Search

Abstract The continual large-scale urbanization and urban renewal in coastal cities of China have accumulated massive silty residue (SR) that may alter the coastal lines and always exerts high stresses to local environments. To meet China’s sustainable development policy, the need for green and high-efficient industrial treatments and reuse of SR is urgent. In this work, we may, for the first time, report a megaton-scale industrial project to upcycle low-quality SR and recycled aggregate (RA) to manufacture construction materials with hydrothermal mineralization (HM). In-situ pilot tests on five batches of SR-RA blocks were conducted. Results demonstrate that the produced blocks possess the compressive strengths of 11.4–15.8 MPa, densities of 1280–1430 kg/m3, porosities of 35–44%, CO2 emissions of 170.22–187.29 kg e-CO2/m3 and costs of 126.49–156.51 CNY/m3, comparable with or superior than the commercial blocks. The silica in SR could react with lime to produce tobermorite with stable pseudohexagonal plate under HM treatment, which improved the microstructure of the material. The findings validate the industrial practicability of upcycling low-quality SR and RA with HM for valuable construction block manufacture.

Abstract Cast iron alloys with low production cost and quite good mechanical properties are widely used in the automotive industry. To study the mechanical behavior of a typical ductile cast iron (GJS-450) with nodular graphite, uni-axial quasi-static and dynamic tensile tests at strain rates of 10−4, 1, 10, 100, and 250 s−1 were carried out. In order to investigate the influence of stress state on the deformation and fracture parameters, specimens with various geometries were used in the experiments. Stress strain curves and fracture strains of the GJS-450 alloy in the strain rate range of 10−4 to 250 s−1 were obtained. A strain rate-dependent plastic flow model was proposed to describe the mechanical behavior in the corresponding strain-rate range. The available damage model was extended to take the strain rate into account and calibrated based on the analysis of local fracture strains. Simulations with the proposed plastic flow model and the damage model were conducted to observe the deformation and fracture process. The results show that the strain rate has obviously nonlinear effects on the yield stress and fracture strain of GJS-450 alloys. The predictions with the proposed plastic flow and damage models at various strain rates agree well with the experimental results, which illustrates that the rate-dependent plastic flow and damage models can be used to describe the mechanical behavior of cast iron alloys at elevated strain rates. The proposed plastic flow and damage models can be used to describe the deformation and fracture analysis of materials with similar properties.

Abstract High-resolution oasis maps are imperative for understanding ecological and socio-economic development of arid regions. However, due to the late establishment and relatively niche nature of the oasis discipline, there are no high-precision datasets related to oases in the world to date. To fill this gap, detailed visual interpretation of remote sensing images on Google Earth Professional or Sentinel-2 was conducted in summer 2020, and for the first time, a high-precision dataset of China’s oases (abbreviation HDCO) with a resolution of 1 meter was constructed. HDCO comprises 1,466 oases with a total area of 277,375.56 km2. The kappa coefficient for this dataset validated by the field survey was 0.8686 and the AUC value for the ROC curve was 0.935. In addition, information on the geographic coordinates, climatic conditions, major landforms, and hydrological features of each oasis was added to the attribute table of the dataset. This dataset enables researchers to quantitatively monitor location and area of oases, fosters exploration of the relationship between oases and human under climate change and urbanization.

Abstract Background For acute type A aortic dissection involving the aortic root with root diameter no more than 45 mm, there are various aortic root repair techniques. In this study, a novel surgical technique using a pericardial autograft for aortic root repair was introduced. We described its surgical steps in detail and compare its clinical outcomes with direct suture technique. Methods Between July 2017 and August 2022, 95 patients with acute type A aortic dissection who underwent aortic root repair were enrolled, including aortic root repair using pericardial autograft (group A, n = 49) or direct suture (group B, n = 46). The patient’s clinical data were retrospectively analyzed, and a 5-year follow-up was conducted. Results The 30-day mortality, re-exploration for bleeding, postoperative new-onset renal failure requiring continuous renal replacement therapy, stroke, and paraplegia occurred in 3%, 4%, 11%, 5%, and 2% of the overall patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in the 30-day mortality and complication rate between the two groups. The 30-day mortality and re-exploration for bleeding marked the primary endpoint events. Logistic regression analysis indicated that there was a significant correlation between the primary endpoint events and surgical technique (odds ratio, 0.002; 95% confidence interval, 0-0.159; P = 0.026). The aortic valve insufficiency of the two groups were significantly improved after operation (group A, P

Microgrids comprising photovoltaic (PV), energy-storage systems and electric vehicles have received increasing attention. However, the increase in renewable energy sources, such as PVs, will introduce uncertainty factors to the frequency response, resulting in frequency fluctuations that can reduce power quality. Hence, we propose an outstanding learning-based control approach that combines a model of physical principles with a Gaussian Process (GP) learning approach. The learning model corrects the physical principles model and estimates its uncertainty. Simulations are performed by comparing the proposed controller with conventional model-predictive controllers. The results indicate that the learning-based controller proposed can adjust the frequency with less overshooting and a lower root mean square error compared to the conventional MPC control method.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is currently the most common psychiatric disorder in the world. It characterized by a high incidence of disease with the symptoms like depressed mood, slowed thinking, and reduced cognitive function. Without timely intervention, there is a 20–30% risk of conversion to treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and a high burden for the patient, family and society. Numerous studies have shown that physical activity (PA) is a non-pharmacological treatment that can significantly improve the mental status of patients with MDD and has positive effects on cognitive function, sleep status, and brain plasticity. However, the physiological and psychological effects of different types of PA on individuals vary, and the dosage profile of PA in improving symptoms in patients with MDD has not been elucidated. In most current studies of MDD, PA can be categorized as continuous endurance training (ECT), explosive interval training (EIT), resistance strength training (RST), and mind–body training (MBT), and the effects on patients’ depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and sleep varied. Therefore, the present study was based on a narrative review and included a large number of existing studies to investigate the characteristics and differences in the effects of different PA interventions on MDD. The study also investigated the characteristics and differences of different PA interventions in MDD, and explained the neural mechanisms through the results of multimodal brain function monitoring, including the intracranial environment and brain structure. It aims to provide exercise prescription and theoretical reference for future research in neuroscience and clinical intervention in MDD.

Slit fin-and-tube heat exchangers are extensively utilized in industry. The design of fin structure is crucial for improving the performance of heat exchanger and reducing energy losses. In this study, a new type of fin-and-tube heat exchanger with trapezoidal slit fins was proposed in this study. To determine the performance of the fins, physical and mathematical models of heat exchanger with the fin spacing Fp of 2.65 mm were established. The effects of structural parameters on heat exchanger performance were investigated by numerical simulation, which includes the slit height Sh, slit width Sw, transverse tube spacing Pt, and longitudinal tube spacing Pl. The effects of the four structural parameters on the comprehensive performance were analyzed by the evaluation index. The results revealed that the comprehensive performance of trapezoidal slit fins had increased by 9.6 % compared to flat fins. Furthermore, the influence degree of structural parameters on heat transfer performance was obtained based through the orthogonal experiments. The order of influence degree was as follows: Pl > Pt > Sh > Sw. Additionally, the optimal parameter combination was also obtained as follows: Sh = 1.47 mm, Pt = 42 mm, Pl = 27.5 mm, and Sw = 4 mm.

BackgroundThe incidence of cardiac arrest (CA) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is relatively rare. However, when it does occur, the mortality rate is extremely high. Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has shown promising survival rates for in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCA), with low-flow time being an independent prognostic factor for CA. However, there is no definitive answer on how to reduce low-flow time.MethodsThis retrospective study, conducted at a single center, included 39 patients who underwent ECPR during PCI between January 2016 and December 2022. The patients were divided into two cohorts based on whether standby extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was utilized during PCI: standby ECPR (SBE) (n = 13) and extemporaneous ECPR (EE) (n = 26). We compared the 30-day mortality rates between these two cohorts and investigated factors associated with survival.ResultsCompared to the EE cohort, the SBE cohort showed significantly lower low-flow time (P < 0.01), ECMO operation time (P < 0.01), and a lower incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) (P = 0.017), as well as peak lactate (P < 0.01). Stand-by ECMO was associated with improved 30-day survival (p = 0.036), while prolonged low-flow time (p = 0.004) and a higher SYNTAX II score (p = 0.062) predicted death at 30 days.ConclusionsStandby ECMO can provide significant benefits for patients who undergo ECPR for CA during PCI. It is a viable option for high-risk PCI cases and may enhance the overall prognosis. The low-flow time remains a critical determinant of survival.

With the rising adoption of renewable energy sources worldwide, the uncertainty within electrical power systems is amplifying, leading to rising challenges in wind power assimilation and operational costs. In addressing these pressing issues, this research emphasizes a sophisticated modeling technique for the energy-intensive electro-fused magnesium loads on demand. Furthermore, we introduce a coordinated scheduling approach for power systems, harnessing the regulatory capabilities of these loads. Initially, an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of the electro-fused magnesium energy-intensive load is carried out, from which a refined model is developed. Subsequently, considering the flexible regulatory potential of the electro-fused magnesium furnace apparatus, a bi-level optimization scheduling model is crafted, prioritizing the maximization of wind power absorption at the upper level and minimizing system operational costs at the lower level. The efficacy and rationale of the proposed methodology are corroborated through computational analyses.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to investigate the developmental change of body growth and gene expression related to fatty acid uptake and oxidation in the yolk sac membrane (YSM) and jejunum during embryogenesis in Muscovy ducks. The weights of embryos and yolk sac (YS) (5 embryos per replicate, n = 6) were recorded on embryonic days (E)16, E19, E22, E25, E28, E31, and the day of hatch (DOH). The fat and fatty acid contents in YSM, jejunal histology, and gene expression related to fatty acid metabolism in YSM and jejunum were determined in each sampling time. Among the nonlinear models, the maximum growth is estimated at 2.83 (E22.5), 2.67 (E22.1), and 2.60 (E21.3) g/d using logistic, Gompertz, and Von Bertalanffy models, respectively. The weight of YS, and ether extract-free YS as well as the amounts of fat and fatty acids in YS decreased (P < 0.05) linearly, whereas the villus height, crypt depth, villus height/crypt depth, and musculature thickness in jejunum increased (P < 0.05) linearly during embryogenesis. The mRNA expression of CD36, SLC27A4, and FABP1 related to fatty acid uptake as well as the mRNA and protein expressions of PPARα and CPT1 related to fatty acid oxidation increased in a quadratic manner (P < 0.05) in both YS and jejunum, and the maximum values were achieved during E25 to E28. In conclusion, the maximum growth rate of Muscovy duck embryos was estimated at 2.60 to 2.83 g/d on E21.3 to E23.5, while the accumulations of lipid and fatty acid in YS were decreased in association with the increased absorptive area of morphological structures in jejunum. The gene and protein expression involved in fatty acid metabolism displayed a similar enhancement pattern between YSM and jejunum during E25 to E28, suggesting that fatty acid utilization could be strengthened to meet the energy demand for embryonic development.

AbstractThe GRAS transcription factor (TF) is a plant-specific regulator that plays a critical role in plant growth, development and response to various abiotic stresses. While the functions of many GRAS TFs have been extensively studied in numerous model plants with fully sequenced genomes, the GRAS TFs in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) remain elusive despite the sequencing of its genome. To bridge this knowledge gap, homologs of GRAS TFs from Arabidopsis were employed and subjected to a genome-wide blast against white clover proteins. This analysis identified and characterized 102 putative GRAS genes, designated as TrGRAS, based on the presence of GRAS domains in positive blast hits. Concurrently, an exploration of their gene structures, classification, evolutionary relationships and conservative motifs provided insights into the distinctive features of TrGRAS in white clover. Furthermore, gene duplication analysis revealed an expansion of TrGRAS genes in the PAT1 and LISCL subfamilies, indicating functional diversity within the white clover genome. Lastly, RNA-seq and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments confirmed their higher expression during the early or intermittent responses to cold stress, suggesting their potential and crucial roles in determining the cold tolerances of white clover. The analysis of TrGRAS genes, coupled with expression studies, contributes to the functional characterization of TrGRAS genes in white clover. This knowledge is pivotal for informing genetic improvement strategies in future breeding efforts aimed at enhancing cold tolerance in white clover.

This paper proposes an input-parallel output-series (IPOS) Si-SiC hybrid inverter with dual-frequency harmonic elimination modulation strategy. The proposed topology composed of two power conversion cells and a three-phase five-column medium-frequency step-down transformer, the low-frequency power conversion cell (LFPC-C, 1 kHz) leverages strong current-carrying capacity of silicon-based devices for dealing with the system main power, and the high-frequency power conversion cell (HFPC-C, 30 kHz) based on wide-bandgap semiconductor SiC devices is used to addressing the fractional harmonics compensation power. This topology combines the strong current carrying capability of Si devices with the low switching loss of SiC devices at high frequency and achieves high quality power conversion at low cost and low loss. Compared to existing “IPOP” Si-SiC hybrid inverters, this topology adopts a coupling step-down transformer on the output side of both LFPC-C and HFPC-C, which can effectively reduce current stress of HFPC-C SiC devices. Additionally, a dual-frequency harmonic elimination modulation strategy based on the topology is proposed to solve the fractional harmonics caused by the LFPC-C. The paper establishes a mathematical model according to the harmonic distribution characteristics of the LFPC-C and HFPC-C, and designs the system control schedules. Building upon the derivation of the voltage ripple model and the design of hardware parameters, Si IGBT and SiC MOSFET were selected for constructing a 7.5 kW prototype for testing, and the experimental results validate the feasibility of this topology and the accuracy of theoretical analysis.

A tremendous amount of research has witnessed the exploration of two-dimensional (2D) materials with intrinsic ferromagnetism and diverse physical properties. However, the low Curie temperature and deficient magnetic anisotropy hinder their practical applications in nanoscale spintronics. Based on first-principles calculations, we propose a new family of 2D ternary transition metal tellurides, CrX2Te4 (X = Al, Ga, and In), with both structural and magnetic stabilities at room temperature. Our calculations demonstrate that the 2D CrX2Te4 crystal exhibits the intrinsic 100% spin-polarized half-metallic feature with spin-up metallic and spin-down semi-conducting properties. With the remarkable magnetic moment of 4 μB per Cr atom, both 2D CrAl2Te4 and CrGa2Te4 crystals perform robust ferromagnetism with the out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy, while the 2D CrIn2Te4 crystal prefers the in-plane easy magnetization axis. The Monte Carlo simulation based on the 2D Heisenberg model shows that the critical Curie temperatures of the 2D CrAl2Te4, CrGa2Te4, and CrIn2Te4 crystals could reach 466, 431, and 536 K, respectively. Moreover, the magnetic exchange strength and magnetic anisotropy could be further enhanced by the in-plane biaxial strain. The novel electronic and magnetic features promote 2D CrX2Te4 (X = Al, Ga, and In) crystals as a new family of two-dimensional intrinsic ferromagnetic materials for next-generation advanced spintronics.

One-time application of blended controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer (CRN) has the potential to solve the difficulty of top-dressing fertilizer in the cultivation of rice and reduce the cost of CRN fertilizer application. However, its effects on rice dry matter and nitrogen (N) accumulation and translocation, yield and N-use efficiency (NUE) remain uncertain. Field experiments were carried out at three sites (Mingguang, Chaohu, and Guichi) in the Yangtze River Delta in China to compare the effects of the conventional split applications of urea and the blended CRN and on post-anthesis dry matter and N accumulation and translocation, yield, and NUE in rice at 0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg N ha-1. The results showed that at the equal N application rates, compared under the conventional N fertilizer treatment, the blended CRN application significantly increased the rice yield by an average of 0.9-6.9%, mainly due to increase the number of spikelets per panicle. The highest yield achieved with blended CRN treatment occurred at 200 kg N ha-1, with an NUE of 45.9%. Moreover, in comparison to the conventional N fertilizer, the blended CRN treatment increased pre-anthesis N translocation (Pre-NT) by 1.0-19.8%, and the contribution of pre-NT to grain N by 0.2-8.7%, and NUE by 3.2-28.4%. Meanwhile, the blended CRN treatment reduced labor costs by 1800 Yuan ha-1 and enhanced the economic gains by 21.5-68.8%. Therefore, one-time application of blended CRN ≤ 200 kg N ha-1 application rate improved rice yield, NUE, and economic profit compared to equivalent rates of split applied conventional N fertilizers.

Patient readmission for ischemic stroke significantly strains the healthcare and medical insurance systems. Current understanding of the risk factors associated with these readmissions, as well as their subsequent impact on mortality within China, remains insufficient. This is particularly evident in the context of comprehensive, contemporary population studies. This 4-year retrospective cohort study included 125 397 hospital admissions for ischemic stroke from 838 hospitals located in 22 regions (13 urban and 9 rural) of a major city in western China, between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018. The Chi-square tests were used in univariate analysis. Accounting for intra-subject correlations of patients’ readmissions, accelerated failure time (AFT) shared frailty models were used to examine readmission events and pure AFT models for mortality. Risk factors for patient readmission after ischemic stroke include frequent admission history, male gender, employee’s insurance, advanced age, residence in urban areas, index hospitalization in low-level hospitals, extended length of stay (LOS) during index hospitalization, specific comorbidities and subtypes of ischemic stroke. Furthermore, our findings indicated that an additional admission for ischemic stroke increased patient mortality by 16.4% ( P

Abstract The dense stroma of desmoplastic tumor limits nanotherapeutic penetration and hampers the antitumor immune response. Here, we report a denaturation-and-penetration strategy and the use of tin monosulfide nanoparticles (SnSNPs) as nano-sonosensitizers that can overcome the stromal barrier for the management of desmoplastic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). SnSNPs possess a narrow bandgap (1.18 eV), allowing for efficient electron (e−)-hole (h+) pair separation to generate reactive oxygen species under US activation. More importantly, SnSNPs display mild photothermal properties that can in situ denature tumor collagen and facilitate deep penetration into the tumor mass upon near-infrared irradiation. This approach significantly enhances sonodynamic therapy (SDT) by SnSNPs and boosts antitumor immunity. In mouse models of malignant TNBC and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the combination of robust SDT and enhanced cytotoxic T lymphocyte infiltration achieves remarkable anti-tumor efficacy. This study presents an innovative approach to enhance SDT and antitumor immunity using the denaturation-and-penetration strategy, offering a potential combined sono-immunotherapy approach for the cancer nanomedicine field.

Abstract In terms of pig farming, pig gut microbes have a significant effect on farmers and the farm environment. However, it is still unclear which microbial composition is more likely to contribute to this effect. This study collected a total of 136 samples, including pigs’ faeces samples, farmers’ faeces samples, samples from individuals who had no contact with any type of farm animal (referred to as ‘non-exposed’ persons), and environmental dust samples (collected from inside and outside pig houses and the farm) from two pig farms, pig farm A and pig farm B. Whereafter, 16S rRNA sequencing and taxonomic composition analysis were performed. According to the study, compared to non-exposed persons, pig farmers had a significantly higher abundance of 7 genera. In addition, the farmers were grouped according to the duration of their occupational exposure, and it was shown that 4 genera, including Turicibacter, Terrisporobacter, and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, exhibited a rise in more frequent contact with pigs. As compared to outside the pig house, the environmental dust has a greater concentration of the 3 bacteria mentioned before. Therefore, these 3 microbes can be considered as co-occurring microbes that may exist both in humans and the environment. Also, the 3 co-occurring microbes are involved in the fermentation and production of short-chain fatty acids and their effectiveness decreased as distance from the farm increased. This study shows that the 3 microbes where pig farmers co-occur with the environment come from pig farms, which provides fresh ideas for preventing the spread of microbial aerosols in pig farms and reducing pollution.

Urban water dissipation is a significant part of the urban hydrologic cycle and has a typical natural–social dualistic attribute. Besides natural evaporation, the water dissipation in people's daily life and production process cannot be ignored. This study developed an urban water dissipation model based on different land uses and applied it in urban-built areas in Beijing. The results showed that the water dissipation of buildings and green spaces occupied the dominant position, and the water dissipation intensity of each district exceeded 500 mm, among which the six core districts were 700–1,100 mm. Comparing the water dissipation contribution rate and area rate of each underlying surface, it showed that the water dissipation intensity from strong to weak was building, water surface, green spaces, and hardened ground. According to the dualistic analysis of urban water dissipation, the contribution rates of social water dissipation in the six core districts were 45.3–69.1%, which was higher than the 17.8–36.1% of other suburbs obviously. This study reflected that the higher the degree of regional urbanization, the greater the water dissipation intensity, and artificial water dissipation was the main influencing factor. HIGHLIGHTS Developed a city-scale water dissipation calculation model based on urban land types.; Urban water dissipation includes traditional natural evapotranspiration and artificial water dissipation.; Buildings and green spaces are the major part of water dissipation in urban areas.; Regions with a high degree of urbanization in urban areas have greater water dissipation intensity.;

Agarwood is a resinous heartwood of Aquilaria sinensis that is formed in response to mechanical wounding. In the present study pre-treatment of Aquilaria sinensis was carried out, and then the dominant fungi were isolated and purified from the surface and electroshock holes of trees. The isolated Trichoderma sp. and Neurospora sp. were then screened for resistance against benzyl acetone and then inoculated into healthy Aquilaria sinensis trees. After six months, the agarwood was collected for analysis. The chemical composition of incense was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, and 82 chemical constituents were identified. Agarwood products formed by using Trichoderma sp. and Neurospora sp. consisted of 50.22% and 48.71% ether extracts, respectively, which surpassed the 10% threshold specified by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Similarly, relative aromatic contents in the two agarwood products were 30.1% and 32.86%, while proportions of sesquiterpene constituents were 10.21% and 11.19%, respectively. These two agarwood-specific chemical constituents accounted for a large proportion of the total chemical composition, which showed that the generated agarwood was of good quality. The results of the study revealed that both Trichoderma sp. and Neurospora sp. were able to effectively induce agarwood production in Aquilaria sinensis trees in 6 months. This study expands the library of fungi that promote the production of agarwood from Aquilaria sinensis trees.

IntroductionCitrus chlorotic dwarf-associated virus (CCDaV) is an economically important citrus virus associated with leaf curling, deformation, and chlorosis found in China. Plants have evolved RNA silencing to defend against viral infections; however, the mechanism by which CCDaV suppresses RNA silencing in citrus remains unknown.MethodsSix proteins encoded by CCDaV were ectopically expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana 16c using the pCHF3 vector to identify RNA-silencing suppression activities.ResultsV2 protein encoded by CCDaV suppressed local RNA silencing and systemic RNA silencing triggered by GFP RNA, but did not impede short-distance movement of the RNA silencing signal in N. benthamiana 16c. GFP fluorescence observations showed that the ability of V2 protein to suppress RNA silencing was weaker than tomato bushy stunt virus P19. Deletion analysis showed that the putative nuclear localization signal (NLS, 25–54 aa) was involved in the RNA silencing suppression activity of V2 protein. Furthermore, V2 protein cannot block dsRNA-triggered RNA silencing. The subcellular localization assay suggested that V2 protein was localized to nucleus of N. benthamiana.ConclusionOverall, the results of this study demonstrate that CCDaV-V2 acts as an activity of silencing suppression. This is the first reported RNA-silencing suppressor encoded by Citlodavirus and will be valuable in revealing the molecular mechanism of CCDaV infection.

Abstract Although the extraordinary progress has been made in molecular biology, the prevention of cancer remains arduous. Most solid tumours exhibit both spatial and temporal heterogeneity, which is difficult to be mimicked in vitro. Additionally, the complex biochemical and immune features of tumour microenvironment significantly affect the tumour development. Molecular imaging aims at the exploitation of tumour‐associated molecules as specific targets of customized molecular probe, thereby generating image contrast of tumour markers, and offering opportunities to non‐invasively evaluate the pathological characteristics of tumours in vivo. Particularly, there are no “standard markers” as control in clinical imaging diagnosis of individuals, so the tumour pathological characteristics‐responsive nanoprobe‐based quantitative molecular imaging, which is able to visualize and determine the accurate content values of heterogeneous distribution of pathological molecules in solid tumours, can provide criteria for cancer diagnosis. In this context, a variety of “smart” quantitative molecular imaging nanoprobes have been designed, in order to provide feasible approaches to quantitatively visualize the tumour‐associated pathological molecules in vivo. This review summarizes the recent achievements in the designs of these nanoprobes, and highlights the state‐of‐the‐art technologies in quantitative imaging of tumour‐associated pathological molecules.

Abstract Malignant tumors have been one of the major reasons for deaths worldwide. Timely and accurate diagnosis as well as effective intervention of tumors play an essential role in the survival of patients. Genomic instability is the important foundation and feature of cancer, hence, in vivo oncogene imaging based on novel probes provides a valuable tool for the diagnosis of cancer at early-stage. However, the in vivo oncogene imaging is confronted with great challenge, due to the extremely low copies of oncogene in tumor cells. By combining with various novel activatable probes, the molecular imaging technologies provide a feasible approach to visualize oncogene in situ, and realize accurate treatment of tumor. This review aims to declare the design of nanoprobes responded to tumor associated DNA or RNA, and summarize their applications in detection and bioimaging for tumors. The significant challenges and prospective of oncogene-targeting nanoprobes towards tumors diagnosis are revealed as well.

Abstract Babesia spp. are intraerythrocytic apicomplexans that digest and utilize red blood cells in a similar way to intraerythrocytic Plasmodium spp., but unlike the latter, are not sensitive to artemisinin. A comparison of Babesia and Plasmodium genomes revealed that Babesia genomes, which are smaller than those of Plasmodium, lack numerous genes, and especially haem synthesis-related genes, that are found in the latter. Single-cell sequencing analysis showed that the different treatment groups of Babesia microti with expressed pentose phosphate pathway-related, DNA replication-related, antioxidation-related, glycolysis-related, and glutathione-related genes were not as sensitive to artemether as Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL. In particular, pentose phosphate pathway-related, DNA replication-related, and glutathione-related genes, which were actively expressed in P. yoelii 17XNL, were not actively expressed in B. microti. Supplying iron in vivo can promote the reproduction of B. microti. These results suggest that Babesia spp. lack a similar mechanism to that of malaria parasites through which the haem or iron in hemoglobin is utilized, and that this likely leads to their insensitivity to artemisinin. Graphical Abstract

The occurrence of an axlebox bearing ring raceway defect is an inevitable and commonly observed phenomenon in railway wheels. It not only leads to surface damage but also poses the potential threat of further damage and degradation, thereby increasing the risks associated with running safety and maintenance costs. Hence, it becomes imperative to detect raceway defects at an early stage to mitigate safety hazards and reduce maintenance efforts. In this study, the focus lies in investigating the effectiveness of vibration-based detection techniques for identifying raceway defects in high-speed train axlebox bearing systems. To achieve this, a dynamic model that accurately represents the coupling dynamics between the vehicle and the track is developed. This model incorporates various dynamic factors, such as traction transmission, gear transmission, and track geometry irregularities. By using the comprehensive dynamic model, the dynamic responses of the axlebox can be accurately calculated. The proposed methodology primarily revolves around analysing the vertical vibrations of the axlebox caused by raceway defects in both the time and frequency domains. Additionally, an envelope analysis using a developed band-pass filter is also employed. The results obtained from this study clearly demonstrate the successful detection of raceway defects in a more realistic vehicle model, thereby providing an efficient approach for the detection of axlebox bearing raceway defects. Consequently, this research contributes significantly to the field of high-speed train systems and paves the way for enhanced safety and maintenance practices.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a pathogen that causes severe abortions in sows and high piglet mortality, resulting in huge economic losses to the pig industry worldwide. The emerging and novel PRRSV isolates are clinically and biologically important, as there are likely recombination and pathogenic differences among PRRSV genomes. Furthermore, the NADC34-like strain has become a major epidemic strain in some parts of China, but the characterization and pathogenicity of the latest strain in Inner Mongolia have not been reported in detail. In this study, an NADC34-like strain (CHNMGKL1-2304) from Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia was successfully isolated and characterized, and confirmed the pathogenicity in pigs. The phylogenetic tree showed that this strain belonged to sublineage 1.5 and had high homology with the strain JS2021NADC34. There is no recombination between CHNMGKL1-2304 and any other domestic strains. Animal experiments show that the CHNMGKL1-2304 strain is moderately virulent to piglets, which show persistent fever, weight loss and high morbidity but no mortality. The presence of PRRSV nucleic acids was detected in both blood, tissues, nasal and fecal swabs. In addition, obvious pathological changes and positive signals were observed in lung, lymph node, liver and spleen tissues when subjected to hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). This report can provide a basis for epidemiological investigations and subsequent studies of PRRSV.

In order to solve the risk of transient voltage instability caused by the increasing proportion of new energy represented by photovoltaic (PV) and dynamic load in the power grid, a dynamic reactive power compensation device configuration method with high-permeability PV is proposed considering transient voltage stability. Firstly, a typical reactive power compensation device configuration is constructed, and evaluation indexes based on transient voltage disturbance and transient voltage peak are proposed. The static index based on complex network characteristics and the dynamic index based on sensitivity theory are used to guide the candidate nodes of dynamic reactive power compensation. Secondly, when reactive power capacity is configured, a differentiated dynamic reactive power compensation optimization model is established, and the multi-objective marine predator algorithm is used to solve the configured capacity, aiming to improve the transient voltage stability at the lowest reactive power investment cost. The final configuration scheme is selected by using the improved entropy weight ideal solution sorting method. Finally, the simulation results of the improved IEEE39-node system verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

With the promotion of the dual carbon target, the scale of the wind power grid connection will significantly increase. However, wind power has characteristics such as randomness and volatility, and its grid connection challenges the pressure of system peak shaving, making it increasingly difficult to regulate the power system. To solve the problem of wind power abandonment, the positive and negative peak shaving characteristics of wind power were first analyzed. Based on this, it is proposed that demand response resources and energy storage with adjustable characteristics are used as the new means of wind power consumption. Together with the thermal power units, they participate in the optimization and scheduling of the power grid, forming a coordinated and optimized operation mode of source load storage. With the goal of minimizing system operating costs, a two-stage economic scheduling model was formed for the day-ahead and intra-day periods. Finally, optimization software was used to solve the problem, and the simulation results showed the effectiveness of the proposed economic scheduling model, which can improve the system’s new energy consumption and reduce the system’s operating costs.

This study reveals the dynamic compressive deformation anisotropy among 316L stainless steel fabricated via wire and arc additive manufacturing process(WAAM). Cylindrical samples extracted from as-built WAAM 316L plate with 35°, 45°, 55°and 90° from scanning direction, were referred to as , , and crystallographic orientations hereinafter, which had been confirmed through backscattered diffraction. Cylindrical samples were subjected to dynamic tests by a split Hopkinson pressure bar. The corresponding mechanical behaviors and deformed microstructures are associated. There are approximately 10% higher dynamic flow stresses from the samples than other samples during dynamic tests at strain rates less than 3500 s−1, which can be attributed to lower density of thinner deformation twins. The lower tendency towards deformation twinning in samples arises from the increase of effective stacking fault energy. WAAM 316L presents an anisotropy of resistance to adiabatic shearing, of which the order is , , and . Two adiabatic shear bands(ASB) in sample present distinct orientation characters, where the sub-grains in the first ASB show and -fiber while that in the subsequent one take -fiber. This micro-texture discrepancy from two ASBs could be contributed to the precondition change of macro texture in the matrix which give birth to.

Plant polysaccharides, one of the main sources of natural polysaccharides, has significant antitumor activity and are potentially exploitable in the field of food and medicine. This paper systematically summarizes the anti-tumor mechanism and structure-activity relationships of plant polysaccharides, focusing on three perspectives: Inhibition of tumor cell growth, enhancement of immune regulation, and inhibition of tumor cell invasion and metastasis. The functional-structural relationships of plant polysaccharides are further dissected based on their molecular weight, glycosidic bond types and monosaccharide composition, modified modifications and advanced structures. In this paper, the antitumor activity and structure-bioactivity relationships of plant polysaccharides are systematically summarized to provide a reference for discovering its new breakthroughs and further development.

Hepatic lipid and fatty acid (FA) metabolism are critical for regulating energetic homeostasis during embryogenesis. At present, it remains unclear how an exogenous FA intervention affects embryonic development in an avian embryo model. In Exp. 1, 30 fertilized eggs were sampled on embryonic days (E) 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31 and the day of hatch (DOH) to determine the critical period of lipid metabolism. In Exp. 2, a total of 120 fertilized eggs were divided into two groups (60 eggs/group) for in ovo feeding (IOF) procedures on E25. Eggs were injected into the yolk sac with PBS as the control group and with oleic acid (OA) as the IOF-OA treatment group. Samples were collected on E28 and E31. In Exp. 1, hepatic triacylglycerol (TG) and cholesterol (CHO) contents increased while serum TG content decreased from E16 to DOH (P 0.05). Maximal metabolic changes in lipid and FA metabolism occurred on E22-E28 in Muscovy duck embryogenesis, along with the altered target gene and protein expression related to lipogenesis and lipolysis. IOF-OA intervention on E25 could inhibit the target gene expression related to FA uptake, synthesis, and oxidation, which may influence the normal FA metabolism on E28 during embryogenesis.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of beraprost sodium (BPS) in the intervention of myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction (MI) through glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β) and to provide new ideas for intervention in myocardial fibrosis. Materials and Methods MI model rats given BPS and cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) treated with BPS and TGF‐β. HE staining and Masson staining were used to detect the pathological changes of myocardial tissue. Fibrotic markers were detected by immunohistochemical staining. The expressions of GSK‐3β, cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), and p‐CREB were analyzed by qPCR and western blot analysis. EDU staining was used to detect the proliferation of CFs. The promoter activity of GSK‐3β was detected by luciferase assay. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay was used to detect the binding levels of GSK‐3β promoter and Y‐box binding protein 1 (YBX1). The levels of intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) were analyzed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results After operation, BPS improved myocardial fibrosis and upregulated GSK‐3β protein expression in male SD rats. BPS can down‐regulate α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) level and up‐regulate GSK‐3β protein expression in CFs after TGF‐β stimulation. Furthermore, GSK‐3β knockdown can reverse the effect of BPS on TGF‐β‐activated CFs, enhance α‐SMA expression, and promote the proliferation of CFs. BPS could regulate GSK‐3β expression by promoting the binding of GSK‐3β promoter to YBX1. BPS induced upregulation of p‐CREB and cAMP, resulting in reduced fibrosis, which was reversed by the knockdown of GSK‐3β or prostaglandin receptor (IPR) antagonists. Conclusion BPS treatment increased the binding of YBX1 to the GSK‐3β promoter, and GSK‐3β protein expression was upregulated, which further caused the upregulation of p‐CREB and cAMP, and finally inhibited myocardial fibrosis.

With the development of new energy industries such as photovoltaics, microgrids, or distributed energy sources require many DC-AC grid-connected interfaces. Reducing the switching loss of the inverter is important to improve the transmission efficiency of the inverter, reduce the heat generation of the inverter, promote the high frequency and miniaturization of the inverter, and efficiently use the distributed energy. Therefore, considering the wide application of DC-AC power electronic interfaces in microgrid and distributed energy, and to make up for existing deficiencies in traditional hard-switching inverters, an optimal control strategy and topology for an optimal-auxiliary resonant commutated pole (O-ARCP) inverter is proposed in this article. Firstly, this paper introduces the proposed inverter topology and analyzes the operation mode of the circuit with the control strategy. Then simulation experiments in islanding mode are carried out to verify the rationality of the content, and finally simplified experimental verification is carried out based on the simulation results. Simulation and experimental testing reveal that all switches of the proposed topology are in soft-switching mode, which proves the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy and analysis. The analysis and validation of this paper provide assistance in the development of control strategies and structures for soft-switching inverters.

This paper studies robust stabilization problem and state feedback controller design problem for a class of complex production process systems by pattern class variable instead of state variable or output variable. Firstly, the maximum entropy clustering method is introduced and modeling method based on multi-dimensional moving pattern is given. Nonlinear state space models of systems with input-delay are established by using the trajectories of pattern class variable. Then sufficient conditions for robust stabilization of the system are obtained by Linear Matrix Inequality. In addition, a state feedback controller is designed based on this condition. Finally, the effectiveness of the methods is illustrated by taking the actual working conditions data as an example.

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality. The collaterals provide an alternative pathway to preserve the ischemic brain tissue, and determine the penumbra range, where the neurons are salvageable. Therefore, accurately monitoring the collaterals and identifying the penumbra are crucial. Herein, a low-immunogenic nanoprobe-based MRI strategy is developed to simultaneously identify the infarct core, collaterals distribution, and ischemic penumbra distributions. The low-immunogenic nanoprobe was constructed by covalently attaching self-peptide on the surface of biocompatible Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a stealth coating. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments clearly revealed that the nanoprobes can effectively avoid capture by macrophages, and exhibited prolonged blood half-life to continuously enhance the contrast of blood vessels in a longer time window in susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), which enabled the delineation of the collaterals and ischemic penumbra. More importantly, combined with the diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), the infarct core, collateral vessels, and the ischemic penumbra range can be identified simultaneously. In this context, the stroke progress including infarct core growth, collateral vessel formation, and penumbra distribution, can be better understood. This nanoprobe-based strategy thus offers a practical route for precise diagnosis of ischemic stroke, which remains a challenge for conventional MRI strategies.

Abstract The event‐triggered output feedback fault‐tolerant control problem is studied in this paper for interval type‐2 Takagi–Sugeno (IT2 T‐S) fuzzy large‐scale systems with time delays. First, a fuzzy state observer is designed to address the immeasurable states problem. Then, by introducing a discrete event‐triggered mechanism, an observer‐based event‐triggered fuzzy decentralized controller with dynamic parameters is synthesized in the presence of actuator faults based on the nonparallel distribution compensation (PDC) design principle. The sufficient conditions of asymptotic stability for the closed‐loop systems are derived by constructing an appropriate dynamic parameter based Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional candidate. Finally, a simulation example is provided to verify the feasibility of the developed fuzzy control method.

Sufficient and stable positioning torque is necessary for the parking of an electric vehicle driven by switched reluctance motor (SRM). Considering the highly nonlinear torque characteristic of SRM, the parking control with high stability and power consumption economy is an important issue. This paper presents an optimized parking control method for an electric vehicle driven by SRM to achieve optimal parking stability and power consumption economy simultaneously. The static torque-angle characteristic curve of a four-phase 16/12 SRM is analyzed, based on which the optimized region of parking position (presented by rotor angle) is obtained considering the uncertainty of parking conditions. To ensure the vehicle is properly parked in the optimized position region, active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is utilized to achieve the smooth switch from zero-speed control to parking position control. Simulation and experimental results verify that the proposed method can better stabilize the parking on the ramp and reduce power consumption in all conditions.

In the field of remote sensing, image fusion technology plays a crucial role in observing the state of global resources and environmental conditions, proposing response strategies, and constantly monitoring and correcting strategies. Currently, the majority of traditional methods exhibit varying degrees of spatial or spectral distortion, and these unreasonable spectral distributions may contain erroneous geographical feature information. Meanwhile, despite their performance in fusion results, deep learning-based methods cannot be applied to some practical application scenarios due to the requirement for hardware specifications resulting from a large number of parameters in their models. These issues are not conducive to accurately reflecting the actual geomorphic resource conditions or promoting sustainable development. In order to address the above issues, we propose a novel recursive self-attention module (RSAM), which consists of two stages: spatial-spectral similarity extraction and self-attention weight generation. The proposed RSAM employs a global-to-local strategy to capture the global interdependencies of two distinct local locations in the feature map. This method allows for simultaneous consideration of both spatial and spectral information while focusing on more mutual information between spectral and spatial dimensions. Subsequently, we construct the corresponding recursive self-attention residual block (RSARB) through RSAM and concatenate the RSARBs to generate a recursive self-attention module-based network (RSANet) with a limited number of parameters. Extensive experiments demonstrate that RSANet achieves superior results in both qualitative and quantitative evaluation despite the model parameters being within a narrow range of orders of magnitude. This demonstrates that the proposed method possesses robust feature learning capability and practicality for observing and studying the global resource environment.

Onboard real-time processing of remote sensing satellites is an important means of rapidly obtaining information, and the fusion processing of panchromatic and multispectral data is of great significance for optical satellites. In order to ensure the effect, most traditional algorithms perform statistical analysis or transformation on the entire image first and then perform subsequent processing. There are problems such as high algorithm complexity and resource occupation, and it is difficult to apply to onboard scenarios where the volume and power consumption are strictly limited. Aiming at the requirements of onboard fusion, a real-time processing approach for high-resolution optical satellites is proposed. First, through the implementation of real-time geometric positioning, ROI extraction is completed while the camera is imaging, avoiding the disadvantages of traditional methods for processing large amounts of data; then, based on the principle of object-space consistency, by fine-tuning virtual sensor parameters, the registration of a panchromatic multispectral image is completed in the sensor correction step, so that the relative accuracy of the two can meet the fusion requirements, and time-consuming pixel-level registration processing is avoided; finally, according to the characteristics of the algorithms and embedded hardware, an efficient algorithm mapping strategy is formulated, and deep optimization is implemented to achieve a significant improvement in performance. Experiments show that the performance of this method is improved by 156.23 times compared with the traditional method. Moreover, after building a parallel pipeline, it can meet the real-time fusion processing requirement of completing a 5000 × 5000 pixels ROI area every 2.4 s.

Abstract Background Although the promising advancements of current therapeutic approaches is available for the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients, the clinical treatment of SCC still faces many difficulties. The surgical irreparable disfigurement and the postoperative wound infection largely hamper the recovery, and the chemo/radiotherapy leads to toxic side effects. Results Herein, a novel pH/Hyaluronidase (HAase) dual-stimuli triggered smart nanoprobe FeIIITA@HA has been designed through the biomineralization of Fe3+ and polyphenol tannic acid (TA) under the control of hyaluronic acid (HA) matrix. With the HA residues on the outer surface, FeIIITA@HA nanoprobes can specifically target the SCC cells through the over-expressed CD44, and accumulate in the carcinoma region after intravenously administration. The abundant HAase in carcinoma microenvironment will trigger the degradation of HA molecules, thereby exposing the FeIIITA complex. After ingesting by tumor cells via CD44 mediated endocytosis, the acidic lysosomal condition will further trigger the protonation of TA molecules, finally leading to the Fe3+ release of nanoprobe, and inducing a hybrid ferroptosis/apoptosis of tumor cells through peroxidase activity and glutathione depletion. In addition, Owing to the outstanding T 1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performance and phototermal conversion efficiency of nanoprobes, the MRI-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) can be also combined to complement the Fe3+-induced cancer therapy. Meanwhile, it was also found that the nanoprobes can promote the recruitment of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to inhibit the tumor growth through the cytokines secretion. In addition, the FeIIITA@HA nanoprobes can be eliminated from the body and no obvious adverse side effect can be found in histological analysis, which confirmed the biosafety of them. Conclusion The current FeIIITA@HA nanoprobe has huge potential in clinical translation in the field of precise diagnosis and intelligent synergistic therapy of superficial SCC. This strategy will promisingly avoid the surgical defects, and reduce the systemic side effect of traditional chemotherapy, paving a new way for the future SCC treatment. Graphical Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of body growth and intestinal development of female Chinese native geese from 1 to 10 weeks of age. At weekly intervals, from hatch through 10 weeks of age, ten geese were sampled to measure the absolute and relative weight and length of the intestinal segments and overall intestine of geese. The body weight of Bertalanffy (R2 = 0.989), Gompertz (R2 = 0.990), Logistic (R2 = 0.980) and Richards (R2 = 0.982) models showed an increase in the asymptotes at 1–10 weeks old, while the inflection points were at 30.53, 28.56, and 25.59 d, respectively. The relative weight and length of the intestinal segments and overall intestine were decreased linearly (P

Analyzing and characterizing the differences between networks is a fundamental and challenging problem in network science. Most previous network comparison methods that rely on topological properties have been restricted to measuring differences between two undirected networks. However, many networks, such as biological networks, social networks, and transportation networks, exhibit inherent directionality and higher-order attributes that should not be ignored when comparing networks. Therefore, we propose a motif-based directed network comparison method that captures local, global, and higher-order differences between two directed networks. Specifically, we first construct a motif distribution vector for each node, which captures the information of a node’s involvement in different directed motifs. Then, the dissimilarity between two directed networks is defined on the basis of a matrix, which is composed of the motif distribution vector of every node and the Jensen–Shannon divergence. The performance of our method is evaluated via the comparison of six real directed networks with their null models, as well as their perturbed networks based on edge perturbation. Our method is superior to the state-of-the-art baselines and is robust with different parameter settings.

To account for changes in the performance of spillway aerator structures of high-altitude dams, depressurization generalized model experiments and theoretical analyses were conducted in this study. Measurements were taken for ventilation hole air velocity, cavity subpressure, cavity length, and air concentration in crucial regions. The study proposed correction formulas for the aeration coefficient and water air concentration in aerator devices operating under low atmospheric pressure. The pressure range of the experiments was between 26.3 kPa and 101.3 kPa. The results indicated that with decreasing atmospheric pressure, ventilation hole air velocity, ventilation volume, cavity subpressure, and water air concentration all showed a decreasing trend. For every 15 kPa decrease in pressure, ventilation hole air velocity decreased by approximately 24%. When the atmospheric pressure dropped from 101.3 kPa to 26.3 kPa, the cavity subpressure decreased and eventually approached zero. The maximum reduction in air concentration was 14.9% in the cavity backwater area, 38.5% at the cavity end, and 38.3% in the downstream bubble escape segment. The proposed correction formulas could be used for a rapid estimation of ventilation volume and air concentration in low-pressure environments. This research provides a scientific basis for the design of aeration devices in water projects located in high-altitude regions.

Plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi pose a significant threat to agricultural production. This study reports on a strain YBS22 with broad-spectrum antifungal activity that was isolated and identified, and its active metabolites were purified and systematically studied. Based on a whole genome sequence analysis, the new strain YBS22 was identified as Streptomyces melanogenes. Furthermore, eight gene clusters were predicted in YBS22 that are responsible for the synthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites. These clusters have homologous sequences in the MIBiG database with a similarity of 100%. The antifungal effects of YBS22 and its crude extract were evaluated in vivo and vitro. Our findings revealed that treatment with the strain YBS22 and its crude extract significantly reduced the size of necrotic lesions caused by Magnaporthe oryzae on rice leaves. Further analysis led to the isolation and purification of an active compound from the crude extract of the strain YBS22, identified as N-formylantimycin acid methyl ester, an analog of antimycin, characterized by NMR and MS analyses. Consistently, the active compound can significantly inhibit the germination and development of M. oryzae spores in a manner that is both dose- and time-dependent. As a result, we propose that the strain YBS22 could serve as a novel source for the development of biological agents aimed at controlling rice blast disease.

Antioxidants from natural sources have long been of interest to researchers. In this paper, taking the traditional Tibetan medicine Ribes himalense as an example, an integrated approach was used to identify and isolate its chemical composition with free-radical-scavenging properties from its ethanol extract. First, the ethanol extract of Ribes himalense was pretreated using polyamide medium-pressure liquid chromatography (polyamide-MPLC), and the target fraction (Fr4) was obtained. Then, a combined HPLC mode was utilized to purify antioxidants in Fr4 under the guidance of an online HPLC-1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (HPLC-DPPH) activity screening system. Finally, three antioxidants (3-caffeoylquinic acid methyl ester, rutin, and myricetin-3′-α-L-rhamnopyranoside) were isolated, and this is the first report of their presence in R. himalense. Further molecular docking studies showed that the antioxidants exhibited good binding with HO-1, Nrf2, and iNOS. In conclusion, this comprehensive approach is capable of extracting high-purity antioxidants from trace fractions of Ribes himalense and holds promise for future applications in the exploration of the chemical compositions and bioactivity of natural products.

The coexistence of polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PVC) microplastics (MPs) and methamphetamine (METH) in aquatic systems is evident. However, the joint toxicity is unclear. Here, zebrafish larvae were exposed to single PS and PVC MPs (20 mg L−1) and combined with METH (250 and 500 μg L−1) for 10 days. The results indicated that acute exposure to PS and PVC MPs induced lethal effects on zebrafish larvae (10–20%). Treatment with MPs markedly suppressed the locomotion of zebrafish, showing as the lengthy immobility (51–74%) and lower velocity (0.09–0.55 cm s−1) compared with the control (1.07 cm s−1). Meanwhile, histopathological analysis revealed pronounced depositions of MPs particles in fish’s intestinal tract, triggering inflammatory responses (histological scores: 1.6–2.0). In the coexposure groups, obviously inflammatory responses were found. Furthermore, the up-regulations of the genes involved in the oxidative kinase gene and inflammation related genes implied that oxidative stress triggered by MPs on zebrafish larvae might be responsible for the mortality and locomotion retardant. The antagonistic and stimulatory effects of METH on the expression changes of genes found in PVC and PS groups implied the contrary combined toxicity of PS/PVC MPs and METH. This study for the first time estimated the different toxicity of PS and PVC MPs on fish and the joint effects with METH at high environmental levels. The results suggested PS showed stronger toxicity than PVC for fish larvae. The addition of METH stimulated the effects of PS but antagonized the effects of PVC, promoting control strategy development on MPs and METH in aquatic environments.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignancy with high mortality and recurrence rates, has very limited options for treatment strategies. Dehydrocostus lactone (DL) is the principal quality marker extracted from Aucklandia lappa Decne. and has been demonstrated to possess excellent anticancer activity. The key purpose of this study was to explore the therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of DL on HCC. Methods: The effect of DL on the cell viability of HCC cell lines (HepG2 and SK-HEP-1) and normal human hepatocyte cell line (L-O2) was examined by CCK8, colony formation, and BeyoClickTMEdU-488 assays; Hoechst 33,258 staining and flow cytometry were utilized to determine the impact of DL on apoptosis; the sensitivity of HCC cells to DL was explored by adding Z-VAD-fmk. In addition, the expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bax, Bcl-2, and PARP was detected by western blotting; the expression of p-H2AX was investigated by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining; cell cycle distribution was observed using flow cytometry; the migration ability and invasiveness of HCC cells were assessed by wound healing assay and transwell assay; immunoblotting was applied to visualize the levels of EMT markers in the two HCC cell lines. Transcriptome sequencing was performed to reveal the underlying mechanisms of DL anti-tumor; western blotting and qRT-PCR were employed to verify the mRNA and protein abundance of p53, p21, and CDK2; HepG2 xenograft in mice was used to test the anti-tumor effects of DL in vivo. Results: DL suppressed the proliferation of HCC cell lines (HepG2 and SK-HEP-1) but had little effect on a normal human liver cell line (L-O2). In addition, DL also induced apoptotic death of the HCC cells by activating Bax and downregulating Bcl-2. The antiproliferative effects of DL could be attributed to increased DNA damage and G1-phase cell cycle arrest. Moreover, DL inhibited HCC cell invasiveness and migration in vitro by decreasing the levels of β-catenin, N-cadherin, and TCF8/ZEB1, and increasing the E-cadherin level. RNA sequencing indicated that DL exerted its anti-hepatoma effects partly via regulation of p53-p21-CDK2 signaling. These results were validated by our in vivo experiments, in which DL markedly suppressed the growth of HepG2 xenografts in a mouse model without any toxic side effects, which corresponded to decreased expression of Ki67 and MMP9 in the tumor tissues. Conclusion: DL has significant anti-cancer effects in both in vivo and in vitro HCC models, and therefore could be further developed as a promising drug for the treatment of HCC.