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Due to the pressure of the ecological environment and government, it is incumbent for enterprises to undertake corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, during the recycling process, awareness of equity concerns due to the distribution of benefits among members has intensified, and it is crucial to resolve channel conflicts and design a reasonable cooperation model to recycle used power batteries. Therefore, this paper constructs a closed-loop supply chain composed of power battery manufacturer, retailer and third-party collector based on the consideration of cascade utilization, in order to study the impact of the level of CSR and the degree of fairness concern on the decision-making of channel participants. Our research shows that: (1) Fairness concern behavior adversely affects the supply chain, which raises the sales price and reduces the collecting rate and the utility of the supply chain as a whole. (2) Undertaking CSR is beneficial to the development of the power battery market, and also helps to reduce the sense of unfairness among third-party recycling companies. (3) The cost-sharing contract effectively coordinates the distribution of supply chain benefits and improves the recycling rate. Finally, we further verify the correctness of the conclusions through numerical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesizing orientated liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) via the two-stage thiol-acrylate Michael addition and photopolymerization (TAMAP) reaction is extensively used. However, excess acrylates, initiators, and strong stimuli are inevitably involved in the second stage crosslinking. Herein, we simplify the strategy through taking advantage of a volatile alkaline (originally added to catalyze the thiol-acrylate addition in the first crosslinking stage). Without excess functional groups, the residual catalyst after annealing is still enough to trigger reactions of dynamic covalent bonds at a relatively mild temperature (80 °C) to program the alignment of LCEs. The reversible reaction switches off by itself after this process since the catalyst gradually but totally evaporates upon heating. The obtained soft actuators exhibit robust actuation during repeated deformation (over 1000 times). Many shape-morphing modes can be achieved by rationally designing orientation patterns. This strategy not only facilitates the practical synthesis of LCE actuators, but also balances the intrinsic conflict between stability and reprogrammability of exchangeable LCEs. Moreover, the method of applying volatile catalysts has the potential to be extended to other dynamic covalent bonds (DCBs) applied to crosslinked polymer systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is increasing worldwide, with major impacts on biodiversity, species interactions and ecosystem functioning. Pollination is an ecosystem function vital for terrestrial ecosystems and food security; however, the processes underlying the patterns of pollinator diversity and the ecosystem services they provide in cities have seldom been quantified. Here, we perform a comprehensive meta‐analysis of 133 studies examining the effects of urbanization on pollinators and pollination. Our results confirm the widespread negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator richness and abundance, with Lepidoptera being the most affected group. Furthermore, pollinator responses were found to be trait‐specific, with below‐ground nesting and solitary Hymenoptera, and spring flyers more severely affected by urbanization. Meanwhile, cities promote non‐native pollinators, which may exacerbate conservation risks to native species. Surprisingly, despite the negative effects of urbanization on pollinator diversity, pollination service measured as seed set is enhanced in non‐tropical cities likely due to abundant generalists and managed pollinators therein. We emphasize that the richness of local flowering plants could mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization on pollinator diversity. Overall, the results demonstrate the varying magnitudes of multiple moderators on urban pollinators and pollination services and could help guide conservation actions for biodiversity and ecosystem function for a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent adaptable networks (CANs) are reprocessable polymers whose structural arrangement is based on the recombination of dynamic covalent bonds. Composite materials prepared by incorporating magnetic particles into CANs attract much attention due to their remote and precise control, fast response speed, high biological safety and strong penetration of magnetic stimuli. These properties often involve magnetothermal effect and direct magnetic‐field guidance. Besides, some of them can also respond to light, electricity or pH values. Thus, they are favorable for soft actuators since various functions are achieved such as magnetic‐assisted self‐healing (heating or at ambient temperature), welding (on land or under water), shape‐morphing, and so on. Although magnetic CANs just start to be studied in recent two years, their advances are promised to expand the practical applications in both cutting‐edge academic and engineering fields. This review aims to summarize recent progress in magnetic‐responsive CANs, including their design, synthesis and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The labor-efficient automation of grafting has been recognized as a key factor in the wider adoption of grafting. In growing cucurbits, the root pruned one-cotyledon grafting method is the most commonly used method with grafting machines. The cutting angle, which affects the matching of the rootstock and scion, is key to the survival of the graft seedling. In the production of cucurbit graft seedlings, the cutting parameters are established based on experience, leading to low grafting success. To determine accurate cutting parameters, the watermelon cv. 'Zaojia84-24′ was used as the scion and the pumpkin cv. 'Zhenzhuang' was used as rootstock, and two one-way experiments investigating the cutting angle of the watermelon scion and the rootstock as factors were conducted. The cutting angle of the rootstock and scion had no significant effect on the xylem reconnection rate or the grafting survival rate. A larger cutting angle for the rootstock and scion led to a delay in the reconnection of the phloem. Different cutting angles for the scion significantly affected the growth of the scion after grafting. Compared with a scion graft cutting angle of 10° (SL), graft cutting angles of 14° (SM) and 20° (SS) led to significantly greater scion dry weights, with increases of 16.00% and 18.61%, respectively. Different cutting angles of the rootstock significantly affected the growth of roots after grafting. Compared with a rootstock graft cutting angle of 10° (RL), graft cutting angles of 17° (RM) and 27° (RS) led to significantly greater root dry weights, with increases of 29.33% and 22.54%, respectively. The results of this study can provide a reference for the design of cutting mechanisms for cucurbit grafting robots, improving the cutting precision of grafting robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diopside, an important component of the crustal and upper mantle, plays an important role in the formation of nephrite. Polysynthetic twinning in natural diopside, especially from skarns, has rarely been systematically researched. Here, the polysynthetic twinning of natural diopside was investigated in two skarn-type nephrite deposits (Niewang and Tatliksu) in Qiemo, Xinjiang, China. Petrographic observations revealed periodic alternations of dark–light lamellae under cross-polarized light and parallel striations under plane-polarized light, whereas backscattered electron images indicated high homogeneity, which suggested a type of mechanical polysynthetic twinning. According to the optical indicatrix, twins were predominantly oriented as a (100)[100] system. Raman spectra and chemical data show that pyroxenes in nephrite are close to the Di end-member with 0.90–1.04 a.p.f.u. Mg and 0.98–1.05 a.p.f.u. Ca. Both diopside and tremolite from Tatliksu contain slightly higher Fe than those from Niewang. Given the seismic origin of mechanical clinopyroxenes twins, twins of studied diopsides are likely to be attributed to Paleozoic-Mesozoic paleoearthquakes in the Altyn Mountain. A shear stress ≥ 140 MPa and a differential stress greater than 280 MPa are suggested as conditions linked to generation of the twinning of diopsides in the nephrite deposits. The replacement of diopside by tremolite along its twin planes highlights the potential gemological implications, as such replacement by tremolite probably facilitated the formation of dense, fine fibre textures in the nephrites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is a common malignant tumour in women. Berberin (BBR) is an alkaloid with anti-tumour activity, and circular RNA (circRNAs) has been extensively studied in cancers. However, whether BBR regulates the development of EC by regulating circular RNA zinc finger protein 608 (ZNF608) is unknown. Different concentrations of BBR were used to treat endometrial cancer cells. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to assess the expression of circ_ZNF608, microRNA-377-3p (miR-377-3p) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2). The expression of COX2 protein was detected by western blot. The effect of circ_ZNF608 in BBR-treated EC cells was verified by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, thymidine analog 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, colony formation assay, transwell, and flow cytometry. The effect of BBR and circ_ZNF608 on tumour growth was evaluated by xenograft tumour model in vivo. Berberine can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of EC cells and promote apoptosis, which is related to the concentration. Circ_ZNF608 and COX2 were abnormally increased, while the levels of miR-377-3p were reversed in EC tissues and cells. Overexpression of circ_ZNF608 can restore the inhibitory effect of BBR on EC cells. In addition, circ_ZNF608 restored the inhibitory effect of BBR on EC cells by inhibiting the expression of miR-377-3p. Similarly, MiR-377-3p/COX2 can regulate the tumour progression of EC under BBR. Finally, BBR can inhibit the growth of endometrial carcinoma in vivo. BBR was found to inhibit EC via the circ_ZNF608/miR-377-3p/COX2 axis, which is helpful in endometrial carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a prevalent microvascular complication of diabetes. Chinese medicine believes that kidney deficiency and blood stasis are significant pathogenesis of DR. A characteristic therapeutic approach for this pathogenesis is the kidney-tonifying and blood-activating method. By literature retrieval from several databases, we methodically summarized the commonly used kidney-tonifying and blood-activating herbs for treating DR, including Lycii Fructus, Rehmanniane Radix Praeparata, and Corni Fructus with the function of nourishing kidney; Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma with the function of enhancing blood circulation; Rehmanniae Radix with the function of nourishing kidney yin; and Astragali Radix with the function of tonifying qi. It has been demonstrated that these Chinese herbs described above, by tonifying the kidney and activating blood circulation, significantly improve the course of DR. Through literature research, to gain a thorough comprehension of the pathogenesis of DR. Simultaneously, through the traditional application analysis, modern pharmacology research and network pharmacology analysis of kidney-tonifying and blood-activating herbs, to review the effectiveness and advantages of kidney-tonifying and blood-activating herbs in treating DR comprehensively. PubMed, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data were used to filter the most popular herbs for tonifying kidney and activating blood in the treatment of DR. The search terms were "diabetic retinopathy" and "tonifying kidney and activating blood". Mostly from 2000 to 2023. Network pharmacology was applied to examine the key active components and forecast the mechanisms of kidney-tonifying and blood-activating herbs in the treatment of DR. Kidney deficiency and blood stasis are the pathogenesis of DR, and the pathogenesis is linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, hypoxia, and hyperglycemia. Scientific data and network pharmacology analysis have demonstrated the benefit of tonifying kidney and activating blood herbs in treating DR through several channels, multiple components, and multiple targets. This review first presents useful information for subsequent research into the material foundation and pharmacodynamics of herbs for tonifying kidney and activating blood, and offers fresh insights into the treatment of DR. [Display omitted] • DR causes analyzed using traditional Chinese and western medicine perspectives. • Collected common drugs for curing DR in kidney-tonifying and blood-activating ways. • Literature study the anti-DR effect of kidney-tonifying blood-activating herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaucoma is considered a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive visual field defects that may lead to blindness. Although controlling intraocular pressure (IOP) is the mainstay of glaucoma treatment, some glaucoma patients have unmet needs due to unclear pathogenic mechanisms. Recently, there has been growing evidence that neuroinflammation is a potential target for the development of novel antiglaucoma agents. In this study, we investigated the protective effects and cellular mechanisms of H7E, a novel small molecule inhibits HDAC8, using in vitro and in vivo glaucoma-like models. Importantly, H7E mitigated extracellular MMP-9 activity and MCP-1 levels in glutamate- or S100B-stimulated reactive Müller glia. In addition, H7E inhibited the upregulation of inflammation- and proliferation-related signaling pathways, particularly the ERK and JNK MAPK pathways. Under conditions of oxidative damage, H7E prevents retinal cell death and reduces extracellular glutamate released from stressed Müller glia. In a mouse model of NMDA-induced retinal degeneration, H7E alleviated functional and structural defects within the inner retina as assessed by electroretinography and optical coherence tomography. Our results demonstrated that the newly identified compound H7E protects against glaucoma damage by specifically targeting HDAC8 activity in the retina. This protective effect is attributed to the inhibition of Müller glial activation and the prevention of retinal cell death caused by oxidative stress. [Display omitted] • HDAC8 inhibitor H7E restores retinal dysfunctionin NMDA-injured mice. • H7E ameliorates RGC loss and retinal gliosis from NMDA toxicity. • H7E prevents cell death and glutamate release inoxidative-damaged Müller glia. • H7E reduces glutamateor S100B-elicited MMP-9 and MCP-1 secretion in Müller glia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding of the mechanism of supernovae explosions has become a critical question since the detailed observation of SN1987A neutrinos. The influence of strong electron screening (SES) on electron capture (EC) plays a key role in supernovae explosions. Based on the random phase approximation (RPA) theory, using the shell-model Monte Carlo (SMMC) method, we have investigated the influence of SES on EC of iron group nuclei by the linear response theory model (LRTM) and the plasma sphere theory model (PSTM). The main highlight is that we discuss the EC by considering the corrections of the Q-value, the electron chemical potential, electron energy, the Coulomb wave correction factor and nuclear binding energy by SES. The screening rates decrease by ∼ 19.99 % and ∼ 36.50 % by PSTM and LRTM, respectively. We compare our screening results by LRTM with those of Fuller et al. (1980, 1982, 1985), Aufderheide et al. (1994), Nabi & Klapdor-Kleingrothaus (1999) and Martinez-Pinedo et al. (2000). Our screening rates can be lower about by one, two, two orders of magnitude and 31.58% than those of Aufderheide et al. (1994); Fuller et al. (1982), Nabi & Klapdor-Kleingrothaus (1999) and Martinez-Pinedo et al. (2000), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abundant glutathione (GSH) in "cold" tumors weakens ferroptosis therapy and the immune response. Inspired by lipids, we fabricated cinnamaldehyde dimers (CDC) into lipid‐like materials to form dimersomes capable of depleting GSH and delivering therapeutics to potentiate the ferroptosis and immunotherapy of breast cancer. The dimersomes exhibited superior storage stability for over one year. After reaching the tumor, they quickly underwent breakage in the cytosol owing to the conjugation of hydrophilic GSH on CDC by Michael addition, which not only triggered the drug release and fluorescence switch "ON", but also led to the depletion of intracellular GSH. Ferroptosis was significantly enhanced after combination with sorafenib (SRF) and elicited a robust immune response in vivo by promoting the maturation of dendritic cells and the priming of CD8+ T cells. As a result, the CDC@SRF dimersomes cured breast cancer in all the mice after four doses of administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abundant glutathione (GSH) in "cold" tumors weakens ferroptosis therapy and the immune response. Inspired by lipids, we fabricated cinnamaldehyde dimers (CDC) into lipid‐like materials to form dimersomes capable of depleting GSH and delivering therapeutics to potentiate the ferroptosis and immunotherapy of breast cancer. The dimersomes exhibited superior storage stability for over one year. After reaching the tumor, they quickly underwent breakage in the cytosol owing to the conjugation of hydrophilic GSH on CDC by Michael addition, which not only triggered the drug release and fluorescence switch "ON", but also led to the depletion of intracellular GSH. Ferroptosis was significantly enhanced after combination with sorafenib (SRF) and elicited a robust immune response in vivo by promoting the maturation of dendritic cells and the priming of CD8+ T cells. As a result, the CDC@SRF dimersomes cured breast cancer in all the mice after four doses of administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of strong electron screening (SES) on electron capture (EC) plays a key role in supernovae explosions. We investigate the influence of SES on EC of iron group nuclei by the linear response theory model (LRTM) and the plasma sphere theory model (PSTM). The corrections of the Q-value, the electron chemical potential, electron energy, the Coulomb wave correction factor, and nuclear blinding energy by SES are considered. The screening rates even decrease by ∼ 8 1. 8 9 % and ∼ 7 8. 3 2 % by PSTM and LRTM, respectively. We compare our screening results with those of Fuller et al. (FFN), Aufderheide et al. (AUFD), Nabi et al. (NKK), and Martinez-Pinedo et al. (MLD). Our screening rates can be lowered about by 1 ∼ 2 , 2, and 1 orders of magnitude than those of AUFD (FFN), NKK, and MLD, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Gouty arthritis is a common metabolic disease caused by long-term purine metabolism and elevated serum uric acid. In recent years, the incidence of gouty arthritis has been increasing year by year. As an effective method for treating gouty arthritis, acupuncture combined with herbal medicine has been widely used in clinical practice. However, the evidence for the treatment needs to be evaluated through systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, China CBM database, Clinical Trials, CNKI, China Wanfang database, and VIP information database were searched from the establishment of each database to March 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the study, and the therapeutic effects of acupuncture combined with herbal medicine versus conventional therapy, or acupuncture combined with herbal medicine versus anti-inflammatory drugs, or acupuncture combined with herbal medicine versus acupuncture/herbal medicine alone were compared in the subjects with gouty arthritis. Two authors screened all references, assessed the risk of bias, and independently extracted the data. The binary outcome was summarized using 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and risk ratios (RRs). The overall quality of the evidence was assessed with hierarchy, and meta-analysis was performed with a random-effects model. Results. A total of 14 randomized controlled trials (1,065 participants, 540 treatment groups, and 525 control groups) with treatment courses of 5 to 21 days were included. Acupuncture combined with herbal medicine and acupuncture was compared in three trials, acupuncture combined with herbal medicine and conventional therapy was compared in 14 of them, and acupuncture combined with herbal medicine and anti-inflammatory drugs was compared in 8 of them. The clinical efficacy (clinical symptoms, serological tests, and visual analogue scale (VAS) results) was significantly improved in the acupuncture combined with herbal medicine treatment group (P = 0.0005 , 95% CI 0.03 to 0.13; 687 participants; 8 trials), and the efficacy in reducing uric acid was also better (P < 0.00001 ; 95% CI −102.89, −68.37; 100 participants; 2 trials; evidence with moderate quality). The effect of acupuncture combined with herbal medicine was better than that of acupuncture alone (RR 1.22, 95%CI 1.06 to 1.41; 139 participants; 3 trials), the effect of acupuncture combined with herbal medicine was better than that of herbal medicine alone (RR 1.31 95%CI 1.08 to 1.57, 100 participants, 2 trials, evidence with moderate quality), and the effect of acupuncture combined with herbal medicine was better than that of colchicine (P = 0.02, RR 1.14 95%CI 1.02 to 1.27, 2 trials, evidence with moderate quality). The incidence of adverse events was considerably different between the two groups, and the acupuncture combined with herbal medicine group was significantly superior to the control group in terms of adverse events (P < 0.00001 ; 95% CI (0.08 to 0.32)). Conclusions. The efficacy of acupuncture combined with herbal medicine was better than conventional drug therapy in treating gouty arthritis. The study results must be interpreted with caution due to the high or unclear risk of bias of the trials included in the study. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020202544. INPLASY registration number: 202090006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species interactions, such as those between plants and pollinators, are known to be shaped by both evolutionary history and ecological factors. However, little is known about how multiple factors (e.g. phylogeny, phenology, abundance and functional traits) interactively affect interaction patterns.Using a plant–bumblebee network comprising 2,428 interactions between 29 plant species and 12 bumblebee species in the Himalaya–Hengduan Mountains, we tested for phylogenetic signal and whether phylogenetic pattern was explained by abundance, phenology and 13 plant and bumblebee functional traits. We also tested whether trait matching in two pairs of plant–bumblebee traits explained interaction frequencies at both species and individual levels.The network showed significant phylogenetic signal; closely related bumblebees tended to visit similar sets of plants, but not vice versa. Among all the measured factors, nectar volume and sugar concentration, rather than other phylogenetically constrained factors, were most important for explaining phylogenetic pattern (64% and 54% respectively). Although long–tongued bumblebee species tended to interact with long–tubed flowers, trait matching did not predict short–tongued bee interaction frequencies. Despite this, trait matching was apparent at the level of individual bees, reflecting intraspecific variation in tongue length and body size. Different selection pressures may exist within this bumblebee community, resulting in specialized, co–evolved traits in long–tongued species and adaptive generalization in short–tongued species to gain access to a variety of flowers.Together, these findings contribute to our understanding of phylogenetic trait–based structure in species interaction networks. In particular, this study provides new evidence for the importance of nectar rewards in structuring interaction patterns in pollination mutualisms. The results also demonstrate that trait matching may occur at the individual level, despite not being detectable at the species level, and underline the necessity of taking intraspecific trait variation into account in studies of community structure. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gouty arthritis (GA) is a multifactorial disease whose pathogenesis is utterly complex, and the current clinical treatment methods cannot wholly prevent GA development. Western medicine is the primary treatment strategy for gouty arthritis, but it owns an unfavorable prognosis. Therefore, the prevention and treatment of GA are essential. In China, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been adopted for GA prevention and treatment for thousands of years. Gout patients are usually treated with TCM according to their different conditions, and long-term results can be achieved by improving their physical condition. And TCM has been proved to be an effective method to treat gout in modern China. Nevertheless, the pharmacological mechanism of TCM for gout is still unclear, which limits its spread. The theory of prevention and treatment of gout with TCM is more well acknowledged in China than in abroad. In this article, Chinese herbs and ancient formula for gout were summarized first. A total of more than 570 studies published from 2004 to June 2021 in PubMed, Medline, CNKI, VIP, Web of Science databases and Chinese Pharmacopoeia and traditional Chinese books were searched; the current status of TCM in the treatment of GA was summarized from the following aspects: articular chondrocyte apoptosis inhibition, antioxidative stress response, inflammatory cytokine levels regulation, uric acid excretion promotion, immune function regulation, uric acid reduction, and intestinal flora improvement in subjects with gout. The literature review concluded that TCM has a specific curative effect on the prevention and treatment of GA, particularly when combined with modern medical approaches. However, lacking a uniform definition of GA syndrome differentiation and the support of evidence-based medicine in clinical practice have provoked considerable concern in previous studies, which needs to be addressed in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fingerprints formed by the raised papillary ridges are one of the most important markers for individual identification. However, the current visualization methods for latent fingerprints (LFPs) suffer from poor resolution, low contrast, and high toxicity. In this work, the CsPbBr3/Cs4PbBr6 nanostructured composite crystal (CsPbBr3/Cs4PbBr6 NCC) were synthesized via a simple chemical solvent-assisted method. Compared with conventional perovskites, the as-prepared CsPbBr3/Cs4PbBr6 NCC present an outstanding long-term environmental and water stability with 42% and 80% photoluminescence intensity remaining after 28 d under water and air conditions, respectively. Moreover, a special response to biomolecules from fingerprints was observed due to the hydrophobic interactions between the CsPbBr3/Cs4PbBr6 NCC surface hydrophobic ligands (oleyl amine and oleic acid) and the hydrophobic groups in the biomolecules from the human fingers. Clear LFPs images were visualized in a bright environment illuminating the prepared CsPbBr3/Cs4PbBr6 NCC powder under UV light of wavelength 365 nm. The images were also obtained on porous and non-porous surfaces such as metal, plastic, wood, glass, and paper products. These perovskite nanocrystals are expected a stable and bright luminescent labeling agent for LFPs visualization and have potential application in crime scene and personal identifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a thiol-ene click reaction was used to graft polystyrene (PS) chains onto the surface of ethylene propylene diene monomer-based ground tire rubber (GTR). A thiol-terminated PS (11 kg mol−1) was selected, due to its commercial availability, to modify a postconsumer GTR. The resulting PS-grafted GTR (GTR- g -PS) particles were analyzed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to detect surface changes on treated samples. An increase in aliphatic and aromatic carbon atoms was observed by FTIR and XPS, while grafted material was observed by SEM on the GTR surface, confirming that grafting took place. Then, composites were prepared from these GTR- g -PS particles and from PS by solution evaporation, at 50 wt%. A significant increase in tensile (20%) and storage moduli (from 80% at 65°C to 510% at 95°C) was observed by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis when compared to composites prepared with untreated GTR. In addition, GTR samples showed improved thermal resistance, as attested by the shift in degradation temperature for 10% mass loss (from 400°C for GTR to 450°C for GTR- g -PS). This increases the possible range of processing temperature and service temperature (applications) for introduction of GTR in other polymer matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnancy is a state of partial immune suppression which makes pregnant women more vulnerable to viral infections, and the morbidity is higher even with seasonal influenza. In a recent report, sensitivity of chest CT in diagnosing COVID-19 was shown to be greater than that of RT-PCR (98% vs 71%).[13] Radiological signs of viral pneumonia were present in an overwhelming majority of reported pregnancies with COVID-19 infection. Antiviral treatment has been routinely used to treat COVID-19 infection in China, and is also recommended for pregnant patients. [Extracted from the article]

Daidzein has been reported to be effective in regulating lipid metabolism in animals. However, the molecular mechanisms of daidzein on adipogenesis in beef cattle are not yet reported and the results of daidzein on affecting lipid metabolism in other species have been conflicting. High‐throughput sequencing of mRNA (RNA‐Seq) technology was performed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of daidzein on adipogenesis in subcutaneous adipose tissue of finishing Xianan beef cattle. A total of 893 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by differential expression analysis, among which 405 genes were upregulated and 488 genes were downregulated. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that these DEGs were significantly enriched to the pathways related to lipid metabolism including ECM–receptor interaction, Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis and Hedgehog signalling pathway. Daidzein significantly affected the candidate genes (Shh, Pec, Gli, Wnt6, DLK, IGFBP2, ID3 and C/EBPE) related to adipocyte differentiation. Besides, daidzein improved the ability of subcutaneous adipocytes in synthesizing triglycerides by directly using the long‐chain fatty acids and enhanced the efficiency of triglyceride synthesis of subcutaneous adipocytes in Xianan steers. In conclusion, daidzein plays a positive role not only in adipogenic differentiation, but also in triglyceride synthesis in subcutaneous adipose tissue of Xianan beef cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the coal combustion that generates halides, steel components can confront hot corrosion during applications at high temperature. The hot-dipping aluminum (HDA) was operated on the 9Cr–Mo steel (grade 91) to form the iron aluminide layer. A hot corrosion-loading test of aluminized grade 91 (HDA-91) was carried out by covering a salt mixture of NaCl/Na2SO4 under static load ranging from 75 to 100 MPa at 600 °C and 700 °C, respectively. The failure mechanism was assessed after various elongations using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. The results showed that HDA-91 presented higher hot corrosion resistance than the uncoated grade 91. The aluminide layer formed a higher ductility oxide and prevented the substrate form grain-boundary oxidation at high temperatures, resulting in durability. The results also revealed a significant improvement in reduction of area during the hot corrosion-loading test for grade 91 that underwent HDA treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• It is feasible to detect all types of damage of the conveyor belt at one time. • Visual salience makes better use of the visual features of the belt image. • This method is not affected by the length or the operation speed of the belt. • Classifying and positioning of various types of conveyor belt surface damage. The primary goal of mining is safety and efficiency. Owing to the long-term operation of a conveyor belt and the damage caused by sharp objects, the belt is easily torn, and such damage can be difficult to discover in time. These issues can cause major accidents in a very short time. Therefore, a reliable, real-time detection of the surface damage on a conveyor belt is critical. Most existing systems have only been applied to images for identifying one type of damage. However, various types of damage can appear in one image, in the form of scratches, cracks, or tears. In this study, a multi-class support vector machine (SVM) detection system is proposed, based on visual saliency. After adding light sources, the system collects images using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, and conveys them to a decision-making subsystem via a data transmission subsystem. Then, in a processing module of the decision-making subsystem, the damage is located coarsely using an adaptive threshold, and its connected components are extracted. The grey values are quickly extracted as salient values used to identify the location and type of damage, using the multi-class SVM model. Finally, the system offers a real-time response to the output. The experiments are divided into two groups. One group concerns the detection of the conveyor belt under ideal conditions, whereas the other concerns the belt under wet conditions. As compared with other algorithms, and when there are several types of damage in an image, the method proposed in this study has an improved accuracy rate for all types of damage. This is especially true for tears, for which the detection accuracy reaches 100%. Even when the environmental conditions are complex, the detection accuracy for tears is as high as 99.11%, and the damage can be reported, stopped, and responded to in time to ensure the safety of the person and equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This review aims to critically appraise and compare the measurement properties of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-specific health-related quality of life instruments.Methods: Medline, EMBASE and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched from their inception to May 2016. IBD-specific instruments for patients with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or IBD were enrolled. The basic characteristics and domains of the instruments were collected. The methodological quality of measurement properties and measurement properties of the instruments were assessed.Results: Fifteen IBD-specific instruments were included, which included twelve instruments for adult IBD patients and three for paediatric IBD patients. All of the instruments were developed in North American and European countries. The following common domains were identified: IBD-related symptoms, physical, emotional and social domain. The methodological quality was satisfactory for content validity; fair in internal consistency, reliability, structural validity, hypotheses testing and criterion validity; and poor in measurement error, cross-cultural validity and responsiveness. For adult IBD patients, the IBDQ-32 and its short version (SIBDQ) had good measurement properties and were the most widely used worldwide. For paediatric IBD patients, the IMPACT-III had good measurement properties and had more translated versions.Conclusions: Most methodological quality should be promoted, especially measurement error, cross-cultural validity and responsiveness. The IBDQ-32 was the most widely used instrument with good reliability and validity, followed by the SIBDQ and IMPACT-III. Further validation studies are necessary to support the use of other instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a major threat to alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) production. The discovery of important alfalfa genes regulating drought response will facilitate breeding for drought‐resistant alfalfa cultivars. Here, we report a genome‐wide association study of drought resistance in alfalfa. We identified and functionally characterized an MYB‐like transcription factor gene (MsMYBH), which increases the drought resistance in alfalfa. Compared with the wild‐types, the biomass and forage quality were enhanced in MsMYBH overexpressed plants. Combined RNA‐seq, proteomics and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that MsMYBH can directly bind to the promoters of MsMCP1, MsMCP2, MsPRX1A and MsCARCAB to improve their expression. The outcomes of such interactions include better water balance, high photosynthetic efficiency and scavenge excess H2O2 in response to drought. Furthermore, an E3 ubiquitin ligase (MsWAV3) was found to induce MsMYBH degradation under long‐term drought, via the 26S proteasome pathway. Furthermore, variable‐number tandem repeats in MsMYBH promoter were characterized among a collection of germplasms, and the variation is associated with promoter activity. Collectively, our findings shed light on the functions of MsMYBH and provide a pivotal gene that could be leveraged for breeding drought‐resistant alfalfa. This discovery also offers new insights into the mechanisms of drought resistance in alfalfa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Maternal cardiac dysfunction as well as abnormal uterine artery (UtA) Doppler are associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), but their relation is unclear. We investigated the correlation between maternal cardiac function, UtA hemodynamics and natriuretic peptides, and explored differences between women who subsequently developed HDP and those who did not.Material and Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional cohort study of 347 pregnant women at 22-24 weeks. Maternal cardiac function and systemic hemodynamics were investigated at baseline and after 90 seconds of passive leg raising using impedance cardiography. Preload reserve was defined as percent change (Δ%) in stroke volume and cardiac output from baseline to passive leg raising. UtA hemodynamics was studied using Doppler ultrasonography. UtA blood flow, resistance and pulsatility index were calculated. Fasting venous blood samples were analyzed for natriuretic peptides (pro atrial natriuretic peptide [proANP], N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide [Nt-proBNP] and C-type natriuretic peptide [CNP]). The course and outcome of pregnancy were recorded.Results: At baseline, ProANP correlated significantly with cardiac output (r = -0.122; P = .023) and left cardiac work index (r = -0.112; P = .037), whereas Nt-ProBNP correlated significantly with acceleration index (r = .127; P = .018) and velocity index (r = -0.111; P = .039. CNP correlated significantly with UtA blood flow (r = .118; P = .028) and resistance (r = -0.112; P = .037) but not with UtA pulsatility index (r = .034; P = .523). None of the natriuretic peptides correlated with preload reserve. At 22-24 weeks, women who subsequently developed HDP had lower UtA blood flow (552 vs 692 mL/min; P = .028), higher UtA resistance (0.28 vs .17 mmHg/mL/min; P = .004) and higher mean UtA pulsatility index (1.12 vs .84; P < .001) compared with those who did not; however, the natriuretic peptide levels were similar in the two groups. Women developing HDP had a significantly higher increase in stroke volume and cardiac output and more reduction in systemic vascular resistance following passive leg raising compared with the reference group. Left cardiac work index, acceleration index and velocity index decreased following passive leg raising in the reference group but increased in women who later developed HDP.Conclusions: ProANP correlated with cardiac output and cardiac work, Nt-proBNP with indices of cardiac contractility, and CNP with UtA blood flow and resistance. None of these natriuretic peptides measured at 22-24 weeks of gestation reflected cardiac preload reserve or predicted development of HDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It remains controversial as to whether a long interval between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) and surgery may provide clinical benefits for patients with local advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The addition of consolidation chemotherapy during the resting period was recently considered as a treatment option. The present study aimed to verify the efficacy and safety of consolidation chemotherapy during the resting period in patients with LARC. A total of 156 patients with local advanced stage T3-4N0-2 rectal cancer were enrolled between January 2010 and July 2016. Patients were divided into two groups, those who received consolidation chemotherapy prior to surgery (n=76) and the control group who did not (n=80). Multivariate logistic regression and the Kaplan-Meier method were used to explore the predictors of pathological complete response (pCR) and survival. The demographic and tumor characteristics were comparable between the two groups. The consolidation group yielded significantly higher pCR and near pCR rates compared with the control group (P=0.015). Patients in the consolidation group who also underwent standard adjuvant chemotherapy displayed improved 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) compared with the control group (P=0.036). Notably, the addition of consolidation chemotherapy between NCRT and surgery did not significantly increase the incidence of surgical complications and grade 3 or 4 toxicities when compared with the control group. Consolidation chemotherapy was associated with increased pCR/near pCR rates and improved 3-year DFS, and displayed a manageable safety profile. The present study provided primary evidence for the efficacy and safety of consolidation chemotherapy in LARC. Further prospective studies are warranted in the future to verify these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of adding different amounts of daidzein in diet on the fermentation parameters and bacterial community composition in the rumen of finishing cattle. A total of thirty head of 2-year-old finishing Xianan cattle were divided by weight into three groups and randomly allotted by group to one of three dietary treatments: (1) control; (2) 500 mg/kg daidzein and (3) 1000 mg/kg daidzein. All cattle were slaughtered to obtain rumen samples after a 80-d feeding trial. Results showed that adding 500 mg/kg daidzein reduced the operational taxonomic units (OTU) numbers, Shannon index and Chao1 index compared with control and 1000 mg/kg daidzein groups. Compared with control group at phylum level, Planctomycetos and Tenericutes were significantly more abundant in 500 mg/kg daidzein group, Verrucomicrobia and Fusobacteria were significantly rarer in 1000 mg/kg daidzein group. Compared with control group at genus level, Prevotella and Ruminococcus were significantly more abundant in 500 mg/kg daidzein group, Prevotella was significantly more abundant and Dethiosulfatibacter was significantly rarer in 1000 mg/kg daidzein group. Adding 1000 mg/kg daidzein significantly improved the total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) concentration and acetate content and significantly reduced the butyrate content compared with control group. Daidzein changed the fermentation parameters mainly by impacting the abundance of Prevotella and Ruminococcus. Current results suggest that adding 1000 mg/kg daidzein in diets can improve the rumen fermentation function for finishing Xianan cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure mechanism of hot-dip aluminized (HDA) low carbon steel with nickel interlayer under static loading was studied. The nickel interlayer was plated using electric method with a current density of 1.8 A/cm 2 for 10 min in Watts bath, followed by hot-dipped in molten pure aluminum (>99.5%) for 10 s at 700 °C. The specimens were smoothly deposited with 2 mg/cm 2 of NaCl/Na 2 SO 4 salt mixture, with a portion of 50/50 wt% ratio. The tensile test in hot corrosion, induced by salt mixture, was carried out by applying a static load at 750 °C. The results show that the intermetallic layer of Ni/Al exhibits high adhesion and formability while the elongation of gauge length rising to 7%. Owing to the inter-diffusion between Ni/Al, the intermetallic layer gradually changes to laminar structure with higher nickel content which also contributes to enhance the performance. However, hot corrosion induced by salt mixture reduces the amount of aluminum on the outer layer lowering the thickness of Ni/Al intermetallic layer. As the perpendicular cracks formed, the salt mixture penetrates to the interface between substrate and coating layer causing the oxidation of the carbide and accelerating the phenomenon of break away. Overall, the HDA with nickel interlayer on low carbon steel improved the lifetime to about 5 times compared to bare material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accurate assessment of cardiac function is important during pregnancy. Echocardiography and impedance cardiography (ICG) are commonly used noninvasive methods to measure stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO). The difference in stroke volume (ΔSV) or cardiac output (ΔCO) measured at baseline and after passive leg raising (PLR) is a measure of preload reserve that predicts volume responsiveness. However, the agreement between these two methods in measuring preload reserve during pregnancy is unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate the correlation and the agreement between Doppler echocardiography and ICG in assessing preload reserve in pregnant women.Methods: In this prospective observational cross-sectional study, preload reserve was assessed by measuring the SV and CO during baseline and 90 s after PLR simultaneously by Doppler echocardiography and ICG in healthy pregnant women during the second and third trimesters. Bland-Altman analysis was used to determine the agreement between the two methods. Bias was calculated as the mean difference between two methods and precision as 1.96 SD of the difference.Results: A total of 53 pregnant women were included. We found a statistically significant correlation between ΔSV (R = 0.56, p < 0.0001) and ΔCO (R = 0.39, p = 0.004) measured by ICG and Doppler echocardiography. The mean bias for ΔSV was 2.52 ml, with a precision of 18.19 ml. The mean bias for ΔCO was 0.21 l/min, with a precision of 1.51 l/min.Conclusion: There was a good agreement and a statistically significant correlation between ICG and Doppler echocardiography for measuring preload reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of simvastatin on acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity in a mouse model. Male C57BL/6 mice were allocated into the following groups: control, APAP, APAP+SIM10, APAP+SIM20, APAP+SIM100 and APAP+SIM200 groups. The mice in the APAP group were treated with saline intraperitoneally (i.p.) 72 h before and 24 h or 72 h after APAP challenge (i.p., 400 mg/kg of APAP). The simvastatin-treated groups were treated with different doses of simvastatin i.p. (10, 20, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day) as in the APAP group. After 24 h or 72 h of APAP challenge, blood and liver samples were collected to detect hepatic injury and liver regeneration. The results showed that low doses of simvastatin (10 and 20 mg/kg) could significantly reverse the histological change and decrease hepatic injury. Simvastatin also reduced the serum cytokine levels and transcriptional levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in the liver. The malonyldialdehyde and myeloperoxidase levels significantly decreased in the simvastatin treatment groups compared with the APAP group. Simvastatin restored the decrease in superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione and glutathione peroxidase activities induced by APAP hepatotoxicity. In addition, simvastatin inhibited hepatic C/EBP-homologous protein expression and hepatocyte apoptosis. However, simvastatin had no effect on liver regeneration after APAP hepatotoxicity. Moreover, high doses could aggravate APAP-induced liver injury. In conclusion, low doses of simvastatin had a significant therapeutic effect in APAP-induced liver injury by inhibiting oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis. However, high doses of simvastatin had adverse hepatotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Gestational weight gain varies widely among different populations, and an inappropriate gestational weight gain is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. We aimed to investigate week-specific serial changes in gestational weight gain in an urban Chinese population to derive clusters of gestational weight gain patterns and explore the impact of gestational weight gain patterns on birthweight.Material and Methods: This was an observational cohort study of 6130 women delivered at a university hospital in Shanghai, China. Pre-pregnancy bodyweight, height, week-specific and total gestational weight gain, pregnancy outcome and birthweight were extracted using electronic medical records. The association between gestational weight gain and gestational age was tested using linear regression, and week-specific reference percentiles for gestational weight gain were calculated. Hierarchical clustering was used to derive gestational weight gain clusters. Mean birthweight among the clusters was compared using Dunnet's test.Results: We found a significant linear association between gestational weight gain and gestational age (r = 0.56; p < 0.00001). Seven distinct clusters of gestational weight gain pattern were identified. The birthweight significantly correlated with gestational weight gain (r = 0.28; p < 0.00001). Compared with the cluster that had normal gestational weight gain throughout the pregnancy, the mean birthweight among the clusters that had abnormal gestational weight gain (inadequate or excessive) in the third trimester was significantly different (p < 0.001), but those who achieved normal gestational weight gain (between 5 and 95 percentile) in the third-trimester had similar mean birthweight.Conclusion: Women with abnormal gestational weight gain before the third-trimester still had a fair chance of delivering a normal birthweight baby if their gestational weight gain was normal in the third-trimester, suggesting that interventions started even late in pregnancy may have a positive effect on fetal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In angiosperms, the first zygotic division usually gives rise to two daughter cells with distinct morphologies and developmental fates, which is critical for embryo pattern formation; however, it is still unclear when and how these distinct cell fates are specified, and whether the cell specification is related to cytoplasmic localization or polarity. Here, we demonstrated that when isolated from both maternal tissues and the apical cell, a single basal cell could only develop into a typical suspensor, but never into an embryo in vitro. Morphological, cytological and gene expression analyses confirmed that the resulting suspensor in vitro is highly similar to its undisturbed in vivo counterpart. We also demonstrated that the isolated apical cell could develop into a small globular embryo, both in vivo and in vitro, after artificial dysfunction of the basal cell; however, these growing apical cell lineages could never generate a new suspensor. These findings suggest that the initial round of cell fate specification occurs at the two-celled proembryo stage, and that the basal cell lineage is autonomously specified towards the suspensor, implying a polar distribution of cytoplasmic contents in the zygote. The cell fate transition of the basal cell lineage to the embryo in vivo is actually a conditional cell specification process, depending on the developmental signals from both the apical cell lineage and maternal tissues connected to the basal cell lineage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To pursue highly functional ecologically friendly materials, functionalized cellulose has gained increasing number of research interests within the last decades. Compared with other cellulose modification approaches, surface modification of cellulose via photo-induced click reaction is a particular attractive cellulose modification strategy as it integrates the advantages of photochemistry, click reaction and surface modification. High efficiency, quantitative conversion and spatial temporal control are achieved. The physical and chemical properties of various cellulose surfaces are also effectively regulated by using this strategy, which significantly expands their applications. In this mini-review, we summarized the recent progress in cellulose surface modification via photo-induced click reactions. The principles and the merits of photo-induced thiol-X and cycloaddition reactions were compared and highlighted. Photo-induced thiol-ene reaction, thiol-yne reaction, tetrazole-ene cycloaddition, Diels-Alder cycloaddition, and azide-alkyne cycloaddition applied in modification of various cellulose surfaces were introduced in order. At last, the challenges and outlook of photo-induced click reaction in cellulose surface modification were discussed. We hope this review will provide insights into photo-induced click chemistry, cellulose surface modification and novel sustainable materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive structures determine the functions and actuation modes of electrically responsive soft actuators. The rewritability of conductive structures is highly desirable but has not been realized in electro‐driven actuators. Typically, once conductive pathways are established, they can hardly be modified; thus, the function of the actuator is permanently fixed. In this study, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is developed as a rewritable conductive coating for actuators composed of liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs). This enables reconfigurable, adaptive, and precisely controllable electro‐driven motions and the repeated use of the same actuator for various purposes without disposal. Moreover, different PEDOT:PSS layers can be coated onto different regions, thus enabling the assembly of different actuation behaviors in a monolithic actuator under a single input voltage. Unlike all previously reported soft actuators that respond to electricity and light, opposite shape changes in an actuator with a series circuit can be performed under these two stimuli. Furthermore, when combining LCEs with dynamic covalent bonds, the PEDOT:PSS‐coated LCE (PEDOT:PSS‐LCE) actuator can be reprogrammed based on two different mechanisms: rewriting the conductive PEDOT:PSS patterns and re‐aligning the LCEs. This versatile method can be adapted to other types of actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) defines an important stage in the progression of alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.Objective: To establish a mouse model of AFLD.Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into the following two groups: (i) a control group, which was allowed free access to food and water and (ii) an alcohol-treated group, which was administered a 15% (v/v) alcohol solution instead of water. After 8-9 months of treatment, serum biochemical indexes, histopathological changes, liver triglyceride content, iron storage, and ferritin light chain protein expression were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, a commercially available kit, Prussian blue staining, and Western blot analysis, respectively.Results: Compared with the control group, the alcohol-treated group displayed increased levels of serum LDH, ALT, and AST, decreased levels of ALB, and no significant change in levels of TP. Additionally, increased levels of serum TG, T-CHO, and LDL and decreased levels of serum GLU and HDL were observed in the alcohol-treated mice. HE staining showed that lipid vacuolization occurred in the livers of alcohol-treated mice. The alcohol-treated mice also exhibited increased liver triglyceride content. Moreover, Prussian blue staining and Western blot analysis demonstrated that chronic alcohol administration caused iron overloading of the liver.Conclusions: Chronic administration of 15% (v/v) alcohol in the drinking water over 8-9 months caused AFLD in mice. Our results establish an AFLD model that represents a promising tool for the future study of the progression of ALD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These events also pose increased mortality risk throughout an ICU stay and thus could offer a valuable target outcome for risk prediction models within the ICU B Introduction: b Critical deterioration in hospitalized children has been defined in the literature as ward to intensive care unit (ICU) transfer followed by events such as mechanical ventilation (MV) or vasopressor administration within 12 hours. Children who experience MV or vasopressor events within 12 hours of ICU transfer are at the highest risk for mortality and constitute a target cohort for risk prediction models in pre-ICU settings. [Extracted from the article]

Analyzing variations in silicon (Si) isotopes can help elucidate the biogeochemical Si cycle and Si accumulation processes of higher plants. Importantly, the composition of Si isotopes in higher plants has yet to be studied comprehensively and our knowledge of the distribution of Si isotopes in higher plants lags behind that of Si isotopes in marine organisms, such as diatoms. In the present study, we investigated the isotope fractionation that occurs during the uptake and transport of Si in rice, using a series of hydroponic experiments with different external concentrations of Si. We found that an active mechanism was responsible for the majority of Si uptake and transport at lower Si levels and that the uptake of Si by rice roots was significantly suppressed by both low temperature and metabolic inhibitors. In addition, light Si isotopes (28Si) entered roots more readily than heavy Si isotopes (30Si) when the active mechanism was inhibited. Therefore, we conclude that biologically mediated isotope fractionation occurs during the uptake of Si by rice roots. In addition, both active and passive Si uptake components co-exist in rice, and the fractionation effect is enhanced when more Si is absorbed by plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal feature extraction is important in diagnosing cardiovascular diseases. This paper presents a new method for nonlinear feature extraction of ECG signals by combining principal component analysis (PCA) and kernel independent component analysis (KICA). The proposed method first uses PCA to decrease the dimensions of the ECG signal training set and then employs KICA to calculate the feature space for extracting the nonlinear features. Support vector machine (SVM) is utilized to determine the nonlinear features of the ECG signal classification. Genetic algorithm is also used to optimize the SVM parameters. The proposed method is advantageous because it does not require a huge amount of sampling data, and this technique is better than traditional strategies to select optimal features in the multi-domain feature space. Computer simulations reveal that the proposed method yields more satisfactory classification results on the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database, reaching an overall accuracy of 97.78 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a broadband tunable negative dispersion photonic crystal fiber (BT-ND-PCF) for dispersion compensation over the S + C + L wavelength bands. BT-ND-PCF is a dual-core structure in which air holes are arranged with a hexagonal lattice and temperature-sensitive liquid is infiltrated into the air holes of the fourth layer. The performance of BT-ND-PCF is numerically analyzed by the finite element method with an anisotropic perfect matching layer. The results show that BT-ND-PCF has a broadband negative dispersion coefficient of −1533.2 to −2836.4 ps / km / nm over the S + C + L wavelength bands, a dispersion coefficient of −2268.9 ps / km / nm at 1550 nm, and a kappa value of 287.9 nm at 1550 nm, which matches with Corning single-mode fiber 28 (SMF). The residual dispersion (RD) after compensating for the dispersion of 1 km SMF is in the range of −0.22 to +0.16 ps / nm. In addition, the dispersion coefficient is changed by 0.679 ps/km/nm per 1°C by controlling the temperature, which is conducive to the accurate compensation of RD. Due to its unique optical properties, BT-ND-PCF can be used in broadband dispersion compensation for dense wavelength division multiplexing optical fiber communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Cancer Immunotherapy; Drug Delivery; Ferroptosis; GSH Depletion; Vesicles EN Cancer Immunotherapy Drug Delivery Ferroptosis GSH Depletion Vesicles 1 1 1 05/18/22 20220523 NES 220523 B Glutathione b (GSH) is abundant in "cold" tumors and adversely affects ferroptosis therapy and immune response. In their Research Article (e202202843), Minjie Sun and co-workers developed cinnamaldehyde-dimer-based vesicles (CDC dimersomes) capable of depleting intracellular GSH via Michael addition to potentiate the ferroptosis and immunotherapy of breast cancer by turning the "cold" tumor into a "hot" tumor. Back Cover: Glutathione Depletion-Induced Activation of Dimersomes for Potentiating the Ferroptosis and Immunotherapy of "Cold" Tumor (Angew. [Extracted from the article]

Rücktitelbild: Glutathione Depletion-Induced Activation of Dimersomes for Potentiating the Ferroptosis and Immunotherapy of "Cold" Tumor (Angew. Cancer Immunotherapy, Drug Delivery, Ferroptosis, GSH Depletion, Vesicles Keywords: Cancer Immunotherapy; Drug Delivery; Ferroptosis; GSH Depletion; Vesicles EN Cancer Immunotherapy Drug Delivery Ferroptosis GSH Depletion Vesicles 1 1 1 05/18/22 20220523 NES 220523 B Glutathion b (GSH) ist in "kalten" Tumoren reichlich vorhanden und wirkt sich negativ auf Ferroptosetherapie und Immunantwort aus. [Extracted from the article]

Seroma is a common complication following breast cancer surgery and the controllable predictive factors remain unknown. Patients who underwent mastectomy with axillary dissection between 2008 and 2011 in our hospital were retrospectively investigated. The demographics, clinical characteristics and therapeutic factors of each patient were recorded. The association of seroma incidence with each variable was evaluated by univariate logistic regression analysis. All the variables were considered independent predictors of seroma incidence. The probability of developing seroma following surgery was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analysis. A total of 102 patients, with a mean age of 54.86±13.02 years (range, 30-89 years), were included in this study and the incidence of seroma was found to be 22.55%. The operative time (P=0.0066, coefficient = 0.0261, OR=1.03) and the use of patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCA) (P=0.0002, coefficient = -1.8089, OR=0.03, ref = no) was significantly associated with the incidence of seroma postoperatively. In conclusion, the prediction of the development of seroma following mastectomy with axillary dissection is challenging. However, a longer operative time and the non-use of PCA may represent potential risk factors for this complication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] To analyze the volatile components from fruits of Vanill planifoli Andrews. [Methods] The volatile components were extracted and enriched by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME). The chemical components were analyzed by GC-MS. The fiber head of HS-SPME was selected, while the HS-SPME operating conditions were optimized. [Results] A total of 28 components were separated and identified, accounted for 98. 17% of total volatile components. Among them, vanillin had the maximum content (48. 28%), followed with guaiacol (15.54%). [Conclusions] HS-SPME combined with GC-MS was used to analyze the volatile components from V. planifoli fruits for the first time, which provided scientific basis for further research and development of volatile components in V. planifoli fruits [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relativistic configuration interaction calculations with the inclusion of the Breit interaction, quantum electrodynamics (QED) and finite nuclear mass corrections have been carried out in the extended optimal level scheme using multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock wave functions on the wavelengths, electric dipole rates, oscillator strengths and line strengths of cobalt ions with a single vacancy in the K shell. The calculated values are compared with the other available data on He-like to Be-like cobalt and are found to be in very good agreement with them. This confirms the present calculations. We predict new data for several levels where no other theoretical and/or experimental results are available. These data provide reference values for level lifetimes, charge state distribution and the average charge of cobalt plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of low-temperature treatment of ovaries on the isolation and subsequent culture of two-celled proembryo in vitro was explored in tobacco. The efficiency of isolation of two-celled proembryos was significantly improved, by an average of 23.47 % after treatment of ovaries at 4°C for 5-24 h. Cell viability and polarity of two-celled proembryos, as assessed by organelle distribution, growth pattern, and cell wall component distribution, were all well maintained after cold treatment. Furthermore, in vitro cultivated two-celled proembryos divided normally, with timing paralleling that of two-celled proembryos isolated from fresh ovaries. Unexpectedly, the division frequency of two-celled proembryos was significantly improved by cold treatment. These results demonstrate that low-temperature treatment of tobacco ovaries was beneficial for two-celled proembryo manipulation in vitro, by not only improving isolation efficiency but also by promoting cell division and improving the potential for further cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene expression profiling by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is a valuable tool in forensic science for estimating the age of a wound. To accurately assess gene expression levels over time in injured tissue, the genes used as internal reference standards must be carefully validated for transcriptional stability. This study examined the transcriptional stability of nine potential reference genes (β-actin, GAPDH, RPL32, PGK1, SDHA, RPL13, HPRT, Tbp, and Ywhaz) in contused rat skeletal muscle by RT-qPCR. The raw Ct values were determined for each candidate gene at different time points following contusion, and the data were analyzed by the NormFinder, geNorm, and BestKeeper validation programs. The reference genes RPL13 and RPL32 were the most stably expressed genes in contused skeletal muscle, whereas PGK1 was the least stable. The commonly used reference genes β-actin and GAPDH appeared to be too unstable for normalization of RT-qPCR expression profiling in contused muscle. The reference genes RPL13 and RPL32 were also the best combination for multianalysis. The use of RPL13 and RPL32 as internal standards may improve the accuracy of gene expression studies aimed at determining the age of early wounds in forensic investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The di-tert-butylisobutylsilyl (BIBS) protecting group offers new possibilities for synthetic processes because of its steric bulk, robustness of its derivatives, and other special properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Generation of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and necrosis in renal ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury. Previously we showed that lentiviral vector-mediated overexpression of superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) in proximal tubular epithelial cells (LLC-PK1) reduced cytotoxicity in an in vitro model of IR injury. Here, we examined the effects of SOD1 overexpression on mitochondrial signaling after ATP depletion–recovery (ATP-DR). To examine the role of mitochondrial ROS, a subset of cells was treated with the mitochondrial antioxidant MitoTEMPO. ATP-DR-mediated increase in mitochondrial calcium, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and increase in mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) were attenuated by SOD1 and MitoTEMPO (P <0.01). SOD1 prevented ATP-DR-induced mitochondrial Bax translocation, although the release of proapoptotic proteins from mitochondria was not prevented by SOD1 alone and required the presence of both SOD1 and MitoTEMPO. SOD1 suppressed the increase in c-jun phosphorylation, suggesting that JNK signaling regulates Bax translocation to mitochondria via ROS. ATP-DR-mediated changes in MPTP and mitochondrial signaling increased necrosis and apoptosis, both of which were partially attenuated by SOD1 and MitoTEMPO. These studies show that SOD1 and MitoTEMPO preserve mitochondrial integrity and attenuate ATP-DR-mediated necrosis and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An avenue to homotyrosinol derivatives through a Heck coupling of 4-iodophenyl acetate with a vinylglycinol derivative required extensive screening of catalysts and conditions. The use of Pd(OAc) 2 and N-phenylurea as the ligand ultimately provided excellent results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The oxidative amidation of phenols effects the conversion of appropriately substituted phenols into 4-amidodienones (‘para-oxidative amidation’) or 2-amidodienones (‘ortho-oxidative amidation’) by the action of hypervalent iodine reagents. The reagent, (diacetoxyiodo)benzene (‘DIB’) is especially effective in these transformations. This paper focuses on techniques for the desymmetrization of the dienoes thus obtained, leading to the stereocontrolled creation of N-substituted spiro carbons. The methodology creates new opportunities in alkaloid synthesis, as apparent from a number of examples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]