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Simple Summary: Eimeria tenella is the most pathogenic and common coccidia that causes chicken coccidiosis. At present, the control of this disease mainly relies on anticoccidial drugs, but the use of these drugs is greatly limited due to issues such as drug-resistant strains and drug residues. This study aims to investigate the immunoprotective effect of recombinant EtROP27 virulence protein, which can provide theoretical support for the development of chicken coccidiosis vaccines. This study successfully constructed a prokaryotic expression vector of EtROP27 and purified the recombinant protein, identified the expression pattern of the protein, and tested its immune protection. EtROP27 has been shown to have a certain immunoprotective effect. Eimeria tenella rhoptry protein has the properties of a protective antigen. EtROP27 is a pathogenic gene that is detected via a transcriptome, but its expression pattern, immunogenicity, and potency are unknown. Therefore, a gene segment of EtROP27 was amplified and transplanted into the pET28a prokaryotic vector for the expression of the recombinant protein, and it subsequently purified for the generation of a polyclonal antibody. Then, RT-PCR and Western blotting were performed to understand the expression pattern of EtROP27. Subsequently, animal experiments were conducted to evaluate the immunoprotective effect of the recombinant protein with different immunizing doses (50, 100, and 150 μg). The results showed that the expression of EtROP27 gradually increased with the prolongation of infection time, reaching the highest level at 96 h and then decreasing. Additionally, EtROP27 is a natural antigen of coccidia that can stimulate the body to produce high levels of IgY. As with recombinant protein vaccines, the results of immune protection evaluation tests showed that the average weight gain rates of the immune challenge groups were significantly higher than that of the challenged control group, and their average lesion scores were significantly lower than that of the challenged control group. Furthermore, the oocyst excretion decreased by 81.25%, 86.21%, and 80.01%, and the anticoccidial index was 159.45, 171.47, and 166.75, respectively, for these groups. EtROP27 is a promising antigen gene candidate for the development of a coccidiosis vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a leading risk factor for many chronic diseases. Many investigations conducted using telemedicine (TM)-based interventions have the potential to control BP. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of TM-based interventions in reducing BP.Methods: Studies were selected from PubMed, PMC, Web of Science, Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean and standard deviation changes in systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were analysed using standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with a random-effects model or fixed-effects model to assess the efficiency of controlling BP. Subgroup analysis, influence analysis and publication bias analysis were also conducted.Results: Sixteen randomised clinical trials were included in this meta-analysis. A TM-based lifestyle intervention significantly reduced daytime SBP (SMD = -0.18, 95% CI -0.27 to -0.10; p < 0.001) and DBP (SMD = -0.18, 95% CI -0.27 to -0.09; p < 0.001). The results of subgroup analysis indicated that this reduction in BP was reliable when BP interventions lasted for 6 months or longer in populations with cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Moreover, the detection data should be delivered by a device system to ensure accuracy.Discussion: A TM-based intervention could reduce daytime SBP and DBP in populations with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. This review provides intuitive evidence of a reduction in BP using TM-based interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few-shot synthetic aperture radar automatic target recognition (SAR-ATR) aims to recognize the targets of the images (query images) based on a few annotated images (support images). Such a task requires modeling the relationship between the query and support images. In this paper, we propose the instance-aware transformer (IAT) model. The IAT exploits the power of all instances by constructing the attention map based on the similarities between the query feature and all support features. The query feature aggregates the support features based on the attention values. To align the features of the query and support images in IAT, the shared cross-transformer keep all the projections in the module shared across all features. Instance cosine distance is used in training to minimize the distance between the query feature and the support features. In testing, to fuse the support features of the same class into the class representation, Euclidean (Cosine) Loss is used to calculate the query-class distances. Experiments on the two proposed few-shot SAR-ATR test sets based on MSTAR demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eimeria tenella is the most pathogenic and common coccidia that causes chicken coccidiosis. The intracellular free Ca2+ of the host cell is closely related to the invasion, development, and proliferation of intracellular parasites. To determine the dynamic changes of intracellular free Ca2+ and its function in the process of E. tenella invading host cells, we established a chick embryo cecal epithelial cells model of E. tenella infection. Chick embryo cecal epithelial cells were treated with different Ca2+ signal inhibitor, respectively, and then infected with E. tenella. The results showed that extracellular Ca2+, Ca2+ channels on the cell membrane, IP3R ion channels on the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, and RyR ion channels regulated the free Ca2+ in cecal epithelial cells. Through fluorescence labeling and invasion rate detection, we found that the intracellular Ca2+ did not change significantly during the invasion of E. tenella, but its stability was critical to the invasion of parasites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate the spin-dependent electron transport properties of a zigzag silicene nanoribbon (ZSiNR) by using spin-polarized density functional theory and the non-equilibrium Green's function method. The results show that such a ZSiNR with an FM configuration exists the perfect dual spin filtering and dual spin diode effects when the bias voltage was applied. These phenomena still exist in ZSiNRs with different widths. As the ribbon width increases, the progressively smaller bias voltage is required to trigger a polarized current. Therefore, such a ZSiNR in FM configuration is a good candidate for spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integrin α5β1-FAK pathway is activated in PHEV-infected mice. • ATN-161 has a therapeutic effect on PHEV-infected mice. • ATN-161 inhibits virus proliferation via the integrin α5β1-FAK pathway. Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) is a typical neurotropic virus that can cause obvious nerve damage. Integrin α5β1 is a transmembrane macromolecular that closely related to neurological function. We recently demonstrated that integrin α5β1 plays a critical role in PHEV invasion in vitro. To determine the function and mechanism of integrin α5β1 in virus proliferation in vivo, we established a mouse model of PHEV infection. Integrin α5β1-FAK signaling pathway was activated in PHEV-infected mice by qPCR, Western blotting, and GST pull-down assays. Viral proliferation and integrin α5β1-FAK signaling pathway were significantly inhibited after intravenous injection of ATN-161, an integrin α5β1 inhibitor. Through a histological analysis, we found that ATN-161-treated mice only showed pathological changes in neuronal cytoplasmic swelling at 5 day post-infection. In summary, our results provide the first evidence that ATN-161 inhibits the proliferation of PHEV in mice and explores its underlying mechanisms of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The electron-carrier-doping effects in an antiferromagnetic insulator Ba 2 MnMoO 6 were investigated by La doping using the first-principles calculation. We examined the magnetic properties and the electronic structures for different doping ratios of La. The results indicate that a transition from an antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulating Ba 2 MnMoO 6 to a AFM half-metallic Ba 2- x La x MnMoO 6 (x ≤ 1.0) and then a AFM metallic phase (x = 1.5, 2.0) occurs upon La doping. The injected electron accommodated into the Mo 4d states accounts for the metallic properties. Moreover, the electron correlation plays a crucial role in the determination of the electronic structure. The evaluated magnetic ordering temperatures for the doping systems are all higher than room temperature revealing the potential applications. Highlights • The magnetic properties of electron doped Ba 2-x La x MnMoO 6 system is determined. • A transition from insulating to half-metallic and then to metallic is obtained. • The magnetic exchange parameter and the magnetic ordering temperature were evaluated. • The virtual atom method is suggested to be accurate and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The microstructures and mechanical properties of a Mg−8Ho−0.6Zn−0.5Zr alloy were thoroughly investigated. The results reveal five kinds of intermetallic phases, namely the 14H long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase, the 18R LPSO phase, Mg 24 Ho 5 , Mg 0.5 Ho 1.5 , and Mg 3 Ho. Ordinarily, the 18R LPSO phase locates at a lamellae grain boundary with the misorientation angle of 136.9° and is simultaneously coherent with two α-Mg grains. The corresponding orientation relationships are as (001) 18R //(0001) α1 and [010] 18R //〈11 2 ¯ 0〉 α1 , and (001) 18R about 43.1° from (0001) α2 and [010] 18R //〈11 2 ¯ 0〉 α2. After hot-extrusion, the disintegrated intermetallic phases composed of Mg 24 Ho 5 and Mg 3 Ho mainly distribute at extrusion stringers while the LPSO phases mainly locate in un-recrystallized regions. In addition, amounts of fine spherical intermetallic particles were formed when many parallelly distributed LPSO plates precipitated in a part of the recrystallized grains. The as-extruded Mg−8Ho−0.6Zn−0.5Zr alloy exhibits excellent combination of high strength and high ductility. The underlying strengthening mechanisms were revealed as fine-grain strengthening and dispersion strengthening. Highlights • Microstructures and mechanical properties of a Mg−Ho−Zn−Zr alloy were investigated. • Five intermetallic phases including both 14H and 18R LPSO phases were observed. • 18R LPSO phase at a new lamellae GB is simultaneously coherent with two α-Mg grains. • Fine H1 phase which are coherent with Mg matrix was formed after hot-extrusion. • The as-extruded alloy exhibits excellent combination of high strength and ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We develop a tight-binding theory to study the electronic transport through an extended line defect in monolayer graphene. After establishing an analytical expression of the transmission probability, we clarify the following issues concerning the valley polarization in the electronic transport process. Firstly, we find that the valley polarization is robust in the total linear dispersion region. More interestingly, we find that the lattice deformation around the line defect play an important role in tuning the incident angle for complete transmission. Finally, we indicate that next nearest neighbor interaction only causes a small suppression to the valley polarization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been widely studied, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in lncRNAs are considered to be genetic factors that influence cancer susceptibility. The lncRNA GAS5, MEG3, and PCAT-1 polymorphisms are shown to be possibly associated with cancer risk. The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate this association. Methods. Studies were selected from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) through inclusion and exclusion criteria. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random-effects model or fixed-effects model to assess the association between lncRNA polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility. Metaregression and publication bias analyses were also conducted. All analyses were performed using the Stata 12.0 software. Results. Sixteen articles (covering 13750 cases and 17194 controls) were included in this meta-analysis. A significant association between SNP rs145204276 and gastric cancer risk was observed (del vs. ins: OR = 0.79 , 95 % CI = 0.72 ‐ 0.86 ; del/del vs. ins/ins+del/ins: OR = 0.74 , 95 % CI = 0.59 ‐ 0.91 ; del/ins vs. ins/ins: OR = 0.84 , 95 % CI = 0.67 ‐ 1.05). For rs16901904, a decreased cancer risk was observed in three genetic models (C vs. T: OR = 0.79 , 95 % CI = 0.70 ‐ 0.90 ; CC vs. CT+TT: OR = 0.49 , 95 % CI = 0.37 ‐ 0.65 ; CC vs. TT: OR = 0.49 , 95 % CI = 0.37 ‐ 0.66). No statistical significance was found in the metaregression analysis. For all of the included SNPs, no publication bias was found in all genotype models. Conclusions. The rs145204276 SNP in lncRNA GAS5 is likely to be associated with gastric cancer risk, whereas the rs16901904 SNP in lncRNA PCAT-1 bears association with a decreased cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has clustered patients based on clinical features into sub-clusters to stratify high-risk and low-risk groups to predict outcomes in lung cancer after radiotherapy and has gained much more attention in recent years. Given that the conclusions vary considerably, this meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the combined predictive effect of AI models on lung cancer. This study was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched for relevant literature. Outcomes, including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and local control (LC), were predicted using AI models in patients with lung cancer after radiotherapy, and were used to calculate the pooled effect. Quality, heterogeneity, and publication bias of the included studies were also evaluated. Eighteen articles with 4719 patients were eligible for this meta-analysis. The combined hazard ratios (HRs) of the included studies for OS, LC, PFS, and DFS of lung cancer patients were 2.55 (95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.73–3.76), 2.45 (95 % CI = 0.78–7.64), 3.84 (95 % CI = 2.20–6.68), and 2.66 (95 % CI = 0.96–7.34), respectively. The combined area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of the included articles on OS and LC in patients with lung cancer was 0.75 (95 % CI = 0.67–0.84), and 0.80 (95%CI = 0.0.68–0.95), respectively. The clinical feasibility of predicting outcomes using AI models after radiotherapy in patients with lung cancer was demonstrated. Large-scale, prospective, multicenter studies should be conducted to more accurately predict the outcomes in patients with lung cancer. • No consistent conclusion showed that AI can predict outcome in lung cancer. • This is the first report to describe AI in predicting therapy outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The cytoskeletal architecture of osteoclasts (OCs) and bone resorption activity must be appropriately controlled for proper bone remodeling, which is associated with osteoporosis. The RhoA protein of GTPase plays a regulatory role in cytoskeletal components and contributes to osteoclast adhesion, podosome positioning, and differentiation. Although osteoclast investigations have traditionally been performed by in vitro analysis, however, the results have been inconsistent, and the significance of RhoA in bone physiology and pathology is still unknown. Methods: We generated RhoA knockout mice by specifically deleting RhoA in the osteoclast lineage to understand more about RhoA's involvement in bone remodeling. The function of RhoA in osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption and the mechanisms were assessed using bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) in vitro. The ovariectomized (OVX) mouse model was adopted to examine the pathological effect of RhoA in bone loss. Results: Conditional deletion of RhoA in the osteoclast lineage causes a severe osteopetrosis phenotype, which is attributable to a bone resorption suppression. Further mechanistic studies suggest that RhoA deficiency suppresses Akt-mTOR-NFATc1 signaling during osteoclast differentiation. Additionally, RhoA activation is consistently related to the significant enhancement the osteoclast activity, which culminates in the development of an osteoporotic bone phenotype. Furthermore, in mice, the absence of RhoA in osteoclast precursors prevented occurring OVX-induced bone loss. Conclusion: RhoA promoted osteoclast development via the Akt-mTOR-NFATc1 signaling pathway, resulting a osteoporosis phenotype, and that manipulating RhoA activity might be a therapeutic strategy for osteoporotic bone loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ZK60 alloy was prepared by direct extrusion at an ultra-low temperature of 180 °C. • The studied sample contains fine grains, strong texture and lath-like sub-grains. • Ultra-low extrusion temperature increased fine precipitates in matrix. • The alloy exhibits significantly high UCS of ∼675 MPa based on a CYS of ∼310 MPa. • The alloy has excellent strength-ductility balance with a high TYS of ∼400 MPa. Improving the strength of the commercial ZK60 alloys plays a key role in promoting their wide applications. In this work, a ZK60 alloy was prepared by conventional direct extrusion at an obviously reduced temperature of 180 °C. Compared with ZK60 alloys directly extruded at high temperatures (>300 °C), the studied alloy has finer dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grains with the average size of ∼1.7 μm, stronger typical fiber texture and more profuse lath-like sub-grains. In addition, the ultra-low extrusion temperature increased dynamic precipitates (rod-like Mg 4 Zn 7 and MgZn 2) in DRXed grains. After aging, a great many of nanosized precipitates formed in both DRXed grains and non-recrystallized grains, and relatively coarse MgZn 2 particles precipitated on sub-grain boundaries. As a result, the aged ZK60 alloy exhibit significantly high ultimate compressive strength of ∼675 MPa on the basis of high yield strength of ∼310 MPa, indicating a significant strain hardening capability. Meanwhile, it has excellent strength-ductility balance and a weakened tension-compression yield strength asymmetry under owning a high TYS in order of ∼400 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I RhoA i gain-of-function in the early stage of osteoclast differentiation enhanced osteoclast activity and decreases bone mass. Scale bars, 200 µm (H&E) and 20 µm (TRAP). d The parameters of femur osteoclasts, n = 6. e Representative TRAP staining images of BMMs from caRhoA and LCre;caRhoA mice. 5In osteoclast precursors, RhoA gain-of-function reduced the bone mass and increases osteoclast activity. a Representative Micro-CT images of 3-month-old caRhoA and LCre;caRhoA mice tibias. b The parameters of tibias growth plate trabecular bone, n = 6. c Representative H&E and TRAP staining images of mice femurs. [Extracted from the article]

Intermetallic phases including precipitate constituents in both as-cast and peak-aged Mg–8Zn–6Al-1Sm (wt%) alloys were investigated using transmission electron microscopy. In the as-cast sample, grain boundary intermetallic phases are mainly Mg 44 Al 15 Zn 41 icosahedral (i) phase, Mg 5 Zn 2 Al 2 (φ) phase, Mg 32 (Al,Zn) 49 (τ) phase, and Al 2 Sm phase. During aging treatment, a possible phase transformation from τ to i might occur. Additionally, precipitate constituents in α-Mg matrix of the peak-aged sample are mainly i phase, MgZnAl cubic phase, MgZn 2 phase, Mg 4 Zn 7 phase, and aperiodic structures. Two or more orientation relationships between i (or Mg 4 Zn 7 , or MgZnAl cubic phase) and Mg matrix were revealed, and ordering planar faults were observed for some MgZn 2 precipitates. Finally, calculations indicate that the strengthening effect of Mg–Zn–Al precipitates is more efficient than that of Mg–Zn precipitates, and the high strength of the studied alloy sample is mainly attributed to the semi-continuous intermetallic skeletons and the Mg–Zn–Al based precipitates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen doped carbon materials containing transition metal nanoparticles have attracted much attention as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts. In this paper, the template etching method is used to obtain the nitrogen‐doped graphene with abundant macropores embedded with cobalt nanoparticles (Co@N−C). The prepared Co@NC‐800 catalyst has a half‐wave potential (E1/2=0.835 V) close to Pt/C and good stability in excess of Pt/C for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). At the same time, the catalyst has good oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. In addition, zinc‐air batteries (ZABs) based on the Co@NC‐800 catalyst show good cycle stability of up to 200000 s and high power density of 73.5 mW cm−2. The synergistic effect of the integrated component between nitrogen‐doped graphene and cobalt nanoparticles as well as the macroporous structure endow Co@NC‐800 with abundant exposed active sites and mass/electron transfer capacity, thus leading to the high electrocatalytic activity. This work shows potential for practical applications in electrochemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We endow CuTCNQ, a well-known charge-transfer metal–organic compound, a new role as an anode material to construct high-performance and high-voltage lithium/sodium-based dual-ion batteries (DIBs) by coupling graphite cathode. [Display omitted] Currently, there is considerable interest in developing new electrode materials to construct the new-generation dual-ion batteries (DIBs) with the potential advantages of higher working voltage, good safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. Herein, a well-known charge-transfer metal–organic compound, copper-tetracyanoquinodimethane (CuTCNQ), is synthesized and then used as an anode material, which can reversibly store Li+/Na+ ions under the lower working voltage. Consequently, the lithium/sodium-based DIBs (LDIBs/SDIBs) are constructed by coupling CuTCNQ anode with graphite cathode and their working mechanisms are also understood in detail. As expected, LDIBs exhibit a high average potential of 4.26 V, a high initial discharge capacity of 195.4 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, long cycling performance after 200 cycles with good capacity retention and excellent rate capability of 106.2 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1. Especially, high average potential of 4.23 V and good rate capability of 34.5 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1 could be maintained in SDIBs. These results may open a new avenue for using metal–organic compound in the field of high-performance energy-storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aromatic polyimide-based conjugated microporous polymer/carbon nanotube composite (TAPT-NTCDA@CNT) is prepared and applied as a cathode material for Li/Na-ion batteries, which exhibit high reversible capacities and good rate performance. [Display omitted] Aromatic polyimide (PI)-based compounds have been widely studied for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their higher specific energy density, economical, environmentally friendly and adjustable redox potential window. However, their solubility in aprotic electrolytes, inherently poor conductivity and low active site utilization limit their application in large-scale energy storage system (ESS). Here, we synthesized two aromatic PI-based conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) and integrated them with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) (TAPT-NTCDA@CNT and TAPT-PMDA@CNT) for using as cathode materials for LIBs and SIBs. The aromatic PI-based CMP can effectively utilize the redox activity site due to its abundant π-conjugated redox active units, stable imide bond, high specific surface area and clear pore structure. As expected, the optimum TAPT-NTCDA@CNT exhibits good rate performance (89.7 mAh g−1 at 2000 mA g−1) and long cycle stability (87.3% capacity retention after 500 cycles) in LIBs. Also, TAPT-NTCDA@CNT can provide a higher initial capacity of 91.1 mAh g−1 in SIBs at 30 mA g−1. This work provides key insights for the further development of other new organic electrodes for other advanced rechargeable batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable design and construction of electrode materials with high-performance and low-cost are essential for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and dual-ion batteries (DIBs). Herein, an eco-friendly and facile strategy is proposed to encapsulate Sb 2 O 3 nanoparticles in one-dimensional (1D) multi-nanochannel-containing carbon nanofibers (Sb 2 O 3 @MCNF) using the electrospinning method as well as the subsequent calcination. Such unique construction not only effectively reduces the large volume variation during cycling, but also achieves the fast Li+/e− transportation. As a result, the optimized sample with the precursor triphenylantimony (III) content of 0.35 g (Sb 2 O 3 @MCNF-0.35) exhibits superior electrochemical performance as anode materials for LIBs and Li-based DIBs (LDIBs), including high reversible capacity (~333.5 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 for LIBs and 233.5 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 for LDIBs) and favorable cycling stability (over 800 cycles for LIBs and 100 cycles for LDIBs). These results demonstrate that the well-designed Sb 2 O 3 @MCNF-0.35 can availably boost the electrochemical performance, which provides vast potential for applications in the field of high-performance energy storage equipment. Sb 2 O 3 nanoparticles are uniformly impregnated in 1D multi-nanochannel carbon nanofibers by using electrospinning method and subsequent calcination, and the obtained sample exhibits superior electrochemical performance for Li-ion/dual-ion batteries. [Display omitted] • Sb 2 O 3 nanoparticles are embedded in 1D multi-nanochannel carbon nanofibers. • A facile strategy combining electrospinning and calcinationis is herein used. • Such multi-nanochannels enable fast Li+ transportation and easy strain relaxation. • The samples exhibit superior electrochemical properties for Li/dual-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redox‐active conjugated microporous polymers (RCMPs) have received remarkable interest in electrochemical energy‐storage systems in view of their porous structure and tunable redox nature. This work presents an effective strategy to construct RCMPs with bipolar and double redox‐active centers by integrating copper (II) tetraaminephthalocyanine (CuTAPc) and 1,4,5,8‐naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTCDA) units into the RCMPs (CuPcNA‐CMP). As expected, CuPcNA‐CMP has potential application in the half cells of dual‐ion batteries (lithium based DIBs, LDIBs), asymmetric DIBs (graphite based DIBs, ADIBs), and symmetric DIBs (all organic DIBs, SDIBs). Among them, LDIBs show a high reversible capacity (202.4 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1) and excellent rate capability (86.1 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1). And ADIBs also show a high reversible capacity (245.3 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1), long cycle stability with capacity retention of 89% after 500 cycles, and good rate performance (125.1 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1). In addition, SDIBs show high initial charge/discharge capacities of 269.4/198.5 mAh g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 and a high cell voltage of 2.5 V. Meanwhile, the mechanism of CuPcNA‐CMP on hosting both anions (PF6−) and cations (Li+) is investigated by detailed experimental analysis and density functional theory studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recombinant plasmid pCI-IL-4-IL-2-EGFP containing fusion genes of chicken IL-4 and IL-2 can be used as an adjuvant to enhance the anticoccidiosis effect of the chicken coccidia live vaccine. The chickens were divided into 3 groups: blank control group, vaccine + pCI-IL-4-IL-2-EGFP adjuvant coimmunization group, and vaccine-only group to investigate the immune synergy mechanism of recombinant plasmid adjuvant pCI-IL-4-IL-2-EGFP. The expressions of IL-2, IL-4, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in chicken sera and tissues were detected by ELISA and RT-qPCR, and the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells (APC) in chicken immune organs and intestines were detected by acid alpha-naphthalase (ANAE) staining, methyl green pyronine (MGP) staining, and immunofluorescence (IF) staining, respectively. Results showed that the mRNA expression of IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ and the number of activated T and B lymphocytes were significantly upregulated in the spleen and cecum tonsils of chickens in vaccine + pCI-IL-4-IL-2-EGFP group compared with the vaccine-only group on 7 d after vaccination (P < 0.05). Protein contents of IL-2, IL-4 and TNF-α in vaccine + pCI-IL-4-IL-2-EGFP group were significantly increased compared to vaccine-only group on 28 d of inoculation (P < 0.05). The number of T and B lymphocytes and APC in chickens of the vaccine+ pCI-IL-4-IL-2-EGFP group was significantly higher than that of the vaccine-only group in cecum tonsils, thymus and spleen after 14 and 28 d of inoculation (P < 0.05). All results revealed that pCI-IL-4-IL-2-EGFP adjuvant enhanced the immune response of chicken coccidia live vaccine by upregulating the expression of IL-2, IL-4, TNF-α, and IFN-γ and promoting the proliferation of T, B lymphocytes and APCs in chicken intestines and immune organ sites. Moreover, our study provides a theoretical basis for the clinical application of cytogenic plasmids as adjuvants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is a systemic disease that typically affects older adults and that remains a major threat to global public health owing to its high morbidity and mortality rates. In those with osteoporosis, excess osteoclast (OC)-mediated resorption of bone tissue can lead to an imbalance in normal bone metabolism resulting in the onset of diseases including postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). In the present study, we found that the natural Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC derivative tectoridin can reduce bone loss in ovariectomized mice. TRAP staining further revealed that tectoridin suppresses OC differentiation in a dose-dependent fashion, and qPCR analyses indicated that this compound also dose-dependently inhibits the RANKL-induced upregulation of OC marker genes including Trap, Ctsk, ATP60, DC-Stamp, c-Fos, and NFATc1 in bone marrow macrophages (BMMs). Tectoridin treatment further suppressed actin ring formation and in vitro bone resorption as determined via F-actin staining and scanning electron microscopy. At the mechanistic level, we found that tectoridin was capable of inhibiting osteoclastogenesis at least in part owing to its ability to interfere with NF-κB pathway activation. In addition, we confirmed that tectoridin was able to protect against in vivo estrogen-deficiency-associated bone loss. Together, these results suggest that tectoridin can inhibit osteoclastogenesis and OC functionality in the context of PMOP at least in part via modulating RANKL-induced NF-κB signaling. • Tectoridin protects against in vivo estrogen-deficiency-associated bone loss. • Tectoridin inhibits osteoclastogenesis. • Tectoridin inhibits osteoclastogenesis due to interfere with NF-κB pathway activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal phthalocyanine-linked conjugated microporous polymers (MPc-CMPs) have huge potential applications in energy conversion and storage systems. However, the inherent low conductivity limits their practical application. Herein, the MPc-CMPs are hybridized with highly conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via the easy vacuum filtration method. Interestingly, the composite (denoted as CoPc-CMP/CNTs) shows the flexible feature, which can be served as the flexible binder-free electrode for supercapacitors (SCs). As expected, the flexible CoPc-CMP/CNTs exhibits a high specific capacitance of 289.1 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 and good capacity retention of 82.4% over 1350 cycles at a high current density of 10 A g−1. Furthermore, First-principle calculations are used to elucidate the superiority of CoPc-CMP to other analogues. The good electrochemical performance could be attributed to the synergistic effect from the high pseudocapacitance and good conductivity of CoPc-CMP as well as the capacitive contribution and good conductivity of CNTs. Our strategy provides a new avenue to develop the high-performance SCs via rational integration of MPc-CMPs with highly conductive CNTs. Metal phthalocyanine-linked conjugated microporous polymers are hybridized with highly conductive carbon nanotubes via the easy vacuum filtration method. Interestingly, the composite shows the flexible feature, which can be served as the flexible binder-free electrode for supercapacitors. Image 1 • Metal phthalocyanine-linked conjugated microporous polymers are synthesized. • Polymers are hybridized with carbon nanotube to form a flexible electrode. • The flexible electrode shows good electrochemical performance for supercapacitors. • Density functional theory calculations reveal its metallic property and superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) as emerging porous materials with diverse structures and tunable building‐units have attracted much attention in the electrochemical field. Herein, we designed phthalocyanine‐porphyrin‐based conjugated microporous polymers as precursors for fabrication of Co, Fe, N tri‐doped graphene composites towards oxygen reduction and evolution reaction (ORR/OER). As expected, the elements cobalt and iron are well dispersed in graphene carbon and interact with the nitrogen sites, thereby providing extra electrocatalytic active sites and enhancing its overall conductivity. Benefiting from its unique design and structure, the obtained catalyst affords a superior bifunctional catalytic activity with a positive onset potential of 0.957 V for ORR, and a low overpotential of 0.36 V for OER. More attractively, the CoFeNG is employed as an air cathode catalyst in Zn‐air batteries, showing a maximum current density of 215 mA cm−2 and good cycle stability for 20000 s. The rational design of phthalocyanine‐porphyrin‐based derivatives provides a feasible route for the construction of high‐performance ORR/OER catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-heteroatom-doped dual carbon-confined strategy is proposed to encapsulate Fe 3 O 4 nanospheres into N, P and S doped carbon shell and graphene network, which shows the enhanced electrochemical performance as the anode material for LIBs/SIBs, including high specific capacity, good cycling stability and excellent rate performance. The lithium/sodium-ion storage properties of transition metal oxides often undergo startling volume variation and poor electrical conductivity. Herein, N, P and S doped dual carbon-confined Fe 3 O 4 nanospheres (Fe 3 O 4 @C@G) are prepared by the multi-heteroatom-doped dual carbon-confined strategy. The first carbon layer results from multi-heteroatom-containing polymer derived N, P and S doped carbon to form Fe 3 O 4 @doped carbon core-shell nanostructure. And the second carbon layer results from the further encapsulated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to form Fe 3 O 4 @doped carbon@graphene 3D architecture (Fe 3 O 4 @C@G). As expected, the resulting Fe 3 O 4 @C@G can be served as the universal anode materials towards lithium/sodium-ion batteries (LIBs/SIBs). Interestingly, Fe 3 O 4 @C@G delivers higher reversible capacity of 919 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 for LIBs. As for SIBs, Fe 3 O 4 @C@G also shows a high reversible capacity of 180 mAh g−1 after 600 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. Furthermore, the electrochemical reaction kinetics in LIBs/SIBs are investigated and Li+ full cells are also assembled to demonstrate its practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) is a typical neurotropic coronavirus that mainly invades the central nervous system (CNS) in piglets and causes vomiting and wasting disease. Emerging evidence suggests that PHEV alters microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles, and miRNA has also been postulated to be involved in its pathogenesis, but the mechanisms underlying this process have not been fully explored. In this study, we found that PHEV infection upregulates miR-142a-3p RNA expression in N2a cells and in the CNS of mice. Downregulation of miR-142a-3p by an miRNA inhibitor led to a significant repression of viral proliferation, implying that it acts as a positive regulator of PHEV proliferation. Using a dual-luciferase reporter assay, miR-142a-3p was found to bind directly bound to the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of Rab3a mRNA and downregulate its expression. Knockdown of Rab3a expression by transfection with an miR-142a-3p mimic or Rab3a siRNA significantly increased PHEV replication in N2a cells. Conversely, the use of an miR-142a-3p inhibitor or overexpression of Rab3a resulted in a marked restriction of viral production at both the mRNA and protein level. Our data demonstrate that miR-142a-3p promotes PHEV proliferation by directly targeting Rab3a mRNA, and this provides new insights into the mechanisms of PHEV-related pathogenesis and virus-host interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resource shortage and high cost of noble metal catalysts are still obstacles to their widespread applications. Herein, under the guidance of DFT calculation results, a facile and effective strategy for synthesizing noble metal-free catalysts is used to construct heteroatoms co-doped carbon catalyst. The N, P, S tri-doped hollow carbon nanospheres (NPSCSs) are synthesized via template-induced polymer-derived strategy and carbonization-etching-carbonization process. The obtained NPSCSs display special hollow structure with large specific surface area of 1154.89 m2 g−1. As expect, NPSCSs as bifunctional oxygen catalyst exhibit high-performance electrocatalytic activity. More attractively, as the cathode catalysts of assembled the Zn-air batteries (ZABs), NPSCSs show high maximum power density and long cycle stability. This strategy providing a new way to obtain multi-heteroatoms-doped electrocatalysts with excellent electrocatalytic activity and cycling stability. Unlabelled Image • N, P, S tri-doped carbon materials are prepared using easy polymer-derived strategy. • The DFT calculation has confirmed the superiority of N, P, S tri-doped carbon materials. • This material could be used as a high-efficient bifunctional oxygen catalyst for Zn-air battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Phosphorescent Ir(III) complex with yellow emission was successfully synthesized. • (PFBHC) 2 Ir(acac) solution displays a good sensitivity in nitro-aromatics detection. • Paper tests indicate great potential of (PFBHC) 2 Ir(acac) as solid explosive sensor. The phosphorescent Ir(III) complexes are very promising materials for optical chemosensors. In this letter, we report the synthesis of a yellow emissive phosphorescent iridium(III) complex (PFBHC) 2 Ir(acac) containing carbazole and its application for nitro-aromatic explosives detection. (PFBHC) 2 Ir(acac) displayed a high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield, and the PL quenching tests indicate sensitive detection towards kinds of nitro-aromatics (e.g. PA, TNB, DNP, TNT, DNT) with moderate Stern-Volmer quenching constants, based on a photo-induced charge transfer process. In addition, the paper strip tests of (PFBHC) 2 Ir(acac) with obvious quenching effect towards low concentration of PA or TNB demonstrate a good potential as solid nitro-aromatics sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aging process directly impacts bodily functions on multiple levels, including a reduced ability to resist stress, damage and disease. Besides changes in metabolic control, the aging process coincides with the altered long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) expression, which are ≥200nt long class of non-protein coding RNAs. The majority of non-coding transcripts of mammalian organs and tissues are expressed in developmentally regulated and cell-type specific manners. Specific altered lncRNA level has been involved in induction and maintenance of the whole human body aging with highly specific spatial andtemporal expression patterns. Furthermore, many lncRNAs are transcribed in sense, antisense and bidirectional manners in the mammalian genome. They play a vital role in regulating organ or tissue differentiation during aging by binding with miRNA or proteins to act as a decoy. Recently, the correlation between lncRNAs and aging has been studied intensely. Here, we have summarized some examples of known and novel lncRNAs that have been implicated in the aging process in the whole mammalian body and we discuss these patterns, conservation and characters during aging. This may further promote the development of research on lncRNAs and the aging process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal mucosa injury and loss of weight gain are unavoidable while using live vaccine strain to prevent chicken coccidiosis. In this study, recombinant Lactococcus lactis NZ3900/pNZ8149-IL-4-IL-2, expressing the fusion protein of chicken IL-4 and IL-2, was constructed using food-grade NICE expression system, trying to develop a possible oral immune adjuvant to enhance the immune effect of the live vaccine against chicken coccidiosis and minimize its adverse effects. Chickens were given different doses of recombinant L. lactis together with the live vaccine, then experimently attacked with coccidia virulent strains. Results showed that weight gains of co-immunization groups, given both 1 × 109 or 1 × 1010 CFU recombinant L. lactis and the live vaccine, were significantly higher than the vaccine-only group (P <0.05), while intestinal lesion scores of duodenum, jejunum, and cecum were significantly lower than the vaccine-only group (P <0.05), so was the oocyst shedding. The anticoccidial indexes (ACI) of the co-immunized groups given 1 × 109 and 1 × 1010 CFU recombinant L. lactis were 187.85 and 193.33, respectively, higher than 174.61 of the vaccine-only group. In addition, chickens in co-immunization groups gained more body weight than the vaccine-only group before being challenged with the virulent strains (P <0.05). All the results indicated that the constructed recombinant L. lactis NZ3900/ pNZ8149-IL-4-IL-2 exhibited an immune synergistic function to coccidiosis live vaccine, and could alleviate its adverse effect affecting weight gain. The application of the recombinant L. lactis showed the potency to lift the anticoccidial efficiency of the live vaccine from a medium level to a high level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study collected 324 chicken cloacal swabs from 6 broiler farms in 4 different areas in Shanxi Province, China (i.e., Lvliang, Taiyuan, Jinzhong, and Yangquan), and analyzed the antimicrobial resistance and virulence-associated genes of the isolates to investigate the prevalence, drug resistance, and virulence gene data of Campylobacter jejuni in broilers. The population structure of C. jejuni and genetic evolutionary relationships among isolates from broiler farms in different regions were studied by using multilocus sequence typing. A total of 35 C. jejuni isolates with an infection rate of 10.8% (35/324) were obtained. The isolates were most resistant to ampicillin (85.7%) and were most sensitive to erythromycin (14.3%). Isolates with multidrug resistance accounted for 88.6% of the total isolates. In this experiment, 15 distinct sequence types were identified and included 9 new unique sequence types. cad F was present in all isolates, and cia B had the lowest prevalence (51.4%). C. jejuni collected from broiler farms in central Shanxi had varied infection rates, and their overall positive rate was lower than of C. jejuni collected from other regions of the country. The isolates had high resistance to quinolones and β-lactams, and multidrug resistance was prevalent. The isolates were genotypically diverse and carried 5 virulence-associated genes at high rates. Therefore, the importance of source contamination control in broiler farms is emphasized and may have considerable effects on human and animal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redox-active conjugated microporous polymers (RCMPs) have shown tremendous development potential for application in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in view of their chemical flexibility, environmental friendliness, and cost effectiveness. However, key problems including fewer exposed redox-active sites and poor electronic conductivity restrict their wide application in LIBs. Herein, two imine-linked triazine-based CMPs are integrated separately with the carbon nanotubes (CNT) using the in situ growth strategy (CNT@TAPT-TPA and CNT@TAPT-BTPA) and then used as the anode materials for LIBs. In view of large conjugate structure, more exposed active sites, and resilient and accessible pores network, the optimum CNT@TAPT-BTPA as organic anode-active materials for LIBs shows a longer cycling stability (a specific capacity of 350.9 mAh g−1 after 2000 cycles at 1 A g−1) and better rate capability (177.9 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1) in LIBs. This study provides a reasonable molecular design strategy for developing organic electrode-active materials for lithium-organic batteries. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hawthorn fruit has long been used as a folk medicine with many medicinal benefits. HPLC analysis revealed that hawthorn fruit extract (HFE) contained 19.86% procyanidin B2, 15.27% epicatechin, 3.10% chlorogenic acid, 2.91% hyperoside, and 1.34% isoquercitrin. Antioxidants are essential for protection of the bodies against the damaging action of free radicals. And we hypothesized that HFE could enhance antioxidant defenses and improve antioxidant status in aged mice. To test this hypothesis, senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) used as an aging animal model were treated with HFE to evaluate the antioxidant effects of HFE in vivo. We found that the activities of antioxidant enzymes, namely, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in serum, liver, and brain of SAM mice increased upon HFE treatment, meanwhile the malondialdehyde (MDA) content declined. Concurrently, the gene expression levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px were up-regulated in liver. Furthermore, the antioxidant potential of HFE was also investigated with different systems such as superoxide anion radical scavenging and reducing power. The results showed that HFE indicated a concentration-dependent antioxidant activity in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starch is an important ingredient for food and other industries. Modified starch has better properties than natural starch. Phosphorylation is one of the effective techniques to improve the functional properties of starch and to modify its behavior in terms of gelatinization, pasting, and retrogradation. Phosphorus is the effective component of phosphate, and it is one kind of important nutritional ingredient in functional foods. This article summarizes the modification of starch by phosphorus and the application of phosphorylated starch in the food, textile, and paper manufacturing industries. The starch phosphate that is produced by the reaction between phosphate and starch may be used as emulsifier, thickener, or stabilizer in food processing. Furthermore, as a good sedimentation agent, the starch phosphate can be used for sedimentation and reclamation of wastes of spent water in food processing manufacturing of meat, fishes, fruits, vegetables, brewage, and so on. On the other hand, because the starch phosphate can substitute partly and reduce the amount of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and thus make easier desizing, it is widely used for sizing, thickening, printing, and fixing in the textile industry. In addition, in the paper manufacturing industry, the starch phosphate can be used for paper sizing or paper cardboard adhesive coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

lentiviral vaccine, live attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine, was developed in the 1970s, and this has made tremendous contributions to the control of equine infectious anemia (EIA) in China. Four key virus strains were generated during the attenuation of the EIAV vaccine: the original Liao-Ning strain (EIAV), a donkey-adapted virulent strain (EIAV), a donkey-leukocyte-attenuated vaccine strain (EIAV), and a fetal donkey dermal cell (FDD)-adapted vaccine strain (EIAV). In this study, we analyzed the proviral genomes of these four EIAV strains and found a series of consensus substitutions among these strains. These mutations provide useful information for understanding the genetic basis of EIAV attenuation. Our results suggest that multiple mutations in a variety of genes in our attenuated EIAV vaccines not only provide a basis for virulence attenuation and induction of protective immunity but also greatly reduce the risk of reversion to virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to insufficient illumination of the space station, the image information collected by the intelligent robot will be degraded, and it will not be able to accurately identify the tools required for the robot's on-orbit maintenance. This situation increases the difficulty of the robot's maintenance in a low-illumination environment. We proposes a novel enhancement method for images under low-illumination, namely, a deep learning algorithm based on the combination of deep convolutional and Wasserstein generative adversarial networks (DC-WGAN) in CIELAB color space. The original low-illuminance image is converted from the RGB space to the CIELAB color space which is relatively close to human vision, to accurately estimate the illumination image, and effectively reduce the effect of uneven illumination. DC-WGAN is applied to enhance the brightness component by increasing the width of the generation network to obtain more image features. Subsequently, the LAB is converted into RGB space to obtain the final enhanced image. The feasibility of the algorithm is verified by experiments on low-illuminance image under general, special, and actual conditions and comparing the experimental results with four commonly used algorithms. This study lays a technical foundation for robot target recognition and on-orbit maintenance in a space environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex internal planar faults in the MgZn 2 phase of a binary Mg 6Zn alloy were thoroughly studied using transmission electron microscopy. Two staking faults lying on {10 1 ¯ 0} MgZn2 and {21 3 ¯ 0} MgZn2 planes were observed, with the latter one found to be able to be densely arranged in the whole MgZn 2 phase, resulting in a new structure with a monoclinic structure, a = 1.71 nm, b = 2.12 nm, c = 4.05 nm, and β = 116°. Subsequently, stacking faults, stacking fault boundary as well as the evolved twin boundaries lead to many additional diffraction spots and even hexagonal diffraction holes in the corresponding SAED patterns. • Complex internal planar faults in the MgZn 2 phase were thoroughly studied. • Two staking faults on {10 1 ¯ 0} MgZn2 and {21 3 ¯ 0} MgZn2 planes were observed. • Dense planar faults developed a new monoclinic structure. • Faults and the evolved various boundaries resulted in additional diffraction spots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There are hydrothermal deglycosylation of GL in SE process. • Hydrolytic pathways consisted of complex consecutive and parallel reactions. • Hydrolytic reactions were endothermic and non-spontaneous with entropy decreasing. • SE removed structural components and restructured porous network of liquorice. • Diffusion rate of GL and its hydrolyzed products was accelerated by SE. In this work, steam explosion (SE) was exploited as a green and facile process to deconstruct liquorice's structure and deglycosylate glycyrrhizic acid (GL) to improve conversion and diffusion efficacy of GL and its hydrolyzed products. Results showed SE induced auto-hydrolysis of GL into glycyrrhetic acid 3-O-mono- β -D-glucuronide (GAMG) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), by which 30.71% of GL conversion, 5.24% and 21.47% of GAMG and GA formation were obtained. GL hydrolytic pathways were revealed by reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, which possessed complex consecutive and parallel reactions with endothermic, non-spontaneous and entropy-decreasing features. SE referred to cause cleavage of the β -1,3 glycosidic bond in GL which was hydrolyzed to GA as a main product and GAMG and glucuronic acids as minor products. Diffusion of hydrolyzed products was accelerated by raising the diffusion coefficient and shortening the equilibrium time by over 90%. This work provides a sustainable and efficient route for product conversion and function enhancement of bioactive components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]