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In recent years, the epidemic model with anomalous diffusion has gained popularity in the literature. However, when introducing anomalous diffusion into epidemic models, they frequently lack physical explanation, in contrast to the traditional reaction–diffusion epidemic models. The point of this paper is to guarantee that anomalous diffusion systems on infectious disease spreading remain physically reasonable. Specifically, based on the continuous-time random walk (CTRW), starting from two stochastic processes of the waiting time and the step length, time-fractional space-fractional diffusion, time-fractional reaction–diffusion and fractional-order diffusion can all be naturally introduced into the SIR (S: susceptible, I: infectious and R: recovered) epidemic models, respectively. The three models mentioned above can also be applied to create SIR epidemic models with generalized distributed time delays. Distributed time delay systems can also be reduced to existing models, such as the standard SIR model, the fractional infectivity model and others, within the proper bounds. Meanwhile, as an application of the above stochastic modeling method, the physical meaning of anomalous diffusion is also considered by taking the SEIR (E: exposed) epidemic model as an example. Similar methods can be used to build other types of epidemic models, including SIVRS (V: vaccine), SIQRS (Q: quarantined) and others. Finally, this paper describes the transmission of infectious disease in space using the real data of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the synergy of K–Ca in improving the removal efficiency of NO-NO2 by g-C3N4 in detail. The K–Ca modified g-C3N4 (GKXCY, GKC-Z) with varied K/Ca ratio and different dosage of K/Ca were prepared by a one-step thermal polymerization, and the pure g-C3N4 and K/Ca single modified g-C3N4 (GK-X, GC-Y) were taken as control index. The toxicity of NOX was adopt to evaluate the photocatalytic activity, and XRD, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XPS, UV–Vis, PL and In-situ DRIFTS were taken to characterize the crystal phase, micromorphology, optical characteristics and NO degradation pathway. The results demonstrate that the by-product CaCO3 produced from calcium salt can improve the chemisorption ratio of g-C3N4 to NO-NO2. K–Ca co-doping can synergistically enhance the oxidation activity of g-C3N4 to NO-NO2. From the results, the sample GK0.1C0.4 was endowed with the best NOx degradation activity through K–Ca co-doping which can dramatically decrease the toxicity of NOX from 1 to 0.706 within 30 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is one of the most common glomerulonephritic diseases in the world. Several lines of evidence have suggested that dyslipidemia is related to the disease progression and prognosis of IgAN. However, the study is scarce on the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of IgAN with dyslipidemia. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 234 patients with biopsy-proven idiopathic IgAN at the Department of Nephrology, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, between January 2015 and June 2021. The participants were divided into dyslipidemia (n = 119) and non-dyslipidemia (n = 115), and the dyslipidemia group was also divided into the following 4 groups: hypertriglyceridemia group, hypercholesterolemia group, mixed hyperlipidemia group, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol group. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was estimated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. Results: The prevalence of dyslipidemia in IgAN patients in our center was 50.9% (119/234). The patients with dyslipidemia presented with higher systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, serum creatinine, uric acid, hemoglobin, proteinuria, and eGFR (p < 0.05). Proportions of males, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease stage 2∼5 were also higher in the dyslipidemia group (p < 0.05). Similarly, the pathological characteristics performed were worse in the dyslipidemia group. Most dyslipidemia patients had a higher percentage of mesangial hypercellularity (M1) and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (T1∼2) in the Oxford Classification's scoring system (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that male gender (odds ratio [OR] = 2.397, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.051–5.469, p = 0.038) and proteinuria (OR = 1.000, 95% CI: 1.000–1.001, p = 0.035) were possible risk factors for dyslipidemia. A total of 13 patients (13.8%) in the dyslipidemia group had an endpoint event, of which 6 patients (6.4%) had a ≥50% decrease in eGFR from baseline and 7 patients (7.4%) reached the end-stage renal disease stage. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that patients in the dyslipidemia group had a worse outcome than those in the non-dyslipidemia group (log-rank test, p = 0.048). Conclusions: IgAN patients with dyslipidemia presented more severe clinicopathological characteristics. Male gender and proteinuria are significantly associated with the occurrence of dyslipidemia in IgAN patients. Patients in the dyslipidemia group had a worse prognosis than those in the non-dyslipidemia group, which may be essential for the disease management of IgAN and help identify the high-risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A super‐robust and self‐repairing superhydrophobic (SRS) coating is prepared on foamed concrete via a facile and low‐cost method using hydrophobic silica nanoparticles as building blocks connected by silicone sealant and epoxy resin for constructing micro‐/nanostructures. The surface wettability, morphology, and chemical composition are tested by a contact angle (CA) goniometer, scanning electron microscope, and Fourier‐transform infrared spectrometer, respectively. All the as‐prepared SRS coatings exhibit satisfied superhydrophobicity with the hydrostatic CA of about 160° and the sliding angle (SA) of about 1.7°. The results show that the SRS coating has good self‐repairing performance. For testing its mechanical stability, the superhydrophobic foam concrete is tested by 200 g (2.83 kPa) weight, sanded by 800 mesh sandpaper, which can be worn for 150 cycles (21 m), better than the reported mechanical performance. In addition, the superhydrophobicity can recover by heating at 100 °C for half an hour. The preparation method of the coating is simple, low cost, and excellent in mechanical performance, which provides the possibility for large‐scale industrial applications in the construction field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significance: The automatic generation algorithm of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images based on generative adversarial networks (GAN) can generate a large number of simulation images by a relatively small number of real images, which can effectively improve the classification performance. Aim: We proposed an automatic generation algorithm for retinal OCT images based on GAN to alleviate the problem of insufficient images with high quality in deep learning, and put the diagnosis algorithm toward clinical application. Approach: We designed a generation network based on GAN and trained the network with a data set constructed by 2014_BOE_Srinivasan and OCT2017 to acquire three models. Then, we generated a large number of images by the three models to augment age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and normal images. We evaluated the generated images by subjective visual observation, Fréchet inception distance (FID) scores, and a classification experiment. Results: Visual observation shows that the generated images have clear and similar features compared with the real images. Also, the lesion regions containing similar features in the real image and the generated image are randomly distributed in the image field of view. When the FID scores of the three types of generated images are lowest, three local optimal models are obtained for AMD, DME, and normal images, indicating the generated images have high quality and diversity. Moreover, the classification experiment results show that the model performance trained with the mixed images is better than that of the model trained with real images, in which the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity are improved by 5.56%, 8.89%, and 2.22%. In addition, compared with the generation method based on variational auto‐encoder (VAE), the method improved the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity by 1.97%, 2.97%, and 0.99%, for the same test set. Conclusions: The results show that our method can augment the three kinds of OCT images, not only effectively alleviating the problem of insufficient images with high quality but also improving the diagnosis performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Membrane nephropathy (MN) often presents as nephrotic syndrome with characteristic lipid metabolism that could not be explained by lipid indicators commonly used in clinical practice. Studies have shown that invigorating spleen and qi, activating blood and detoxication in the treatment of MN is an effective method proved by randomized controlled clinical trial. However, the alterations of lipid profile before and after traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment and the related lipid markers that affect the therapeutic effect have not been fully clarified. Methods: We analyzed plasma lipid profiles of 92 patients with MN before and after TCM treatment by high-coverage targeted lipidomics. Results: 675 lipids were identified, of which 368 stably expressed lipids (coefficient of variation less than 30% and deletion value less than 10%) were eventually included for statistical analysis. 105 lipids were altered mainly including spingolipids, glycerides, glycerophosholipid, fatty acyl and steroids, among which, the abundance of ceramides (Cers), sphingomyelins (SMs), diacylglycerols (DGs), phosphatidylcholines (PCs) were lower than those before treatment with statistically significant difference. The WGCNA network to analyze the correlation between the collective effect and the therapeutic effect showed that the triglyceride (TG) molecules were most relevant to the therapeutic effect. Analysis of 162 triglyceride molecules showed that 11 TGs were significantly down-regulated in the effective group which were concentrated in carbon atom number of 52–56 and double bond number of 0–4. TGs molecules including TG56:2-FA20:0, TG56:2-FA20:1, TG56:3-FA20:0 and TG56:5-FA20:2 were most closely related to the therapeutic effect of TCM after adjusting the influence of clinical factors. ROC curve analysis showed that these four lipids could further improve the predictive efficacy of treatment based on clinical indicators. Conclusion: Our work demonstrated that the therapeutic effect of invigorating spleen and qi, activating blood and detoxication in the treatment of MN may be exerted by regulating lipid metabolism. High-coverage targeted lipidomics provided a non-invasive tool for discovery of lipid markers to improve the predictive efficacy of TCM therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prepare durable superhydrophobic coatings with low-cost is of great importance for its practical application. How to improve the mechanical endurance by a facile method is rarely mentioned in reports. Achieving thicker coating with multi-layer micro-nano structures is critical for obtaining the robust superhydrophobic coating due to the high abrasion resistance to mechanical damage. Herein, a superhydrophobic coating with a multi-layer self-similar structure was fabricated by a facile blending and spraying method. Epoxy resin, neutral silicone glue, polysiloxane and nano-SiO 2 are the main composition of the ESPS coating which are important for the multi-layer micro-nano structure construction and adhesion stability between the coating and the substrate. The water contact angle (WCA) and sliding angle (SA) of the ESPS coating were 162.5 ± 0.5° and 4.6 ± 0.4°, respectively. Notably, the ESPS coating with four layers can be abraded with 1500-grid sandpaper under the load of 400 Pa for 24 m. In addition, the prepared samples were put in an outdoor environment for 180 days and exhibited excellent durability and stability. These outstanding properties could be attributed to the hierarchical self-similar structure of the composited coating and the good resistance and adhesion stability provided by polysiloxane. Additionally, the ESPS coating could restore its superhydrophobic characteristic by self-healing realized by the neutral silicone glue in the composition. The good stability and operability of the ESPS coating make it applicable to a wide range of applications. • A multi-layer self-similar superhydrophobic coating was prepared by a simple, cheap and harmless method. • The mechanical durability of the superhydrophobic coating can be improved by increasing the longitudinal thickness. • Plasticizer was used to improve the ductility of epoxy resin which is important for its superhydrophobic performance. • Self-healing property of the coating could be realized by the neutral silicone glue in the composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To predict the trend of AIDS in specific age groups and to determine the objective population for AIDS screening, this study explored the three transmission routes and characterized each patient group using the APC model based on the whole, local, and immigrant populations in Zhejiang, China.Methods: The data recruited in this paper was obtained from the national Comprehensive AIDS Prevention and Control Information System - Antiviral Therapy Management database and the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System and the Statistical Yearbook of Zhejiang, China. An APC model was used to estimate the impact of age, period, and cohort on the incidence of AIDS, as well as to predict the AIDS incidence in specific age groups based on different sexes with different transmission routes.Results: The AIDS incidence peaked in males aged 20-35 years; the incidence of males was higher than that of females due to the impact of period; obvious cohort effect was observed among the immigrants. In the whole and local populations, the incidences of males in all age groups and females in both the 35-year-old group and the whole age group were predicted to increase sharply in 5 years. In the immigrant population, the AIDS incidences in both sexes in all age groups were expected to increase significantly in 5 years. Under the influence of period, the incidence of AIDS via homosexual transmission in the whole population and the local population increased and remained stable after 2015. At the same time, the incidence of AIDS transmitted by homosexual and heterosexual routes in the immigrants also showed an increasing trend.Conclusions: The results elucidate that there are sex differences in AIDS incidence, and the incidence of AIDS through various transmission routes in all groups is predicted to exhibit an upward trend in the 5 years to come. Effective intervention strategies should be developed and implemented by the public health departments in Zhejiang to control the epidemic of AIDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in adults involving multiple targets and factors. The effect of conservative nonimmunosuppressive or immunosuppressive therapies is unsatisfactory and with many side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can regulate immune function and improve kidney function. Purpose: To evaluate the total effective rate, curative rate, recurrence rate and adverse events of TCM alone or TCM as an adjunctive therapy for IMN. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing either TCM alone or the combination of TCM to western medicine (WM) therapies for patients with IMN were retrieved by searching English and Chinese database. Risk of bias summary was used to assess the methodological quality of eligible studies. Dichotomous data were presented using odds ratios (OR). The primary outcome measure was the total effective rate. Secondary outcomes included curative rate, recurrence rate and adverse events. Results: 29 RCTs involving 1883 participants met the inclusion criteria. There was no statistically significant difference between the therapy of TCM alone and WM on the total effective rates (OR: 2.00; 95% CI: 0.80–4.98; P = 0.14) and curative rate (OR: 1.66; 95%CI: 0.66–4.22; p = 0.28). However, compared to basic treatment or immunosuppressive therapies alone, results showed that TCM as an adjunctive therapy had beneficial effects on the total effective rate (OR: 2.59; 95% CI: 1.38–4.86; P = 0.003 and OR: 3.01; 95% CI: 2.25–4.04; P < 0.00001) and curative rate (OR: 3.01; 95%CI: 1.24–7.28; p = 0.01 and OR: 1.73; 95%CI: 1.10–2.71; p = 0.02). In addition, the combination of TCM treatment could reduce the recurrence rate (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.12–0.68; P = 0.004) and adverse reactions (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.27–0.54; p < 0.00001). Conclusion: The results indicate that TCM is well-tolerated for the treatment of IMN. However, there remains a need for large-scale and high-quality trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes and is one of the main causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in many countries. The pathological features of DKD are the hypertrophy of mesangial cells, apoptosis of podocytes, glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickening, accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM), glomerular sclerosis, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. The etiology of DKD is very complicated and many factors are involved, such as genetic factors, hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, abnormalities of renal hemodynamics, and metabolism of vasoactive substances. Although some achievements have been made in the exploration of the pathogenesis of DKD, the currently available clinical treatment methods are still not completely effective in preventing the progress of DKD to ESRD. CHM composed of natural products has traditionally been used for symptom relief, which may offer new insights into therapeutic development of DKD. We will summarize the progress of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in the treatment of DKD from two aspects. In clinical trials, the Chinese herbal formulas were efficacy and safety confirmed by the randomized controlled trials. In terms of experimental research, studies provided evidence for the efficacy of CHM from the perspectives of balancing metabolic disorders, reducing inflammatory response and oxidative stress, antifibrosis, protecting renal innate cells, and regulating microRNA and metabolism. CHM consisting of different ingredients may play a role in synergistic interactions and multiple target points in the treatment of DKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a convenient approach to prepare hierarchical structured superhydrophobic coatings with tunable adhesion force, composed of micro-size glass beads, nano-size SiO 2 particles and epoxy resin. Surfaces of two types with different roughness were fabricated, one type is only with single-scale roughness demonstrating lotus effect with low sliding angle, the other type is hierarchically micro-nano-structured roughness exhibiting petal effect with high adhesion force. The surface roughness is pivotal for controlling the wetting behavior and regulating the contact angle including the contact angle hysteresis. Varying the density of micro-size glass beads could adjust the roughness of the surface, which means the adhesion force of the prepared surface could be easily controlled based on the proposed method. Through variation of glass beads' amount, the surface could be designed to pin the water droplet with different adhesion force when the surface turned upside down. The surface wettability, surface morphology, adhesion force of the prepared samples are investigated and mechanism of the Cassie-to-Wenzel state transition are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the convenient method provides a possibility for controlling surface morphology, composition and corresponding surface adhesion which could be applied to various substrates such as tile, wood, steel and fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strontium hydrogen phosphate/Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanocomposite (M-SrHPO 4 ) was successfully synthesized using a facile method of solution growing and applied to immobilize lead ions (Pb 2+ ) from acidic aqueous solutions. M-SrHPO 4 was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) and physical property measurement system (PPMS). The resulting M-SrHPO 4 possessed desirable magnetic property (25.214 emu·g −1 ), which contributed to the separation of solids from solutions after the immobilization process. The equilibrium removal capacity was 1215.5 mg·g −1 for Pb 2+ at PH = 4.5 within 150 min. The selective immobilization of Pb 2+ was slightly affected by some competing cations such as Cr 3+ , Cd 2+ , Co 2+ and Cu 2+ . It is revealed that the immobilization mechanism of Pb 2+ was based on dissolution-precipitation theory. All of the experimental data indicated that M-SrHPO 4 was promising for Pb 2+ removal from acidic aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raw materials in this experiment are zinc oxide(ZnO), selenium powder(Se) and sodium borohydride (NaBH4). ZnO/ZnSe core/shell nanowires with different temperatures (50, 70, 90 °C) were fabricated by dip-coating method. And structure, morphology and photocatalytic properties of these samples will be studied in dental by transmission electron microscope(TEM), Raman spectroscopy (RAMAN), UV-Vis spectrophotometer (UV-Vis) and photocatalytic properties test. The results show that the reaction temperatures of samples are higher, ZnSe particles attached to the surface of ZnO are denser, coreshell structure of nanowires is more obvious, the degradaion rate of these samples is more rapid and the effect of degrading of ZnO/ZnSe core/shell nanowires is more significant in the Halogen lamp irradiation. However, 70°C is the optimum reaction temperarture to fabricate ZnO/ZnSe core/shell nanowires when convenience of fabrication process and environmental protection are taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soluble PD-1 (sPD1) can bind with ligands PD-L1/PD-L2 on the surface of dendritic cells (DCs). Therefore, a sPD1 vaccine fused with an immunogen can increase T cell activation against cancer. Here, we constructed a MUC1 and survivin (MS) combination gene tumor vaccine expressing MS fused with soluble PD-1 (sPD1/MS). To investigate whether the sPD1/MS fusion vaccine could enhance tumor-specific immune responses, its immunogenicity and anti-tumor activity were examined after intramuscular immunization in mice. Compared with the MS DNA vaccine, the specific cytolysis rate of the sPD1/MS fusion DNA vaccine was increased from 21.64% to 34.77%. Moreover, the sPD1/MS vaccine increased the tumor suppression rate from 17.18% to 30.96% and prolonged survival from 6.96% to 19.44% in a murine colorectal cancer model. Combining the sPD1/MS vaccine with oxaliplatin improved the tumor suppression rate to 74.71% in the murine colorectal cancer model. The sPD1/MS vaccine could also exert a good anti-tumor effect, increasing the tumor infiltrated CD8 + T cells by 6.5-fold (from 0.10% to 0.65%) in the murine lung cancer model. In conclusion, the sPD1/MS vaccine showed good immunogenicity and anti-tumor effect by activating lymphocytes effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Citrate and UV irradiation can enhance the leaching of arsenic and iron from coal. • Coal arsenic leaching ratio is 3.6 times higher than that of iron. • Under UV irradiation most of As(III) leached in solution can be oxidized. • HO• and SO 4 •- are the two main radicals oxidizing As(III) leached in solution. • Mechanisms of citrate-enhanced arsenic leaching and its photocatalytic oxidation. Simulated flue gas containing SO 2 and O 2 was passed into the coal slurry with added citrate in a 1 L stirred reactor to leach arsenic from coal. The effects of main factors on the leaching and oxidation of arsenic were investigated, and the enhanced reaction mechanism was analyzed. Results of experiments under dark and UV irradiation conditions showed that citrate and radicals generated under UV irradiation could effectively enhance the leaching of coal pyrite and arsenic. For 1 mM citrate- and UV-enhanced leaching process, the leaching ratio of coal arsenic at 150 min was 3.6 times higher than that of iron. The leaching ratios of both iron and arsenic increased with decreasing pH. Under UV irradiation most of As(III) leached in solution could be oxidized. Results of experiments with free radical quenchers demonstrated that HO• and SO 4 • - were the two main radicals oxidizing As(III) leached in solution. Based on FTIR and XPS characterization and leaching results, it was deduced that the added citrate could increase the total soluble iron concentration, inhibit both the re-adsorption of leached arsenic and the generation of passive Fe solid products, and enhance the formation of free radicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, β-SrHPO 4 , Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , and Sr 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (OH) (SrHAp) powders were successfully prepared by a controllable hydrothermal method and were utilized in removal of lead ion (Pb 2+ ). The effects of pH value, contact time and initial ion concentration on the immobilization of Pb 2+ were investigated systematically. Results showed that β-SrHPO 4 exhibited a capacity of 1438 ± 45 mg/g for Pb 2+ , while Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 and SrHAp showed values of 1223 ± 45 mg/g and 543 ± 45 mg/g respectively under the optimum conditions. The XRD, SEM and EDX results revealed that the mechanism of Pb 2+ immobilization by β-SrHPO 4 , Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 and SrHAp was mainly due to a process of dissolution and precipitation in the acidic solution. Comparing the immobilization behavior and capacities of β-SrHPO 4 , Sr 3 (PO 4 ) 2 and SrHAp for Pb 2+ removal, it is shown that β-SrHPO 4 is an effective and eco-friendly material for the removal of Pb 2+ from acidic aqueous solutions among strontium phosphates materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A poly (allylamine)-modified magnetic graphene oxide (PAA-MGO) with a high adsorption capacity for selenium oxyanions was prepared by a simple and facile method at room temperature. Poly (allylamine) (PAA) and magnetic iron oxide particles were synthesized on graphene oxide (GO) by an EDC (N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide)/NHS (N-hydroxysuccinimde) reaction and co-precipitation, respectively. The chemical structure and physical properties of PAA-MGO were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermo gravimetric analysis, zeta potential measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetic hysteresis tests. Under external magnetic field, PAA-MGO was separated from solution within 5 min. The adsorption capacity of PAA-MGO nanocomposite at pH 5.8 is 120.1 mg/g for Se (IV) and 83.7 mg/g for Se (VI), respectively, which is not only much higher than GO and MGO, but also higher than most adsorbents reported in literature. The adsorption isotherms fit well with Freundlich model for Se (IV) and Se (VI) indicating multilayer adsorption on the rough surface of PAA-MGO. The high adsorption efficiency of PAA-MGO could be attributed to high surface area of GO matrix, active sites of iron oxide and positively charged amine groups. At 30 min, the selenium adsorption on PAA-MGO reaches 90% of the equilibrium for Se (IV) and 93% of the equilibrium for Se (VI). The pH effect on Se adsorption indicates that acidic pH benefits selenium adsorption on PAA-MGO, and the maximum adsorption capacities of PAA-MGO nanocomposite for Se (IV) and Se (VI) were both achieved at pH 3.1. The adsorbed selenium was stripped off at alkaline pH. The mechanism study illustrates that the enhanced selenium removal by PAA-MGO is attributed to dual interactions including ligand exchange between surface hydroxyl group of iron oxide and Se oxyanions, and electrostatic interaction between amine and Se oxyanions. Since PAA-MGO composite show near complete (over 99.3% for Se (IV) and 99.7% for Se (VI)) removal within 2 ppb for both Se oxyanions, it is practically usable for Se separation from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric graphitic carbon nitride is an efficient visible-light photocatalyst for NO removal which can be prepared by precursors rich in C and N elements, such as melamine, dicyandiamide, urea, and thiourea et al. The method of synthesizing carbon nitride from melamine and dicyandiamide has much higher yield and, whereas the photocatalytic efficiency of the product was lower than that of synthesizing from urea and thiourea. In present work, the photocatalytic performance of carbon nitride prepared from dicyandiamide was significantly improved; melem/g-C 3 N 4 was prepared from dicyandiamide under lower temperature with superior performance on NO purification than pure carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ). Suitable depolymerization ratio and surface protonation status could bring about higher photocatalytic activity through XPS characterizations. Through the SEM images, two kinds of morphology nanorod carbon nitride and bulk carbon nitride cross each other together and the ratio variation are consistent with reaction temperature and time. The different band gap structure between g-C 3 N 4 and melem could drive the photogenerated electron-hole separation due to the offsets and lead to higher NO removal efficiency. This heterojunction consisted of melem and g-C 3 N 4 was developed here just by adjusting reaction temperature and time, which could open up a new possibility for air purification in a low cost way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature is an important factor that affects geographic distribution, reproduction, and physiological processes of organisms. In this study, we used quantitative PCR to analyze the effects of low temperature stress (5 °C and − 2 °C) on the expression of fatty acid metabolism-related genes in different tissues of two wild populations(southern and northern) and three shell color strains (zebra, white, and white zebra) of the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum. We found that fatty acid synthase-related genes were expressed in all examined tissues (gill, mantle, adductor muscle, gonad, digestive gland, foot, and siphon), with the highest expression level in the digestive gland and gills. The fatty acid metabolism-related genes acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), elongation of very long chain fatty acids protein 6 (ELOVL6), fatty acid desaturase (FAD) ,and fatty acid synthase-like (FAS) were highly expressed in the northern clams, and the expression levels differed significantly between the northern population and the zebra strain (P < 0.05). Our results provided useful information about the response of fatty acid metabolism-related genes in Manila clams to low temperature stress, which could be helpful for improving the cold stress resistance of these clams in the aquaculture industry. • Expression levels of fatty acid genes were profiled in different kinds of R. philippinarum under low temperature. • The expression of fatty acid genes and the changes in fatty acid profiles were analyzed in Manila clam under low temperature. • The results provide important clues for further research on the overwintering mechanism of shellfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a facile approach for the fabrication of a new class of graphene oxide (GO)-based nanoassemblies by layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. The single-layer thickness and intrinsic negatively charged carboxyl groups of GO nanosheets provide a natural platform for LbL assembly of polyelectrolyte nanofilms by electrostatic forces at mild and aqueous conditions. The general applicability of our approach is demonstrated by the preparation of GO nanoassemblies with sizes of 100-200 nm using various charged polyelectrolytes, including synthetic polymers, polypeptides, and DNA oligonucleotides. Systemic assessment of cytotoxicity and acute stress response show that no discernable signs of cytotoxicity are associated with exposure of GO and its nanoassemblies [GO/PLL (poly ( l-lysine)), GO/PLL/PSS (poly(sodium-4-styrenesulfonate)), GO/PLL-PEG (PEGlayted PLL), GO/PLL/PLGA-PEG (PEGlayted poly ( l-glutamic acid))] up to 1 μg/mL. Studies on cellular uptake and subcellular localization show that a representative nanoassembly, GO/PLL-PEG, can effectively cross cell membranes and localize mainly in lysosomal compartments, without induction of noticeable harmful effects as confirmed by detection of mitochondrial depolarization and lysosomal pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Stimuli-responsive polymers can respond to various environmental changes. [•] The response can lead to a change in the polymer's chemical or physical properties. [•] The polymer response can be used for a variety of analytical applications, e.g., chromatography, sensing/biosensing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We have modified a glassy carbon electrode by single-step electrodeposition of graphene (GR), gold nanoparticles (AgNPs), and chitosan (CS) directly from a solution containing graphene oxide, tetrachloroauric acid, and chitosan. The surface and electrochemical properties of the film-modified electrode were investigated by SEM and TEM images. The AuNPs have a diameter of about 20 nm and are uniformly dispersed in the matrix. Combining the advantages of GR (i.e., high surface area and conductivity), of AuNPs (excellent electrical conductivity) and CS (excellent film-forming ability and good water permeability), the hybrid film effectively enhances electron-transfer and promotes the response to lead(II) ion. Under the optimum conditions, a linear relationship exists between electrical current and the concentration of lead (II) ion in the range between 0.5 to 100 μg L-1, with a detection limit of 1 ng L-1 (at an SNR of 3). The electrode was successfully applied to the detection of lead(II) in spiked samples of river water. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have electrodeposited a composite film consisting of graphene oxide, chitosan and glucose oxidase directly on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) through electrochemical reduction of a solution of the 3 components under controlled direct electrical potential. The procedure takes only several minutes, and the thickness of the resulting film is uniform and controllable. The GOx has uncompromised bioactivity and exhibits reversible 2-proton and 2-electron transfer in presence of glucose. It therefore can be used amperometric sensing of glucose. The biosensor has a fast response (<3 s), a detection limit of 0.4 μM (which is 50-fold lower compared to the biosensor prepared by drop-casting solutions of the same materials onto an GCE), and a linear response in the 0.4 μM to 2 mM concentration range (which again is much better than that of the biosensor prepared by the drop-casting method). Other features include high reproducibility, long-time storage stability, and satisfactory selectivity. We presume that the direct single-step electrodeposition of this nanocomposite offers a promising approach towards novel types of highly sensitive and stable electrochemical biosensors. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mussel‐inspired polycatecholamine coatings and films have proven to be versatile materials for surface modification. However, the progress of chemically modified coatings with tailored properties has been slow due to the lack of definitive evidence of their polymeric structure. Polycatecholamines form aggregates during polymerization, and their formation mechanism has been a subject of debate owing to their insolubility in traditional molecular solvents. Exploiting the capability of ionic liquids (ILs) to exhibit strong electrostatic interactions, herein, the first solution‐phase polymerization approach is reported to achieve polymerization of four catecholamines – dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), L‐3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine (L‐DOPA), and adrenaline (AD). Kinetic control over the polymerization process in the solution phase enabled it to follow the process with 1H NMR spectroscopy, revealing the formation of structural features of resulting complex heterogeneous and soluble polymers. The polymers are both covalent and associative in nature. Solution phase polymerization prevented the formation of large aggregates in the solution, thus facilitating the formation of coatings that are ultra‐smooth and have root mean square roughness of the order of sub‐nm to nm scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The formation process of hydroxyfluorapatite under hydrothermal environment has been studied in detail. The fluoride ion has been substituted for the hydroxide ion in the OH lattice position, which has been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FT–IR spectra. On the basis of the experimental results obtained from the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), a detailed four-step growth mechanism has been proposed for the formation of the 3D nanostructure, which involves the initial nucleation (conventional hydrothermal crystallization process), the self-assembly of nanoparticles (oriented attachment), the self-assembly of thin nanorods (oriented attachment) and the grain growth (Ostwald ripening). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A highly transparent and stable superhydrophobic surface was prepared on substrates of different types including tile, concrete, wood, and ferroalloy via a facile and low-cost method using hydrophobic silica nanoparticles as building blocks for construction of micro/nano-structures and neutral silicone sealant as binder. The surface wettability, morphology, topography, and transmittance was characterized by means of contact angle measurement, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer respectively. All the as-prepared SiO 2 /Silicone composite coatings exhibited well water-repellency with a static water contact angle above 150° and a sliding angle below 10°. Besides, a highest average transmittance of 88.7% of the superhydrophobic coatings was obtained. The results of the performance testing showed that the superhydrophobic coatings possess good mechanical resistance to water drops, as well as excellent chemical/thermal stability and UV durability. Moreover, the method to fabricate superhydrophbic coatings on various substrates is facile and cost-effective, which provides a possibility of large-scale industrial applications. • Superhydrophobic transparent coating prepared by nano-silica and silicone sealant. • This one-step facile route could be extended to different types of substrates. • The developed coatings exhibits good mechanical/chemical/thermal/UV resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow microspheres have aroused considerable interests in the materials community owing to their numerous potential applications; however, scalable, facile, low-cost production of hollow microspheres has not yet been demonstrated. Here, inspired by the idea that a hydrophilic surface allows the rapid detachment of gas bubbles to reduce the bubble size significantly, a novel and feasible approach to preparing gas-in-oil-in-water (G/O/W) emulsions on a large scale using Janus membrane emulsification is presented. A Janus membrane with asymmetric wettability, rather than a fully hydrophilic or a fully hydrophobic membrane, is employed in the emulsification system, in which the hydrophobic side allows gas/oil permeation and the hydrophilic side achieves fast release of oily bubbles. The wetting and chemical properties of each side of the membrane were investigated by contact angle and spectroscopy measurement. It was observed that the stability of the emulsions increased with increasing solution pH values. The variation of droplet size and distribution with the gas flow rate was also studied. The outer diameters of double emulsion drops are in the order of 100–300 μm. These droplets are further exposed to UV light to obtain hollow polymeric microspheres through solidification of the oil layers. Hollow structures of the microspheres were verified by HIM observations. This simple strategy opens a new avenue for generating double emulsions and hollow microspheres at scale with relatively narrow polydispersity. Image 1 • Janus membranes with asymmetric surface wettability were fabricated. • Gas-in-oil-in-water emulsions were produced using Janus membrane emulsification. • Further polymerization of gas-in-oil-in-water emulsions yielded hollow microspheres. • The effects of aqueous pH and gas flow rate on the droplet size and size distribution were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study conducted during the 2022 Shanghai Spring epidemic of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron BA.2 variant found that the variant had high infection rates but reduced severity of COVID-19. The study analyzed data from 10,258 confirmed COVID-19 cases and found that the omicron BA.2 variant had a low ratio of inpatients suffering from pneumonia. In addition, the study evaluated the effectiveness of inactivated vaccines and found that they reduced the incidence of pneumonia, severe outcomes, and disease progression. The study also found that T cell responses played an important role in reducing the risk of pneumonia and disease progression. Overall, the study suggests that the reduced severity of the epidemic was likely due to the low pathogenicity of the omicron BA.2 variant and the effectiveness of inactivated vaccines. [Extracted from the article]

To investigate the genetic diversity, spatiotemporal dynamics, and transmission networks of HIV-1 CRF55_01B epidemic in China. A total of 209 partial pol gene sequences of HIV-1 CRF55_01B were sampled during 2007–2015 from 7 provinces of China. Phylogenetic analyses and trait diffusion process of these sequences were performed using Bayesian methods. Distance-based molecular network analyses were performed to infer putative relationships. Characteristics of genetically linked individuals were analyzed. Our study identified that HIV-1 CRF55_01B likely originated among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Guangdong province in January 2003 (April 2000–April 2005), and that Guangdong province and MSM are major hubs for the spread of the HIV-1 CRF55_01B epidemic in China. A Bayesian Skygrid plot revealed that the effective population size of HIV-1 CRF55_01B experienced increased phase followed by a plateau. All sequences from persons of unknown risk clustered within groups who reported MSM risk. This could be because Chinese MSM may not report such risk due to HIV/AIDS-related stigmatization and discrimination. This study inferred the transmission dynamics of the HIV-1 CRF55_01B epidemic in China at high resolution. The methods developed in this study may be critical for designing effective HIV prevention strategies in China and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the mortality risk in the HIV-positive population, we conducted an observational cohort study involving routine data collection of HIV-positive patients who presented at HIV clinics and multiple treatment centers throughout Guangxi province, Southern China in 2011. The patients were screened for tuberculosis (TB) and tested for hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections yearly. Following the registration, the cohort was followed up for a 60-month period till the end-point (December 31, 2015). Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for mortality after adjusting for confounding factors stratified by patients’ sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics. HRs were compared within risk-factor levels. With the median follow-up of 3.7-person years for each individual, 5,398 (37.8%) (of 14,293 patients with HIV/AIDS) died; among whom, 78.4% were antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve; 43.6% presented late; and 12.2% and 3.3% of patients had Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and HBV and HCV co-infection, respectively. Of individuals with CD4 counts, those with CD4 count >350 cells/μL formed 14.0% of those who died. Furthermore, gender [multivariable HR (95% CI):1.94 (1.68–2.25)], Han ethnicity [2.15 (1.07–4.32)], illiteracy [3.28 (1.96–5.5)], elementary education [2.91 (1.8–4.72)], late presentation [2.89 (2.46–3.39)], and MTB co-infection [1.28 (1.10–1.49)] strongly increased the all-cause mortality risk of HIV-positive individuals. The HR for ART-based stratification was 0.08 (0.07–0.09); and for HBV and HCV co-infection, HR was 1.02 (0.86–1.21). The findings emphasized that accessibility to HIV testing among high-risk populations and screening for viral hepatitis and TB co-infection are important for the survival of HIV-positive individuals. Initiating early ART, even for individuals with higher CD4 counts, is advisable to help increase the prolongation of lives within the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Defect of thymus results in poor posttransplant immune recovery and dysfunction of immune tolerance after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants (allo-HCT). Improving thymus regeneration represents a potential strategy to accelerate recovery of T-cell immunity. IL-22 was reported to mediate thymus regeneration after injury. In this study, we found donor T-cell is a major source of IL-22 in allotransplant recipient. Through applying IL-22 knock out (IL-22KO) mice in allo-HCT, we found donor T-cell derived IL-22 promotes thymus regeneration in association with increased level of intra-thymic IL-22. IL-22KO T-cell-transplanted recipients show deficient thymus recovery which is reversed by injection of exogenous IL-22. T-cell derived IL-22 promotes proliferation of thymic epithelial cells (TECs) in vitro. In addition, donor T-cell derived IL-22 increases expression level of Aire in the thymus and decreases skin chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Furthermore, short-term use of exogenous IL-22 posttransplant accelerates recovery of thymus without increasing severity of acute GVHD. Our data indicate that cross-talk between T-cell and TECs is an important mechanism to mediate reconstitution of T-cell immunity after allo-HCT. Highlights • Donor T-cell derived IL-22 promotes thymus regeneration of allotransplant recipient. • Donor T-cell derived IL-22 promotes proliferation of thymic epithelial cells. • Donor T-cell derived IL-22 decreases skin chronic graft-versus-host disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the relationship between serum 25(OH)D level and pregnancy outcomes (clinical pregnancy rate [CPR] and live birth rate [LBR]) in Chinese women receiving in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)‐embryo transfer (ET) (IVF/ICSI‐ET). Methods: A total of 612 patients included in the study were divided into four cohorts according to serum 25(OH)D with the threshold of 20 ng/ml, 25 ng/ml, 30 ng/ml, and retrospectively analyzed. Results: None of the baseline characteristics of participants was significantly different in the four cohorts except gravid status. The trend of 25(OH)D concentration was positively correlated with CPR and LBR. The younger (age: p < 0.001 both in CPR and LBR) women with primary infertility (infertility type: p = 0.004 in LBR) were more likely to get a better pregnancy outcome under the same 25(OH)D concentration stages. As shown on heatmap plots, CPR, and LBR were significantly increased for 25(OH)D concentrations above 30.00 ng/ml and women younger than 30 years old. The adjusted binary logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) showed that there existed a nonlinear positive correlation between 25(OH)D concentration and pregnancy outcome (CPR and LBR) (Pnonlinear < 0.001, respectively). The women with a sufficient 25(OH)D concentration (30 ng/ml) had 1.07 (clinical pregnancy) and 1.05 (live birth) times higher successful birth outcomes compared to women with an insufficient 25(OH)D concentration (25 ng/ml). (OR25 ng/ml, ref = 30 ng/ml [95% CI] = 0.935 [0.932–0.938] and 0.947 [0.945–0.950], p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: In Chinese women receiving IVF/ICSI‐ET, the serum level of 25(OH)D demonstrated a nonlinear positive correlation with pregnancy outcomes (CPR and LBR), with stronger correlations above 25 ng/ml and worse yields below 30 ng/ml. However, it could not yet be considered different in distinct ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the serious adhering failure of cemented carbide inserts during the heavy-duty cutting of water chamber head, the adhering failure mechanism of inserts and the element diffusion model of the adhering process were investigated. First, based on cutting simulations, the cutting force was found to be as high as 45.2 kN while the maximum cutting temperature was 930 °C. Under the combined action of mechanical and thermal loads, element diffusion occurred between insert and workpiece and formed an adhering layer, resulting in the adhering failure of inserts. After that, the element diffusion dynamics equation of the adhering process was proposed according to Fick's law. Based on the semi-infinite long-bar diffusion model and its initial conditions and boundary conditions, the dynamics equation was solved, with the element diffusion concentration model obtained. In the end, the experimental scheme of element diffusion was put forward, and the element diffusion between the cemented carbide insert and workpiece at elevated temperatures was experimentally investigated. The diffusion distance of Co in 508III steel was measured as 8 μm. The element diffusion concentration within the diffusion distance was compared with the value predicted by the model, with the effectiveness of the element diffusion model validated. The concentration distribution of diffusing elements in the diffusion cross section was characterized through experiments and compared with the theoretical concentration distribution. The research results can provide a basis for the in-depth study of the formation mechanism of insert-chip adhering layers and their influence on the cutting performance and service life of inserts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water chamber head is made of 508III steel with high strength and hardness. The cemented carbide tool bears a large thermal-mechanical load during the cutting process, which leads to severe insert wear and damage as well as low tool life. Firstly, the milling experiments and finite element (FE) simulation were carried out to study the thermal-mechanical characteristics of tools. Secondly, the thermal-mechanical coupling simulation was carried out to explore the temperature field, strain, total deformation of the milling cutter, and the deformation and strain of the rake face of the milling insert respectively. Finally, the tool wear experiment was carried out, and the form, morphology, and energy spectrum of tool wear were analyzed, and the parameters of the crater wear were measured. The proposed crater wear rate was used as the characterization variable of tool wear, and the crater wear rate model was established to explore the wear evolution process of inserts preliminarily. The research results can provide theoretical support and experimental basis for the in-depth study of the tool failure mechanism and tool optimal design of the high-efficiency milling water chamber head. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An innovative SERS immunosensors for highly sensitive CEA biomarker detection was presented. • A nitrile-mediated molecule (4MBN) was utilized as interference-free molecule and amplified by Au@4MBN@Ag NPs. • The promising application of immunosensors was demonstrated using human serum analysis. Accurate and sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is essential for the detection of various diseases in healthcare and the medical field. Currently, due to the high false negative rate of CEA assay in clinical setting and its use as a common indicator for early cancer screening, a novel CEA detection method with high sensitivity, increased specificity and the lower cost has become a clinical challenge. Here, a facile sandwich type immunosensor based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was presented including 4-mercaptobenzonitrile (4MBN) labeled gold core-silver shell nanoparticles (Au@4MBN@Ag NPs) as SERS tag and 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA) functionalized two-dimensional (2D) silver nanoparticle film (Ag FM) as SERS capture substrate for CEA detection. A linearity of 10-9-10-14M was observed with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity for the detection of CEA. Additionally, the spiking experiment yielded 105.33–127.00% recovery with variation coefficients below 10% demonstrating high assay accuracy and precision. The immunosensor we proposed here is a promising approach to quantify CEA in liquid biopsy samples with high sensitivity, which could be further developed for early cancer screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban traffic arteries are considered as hot-spots of pollution of particle number concentration (PNC), but the knowledge of spatial variability and exposure levels of PNC with different particle sizes emitted by vehicles is yet less reported. In this paper, PNC in the size range from 6 to 10,000 nm were measured using the Electrical Low-Pressure Impactor Plus (ELPI+) at four sites near high-density traffic in Xi'an, including one traffic, one roadside, and two urban background. The results showed that PNC was highest at the distance closest to the traffic sources, and decreased exponentially with distance. Vehicle exhaust was the primary source of ambient ultrafine particle (UFP), contributing 60.03% and 54.48% of the number concentration of UFP in the clean and haze weathers, respectively. The average PNCs measured at the traffic site were 2.24 and 3.17 times greater than those at the roadside and urban background sites, respectively. Coarse mode particle concentrations exhibited a higher level at the roadside site due to the secondary dust generated by vehicles. An interesting phenomenon that an inverted U-shaped relationship between measured UFP levels and traffic flows was found when the flow was higher than 6000 veh h−1. Strong spatial inhomogeneity for UFP along the urban road, whereas particles larger than 100 nm in diameter tend to similar concentration distributions. The mean respiratory deposition dose (RDD) at four locations was (7.14 ± 1.12) × 105 particles h−1, with the highest (14.61 ± 2.29) × 1010 particles h−1 at the traffic site. Retired people had a higher exposure of UFP compared to children and adults. This improved understanding of the impact of vehicle emissions on the distribution of PNC near-road. [Display omitted] • PNC with sizes of 6–10,000 nm was sampled at four sites near a traffic arterial. • Spatial variability of PNC and their exposure levels were analyzed. • An inverted U-shaped relationship between PNCs and traffic volumes. • Vehicles contribute 60% of UFP number concentration in the traffic environment. • High PNC exposure in retirees should be a concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the stability of an age-structured susceptible–exposed– infective–recovered–susceptible (SEIRS) model with time delay. Firstly, the traveling wave solution of system can be obtained by using the method of characteristic. The existence and uniqueness of the continuous traveling wave solution is investigated under some hypotheses. Moreover, the age-structured SEIRS system is reduced to the nonlinear autonomous system of delay ODE using some insignificant simplifications. It is studied that the dimensionless indexes for the existence of one disease-free equilibrium point and one endemic equilibrium point of the model. Furthermore, the local stability for the disease-free equilibrium point and the endemic equilibrium point of the infection-induced disease model is established. Finally, some numerical simulations were carried out to illustrate our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the thermal attenuation problem of ground temperature field in unidirectional heat extraction and supply in buildings of deep-buried geothermal energy, we propose supplementing heat to the ground using some heat source such as solar energy that is stored during the non-heating period, thus enabling long-term operation of a buried pipe system. With the study conducted on a buried U-bend pipe project with a depth of 2505 m, a three-dimensional (3D) full-scale model was established based on the numerical modeling method which obtained by the author's research team in the early stage. The heat extracted from the buried pipe or the heat storage capacity of ground for a constant inlet water temperature and given initial ground temperature field was analyzed and predicted. Meanwhile, the heat storage capacity after heat was taken from the buried pipe was calculated and analyzed. Finally, heat flux through the wall of the buried pipe was analyzed, and heat transfer to ground at different buried depths during the heat storage period was discussed. • There is a critical heat storage inlet temperature for deep-buried pipe heat storage. • A model for predicting heat storage and extraction rate of buried pipes is proposed. • Heat transfer in buried pipes with and without heat storage is compared. • Changes in ground temperature during the heat storage process were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methionine adenosyltransferase 2β gene (Mat2b) encodes for the regulatory subunit of methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT), which catalyzes the biosynthesis of S-adenosylmethionine. MAT2B interacts with G protein-coupled receptor kinase interacting ArfGAP1 to increase the activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) for the regulation of cell growth, metabolism, and differentiation. ERK activity is also essential for oocyte meiosis in mice. However, the regulatory role of MAT2B in mouse oocyte meiosis remains unclear. Accordingly, this study investigated the effect of MAT2B on mouse oocyte maturation. Immunostaining showed that MAT2B localized predominantly in the nucleus of fully grown germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes. After germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), MAT2B homogeneously localized in the cytoplasm. A low oocyte maturation rate was observed in Mat2b siRNA-treated oocytes. Furthermore, Mat2b knockdown repressed the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and consequently blocked MAPK. Denuded oocytes treated with 20 μM U0126 mainly blocked MAPK phosphorylation and affected oocyte maturation. The oocytes arrested at GVBD and metaphase I (MI) by Mat2b silencing or U0126 treatment had several types of abnormal microtubule assembly. Furthermore, Mat2b knockdown or U0126 treatment resulted in the aberrant expression of six maternal transcripts, namely, Fgf8, Cdc2, Gdf9, Padi6, Polr2d, and Tecb2. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that Mat2bs play an important role in mouse oocyte maturation though MAPK signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption of polymers affects the cost and oil recovery in oil reservoir exploitation and the flocculation effect in the treatment of oil sand tailings. The adhesion and adsorption of a hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide (HMPAM), i.e., P(AM-NaAA-C16DMAAC), on silica and asphaltene were investigated using surface force measurements, thermodynamic analysis and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) measurement. Our study indicates that HMPAM polymer has strong interaction with both silica and asphaltene. The adhesion force of HMPAM on silica was stronger than that on asphaltene surface. Consistently, the adsorption of HMPAM was also greater on silica surface, with a more rigid layer formed on the surface. For HMPAM/silica system, the attractive interaction and the strong adhesion are mainly driven by the hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction. For HMPAM/asphaltene system, it is mainly due to hydrophobic interaction between the long hydrocarbon chains of HMPAM and asphaltene. Furthermore, continuous adsorption of HMPAM was detected and multiple layers formed on both silica and asphaltene surfaces, which can be attributed to the hydrophobic chains of HMPAM polymers. This work has illustrated the interaction mechanism of HMPAM polymer on hydrophilic silica and hydrophobic asphaltene surfaces, which provide insight into the industrial applications of hydrophobically modified polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oocyte quality, which is directly related to reprogramming competence, is a major important limiting factor in animal cloning efficiency. Compared with oocytes matured in vivo, in vitro matured oocytes exhibit lower oocyte quality and reprogramming competence primarily because of their higher levels of reactive oxygen species. In this study, we investigate whether supplementing the oocyte maturation medium with melatonin, a free radical scavenger, could improve oocyte quality and reprogramming competence. We found that 10−9 M melatonin effectively alleviated oxidative stress, markedly decreased early apoptosis levels, recovered the integrity of mitochondria, ameliorated the spindle assembly and chromosome alignment in oocytes, and significantly promoted subsequent cloned embryo development in vitro. We also analyzed the effects of melatonin on epigenetic modifications in bovine oocytes. Melatonin increased the global H3K9 acetylation levels, reduced the H3K9 methylation levels, and minimally affected DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation. Genome‐wide expression analysis of genes in melatonin‐treated and nontreated oocytes was also conducted by high‐throughput RNA sequencing. Our results indicated that melatonin ameliorates oocyte oxidative stress and improves subsequent in vitro development of bovine cloned embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA demethylation is involved in many biological processes during pre-implantation embryonic development in mammals. To date, the complicated mechanism of DNA demethylation is still not fully understood. Ten-eleven translocation family (TET3, TET1 and TET2), thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) are considered the major protein enzymes of DNA demethylation in pre-implantation embryos. TET3, TET1, TET2, TDG, and DNMT1 contain abundant levels of intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDPRs), which contribute to increasing the functional diversity of proteins. Thus we tried to explore the complicated DNA demethylation in pre-implantation embryos from the intrinsic disorder perspective. These five biological macromolecules all have DNA demethylation-related functional domains. They can work together to fulfill DNA demethylation in pre-implantation embryos through complex protein–protein interaction networks. Intrinsic disorder analysis results showed these proteins were partial intrinsically disordered proteins. Many identifiable disorder-based DNA-binding sites, protein-binding sites and post-translational modification sites located in the intrinsically disordered regions, and DNA demethylation deficiency point mutations in the IDPRs could significantly change the local disorder propensity of these proteins. To the best of our knowledge, this work provides a new viewpoint for studying the mechanism of DNA methylation reprogramming during mammalian pre-implantation embryonic development. • DNA demethylation-related proteins belong to intrinsically disordered proteins. • Abundant level of intrinsically disordered protein regions were found in DNA demethylation-related proteins. • Many disorder-based functions were identified to connect with disordered regions in DNA demethylation-related proteins. • Intrinsic disorder in these proteins contributes to fulfilling the DNA demethylation in various biological contexts. • This findings provide a new pointcut for studying DNA methylation reprogramming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle emissions are affected by factors such as vehicle type, fuel quality, and engine repair. Therefore, mobile source profiles should be established based on a characteristic fleet for a specific region. This study characterised the chemical composition of PM 2.5 emitted from motor vehicles that are commonly used in Xi'an through dynamometer tests. The tested fleet included light duty diesel vehicles (LDDVs; eight sample sets), heavy duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs; six sample sets), light duty gasoline vehicles (LDGVs; eight sample sets), one natural gas vehicle (NGV; four sample sets) and one methanol vehicle (MV; two sample sets). Similarities and differences among the source profiles were compared and evaluated. Overall, carbon species (13.14–59.11%) were the major components of PM 2.5 for each type of vehicle, and the content of organic carbon (OC) was generally higher than that of elemental carbon (EC). Moreover, NO 3 − (18.577–220.062 mg·g−1) was the dominant water-soluble ion and the Ca2+ (2.429–17.209 mg·g−1) and Na+ (1.966–20.798 mg·g−1) contents in PM 2.5 were high. In terms of elements, the PM 2.5 emitted from various types of vehicles consisted of abundant Al (2.183–94.949 mg·g−1), Fe (0.567–12.297 mg·g−1), and Zn (0.659–5.195 mg·g−11). In addition, the PM 2.5 profiles were significantly affected by fuel type. In general, emissions from the LDGVs and NGV exhibited higher contents of OC (477.0–479.1 mg·g−1). The greatest fractions of water-soluble ions (32.94%) and total elements (11.74%) were observed in emissions from the NGV and MV, respectively. For the same type of vehicle, the OC/EC ratio was possibly dependent on the emission standards. The PM 2.5 emitted from the LDDVs with stricter emission standards exhibited higher OC/EC ratios, whereas the OC/EC ratios displayed a decreasing trend for the LDGVs under more stringent emission standards. Unlabelled Image • PM 2.5 profiles of conventional and alternative fuel vehicles were characterised. • Gasoline and natural gas vehicles emitted higher contents of OC. • The highest fraction of water-soluble ions was observed from the NGV. • The highest percentage of elements was observed from the MV. • The OC/EC ratio was impacted by the emission standards for the same type of vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Knock out of IL-22 in recipients aggravates hepatic and intestinal aGVHD. • IL-22 mediates activation of dendritic cells. • Recipient-derived IL-22 regulates polarization of Th1 cells and Tregs in aGVHD. Abstract Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) remains a major challenging complication of patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). CD4+ effector T cells and their related cytokines mediate pathogenesis of aGVHD, in which donor-T-cell derived interleukin-22 (IL-22) was recently indicated to play a role. The role of recipient-derived IL-22 in aGVHD remains to be elucidated. By applying IL-22 knock out (IL-22KO) mice as recipients of allotransplant, we found recipient derived IL-22 alleviated aGVHD and improved survival of allotransplant recipients. Knock out of IL-22 in recipient increased levels of T-helper (Th1) 1 cells but decreased levels of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in target tissues of aGVHD. Levels of IL-22 increased in aGVHD mice. Recipient antigen presenting cells (APCs) are important sources of IL-22. IL-22 reduced activation of APCs in vitro. Defect of IL-22 in APCs resulted in increased polarization of Th1 cells but decreased level of Tregs in an in vitro co-culture system. Our data highlight an immunoregulatory function of recipient-derived IL-22 in aGVHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Spatial autocorrelation and clustering characteristics of city-level PM 2.5 levels were observed. • The resonance cycles of PM 2.5 concentrations with each influence factor were identified. • The influence of long-term driving elements on PM 2.5 is quantitatively explored. • LUCC coupled with other factors had a large influence on PM 2.5 concentrations. High-intensity human socioeconomic activities in Xi'an have caused fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) pollution. Understanding the spatial and temporal patterns and key factors influencing PM 2.5 concentration was the basic step for taking targeted measures. Thus, spatial analysis techniques are used to reveal the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of PM 2.5 in Xi'an over a long time series; wavelet analysis and Geo-detector models are applied to assess the strength of the association between meteorological and socio-economic conditions on PM 2.5 concentrations. The results illustrated that the average PM 2.5 concentration was 40.13 μg/m3 in 2004 and peaked at 62.06 μg/m3 in 2011, before failing to 38.77 μg/m3 by 2018. The PM 2.5 concentration distribution had a characteristic of high in winter and autumn but low in spring and summer, presenting a U-shaped profile. The main distribution of PM 2.5 concentrations was oriented in a northeast-southwest direction, with obvious spatial autocorrelation and spatial aggregation characteristics. The resonance cycles of the meteorological and socioeconomic elements and PM 2.5 concentrations were synchronous and divergent at different scales. U-wind was the influencing factor on PM 2.5 concentration with a positive correlation coefficient of 0.9. Before 2011, the interaction of temperature (Tem) and relative humidity (RH) had the greatest impact on PM 2.5 concentrations. Additionally, the land use and cover change (LUCC) coupled with other factors had a large influence on PM 2.5 concentrations. These relationships can shed new light on the underlying mechanisms of PM 2.5 contamination at the city level, assisting relevant departments in developing effective PM 2.5 pollution management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study Pt nanoparticles supported on NiO, MnO 2 , and on carbon black were prepared and tested for the ammonia electrooxidation reaction (AmER) in alkaline media. The morphology and structure of the catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen physisorption, and their surface properties were studied using synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SRPES). Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and Tafel plots were used to study the electrochemical behavior of ammonia on Pt/metal oxide catalysts. Pt/NiO showed the highest current density and the lowest onset potential for AmER (-0.48 V vs. Hg/HgO) which increased in the order E onset (Pt/NiO) < E onset (Pt/MnO 2 ) < E onset (Pt/C). The reaction kinetic order with respect to the concentration of ammonia is close to zero, indicating fast surface adsorption of ammonia in agreement with previous studies on polycrystalline Pt electrodes, whereas the apparent Tafel slopes were found higher (56 − 69 mV dec −1 ) than previously reported values for Pt (39 mV dec −1 ). Our results show that the nature of the support strongly influences the size and electronic properties of the Pt nanoparticles, and as a result their electrocatalytic activity for AmER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As critical precursors of tropospheric ozone (O 3) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) largely influence air quality in urban environments. In this study, measurements of 102 VOCs at all five major cities in the Guanzhong Plain (GZP) were conducted during Sep.09-Oct. 13, 2017 (autumn) and Nov. 14, 2017–Jan. 19, 2018 (winter) to investigate the characteristics of VOCs and their roles in O 3 and SOA formation. The average concentrations of total VOCs (TVOCs) at Xi'an (XA), Weinan (WN), Xianyang (XY), Tongchuan (TC), and Baoji (BJ) sites were in the range of 55.2–110.2 ppbv in autumn and 42.4–74.3 ppbv in winter. TVOCs concentrations were reduced by 22.4%–43.5% from autumn to winter at XA, WN and BJ. Comparatively low concentrations of TVOCs were observed in XY and TC, ranging from 53.5 to 62.7 ppbv across the sampling period. Alkanes were the major components at all sites, accounting for 26.4%–48.9% of the TVOCs during the sampling campaign, followed by aromatics (4.2%–26.4%). The average concentration of acetylene increased by a factor of up to 4.8 from autumn to winter, indicating the fuel combustion in winter heating period significantly impacted on VOCs composition in the GZP. The OH radical loss rate and maximum incremental reactivity method were employed to determine photochemical reactivities and ozone formation potentials (OFPs) of VOCs, respectively. The VOCs in XA and WN exhibited the highest reactivities in O 3 formation, with the OFP of 168–273 ppbv and the OH loss rates of 19.3–40.8 s−1. Alkenes and aromatics primarily related to on-road and industrial emissions contributed 57.8%–76.3% to the total OFP. The contribution of aromatics to the SOA formation at all sites reached 94.1%–98.6%. Considering the potential source-area of VOCs, regional transport of VOCs occurred within the GZP cities. • Urban cities in the Guanzhong Plain exhibited the highest VOCs levels. • Fuel combustion and meteorological conditions impacted on VOCs composition. • VOCs levels were impacted by transport of air mass within the Guanzhong Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MUC1 and survivin are ideal tumor antigens. Although many cancer vaccines targeting survivin or MUC1 have entered clinical trials, no vaccine combining MUC1 and survivin have been reported. Due to tumor heterogeneity, vaccines containing a combination of antigens may have improved efficacy and coverage of a broader spectrum of cancer targets. Here, cellular responses and anti-tumor activities induced by a combination of DNA vaccine targeting MUC1 and survivin (MS) were evaluated. Results showed that CTL activity and inhibition of tumor growth were obviously enhanced in mice immunized with the combined vaccine in a protection assay. However, in order to enhance the therapeutic effect in the treatment assay, a recombinant adenovirus (rAd) vaccine expressing MUC1 and survivin (Ad-MS) was used as a booster following the DNA vaccine prime. Meanwhile, IL-2 promoting T cell proliferation was used as an immunoadjuvant for the DNA vaccine. Results showed that the CTL activity response to the DNA vaccine was enhanced nearly 200% when boosted by the rAd vaccine and was further enhanced by nearly 60% when combined with the IL-2 adjuvant. Therefore, DNA prime combined with rAd boost and IL-2 (MS/IL2/Ad-MS) adjuvant was considered as the best strategy and further evaluated. Multiple cytokines promoting cellular immune responses were shown to be greatly enhanced in mice immunized with MS/IL2/Ad-MS. Moreover, in the treatment assay, the tumor inhibition rate of MS/IL2/Ad-MS reached up to 50.1%, which may be attributed to the enhancement of immune responses and reduction of immunosuppressive factors in tumor-bearing mice. These results suggested that immunization with the combination vaccine targeting MUC1 and survivin using a DNA prime–rAd boost strategy along with IL-2 adjuvant may be an effective method for breaking through immune tolerance to tumors expressing these antigens with potential therapeutic benefits in melanoma cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.), the progenitor of Asian cultivated rice (O. sativa L.), is endangered due to habitat loss. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the genetic diversity of wild rice species in isolated populations and to develop a core collection of representative genotypes for ex situ conservation. We collected 885 wild rice accessions from eight geographically distinct regions and transplanted these accessions in a protected conservation garden over a period of almost two decades. We evaluated these accessions for 13 morphological or phenological traits and genotyped them for 36 DNA markers evenly distributed on the 12 chromosomes. The coefficient of variation of quantitative traits was 0.56 and ranged from 0.37 to 1.06. SSR markers detected 206 different alleles with an average of 6 alleles per locus. The mean polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.64 in all populations, indicating that the marker loci have a high level of polymorphism and genetic diversity in all populations. Phylogenetic analyses based on morphological and molecular data revealed remarkable differences in the genetic diversity of common wild rice populations. The results showed that the Zengcheng, Gaozhou, and Suixi populations possess higher levels of genetic diversity, whereas the Huilai and Boluo populations have lower levels of genetic diversity than do the other populations. Based on their genetic distance, 130 accessions were selected as a core collection that retained over 90% of the alleles at the 36 marker loci. This genetically diverse core collection will be a useful resource for genomic studies of rice and for initiatives aimed at developing rice with improved agronomic traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid increase of the vehicle population in the Guanzhong Plain (GZP), the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emitted by vehicles has an impact on regional air quality and public health. The spatial distribution of primary and secondary PM2.5 concentrations from vehicles in GZP in January and July 2017 was simulated in this study by using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the California Puff (CALPUFF) air quality model. The contributions of vehicle-related emission sources to total PM2.5 concentrations were also calculated. The results show that although the emissions of primary PM2.5, NOx, and SO2 in July were greater than those in January, the hourly average concentrations of primary and secondary PM2.5 in January were significantly higher than those in July. The highest concentrations of primary and total PM2.5 were mostly located in the urban areas of Xi'an and Xianyang in the central region of GZP. The contributions of exhaust emissions, secondary nitrates, brake wear, tire wear, and secondary sulfate to the total PM2.5 concentrations in GZP were 50.37%, 34.76%, 10.79%, 4.06%, and 0.04% in January and 71.91%, 11.14%, 11.89%, 5.03%, and 0.03% in July, respectively. These results will help us to further control PM2.5 pollution caused by vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]