @ 0.86%, 0.01 Mt Mo @ 0.10% and 0.12 Mt WO 3 @ 0.19%) is one of the largest skarn–porphyry deposits in the Middle–Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt (MLYRB) in Eastern China. In this study, new petrographic and trace element data of the hydrothermal chlorites from Tongshankou were presented to constrain the ore-fluid evolution, and to explore the vectoring potential of the concealed orebodies at Tongshankou. Four types of chlorite have been identified, i.e., G-type chlorite that replaced the original magmatic biotite or hornblende, V-type chlorite in chlorite–quartz–sulfides veins in the granodiorite porphyry (alteration zones I and II), S-type chlorite that replaced garnet in the intensive skarn alteration zone (III) and M-type chlorite–quartz–calcite–sulfides veins that cut the (dolomitic)-marble in the distal alteration zones IV and V. All the four types of chlorites are typically trioctahedral chlorite. The Fe-Mg, Tschermark and di-trioctahedral substitution mechanisms likely control the geochemical variations of the Tongshankou chlorites. Empirical thermometer indicates that the Tongshankou chlorites were crystallized at 169–322 ℃. Compared with typical metamorphic chlorites, the higher Zn and Sr contents but lower Al content in the Tongshankou chlorites can potentially distinguish the skarn-type hydrothermal chlorites from typical metamorphic ones. Compared with the chlorites in the typical PCDs, the Tongshankou G-type chlorite has higher Fe, Zn, As and Sn contents, but lower Al, Mg, Co and Cu contents, which likely reflect its protolithic and/or fluid geochemical inheritance. The Tongshankou V-, M- and S-type chlorites have high contents of mobile elements (such as Sr, Ca, Sn and B) and metals (such as Fe, Cu, As, Zn and Pb), indicating that they were directly precipitated from the hydrothermal fluids. From the granodiorite porphyry to the marble wallrocks, the spatial chlorite geochemical variations at Tongshankou indicate that the increasing Zn, Mn, Ga, Ge and Pb contents, and decreasing V, Sc and Ti contents are potential vectors toward concealed mineralized porphyries at Tongshankou. Our study highlights that the chlorite geochemistry is a potential tool for ore-fluid tracer and vectoring tool toward concealed skarn–porphyry orebodies in the MLYRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chlorite, white mica, smectite and kandite group minerals were identified at Tonglushan. • SWIR spectral parameters of phyllosilicates could trace deep-level mineralization centers. • Neutral-acidic fluids may be generated via precipitation of Fe-oxides and sulfides. The Middle–Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt (MLYRB) is one of the most important Cu–Au–Fe–Mo skarn–porphyry metallogenic belts in Eastern China. After several decades of mining, the shallow-level mineral resources have been gradually exhausted, which call for new exploration tools for concealed orebodies. The Tonglushan Cu–Au–Fe skarn deposit (86.3 Mt @ 1.66% Cu, 0.94 g/t Au and 39.4% Fe) is located in the western MLYRB. Skarn alteration/mineralization are mainly hosted in the contact zone between Cretaceous (~141 Ma) quartz monzodiorite (and its porphyry) and the Lower Triassic carbonate rocks. Based on the mineral assemblages and their macro/microscopic textural relationships, the Tonglushan Cu–Au–Fe mineralization/alteration can be divided into five stages: pre-ore (S1: skarn–potassic alteration), Fe ore (S2: retrograde alteration and Fe-oxides), Cu–Au ore (S3: quartz–sulfides), carbonate alteration (S4) and supergene alteration (S5). Apart from the major skarn and retrograde alteration and carbonate minerals, abundant fine-grained phyllosilicate minerals, including chlorite, white mica (illite, muscovite and phengite), smectite (montmorillonite and saponite) and kandite (kaolinite, dickite and halloysite) group minerals have been identified at Tonglushan by SWIR spectrometry. Integrating petrographic observations and SWIR spectral analysis, four alteration zones (with distinct phyllosilicate assemblages) have been distinguished from the intrusion outward: (I) ore-barren quartz monzodiorite and its porphyry (montmorillonite–illite–chlorite), (II) endoskarn close to the skarn–hydrothermal mineralization center (montmorillonite–illite–chlorite–kaolinite–dickite), (III) skarn–hydrothermal mineralization center (saponite–chlorite), and (IV) the external contact zone in (dolomitic) marble (montmorillonite–chlorite ± kaolinite ± dickite). For the Tonglushan altered rock samples, SWIR spectrometry has identified wavelength shifts in the Fe–OH, Al–OH and sub-Al–OH absorption features of chlorite, white mica–montmorillonite and kandite, respectively. Chlorite Fe–OH absorption occurs at longer wavelengths (>2,250 nm), white mica–montmorillonite Al–OH absorption occurs at unusually long (>2,212 nm) and short (<2,202 nm) wavelengths, and kandite sub-Al–OH absorption occurs at longer wavelengths (>2,170 nm) in strongly-altered skarn proximal samples. Moreover, the presence of kaolinite, dickite, saponite, actinolite, phlogopite and/or chlorite–quartz–sulfides veins in these samples can be used as new vectors to explore deep-level mineralization centers at Tonglushan. The distribution of various kinds of phyllosilicate alteration minerals at Tonglushan, especially the white mica and kandites (with higher crystallinity) in the deep contact zones, indicates that the neutral to acidic hydrothermal fluids may have been generated with the precipitation of Fe-oxides and sulfides. This study also highlights the potential of SWIR spectroscopy of phyllosilicate minerals for exploring concealed skarn orebodies in the MLYRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simply filling the metal foam as a thermally conductive filler into the polymer matrix can improve the thermal conductivity of the polymer matrix, but it still cannot greatly improve the thermal conductivity of the composites. In this paper, the epoxy resin/copper foam-nickel (EP/CF-Ni) composite thermal conductive material was prepared by a combination of electroplating and vacuum liquid impregnation. The deposition of nickel increases the heat dissipation area of the copper foam and at the same time widens the heat conduction path of the materials. By comparing EP/CF with different pores and EP/CF-Ni with different deposition times, it was found that the thermal conductivity of EP/CF-Ni composites could reach 5.215 W/(mK) at 7.3 wt% nickel deposition, which enhanced 2507% and 75% compared to pure epoxy and copper foam matrix composites, respectively. The deposition of nickel further improves the wear resistance of the composite. This experiment reveals the synergistic effect of thermal conductivity of metallic Ni and 3D copper foam, and provides some reference opinions for the field of thermal conductivity of metallic foam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral ischemia is a common cerebrovascular disease with high mortality and disability rate. Exploring its mechanism is essential for developing effective treatment for cerebral ischemia. Therefore, this study aims to explore the regulatory effect and mechanism of retinoid X receptor γ (RXRγ) on cerebral ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury. A mouse intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion model was established, and PC12 cells were exposed to anaerobic/reoxygenation (A/R) as an in vitro model in this study. Cerebral I/R surgery or A/R treatment induced ferroptosis, downregulated RXRγ and GPX4 (glutathione peroxidase 4) levels, upregulated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) level and increased ROS (reactive oxygen species) level in A/R induced cells or I/R brain tissues in vivo or PC12 cells in vitro. Knockdown of RXRγ downregulated GPX4 and increased COX-2 and ROS levels in A/R induced cells. RXRγ overexpression has the opposite effect. GPX4 knockdown reversed the improvement of RXRγ overexpression on COX-2 downregulation, GPX4 upregulation and ferroptosis in PC12 cells. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and luciferase reporter gene assays revealed that RXRγ bound to GPX4 promoter region and activated its transcription. Overexpression of RXRγ or GPX4 alleviated brain damage and inhibited ferroptosis in I/R mice. In conclusion, RXRγ-mediated transcriptional activation of GPX4 might inhibit ferroptosis during I/R-induced brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the glioma have gained much attention in recent researches. However, the deepgoing mechanism by which lncRNA regulates the gliomagenesis is still ambiguous. In this work, we found that lncRNA CASC11 was significantly up-regulated in the glioma specimens and cells, and the ectopic overexpression indicated the poor prognosis of glioma patients. CASC11 expression could be activated by the transcription factor SP1. In vivo and vitro, the knockdown of CASC11 impaired the proliferation, migration and tumor growth of glioma cells. In mechanical experiments, the miR-498 was found to target the 3′-UTR of lncRNA CASC11 and FOXK1 mRNA. Taken together, the data suggest the regulation of SP1/CASC11/miR-498/FOXK1 in the gliomagenesis, which might provide a potential therapeutic strategy for glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is widely used in airborne optoelectronic stabilization platforms due to its minimal reliance on the mathematical model of the controlled object. The extended state observer (ESO) is the core of ADRC, which treats internal parameter variations and external disturbances as total disturbances, observes the disturbances as extended states, and then compensates them into the control loop to eliminate their effects. However, the ESO can only achieve a precise estimation of constant or slowly varying disturbances. When the disturbance is periodically changing, satisfactory results cannot be obtained. In this paper, a generalized high-order extended state observer (GHOESO) is proposed to achieve the precise estimation of known frequency sinusoidal disturbance signals and improve disturbance suppression levels. Through numerical simulations, a traditional ESO and GHOESO are compared in terms of disturbance observation capability and disturbance suppression ability for single and compound disturbances based on our prior knowledge of disturbance frequency. The effectiveness of the proposed GHOESO method is verified. Finally, the algorithm is applied to an airborne optoelectronic stabilization platform for a 1°/1 Hz swing experiment on a space hexapod swing table. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the GHOESO proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injecting carbon dioxide is the most effective means of preventing and extinguishing fires in sealing hazardous areas, but the traditional method slowly and remotely injects carbon dioxide gas into the well after gasification on the ground, which is dependent on the complete mine pipe network without cooling effect. To inject liquid directly from the tank with vacuum interlayer and heat insulating powder for rapid inerting and cooling, a new approach using track mobile platform to go deep into the underground mine disaster area is proposed, so the liquid can be delivered to the nozzle at the end of DN40 large diameter pipe, and the continuous gasification jet can be realized. The experimental results show that: (1) The liquid volume in a tank of vacuum degree within 2.0 Pa and 200 mm interlayer reduced no more than 15.5% after 48 days; (2) Taking the pressure in the tank as the power source, because of environmental differences inside and outside the pipe after 100 m pressure holding delivery, the physical form of liquid and gas could be converted instantly; (3) The continuous discharge time without ice blocking for a tank full of 2 m3 liquid was about 10.5 min under 25 L dual mode nitrogen pressurization, which is 1/12 of injection time after ground gasification; (4) Based on the temperature decrease trend measured at different positions, the cooling characteristics on liquid gasification jet path are quantified, and the calculation formula of temperature changing with time on the center line of liquid gasification jet is obtained. Through this new approach, the integration of vacuum insulated storage, safe mobile transportation, and continuous and rapid release with large flow can be achieved for the liquid carbon dioxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence has suggested that N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) regulates the pathology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Nevertheless, the function of demethylase fat mass and obesity (FTO) associated pathogenesis is still not fully elucidated. Here, this research findings revealed that m6A‐modification was decreased in PD models, meanwhile, the FTO level upregulated in the PD models. Functionally, in N‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridinium (MPP+) treated SH‐SY5Y cells, the ferroptosis significantly upregulated and FTO silencing mitigated the ferroptosis phenotype. Moreover, in silico assays indicated that nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor‐2 (NRF2) acted as the target of FTO, and FTO demethylated the m6A modification from NRF2 mRNA. Furthermore, FTO impaired the NRF2 mRNA stability via m6A‐dependent pathway. Thus, our findings illustrated an important role of FTO on PD through m6A‐NRF2‐ferroptosis manner. Taken together, the study revealed the potential function of FTO on PD nervous system diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ming & Qing Dynasties experienced the Little Ice Age (LIA), a most abnormal climate event in nearly 2000 years’ of Chinese history, in which various natural disasters took place frequently. On the basis of systematically collecting and collating historical documents related to natural disasters, and by adopting mathematical statistics, geological succession, correlation and other methods, analysis and comparison were made on the spatial-temporal differentiation of disasters and correlation between various major natural disasters taking place in the Chaohu Lake Basin during the Ming & Qing Dynasties (1368–1912AD). The results show that 753 major disasters took place in the Chaohu Lake Basin during the Ming & Qing Dynasties. Among these, floods and droughts accounted for the largest percentage, while other disasters occurred occasionally. The Little Ice Age (1550–1850AD) was the period with a high incidence of natural disasters, and in the years from 1701 to 1750 natural disasters took place most frequently; between 1651–1700AD there was a declining period of flood frequency, though there were historically high occurrences of droughts and earthquakes. There were more floods than droughts suffered by Hefei, Shucheng, Chaohu, Wuwei and Hexian, while more droughts than floods suffered by Hanshan and Lujiang. Earthquakes in the basin mainly occurred in Chaohu, Shucheng, Hexian and Hefei, which are all near the Tan-Lu Fracture. The opposite is true for changes in the time scale of floods and droughts; this was probably caused by intra-seasonal oscillations of the subtropical high. The correlation between hails and wind disasters is significant, while other disasters are weakly correlated. There exists a certain association between spatial differentiation of occurrence frequency of natural disasters and landforms in the basin. The disaster-prone environment features landforms including plains, hills, low mountains, and these have a significant impact on the spatial distribution of five major natural disasters in the Chaohu Lake Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FeCrMoSi amorphous coatings were fabricated on the surface of a 304 stainless steel (SS) base material using atmospheric plasma spraying. A comprehensive investigation was carried out to evaluate the structure, morphology, adhesion to base material, hardness, hydrophobicity, interfacial contact resistance, and corrosion resistance of the coatings. The results show a remarkable hardness of 1180.1 HV, a strong bond strength of up to 64.3 N/mm2, and excellent hydrophobicity with a water contact angle reaching 141.2°. Additionally, in an acidic environment with fluoride ions (0.5 M H2SO4 + 2 ppm HF, 80 °C), the FeCrMoSi amorphous coating demonstrated superior corrosion resistance compared with 304 SS while maintaining similar electroconductibility. Detailed analysis of the structural characteristics and corrosion resistance of FeCrMoSi amorphous coatings provided valuable insights into their mechanics. These promising results signify a bright future for FeCrMoSi amorphous coatings in various industrial sectors, including transportation, petroleum, and electric power industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storage reliability that measures the ability of products in a dormant state to keep their required functions is studied in this paper. For certain types of products, Storage reliability may not always be 100% at the beginning of storage, unlike the operational reliability, which exist possible initial failures that are normally neglected in the models of storage reliability. In this paper, a new integrated technique, the non-parametric measure based on the E-Bayesian estimates of current failure probabilities is combined with the parametric measure based on the exponential reliability function, is proposed to estimate and predict the storage reliability of products with possible initial failures, where the non-parametric method is used to estimate the number of failed products and the reliability at each testing time, and the parameter method is used to estimate the initial reliability and the failure rate of storage product. The proposed method has taken into consideration that, the reliability test data of storage products containing the unexamined before and during the storage process, is available for providing more accurate estimates of both the initial failure probability and the storage failure probability. When storage reliability prediction that is the main concern in this field should be made, the non-parametric estimates of failure numbers can be used into the parametric models for the failure process in storage. In the case of exponential models, the assessment and prediction method for storage reliability is presented in this paper. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the method. Furthermore, a detailed comparison between the proposed and traditional method, for examining the rationality of assessment and prediction on the storage reliability, is investigated. The results should be useful for planning a storage environment, decision-making concerning the maximum length of storage, and identifying the production quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bainiuchang Ag-polymetallic ore deposit, located in southeastern Yunnan, China, is one of the region’s largest deposits. However, the hypabyssal granite porphyry within this mining area has yet to be comprehensively investigated. In this study, we conducted geochemical, geochronological, whole-rock Sr–Nd isotope, and zircon Hf isotope analyses on granite porphyry samples collected from the Bainiuchang deposit. The results indicate that the granite porphyry formed between 87.5 and 87.4 Ma in the Late Yanshanian period. Geochemically, the granite is strongly peraluminous, with high silica and alkali contents consistent with S-type granite characteristics. The granite porphyry is enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (Rb, Th, U, and K) and is relatively depleted in Ba and Sr. The initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios are high (0.71392–0.71585), accompanied by low εNd(t) values (− 8.9 to − 8.2). The zircons exhibited similarly low εHf(t) values (− 9.31 to − 3.6). These data suggest that the porphyry-forming magma originated from a continental crustal source. The two-stage Hf and Nd model ages are estimated at 1534–1216 Ma and 1615–1561 Ma, respectively. Thus, the granite porphyry likely formed under a strike-slip extensional setting in the Late Yanshanian period and resulted from the re-melting of Proterozoic basement metagreywackes. This porphyry shares a similar magmatic origin with concealed granite bodies within the deposit and is associated with structural reactivation during the Yanshanian. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the tectonomagmatic mineralization processes in the Bainiuchang area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant fossils play an important role in understanding landscape evolution across the Tibetan Region, as well as plant diversity across wider eastern Asia. Within the last decade or so, paleobotanical investigations within the Tibet Region have led to a paradigm shift in our understanding of how the present plateau formed and how this affected the regional climate and biota. This is because: (1) Numerous new taxa have been reported. Of all the Cenozoic records of new plant fossil species reported from the Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region 45 out of 63 (70%) were documented after 2010. Among these, many represent the earliest records from Asia, or in some cases worldwide, at the genus or family level. (2) These fossils show that during the Paleogene, the region now occupied by the Tibetan Plateau was a globally significant floristic exchange hub. Based on paleobiogeographic studies, grounded by fossil evidence, there are four models of regional floristic migration and exchange, i.e., into Tibet, out of Tibet, out of India and into/out of Africa. (3) Plant fossils evidence the asynchronous formation histories for different parts of the Tibetan Plateau. During most of the Paleogene, there was a wide east-west trending valley with a subtropical climate in central Tibet bounded by high (>4 km) mountain systems, but that by the early Oligocene the modern high plateau had begun to form by the rise of the valley floor. Paleoelevation reconstructions using radiometrically-dated plant fossil assemblages in southeastern Tibet show that by the earliest Oligocene southeastern Tibet (including the Hengduan Mountains) had reached its present elevation. (4) The coevolution between vegetation, landform and paleoenvironment is evidenced by fossil records from what is now the central Tibetan Plateau. From the Paleocene to Pliocene, plant diversity transformed from that of tropical, to subtropical forests, through warm to cool temperate woodland and eventually to deciduous shrubland in response to landscape evolution from a seasonally humid lowland valley, to a high and dry plateau. (5) Advanced multidisciplinary technologies and novel ideas applied to paleobotanical material and paleoenvironmental reconstructions, e.g., fluorescence microscopy and paleoclimatic models, have been essential for interpreting Cenozoic floras on the Tibetan Region. However, despite significant progress investigating Cenozoic floras of the Tibetan Region, fossil records across this large region remain sparse, and for a better understanding of regional ecosystem dynamics and management more paleobotanical discoveries and multidisciplinary studies are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A model to determine the probability information of PIVHFS is proposed. • A model to realize the conversion from PIVHFS to cloud model is developed. • Cloud model is introduced to optimize the calculation of PIVHFSs. • Approaches to derive the stage weights and attribute weights are presented. • Regret theory is applied to a multi-stage multi-attribute decision-making problem. Due to the complexity of multi-stage multi-attribute decision-making (M A D M) problems, decision-makers (D M s) frequently provide incomplete and hesitant evaluation information. A crucial difficulty in multi-stage MADM problems is how to make a valid decision under uncertain environment. Firstly, we employ probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy set (P I V H F S) to characterize the hesitancy of DMs , and then build an optimization model to obtain the probability information based on the score function, deviation function of probabilistic interval-valued hesitant fuzzy element (P I V H F E) and information entropy. Secondly, cloud model is introduced to optimize the calculation process and an optimization model is developed to realize the transformation from PIVHFS to cloud model. Thirdly, a method to solve the stage weights is proposed by synthesizing the within-stage and between-stage decision information. Similarly, the attribute weights are obtained by constructing a mathematical model based on the within-attribute and between-attribute decision information. The noted method can utilize decision information to its fullest. Then, the regret theory is applied to a multi-stage MADM problem. Finally, the applicability and effectiveness of the method are illustrated through case analysis and methods comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose a novel correlation coefficient between hesitant fuzzy sets. • The proposed correlation coefficient has more desirable properties. • A case study on medical diagnosis is given. As an extension of the fuzzy set, the hesitant fuzzy set (HFS) is an effective tool for handling uncertainty and vagueness in decision making problems. Considering that the correlation coefficient (CC) has a strong ability to process and analyze data, we are developing a novel CC to measure the strength of the relationship between HFSs in this article. The CC presented between the HFSs has more desirable properties than the current ones. It relaxes limits on the length of the hesitant fuzzy elements (HFEs) and can be used to determine whether the HFSs are negatively or positively correlated. More importantly, it can ensure that the CC between two HFSs is equal to one (minus one) if and only if the two HFSs are the same (complement each other), and thus avoid the achievement of counter-intuitive decision results by inappropriate calculation approaches. The motivation of re-visiting the CC between HFSs is that a more effective CC between HFSs should be developed in order to significantly improve decision-making performance. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, a case study on medical diagnosis is offered and the comparative analyses with other methods are also conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrite geochemistry has been extensively used to reveal ore-forming processes in diverse ore deposits, but its application in skarn systems is not well understood. The Huangshaping deposit in the Nanling Range (South China) uniquely develops W–Sn–Pb–Zn and Cu–Pb–Zn skarn mineralization systems, and both two systems have formed multi-types of pyrite, which provides a good window to reveal the mineralization histories of different skarn systems using pyrite trace element geochemistry. In the Cu–Pb–Zn system, texturally homogeneous Py1 mainly occurs in calcite veins within the host rock, whereas texturally homogeneous Py2 in the calcite-sulfide stage mainly occurs in skarn orebodies. Py3 in the siderite-sulfide stage replaces Py2 and commonly develops abundant pores or fractures, resembling the "bird's eye" texture. In the W–Sn–Pb–Zn system, Py4 in calcite veins can be divided into the oscillatory-zoned Py4a and irregular Py4b under BSE, and Py4b commonly replaces Py4a as veins or overgrowth. Texturally homogeneous Py5 in the calcite-sulfide stage occurs in skarn orebodies and is replaced by Py6 with a "bird's eye" texture in the siderite-sulfide stage. In the Cu–Pb–Zn system, Py1 may have formed by fluid cooling during its ascent along the hydraulic fractures indicated by its enrichment of Co, Ni, As, Sb, and Tl, whereas Py2 is likely formed under higher temperature and pH conditions caused by intense fluid-rock interactions evidenced by its depletion of Co, Ni, As, Sb, and Tl as well as its enrichment of Zn and Ag. In the W–Sn–Pb–Zn system, Py4b has higher contents of Co, Ni, As, Sb, and Tl than Py4a and similar contents of Ag, Zn, and Mo with Py4a, suggesting that decreasing temperature may have controlled the formation of Py4b. Py5 is featured by the depletion of As, Sb, Tl, and Mo as well as the enrichment of Zn and Ag, indicating that Py5 is likely formed under higher temperature and pH conditions resulting from the intense fluid-rock interactions. Marcasite replaces pyrrhotite and then is replaced by pyrite may be an important precipitation mechanism for pyrite with a "bird's eye" texture (Py3 and Py6) in both two skarn systems at Huangshaping. This study demonstrates that fluid-rock interaction is an important mechanism for sulfide precipitation at Huangshaping, which shows that pyrite geochemistry has good potential to reveal mineralization histories in skarn systems. [Display omitted] • Different types of hydrothermal pyrite were identified from the Huangshaping W–Sn–Pb–Zn and Cu–Pb–Zn skarn ores. • The mineralization histories were constrained by pyrite texture and geochemistry. • Pyrite geochemistry shows good application potential for studying skarn systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Relapsing polychondritis (RPC) is a rare autoimmune disease and its early diagnosis remains challenging. Defining the clinical patterns and disease course may help early recognition of RPC.Results: Sixty-six males and 60 females were included in this study. The average age at onset were 47.1 ± 13.8 years and the median follow-up period was 18 months. Correlation analysis revealed a strong negative correlation between airway involvement and auricular chondritis (r = - 0.75, P < 0.001). Four distinct clinical patterns were identified: Ear pattern (50.8%), Airway pattern (38.9%), Overlap pattern (4.8%) and Airway-Ear negative pattern (5.6%), and patients with Ear pattern and Airway pattern were further divided into limited and systemic form of RPC (27.8% with limited form of Ear pattern and 24.6% with limited form of Airway pattern initially). During follow-up, a minority of patients with Ear pattern and Airway pattern progressed into Overlap pattern, and some Airway-Ear negative pattern patients progressed into Ear pattern. While a large majority of limited RPC patients remained limited form during follow-up, a minority of limited RPC patients progressed into systemic form. Patients with Ear pattern had the highest survival rate and relatively lower inflammatory status.Conclusions: RPC patients can be categorized as 4 different clinical patterns and 2 distinct presenting forms (limited and systemic) based on organ involvement. The clinical patterns and presenting forms may evolve during follow-up. Our findings may facilitate early recognition of this rare disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-powered photoanode-supported photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor was designed based on In 2 O 3 /In 2 S 3 /CdIn 2 S 4 as photoanode and PDA@CNTs as biocathode for the detection of CYFRA 21–1. In this proposal, In 2 O 3 /In 2 S 3 /CdIn 2 S 4 heterojunction modified indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode was served as a substitute for platinum (Pt) counter electrode to provide an evident and stable photocurrent signal. The matched band structure of In 2 O 3 , In 2 S 3 and CdIn 2 S 4 as well as the unique hollow porous structure of In 2 O 3 /In 2 S 3 /CdIn 2 S 4 played a pivotal role in accelerating the separation and transfer of photocarrier. Meanwhile, PDA@CNTs with excellent conductivity further enhanced the photocurrent which was provided by photoanode In 2 O 3 /In 2 S 3 /CdIn 2 S 4 heterojunction. Besides, PDA could effectively capture the antibody (Ab) through Michael addition. Separating photoanode from the sensing biocathode was conducive to improve the anti-interference capability of PEC sensor because the reductive species in biologic media will change PEC properties of the photoanode interface. Under optimal conditions, the PEC immunosensor have realized the detection of CYFRA 21–1 (0.5 pg/mL - 50 ng/mL) and the detection limitation with 0.16 pg/mL. In addition, the proposed self-powered PEC sensor with acceptable selectivity, reproducibility, and stability provide a new horizon for designing PEC immunosensing platform in bioassays. • A self-powered photoanode-supported PEC sensor for CYFRA21-1 detection was designed. • In 2 O 3 /In 2 S 3 /CdIn 2 S 4 was used as photoanode matrix to provide stable photocurrent signal. • PDA@CNTs with excellent conductivity was served as biocathode for target analyte capture. • The immunosensor exhibited a low detection limit of 0.16 pg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A MHFLTS-LGDM method is proposed from a multi-stage perspective. • A new similarity measurement is proposed for HFLTSs. • Two reference points for HFLTSs are considered in the work. • An optimization model is built to determine the stage and attribute weights. Abstract A large-scale group decision-making (LGDM) problem is studied from the perspective of multi-stage hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (MHFLTSs). Solving an LGDM problem requires two processes: a clustering process is helpful for breaking down the larger problem into smaller pieces for simplification purposes, and a selection process is utilized for obtaining a final solution. Along with the MHFLTSs, the decision-making process should include consideration of the distinctiveness of the term sets. With this idea in mind, we propose a clustering method and a selection method based on consideration of multiple reference points derived from the MHFLTSs. First, taking into account the HFLTS characteristics, an expert similarity measurement is proposed based on both the expectation distance and hesitancy similarity between two HFLTSs. Second, multiple reference points are examined: a positive ideal reference point and a development reference point. Reference similarity is then measured by combining these two points. With the goal of maximizing the reference similarity of the alternatives, the third element is the establishment of an optimization model for determining the stage and attribute weights based on consideration of the sensitivity of these two weights to the problem. In the fourth step, a fuzzy clustering method is applied in order to create expert clusters based on expert similarity as well as on the stage and attribute weights. An additional feature is a selection analysis based on the reference similarity between the cluster centers, which entails consideration of the degree of certainty of each cluster as a measure of cluster weighting. The final phase of the research is the application of the proposed method to two cases as a means of illustrating the applicability and feasibility of the new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Texture and trace element geochemistry of quartz from Jiguanzui Cu–Au skarn deposit were proposed. • Neutralization of the acidic ore fluids may be an important cause of metal sulfide precipitation at Jiguanzui. • Quartz Al/Ti ratio could be used to distinguish skarn deposits from orogenic-, porphyry- and epithermal-type deposits. The Jiguanzui Cu–Au deposit is an important skarn deposit in the Edong ore district of the Middle–Lower Yangtze River Valley Metallogenic Belt (MLYRB), Eastern China. The skarn mineralization occurs dominantly in the intrusive contact between quartz diorite and marble of the Lower-Middle Triassic Jialingjiang Formation. The main mineralization stage (quartz-sericite-pyrite-chalcopyrite) is characterized by abundant quartz, which can be grouped as quartz in orebodies (Qtz1), quartz in quartz-pyrite hydrothermal veins in hornfels of the Middle Triassic Puqi Formation and quartz diorite (Qtz2 and Qtz3, respectively). Cathodoluminescent (CL) imaging reveals core-rim texture in Qtz1 and oscillatory zoning in Qtz2 and Qtz3, suggesting that Qtz1 was formed under low crystallization rate, in a relatively stable closed system, whereas Qtz2 and Qtz3 were formed under high crystallization rate, in an open system with oscillatory physicochemical fluctuations. As the main trace element in the Jiguanzui quartz, aluminum is incorporated into quartz as trivalent Al3+ to substitute Si4+. Monovalent alkali metal (esp. Li+) and divalent cations (Ge2+, Sr2+) act as charge compensators for the Al3+ substitution. Titanium concentrations (mostly <10 ppm) and the clear positive Al vs. Li correlation indicate the main mineralization at Jiguanzui formed under low temperature (<350 °C). Additionally, CL reflectivity of Qtz1 increases from core to rim, suggesting neutralization of the acidic ore fluids, which is interpreted to be an important cause of metal sulfide precipitation at Jiguanzui. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A probabilistic hesitant fuzzy integrated cloud (PHFIC) model is proposed. • A new correlation coefficient between probabilistic hesitant fuzzy sets is put forward. • A bi-directional trust model through the social network and PHFIC is established. • Comparison and sensitivity analyses are performed to validate the superiority of our method. With the rapid development of society, the number of major emergencies in human society is gradually increasing. They are often accompanied by strong uncertainty and randomness, which makes traditional emergency decision-making methods unable to satisfy the practical needs. Hence, large group emergency decision-making (LGEDM) has gradually become an effective way to solve such problems. However, the existing decision-making methods usually employ a single model, which can't fully handle the uncertainty and randomness in LGEDM. In this paper, the probabilistic hesitant fuzzy set (PHFS) is used to adequately express the uncertainty of information, and the cloud model (CM) is served as a tool for dealing with the randomness of information. Therefore, a decision-making method based on PHFS and CM is proposed to tackle LGEDM. First, the probabilistic hesitant fuzzy integrated cloud (PHFIC) is raised, which can subjectively settle the uncertainty of LGEDM and objectively handle the randomness of LGEDM. Second, a hybrid correlation coefficient based on PHFS is advanced to reduce the complexity of LGEDM through hierarchical clustering. Third, a bi-directional trust model based on PHFIC is put forward to solve information conflict. Finally, an example is offered to prove the application of the proposed method. In addition, the sensitivity and comparison analyses show that the proposed method is able to deal with the uncertainty and randomness of information excellently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control accuracy of traditional controllers for fast steering mirror system depends largely on the accuracy of the system model, which limits the performance of the controllers. Model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) is suggested for further improving the control accuracy of the fast steering mirror. Before designing the controller, we first introduced rate feedback to reduce the resonance peak of the fast steering mirror. Then a reference model which has good dynamic performance is selected. The MRAC controller is designed base on Lyapunov theory, which guarantees the asymptotic stability of the whole system and makes the output of the FSM system evolves asymptotically to the selected model. Experimental results show that FSM system with MRAC controller shows excellent dynamic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distance between the intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) is a notable and has been widely used information measure to enhance decision-making performance. However, different numerical results are derived when using different distance measures. Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore in depth how to select an appropriate formula for distance computation. This paper uses the line integral to define the distance between IFSs. The presented study divided into three folds. First, the existing distances between IFSs are examined, and their flaws are listed. Second, the distances between IFSs are redefined based on the analysis of the geometric importance of the line integral. More importantly, some existing distances happen to be special cases of the distance we define. Finally, we introduce the accuracy function into the defined distance for evaluating the accuracy of distance by applying the physical meaning of line integral. In other words, the distance accuracy is emphasized as a crucial standard by which to assess the effectiveness of distances between IFSs. To demonstrate the stated measures, some numerical examples are provided to show the superiority of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental capacity of agro-ecosystem is the basis of sustainable development of agriculture, but this is hard to evaluate quantitatively due to complex input and output processes of heavy metals. Therefore, in this study, leaching of heavy metals based on PROFILE weathering model were integrated into the steady-state critical load (SSCL) of heavy metals. The results showed that the leaching rates of Hg, As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu and Zn in paddy soil were 0.08, 4.69, 0.22, 44.31, 18.13, 21.96 and 64.42 g/ha‧a, respectively, while the leaching rates were significantly correlated with pH, CaO, TFe 2 O 3 and C org.. Atmospheric deposition was the main input source of heavy metals in agricultural soil, while rice plant uptake and leaching were the main output pathways. The spatial distribution of SSCL were mainly affected by the content of heavy metals in soil, A w (specific area of soil mineral), and ρ (bulk density). Values of SSCL hardly changed after about 40 years (Hg ≈ 0.02 kg/ha, As≈0.60 kg/ha, Cd ≈ 0.07 kg/ha, Cr ≈ 5.59 kg/ha, Pb ≈ 3.55 kg/ha, Cu ≈ 1.49 kg/ha and Zn ≈ 4.45 kg/ha). However, the sensitivity analysis indicated that soil leaching had 24.30%–27.90% positive effects on SSCL model. Based on the relationship among leaching, pH, standard limit and SSCL of heavy metals, the standard limit could be appropriately raised to cope with the increased human activities on the premise of the ecological capacity. Thus, the SSCL model provides a new insight for the establishment of environment management in agricultural soils. [Display omitted] • Leaching rates of heavy metals were related to pH, CaO, TFe 2 O 3 and C org.. • A steady-state critical load model (SSCL) based on PROFILE model was established. • Leaching was the main output of heavy metals, with a range of 12.01%–90.02%. • Soil leaching had 24.3%–27.9% positive effects on SSCL model. • Appropriate raising for standard limits was proposed by relationship between pH, soil leaching and SSCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fig. 5. The flowchart of LGDM based on IRIC. [Display omitted] • Propose a new similarity method for cloud model. • Raise a large group decision-making method based on interval rough integrated cloud. • Sensitivity analysis and time-consuming test are performed. • The proposed method is appropriate for handling uncertainty and randomness. Since different uncertainties exist in the large group decision-making (LGDM) process, such as randomness, diversity and fuzziness, a single method may be insufficient to address LGDM. Hence, this paper proposes a hybrid model that a new similarity calculation method for cloud model, the netting clustering and interval rough integrated cloud (IRIC) are combined to solve LGDM in uncertain linguistic environment. First, a new similarity method for cloud model is presented, based on which a netting clustering method is provided. The similarity calculation method has higher differentiation degree and has overcome some shortcomings of previous ones. Second, two hybrid-weighting methods are utilized respectively to calculate expert weights and attribute weights for making the decision-making process more credible and scientific. Finally, the IRIC method is applied to LGDM for dealing with the randomness and uncertainty. In addition, an example is offered to demonstrate the application of the proposed approach. According to a time-consuming test, the proposed method is more suitable to address LGDM in the big data environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An innovative precise low-intensity magnetic separator (PLIMS) was manufactured. • The performances of the PLIMS and selected CLIMS and DTT were compared. • The outcomes showed that the PLIMS have a higher iron grade and recovery. • The advantage of the PLIMS is that multiple concentrates can be obtained by one magnetic separation. An innovative precise low-intensity magnetic separator (PLIMS) was developed for recovering low-grade magnetite. The effects of the key parameters on the separation performance of the PLIMS in recovering magnetite were investigated. The results indicated that the drum rotation speed and feed particle size played major roles in enhancing the grade of the concentrate and the recovery. Additionally, the performances of the PLIMS and selected conventional low-intensity drum magnetic separators (CLIMSs) and Davis tube testers (DTTs) were compared. The comparison revealed that the performance of the PLIMS was consistent with that of the DTT in terms of the grade of the concentrate and the recovery. In addition, the PLIMS had a higher iron grade with fewer gangue particles and higher recovery compared with the CLIMS. For the PLIMS, the remnant flux density of the magnet assembly was designed to gradually increase from low to high along the flow direction of the slurry. In the entire magnetic separation process, the magnetic force acting on the captured magnetic particles is always the most minor magnetic force required to achieve precise magnetic separation, which results in improved selectivity. Furthermore, the advantage of the PLIMS is that seven concentrates can be obtained by one magnetic separation. Therefore, the newly developed PLIMS simplifies the magnetic separation process and produces multiple products, and the grade of the concentrate can be flexibly controlled. It has a high recovery and can create various high-, medium-, and low-grade concentrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The ∼2310 Ma A2-type granodiorite gneisses were produced by partial melting of lower crust in a subduction zone. • The protoliths of the 2046 Ma Nb-enriched amphibolite were originated from a slab melts-metasomatized mantle source. • The gabbro dykes were generated by partial melting of mantle peridotites modified by slab-derived fluids during the subduction. • The 1906 Ma monzogranite dykes were derived from partial melts of a thickened lower continental crust. Although the Paleoproterozoic Khondalite Belt is one of the most important delineation boundaries in the North China Craton, its tectonic evolution remains controversial. Here, we present new geochronological and geochemical data for Paleoproterozoic granodiorite gneiss, amphibolite, and gabbro and monzogranite dykes in the Jining area in order to constrain the tectonic evolution of the Khondalite Belt. Zircon U–Pb dating indicates that the granodiorite gneiss, amphibolite and monzogranite were emplaced at ca 2.3 Ga, 2.0 Ga and 1.9 Ga, respectively. The 2.3 Ga granodiorite gneisses have positive ε Nd (t) values (+0.6 to +1.3) and high zircon saturation temperatures (864–873 °C), and show geochemical characteristics of A2-type granites, probably indicating extension background related to subduction. The 2.0 Ga amphibolites have high Nb contents and their protoliths display geochemical features of Nb-enriched basalts. The low MgO, Cr, Ni, LREE-enriched patterns, and negative ε Nd (t) values (−5.5 to −6.3) with relatively old Nd model ages suggest that the protoliths were derived from a fertile mantle source metasomatized by slab-derived melts. The distinct geochemical characteristics suggest that the formation of the amphibolites were attributed to the upwelling asthenosphere triggered by the opening of slab window. Based on the U-Pb ages of zircons and the contact relationship in the outcrops, the intrusive age of the gabbros was constrained to be 2.0–1.9 Ga. These gabbro dykes have high Mg#, Cr, and Ni contents, and show E-MORB-like REE patterns with high contents of large ion lithophile elements and negative Nb-Ta anomalies, indicating a subducting tectonic setting. Their high Ba/Th and Rb/Y ratios, low Th/Ta and Nb/Y ratios imply a mantle source metasomatized by slab-derived fluids. The 1.9 Ga monzogranite dykes have high Sr and Sr/Y ratios, low Yb and HREE, similar to those of typical adakitic rocks. Their low MgO, Cr, Ni, Mg# and negative ε Nd (t) suggest that the dykes were generated by partial melting of thickened lower continental crust. These different rocks, therefore, indicate a convergent margin occurred along the Khondalite Belt before the collision between the Yinshan Block and the Ordos Block, followed by extension event at ca. 2.3 Ga and closed with a collision at ca. 2.0–1.9 Ga, and then changed to post-collisional tectonic setting with the adakitic monzogranite dykes formed at ca. 1.9 Ga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we constructed a sandwich-type photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor for the quantitative detection of procalcitonin (PCT) based on the sensitization of Mn2+ doped CdS (CdS:Mn) nanocomposites to Bi 2 WO 6 and the signal amplification effect of an upconversion material NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm. Bi 2 WO 6 was synthesized with a three-dimensional flowered structure. CdS:Mn reduced the recombination of photogenerated carriers, and significantly improved photocurrent response. Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanomaterials were used as the label of secondary antibody. NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm have two functions, not only connected with the secondary antibody, but also can further amplify the photocurrent response. The proposed immunosensor for detecting PCT provided a desired linear range of 0.5 pg mL−1-100 ng mL−1 and a detection limit of 0.13 pg mL−1 under optimal experimental conditions. Besides, the PEC immunosensor demonstrated good reproducibility, specificity and stability. The results of determination of PCT in real human serum samples were satisfactory. Thus, the immunosensor may be applied in the clinical diagnosis of PCT and other biomarkers. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An innovative precise low-intensity magnetic separator (PLIMS) was designed and manufactured. • The design parameters of the magnet assembly and operational parameters of PLIMS were optimized. • The remnant flux density of the magnet assembly was designed to gradually increase from low to high. • The principle of PLIMS was explained by simulating the dynamic capture process of the magnetic particles. A wet low-intensity magnetic separator (LIMS) is the workhorse for winning magnetite from a slurry. However, the issue with optimizing LIMS is the balance between attracting too much material and obtaining mixed grains of extremely low-grade material (less than 20 vol% magnetite) in the concentrates and attracting too little material and losing the fine liberated magnetite to the tailings. In this study, an innovative precise low-intensity magnetic separator (PLIMS) was designed and optimized based on a multiphysics numerical model. The design parameters of the magnetic assembly and operational parameters were designed and optimized by predicting the separation performance and particle dynamic trajectory of the PLIMS. In particular, the remnant flux density of the magnet assembly was designed to gradually increase from low to high along the flow direction of the slurry, so that the magnetic particles were subjected to precise magnetic force during the separation process. When the magnetic force is greater than the competitive forces, the magnetic particles are captured on the surface of the drum. Then, the captured particles with different liberation degrees and particle sizes are taken out of the separation zone via rotating drum one by one and become concentrated products of multiple grades. The aim of the process is to capture the high liberation magnetite into the main concentrates to obtain high-grade concentrate products, while also capture the low-grade intergrowth particles into the minor concentrates as much as possible to obtain higher recovery. Furthermore, this principle of magnetic separation of PLIMS was explained by simulating the dynamic capture process of the magnetic particles. To verify whether the design concept of gradient magnet assembly (GMA) has advantages, another uniform magnet assembly (UMA) with the same remnant flux density of all permanent magnets was designed. Comparative studies of the magnetic field distribution and magnetic separation performance of GMA and UMA show that PLIMS of the GMA has more significant separation performance. Finally, a laboratory-level PLIMS with a drum diameter of 300 mm (ϕ 300-PLIMS) was manufactured based on all the optimization studies above. By comparing the experimental results with simulated results, the accuracy of the PLIMS recovery and grade prediction results were verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Komatiite rocks are first discovered from the Liuhang Formation in the western Shandong Province, North China Craton. • The formation age of these komatiites is no later than 2.69 Ga. • The Nanbaita komatiites were produced by high-degree partial melting of chondritic mantle triggered by a mantle plume. • The ~2.7 Ga ultramafic rocks in the western Shandong Province might be the result of a contemporaneous worldwide superplume event. Komatiite is characterized by extremely high MgO contents and H 2 O-poor nature and plays an important role in understanding the early mantle-derived magma processes, crust–mantle differentiation of the Archean earth, but it is sparse in the North China Craton. Although komatiitic rocks have ever been discovered in the Mengyin area, their formation ages and types are still in debate. Here, we firstly report a new komatiite outcrop near Nanbaita village (Jinan city) of the western Shandong Province and present new major and trace element contents, as well as Sr–Nd and Re–Os isotopic compositions. The rocks show spinifex texture with primary olivine and pyroxene skeletal needles have been transformed into secondary minerals (e.g., serpentine, tremolite). The komatiites display extremely high MgO, but low TiO 2 and Na 2 O + K 2 O. Their chondritic Al 2 O 3 /TiO 2 and Gd N /Yb N ratios suggest they are Aluminium-undepleted komatiites which are generated by larger degrees of melting (~50%) in relatively lower pressure (ca. 5–7 GPa) with garnet absence than Aluminium-depleted komatiites. The formation age of these komatiites was no later than 2.69 Ga constrained by the Re depletion age. Flat heavy rare earth element patterns and low 187Re/188Os and Th/Yb ratios show the primary komatiitic magma was not contaminated by substantial crustal material. The γ Os value of sample 18LH51 is 0.09, which is adjacent with chondrite and other contemporaneous komatiites in the world, indicating that the Nanbaita komatiites were originated from a chondritic mantle. Furthermore, the widely distribution of ~2.7 Ga ultramafic–mafic rocks in the western Shandong Province might be the reflection of a contemporaneous worldwide superplume event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family with sequence similarity 3 member A (FAM3A) is a multifunctional protein that is related to the pathological process of various disorders. FAM3A is reportedly able to affect the phenotypic change of vascular smooth muscle cells under a hypertensive state. Whether FAM3A mediates the phenotypic switch of vascular smooth muscle cells under an atherosclerotic state remains unaddressed. This work investigated the roles and mechanisms of FAM3A in mediating the phenotypic switch of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) stimulated with oxidised low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in vitro. FAM3A expression was elevated in HASMCs following ox-LDL treatment. FAM3A silencing led to a suppressive effect on ox-LDL-provoked proliferation, migration and inflammation of HASMCs, whereas FAM3A overexpression had an opposite effect. Ox-LDL elicited a change in HASMCs from a contractile phenotype to a synthetic phenotype, which was inhibited by FAM3A silencing or enhanced by FAM3A overexpression. Further investigation elucidated that FAM3A silencing repressed and FAM3A overexpression promoted ox-LDL-induced activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway in HASMCs. Reactivation of AKT reversed the suppressive effect of FAM3A silencing on the ox-LDL-induced phenotypic switch of HASMCs. Restraining AKT blocked the promoting effect of FAM3A overexpression on the ox-LDL-induced phenotypic switch of HASMCs. In summary, this work elucidates that FAM3A mediates the ox-LDL-induced phenotypic switch of HASMCs by influencing the PI3K-AKT pathway, indicating a potential role for FAM3A in atherosclerosis., (© 2023. The Society for In Vitro Biology.)

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT1) is involved in neural injury, neuroinflammation, microglia activation, and polarization, while its function in spinal cord injury (SCI) remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the role of MALT1 modification on SCI recovery and its underlying mechanism. SCI surgery or sham surgery was performed in Sprague-Dawley rats. Then, MALT1 knockdown or negative control lentivirus was injected into SCI rats. Subsequently, MALT1 expression, locomotor capability, neural injury, markers for microglia activation and polarization, inflammatory cytokine expressions, and nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway were detected. SCI rats exhibited higher MALT1 expression, microglia activation and M1 polarization, neuroinflammation, and NF-κB pathway activation, while worse locomotor capacity compared to sham rats (all P < 0.05). In SCI rats, MALT1 knockdown alleviated Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan score from 10 to 28 days and attenuated HE staining reflected neural injury (all P < 0.05). Besides, MALT1 knockdown declined the number of IBA1 + cells, IBA1 + iNOS + cells, and IBA1 + CD86 + cells, while enhanced the number of IBA1 + Arg1 + cells and IBA1 + CD206 + cells in SCI rats (all P < 0.05). Meanwhile, MALT1 knockdown declined the expressions of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in SCI (all P < 0.05), but did not affect IL-10 expression (P > 0.05). Furthermore, MALT1 knockdown suppressed NF-κB pathway activation validated by immunofluorescence staining and western blot assays (all P < 0.05). MALT1 knockdown improves functional recovery, attenuates microglia activation, M1 polarization, and neuroinflammation via inhibiting NF-κB pathway in SCI., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Spinescence is an important functional trait possessed by many plant species for physical defence against mammalian herbivores. The development of spinescence must have been closely associated with both biotic and abiotic factors in the geological past, but knowledge of spinescence evolution suffers from a dearth of fossil records, with most studies focusing on spatial patterns and spinescence-herbivore interactions in modern ecosystems. Numerous well-preserved Eocene (~39 Ma) plant fossils exhibiting seven different spine morphologies discovered recently in the central Tibetan Plateau, combined with molecular phylogenetic character reconstruction, point not only to the presence of a diversity of spiny plants in Eocene central Tibet but a rapid diversification of spiny plants in Eurasia around that time. These spiny plants occupied an open woodland landscape, indicated by numerous megafossils and grass phytoliths found in the same deposits, as well as numerical climate and vegetation modelling. Our study shows that regional aridification and expansion of herbivorous mammals may have driven the diversification of functional spinescence in central Tibetan woodlands, ~24 million years earlier than similar transformations in Africa., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In recent years, more and more researches has focused on "molecular targeted therapy" for basic genes and regulatory cells, but the effect is not ideal. Therefore, the discovery of new molecular targets with diagnostic and therapeutic significance can not only lay a solid foundation for molecular diagnosis and classification of lesions but also contribute to targeted therapy of glioma. This study aimed to discover the molecular mechanism of mir-218 targeting the regulation of robol expression on proliferation, invasion and migration of glioma cells and to provide a theoretical and experimental basis for finding therapeutic targets of glioma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of mir-218 on gliomas by using the method of control experiment. The results showed that the number of gliomas under the action of mir-218 decreased from about 150 to about 80, and the number would tend to a fixed value range over time. In the experiment, the data decreased from about 150 to nearly 20, and compared with the control group, the control of glioma cell proliferation was very excellent.

Emerging evidence validates the vital roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in spinal cord injury (SCI), which attracts great attention. In the present study, our study investigated the function and in-depth mechanism of lncRNA Kcnq1 overlapping transcript 1 (Kcnq1ot1) in SCI. Results indicated that lncRNA Kcnq1ot1 expression upregulated in the hypoxia-administered neuronal cells (PC12 cells) and SCI rat models. Moreover, transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) accelerated the transcriptional enrichment of Kcnq1ot1 in SCI cellular model. Functional experiments demonstrated that Kcnq1ot1 knockdown repressed the apoptosis of neuronal cells. Mechanistically, Kcnq1ot1 recruited EZH2 to the promoter region of p27 to repress its transcription. Taken together, our results indicate that Stat3-induced lncRNA Kcnq1ot1 regulates the apoptosis in SCI through epigenetically silencing p27, contributing to novel therapeutic target for SCI., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

East Asia has long been recognized as a major center for temperate woody plants diversity. Although several theories have been proposed to explain how the diversity of these temperate elements accumulated in the region, the specific process remains unclear. Here we describe six species of Carpinus , a typical northern hemisphere temperate woody plant, from the early Miocene of the Maguan Basin, southwestern China, southern East Asia. This constitutes the southernmost, and the earliest occurrence that shows a high species diversity of the genus. Together with other Carpinus fossil records from East Asia, we show that the genus had achieved a high diversity in East Asia at least by the middle Miocene. Of the six species here described, three have become extinct, indicating that the genus has experienced apparent species loss during its evolutionary history in East Asia. In contrast, the remaining three species closely resemble extant species, raising the possibility that these species may have persisted in East Asia at least since the early Miocene. These findings indicate that the accumulation of species diversity of Carpinus in East Asia is a complex process involving extinction, persistence, and possible subsequent speciation., Competing Interests: None., (© 2020 Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.)

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel category of non-coding RNAs, and they have been identified to participate in glioma tumorigenesis. Here we investigated the functions of circRNA circSCAF11 in glioma genesis, and we unveiled its molecular mechanism in the pathophysiological process. Expression levels of circSCAF11, miR-421, and SP1 mRNA were measured using RT-PCR. Proteins were measured using western blotting. The tumor phenotypes of glioma cells were detected using flow cytometry and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell, and xenograft mouse assays. The combination within circSCAF11, miR-421, and SP1 was validated using luciferase reporter assay or RNA pull-down assay. The binding of transcription factor SP1 with vascular endothelial cell growth factor A (VEGFA) promoter was inspected using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). circSCAF11 expression was found to be significantly upregulated in the glioma tissue specimens and cell lines. The ectopic overexpression of circSCAF11 was closely correlated with the poor clinical outcome of glioma patients. Functionally, knockdown of circSCAF11 inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and tumor growth and induced the G0/G1 phase arrest. Mechanically, circSCAF11 positively regulated the SP1 expression through sponging miR-421. Moreover, transcription factor SP1 activated the transcription of VEGFA, constructing the circSCAF11/miR-421/SP1/VEGFA axis in the glioma genesis. The findings in this research illustrate that circSCAF11 accelerates glioma tumorigenesis through the miR-421/SP1/VEGFA axis, providing a potential target for circRNA and glioma treatment., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare the response of simple endoscopic surgery and endoscopic surgery plus small windows through canine fossa surgery for fungal maxillary sinusitis., Method: Twenty-five patients were applied the endoscopic surgery plus small windows through Canine fossa surgery as the treatment group, and the other 25 were applied the simple endoscopic surgery as control., Result: During a follow up for 1-2 years, the effect of fungal maxillary sinusitis under endoscopic by dual approach is superior to simple endoscopic. There were obvious differences between the two groups(chi2 = 4.268, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Endoscopic surgery plus small windows through canine fossa surgery for fungal maxillary sinusitis can fully expose maxillary sinus cavity,destroy the abnormal tissues completely, change the low oxygen environment, ensure the normal physiological function of maxillary sinus mucosa, and really achieve radical minimally invasive purpose.