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[Display omitted] • A data-driven model is proposed to predict the suitability of incineration plants. • Machine learning models integrated with oversampling boost model performance. • The stacking technique aids in bolstering the model's generalization ability. • The data-driven model is reusable and can predict new alternative locations. China's tiered strategy to enhance county-level waste incineration for energy aligns with the sustainable development goals (SDGs), emphasizing the need for comprehensive assessments of waste-to-energy (WtE) plant suitability. Traditional assessment methodologies face challenges, particularly in suggesting innovative site alternatives, adapting to new data sets, and their dependence on strict assumptions. This study introduced enhancements in three pivotal dimensions. Methodologically, it leverages data-driven machine learning (ML) approaches to capture the complex relationships essential for site selection, reducing dependency on strict assumptions. In terms of predictive performance, the integration of oversampling with stacked ensemble models enhances the diversity and generalizability of ML models. The area under curve (AUC) scores from four ML models, enhanced by the oversampled dataset, demonstrated significant improvements compared to the original dataset. The stacking model excelled, achieving a score of 92%. It also led in overall Precision and Recall, reaching 85.2% and 85.08% respectively. Nevertheless, a noticeable discrepancy existed in Precision and Recall for positive classes. The stacking model topped Precision scores at 83.1%, followed by eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) (82.61%). In terms of Recall, XGBoost recorded the lowest at 85.07%, while the other three classifiers all marked 88.06%. From an industry applicability standpoint, the stacking model provides innovative location alternatives and demonstrates adaptability in Hunan province, offering a reusable tool for WtE location. In conclusion, this study not only enhances the methodological aspects of WtE site selection but also provides practical and adaptable solutions, contributing positively to sustainable waste management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural flavonoids are the most plentiful form of polyphenols. Given the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of flavonoids, researchers discovered that it might be effective in treating depression and anxiety. The effect of flavonoids on depression and anxiety was investigated by a meta-analysis and systematic review. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases up to October 15, 2021. We selected 11 studies, among them, 10 studies were chosen to evaluate the depression effects of flavonoids and 7 studies were used to assess anxiety disorder. The meta-analysis showed that flavonoids have an overall significant effect on depression (p = 0.004, Hedge's g = −0.487, 95% CI −0.814 to −0.160) and anxiety (p = 0.006, Hedge's g = −0.741, 95% CI −1.266 to −0.217). Subgroup analysis indicated that the symptoms of depression were significantly improved in the studies when the dose of flavonoids was 50-100mg/day or the treatment duration was ≥8weeks. Anxiety symptoms were improved in the studies with the dose of flavonoids was ≥50mg/day. There was no evidence of publication bias. Our findings suggest that flavonoids might improve symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, a small number of participants and studies were included in this meta-analysis. Therefore, the results should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately measuring carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is critical for effectively implementing carbon reduction policies, and China's increased investment in reducing CO2 emissions is expected to significantly impact the world. In this study, the potential of shallow learning for predicting CO2 emissions was explored. Data included CO2 emissions, renewable energy consumption, and the share of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in China from 1965 to 2021. These time-series data were converted into labeled sample data using the sliding window method to facilitate a supervised learning model for CO2 emission prediction. Then, different shallow learning models with k-fold cross-validation were used to predict China's short-term CO2 emissions. Finally, optimal models were presented, and the important features were identified. The key findings were as follows. (1) The combined model of RF and LASSO performed best at predicting China's short-term CO2 emissions, followed by LASSO and SVR. The prediction performance of RF was very fragile to the window width. (2) The sliding window method is used to convert time series predictions into supervision learning problems, and historical data can be used to predict future carbon dioxide emissions. To ensure that the feature data are real, the model can predict CO2 emissions for up to six years ahead. (3) Cross-validation and grid search were critical for optimizing China's CO2 emissions prediction with small datasets. (4) By 2027, carbon dioxide emissions will continue to grow and reach 10.3 billion tons. It can be seen that the task of China to achieve its carbon peak on schedule is very heavy. The results indicate that an increase in renewable energy consumption and adjustments in industrial structure will continue to play an important role in curbing China's CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is known to cause damage to the liver. In this study, metabolomics technology was used to investigate the effect of quercetin (QE) on Cd-induced hepatotoxicity. A total of 60 male SD rats were randomly divided into the following six groups: control group (C), low and high-dose QE group (Q1: 10 mg/kg·bw, Q2: 50 mg/kg·bw), Cd group (D), low and high-dose QE and Cd combined intervention group (DQ1, DQ2). The rats were given Cd chloride (CdCl2) at a concentration of 40 mg/L through free drinking water. After 12 weeks of treatment, liver samples of rats were collected for metabonlomic analysis. A total of 12 metabolites were identified, the intensities of PC (18:0/14:1(9Z)) and arachidonate acid were decreased in the Cd-treated group (p < 0.01), whereas the intensities of chenodeoxyglycocholic acid, cholic acid, taurochenodesoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid, prostaglandin D2, 15-deoxy-d-12,14-PGJ2, oxidized glutathione, cholesterol, protoporphyrin IX, bilirubin were increased significantly in the Cd-treated group compared with group C (p < 0.01). When rats were given high doses of QE and Cd at the same time, the intensity of the above metabolites was significantly restored in group DQ2. Results suggest that the protective effect of QE on Cd-induced liver injury is associated with antioxidant activity of QE, as well as QE can regulates hepatic bile acid metabolism by affecting FXR and BSEP, and regulates AA metabolism by inhibiting Cd-induced activities of COX-2 and PLA2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammal's milk is an abundantly foremost source of proteins, lipids, and micronutrients for human nutrition and health. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying synthesis of milk components provides practical benefits to improve the milk quality via systematic breeding program in mammals. Through RNAi with EEF1D in primary bovine mammary epithelial cells, we phenotypically observed aberrant formation of cytoplasmic lipid droplets and significantly decreased milk triglyceride level by 37.7%, and exploited the mechanisms by which EEF1D regulated milk lipid synthesis via insulin (PI3K‐Akt), AMPK, and PPAR pathways. In the EEF1D CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mice, incompletely developed mammary glands at 9th day postpartum with small or unformed lumens, and significantly decreased triglyceride concentration in milk by 23.4% were observed, as well as the same gene expression alterations in the three pathways. For dairy cattle, we identified a critical regulatory mutation modifying EEF1D transcription activity, which interpreted 7% of the genetic variances of milk lipid yield and percentage. Our findings highlight the significance of EEF1D in mammary gland development and milk lipid synthesis in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although catenated cages have been widely constructed due to their unique and elegant topological structures, cyclic catenanes formed by the connection of multiple catenane units have been rarely reported. Herein, based on the orthogonal metal‐coordination‐driven self‐assembly, we prepare a series of heterometallic [2]catenanes and cyclic bis[2]catenanes, whose structures are clearly evidenced by single‐crystal X‐ray analysis. Owing to the multiple positively charged nature, as well as the potential synergistic effect of the Cu(I) and Pt(II) metal ions, the cyclic bis[2]catenanes display broad‐spectrum antibacterial activity. This work not only provides an efficient strategy for the construction of heterometallic [2]catenanes and cyclic bis[2]catenanes but also explores their applications as superior antibacterial agents, which will promote the construction of advanced supramolecular structures for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of suitable locations for rooftop photovoltaic projects (RPVP) is critical for optimizing power generation efficiency and return on investment. However, traditional methods of site selection that rely on subjective assessments of index weights can compromise accuracy, while complex calculations may limit adaptability to changing real-world data. In this study, we proposed a data-driven ensemble learning framework that integrates socio-economic, environmental, climate, and geography factors to optimize RPVP site selection. Using data from 1589 counties in China, we mapped eight criteria to feature variables to facilitate machine learning classification. Furthermore, the K-means algorithm was employed to enhance the model's robustness against outliers. The findings indicate that the proposed stacking model exhibits superior performance in comparison to other classifiers, as evidenced by the higher scores of performance metrics. Specifically, for positive instance prediction, the stacking model achieves the highest Precision scores. According to the rankings of Precision scores derived from the four ensembled models, we categorized counties suitable for RPVP development into five priority tiers. The ensemble learning framework provides a valuable and reusable tool for advancing county-level RPVP site selection and serves as a motivation for selecting other renewable power plant sites. • Ensemble learning is used in site selection of rooftop photovoltaic projects. • Stacking model presents the best performance on minimizing the erroneous selection. • The suitability of power plant siting is divided into several levels. • The proposed site selection tool can adapt to changing real-world environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In response to ecological niche of domestication, domesticated mammals and birds developed adaptively phenotypic homoplasy in behavior modifications like fearlessness, altered sociability, exploration and cognition, which partly or indirectly result in consequences for economic productivity. Such independent adaptations provide an excellent model to investigate molecular mechanisms and patterns of evolutionary convergence driven by artificial selection. Results: First performing population genomic and brain transcriptional comparisons in 68 wild and domesticated chickens, we revealed evolutionary trajectories, genetic architectures and physiologic bases of adaptively behavioral alterations. To extensively decipher molecular convergence on behavioral changes thanks to domestication, we investigated selection signatures in hundreds of genomes and brain transcriptomes across chicken and 6 other domesticated mammals. Although no shared substitution was detected, a common enrichment of the adaptive mutations in regulatory sequences was observed, presenting significance to drive adaptations. Strong convergent pattern emerged at levels of gene, gene family, pathway and network. Genes implicated in neurotransmission, semaphorin, tectonic protein and modules regulating neuroplasticity were central focus of selection, supporting molecular repeatability of homoplastic behavior reshapes. Genes at nodal positions in trans-regulatory networks were preferably targeted. Consistent down-regulation of majority brain genes may be correlated with reduced brain size during domestication. Up-regulation of splicesome genes in chicken rather mammals highlights splicing as an efficient way to evolve since avian-specific genomic contraction of introns and intergenics. Genetic burden of domestication elicits a general hallmark. The commonly selected genes were relatively evolutionary conserved and associated with analogous neuropsychiatric disorders in human, revealing trade-off between adaption to life with human at the cost of neural changes affecting fitness in wild. Conclusions: After a comprehensive investigation on genomic diversity and evolutionary trajectories in chickens, we revealed basis, pattern and evolutionary significance of molecular convergence in domesticated bird and mammals, highlighted the genetic basis of a compromise on utmost adaptation to the lives with human at the cost of high risk of neurophysiological changes affecting animals' fitness in wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luminescent metallo‐supramolecular polymers are a type of functional supramolecular architectures which integrates the advantages of emission, metal‐coordination, supramolecular chemistry as well as polymeric properties to realize advanced functions. Due to the abundant stimuli‐responsiveness of supramolecular assemblies and the light‐emitting properties, they have been widely applied as chemo‐sensors, light‐emitting devices, contrast agents for bio‐imaging, etc. In this review, we classify luminescent metallo‐supramolecular polymers based on the types of species (lanthanides, organometallic compounds, oligomer or polymer‐based ligands, small‐molecule‐based organic ligands) used to generate the luminescence and summarize recent developments of luminescent metallo‐supramolecular polymers. We mainly focus on the functions and applications of luminescent metallo‐supramolecular polymers and hope to give our reader a snapshot of research on luminescent metallo‐supramolecular polymers and encourage more scientists to devote into this promising area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation and entrepreneurship education is an important component of cultivating the comprehensive quality of college students and an important force in promoting economic and social development. Meanwhile, due to changes in the social environment and economic structure, traditional university education is no longer able to meet the needs of contemporary society. Therefore, innovation and reform of innovation and entrepreneurship education for college students are urgent. Innovation and entrepreneurship education for college students needs to keep up with the times, constantly update concepts and techniques, in order to adapt to the ever-changing social and economic environment. The innovation and entrepreneurship education evaluation in the application-oriented vocational colleges is a multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) problem. Recently, the TODIM and TOPSIS technique has been used to cope with MADM issues. The Type-2 neutrosophic numbers (T2NNs) are employed as a technique for characterizing uncertain information during the innovation and entrepreneurship education evaluation in the application-oriented vocational colleges. In this paper, the Type-2 neutrosophic number TODIM-TOPSIS (T2NN-TODIM-TOPSIS) technique is implemented to solve the MADM under T2NNs. Finally, a numerical case study for innovation and entrepreneurship education evaluation in the application-oriented vocational colleges and several comparative analysis is implemented to validate the proposed T2NN-TODIM-TOPSIS technique. The main research contribution of this paper is managed: (1) the TODIM and TOPSIS technique was enhanced with T2NNs; (2) Entropy technique is enhanced to manage the weight values with T2NNs. (3) the T2NN-TODIM-TOPSIS technique is founded to manage the MADM with T2NNs; (4) Algorithm framework for innovation and entrepreneurship education evaluation in the application-oriented vocational colleges and several comparative analysis are constructed based on one numerical example to verify the effectiveness of the T2NN-TODIM-TOPSIS technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to explore the protective effect of quercetin against nephrotoxicity induced by four organophosphate pesticide mixtures (PM) using untargeted metabolomics technology in rat kidneys. Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, low-dose quercetin treated (10 mg/kg bw), high-dose quercetin treated (50 mg/kg bw), PM-treated, and two dosages of quercetin + PM-treated. Metabolomics results showed that 17 differential metabolites were identified in the PM-treated group, and pathway analysis revealed that renal metabolic disorders include purine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and vitamin B6 metabolism. When high-dose quercetin and PM-treated were administered to rats concurrently, the intensities of differential metabolites were substantially restored (p < 0.01), suggesting that quercetin can improve renal metabolic disorders caused by organophosphate pesticides (OPs). Mechanistically, quercetin could regulate the purine metabolism disorder and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-mediated autophagy induced by OPs by inhibiting XOD activity. Moreover, quercetin inhibits PLA2 activity to regulate glycerophospholipid metabolism and it could also exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to correct vitamin B6 metabolism in rat kidneys. Taken together, the high dose of quercetin (50 mg/kg. bw) has a certain protective effect on OPs-induced nephrotoxicity in rats, which provides a theoretical basis for quercetin against nephrotoxicity caused by OPs. • Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) mixtures can lead to renal metabolic disorders. • Metabolomics reveals that quercetin can improve OPs mixtures-induced nephrotoxicity. • Quercetin can regulate purine metabolism disorder by inhibiting XOD activity. • Quercetin inhibits PLA2 activity to regulate glycerophospholipid metabolism disorder. • Quercetin can alleviate renal autophagy caused by OPs mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of a composite photocatalyst with two suitable semiconductors is an effective strategy to improve the transport and separation of the photoexcited carrier pairs. Herein, it is the first time to report the new concept of anisotropic heterojunctions (H and J type) in layered ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets as an example. Due to the anisotropic conductivity, the resistance of the electron transfer along ZnIn 2 S 4 layers to a second semiconductor (J type heterojunction), is much less than that across the layers (H type heterojunction). As a result, the J type heterojunction can achieve higher photocatalytic activity than H type one. Furthermore, ZnIn 2 S 4 /In(OH) 3 heterojunction with the J type structure was successfully fabricated by a simple approach, namely, In(OH) 3 was selectively assembled at the rims of ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets via hydrothermal transformation of the precursor precipitate with its mother solution obtained by adding Na 2 S into the solution of stoichiometric In 3+ and excessive Zn 2+ . The intimate-contact J type heterojunction with in-situ photodeposited Pt shows efficient photocatalytic H 2 evolution under visible irradiation, leading to a high apparent quantum yield of 38.3% at 420 nm with a low optimal Pt loading of 0.25 wt%. This work provides a new insight for the development of efficient heterojunction photocatalysts with layered semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel lipoxygenase (LOX) gene, DkLOX4 (KF035132), and the full-length DkLOX3 (KF035131) gene were identified from persimmon fruit, and transcriptional profiles of both genes in three persimmon cultivars with different ripening rates were investigated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We also studied their expression in response to propylene and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), which can promote or impede fruit ripening. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that both DkLOX3 and DkLOX4 belong to the 9-LOX family. The identity of these DkLOX genes was confirmed by functional expression in bacteria. The results showed that both DkLOX3 and DkLOX4 possessed the expected LOX activity. qRT-PCR analysis showed that all DkLOX genes were expressed abundantly in persimmon fruit during ripening, but distinctly different expression patterns were evident. Expression patterns of all DkLOXs generally paralleled the climacteric rise and maxima in ethylene production. The trajectories of transcript accumulation and the expression peaks also paralleled the declines in fruit firmness and increase in LOX activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The expression level of DkLOX3 was significantly higher than that of the other two DkLOXs, its expression maxima followed the order from high to low and early to late in 'Fupingjianshi', 'Huoshi' and 'Ganmaokui'. And expression of DkLOX3 was particularly up-regulated by propylene treatment, and down-regulated by 1-MCP treatment. Overall, the results reported here indicate that LOX genes, especially DkLOX3, may play an important role in persimmon fruit ripening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roof-mounted small wind turbines (SWTs) in groups of buildings is an efficient method to expand urban wind energy. In order to 1) identify the value of the height ratio λ (λ = h / H , where h is the average surrounding building height and, H is the target building height) at which the influence of surrounding buildings on wind is minimized and 2) confirm the optimal location and installation height for roof-mounted SWTs in groups of buildings of unequal heights, we assess wind velocity and turbulence intensity above rooftops over five groups of buildings of unequal height by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The rooves of low-rising buildings are not ideal installation locations for SWTs due to the high installation height needed to make them effective. The influence of surrounding buildings on wind behavior above the roof of the tallest building in a group of buildings of unequal height can be neglected when λ ≤ 0.6. Therefore, the tallest building in the building group with λ ≤ 0.6 should thus be considered an isolated building when micrositing SWT placement using CFD. This finding can be used to use CFD methods to simulate wind behaviors in urban environments. • The wind property over rooftops of five groups of buildings of unequal height was studied. • The height ratio of building groups when neglecting the surrounding impacts is identified. • The recommendation for SWTs installation over such building groups is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) alleviates the effect of methyl viologen-induced photooxidative stress on pear leaves. • ALA trigger endogenous H 2 O 2 accumulation. • NADPH oxidase-mediated H 2 O 2 signaling , which results in activated antioxidant enzyme activities, may plays an important role in mediating ALA-induced tolerance to photooxidative stress. The beneficial effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on abiotic stress have been demonstrated in several plant species. However, little is known about the signal transduction pathways triggered by ALA in the photooxidative stress response. In this study, we investigated the effects of ALA on methyl viologen (MV)-induced photooxidative stress tolerance in detached pear leaves (Pyrus ussuriensis). Furthermore, we also examined the involvement of NADPH oxidase (RBOH)-mediated H 2 O 2 as a signaling molecule in ALA-induced photooxidative stress tolerance. Our results showed that exogenous ALA alleviated the observed decreases in chlorophyll content and maximum potential photosystem II efficiency under MV-induced stress. Exogenous ALA also effectively reduced MV-induced oxidative damage and enhanced the activities of antioxidative enzymes (SOD and CAT). In situ determination of reactive oxygen species revealed that ALA induced H 2 O 2 production in the pear leaves. Importantly, ALA-induced tolerance was abolished by an RBOH inhibitor. Further investigation revealed that the transient overexpression of RBOHF in tobacco leaves alleviated MV-induced damage by enhancing the activities of SOD and CAT. This study provides new insights into the mechanisms by which ALA improves photooxidative tolerance in pear leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections are a worldwide threat to human health and animal production. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study between copy number variations (CNVs) and resistance to GI nematodes in an Angus cattle population. Using a linear regression analysis, we identified one deletion CNV which reaches genome-wide significance after Bonferroni correction. With multiple mapped human olfactory receptor genes but no annotated bovine genes in the region, this significantly associated CNV displays high population frequencies (58.26 %) with a length of 104.8 kb on chr7. We further investigated the linkage disequilibrium (LD) relationships between this CNV and its nearby single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genes. The underlining haplotype blocks contain immune-related genes such as ZNF496 and NLRP3. As this CNV co-segregates with linked SNPs and associated genes, we suspect that it could contribute to the detected variations in gene expression and thus differences in host parasite resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hip (HD) and Elbow Dysplasia (ED) are two common complex developmental disorders of dogs. In order to decrease their prevalence and severity, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) has a voluntary registry of canine hip and elbow conformation certified by boarded radiologists. However, the voluntarily reports have been severely biased against exposing dogs with problems, especially at beginning period. Fluctuated by additional influential factors such as age, the published raw scores barely showed trends of improvement. In this study, we used multiple-trait mixed model to simultaneously adjust these factors and incorporate pedigree to derive Estimated Breeding Values (EBV). A total of 1,264,422 dogs from 74 breeds were evaluated for EBVs from 760,455 hip scores and 135,409 elbow scores. These EBVs have substantially recovered the reporting bias and the other influences. Clear and steady trends of genetic improvement were observed over the 40 years since 1970. The total genetic improvements were 16.4% and 1.1% of the phenotypic standard deviation for HD and ED, respectively. The incidences of dysplasia were 0.83% and 2.08%, and the heritabilities were estimated as 0.22 and 0.17 for hip and elbow scores, respectively. The genetic correlation between them was 0.12. We conclude that EBV is more effective than reporting raw phenotype. The weak genetic correlation suggested that selection based on hip scores would also slightly improve elbow scores but it is necessary to allocate effort toward improvement of elbow scores alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic structural variation is an important and abundant source of genetic and phenotypic variation. In this study, we performed an initial analysis of copy number variations (CNVs) using BovineHD SNP genotyping data from 147 Holstein cows identified as having high or low feed efficiency as estimated by residual feed intake (RFI). We detected 443 candidate CNV regions (CNVRs) that represent 18.4 Mb (0.6 %) of the genome. To investigate the functional impacts of CNVs, we created two groups of 30 individual animals with extremely low or high estimated breeding values (EBVs) for RFI, and referred to these groups as low intake (LI; more efficient) or high intake (HI; less efficient), respectively. We identified 240 (~9.0 Mb) and 274 (~10.2 Mb) CNVRs from LI and HI groups, respectively. Approximately 30-40 % of the CNVRs were specific to the LI group or HI group of animals. The 240 LI CNVRs overlapped with 137 Ensembl genes. Network analyses indicated that the LI-specific genes were predominantly enriched for those functioning in the inflammatory response and immunity. By contrast, the 274 HI CNVRs contained 177 Ensembl genes. Network analyses indicated that the HI-specific genes were particularly involved in the cell cycle, and organ and bone development. These results relate CNVs to two key variables, namely immune response and organ and bone development. The data indicate that greater feed efficiency relates more closely to immune response, whereas cattle with reduced feed efficiency may have a greater capacity for organ and bone development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ameloblastomas are benign tumors associated with recurrence and morbidity. Mutations in the VRaf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) and smoothened (SMO) genes have been identified in ameloblastomas. The mutation rate of BRAF in different regions and mutation sites of SMO remains controversial. This study assesses the relationship between these mutations and clinicopathological features of ameloblastoma in Chinese patients. Ameloblastomas were surgically removed from 30 patients and BRAF gene polymorphisms were detected using DNA sequencing analysis.Wealso examined the relationship between BRAF orSMOmutations and clinicopathological parameters. BRAF V600E mutation was detected in 18 of 30 ameloblastomas. No significant correlation was found between BRAF V600E mutation and age, sex, location, histologic type, capsular invasion, or tumor recurrence. Five cases carried an SMO T364N mutation in exon 5, whereas six carried an SMO S590 T mutation in exon 10. The SMO mutation rate in patients aged ≤ 20 years was significantly higher than that in patients aged > 20 years. SMO T364N and S590 T mutations were closely related to age and capsular invasion. These findings indicate that BRAF V600E, SMO T364N, and SMO S590 T mutations play important roles in the pathogenesis of ameloblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic structural variation is an important and abundant source of genetic and phenotypic variation. We previously reported an initial analysis of copy number variations (CNVs) in Angus cattle selected for resistance or susceptibility to gastrointestinal nematodes. In this study, we performed a large-scale analysis of CNVs using SNP genotyping data from 472 animals of the same population. We detected 811 candidate CNV regions, which represent 141.8 Mb (~4.7%) of the genome. To investigate the functional impacts of CNVs, we created 2 groups of 100 individual animals with extremely low or high estimated breeding values of eggs per gram of feces and referred to these groups as parasite resistant (PR) or parasite susceptible (PS), respectively. We identified 297 (~51 Mb) and 282 (~48 Mb) CNV regions from PR and PS groups, respectively. Approximately 60% of the CNV regions were specific to the PS group or PR group of animals. Selected PR- or PS-specific CNVs were further experimentally validated by quantitative PCR. A total of 297 PR CNV regions overlapped with 437 Ensembl genes enriched in immunity and defense, like WC1 gene which uniquely expresses on gamma/delta T cells in cattle. Network analyses indicated that the PR-specific genes were predominantly involved in gastrointestinal disease, immunological disease, inflammatory response, cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, lymphoid tissue development, and cell death. By contrast, the 282 PS CNV regions contained 473 Ensembl genes which are overrepresented in environmental interactions. Network analyses indicated that the PS-specific genes were particularly enriched for inflammatory response, immune cell trafficking, metabolic disease, cell cycle, and cellular organization and movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Btau_4.0 and UMD3.1 are two distinct cattle reference genome assemblies. In our previous study using the low density BovineSNP50 array, we reported a copy number variation (CNV) analysis on Btau_4.0 with 521 animals of 21 cattle breeds, yielding 682 CNV regions with a total length of 139.8 megabases. Results: In this study using the high density BovineHD SNP array, we performed high resolution CNV analyses on both Btau_4.0 and UMD3.1 with 674 animals of 27 cattle breeds. We first compared CNV results derived from these two different SNP array platforms on Btau_4.0. With two thirds of the animals shared between studies, on Btau_4.0 we identified 3,346 candidate CNV regions representing 142.7 megabases (~4.70%) of the genome. With a similar total length but 5 times more event counts, the average CNVR length of current Btau_4.0 dataset is significantly shorter than the previous one (42.7 kb vs. 205 kb). Although subsets of these two results overlapped, 64% (91.6 megabases) of current dataset was not present in the previous study. We also performed similar analyses on UMD3.1 using these BovineHD SNP array results. Approximately 50% more and 20% longer CNVs were called on UMD3.1 as compared to those on Btau_4.0. However, a comparable result of CNVRs (3,438 regions with a total length 146.9 megabases) was obtained. We suspect that these results are due to the UMD3.1 assembly's efforts of placing unplaced contigs and removing unmerged alleles. Selected CNVs were further experimentally validated, achieving a 73% PCR validation rate, which is considerably higher than the previous validation rate. About 20-45% of CNV regions overlapped with cattle RefSeq genes and Ensembl genes. Panther and IPA analyses indicated that these genes provide a wide spectrum of biological processes involving immune system, lipid metabolism, cell, organism and system development. Conclusion: We present a comprehensive result of cattle CNVs at a higher resolution and sensitivity. We identified over 3,000 candidate CNV regions on both Btau_4.0 and UMD3.1, further compared current datasets with previous results, and examined the impacts of genome assemblies on CNV calling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Copy number variation (CNV) represents another important source of genetic variation complementary to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). High-density SNP array data have been routinely used to detect human CNVs, many of which have significant functional effects on gene expression and human diseases. In the dairy industry, a large quantity of SNP genotyping results are becoming available and can be used for CNV discovery to understand and accelerate genetic improvement for complex traits. Results: We performed a systematic analysis of CNV using the Bovine HapMap SNP genotyping data, including 539 animals of 21 modern cattle breeds and 6 outgroups. After correcting genomic waves and considering the pedigree information, we identified 682 candidate CNV regions, which represent 139.8 megabases (~4.60%) of the genome. Selected CNVs were further experimentally validated and we found that copy number "gain" CNVs were predominantly clustered in tandem rather than existing as interspersed duplications. Many CNV regions (~56%) overlap with cattle genes (1,263), which are significantly enriched for immunity, lactation, reproduction and rumination. The overlap of this new dataset and other published CNV studies was less than 40%; however, our discovery of large, high frequency (> 5% of animals surveyed) CNV regions showed 90% agreement with other studies. These results highlight the differences and commonalities between technical platforms. Conclusions: We present a comprehensive genomic analysis of cattle CNVs derived from SNP data which will be a valuable genomic variation resource. Combined with SNP detection assays, gene-containing CNV regions may help identify genes undergoing artificial selection in domesticated animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transgenic cattle carrying multiple genomic modifications have been produced by serial rounds of somatic cell chromatin transfer (cloning) of sequentially genetically targeted somatic cells. However, cloning efficiency tends to decline with the increase of rounds of cloning. It is possible that multiple rounds of cloning compromise the genome integrity or/and introduce epigenetic errors in the resulting cell lines, rendering a decline in cloning. To test these possibilities, we performed 9 high density array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) experiments to test the genome integrity in 3 independent bovine transgenic cell lineages generated from genetic modification and cloning. Our plan included the control hybridizations (self to self) of the 3 founder cell lines and 6 comparative hybridizations between these founders and their derived cell lines with either high or low cloning efficiencies. Results: We detected similar amounts of differences between the control hybridizations (8, 13 and 39 differences) and the comparative analyses of both "high" and "low" cell lines (ranging from 7 to 57 with a mean of ∼20). Almost 75% of the large differences (>10 kb) and about 45% of all differences shared the same type (loss or gain) and were located in nearby genomic regions across hybridizations. Therefore, it is likely that they were not true differences but caused by systematic factors associated with local genomic features (e.g. GC contents). Conclusions: Our findings reveal that large copy number variations are less likely to arise during genetic targeting and serial rounds of cloning, fortifying the notion that epigenetic errors introduced from serial cloning may be responsible for the cloning efficiency decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The abomasal nematode Ostertagia ostertagi is a major causal agent contributing to production inefficiencies in the cattle industry in temperate regions of the world. Protective immunity to infections develops very slowly and resistance to reinfection manifests only after prolonged exposure. Mechanisms underlying the development of protective immunity remain largely unexplored. Immune animals, which have significantly reduced worm burdens, were developed after multiple drug-attenuated experimental infections and were compared to a primary infected group and their respective uninfected controls. In this study, transcriptomic analysis identified three signaling pathways significantly impacted during both primary and repeat infections, the complement system, leukocyte extravasation and acute phase responses. Increased mRNA levels of complement components C3, factor B (CFB) and factor I (CFI) in the abomasal mucosa of the infected cattle were confirmed using quantitative PCR while Western blot analysis established the presence of elevated levels of activated C3 proteins in the mucosa. One of the initiators of local complement activation could be related to secretory IgA and IgM because infections significantly up-regulated expression of J chain (IGJ), as well as polymeric Ig receptor (PIGR) and an IgM-specific receptor (FAIM3), suggesting sustained increases in both synthesis and transepithelial transport of IgA and IgM during the infection. The elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-1β, during infection may be involved in gene regulation of complement components. Our results suggest enhanced tissue repair and mucin secretion in immune animals may also contribute to protective immunity. These results are the first evidence that local complement activation may be involved in the development of long-term protective immunity and provide a novel mechanistic insight into resistance against O. ostertagi in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that acute increases in oxidative stress induced by the addition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can increase endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) catalytic activity via an increase in the phosphorylation of eNOS at serine 1177. However, it is unclear how increased H2O2 affects nitric oxide (NO) signaling when endothelial cells are exposed to biomechanical forces. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of H2O2 on NO signaling in the presence or absence of laminar shear stress. We found that acute sustained increases in cellular H2O2 levels in bovine aortic endothelial cells did not alter basal NO generation but the NO produced in response to shear stress was significantly increased. This amplification in NO signaling was found to correlate with an H2O2-induced increase in eNOS localized to the plasma membrane and an increase in total caveolin-1 protein levels. We further demonstrated that overexpressing caveolin-1 increased eNOS localized to the plasma membrane again without altering total eNOS protein levels. We also found that caveolin-1 overexpression increased NO generation in response to shear stress but only in the presence of H2O2. Conversely, depleting caveolin-1 with an siRNA decreased eNOS localized to the plasma membrane and abolished the enhanced NO generation. Finally, we found that expressing a caveolin-1 binding-site deletion mutant of eNOS in COS-7 cells decreased its plasma membrane localization and resulted in attenuated NO production in response to calcium activation. In conclusion, we have identified a new role for caveolin-1 in enhancing eNOS trafficking to the plasma membrane that seems to be involved in priming eNOS for flow-mediated activation under conditions of oxidative stress. To our knowledge, this is the first report that H2O2 modulates eNOS activity by altering its subcellular location and that caveolin-1 can play a stimulatory role in NO signaling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Urban impervious surfaces area (ISA) and green space (GS), two primary components of urban environment, are pivotal in detecting urban environmental quality and addressing global environmental change issues. However, the current global mapping of ISA and GS is not effective enough to accurately delineate in urban areas due to the mosaicked and complex structure. To address the issue, the hierarchical architecture principle and subpixel metric method were applied to map 30 m global urban ISA and GS fractions for the years 2015 and circa 2020. We use random forest algorithms for retrieval of the Normalized Settlement Density Index and Normalized Green Space Index from Landsat images using Google Earth Engine. The correlation coefficients of global urban ISA and GS fractions were all higher than 0.9 for 2015 and circa 2020. Our results show global urban ISA and GS areas in circa 2020 were 31.19 × 104 km2 and 17.16 × 104 km2, respectively. The novel ISA and GS fractions product can show potential applications in assessing the effects of urbanization on climate, ecology, and urban sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study compared Type-1 cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) expression in normal and tumor tissues and examined PKG function in tumor growth. Studies with a cDNA array revealed that PKG expression was reduced in many tumors compared to respective normal tissue. This decrease in PKG expression was confirmed using quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting of matched colon specimens from normal epithelium and tumor tissue, and also in colon derived cell lines where luciferase reporter analysis revealed that the decreased expression occurred at the transcriptional level. Using SW620 colon carcinoma cells engineered for inducible expression of PKG1β, it was found that exogenous PKG1β lead to decreased tumor growth and invasiveness in nude mouse xenografts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Anoikis is an essential process in which a loss of adhesion to the substratum alters intracellular signaling pathways that lead to apoptosis. Using phosphorylation of vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) as an indicator of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) activity in vivo, it was found that suspension of the colon epithelial cell line (CCD841) leads to rapid and transient activation of PKG that lasted several hours. The colon carcinoma lines SW480 and SW620 do not express endogenous PKG, but exogenously expressed PKG was similarly activated upon cell suspension. To determine whether PKG has a role in apoptosis following cell suspension, poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage and propidium iodide staining were measured. After 24 h in suspension it was found that approximately 50% of CCD841 cells exhibited apoptosis, whereas apoptosis was not detected in either of the colon carcinoma cell lines. Inhibition of type 1 PKG by expression of a dominant negative PKG construct (G1αR-GFP), or by incubation with the PKG inhibitor peptide DT-2, blocked apoptosis in suspended CCD841 cells by approximately 50%. Furthermore, expression of exogenous PKG in SW620 and SW480 cells conferred partial sensitivity anoikis. Taken together these findings indicate that PKG has an important role in the induction of apoptosis following suspension of normal colon epithelial cells, and loss of PKG expression in colon tumor cells may contribute to resistance to anoikis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cyclic-GMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) is widely appreciated as having diverse roles in a variety of cell types. Many reports have indicated that PKG might regulate cell function by activating members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family of signaling proteins. In this study, stimulation of HEK-293 cells with nitric oxide (NO) was found to induce a rapid accumulation of phosphorylated p38 MAPK. The involvement of PKG in this process was confirmed by cotransfection of a dominant negative PKG construct (G1αR-GFP), which was able to block cGMP-induced p38 MAPK activation. Transfection of cells to express dominant negative Rac1(T17N) was also able to dose-dependently block cGMP-stimulated activation of p38 MAPK, thus indicating the importance of this pathway downstream of PKG. GST-PDB affinity-precipitation experiments revealed that stimulation of HEK293 cells with either nitric oxide or 8-Br-cGMP resulted in a rapid and transient activation of Rac1 with similar kinetics to p38 MAPK phosphorylation. Moreover, using in vitro kinase assays it was found that cGMP also stimulated the activity of the Rac1 effector Pak1. The activation of both Rac1 and Pak1 by 8-Br-cGMP was completely abolished by transfection of the cells with G1αR-GFP. Expression of the Rac1(T17N) mutant inhibited PKG-dependent activation of PAK1 indicating that Rac1 functions upstream of PAK1 in this pathway. Immunofluorescence experiments demonstrated clear colocalization of PKG and Rac1 in membrane ruffles and dynamic membrane regions supporting a functional interaction. However, in vitro kinase assays demonstrated that Rac1 is not a substrate for PKG suggesting an indirect activation mechanism. Taken together these data demonstrate a novel PKG-dependent pathway by which the Rac1/Pak1 pathway is activated. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this pathway is central to the activation of p38 MAPK by PKG in these cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Provides evidence that cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKG) is a substrate for protein kinase C both in vitro and in vivo, and phosphorylation results in PKG activation. Tissue culture and reagents; Expression and purification of PKG; Immunoprecipitation and western blotting; Measurement of PKG activation.

A large body of evidence has demonstrated that cyclic-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), signaling has anti-tumor effects that might be used for colon cancer prevention. The tumor-suppressive mechanism and the signaling components downstream of cGMP remain largely unknown. The present study has characterized the expression of cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKG1, PKG2) in normal and cancerous tissue from human colon. PKG1 was detected in both normal and tumor tissue, where it localized exclusively to the lamina propria and stroma (respectively). In contrast, PKG2 localized specifically to the epithelium where its expression decreased markedly in tumors compared to matched normal tissue. Neither PKG isoform was detected at the RNA or protein level in established colon cancer cell lines. To test for a potential tumor-suppressor role of PKG2 in the colon epithelium, Prkg2 knockout (KO) mice were subjected to azoxymethane/dextran sulfate-sodium (AOM/DSS) treatment. PKG2 deficiency was associated with crypt hyperplasia (Ki67) and almost twice the number of polyps per mouse as wild-type (WT) siblings. In vitro culture of mouse colon epithelium as organoids confirmed that PKG2 was the only isoform expressed, and it was detected in both proliferating and differentiating epithelial compartments. Colon organoids derived from Prkg2 KO mice proliferated more rapidly and exhibited a reduced ability to differentiate compared to WT controls. Taken together our results highlight PKG2 as the central target of cGMP in the colon, where it suppresses carcinogenesis by controlling proliferation in an epithelial-cell intrinsic manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Based on tail types, Hulun Buir sheep were divided into two lines including small and big fat-tailed, but these two lines have similar genetic background. In this study, we investigated the morphology and transcription level differences of tail fat between these two lines. The RNA-seq analyses indicated several differentially expressed genes when compared between sexes or two tail sizes. Interestingly, we also found an obvious sex difference in the fat metabolism in Hulun Buir sheep. Two different co-expression networks were only shown either in male or in female sheep. Our findings will provide theoretical background in understanding the genetic mechanism of fat deposition in sheep. Hulun Buir sheep of similar genetic background were divided into two lines based on tail types: Small- and big fat-tailed. To explore the molecular mechanism of fat deposition in sheep tails, we firstly evaluated the morphology and transcription level differences of tail fat between these two lines. RNA-Seq technology was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in phenotypic extremes of tail sizes. Five comparisons were performed taking into account two factors, sex and tail type. We screened out 373 DEGs between big-tailed and small-tailed Hulun Buir sheep, and 775 and 578 DEGs between two types of tails in male and female sheep, respectively. The results showed an obvious sex difference in the fat metabolism in sheep based on gene ontology (GO), pathway, and network analyses. Intriguingly, there were two different co-expression networks only respectively shown in male and female sheep, which were insulin-related network acting on upstream pathways and PPARG-related network effect in downstream pathways. Furthermore, these two networks were linked by a classic pathway of regulating adipogenesis. This is the first study to investigate the sex differences of fat metabolism in domestic animals, and it demonstrates a new experimental way to study fat metabolism. Our findings will provide theoretical background in understanding the tail-size phenotype in sheep and can be exploited in breeding small-tailed sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the mechanisms by which W135 meningococcal conjugate (PSW135-TT) activates adaptive immune responses in mice can provide a comprehensive understanding of the immune mechanisms of bacterial polysaccharide conjugate vaccines. We compared B-cell and T-cell immune responses immunized with W135 meningococcal capsular polysaccharides (PSW135), tetanus toxoid (TT) and PSW135-TT in mice. The results showed that PSW135-TT could induce higher PSW135-specific and TT-specific IgG antibodies with a significant enhancement after two doses. All serum antibodies immunized with PSW135- TT had strong bactericidal activity, whereas none of the serum antibodies immunized with PSW135 had bactericidal activity. Besides, IgM and IgG antibodies immunized with PSW135-TT after two doses were positively correlated with the titer of bactericidal antibodies. We also found Th cells favored Th2 humoral immune responses in PSW135-TT, PSW135, and TT-immunized mice, especially peripheral blood lymphocytes. Furthermore, PSW135-TT and TT could effectively activate bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and promote BMDCs to highly express major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ (MHCⅡ), CD86 and CD40 molecules in mice, whereas PSW135 couldn't. These data verified the typical characteristics of PSW135-TT and TT as T cell dependent antigen (TD-Ag) and PSW135 as T cell independent antigen (TI-Ag), which will be very helpful for further exploration of the immune mechanism of polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines and improvement of the quality of bacterial polysaccharide conjugate vaccines in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of solid‐state fluorescent materials with high quantum yield and good processability is of vital importance in the preparation of organic light‐emitting devices. Herein, a series of tetraphenylethylene (TPE)‐based multicomponent emissive metallacages are prepared by the coordination‐driven self‐assembly of tetra‐(4‐pyridylphenyl)ethylene, cis‐Pt(PEt3)2(OTf)2 and tetracarboxylic ligands. These metallacages exhibit good emission both in solution and in the solid state because the coordination bonds and aggregation restrict the molecular motions of TPE synergistically, which suppresses the non‐radiative decay of these metallacages. Impressively, one of the metallacages achieves very high fluorescence quantum yield (ΦF=88.46 %) in the solid state, which is further used as the coatings of a blue LED bulb to achieve white‐light emission. The study not only provides a general method to the preparation of TPE‐based metallacages but also explores their applications as solid‐state fluorescent materials, which will promote the future design and applications of metallacages as useful emissive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of solid‐state fluorescent materials with high quantum yield and good processability is of vital importance in the preparation of organic light‐emitting devices. Herein, a series of tetraphenylethylene (TPE)‐based multicomponent emissive metallacages are prepared by the coordination‐driven self‐assembly of tetra‐(4‐pyridylphenyl)ethylene, cis‐Pt(PEt3)2(OTf)2 and tetracarboxylic ligands. These metallacages exhibit good emission both in solution and in the solid state because the coordination bonds and aggregation restrict the molecular motions of TPE synergistically, which suppresses the non‐radiative decay of these metallacages. Impressively, one of the metallacages achieves very high fluorescence quantum yield (ΦF=88.46 %) in the solid state, which is further used as the coatings of a blue LED bulb to achieve white‐light emission. The study not only provides a general method to the preparation of TPE‐based metallacages but also explores their applications as solid‐state fluorescent materials, which will promote the future design and applications of metallacages as useful emissive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have sequenced the whole genomes of eight proven Holstein bulls from the four half-sib or full-sib families with extremely high and low estimated breeding values (EBV) for milk protein percentage (PP) and fat percentage (FP) using Illumina re-sequencing technology. Consequently, 2.3 billion raw reads were obtained with an average effective depth of 8.1×. After single nucleotide variant (SNV) calling, total 10,961,243 SNVs were identified, and 57,451 of them showed opposite fixed sites between the bulls with high and low EBVs within each family (called as common differential SNVs). Next, we annotated the common differential SNVs based on the bovine reference genome, and observed that 45,188 SNVs (78.70%) were located in the intergenic region of genes and merely 11,871 SNVs (20.67%) located within the protein-coding genes. Of them, 13,099 common differential SNVs that were within or close to protein-coding genes with less than 5 kb were chosen for identification of candidate genes for milk compositions in dairy cattle. By integrated analysis of the 2,657 genes with the GO terms and pathways related to protein and fat metabolism, and the known quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for milk protein and fat traits, we identified 17 promising candidate genes: ALG14, ATP2C1, PLD1, C3H1orf85, SNX7, MTHFD2L, CDKN2D, COL5A3, FDX1L, PIN1, FIG4, EXOC7, LASP1, PGS1, SAO, GPLD1 and MGEA5. Our findings provided an important foundation for further study and a prompt for molecular breeding of dairy cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicomponent metallacages can integrate the functions of their different building blocks to achieve synergetic effects for advanced applications. Herein, based on metal‐coordination‐driven self‐assembly, we report the preparation of a series of isoreticular tetraphenylethylene‐based metallacages, which are well characterized by multinuclear NMR, ESI‐TOF‐MS and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction techniques. The suitable integration of photosensitizing tetraphenylethylene units as faces and Re catalytic complexes as the pillars into a single metallacage offers a high photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of 1707 μmol g−1 h−1, which is one of the highest values among reported metallacages. Femtosecond transient absorption and DFT calculations reveal that the metallacage can serve as a platform for the precise and organized arrangement of the two building blocks, enabling efficient and directional electron transfer for highly efficient photocatalytic performance. This study provides a general strategy to integrate multifunctional ligands into a certain metallacage to improve the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production, which will guide the future design of metallacages towards photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is a hotspot of wide concern in Chinese cities. With the worsening of air pollution, urban agglomerations face an increasingly complex environment for air quality monitoring, hindering sustainable and high-quality development in China. More effective methods for predicting air quality are urgently needed. In this study, we employed seven single models and ensemble learning algorithms and constructed a hybrid learning algorithm, the LSTM-SVR model, totaling eight machine learning algorithms, to predict the Air Quality Index in six major urban agglomerations in China. We comprehensively compared the predictive performance of the eight algorithmic models in different urban agglomerations. The results reveal that, in areas with higher levels of air pollution, the situation for model prediction is more complicated, leading to a decline in predictive accuracy. The constructed hybrid model LSTM-SVR demonstrated the best predictive performance, followed by the ensemble model RF, both of which effectively enhanced the predictive accuracy in heavily polluted areas. Overall, the predictive performance of the hybrid and ensemble models is superior to that of the single-model prediction methods. This study provides AI technological support for air quality prediction in various regions and offers a more comprehensive discussion of the performance differences between different types of algorithms, contributing to the practical application of air pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicomponent metallacages can integrate the functions of their different building blocks to achieve synergetic effects for advanced applications. Herein, based on metal‐coordination‐driven self‐assembly, we report the preparation of a series of isoreticular tetraphenylethylene‐based metallacages, which are well characterized by multinuclear NMR, ESI‐TOF‐MS and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction techniques. The suitable integration of photosensitizing tetraphenylethylene units as faces and Re catalytic complexes as the pillars into a single metallacage offers a high photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of 1707 μmol g−1 h−1, which is one of the highest values among reported metallacages. Femtosecond transient absorption and DFT calculations reveal that the metallacage can serve as a platform for the precise and organized arrangement of the two building blocks, enabling efficient and directional electron transfer for highly efficient photocatalytic performance. This study provides a general strategy to integrate multifunctional ligands into a certain metallacage to improve the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production, which will guide the future design of metallacages towards photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A perylene diimide‐based metal‐organic cage (MOC4c) was found to be an efficient transmembrane transporter for ions and small molecules through the internal cavity of the cage. MOC4c could selectively transport different anions, as evidenced by vesicle‐based fluorescenceassays and planar lipid bilayer‐based current recordings.Furthermore, MOC4c appears tofacilitate calcein transport across the lipid bilayer membrane of a livingcell, suggesting that MOC4c could be used as a biologicaltool for small molecule drugstransmembrane transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Spread through air spaces (STAS) is a crucial invasive mode of lung cancer and has been shown to be associated with early recurrence and metastasis. We aimed to develop a prognostic risk assessment model for stage I lung adenocarcinoma based on STAS and other pathological features and to explore the potential relationship between CXCL-8, Smad2, Snail, and STAS. Methods: 312 patients who underwent surgery at Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital with pathologically diagnosed stage I lung adenocarcinoma were reviewed in the study. STAS and other pathological features were identified by H&E staining, and a prognostic risk assessment model was established. The expression levels of CXCL8, Smad2, and Snail were determined by immunohistochemistry. Results: The nomogram was established based on age, smoking history, STAS, tumor lymphocyte infiltration, tissue subtype, nuclear grade, and tumor size. The C-index for DFS was (training set 0.84 vs validation set 0.77) and for OS was (training set 0.83 vs validation set 0.78). Decision curve analysis showed that the model constructed has a better net benefit than traditional reporting. The prognostic risk score validated the risk stratification value for stage I lung adenocarcinoma. STAS was an important prognostic factor associated with stronger invasiveness and higher expression of CXCL8, Smad2, and Snail. CXCL8 was associated with poorer DFS and OS. Conclusions: We developed and validated a survival risk assessment model and the prognostic risk score formula for stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Additionally, we found that CXCL8 could be used as a potential biomarker for STAS and poor prognosis, and its mechanism may be related to EMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Number of inseminations to conception (NINS), an important fertility trait, requires appropriate approaches for genetic evaluation due to its non-normal distribution and censoring records. In this study, we analyzed NINS in 474 837 Danish Holstein cows at their first lactation by using seven models which deal with the categorical phenotypes and censored records in different manners, further assessed these models with regard to stability, lack of bias and accuracy of prediction. The estimated heritability from four models based on original NINS specified as a linear Gaussian model, categorical threshold model, threshold linear model and survival model were similar (0.031-0.037). While for the other three models based on the binary response derived from NINS, referred as threshold model (TM), logistic and probit models (LOGM and PROM), the heritability were estimated as 0.027, 0.063 and 0.027, respectively. The model comparison concluded that different models could lead to slightly different sire rankings in terms of breeding values; a more complicated model led to less stability of prediction; the models based on the binary response derived from NINS (TM, LOGM and PROM) had slightly better performances in terms of unbiased and accurate prediction of breeding values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthesis is a process wherein the chromophores in plants and bacteria absorb light and convert it into chemical energy. To mimic this process, an emissive poly(ethylene glycol)‐decorated tetragonal prismatic platinum(II) cage was prepared and used as the donor molecule to construct a light‐harvesting system in water. Eosin Y was chosen as the acceptor because of its good spectral overlap with that of the metallacage, which is essential for the preparation of light‐harvesting systems. Such a combination showed enhanced catalytic activity in catalyzing the cross‐coupling hydrogen evolution reaction, as compared with eosin Y alone. This study offers a pathway for using the output energy from the light‐harvesting system to mimic the whole photosynthetic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthesis is a process wherein the chromophores in plants and bacteria absorb light and convert it into chemical energy. To mimic this process, an emissive poly(ethylene glycol)‐decorated tetragonal prismatic platinum(II) cage was prepared and used as the donor molecule to construct a light‐harvesting system in water. Eosin Y was chosen as the acceptor because of its good spectral overlap with that of the metallacage, which is essential for the preparation of light‐harvesting systems. Such a combination showed enhanced catalytic activity in catalyzing the cross‐coupling hydrogen evolution reaction, as compared with eosin Y alone. This study offers a pathway for using the output energy from the light‐harvesting system to mimic the whole photosynthetic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A novel J-J type Zn m In 2 S m+3 @In 2 S 3 heterojunction was designed based on conductive anisotropy. • The J-J type heterojunction was fabricated with the assistance of oxalic acid. • The heterojunction improves the carrier separation efficiency and extends light response range. • The heterojunction exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic H 2 evolution activity. Abstract It remains a great challenge to design and prepare highly efficient semiconductor-based photocatalysts for water splitting. To achieve this goal, the design of oriented heterojunctions for efficient carrier transport and separation is a new strategy based on their conductive anisotropy. Herein, a novel oriented J-J type Zn m In 2 S m+3 @In 2 S 3 heterojunction photocatalyst with hierarchical structures is fabricated with the assistance of oxalic acid. The hierarchical structures consist of 'flower-like' hollow Zn m In 2 S m+3 microspheres with epitaxially grown quantum confined In 2 S 3 along the petal rims (J-J type heterojunction). This heterojunction improves the transport and separation of the photoexcited carriers, and extends the visible-light response range. Thus, the heterojunction photocatalyst exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity with a hydrogen evolution rate of 330 μmol h−1, which is about 4 times higher than that of single ZnIn 2 S 4. The findings provide new insights to construct efficient oriented heterojunctions for anisotropic semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To perform an integrated analysis in identifying novel hub genes that could facilitate the diagnosis and targeted therapy of ameloblastoma. The expression profiling dataset, GSE38494, was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes were identified through GEO2R online tool and characterised via Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. The protein-protein interaction network and hub genes were screened using the STRING database and Cytoscape software. Subsequently, an upregulated gene was selected for further validation using the GSE132472 dataset. Further, immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the expression of the selected gene in ameloblastomas, odontogenic keratocysts, dentigerous cysts, and gingival tissues. The diagnostic and therapeutic utility of the selected hub genes were further verified by receiver operating characteristic analysis and the DGIdb database. We identified six hub genes in ameloblastoma, among which the upregulated gene PKD2 and its related gene PKD1 were further validated. GO functional annotation revealed that PKD2 is involved in cell-cell junction, extracellular exosome, cytoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum, and calcium ion transport. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression of polycystin-1 and polycystin-2, encoded by the PKD1 and PKD2 genes, respectively, was upregulated in ameloblastoma. PKD1 and PKD2 had a high diagnostic utility for ameloblastoma, and allopurinol interacted with the PKD2 gene. Our research indicates that polycystins are highly expressed in ameloblastoma and might be involved in the oncogenesis of ameloblastoma, thus offering a new perspective on the molecular mechanisms and targeted therapies on ameloblastoma. • Polycystin-1 and polycystin-2 had higher expression in ameloblastoma. • PKD1 and PKD2 genes had a high diagnostic utility for ameloblastoma. • Allopurinol interacts with PKD2 gene and could be a potential drug candidate. • Polycystins offer a new perspective on the targeted therapies of ameloblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reports on the proteomic studies of ameloblastoma and other common odontogenic lesions are limited. We thus explored the differential proteins among ameloblastoma, odontogenic keratocyst, dentigerous cyst, and normal gingival tissue using proteomics and identified hub proteins involved in the local aggressiveness and recurrence of ameloblastoma. Methods: Samples were obtained from 14 patients with ameloblastoma, 6 with odontogenic keratocyst, 9 with a dentigerous cyst, and 5 with normal gingival tissue. Proteins were then extracted, purified, quantified, and analysed using Easy‐nLC chromatography and mass spectrometry. Further functional annotation and enrichment analyses were performed using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes on the target protein collection. Protein clustering and protein–protein interaction network analyses were used to screen the hub proteins. Proteins with significant interactions were screened according to their degree index. These results were verified by immunohistochemical staining. Proteins meeting the screening criteria of expression difference ploidy >1.2‐fold (upregulation and downregulation) and p < 0.05 were considered differential proteins. Results: In ameloblastoma, 808 differential proteins were upregulated and 505 were downregulated compared with those in odontogenic keratocyst; 309 were upregulated and 453 were downregulated compared with those in dentigerous cyst; and 2210 were upregulated and 829 were downregulated compared with those in normal gingival tissue. The three groups of differential proteins were associated with cellular exosomes, antigen binding, complement activation, human papillomavirus infection, focal adhesion, cell adhesion molecules, and metabolic pathways. Conclusion: CDH3 is associated with the local aggressiveness and recurrence of ameloblastoma and is a potential therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roof mounting wind turbine (RMWT) is a promising form of wind energy utilization in urban environment. According to the International Energy Agency wind task 27, a recommended practice on micrositing of small wind turbines in the areas of high turbulence needs to be formulated. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study on the wind turbulence characteristics over the Engineering and Technology Building (ETB) on campus based on the urban atmospheric boundary layer (UABL) inflow condition is conducted, and the results are validated by wind lidar measurements. The micrositing method of RMWT is developed based on the CFD simulations, which contains preliminary and accurate micrositings. Results from this investigation suggest that the optimum installation height ranges from 1.51 to 1.79 times the height of building and the best locations are at the forefront where the wind acceleration reaches the maximum, as the wind direction varies. The methods developed in this paper can provide a feasible scheme for micrositing of RMWTs in urban environment and the results can also serve as a recommendation to this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guanylyl cyclase-C (GC-C) agonists increase cGMP levels in the intestinal epithelium to promote secretion. This process underlies the utility of exogenous GC-C agonists such as linaclotide for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). Because GC-C agonists have limited use in pediatric patients, there is a need for alternative cGMP-elevating agents that are effective in the intestine. The present study aimed to determine whether the PDE-5 inhibitor sildenafil has similar effects as linaclotide on preclinical models of constipation. Oral administration of sildenafil caused increased cGMP levels in mouse intestinal epithelium demonstrating that blocking cGMP-breakdown is an alternative approach to increase cGMP in the gut. Both linaclotide and sildenafil reduced proliferation and increased differentiation in colon mucosa, indicating common target pathways. The homeostatic effects of cGMP required gut turnover since maximal effects were observed after 3 days of treatment. Neither linaclotide nor sildenafil treatment affected intestinal transit or water content of fecal pellets in healthy mice. To test the effectiveness of cGMP elevation in a functional motility disorder model, mice were treated with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to induce colitis and were allowed to recover for several weeks. The recovered animals exhibited slower transit, but increased fecal water content. An acute dose of sildenafil was able to normalize transit and fecal water content in the DSS-recovery animal model, and also in loperamide-induced constipation. The higher fecal water content in the recovered animals was due to a compromised epithelial barrier, which was normalized by sildenafil treatment. Taken together our results show that sildenafil can have similar effects as linaclotide on the intestine, and may have therapeutic benefit to patients with CIC, IBS-C, and post-infectious IBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]