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To better understand the geothermal system of the Gonghe Basin, we deployed 471 magnetotelluric survey points with an average distance of 2~3 km, covering the eastern and southern areas of the Basin. We used ModEM inversion software to carry out 3D inversion of 431 survey points and established a 3D-electrical model at a depth of 50 km in the area. The resistivity model shows that the low resistivity in the shallow part of the basin is related to the Cenozoic loose sedimentary cover, while the resistivity values of the mountains around the basin and the magmatic rock uplift zone are higher. The electrical model also shows that the high-conductivity layer is widely distributed in the middle and lower crust (15~35 km) of the basin, and direction of the high-conductivity layer is consistent with that of NW–SE fault in the basin. These high-conductivity layers may be the principal reason for the high heat flow values in the Gonghe Basin. Our resistivity model also shows that there is an obvious discontinuity between high- and low-resistivity blocks at different depths in the middle and upper crust. These discontinuities are consistent with the faults observed on the surface, which are related to the strong topographic relief. Our electrical model shows that these faults in the middle and upper crust are connected with the high-conductivity layer as the channel of heat transfer to the shallow part. Finally, the heat energy is enriched in the Triassic granite to form dry hot rock (HDR). The 3D-magnetotelluric imaging results depict the 3D-distribution characteristics of the geothermal system in the eastern and southern parts of the Gonghe Basin.

The oxygen vacancies and micro-nano structure can optimize the electron/Li+ migration kinetics in anode materials for lithium batteries (LIBs). Here, porous micro-nano structured VNb9O25 composites with rich oxygen vacancies were reasonably prepared via a facile solvothermal method combined with annealing treatment at 800℃ for 30 h (VNb9O25-30 h). This micro-nano structure can enhance the contact of active material/electrolyte, and shorten the Li+ diffusion distance. The introduction of oxygen vacancies can further boosts the intrinsic conductivity of VNb9O25-30 h for achieving excellent LIB performance. The as-prepared VNb9O25-30 h anode showed advanced rate capability with reversible capacity of 122.2 mA h g−1 at 4 A g−1, and delivered excellent capacity retention of ∼100 % after 2000 cycles. Meanwhile, VNb9O25-30 h provides unexpected long-cycle life (i.e., reversible capacity of 165.7 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 with a high capacity retention of 85.6 % even after 8000 cycles). Additionally, coupled with the LiFePO4 cathode, the LiFePO4//VNb9O25-30 h full cell delivers superior LIB properties with high reversible capacities of 91.6 mA h g−1 at 5C for 1000 cycles. Thus, such reasonable construction method can assist in other high-performance niobium-based oxides in LIBs.

Capacitive deionization (CDI) technology has been considered a promising desalination technique, especially for brackish water, because of its relatively low energy consumption, facile operation, and easy regeneration of electrodes. However, the desalination capacity, cost, fabrication method, electrochemical stability, and environmental unfriendliness of the electrodes have restricted the practical application of the CDI technique. Herein, we reported the one-step in situ preparation of nitrogen-doped and carbon-decorated MXene-derived TiO2 (termed N-TiO2−x/C) through the confinement-growth strategy. The small particle size (∼ 25 nm) and uniform distribution of a peanut-like N-TiO2−x/C material could be ascribed to the confined growth space created by the nanoporous structure of melamine foam. The defects produced by N doping provide an enhanced electrical conductivity and more adsorption sites, while wrapping with a carbon shell layer increases the conductivity and offers protection for N-TiO2−x to achieve an excellent electrochemical stability. The prepared N-TiO2−x/C electrode is hydrophilic due to the abundant oxygen-containing functional groups (e.g., C-O, N-Ti-O, -NOx, and -OH) and exhibits a high salt removal capacity (33.4 mg·g−1), desalination rate (1.5 mg·g−1·min−1), and remarkable cycling stability (without declining after 100 cycles), which might be ascribed to the synergistic effects of the short ion diffusion path, more active adsorption sites, enhanced conductivity, pseudocapacitive behavior, and protection of the carbon shell layer. This work provides a confined-growth strategy to develop MXene-derived oxide electrodes for electrochemical desalination.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-related lncRNAs in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods: Gene expression data and clinical data of LUAD patients were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Database. Combined with clinical information, the prognostic m6A-related lncRNAs were identified through differential lncRNA expression analysis and Spearman correlation analysis. Next, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to establish the prognostic risk model. We evaluated and validated the predictive performance of this model via survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The expression of immune checkpoints, immune cell infiltration and drug sensitivity of patients in different risk groups were analyzed separately. Results: A total of 19 prognostic m6A-related lncRNAs were identified and then the prognostic risk model was well established. The patients were divided into high- and low-risk group based on the median value of the risk scores. Compared with the patients in the low-risk group, the prognosis of the patients in the high-risk group was relatively poor. The ROC curves showed that this model had excellent sensitivity and specificity. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the risk score could be used as an independent prognostic risk factor. The expression levels of immune checkpoint CD276, PVR, and VTCN1 were significantly increased in the high-risk group. Finally, we found that the risk scores were correlated with immune cell infiltration and drug sensitivity. Conclusion: We constructed a prognostic risk model in LUAD patients based on m6A-related lncRNAs. This model was also associated with the expression of immune checkpoints, immune cell infiltration and drug sensitivity, which will provide new insights into immunotherapy for LUAD patients in the future.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a global epidemic disease caused by a novel virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), causing serious adverse effects on human health. In this study, we obtained a blood leukocytes sequencing data set of COVID‐19 patients from the GEO database and obtained differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We further analyzed these DEGs by protein–protein interaction analysis and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and identified the DEGs closely related to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Then, we constructed a six‐gene model (comprising IFIT3, OASL, USP18, XAF1, IFI27, and EPSTI1) by logistic regression analysis and calculated the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the diagnosis of COVID‐19. The AUC values of the training group, testing group, and entire group were 0.930, 0.914, and 0.921, respectively. The six genes were highly expressed in patients with COVID‐19 and positively correlated with the expression of SARS‐CoV‐2 invasion‐related genes (ACE2, TMPRSS2, CTSB, and CTSL). The risk score calculated by this model was also positively correlated with the expression of TMPRSS2, CTSB, and CTSL, indicating that the six genes were closely related to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. In conclusion, we comprehensively analyzed the functions of DEGs in the blood leukocytes of patients with COVID‐19 and constructed a six‐gene model that may contribute to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic ideas for COVID‐19. Moreover, these six genes may be therapeutic targets for COVID‐19., Highlights COVID‐19 is a global epidemic and poses a serious risk to human health.The differentially expressed genes related to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in leukocytes of patients with COVD‐19 were screened.A 6‐gene model for COVID‐19 diagnosis and treatment was constructed by logistic regression analysis.The role and mechanism of these six genes (IFIT3, OASL, USP18, XAF1, IFI27, and EPSTI1) in COVID‐19 were preliminarily analyzed.

Inclusion membrane proteins (Incs) play an important role in the structure and stability of chlamydial inclusion and the interaction between Chlamydia spp. and their hosts. Following Chlamydia infection through the respiratory tract, human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (hPMN) not only act as the primary immune cells reaching the lungs, but also serve as reservoir for Chlamydia. We have previously identified a Chlamydia psittaci hypothetical protein, CPSIT_0556, as a medium expressed inclusion membrane protein. However, the role of inclusion membrane protein, CPSIT_0556 in regulating hPMN functions remains unknown. In the present study, we found that CPSIT_0556 could not only inhibit hPMN apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways by releasing IL-8, but also delays procaspase-3 processing and inhibits caspase-3 activity in hPMN. Up-regulating the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 and down-regulating the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax could also inhibit the translocalization of Bax in the cytoplasm into the mitochondria, as well as induce the transfer of p65 NF-κB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Overall, our findings demonstrate that CPSIT_0556 could inhibit hPMN apoptosis through PI3K/Akt and NF-κB pathways and provide new insights towards understanding a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and immune escape mechanisms of C. psittaci.

Overlap extension PCR is a common method for site-directed mutagenesis. As objective gene sequence growing longer, it is often difficult to obtain the target product in the second round of PCR, and it is highly possible to introduce unexpected mutations into a long gene fragment by PCR. To circumvent these problems, we can only amplify a small gene fragment which contain the target mutation by overlap extension PCR, and then ligate it with vector to get target plasmid. If the restriction site at the end of the amplified fragment was not a single one on plasmid vector, double fragments ligation method could be used to construct target plasmid. Partial amplification, combined with double fragments ligation, could solve lots of problems in long gene mutagenesis. Taking retinoblastoma gene 1 S780E mutagenesis as an example, it is difficult to amplify whole retinoblastoma gene 1 by overlap extension PCR because of long fragment interfering the overlapping extension of second round PCR. However, it is relatively easy to amplify the F3 (1 968-2 787) fragment which contains target mutation S780E. There is a Nhe I site which can be used for ligation on 5' end of F3 fragment, but another Nhe I site on the plasmid restrained from doing so directly. In order to circumvent this obstacle, we ligated F3 fragment, combining with F2 (900-1 968) fragment which was digested from wild type plasmid, with the vector which contain F1 (1-900) fragment of the gene. That double fragments ligated with one vector at the same time, though less efficient, can recombine into a complete plasmid. The sequences of the two selected recombinant plasmids were consistent with the target mutation, which verified the feasibility of this scheme. As an improvement of overlap extension PCR, partial amplification and double fragments ligation methods could provide solutions for site directed mutagenesis of many long genes.重叠延伸 PCR 是基因定点突变的主要方法，但是以该方法制作长基因定点突变时，往往遇到难以获得第二轮PCR 产物或容易引入新的非预期突变等问题。此时，可先以重叠延伸PCR 扩增含突变位点的部分基因片段，再将其连入适当载体获得重组质粒。若该扩增片段两侧的酶切位点在质粒载体上不单一，则可采用双片段连接法构建完整质粒。以制作视网膜母细胞瘤基因S780E 定点突变为例，直接以重叠延伸PCR 扩增全长基因时未能得到理想的目标产物。故先扩增含点突变的F3 片段，再将其与源自原始质粒的F2 片段一起连入含F1 片段的质粒载体而构建完整质粒。两个筛选出的重组质粒经序列检测完全符合目标突变序列特征，验证了该方案的可行性。该方法作为重叠延伸PCR 的补充，可为许多长基因定点突变提供解决方案。.

Background A very limited spectrum of ASCC1 pathogenic variants had been reported in six (mostly consanguineous) families with spinal muscular atrophy with congenital bone fractures 2 [OMIM #616867] since 2016. Methods A proband from a non‐consanguineous Chinese family presented with neonatal severe hypotonia, respiratory distress, muscle weakness, and atrophy, as well as congenital bone fractures was performed by exome sequencing. Results A compound heterozygosity of a nonsense (c.932C>G,p.Ser311Ter) and an exon 5 deletion in ASCC1 segregating with phenotypes was detected, both variants are novel and pathogenic. Since ASCC1 is a relatively new disease gene, we performed the gene curation by ClinGen SOP. The existing evidence is sufficient to support a "Definitive" level of disease‐gene relationship. Conclusion This case report expended the mutation spectrum of ASCC1 and support the notion that this novel disease also occurs in outbreed populations and this is a rare disease but may still be underdiagnosed due to its perinatal lethal outcomes., Spinal muscular atrophy with congenital bone fractures 2.

Long‐term peritoneal dialysis is accompanied by functional and histopathological alterations in the peritoneal membrane. In the long process of peritoneal dialysis, high‐glucose peritoneal dialysis solution (HGPDS) will aggravate the peritoneal fibrosis, leading to decreased effectiveness of peritoneal dialysis and ultrafiltration failure. In this study, we found that the coincidence of elevated TGF‐β1 expression, autophagy, apoptosis and fibrosis in peritoneal membrane from patients with peritoneal dialysis. The peritoneal membranes from patients were performed with immunocytochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. Human peritoneal mesothelial cells were treated with 1.5%, 2.5% and 4.25% HGPDS for 24 hrs; Human peritoneal mesothelial cells pre‐treated with TGF‐β1 (10 ng/ml) or transfected with siRNA Beclin1 were treated with 4.25% HGPDS or vehicle for 24 hrs. We further detected the production of TGF‐β1, activation of TGF‐β1/Smad2/3 signalling, induction of autophagy, EMT, fibrosis and apoptosis. We also explored whether autophagy inhibition by siRNA targeting Beclin 1 reduces EMT, fibrosis and apoptosis in human peritoneal mesothelial cells. HGPDS increased TGF‐β1 production, activated TGF‐β1/Smad2/3 signalling and induced autophagy, fibrosis and apoptosis hallmarks in human peritoneal mesothelial cells; HGPDS‐induced Beclin 1‐dependent autophagy in human peritoneal mesothelial cells; Autophagy inhibition by siRNA Beclin 1 reduced EMT, fibrosis and apoptosis in human peritoneal mesothelial cells. Taken all together, these studies are expected to open a new avenue in the understanding of peritoneal fibrosis, which may guide us to explore the compounds targeting autophagy and achieve the therapeutic improvement of PD.

In this study, α-FeOOH on reduced graphene oxide (rGO-α-FeOOH) supported on an Al-doped MCM-41 catalyst (RFAM) was optimized for the visible-light photo-Fenton oxidation of phenol at neutral pH. The stability of the catalysts, effect of bubbling aeration, and degradation intermediates were investigated. Results indicated that RFAM with a large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) area and mesoporous structure displayed excellent catalytic activity for the visible-light-driven (VLD) photo-Fenton process. Phenol degradation was well described by a pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics model. Raman analysis demonstrated that an rGO-α-FeOOH (RF) composite is formed during the ferrous-ion-induced self-assembly process. Al-MCM-41 could uniformly disperse RF nanosheets and promote the mobility and diffusion of matter. The activity of the main catalyst α-FeOOH was enhanced after the incorporation of rGO nanosheets. The α-FeOOH crystal in RFAM showed catalytic activity superior to those of Fe3O4 and Fe2O3. The RFAM catalyst, with an optimal GO-Fe2+mass ratio of 2.33, exhibited a larger BET area, pore size, and pore volume, and thus exhibited high performance and energy utilization efficiency in the VLD photo-Fenton reaction with remarkable stability. Bubbling N2 inhibited catalytic performance, while bubbling O2 or air only slightly accelerated the phenol degradation. Visible light played an important role in accelerating the formation of reactive oxygen species (·OH) for the highly efficient phenol degradation. Analysis of degradation intermediates indicated a high phenol mineralization level and the formation of low-molecular-weight organic acids. This work would be helpful in providing an insight into a new type of catalyst assembly and a possible route to a promising heterogeneous catalyst applicable in the visible light photo-Fenton process for effective wastewater remediation at neutral pH.

A novel Z-scheme photocatalyst consisting of acidified graphitic carbon nitrogen (ag-C

In this work, a novel CdS-SnS-SnS

Chlamydia psittaci is a zoonotic pathogen with a broad host range that can lead to severe respiratory and systemic disease in humans. Currently, an effective commercial vaccine against C. psittaci infection is not available. The chlamydial plasmid is an important virulence factor and encodes plasmid proteins that play important roles in chlamydial infection and the corresponding immune response. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of vaccination with plasmid proteins at preventing C. psittaci lung infection in a murine model. BALB/c mice were immunized intraperitoneally, three times at 2-week intervals, with purified recombinant CPSIT_p8 protein and then infected with C. psittaci. Immunization significantly decreased chlamydial load in the lungs of infected mice, resulted in a lower level of IFN-γ, and reduced the extent of inflammation. In vivo or in vitro neutralization of C. psittaci with sera collected from immunized mice did not reduce the amount of viable C. psittaci in the lungs of mice, indicating that CPSIT_p8-specific antibodies do not have neutralizing capacity. Furthermore, confocal fluorescence microscopy using a mouse anti-CPSIT_p8 antibody revealed that CPSIT_p8 was localized inside the inclusion of C. psittaci 6BC-infected cells. Our results demonstrate that CPSIT_p8 protein induces significant protective immunity against challenge with C. psittaci in mice and represents a promising new vaccine candidate for the prevention of C. psittaci infection.

In recent years, metal–organic framework materials (MOFs) have been widely used in adsorption, separation, storage, and transportation due to their advantages of adjustable composition, diverse structures, and controllable pore size. MOF-derived porous carbon materials inherit the advantages of MOFs of the large surface area, high porosity, and customizability, that can be applied to the adsorption of the pollutants in the environment. In this study, we review the preparation methods commonly used to synthesize MOFs-derived porous carbon adsorbents in recent years, as well as the research progress on the adsorption of organic and inorganic pollutants in the liquid phase, and discuss the factors affecting the adsorption property of MOF-derived carbon. Finally, the challenges and development prospects of MOFs-derived porous carbon in the field of adsorption are discussed.

Heterostructured hybrid with rationally designed phase hybridization has attracted increasing attention as anode materials of Li-ion battery (LIBs). Herein, the hybrid nanostructured MnO2 nanowire/graphdiyne is successfully synthesized and used as anode material, which achieves enhanced Li-ion storage capacity along with stable cyclic ability. The improved performance originates from the excellent electrical conductivity, more active electrochemical sites and short diffusion length for Li-ion in the hybrid anode. Moreover, there is a significant contribution of pseudocapacitance, which depends on the charge states of interface, high porosity and large surface area of the electrode materials. The density functional theory calculations show that there exists ‘job-sharing’ charge storage mechanism on MnO2 nanowire/graphdiyne interfaces, not only enhancing transport properties but also improving mass storage in the hybrid anode.

The chemical modification of graphdiyne (GDY) using light elements is a possible route to regulate its unique structure and optoelectronic properties. In this paper it is shown that directly heating a mixture of xenon difluoride and GDY produces partially fluorinated GDY with covalent C–F bonding and localized sp2-carbon hybridization because of the breaking of the acetylenic bond. It is seen that the fluorescence of GDY is significantly enhanced because of the fluorine doping. All the fluorinated GDYs with different doping ratios of fluorine exhibit photoluminescence from bright blue to green when the excitation wavelength varies from 260 nm to 480 nm. In addition, the doped GDY with 15.2% fluorine doping shows a strong photoluminescence and the quantum efficiency is 3.7%. The enhanced fluorescence is considered to be induced by defect states because of the doping of fluorine, suggesting its potential applications in luminescence devices, such as biological sensing and flexible light-emitting diodes.

In this work, a novel CdS-SnS-SnS2/rGO photocatalyst with two tin valence states (Ⅱ and IV) was successfully synthesized by a one-pot solvothermal method. For comparison, CdS-SnS2/rGO (GCS2) with tin in only the IV valence state was made by the same method. Based on a series of characterizations, CdS, SnS and SnS2 were shown to be successfully loaded onto the rGO surface. The introduction of rGO may increase charge carrier separation. The degradation efficiency increased gradually with increasing rGO loading content, and the optimum photocatalytic activity was observed at 6.0 wt% rGO loading content (GCS1), which achieved the efficient removal (84.46%) of ibuprofen over 60 min. Compared with GCS2, the CdS-SnS-SnS2/rGO composite exhibited significantly improved photocatalytic performance, which can be ascribed to the formation of a double heterostructure. rGO worked as a transfer mediator to transfer electrons from the conduction band (CB) of SnS to the CB of SnS2 at the heterointerface, which then flowed to the CB of CdS because of another heterojunction, further enhancing the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Therefore, this study highlights a novel double heterojunction system with a facial preparation method, visible light response and good recyclability, which is beneficial for environmental remediation.

A novel Z-scheme photocatalyst consisting of acidified graphitic carbon nitrogen (ag-C3N4)/carbon quantum dots/CdIn2S4 (CN/CQDs/CIS) was successfully synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method. The optimized CN-2/CQDs-3/CIS exhibited significantly improved photocatalytic performance in the degradation of ibuprofen under visible-light irradiation. Based on a series of characterizations, the ag-C3N4 and CQDs were distributed uniformly on the surface of the cubic spinel structure of CIS, with intimate contact among the materials. This intimate heterogeneous interface facilitated the migration of photogenerated carriers, further leading to enhanced photocatalytic performance. These results also indicated that the CQDs not only connect ag-C3N4 with CIS through covalent bonds but also enhance the visible-light adsorption. According to the analysis of the UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and Mott-Schottky curves, the mechanism of the Z-scheme heterojunction is proposed. The CQDs serve as electron mediators and transfer the electrons in the conduction band (CB) of ag-C3N4 to recombine with the holes in the valence band (VB) of CIS in the Z-scheme, leading to the enhanced separation efficiency of the photogenerated electrons in the CB of ag-C3N4 and the holes in the VB of CIS. The pollutant IBU was degraded by h+, ·O2- and ·OH, as determined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis.

A new photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) and microbial fuel cell (MFC) process was developed and applied to simultaneously remove refractory organic pollutants (i.e., phenol and aniline) from wastewater while recovering energy for in-situ utilization. The current generated by the MFC process was applied to drive the PEC reaction. Compared with single PEC or MFC processes, the PEC-MFC combined process showed higher pollutant and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal capacities and electricity production. Over 95% of the phenol or aniline was removed by these process, even at high initial concentrations. The COD removal efficiencies for phenol and aniline were ca. 96% (from 700 to 29 mg L−1) and 70% (from 165 to 49 mg L−1), respectively. Although the PEC process showed a limited contribution to phenol and aniline removals (16.5% and 43%, respectively), the utilization of PEC-treated phenol or aniline streams resulted in a MFC with higher voltage output, higher coulombic efficiency, maximal volumetric power density, and lower internal resistance as compared to untreated water. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry measurements revealed quinones/hydroquinones and low molecular weight organic acids to be produced as intermediates after the PEC process, which could improve the production of electricity in the MFC.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) has been explored as a novel target for human glioma therapy, thus reflecting its potential contribution to gliomagenesis. In the present study, we investigated the effect of DYT-40, a novel synthetic 2-styryl-5-nitroimidazole derivative, on cell growth and invasion in glioblastoma (GBM) and uncovered the underlying mechanisms of this molecule. DYT-40 induces the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis and inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion of GBM cell lines. Furthermore, DYT-40 deactivates PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways, suppresses AEG-1 expression, and inhibits NF-κB nuclear translocation. DYT-40 reduced the tumor volumes in a rat C6 glioma model by apoptotic induction. Moreover, HE staining demonstrated that the glioma rat model treated with DYT-40 exhibited better defined tumor margins and fewer invasive cells to the contralateral striatum compared with the vehicle control and temozolomide-treated rats. Microscopic examination showed a decrease in AEG-1-positive cells in DYT-40-treated rats compared with the untreated controls. DYT-40-treatment increases the in vivo apoptotic response of glioma cells to DYT-40 treatment by TUNEL staining. In conclusion, the inhibitory effects of DYT-40 on growth and invasion in GBM suggest that DYT-40 might be a potential AEG-1 inhibitor to prevent the growth and motility of malignant glioma.