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The catalytic hydrogenation of biomass-derived chemicals is essential in chemical industry due to the growing demand for sustainable and renewable energy sources. In this study, we present a comprehensive theoretical investigation regarding the hydrogenation of glycolaldehyde to ethylene glycol over a Ru/C catalyst by employing density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. With inclusion of explicit solvation, we have demonstrated that the glycolaldehyde hydrogenation is significantly improved due to the fast proton transfer through the hydrogen bond network. The enhanced activity could be attributed to the participation of the solvent water as the hydrogen source and the highly positively charged state of a Ru cluster in an aqueous phase, which are critical for the activation of aldehyde groups and proton-assisted hydrogenation. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into glycolaldehyde hydrogenation over Ru/C catalysts in the aqueous phase, highlighting the importance of solvation effects in the biomass conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface charges of catalysts have intricate influences on the thermodynamics and kinetics of electrochemical reactions. Herein, we develop a grand-canonical iteration method based on density functional theory calculations to explore the effect of surface charges on reaction kinetics beyond the traditional Butler–Volmer picture. Using the hydrogen evolution reaction on S vacancies of MoS2 as an example, we show how to track the change of surface charge in a reaction and to analyze its influence on the kinetics. Protons adsorb on S vacancies in a tough and charge-insensitive water splitting manner, which explains the observed large Tafel slope. Grand-canonical calculations report an unanticipated surface charge-induced change of the desorption pathway from the Heyrovsky route to a Volmer–Tafel route. During an electrochemical reaction, a net electron inflow into the catalyst may bring two effects, i.e., stabilization of the canonical energy and destabilization of the charge-dependent grand-canonical part. On the contrary, a net outflow of electrons from the catalyst can reverse the two effects. This surface charge effect has substantial impacts on the overpotential and the Tafel slope. We suggest that the surface charge effect is universal for all electrochemical reactions and significant for those involving interfacial proton transfers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at examining the mesoscopic mechanical response and crack development characteristics of asphalt mixtures using the three-dimensional discrete element approach via particle flow code (PFC). The material is considered an assembly of three phases of aggregate, mortar, and voids, for which three types of contact are identified and described using a modified Burgers model allowing for bond failure and crack formation at contact. The laboratory splitting test is conducted to determine the contact parameters and to provide the basis for selecting three different load levels used in the indirect tensile fatigue test and simulation. The reliability of the simulation is verified by comparing the fatigue lives and dissipated energies against those from the test. Under cyclic loading, the internal tensile and compressive force chains vary dynamically as a response to the cyclic loading; both are initially concentrated beneath the top loading strip and then extend downward along the loading line. The compressive chains are oriented roughly vertically and develop an elliptic shape as damage grows, while the tensile chains are mostly horizontal and become denser. An analysis based on the histories of the numbers of different contact types indicates that damage mainly originates from bond failures among the aggregate particles and at the aggregate–mortar interfaces. In terms of location, cracking is initiated below the loading point (consistent with observations from the force chains) and propagates downward and laterally, leading to the macrocrack along the vertical diameter. The findings provide a mesoscopic understanding of the fatigue damage initiation and propagation in asphalt mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition of hypersonic boundary layer flow is an important problem in aerodynamic research. To obtain the natural transition position using the flow stability analysis method, it is necessary to analysis the neutral curve and the perturbation growth rule. Accurate calculation of the basic flow is the basis and prerequisite for stability analysis. This paper proposes that surface radiation should be considered in the analysis of hypersonic boundary layer flow stability due to the high temperatures at the vehicle surface caused by aerodynamic heating. In order to obtain the influence of surface radiation on the flow stability, we assume that the surface satisfies the energy balance and the gas satisfies calorimetrically perfect gas properties. To simplify the analysis, gas radiation has been neglected. The boundary layer analysis of a hypersonic flat plate with and without radiation has been performed by a combination of flow stability theory and direct numerical simulation. It is found that high temperature radiation on the surface causes energy to transfer outwards. The results showed that surface temperature decreases along the streamwise direction and is no longer an adiabatic surface temperature. Instability interval decreases and the maximum growth rate increases. The range of the instability region expressed in dimensionless frequency values moves to lower frequency as the Mach number increases. Maximum growth rate shows a tendency to increase and then decrease as the Mach number increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer film melt stretching exhibits a unique stress–strain behavior, featuring a stress plateau followed by a sudden increase with increasing the strain. This phenomenon poses a challenge to conventional melt-extension theories and methods. To address this, we derive a simplified flow theory according to the symmetric characteristics of thin melt-stretching, and propose a modified multi-mode Leonov model (m-Leonov) that accounts for molecular orientation effects, a crucial factor in accurately simulating the process. In order to improve the computational efficiency, an iterative algorithm was developed to decouple the interdependence between governing and constitutive equations. The computational results reveal that the viscoelastic nature of the film contributes to a delay in the transformation of stretching forces, leading to the observed stress plateau. Significantly, our m-Leonov model successfully predicts both the plateau and the subsequent abrupt increase in stress, across various temperatures and stretching rates. These simulations closely agree with experimental data, underlining the robustness of our approach. Our findings would enhance the understanding of rheological complexities in film stretching, offering potential applications in various materials and polymer processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is one of major reasons of cardiorenal syndrome type 5 (CRS-5), resulting in irreversible tissue damage and organ dysfunction. Macrophage has been demonstrated to play key role in the pathophysiology of sepsis, highlighting the need to identify therapeutic targets for modulating macrophage phenotype in sepsis. In this study, a rapid-releasing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donor NaSH, and a slow-releasing H2S compound S-propargyl-cysteine (SPRC) which is derived from garlic, have been studied for the immune-regulatory effects on macrophages. The NaSH and SPRC showed the potential to protect the heart and kidney from tissue injury induced by LPS. The immunohistochemistry of F4/80+ revealed that the infiltration of macrophages in the heart and kidney tissues of LPS-treated mice was reduced by NaSH and SPRC. In addition, in the LPS-triggered inflammatory cascade of RAW264.7 macrophage cells, NaSH and SPRC exhibited significantly inhibitory effects on the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and regulation of the macrophage phenotype from M1-like to M2-like. Moreover, autophagy, a crucial process involved in the elimination of impaired proteins and organelles during oxidative stress and immune response, was induced by NaSH and SPRC in the presence of LPS stimulation. Consequently, there was an increase in the number of mitochondria and an improvement in mitochondrial membrane potential. This process was mainly mediated by PINK1/Parkin pathway mediated mitophagy. These results demonstrated that the immunoregulatory effects of H2S donors were through the PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy pathway. Overall, our study provided a new therapeutic direction in LPS-induced cardiorenal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biosorption is considered a promising method for removing heavy metals from polluted water, benefiting from their abundance, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, its practical application for Cr(Ⅵ) removal was limited, as the biosorbents often lack uniform size or a stable morphology, and Cr(Ⅵ) oxidation can destroy active adsorption groups. In this study, lignocellulose beads (LCB) with uniform size (∼2 mm) were prepared from sugarcane bagasse using ionic liquids. Additionally, an inorganic structure Schwertmannite (ScH) was synthesized and loaded on LCB, creating permanent active sites for adsorbing Cr(Ⅵ) anions. Characterization studies confirmed that ScH@LCB adsorbent possesses excellent properties, such as homogeneous and stable morphology. Batch experiments indicated that the adsorption isotherms confirmed well with Langmuir model, with the maximum adsorption of Cr(Ⅵ) of 24.62 mg/g. The linear correlation between the released S O 4 2 − and C r O 4 2 − adsorption was 0.94, suggesting that the anion-exchange reactions primarily determines the adsorption of Cr(Ⅵ) on ScH@LCB. Furthermore, several desorption and regeneration experiments demonstrated that ScH@LCB maintains stable adsorption performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let \mathbb {F}_q denote the finite field of characteristic p and order q. Let \mathbb {Z}_q denote the unramified extension of the p-adic rational integers \mathbb {Z}_p with residue field \mathbb {F}_q. Given two positive integers m,n, define a box \mathcal B_m to be a subset of \mathbb {Z}_q^n with q^{nm} elements such that \mathcal B_m modulo p^m is equal to (\mathbb {Z}_q/p^m \mathbb {Z}_q)^n. For a collection of nonconstant polynomials f_1,\dots,f_s\in \mathbb {Z}_q[x_1,\ldots,x_n] and positive integers m_1,\dots,m_s, define the set of common zeros inside the box \mathcal B_m to be \begin{equation*} V=\{X\in \mathcal B_m:\; f_i(X)\equiv 0\mod {p^{m_i}}\text { for all } 1\leq i\leq s\}. \end{equation*} It is an interesting problem to give the sharp estimates for the p-divisibility of |V|. This problem has been partially solved for the three cases: (i) m=m_1=\cdots =m_s=1, which is just the Ax-Katz theorem, (ii) m=m_1=\cdots =m_s>1, which was solved by Katz [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 137 (2009), pp. 4065–4075; Amer. J. Math. 93 (1971), pp. 485–499], Marshal and Ramage [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 49 (1975), pp. 35–38], and (iii) m=1, and m_1,\dots,m_s\geq 1, which was recently solved by Cao, Wan [Finite Fields Appl. 91 (2023), p. 25] and Grynkiewicz [ A generalization of the Chevalley-Warning and Ax-Katz theorems with a view towards combinatorial number theory , Preprint, arXiv: 2208.12895 , 2022]. Based on the multi-fold addition and multiplication of the finite Witt rings over \mathbb {F}_q, we investigate the remaining unconsidered case of m>1 and m\neq m_j for some 1\leq j\leq s, and finally provide a complete answer to this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to investigate the preventive effects of N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) against renal tubular cell injury induced by oxalate and stone formation and further explore the related mechanism. Transcriptome sequencing combined with bioinformatics analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed gene (DEG) and related pathways. HK-2 cells were pretreated with or without antioxidant NAC/with or silencing DEG before exposed to sodium oxalate. Then, the cell viability, oxidative biomarkers of superoxidase dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA), apoptosis and cell cycle were measured through CCK8, ELISA and flow cytometry assay, respectively. Male SD rats were separated into control group, hyperoxaluria (HOx) group, NAC intervention group, and TGF-β/SMAD pathway inhibitor group. After treatment, the structure changes and oxidative stress and CaOx crystals deposition were evaluated in renal tissues by H&E staining, immunohistochemical and Pizzolato method. The expression of TGF-β/SMAD pathway related proteins (TGF-β1, SMAD3 and SMAD7) were determined by Western blot in vivo and in vitro. CDKN2B is a DEG screened by transcriptome sequencing combined with bioinformatics analysis, and verified by qRT-PCR. Sodium oxalate induced declined HK-2 cell viability, in parallel with inhibited cellular oxidative stress and apoptosis. The changes induced by oxalate in HK-2 cells were significantly reversed by NAC treatment or the silencing of CDKN2B. The cell structure damage and CaOx crystals deposition were observed in kidney tissues of HOx group. Meanwhile, the expression levels of SOD and 8-OHdG were detected in kidney tissues of HOx group. The changes induced by oxalate in kidney tissues were significantly reversed by NAC treatment. Besides, expression of SMAD7 was significantly down-regulated, while TGF-β1 and SMAD3 were accumulated induced by oxalate in vitro and in vivo. The expression levels of TGF-β/SMAD pathway related proteins induced by oxalate were reversed by NAC. In conclusion, we found that NAC could play an anti-calculus role by mediating CDKN2B/TGF-β/SMAD axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the issue that the current click-through rate prediction methods ignore the varying impacts of different input features on prediction accuracy and exhibit low accuracy when dealing with large-scale data, a click-through rate prediction method (GBIFM) which combines Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) and Input-aware Factorization Machine (IFM) is proposed in this paper. The proposed GBIFM method employs GBDT for data processing, which can flexibly handle various types of data without the need for one-hot encoding of discrete features. An Input-aware strategy is introduced to refine the weight vector and embedding vector of each feature for different instances, adaptively learning the impact of each input vector on feature representation. Furthermore, a fully connected network is incorporated to capture high-order features in a non-linear manner, enhancing the method’s ability to express and generalize complex structured data. A comprehensive experiment is conducted on the Criteo and Avazu datasets, the results show that compared to typical methods such as DeepFM, AFM, and IFM, the proposed method GBIFM can increase the AUC value by 10% –12% and decrease the Logloss value by 6% –20%, effectively improving the accuracy of click-through rate prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let F q be the finite field of q elements, and F q n its extension of degree n. A normal basis of F q n over F q is a basis of the form { σ i (α) : i = 0 , ⋯ , n - 1 } where σ denotes the Frobenius automorphism of F q n over F q and α ∈ F q n . Normal bases over finite fields have proved very useful for fast arithmetic computations with potential applications to coding theory and to cryptography. Some problems on normal bases are characterized in terms of linearized polynomials. We show that such problems can be finally reduced to the determination of the irreducible factors of x n - 1 over F q . Using this approach, we extend the known results with alternative as well as relatively elementary proofs. And we believe that this approach can be used to deal with other similar problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of expressways in China has produced diverse habitats along slopes characterized by steep gradients, uneven water distribution, poor soil conditions, and no routine maintenance. Manually planting beneficial species is an essential method of effectively improving slope soils to prevent soil erosion. However, few studies have evaluated the reclamation effects and plant community composition and structure used to restore slopes along expressways. This study focused on the Zhengzhou-Xinxiang section of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway. A total of 10 representative plant communities were evaluated using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)–fuzzy integrated evaluation method. The sites were divided into four layers, namely, plant communities, soil nutrients, soil physical properties, and other ecological factors, and 14 indicators were assessed. The evaluation results showed that four of these plant communities (PCs) were excellent, three PCs were good, one PC was normal, two PCs were poor. The four excellent PCs had high Shannon-Wiener index, pielou index, richness index or community productivity. It is worth noting that most excellent plant community structures were tree + shrub + herb. Based on these results, we recommend that fill slopes should be restored using a combination of trees, herbs, and shrubs; also, the vegetation should include native plants, such as B. papyrifera, U. pumila, A. fruticosa, and Cynodon dactylon (L.). This study could provide ideas for plant community composition and structure of new highway slopes in similar climate environment, and provide theoretical support for plant community composition and structure and soil improvement for the existing slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stratigraphic uncertainty and rotated anisotropy of soil properties exist widely in nature. Recent studies have shown that the slope stability was significantly influenced by these two uncertainties. However, there is no proper method for simulating these two uncertainties at the same time, and the influence of the two uncertainties has not been considered in previous unsaturated soil slope stability analysis. This paper aims to propose a coupled method for characterizing the stratigraphic uncertainty and rotated anisotropy of soil properties, and investigate the unsaturated soil slope stability considering the two uncertainties. Through a slope case, the proposed method for characterizing the two uncertainties is examined. The effect of rotational angle on the slope stability and groundwater table is studied. In addition, four different uncertainty considerations are chosen to compare their influence on the slope stability and groundwater table. The results show that the proposed method can well characterize the two uncertainties at the same time. The rotational anisotropy of soil properties has a substantial impact on the slope stability and groundwater table. The rotational angles corresponding to the maximum and minimum reliability index of slope depend on the uncertainty considerations in the slope stability analysis. The slope reliability index only considering stratigraphic uncertainty is the highest, and the slope reliability index considering stratigraphic uncertainty and rotated anisotropy of soil properties is the lowest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat kernels harbor a diverse microflora that can negatively affect the suitability of the grains for further processing. To reduce surface microflora, a kernel disinfection method is required that does not affect grain functionality. Three different versions of gas phase hydroxyl‐radical processes were compared with the common method for grain disinfection, that is, a bleach treatment. The gas phase hydroxyl‐radicals are generated by the UV‐C mediated degradation of hydrogen peroxide and/or ozone in a near water‐free process. It was found that treating kernels with a bleach solution could reduce total aerobic count (TAC) and fungal count to below the level of enumeration. In comparison, the gas phase hydroxyl‐radical treatment, that is, H2O2–UV–ozone treatment, could support a 1.3 log count reduction (LCR) in TAC and a 1.1 LCR in fungal count. The microbial load reduction for the wholemeal samples was less pronounced as endophytic microorganisms were less affected by all treatments, hinting at a limited penetration depth of the treatments. Despite reducing the microbial load on the kernel surface through the bleach and H2O2–UV–ozone treatments, none of these treatments resulted in a reduced microbial count on grains that underwent sprouting after the treatments. No negative effect on germination power or development of the seedling was observed for any of the treatments. The gluten aggregation behavior and xylanase activity of the wholemeal also remained unchanged after the gas phase hydroxyl‐radical treatments. Our findings suggest that UV–H2O2–ozone treatment shows promise for dry‐kernel disinfection, but further optimization of the processing parameters is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient and rapid synthesis of transition metal-based hydroxides with tailored microstructures has emerged as a promising approach to fabricate high-performance electrode materials for energy storage devices. However, many conventional synthesis methods are cumbersome, expensive and time-consuming, and the microstructures of electrode materials are usually uncontrollable. Herein, we propose a fast and cost-effective approach to electrochemically in situ grow NiFeCo-based ternary hydroxides (NiFeCo-THs) with layered nanosheet structures on pretreated nickel foam (NF). The in situ grown NiFeCo-THs were in direct contact with the NF to form a monolithic electrode as NiFeCo/NF. By engineering the ion exchange process for controlling the ionic ratio, the monolithic Ni1(Fe/Co = 1/1)0.5/NF electrode was fabricated and found to show the optimum electrochemical behavior with a specific capacitance of 2.32 C cm−2 at 2 mA cm−2 as a result of its characteristic microstructures. Furthermore, a hybrid supercapacitor was constructed utilizing the monolithic Ni1(Fe/Co = 1/1)0.5/NF electrode and activated carbon as the cathode and anode, respectively, and it was found to have an energy density of 81.1 μW h cm−2 at a power density of 808.8 μW cm−2. After 5000 cycles, 84.0% of the initial capacitance of the hybrid supercapacitor was maintained, and the monolithic Ni1(Fe/Co = 1/1)0.5/NF electrode still retained the arrayed nanosheet structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lonicera japonica Thunb. mainly contains phenolic acids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, saponins, iridoid and other active components, which have the functions of antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, liver protection and immune regulation. In the paper, the active components and biological functions of Lonicera japonica Thunb. are introduced, and the regulation of the active components of Lonicera japonica Thunb. on the biological barrier, immune barrier, chemical barrier and physical barrier of animal intestinal tract are reviewed, so as to provide a reference for accurate and effective use of Lonicera japonica Thunb. in animal breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor immunotherapy can not only eliminate the primary lesion, but also produce long-term immune memory, effectively inhibiting tumor metastasis and recurrence. However, immunotherapy also showed plenty of limitations in clinical practice. In recent years, the combination of nanomaterials and immunotherapy has brought new light for completely eliminating tumors with its fabulous anti-tumor effects and negligible side effects. Methods: The Core Collection of Web of Science (WOSCC) was used to retrieve and obtain relevant literatures on antitumor nano-immunotherapy since the establishment of the WOSCC. Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, GraphPad Prism, and Excel were adopted to perform statistical analysis and visualization. The annual output, active institutions, core journals, main authors, keywords, major countries, key documents, and impact factor of the included journals were evaluated. Results: A total of 443 related studies were enrolled from 2004 to 2022, and the annual growth rate of articles reached an astonishing 16.85%. The leading countries in terms of number of publications were China and the United States. Journal of Controlled Release, Biomaterials, Acta Biomaterialia, Theranostics, Advanced Materials, and ACS Nano were core journals publishing high-quality literature on the latest advances in the field. Articles focused on dendritic cells and drug delivery accounted for a large percentage in this field. Key words such as regulatory T cells, tumor microenvironment, immune checkpoint blockade, drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, tumor-associated macrophages were among the hottest themes with high maturity. Dendritic cells, vaccine, and T cells tend to become the popular and emerging research topics in the future. Conclusions: The combined treatment of nanomaterials and antitumor immunotherapy, namely antitumor nano-immunotherapy has been paid increasing attention. Antitumor nano-immunotherapy is undergoing a transition from simple to complex, from phenotype to mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the limited effectiveness of prevailing phylogenetic methods when applied to highly divergent protein sequences, the phylogenetic analysis problem remains challenging. Here, we propose a sequence-based evolutionary distance algorithm termed sequence distance (SD), which innovatively incorporates site-to-site correlation within protein sequences into the distance estimation. In protein superfamilies, SD can effectively distinguish evolutionary relationships both within and between protein families, producing phylogenetic trees that closely align with those based on structural information, even with sequence identity less than 20%. SD is highly correlated with the similarity of the protein structure, and can calculate evolutionary distances for thousands of protein pairs within seconds using a single CPU, which is significantly faster than most protein structure prediction methods that demand high computational resources and long run times. The development of SD will significantly advance phylogenetics, providing researchers with a more accurate and reliable tool for exploring evolutionary relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia is a key limiting factor for seedling emergence and establishment of direct-seeded rice (DSR) under submergence. The anaerobic germination (AG) tolerance, therefore, is one of the most critical traits in DSR breeding programs. However, the genetic basis of AG is still unclear. In this study, 229 single segment substitution lines (SSSLs) were arranged in an augmented design in field planting. We evaluated the anaerobic germinability by measuring the SSSLs' coleoptile length (CL) under submergence, and then identified AG QTLs. AG was a typical quantitative trait based on the results of five cropping seasons. We repeatedly detected 19 SSSLs with putative AG QTLs in at least two cropping seasons. Moreover, substitution mapping identified 11 integrated AG QTLs on nine chromosomes, including six positive and five negative QTLs with additive effect contributions ranging from 6.8 to 18.5%. Among the 11 QTLs, qAG4 and qAG11 were novel ones, qAG9 was cloned in a previous study, and the remaining eight QTLs overlapped with reported AG QTLs. Overall, we identified some genetic loci controlling AG in multiple environments, which may be useful for developing varieties suitable for DSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the limited effectiveness of prevailing phylogenetic methods when applied to highly divergent protein sequences, the phylogenetic analysis problem remains challenging. Here, we propose a sequence-based evolutionary distance algorithm termed sequence distance (SD), which innovatively incorporates site-to-site correlation within protein sequences into the distance estimation. In protein superfamilies, SD can effectively distinguish evolutionary relationships both within and between protein families, producing phylogenetic trees that closely align with those based on structural information, even with sequence identity less than 20%. SD is highly correlated with the similarity of the protein structure, and can calculate evolutionary distances for thousands of protein pairs within seconds using a single CPU, which is significantly faster than most protein structure prediction methods that demand high computational resources and long run times. The development of SD will significantly advance phylogenetics, providing researchers with a more accurate and reliable tool for exploring evolutionary relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several alkyl glucosides exhibit various bioactivities. 1-Octyl β- d -glucopyranoside produced by organic synthesis is used as a nonionic surfactant. However, no convenient method has been developed for the selective production of alkyl α-glucosides (α-AGs), such as 1-octyl α- d -glucopyranoside (α-OG). Therefore, we developed a simple method for selective production of α-AGs using the glucosyl transfer enzyme XgtA, (E.C. 3.2.1.20), derived from Xanthomonas campestris WU-9701. When 0.80 M alkyl alcohol and 2.5 units XgtA were incubated in 2.0 mL of 30 mM HEPES-NaOH buffer (pH 8.0) containing 1.2 M maltose at 45 °C, a specific α-AG corresponding to each alkyl alcohol (C2–C10) was detected. Under the standard conditions, we examined the selective production of α-OG from 1-octanol and maltose using XgtA. The reaction product was isolated and identified as α-OG via 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy analyses. No other glucosylated products, such as maltotriose, were detected in the reaction mixture. Under the standard conditions at 45 °C for 96 h, 243 mM α-OG (71 g/L) was produced in one batch production. Moreover, the addition of glucose isomerase to the reaction mixture decreased the concentration of glucose released via the reaction and increased the amount of α-OG produced; 359 mM α-OG (105 g/L) was maximally produced at 96 h. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the selective production of α-AGs using a simple enzymatic reaction, and XgtA has the potential to selectively produce various α-AGs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different additive amounts of complex microbial preparations on fermentation quality of sorghum straw. Five treatment groups were set up in study. Group CK was not added with silage, and group A, group B, group C and group D were added with 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 mL/kg compound microbial agents to ferment sorghum straw, respectively. The silage was kept in the cellar at room temperature (13 °C) for 50 d after opening the bag, and the nutrient composition, sensory evaluation, fermentation quality, aerobic stability, mycotoxin content and rumen digestibility were evaluated. The results showed that the content of dry matter and crude protein in all additive treatment groups were significantly higher than those in CK group (P<0.05), and the crude protein in group C (5.18%) was the highest, which were 32.14% higher than those in CK group, respectively. The content of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and soluble carbohydrate in all treatment groups showed a decreasing trend. The pH value, ammoniacal nitrogen/total nitrogen in treatment group was significantly lower than that in the CK group (P<0.05), the lactic acid content was significantly higher than CK group (P<0.05). The aerobic stability of all treatment groups was better than that of CK group (P<0.05), and the mycotoxin content of all treatment groups was significantly lower than that of CK group (P<0.05). The digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in all treatment groups was higher than that in CK group. The experiment indicates that compound microbial agents can improve the nutritional value, fermentation quality and ruminal degradation rate of sorghum straw silage, and the effect of adding 0.5 mL/kg compound bacterial additive is better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration (TFBA) is a major cause of accidental death in children. Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) may be caused by TFBA, but there are few reports about LRTI associated with TFBA. This study collected TFBA cases in our hospital to analyze LRTI and determine its risk factors. Methods: A total of 194 children who underwent tracheobronchial foreign body (TFB) extraction in The Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from June 2019 to April 2020 were enrolled. CT chest is routinely used in the workup of suspected airway FB at our institution to evaluate for patients, a FB was already highly suspected. The retention time was defined as from the time of TFB inhalation or presentation (if there was no history of TFBA) to the time of TFB removal. General characteristics including weight, clinical symptoms, operative records, cervicothoracic CT, retention time, type of TFB and postoperative hospitalization time were collected. Chi-square tests, rank sum tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: The incidence of LRTI was 46.6%, 68.6%, and 68.6% when the retention time was within 24 hours, between 24 hours and up to 1 week and more than 1 week, respectively. Postoperative hospitalization time of LRTI group was significantly longer than that of non-LRTI group. Findings for cervicothoracic CT as pneumonia, emphysema, atelectasis meant more serious clinical manifestations and the retention time was longer in the LRTI group than in the non-LRTI group. There was a positive correlation between the retention time of a TFB and LRTI in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: The incidence of LRTI caused by TFBA is high. LRTI is association with longer postoperative hospitalization time. The TFB retention time is an independent risk factor for LRTI. If a patient presents with significant LRTI symptoms, a course of steroids and antibiotics maybe a safer approach rather than proceeding immediately with bronchoscopic removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, a novel manganese oxidizing bacterium Morganella Morganii MnO x -1 was applied to synthesize biological iron-manganese oxides (BFMO) to simultaneously oxidize and adsorb As and Sb. The oxidization rates of As(III) and Sb(III) by BFMO were 74.13% and 51.85%, which were 1.43 and 1.30 times of that by biological manganese oxides (BMO), respectively. Moreover, the simultaneous removal rates of As(III), As(V), Sb(III) and Sb(V) (100 mg/L of each) by BFMO with the stain MnO x -1 were 87.05%, 94.23%, 79.65% and 84.33% in 7 days, and 80.26%, 99.32%, 82.97% and 88.50% in 28 days, respectively. In addition, BMO contributed to oxidize As(III) and Sb(III), and FeOOH was mainly responsible for adsorption by complexing with the metalloids in the simultaneous removal of As and Sb. The function groups on the surface of BFMO, such as -OH, C-O, C-O, C-C, etc. were also involved the adsorption processes. Our results have important implications for understanding the transformations of As and Sb intermediating by manganese oxidizing bacteria, and develop an environmental-friendly method for simultaneously removing As and Sb pollutants in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Photo‐induced electron transfer (PET) of silyl enol ethers has been employed to synthesize several fused ring systems. However, the method has limited applicability due to its narrow substrate scope, low product yields, unsatisfactory stereo‐ and regioselectivity. Herein, we report a PET‐triggered cascade reaction of silyl enolates that leads to the formation of angularly fused tricyclic scaffolds. The reaction exhibits broad substrate scope and excellent stereoselectivity. The regio‐ and stereoselectivity of this cascade reaction is elucidated via DFT calculation and conformational analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A precise description of the thermodynamic states of gaseous and solid detonation products is essential when using thermodynamic calculations to determine the detonation performance and destructive power of explosives. For high oxygen-lean explosives (the oxygen contained in explosives is insufficient to completely oxidize combustible elements and excess solid carbon will be generated in the detonation products), the phase state of solid carbon product affects the Chapman–Jouguet (CJ) detonation performance parameters, reaction zone, and energy release process. However, the recovery of detonation products demonstrates that the actual detonation carbon product is primarily a mixed state of diamond/graphite stack, as opposed to the existing thermodynamic codes, which essentially treat detonation carbon as single-phase carbon. To understand the thermodynamic effect of the mixed carbon phase state on the non-ideal detonation behavior, in this work, the matching relationship among the VINET equation of state parameters, thermodynamic potential parameters of the solid products of the equivalent system and the phase mixed system was constructed by using the nonlinear fitting method. The relationship between the carbon phase composition at the CJ point and the explosive composition structure was researched. Investigations were conducted into how the mixed carbon phase affected the volume and content of gas products as well as the composition at CJ points. Diamond formation in products is good for enhancing explosive's working capacity. Based on mixed-state potential parameters, the correlation mechanism between the mixed carbon phase and the chemical reaction zone was investigated, and it was found that intramolecular carbon/intermolecular carbon and more detonation graphite/diamond products all would lead to the extension of the reaction zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "A sequence-based evolutionary distance method for Phylogenetic analysis of highly divergent proteins" published in Scientific Reports. The correction addresses an error in Figure 3, panel b, where the labels were not displayed correctly. The corrected version of the article is now available. The authors of the article are Wei Cao, Lu-Yun Wu, Xia-Yu Xia, Xiang Chen, Zhi-Xin Wang, and Xian-Ming Pan. [Extracted from the article]

The external voltage-driven polymer translocation through a conical pore (with a large opening at the entry and a small tip at the exit) is studied by using the Langevin dynamics simulation in this paper. The entire translocation process is divided into an approaching stage and a threading stage. First, the approaching stage starts from the polymer entering the large opening and ends up at a terminal monomer reaching the pore tip. In this stage, the polymer will undergo the conformation adjustment to fit the narrowed cross-sectional area of the pore, leading to three approaching modes: the non-stuck mode with a terminal monomer arriving at the pore tip smoothly, the weak-stuck mode for the polymer stuck inside the pore for a short duration with minor conformational adjustments, and the strong-stuck mode with major conformational changes and a long duration. The approaching times (the duration of the approaching stage) of the three approaching modes show different behavior as a function of the pore apex angle. Second, the threading stage describes that the polymer threads through the pore tip with a linear fashion. In this stage, an increase in the apex angle causes the reduction of the threading time (the duration of the threading stage) due to the increase in the driving force with the apex angle at the tip. Moreover, we also find that with the increase in the apex angle or the polymer length, the polymer threading dynamics will change from the quasi-equilibrium state to the non-equilibrium state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have accomplished the total synthesis of sculponin U, a polycyclic C‐20‐oxygenated kaurane diterpenoid featuring a 7,20‐lactone‐hemiketal bridge, through a radical cascade cyclization triggered by photoinduced electron transfer (PET) of a silyl enolate to form the cyclohexanone‐fused bicyclo[3.2.1]octane skeleton. Other key points in our synthetic strategy encompass a Diels–Alder reaction to construct the middle six‐membered ring of sculponin U, and an intramolecular radical cyclization induced by iron‐catalyzed hydrogen atom transfer to close the western cyclohexane ring. Successful preparation of the enantiopure silyl enolate as the PET precursor enables the asymmetric total synthesis of sculponin U, opening a new avenue for divergent syntheses of structurally related C‐20‐oxygenated kaurane congeners and pharmaceutical derivatives thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have accomplished the total synthesis of sculponin U, a polycyclic C‐20‐oxygenated kaurane diterpenoid featuring a 7,20‐lactone‐hemiketal bridge, through a radical cascade cyclization triggered by photoinduced electron transfer (PET) of a silyl enolate to form the cyclohexanone‐fused bicyclo[3.2.1]octane skeleton. Other key points in our synthetic strategy encompass a Diels–Alder reaction to construct the middle six‐membered ring of sculponin U, and an intramolecular radical cyclization induced by iron‐catalyzed hydrogen atom transfer to close the western cyclohexane ring. Successful preparation of the enantiopure silyl enolate as the PET precursor enables the asymmetric total synthesis of sculponin U, opening a new avenue for divergent syntheses of structurally related C‐20‐oxygenated kaurane congeners and pharmaceutical derivatives thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During high-speed water-exit of the supercavitating projectile, the cavity interacts with the free surface and collapses, with instantaneous high collapse pressure impacting on the projectile. In order to study the cavity collapse characteristics during high-speed water-exit of the supercavitating projectile, the numerical study based on the Reynolds-averaged equation and the volume of fluid multiphase flow model is conducted in this paper. The results show that the cavity near the free surface will gradually become larger with the movement of the projectile during water-exit of the supercavitating projectile. The existence of attitude angles will cause the asymmetry of cavity to collapse. The cavity on the upstream side will first collapse and generate collapse pressure, while the cavity on the downstream side will collapse later but generate higher collapse pressure. The asymmetry of the cavity collapse becomes stronger with the increasing attitude angles. The time interval of the collapse pressure on the downstream and upstream sides of the projectile becomes shorter close to the projectile tail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical features of mineral composition and texture in petrographic thin sections are an important basis for rock identification and rock evolution analysis. However, the efficiency and accuracy of human visual interpretation of petrographic thin section images have depended on the experience of experts for a long time. The application of image-based computer vision and deep-learning algorithms to the intelligent analysis of the optical properties of mineral composition and texture in petrographic thin section images (in plane polarizing light) has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of rock identification and classification. This study completed the transition from simple petrographic thin image classification to multitarget detection, to address more complex research tasks and more refined research scales that contain more abundant information, such as spatial, quantitative and category target information. Oolitic texture is an important paleoenvironmental indicator that widely exists in sedimentary records and is related to shallow water hydraulic conditions. We used transfer learning and image data augmentation in this paper to identify the oolitic texture of petrographic thin section images based on the faster region-based convolutional neural network (Faster RCNN) method. In this study, we evaluated the performance of Faster RCNN, a two-stage object detection algorithm, using VGG16 and ResNet50 as backbones for image feature extraction. Our findings indicate that ResNet50 outperformed VGG16 in this regard. Specifically, the Faster RCNN model with ResNet50 as the backbone achieved an average precision (AP) of 92.25% for the ooids test set, demonstrating the accuracy and reliability of this approach for detecting ooids. The experimental results also showed that the uneven distribution of training sample images and the complexity of images both significantly affect detection performance; however, the uneven distribution of training sample images has a greater impact. Our work is preliminary for intelligent recognition of multiple mineral texture targets in petrographic thin section images. We hope that it will inspire further research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on designing a power allocation strategy for a fuel cell ship. The performance of the fuel cell varies during operation, so a power allocation strategy considering fuel cell performance differences is proposed, which consists of two layers. In the first layer, the maximum power and maximum efficiency of each fuel cell system (FCS) are updated in real-time with an online parameter identification model, which is composed of the fuel cell semi-empirical model and adaptive Kalman filter. The second layer takes the state of charge of the battery energy storage system, the maximum power, and the maximum efficiency as inputs for power allocation. Compared with the equal allocation strategy and daisy chain strategy, the total hydrogen consumption reduces by 5.3% and 15.1% and the total output power of the FCS with poor performance reduces by 14.1% and 15.7%. The results show that the proposed method can improve the efficiency of the ship power system and reduce the operational burden of the FCS with poor performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid energy system (HES) including hydrogen fuel cell systems (FCS) and a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery energy storage system (ESS) is established for hydrogen fuel cell ships to follow fast load transients. An energy management strategy (EMS) with hierarchical control is presented to achieve proper distribution of load power and enhance system stability. In the high-control loop, a power distribution mechanism based on a particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) with an equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) is proposed. In the low-level control loop, an adaptive fuzzy PID controller is developed, which can quickly restore the system to a stable state by adjusting the PID parameters in real time. Compared with the rule-based EMS, hydrogen consumption is reduced by 5.319%, and the stability of the power system is significantly improved. In addition, the ESS degradation model is developed to assess its state of health (SOH). The ESS capacity loss is reduced by 2% and the daily operating cost of the ship is reduced by 1.7% compared with the PSO-ECMS without considering the ESS degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important model organism for the study of marine bioadhesion, mussels have attracted extensive attention and research. Recent studies have shown that lipids are involved in mussel bioadhesion. To investigate the role of lipids in the mussel adhesion process, we use a Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) to investigate the dynamic adhesion process of mussel foot proteins (Mefp-1) on different substrates in the presence of lipids by monitoring the changes of Mefp-1 adsorption in real-time. The results show that Mefp-1 binds less to polar hydrophilic SiO2 substrate than to Au substrate, and the introduction of C16:0 palmitic acid significantly promotes the binding of Mefp-1 to different substrates. With increasing palmitic acid concentration, more Mefp-1 would bind to the substrate. According to the adsorption model analysis, palmitic acid may promote the adhesion and binding of Mefp-1 by changing the hydration environment of the adhesion interface in the adhesion process. This study on the effects of fatty acids on Mfp-1 adhesion can help us better understand the bioadhesion mechanisms of mussels, and provide insight for marine antifouling research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fuel cell system (FCS) is commonly combined with an energy storage system (ESS) for enhancing the performance of the ship. Consequently, the battery ESS size and power allocation strategy are critical for the hybrid energy system. This paper focuses on designing a method to solve these two problems. First, a battery degradation model is employed to assess the ESS lifetime. Subsequently, the sizing problem and the optimal power allocation are integrated into a cost‐minimization problem, which is solved by a double‐loop optimization approach. The inside loop utilizes the battery degradation model to calculate ESS lifetime. In the outside loop, a power allocation strategy based on the hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm and Gray Wolf Optimization algorithm is presented. Finally, the power allocation strategy is extended to real‐time implementation by the equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) and an improved ECMS is proposed to make the FCS operates near the maximal efficiency point. Compared with ECMS, the operating cost reduces by 0.26%. The result indicates that the proposed method can optimize the ESS size efficiently, and the power allocation strategy can assure the stable operation of the fuel cell ship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A memristor is a kind of nonlinear two-port circuit element with memory characteristics, whose resistance value is subject to being controlled by the voltage or current on both its ends, and thus it has broad application prospects. At present, most of the memristor application research is based on the change of resistance and memory characteristics, which involves how to make the memristor change according to the desired trajectory. Aiming at this problem, a resistance tracking control method of memristors is proposed based on iterative learning controls. This method is based on the general mathematical model of the voltage-controlled memristor, and uses the derivative of the error between the actual resistance and the desired resistance to continuously modify the control voltage, making the current control voltage gradually approach the desired control voltage. Furthermore, the convergence of the proposed algorithm is proved theoretically, and the convergence conditions of the algorithm are given. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can make the resistance of the memristor completely track the desired resistance in a finite time interval with the increase of iterations. This method can realize the design of the controller when the mathematical model of the memristor is unknown, and the structure of the controller is simple. The proposed method can lay a theoretical foundation for the application research on memristors in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust iterative learning control algorithm is proposed for continuous-time switched singular systems disturbed by random measurement noise. Firstly, the switched singular systems is transformed into a differential-algebraic equation composed of slow subsystem and fast subsystem by nonsingular transformation. Then, the control input is continuously modified by the state measurement errors and the learning gain with attenuation characteristics. The convergence of each subsystem is strictly proved in theory, and the sufficient conditions for the convergence of this algorithm are given. Theoretical analysis shows that the algorithm can effectively suppress the measurement noise and make the system state completely track the desired trajectory in a finite time interval. Finally, compared with the fixed gain iterative learning control method, the simulation results show that the tracking accuracy of the proposed algorithm is significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact craters with layered ejecta deposits are widespread on Mars. Prevailing views suggest that such ejecta were formed due to the involvement of target water and/or water ice in the impact excavation and/or the post-deposition movement of the impact ejecta. The long-runout landslides and lobate debris aprons that are likely formed due to the involvement of water ice are used as analogs to compare roughness at multiple scales, considering that these three landforms share some similarities in their geomorphology. Analog studies of the morphological similarities and differences of layered ejecta deposits with different emplacement mechanisms are an important approach to untangling how layered ejecta deposits might form on Mars and beyond. Earlier morphological comparisons were usually based on qualitative descriptions or one-dimensional topographic roughness characteristics at given azimuths; however, the emplacement processes of layered deposits are recorded in two-dimensional topography and at multiple scales. In this study, we designed a multiwavelet algorithm to characterize the multi-scale topographic roughness of different forms of Martian layered deposits. Our comparisons show that the inner facies of the layered ejecta deposits and long-runout landslides exhibited similar roughness characteristics, and the outer facies of the layered ejecta deposits were more similar in roughness to lobate debris aprons. This study highlights the importance of the spatial resolution of digital terrain models in characterizing fine topographic fluctuations on layered ejecta deposits, providing additional insights into the possible emplacement mechanisms of different parts of layered ejecta deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entanglement-assisted quantum error-correcting (EAQEC) codes are a significant extension of quantum error-correcting codes. It has been found that an EAQEC code can be constructed by an arbitrary classical linear code if the encoder and the decoder share the entangled state c in advance. In this paper, we construct two families of q-ary entanglement-assisted quantum maximum-distance-separable (EAQMDS) codes. This construction produces new EAQMDS codes with variable parameters with respect to the minimum distance d and the number c of maximally entangled states. Moreover, the resulting EAQMDS codes have minimum distance not less than q. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposed a optical character correction method for large-curvature annular sector text. • Introduced polar coordinate transformation and image remapping to reconstruct text images. • Proposed a preprocessing method to improve text control point quality. • Distinguished the concavity and convexity of annular sector text. Optical character recognition (OCR) of complex morphologies represented by large-curvature annular sector text (AST) is a very challenging task. A three-segment text recognition framework consisting of detection, correction and recognition is currently an effective method for dealing with complex morphological OCR. Optical character correction (OCC) is a key component in processing largecurvature AST. This paper proposes an OCC method in the polar coordinate system, which consists of control point preprocessing, polar coordinate transformation, and image remapping. The control point preprocessing is used to normalize the control points of the large curvature AST region; the polar coordinate transformation is to convert the pixels in the rectangular coordinate system to the polar coordinate system; image remapping maps the original image in polar coordinate system to polar coordinate space for re-representation. The method proposed in this paper can be used in conjunction with most detection and recognition modules and is applicable to any language type. Furthermore, the correction process consumes very little computational resources and has little impact on the speed of text detection and recognition. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms in large curvature AST correction and recognition experiments [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand pyroptosis induced by ionizing radiation and its implications for radiation therapy, we explored the involved factors, possible mechanisms of radiation-induced pyroptosis and consequent antitumor immunity. The occurrence of pyroptosis was assessed by cell morphology, lactate dehydrogenase release, Annexin V/PI staining and the cleavage of Gasdermin E (GSDME). Cell radiosensitivity was tested with MTT and colony survival assays. Xenograft tumor volume, Ki-67, CD8+ lymphocytes, and ELISA were used to evaluate the effect of GSDME on tumor suppression after irradiation. Irradiation induced pyroptosis in GSDME high-expressing tumor cell lines covering lung, liver, breast, and glioma cancers. Cleavage of GSDME occurred in a dose- and time-dependent manner after irradiation, and pyroptosis could be induced by various kinds of irradiation. The combination of chemotherapy drugs for DNA damage (cisplatin or etoposide) or demethylation (decitabine or azacytidine) and irradiation significantly enhanced the occurrence of pyroptosis. Moreover, we revealed that the Caspase 9/Caspase 3/GSDME pathway was involved in irradiation-induced pyroptosis. Notably, enhanced tumor suppression was observed in Balb/c mice bearing GSDME-overexpressing 4T1 tumors compared with those bearing vector tumors for the promotion of antitumor immunity, which was manifested as distinctly elevated levels of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and release of the related cytokines rather than the direct effect of pyroptosis on tumor cell radiosensitivity. As an immunogenic cell death caused by radiation, pyroptosis promotes antitumor immunity after irradiation. Our findings may provide new insights to improve the efficacy of tumor radiation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, coamorphization and cocrystal technologies are of particular interest in the pharmaceutical industry due to their ability to improve the solubility/dissolution and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs, while the coamorphous system often tends to convert into the stable crystalline form usually crystalline physical mixture of each component during formulation preparation or storage. In this paper, BCS II drug baicalein (BAI) along with nicotinamide (NIC) were prepared into a single homogeneous coamorphous system with a single transition temperature at 42.5 °C. Interestingly, instead of the physical mixture of crystalline BAI and NIC, coamorphous BAI-NIC would transform to its cocrystal form under stress of temperature and humidity. The transformation rate under isothermal condition was temperature-dependent, since the crystallinity of the cocrystal enhanced as the temperature increased. Further mechanic studies showed the activation energy for the transformation under non-isothermal condition was calculated to be 184.52 kJ/mol. Additionally, water vapor sorption tests with further solid characterizations indicated the transformation was faster under higher humidity condition due to the faster nucleation process of cocrystal BAI-NIC. This research not only discovered the mechanism of transformation from coamorphous BAI-NIC to cocrystal form, but also provided an unusual method for cocrystal preparation from its coamorphous form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary polymer systems show advantage in many applications. Herein, we study the conformational properties of a binary polymer system consisted of flexible and stiff polymers confined in slits using molecular dynamics simulation. The flexible and stiff polymers have the same chain length and concentration. Two surface enrichment structures, surface enrichment structure of stiff polymers and surface enrichment structure of flexible polymers, are observed dependent on the surface property and polymer concentration. In repulsive slits at high polymer concentration, surface enrichment structure of stiff polymers is observed as the unique structure. For attractive slits of the same attraction strength to both polymers, surface enrichment structure of stiff polymers even appears at low polymer concentration. Surface enrichment structure of flexible polymers can be observed when the surface attraction to the flexible polymers is much stronger than that to the stiff polymers. Our simulation results indicate that the structure of the binary polymer system can be controlled by varying the surface properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Salinity can affect the physiological, reproductive, and developmental characteristics of marine molluscs. The Chinese razor clam (Sinonovacula constricta) is a marine bivalve that inhabits estuarine and intertidal habitats where salinity is usually lower when compared to open sea waters. The species is also an economically important subject of aquaculture in China. Here, RNA sequencing was used to study the internal mechanism of salt stress response in the Chinese razor clam. Differentially expressed RNAs were identified and lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks were successfully constructed. Furthermore, the expression of four candidate genes in the Chinese razor clam subjected to different salinity stress were examined by qRT-PCR. The results of this study will improve our understanding of genetic-level responses to salinity changes in the Chinese razor clam. Moreover, the acquired information may be useful for optimization of the artificial breeding of the species under aquaculture conditions. The Chinese razor clam (Sinonovacula constricta) is an important for Chinese aquaculture marine bivalve that naturally occurs across intertidal and estuarine areas subjected to significant changes in salinity level. However, the information on the molecular mechanisms related to high salinity stress in the species remain limited. In this study, nine gill samples of S. constricta treated with 20, 30, and 40 ppt salinity for 24 h were used for whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing, and a regulatory network of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) was constructed to better understand the mechanisms responsible for adaptation of the species to high salinity. A total of 83,262 lncRNAs, 52,422 mRNAs, 2890 circRNAs, and 498 miRNAs were identified, and 4175 of them displayed differential expression pattern among the three groups examined. The KEGG analyses of differentially expressed RNAs evidenced that amino acid synthesis and membrane transport were the dominant factors involved in the adaptation of the Chinese razor clam to acute salinity increase, while lipid metabolism and signaling played only a supporting role. In addition, lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks (ceRNA network) showed clearly regulatory relationships among different RNAs. Moreover, the expression of four candidate genes, including tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT), hyaluronidase 4 (HYAL4), cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSAD), and ∆1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase (P5CS) at different challenge time were detected by qRT-PCR. The expression trend of TAT and HYAL4 was consistent with that of the ceRNA network, supporting the reliability of established network. The expression of TAT, CSAD, and P5CS were upregulated in response to increased salinity. This might be associated with increased amino acid synthesis rate, which seems to play an essential role in adaptation of the species to high salinity stress. In contrast, the expression level of HYAL4 gene decreased in response to elevated salinity level, which is associated with reduction Hyaluronan hydrolysis to help maintain water in the cell. Our findings provide a very rich reference for understanding the important role of ncRNAs in the salinity adaptation of shellfish. Moreover, the acquired information may be useful for optimization of the artificial breeding of the Chinese razor clam under aquaculture conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the silicon photonics field matures and a data-hungry future looms ahead, new technologies are required to keep up pace with the increase in capacity demand. In this paper, we review current developments in the near-IR and mid-IR group IV photonic modulators that show promising performance. We analyse recent trends in optical and electrical co-integration of modulators and drivers enabling modulation data rates of 112 GBaud in the near infrared. We then describe new developments in short wave infrared spectrum modulators such as employing more spectrally efficient PAM-4 coding schemes for modulations up to 40 GBaud. Finally, we review recent results at the mid infrared spectrum and application of the thermo-optic effect for modulation as well as the emergence of new platforms based on germanium to tackle the challenges of modulating light in the long wave infrared spectrum up to 10.7 μ m with data rates of 225 MBaud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pot and field trials were conducted to investigate Cd uptake and phytoremediation efficiency of two Brassica napus cultivars (QY-1 and SYH) with applied water-soluble chitosan (WSC, Pot: 0, 2% and 4%; Field: 0 and 10 g·m−2) grown in Cd-contaminated soils. The results from the pot and field trials generally showed that WSC treatments significantly increased Cd concentrations in shoot and root tissues by 33.77–159.71% (except for SYH/JY) and 7.42–168.71% of two B. napus cultivars compared with the control (p < 0.05). The uptake of Cd by shoots of SYH was obviously higher than by shoots of QY-1 treated with WSC under pot and field conditions, which was 1.54–2.22 times than that of QY-1 (p < 0.05). The results indicated that 2% WSC treatment significantly increased the water-soluble and acid extractable Cd in rhizosphere soils of both B. napus cultivars. Furthermore, Cd concentrations in the oils of two B. napus cultivars with applied WSC (10 g·m−2) grown under field conditions were not significantly different from commercial rapeseed oils. Rapeseed oil of B. napus is not only an edible oil with high nutritional value, but it can also be converted into biomass diesel that can be used as a substitute for petroleum diesel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer (BCa) is the most common cancer in the urinary system with high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a novel subclass of noncoding-RNA which participate in progression of BCa. Here, we identified a novel circRNA–circ3323 and aimed to investigate the role of circ3323 in progression of BCa. Public data of RNA sequencing was used to identify significant circRNA related to BCa. The role of circRNAs in progression of BCa was assessed in cytotoxicity assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry. Biotin-coupled RNA pull-down and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed to evaluate the interaction between circRNAs and miRNAs. The expression of circ3323 was higher in BCa tissues and cells than in normal samples. Experiments in vitro showed that the knockdown of circ3323 inhibited cell proliferation and impeded the metastasis of BCa cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that circ3323 acts as a sponge for miR-186-5p and promotes host gene APP's expression. Clinically, circ3323 predicts worse overall survival of BCa patients, indicating its prognostic value. Our study identified that circ3323 modulates metastasis of BCa through miR-186-5p/APP axis and may serve as a promising prognostic biomarker for BCa, which provides novel insights into treatment of BCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, single-cell RNA sequencing analyses have identified multiple subpopulations of these cells in brains harboring Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Consequently, ablation of IFN-I receptor gene selectively from neural cells reduces A plaques in a mouse AD model [[6]], affirming a feedforward loop whereby plaque-induced inflammation further exacerbates AD pathology. Nevertheless, the IFN-II receptor gene dose is similarly elevated as that of IFNARs in DS [[10]], and IFN-II was shown to counteract the pathogenic effect of IFN-I in aging brain [[15]]. Reactive microglia accompany many neurodegenerative conditions and their contribution to disease progression is increasingly appreciated. [Extracted from the article]