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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a drastic impact on the course of everyday life for much of the world's population and many people have experienced an unprecedented increase in anxiety and depression while their access to a range of coping mechanisms has been reduced. For those privileged enough to have nearby and safe access to natural environments, green and blue spaces have become an important enabler of everyday wellbeing. In this paper we explore the role of everyday interactions with nature for the maintenance of wellbeing, during the first and second 'wave' of infections in the Netherlands. Based on qualitative interviews with 30 participants in spring/summer and autumn of 2020, we detail how relationships with nature in the local surroundings and in the home qualitatively and effectively changed in response to COVID-19 induced confinement, resulting in the becoming-therapeutic of everyday micro-geographies. Amongst our participants, the conditions of semi-lockdown gave rise to increased interactions with nature, both in their outdoor surroundings and in the home. These increased interactions also led to intensified emotional and sensory experiences with nature and a greater sense of familiarity with their surroundings, which strengthened place-attachments and contributed to an increased sense of wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: XPF (xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F) is a key factor contributing to DNA damage excision of nucleotide excision repair pathway. The relationship between XPF expression and the risk and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is unclear. Methods: In this experiment, a total of 824 cases of colorectal tissue were collected. XPF protein expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining. We conducted a Mann–Whitney U test in order to explore the differential expression of XPF between CRC and non-cancer controls, and the correlation between XPF expression and CRC clinicopathological parameters. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between XPF expression and CRC prognosis. The Java based software GSEA as well as STRING, David, GO, KEGG were used to explore the function and regulation network of XPF. Results: The results demonstrated that the XPF expression in CRC was significantly up-regulated compared with non-tumor controls (P < 0.001) and adenoma tissue (P < 0.001). XPF protein was increased in the dynamic sequence of anal diseases to adenoma tissue to CRC. Expression of XPF was related to tumor location (P = 0.005) and tumor growth pattern (P = 0.009). The results of prognosis analysis suggested that in patients with stage T1-T2, XPF low expression may be significantly associated with better overall survival (HR = 7.978, 95% CI 1.208–52.673, P = 0.031). XPF and its interacting genes played a vital role in different processes of nucleotide excision repair pathway. XPF expression was related with Ubiquitin like protein specific protease activity. Conclusions: XPF might be a promising biomarker for CRC risk, and also showed potential as a prognostic predictor in CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), the members of sediment microorganisms, play an important role in geochemical iron-cycling and sediment magnetism. This study aimed to investigate the diversity and magnetism contribution of MTB in three volcanic barrier lakes with different waterbody types (open waterbody, YC; semi-enclosed waterbody, WB; and enclosed waterbody, YYP). High-throughput sequencing results showed that MTB affiliated to Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Nitrospira distributed widely in these lakes. The genera of Magnetococcus (98.10%) and Candidatus Magnetoovum (1.47%) were endemic to YC and WB, respectively. The changes in frequency-dependent susceptibility (χ fd) values before and after magnetic collection in YC, WB and YYP samples were − 0.28%, 0.05% and − 0.22%, respectively. The magnetic susceptibility was significantly associated with Chao1 (R2 = 0.637 to 0.763, p <.01) and Shannon index (R2 = 0.803 to 0.998, p <.01). The room- and low-temperature magnetic characteristics of sediment samples were analyzed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and radio-frequency superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). Results indicated that the presence or absence of MTB could lead to the changes in the room- and low-temperature magnetism of volcanic lake sediments, which would extend our knowledge of MTB magnetism contribution to volcanic ecosystems. Unlabelled Image • The diversity of MTB decreased from open to closed to semi-closed water body. • Sediment magnetism with and without MTB were recorded by susceptibility meter, VSM and SQUID. • Significant relationships exist between χ fd value and diversity index (p <.01). • MTB obviously affected room- and low-temperature magnetism of sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an ever increasing interest in studying dynamic-pressure dependent phenomena utilizing dynamic Diamond Anvil Cells (dDACs), devices capable of a highly controlled rate of compression. Here, we characterize and compare the compression rate of dDACs in which the compression is actuated via three different methods: (1) stepper motor (S-dDAC), (2) gas membrane (M-dDAC), and (3) piezoactuator (P-dDAC). The compression rates of these different types of dDAC were determined solely on millisecond time-resolved R1-line fluorescence of a ruby sphere located within the sample chamber. Furthermore, these different dynamic compression-techniques have been described and characterized over a broad temperature and pressure range from 10 to 300 K and 0–50 GPa. At room temperature, piezoactuation (P-dDAC) has a clear advantage in controlled extremely fast compression, having recorded a compression rate of ∼7 TPa/s, which is also found to be primarily influenced by the charging time of the piezostack. At 40–250 K, gas membranes (M-dDAC) have also been found to generate rapid compression of ∼0.5–3 TPa/s and are readily interfaced with moderate cryogenic and ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Approaching more extreme cryogenic conditions (<10 K), a stepper motor driven lever arm (S-dDAC) offers a solution for high-precision moderate compression rates in a regime where P-dDACs and M-dDACs can become difficult to incorporate. The results of this paper demonstrate the applicability of different dynamic compression techniques, and when applied, they can offer us new insights into matter's response to strain, which is highly relevant to physics, geoscience, and chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polyelectrolyte microcapsule-based layer-by-layer (LbL) technique has been widely used as a multifunctional vehicle for combined tumor therapy. Meanwhile, with the rapid development of combined tumour therapy, the challenge for designing multifunctional drug delivery system has attracted much more attention. Herein, we developed a new type of microcapsule (MC) system called MPA@siRNA@DOX@MC, which conjugated with siRNA and DOX as well as ICG-Der-02 (MPA) by electrostatic absorption. MPA as indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence dye, exhibiting high fluorescence emission and photothermal conversion ability under NIR laser irradiation, was uploaded onto this drug system for realizing the controllable drug release and cancer theranostics. In addition, the results revealed that MPA@siRNA@DOX@MC possessed several ideal properties including high drug-loading capacity, excellent siRNA transfection efficiency, siRNA sequence protection and remarkably improved tumour-targeting capacity. Moreover, the combined therapy based on this drug system displayed improved therapeutic efficacy and negligible side effects both in vivo and in vitro experiment. Ultimately, MPA@siRNA@DOX@MC drug delivery system successfully combined the photothermal therapy and chemotherapy with controlled siRNA sequence silencing may have a promising potential in combined tumor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has been proved to possess many biological functions and it is an essential component of plant osmotic signaling. However, how endogenous H 2 S homeostasis is maintained and how this function determines mung bean osmotic tolerance is less explored. To fully answer this question, two cultivars with different osmotic stress tolerance (namely MM015 and MM047) were used in this study. Under osmotic stress, osmosis-tolerant cultivar MM047 had higher H 2 S-producing capacity, which was impaired in osmosis-sensitive cultivar MM015. In MM015, alleviation of the osmotic stress-induced wilting phenotype and destruction of redox homeostasis were achieved by the application of NaHS (a H 2 S donor) at both low (10 μM) and high (200 μM) concentrations. Moreover, NaHS treatment mitigated osmotic stress-induced reduction on photosynthetic capacity in MM015, as evaluated by net photosynthetic rate and Rubisco carboxylation activity, etc. However, in MM047, a similar protective role against osmotic stress-triggered damage was observed only when NaHS was applied at low concentration, whereas aggravated at high dose. Importantly, we identified three genes encoding L -cysteine desulfhydrase (VrLCDs, EC 4.4.1.1) from mung bean genome, all of which possess H 2 S-producing enzymatic activities. The molecular function of VrLCD2, a major basal and inducible VrLCD form was subsequently investigated through A.rhizogenes -induced hairy roots system. Overexpression of this gene mitigated osmotic stress-triggered oxidative damage in osmosis-sensitive cultivar, which was exacerbated osmosis-sensitive cultivar. Taken together, our results demonstrated VrLCD-modulated endogenous H 2 S homeostasis regulates mung bean osmotic tolerance through maintaining redox homeostasis and photosynthetic capacity. These results further provide valuable resource for molecular breeding and genetic development of stress-resilient mung bean crop through the modulation of endogenous H 2 S homeostasis. • Mung bean osmotic stress tolerance was associated with the regulation of endogenous H 2 S homeostasis. • The maintenance of H 2 S homeostasis mitigated the osmotic stress-induced destruction of redox homeostasis and photosynthetic capacity in mung bean. • Osmotic stress tolerance was enhanced by overexpression of VrLCD2 in mung bean osmosis-sensitive cultivar, whereas exacerbated in osmosis-tolerant cultivar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]