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Hydrazine‐oxidation‐assisted self‐powered H2 generation system greatly expands the applicability of hydrogen production technology. However, the high cost of hydrazine greatly impedes the widespread adoption of hydrazine‐contained energy systems for large‐scale H2 production. Besides, the gaseous products of hydrazine splitting, comprising a mixture of H2 and N2, necessitate energy‐intensive downstream separation. Here, taking advantage of a low‐potential furfural oxidation reaction (FOR) on the Cu electrode, a self‐powered H2 production system by integrating a direct furfural fuel cell (DFFC) and a bipolar H2 production electrolyser is reported. Ru‐dispersed Cu nanowire with remarkable catalytic activity is developed as a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst to couple with the FOR. The HER‐FOR electrolyzer achieves bipolar H2 production with an apparent 200% Faradaic efficiency, attaining a current density of 100 mA cm−2 with a low cell voltage of 0.43 V. The DFFC displays an open circuit potential of 0.969 V and a peak power density up to 193 mW cm−2. Inspired by the bipolar H2 production that eliminates the gas separation, a self‐powered system utilizing furfural as the sole consumable, which yields a pure H2 production rate of 6 mmol h−1 m−2 is demonstrated. This work provides a new avenue for constructing self‐powered H2 production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entity relation extraction holds a significant role in extracting structured information from unstructured text, serving as a foundational component for various other tasks within natural language processing. The pipeline method in entity relation extraction separates entity subtask from relation subtask, causing an error propagation. Contemporary researchers are more inclined to amalgamate two subtasks, improve and innovate the structures of models to carry out joint entity relation extraction. However, these models often merely capture surface-level text features, overlooking the profound-level semantics and syntax inherent within sentences, consequently forfeiting valuable knowledge. In this condition, we propose a joint entity relation extraction method that integrates context semantic and dependency syntax. The bidirectional long short-term memory network is employed to explore context semantic features of sentences, and tree-structured LSTM is utilized to extract dependency syntactic features, subsequently two types of features are fused with the attention mechanism for joint extraction. Experiment results demonstrate that compared with other models, the Accuracy, Recall and F1-value of our proposed method are increased evidently, proving that semantic and syntactic information contained in sentences are beneficial for entity relation extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen generation by water electrolysis using solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) is highly promising because of the favorable thermodynamics and kinetics. Commercial applications require SOEC operating at high current densities (ǀiǀ≥1 A·cm−2) to achieve substantial hydrogen production rates. This study demonstrates the operation of a full-size Ni–yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni–YSZ) cell with an effective area of 16 cm2 at −2 A·cm−2 for 336 h, illustrating the feasibility of operating SOECs at a high current density. The electrochemical characteristics of the SOEC evolved during constant current electrolysis, exhibiting an activation stage with a degradation rate (DR) of 54.6 mV/100 h, followed by a rapid decline process(DR: 180.9 mV/100 h), a gentle decline period (DR: 105.5 mV/100 h), and a stable stage (DR: 11.0 mV/100 h). The contributions of individual processes to cell degradation during each process are identified using the distribution of relaxation times (DRT) and subsequent equivalent circuit model (ECM) fitting. The results suggest that the Ohmic resistance, ionic transport and charge-transfer reaction in the Ni-YSZ fuel electrode contribute the most to performance loss. Ni redistribution is regarded as the dominant degradation mechanism, as verified by detailed post-test characterization. • The degradation of Solid oxide electrolysis cell operating at high current density was studied. • The relaxation time to stability under high current density is shorter. • The degradation stage is divided into more detailed 4 stages. • The degradation in the fuel electrode contribute most of the cell's performance loss. • Sr segregation are observed without generation of high resistance phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the conditions of the existence of CC-center for the generalized Abel equations. Using some new original methods, we obtain extended results of the main theorems in the paper by Llibre and Valls (2020) and the one by Zhou (2020), respectively. The proofs in this paper are much simpler than the previous ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater adhesives are critical for many applications, including marine coatings, sealants, and medical devices. Research on natural underwater adhesives has shown that L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and amyloid nanostructures are vital to their adhesive abilities. The fusion of DOPA-containing chains and amyloid-forming peptides creates a new space for designing underwater adhesives capable of multi-surface adhesion. One critical question for this design is the interplay between the DOPA and amyloid-forming peptide regions. Here we investigate the effect of the sequence pattern of DOPA-containing chains on the aggregation conformation of conjugates. Discontinuous molecular dynamics simulations were performed for fourteen DOPA-amyloid conjugates with different sequence patterns along the DOPA-containing portion. The amyloid-forming portion is represented by KLVFFAE from the Aβ42 peptide. The structural properties of the DOPA-amyloid conjugates are characterised by the percentages of ordered secondary structures and residue-residue contact maps. The results showed that certain patterns of DOPA and glycine in the DOPA-containing tail allowed the KLVFFAE portions of the conjugates to form distinct ordered β-sheets, and the DOPA-containing portion and the KLVFFAE portion of the conjugates to remain separated both within the same chain and amongst different chains. Among the designs, the most promising sequences are KLVFFAE-G-YYGYYGYY (where Y represents DOPA) and KLVFFAE-G-YYYYGGGG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adhesives that can stick to multiple surface types in underwater and high moisture conditions are critical for various applications such as marine coatings, sealants, and medical devices. The analysis of natural underwater adhesives shows that L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and functional amyloid nanostructures are key components that contribute to the adhesive powers of these natural glues. The combination of DOPA and amyloid-forming peptides into DOPA-amyloid(-forming peptide) conjugates provides a new approach to design generic underwater adhesives. However, it remains unclear how the DOPA monomers may interact with amyloid-forming peptides and how these interactions may influence the adhesive ability of the conjugates. In this paper, we investigate the behavior of DOPA monomers, (glycine-DOPA)3 chains, and a KLVFFAE and DOPA-glycine chain conjugate in aqueous environments using molecular simulations. The DOPA monomers do not aggregate significantly at concentrations lower than 1.0M. Simulations of (glycine-DOPA)3 chains in water were done to examine the intra-molecular interactions of the chain, wherein we found that there were unlikely to be interactions detrimental to the adhesion process. After combining the alternating DOPA-glycine chain with the amyloid-forming peptide KLVFFAE into a single chain conjugate, we then simulated the conjugate in water and saw the possibility of both intra-chain folding and no chain folding in the conjugate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2′-Fucosyllactose (2′-FL) is known for its ability to provide various health benefits to infants, such as gut maturation, pathogen resistance, improved immunity, and nervous system development. However, the production of 2′-FL using α-L-fucosidases is hindered by the lack of low-cost natural fucosyl donors and high-efficiency α-L-fucosidases. In this work, a recombinant xyloglucanase from Rhizomucor miehei (RmXEG12A) was applied to produce xyloglucan-oligosaccharide (XyG-oligos) from apple pomace. Then, an α-L-fucosidase gene (PbFucB) was screened from the genomic DNA of Pedobacter sp. CAU209 and expressed in Escherichia coli. The capability of purified PbFucB to catalyze XyG-oligos and lactose to synthesize 2′-FL was further evaluated. The deduced amino acid sequence of PbFucB shared the highest identity (38.4%) with that of other reported α-L-fucosidases. PbFucB showed the highest activity at pH 5.5 and 35 °C. It catalyzed the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl-α-L-fucopyranoside (pNP-Fuc, 20.3 U mg−1), 2′-FL (8.06 U mg−1), and XyG-oligos (0.43 U mg−1). Furthermore, PbFucB demonstrated a high enzymatic conversion rate in 2′-FL synthesis with pNP-Fuc or apple pomace–derived XyG-oligos as donors and lactose as acceptor. Under the optimized conditions, PbFucB converted 50% of pNP-Fuc or 31% of the L-fucosyl residue in XyG-oligos into 2′-FL. This work elucidated an α-L-fucosidase that mediates the fucosylation of lactose and provided an efficient enzymatic strategy to synthesize 2′-FL either from artificial pNP-Fuc or natural apple pomace–derived XyG-oligos. Key points: • Xyloglucan-oligosaccharide (XyG-oligos) was produced from apple pomace by a xyloglucanase from Rhizomucor miehei. • An α-L-fucosidase (PbFucB) from Pedobacter sp. CAU209 shared the highest identity (38.4%) with reported α-L-fucosidases. •PbFucB synthesized 2′-FL using apple pomace–derived XyG-oligos and lactose with a conversion ratio of 31%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of periodontal tissues. This study is expected to assess the effect of LSD1 on the osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs in periodontitis. Methods: hPDLSCs were separated, cultivated, and identified, and then treated by LPS to induce inflammatory microenvironment and subjected to osteogenic differentiation. Subsequently, LSD1 expression was determined, and then silenced to assess its effect on hPDLSCs. Next, the binding relation between LSD1 and miR‐590‐3p was analyzed. miR‐590‐3p expression was detected and then overexpressed to evaluate its role in hPDLSCs in periodontitis. Afterward, the relation between LSD1 and OSX was analyzed. H3K4me2 level and OSX transcription were measured, and the role of H3K4me2 was determined. Additionally, the role of OSX in hPDLSCs was verified. Results: LSD1 was poorly expressed after osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs while it was rescued upon LPS induction. The osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSC in periodontitis was strengthened upon LSD1 downregulation. Besides, miR‐590‐3p targeted LSD1 transcription, and LSD1 inhibited OSX transcription via H3K4me2 demethylation. miR‐590‐3p overexpression improved osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs in periodontitis. But this improvement was annulled by OSX inhibition. Conclusion: miR‐590‐3p targeted LSD1 transcription and upregulated H3K4me2 methylation to promote OSX transcription, thereby encouraging osteogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs in periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern concrete construction consumes significant amounts of freshwater, which is a valuable natural resource. Using seawater can be an alternative solution to reduce freshwater consumption for sustainable development. The durability of seawater construction materials should be studied for better understanding of their long-term behavior. This study investigated the effect of seawater on the hydration and the sulfate resistance of noncement mortars prepared by mixing ground granulated blast furnace slag (BFS), carbide slag (CS), and silica fume (SF) to understand the feasibility of using seawater and solid waste materials to develop low-carbon construction materials. CS in the mix acted as an alkali activator for the hydration and strength development of the solid wastes. Two batch specimens were prepared, one batch mixed with seawater and the other mixed with freshwater for comparison. A compressive test investigated the effect of seawater on the mechanical properties. Heat flow, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and thermogravimetry tests were used to understand the hydration. The results suggest that the seawater could accelerate the hydration by producing a large amount of hydrocalumite, which improves the compressive strength at early ages. Durability testing was carried out by immersing specimens in a sulfate solution for various durations. Sulfate resistance was characterized by XRD, and ettringite and Friedel's salt were the main corrosion products when the specimens were immersed in sulfate solution. Corrosion could be reduced by seawater in the specimens. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of the hydration products, which showed that the corrosion was a progressive process. A loose and porous microstructure of the specimen surface accelerated corrosion of the noncement specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have been widely employed for image Super-Resolution (SR) in recent years. Various techniques enhance SR performance by altering CNN structures or incorporating improved self-attention mechanisms. Interestingly, these advancements share a common trait. Instead of explicitly learning high-frequency details, they learn an implicit feature processing mode that utilizes weighted sums of a feature map's own elements for reconstruction, akin to convolution and non-local. In contrast, early dictionary-based approaches learn feature decompositions explicitly to match and rebuild Low-Resolution (LR) features. Building on this analysis, we introduce Trainable Feature Matching (TFM) to amalgamate this explicit feature learning into CNNs, augmenting their representation capabilities. Within TFM, trainable feature sets are integrated to explicitly learn features from training images through feature matching. Furthermore, we integrate non-local and channel attention into our proposed Trainable Feature Matching Attention Network (TFMAN) to further enhance SR performance. To alleviate the computational demands of non-local operations, we propose a streamlined variant called Same-size-divided Region-level Non-Local (SRNL). SRNL conducts non-local computations in parallel on blocks uniformly divided from the input feature map. The efficacy of TFM and SRNL is validated through ablation studies and module explorations. We employ a recurrent convolutional network as the backbone of our TFMAN to optimize parameter utilization. Comprehensive experiments on benchmark datasets demonstrate that TFMAN achieves superior results in most comparisons while using fewer parameters. The code is available at https://github.com/qizhou000/tfman. • A novel Trainable Feature Matching (TFM) module for super-resolution is proposed. • An lightweight improvement for Non-Local (self-attention) is proposed. • Comprehensive experiments is conducted with BI, BD and DN degradation models. • Our method achieves best super-resolution results on multiple benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an alternative method of teaching undergraduate introductory physics laboratory. Students are presented with an experimental scenario "Rolling object on an inclined plane" and guided to develop their own laboratory activities in a studio-style setting. The overall goal of this alternative approach is to shift part of the learning responsibility to students. Through guided self-developed activities, students establish the connections between different physics concepts. Such a shift makes students active participants in the classroom, allows them to explore ideas independently, and discover through doing the exploring. Furthermore, the pedagogy is aimed at (i) motivating and actively engaging students in the learning process, (ii) helping students learn how to think independently, (iii) developing scientific ideas, and (iv) taking ownership of the learning process. Assessment of data from a 3-year pilot study showed improvement in students' technical writing skills (30%), creative lab and research skills (6%), as well as critical thinking and quantitative skills (6%). In addition, students who participated in the study scored higher (6%) than their control group counterparts on the final exam. Other benefits are improvement in understanding of the research process and laboratory technical skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AlSi7Mg alloy was fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM), and its microstructure and properties at different building directions after heat treatment were analyzed. Results show that the microstructure of SLM AlSi7Mg samples containes three zones: fine grain zone, coarse grain zone, and heat affected zone. The fine-grain regions locate inside the molten pool, and the grains are equiaxed. The coarse-grain regions locate in the overlap of molten pools. After T6 treatment, the microstructure at the molten pool boundary is still the network eutectic Si, but the network structure becomes discrete, and is composed of intermittent, chain-like eutectic Si particles. The yield strength at three directions (xy, 45°, z direction) of the AlSi7Mg alloy samples fabricated by SLM is improved after T6 heat treatment. The fracture mechanism of the samples is a mixed ductile and brittle fracture before heat treatment and ductile fracture after heat treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer (LASCC) have limited treatment options and a dismal prognosis with poor quality of life. This retrospective study aimed to further evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) followed by surgery as treatment for select patients with unresectable LASCC.Methods: We studied patients with unresectable LASCC who received NACRT between November 2010 and April 2019. The NACRT regimen consisted of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of 50 Gy to the gross tumor and positive lymphoma node and 45 Gy to the clinical target volume. Capecitabine‑based chemotherapy was administered every 2 (mFOLFOX6) or 3 weeks (CAPEOX). Surgery was scheduled 6-8 weeks after radiotherapy.Results: Seventy‑two patients were enrolled in this study. Patients had a regular follow-up (median, 41.1 months; range, 8.3-116.5 months). Seventy‑one patients completed NACRT, and sixty-five completed surgery. Resection with microscopically negative margins (R0 resection) was achieved in 64 patients (88.9%). Pathologic complete response was observed in 15 patients (23.1%), and multivisceral resection was necessary in 38 patients (58.3%). The cumulative probability of 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 75.8 and 70.7%, respectively.Conclusions: For patients with unresectable LASCC, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is feasible, surgery can be performed safely and may result in increased survival and organ preservation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface of poly (p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibers with self-healing and ultraviolet (UV)-resistance performance play the key role in prolonging their service lifespan. Although great advances have been made in the single aspect of above two properties, integration of self-healing and anti-UV performance into the surface of PBO fiber is still a challenge. In this study, the coagulation strategy mediated by metal-organic framework (MOF) is proposed to construct the multifunctional surface of PBO fibers. The spindle-like iron (III)-based MOF (MIL-88B-NH 2) nanocrystals are firstly immobilized onto the surface of PBO-COOH through hydrothermal reaction, then serving as the medium layer to further immobilize sufficient graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. Benefitting from the favorable near-infrared (NIR, 808 nm) photothermal conversion performance of GO nanolayers, the monofilament composite-PBO@Fe-MIL-88B-NH 2 -GO-TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) exhibited a stable and high self-healing efficiency (approximately 80%) within five cycle times. Meanwhile, the cooperative adsorption and shielding weaken effects of MOF-GO nanolayers enabled PBO fibers with excellent anti-UV properties that are superior to much reported literatures after 96 h aging time and eventually increased by 75% compared with untreated PBO fiber. In view of the varieties and multifunctionalities of MOFs and carbon nanomaterials, MOF-mediated coagulation strategy would provide guidance for preparing multifunctional composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of anatomically modern humans (AMHs) from Africa around 65,000 to 45,000 y ago (ca. 65 to 45 ka) led to the establishment of present-day non-African populations. Some paleoanthropologists have argued that fossil discoveries from Huanglong, Zhiren, Luna, and Fuyan caves in southern China indicate one or more prior dispersals, perhaps as early as ca. 120 ka. We investigated the age of the human remains from three of these localities and two additional early AMH sites (Yangjiapo and Sanyou caves, Hubei) by combining ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis with a multimethod geological dating strategy. Although U-Th dating of capping flowstones suggested they lie within the range ca. 168 to 70 ka, analyses of aDNA and direct AMS 14C dating on human teeth from Fuyan and Yangjiapo caves showed they derive from the Holocene. OSL dating of sediments and AMS 14C analysis of mammal teeth and charcoal also demonstrated major discrepancies from the flowstone ages; the difference between them being an order of magnitude or more at most of these localities. Our work highlights the surprisingly complex depositional history recorded at these subtropical caves which involved one or more episodes of erosion and redeposition or intrusion as recently as the late Holocene. In light of our findings, the first appearance datum for AMHs in southern China should probably lie within the timeframe set by molecular data of ca. 50 to 45 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering synthetic materials that mimic the complex rhythmic oscillatory behavior of living cells is a fundamental challenge in science and technology. Up to now, the reported synthetic model system still cannot compete with nature in oscillatory modes and amplitudes. Presented here is a novel alternating copolymer vesicle that exhibits drastic and multimode shape oscillations in real time, which are controlled by polymer concentrations and driven by the Belousov—Zhabotinsky oscillatory reaction, including swelling/deswelling, twisting/detwisting, stretching/shrinking, fusion/fission, and multiple division. Some of them, especially the fission oscillation, have not been observed before. In addition, the oscillation magnitude with regard to diameter is much larger than that of previously reported self‐oscillating vesicles. Such a self‐oscillating vesicle transformer would extend the complexity and capacity of membrane deformations in synthetic systems, approaching those of natural cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering synthetic materials that mimic the complex rhythmic oscillatory behavior of living cells is a fundamental challenge in science and technology. Up to now, the reported synthetic model system still cannot compete with nature in oscillatory modes and amplitudes. Presented here is a novel alternating copolymer vesicle that exhibits drastic and multimode shape oscillations in real time, which are controlled by polymer concentrations and driven by the Belousov—Zhabotinsky oscillatory reaction, including swelling/deswelling, twisting/detwisting, stretching/shrinking, fusion/fission, and multiple division. Some of them, especially the fission oscillation, have not been observed before. In addition, the oscillation magnitude with regard to diameter is much larger than that of previously reported self‐oscillating vesicles. Such a self‐oscillating vesicle transformer would extend the complexity and capacity of membrane deformations in synthetic systems, approaching those of natural cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pregnane X receptor (PXR) not only plays an important role in cellular metabolism processes but also induces the resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells to molecularly targeted drugs by mediating their metabolism and clearance by these cells. Endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS-1) acts as a coactivator to regulate the transcription factor activity of PXR. In the present study, a microRNA that potentially targets EPAS-1, namely miR-3609, was identified using the miRDB tool. Methods: The expression of miR-3609 and EPAS-1 was examined by qPCR. Lentiviral particles containing the full-length sequences of miR-3609 (pri-miR-3609) were prepared. The antitumor effect of antitumor agents was examined by the in vitro and in vivo assays. Results: The expression of miR-3609 was negatively correlated with that of EPAS-1 in both HCC clinical specimens and paired non-tumor specimens, and the effect of miR-3609 on the expression of EPAS-1 was confirmed by Western blot experiments. Overexpression of miR-3609 decreased the expression of EPAS-1 and, in turn, repressed the activation of the PXR pathway. miR-3609 decreased the transcription factor activation of PXR, repressed its recruitment to its target gene promoter regions, and decreased the expression of its target genes CYP3A4 and P-GP. In addition, miR-3609 decelerated the metabolism and clearance of sorafenib in HCC cells and enhanced the antitumor effect of sorafenib in HCC cells. Conclusion: Therefore, the results indicate that miR-3609 decreases the expression of EPAS-1 and enhances the sensitivity of HCC cells to sorafenib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immune-related pancytopenia (IRP) is a kind of autoimmune disease mediated by autoantibodies in bone marrow. T helper 9 (Th9) cell is a new subset of T cell discovered recently, which mainly expresses cytokine interleukin-9 (IL-9) to exert immune function. Th9 cells are associated with a variety of inflammatory diseases, but the role of Th9 cells in IRP remains unclear.Methods: Fifty patients with IRP and 20 healthy controls were enrolled. The percentage of Th9 cells was detected by flow cytometry (FCM) and ELISA. CD4+ lymphocytes were sorted by magnetic beads, and the mRNA expression levels of Th9 cells related transcription factors PU.1 and BATF were detected by RT-PCR.Results: The percentage of Th9 cells in CD3+CD4+ cells was 2.73 ± 1.96% in the untreated group, which was significantly higher than those in the remission group (1.21 ± 0.86%) (p < 0.01) and the control group (0.68 ± 0.40%) (p < 0.001). And that in the remission group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). The level of IL-9 in the untreated group was 183.91 ± 112.42 pg/mL, which was significantly higher than that in the remission group (105.96 ± 64.79 pg/mL) (p < 0.01) and control group (56.03 ± 14.49 pg/mL) (p < 0.001). That in the remission group was also significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.01). They were negatively correlated with hemoglobin, red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet counts and positively correlated with the percentage of CD19+B cells and CD5+CD19+/CD19+B cells, respectively. The mRNA expression levels of PU.1 and BATF in IRP patients were higher than those in controls (p < 0.05).Conclusions: The percentage of Th9 cells in the peripheral blood and the level of IL-9 in the serum of patients with IRP were increased, which was related to the severity of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between spinal sagittal subtypes and lumbar disc degeneration is unclear. Thus, we aimed to investigate the relationship between lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and age in asymptomatic healthy individuals with different sagittal alignments. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, we examined 209 asymptomatic young and middle-aged volunteers (123 women and 86 men) who were divided into the following three groups according to age: groups A (20–30 years), B (31–40 years), and C (41–50 years). The volunteers underwent full-spine standing lateral radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 3.0 T) of the lumbar spine. Based on panoramic radiography, two observers measured the spinopelvic parameters and classified the spine into Roussouly subtypes. The degree of disc degeneration was assessed based on T2-weighted images according to the Pfirrmann classification. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the degree of degeneration of type I spine between groups B and C at L4-L5 (P < 0.03) and L5-S1 (P < 0.01) and between groups A and C at L1-L2 (P < 0.04) and L4-L5 (P < 0.01). The degeneration degree of type II spine at all levels were significantly different between groups A and C. No statistically significant difference was found between groups A and B in all subtypes except for type II spine at L1-L2 (P < 0.04). A significant difference was found at four levels between groups B and C in type III spine (P < 0.05) and between groups A and C. For type IV spine, there was a significant difference in the degree of degeneration at L4-L5 (P < 0.02) between groups A and C. Moreover, almost all single parameters were not strongly correlated with the degree of disc degeneration. Conclusion: The different spinal subtypes have characteristics of lumbar disc degeneration at specific levels with age. We considered that spinal classification could be used as a predictor of lumbar disc degeneration. Our data may be helpful to increase awareness of the relationship between spinal subtypes and lumbar disc degeneration. Level of evidence: 3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euglena, a new superfood on the market, is a nutrient-rich, green single-celled microorganism that features the characteristics of both plant and animal. When cultivated under different conditions, Euglena produces different bioactive nutrients. Interestingly, Euglena is the only known microorganism whose chloroplasts are easy to lose under stress and become permanently bleached. We applied gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the metabolomes of wild-type (WT) Euglena gracilis and its bleached mutant OflB2 under light stimulation. We found a significant metabolic difference between WT and OflB2 cells in response to light. An increase of membrane components (phospholipids and acylamides) was observed in WT, while a decrease of some stimulant metabolites was detected in OflB2. These metabolomic changes after light stimulation are of great significance to the development of Euglena chloroplasts and their communications with the nucleus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consensus-based distributed filtering is an effective technique for state estimation or data fusion over sensor networks. However, nonlinearity of systems as well as network-induced incomplete information problems are the main obstacles on the way. In this paper, we deal with the distributed filtering of nonlinear systems over sensor networks with incomplete measurements. A perception of credibility evaluation on nodes' estimations is presented, followed by a novel credibility weight design method. The weights are redistributed by nodes' estimations in a normal fashion at each time step. The convergence of data fusion with the weights is proved. Further the credibility weight method is integrated into the general consensus-based cubature information filtering algorithm to handle various incomplete measurement problems. Numerical experiments, in the case of unknown noise statistics, measurement interference and measurement missing, demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review introduces a computational avenue towards understanding and design of zwitterionic anti-biofouling materials. Biofouling means nonspecific adsorption of proteins, cells, and bacteria on materials and devices. It can sabotage materials functions and bring detrimental effects on the biological systems. Various anti-biofouling materials have been developed and zwitterionic materials emerge as promising candidates recently. The design and understanding of zwitterionic anti-biofouling materials rely on the answers of three fundamental questions: (a) what molecular properties govern the anti-biofouling performance of materials, (b) what is the structure–property-anti-biofouling relationship for materials, and (c) how to identify anti-biofouling materials based on the revealed mechanisms? This paper discussed the efforts of answering the three questions using molecular simulations. We first discuss the simulations that revealed the importance of hydration in the anti-biofouling performance of materials and why this mechanism leads to the discovery of zwitterionic anti-biofouling materials, then the simulations that investigated structure-properties-performance relationships of zwitterionic anti-biofouling materials, and the development of computational approaches that can identify zwitterionic anti-biofouling molecules. Finally, we discuss the opportunities in understanding and design of anti-biofouling biomaterials using computer simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The channel-forming membrane glycoprotein pannexin 1 (Panx1) is best characterized as an ATP release channel. To investigate the trafficking and sorting of Panx1, we used polarized MDCK cells and non-polarized BICR-M1R k cells to track the fate of GFP-tagged Panx1. In non-polarized cells, Panx1 was found throughout the plasma membrane, including the lamellipodia of the tumor cells and the cell surface-targeting domain was mapped to residues 307–379. Panx1 was preferentially enriched at the apical membrane domain of polarized MDCK cells grown as monolayer sheets or as spheroids. Residual Panx1 localized within basolateral membranes of polarized MDCK cells was independent of a putative dileucine sorting motif LL365/6 found within the C-terminal of Panx1. Unexpectedly, stable expression of a Panx1 mutant, where a putative tyrosine-based basolateral sorting motif (YxxØ) was mutated (Y308F), or a truncated Δ379 Panx1 mutant, caused MDCK cells to lose cell-cell contacts and their ability to polarize as they underwent a switch to a more fibroblast-like phenotype. We conclude that Panx1 is preferentially delivered to the apical domain of polarized epithelial cells, and Panx1 mutants drive phenotypic changes to MDCK cells preventing their polarization. Synopsis: Panx1 is best known as an ATP-release channel. In the current study we found Panx1 to be preferentially trafficked to the apical domain of MDCK cells independent of encoding two putative basolateral targeting motifs. While the 307–379 polypeptide domain of Panx1 was required for cell surface delivery of Panx1, reduced transport of Panx1 to the cell surface was accompanied by phenotypic changes that prevented MDCK cell polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigated the effects of carboxybetaine (CB) and (ethylene glycol)4 (EG4) solutes on chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 (CI2) as a model protein using molecular dynamics simulations. The properties studied include the radial distribution functions of these two solutes to the C-α atoms of the 64 residues of CI2, the average numbers of solute-protein and water-protein hydrogen bonds, the root mean square deviation of the C-α atoms of the protein, and the solvent access surface area of the protein. Results show that these two solutes share some common properties while have some different effects on the protein. Both of these two solutes do not accumulate preferentially near the protein and CI2 is folded with either of them. However, CI2 is found to have properties in the CB solution closer to bulk water, whereas CI2 shows reduced flexibility and decreased SASA of the hydrophobic domain in the EG4 solution. Although the protein is folded with both CB and EG4, superhydrophilic CB has a minimal effect on the protein due to the shared zwitterionic nature of both CB and protein whereas amphiphilic EG4 alters the properties of the protein via hydrophobic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the frictional properties of zwitterionic surfaces and explore whether chaotropic or kosmotropic charged groups are preferred to achieve lower friction. Self-assembled monolayers of carboxybetaine (CB-SAMs) and sulfurbetaine (SB-SAMs) are used as model surfaces as they contain the same positively charged group, but different negatively charged ones. The negatively charged groups are kosmotropic carboxylates in the CB-SAM surfaces and chaotropic sulfonate groups in the SB-SAM surfaces, respectively. The results show that the friction of the SB-SAM surfaces is even lower than that of the CB-SAM surfaces although both surfaces have low friction. This suggests that chaotropic charged groups are better in reducing friction than kosmotropic groups. The lower friction of the SB-SAM surfaces over the CB-SAM can be explained by the higher mobility of water near the SB-SAM surfaces, as shown in the survival autocorrelation function and the dipole autocorrelation function of hydration water molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MXenes, as a new family of 2D materials, have attracted extensive attention for their high electrical conductivity and good electrochemical cycling stability. However, due to the self-stacking nature of MXene materials, the actual specific capacity (260 mAh g−1) of V 2 CT x MXene materials as anodes is much lower than the theoretical specific capacity (940 mAh g−1). Herein, we designed a novel Co-MOF/V 2 CT x composite (denoted as Co-MOF/V 2 CT x), where Co-MOF was in situ grown on the surface and interlayer of the V 2 CT x MXene with larger interlayer spacing. The MOF in the composite provides the additional specific capacity as well as effectively prevented the restacking of V 2 CT x MXene, which exposed more Li+ active sites. Besides, benefiting from the high conductivity, electrochemical stability, and strong bonding with the Co-MOF at the interface of MXene, the structural stability of Co-MOF itself in composite materials can be better improved. Consequently, the cells with Co-MOF/V 2 CT x anodes realize a high specific capacity of 484.3 mAh g−1 after 120 cycles at 100 mA g−1 and superior cycling stability even at a higher current density of 500 mA g−1. The unique synergistic design of this work can provide new ideas for the development of MXene-based composites in energy storage applications. • A pure V 2 CT x MXene with a larger interlayer spacing was obtained under HF solution etching. • The electrostatic interaction of Co2+ with V 2 CT x results in better in situ growth of Co-MOF on V 2 CT x. • The Co-MOF in the composite provides the additional specific capacity as well as prevented the restacking of V 2 CT x. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice, the most consumed in Asian and constitute important source of amino acids. The present study evaluated the suitability of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy to predict amino acid contents (AACs) using 1210 rice samples representing a wide range of grain qualities and genetic background. Calibration models established by combining different spectral derivatives, scatter and baseline correction methods, and regression algorithm were compared using full cross validation. A modified partial least square model (MPLS) with the spectral derivative treatment "2, 3, 3, 1" (2nd order derivative computed based on 3 data points, and 3 and 1 data points in the 1st and 2nd smoothing, respectively) and weighted multiplicative scattering correction (WMSC) method was identified as the best model for simultaneously measurement of 14 AACs in brown rice flour. The high model quality is reflected by RSQ of 0.914∼0.969, standard error of calibration (SEC) of 0.0187%∼0.0553%, 1-VR of 0.901∼0.955, SECV of 0.0214%∼0.0579%, and residual prediction deviation (RPD) of 2.58∼3.85. These results indicated that NIRS coupled with an appropriate pre-processing, multivariate regression could be a rapid and reliable method for quantification of AACs in rice breeding programs and quality control in the food industry. Factors that would influence model quality were investigated and discussed. • NIRS is capable of accurately quantifying 14 amino acids contents in diverse rice samples. • MPLS was the most robust regression method. • MSC and 2nd derivation were suitable pre-processing methods. • NIRS is applicable for high-throughput screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a Stokes problem arising in fluid dynamics and thermal science, which can be transformed to a symmetric saddle point problem by using the mixed finite element approximation. A relaxed non-linear inexact Uzawa algorithm is proposed for solving the problem, and the convergence of this algorithm is also considered. Numerical experiments are presented to show the efficiency of relaxed non-linear inexact Uzawa algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Monte Carlo simulation has been applied to study the magnetic behaviors of a bilayer graphene nanoisland structure on a triangular lattice by modeling the ferrimagnetic Ising system with spin-5/2 and spin-2. The temperature dependence of magnetization, susceptibility and internal energy curves of the system and two sublattices with the influence of the anisotropy, the exchange coupling, the external magnetic field and the size index have been discussed in detail. The diagrams of the blocking temperature under the effects of different parameters have been obtained. The results show the anisotropy plays a significant role in controlling the magnetic properties of the bilayer graphene nanoisland structure. Highlights • The ferrimagnetic mixed-spin (5/2, 2) bilayer graphene nanoisland in the longitudinal magnetic field has been studied. • Magnetization, susceptibility, internal energy and blocking temperature have been discussed. • The diagrams of the blocking temperature under the effects of different parameters have been obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent language policy studies have adopted an integrated approach to the exploration of language use, educational practice, citizenship, global mobility and so forth. While they enhanced interdisciplinary understanding of language policy, the conventional view of policies that address problems has not been explicitly challenged, especially in China. In our study, we adopt a poststructural framework to examine problem representations in public debates over the Shanghainese Heritage Project (SHP), a policy promoting the use of Shanghainese, the local Chinese variety, in kindergartens. Our dataset consists of 279 news articles, 98 online forum threads and 800 social media postings, covering a period from January 2013 to June 2017. The findings suggest that the problem for SHP was officially represented as the declining vitality of Shanghainese, while in unofficial channels the problem was mainly constructed as the conflicts between 'locals' and 'non-locals.' As a result, children from migrant families may risk being dis-citizened. It is important for language policymakers and educators to be aware of the limitations associated with SHP so that both Shanghainese and other regional Chinese varieties can be maintained in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Coordination number and strain state affect the vacancy formation in twin boundary. • The vacancy diffusion in 10 1 ¯ 2 , 10 1 ¯ 1 and 11 2 ¯ 2 TBs planes is unidirectional. • The vacancy diffusion in (11 2 ¯ 1) TB plane is isotropic. • Low formation energy and migration barrier of vacancy enhance atom transport in TBs. Abstract The distinct atomic structure of twin boundary (TB) significantly affects the physical and mechanical behaviors of materials. In this work, the local atomic structure, the formation and diffusion of vacancy in (10 1 ¯ 2), (11 2 ¯ 1), (11 2 ¯ 2) and (10 1 ¯ 1) TBs of α-Ti were investigated in details using ab initio calculations. Our calculations illustrated that most atoms at or close to the TBs have lower atom coordination number (CN), thereby experiencing the positive changes of local volume and tension strain. The CN and strain state significantly affect the vacancy formation. It's shown that vacancy can easily form in these TBs, with the lower formation energy in the range of 1.26–1.59 eV. Our calculations further shown vacancy diffusion are somewhat anisotropic in 10 1 ¯ 2 , 10 1 ¯ 1 and 11 2 ¯ 2 TBs planes. Vacancy prefers to diffuse along the direction of 1 ¯ 2 1 ¯ 0 in (10 1 ¯ 2) and (10 1 ¯ 1) TBs, and along the twinning direction of 11 2 ¯ 3 ¯ in 11 2 ¯ 2 TB, with the migration barriers of ∼0.43, ∼0.27, and ∼0.31 eV, respectively. Vacancy diffusion in (11 2 ¯ 1) TB plane is isotropic, with the migration barrier of ∼0.25 eV. Our calculations demonstrated that the fast diffusion channel mediated by vacancy for metallic atoms transport in these TBs can be mainly ascribed to the lower migration barrier and formation energy of vacancy in TBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The intestinal microbiota plays crucial roles in the nutrition uptake and metabolism in a herbivorous fish, the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Based on the 16S rRNA amplicon data, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the two predominant phyla along the intestine; bacterial richness and Shannon diversity index were higher in the middle-intestine than in the fore- and hind-intestine of the grass carp. A significant reduction in Halomonas and Shewanella number was observed in the middle- and hind-intestine as compared with that in the fore intestine; in contrast, a higher relative abundance of Bacteroides , Erysipelotrichaceae, and Cetobacterium was observed in the hind-intestine than in the fore- and middle-intestine. Microbiota located in the fore-, middle-, and hind-intestine formed a unique ecological network model of interspecific interactions. The dominant intestinal microbiota was a major component of the network, and many operational taxonomic units from the dominant microbiota served as connectors and module hubs in the network, which contributed to the homeostasis of the intestinal microbiota. Competitive interactions predominated in the microbial community in the fore- and middle-intestine, whereas cooperative interactions were dominant in the hind-intestine. Predicted function analysis (PICRUSt) showed that microbial function composition significantly changed along the intestine. In the nutrition metabolism, the carbohydrate metabolism functions of the microbiota were increased along the intestine, but the opposite trend was detected in lipid metabolism. The microbiota in the middle-intestine played a more important role in amino acid and energy metabolism, while the hind-intestine was the main site for fiber fermentation, where the predominant positive interactions of microbiota could enhance the ability of the grass carp to obtain more nutrients and energy from plants. Generally, our results suggested that the microbial competition significantly varied along the intestine, as well as the microbial function composition, and complex interspecific interactions promoted the carbohydrate fermentation of intestinal microbiota of grass carp. Highlights • The composition of microbial communities differed in different intestinal regions of grass carp. • An increasing relative abundance of cooperative interaction was observed in • microbial communities from fore to hind intestine. • The dominant microbiota performed an important role in the ecological network. • The carbohydrate metabolism capacity of microbiota gradually increased along the intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimal treatment for the rare subtype of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, extranodal natural killer/T‐cell lymphoma (ENKTL), nasal‐type, has not been clearly defined. The purpose of the study was to investigate the efficacy of sequential and "Sandwich" chemotherapy and extended involved‐field intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with stage IE/IIE extranodal ENKTL, nasal‐type. Methods: One hundred and fifty‐five patients with stage IE/IIE nasal‐type ENKTL were enrolled in the study, including 99 patients treated with sequential chemotherapy and extended involved‐field IMRT (SCRT) and 56 patients with "Sandwich" chemotherapy and extended involved‐field IMRT and chemotherapy (SCRCT). All patients were treated with extended involved‐field IMRT with median dose of 54.6 Gy to the primary tumor and positive lymph nodes. Ninety‐four patients had Ann Arbor stage IE disease, and 61 patients had stage IIE disease. Results: The 5‐year rates of loco‐regional recurrence (LRR), progression‐free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were 17.0%, 78.5%, and 84.7%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that EBV DNA copy after treatment (normal vs elevated level) was significant prognostic factor for LRR, PFS, and OS (P < 0.001); therapeutic method (SCRT vs SCRCT) was significant prognostic factor for PFS (71.0% vs 91.8%, P = 0.011), but there was no significant effect on 5‐year LRR and OS (22.2% vs 8.2%, P = 0.051 for LRR; 80.9% vs 91.8%, P = 0.199 for OS). Conclusions: Compared with SCRT, SCRCT was significantly associated with higher PFS rates and showed a trend toward improved loco‐regional control. EBV DNA copy after treatment is a good index for recurrence and prognosis for stage IE/IIE ENKTL patients. Compared with sequential chemotherapy (Ch) and extended involved‐field intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (EIF‐IMRT), "Sandwich" Ch and EIF‐IMRT and Ch were significantly associated with higher PFS rates and showed a trend toward improved loco‐regional control. EBV DNA copy after treatment is a good index for recurrence and prognosis for stage IE/IIE ENKTL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • miR-381 was decreased in CCI rats, and overexpression of miR-381 depressed neuroinflammation. • HMGB1 and CXCR4 were predicted as downstream targets of miR-381 and miR-381 modulated HMGB1 and CXCR4 expression negatively. • miR-381 might act as a potential therapeutic target for neuropathic pain development. Abstract MicroRNA are significant regulators of neuropathic pain development. Neuroinflammation contributes a lot to the progression of neuropathic pain. miR-381 is involved in various pathological processes. However, the role of miR-381 in neuropathic pain development remains barely understood. Therefore, in our study, we aimed to investigate the effects of miR-381 on the process of neuropathic pain progression by establishing a rat model using chronic sciatic nerve injury (CCI). Here, we observed that miR-381 was dramatically decreased in CCI rats. Up-regulation of miR-381 strongly reduced neuropathic pain behaviors including mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. In addition, inflammatory cytokine expression, including IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α were significantly repressed by overexpression of miR-381. High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) and Chemokine CXC receptor 4 (CXCR4) participate in neuropathic pain development. In our present study, HMGB1 and CXCR4 were predicted as direct targets of miR-381 by employing bioinformatics analysis. Overexpression of miR-381 was able to restrain the expression of HMGB1 and CXCR4 greatly. The direct correlation between HMGB1 and CXCR4 and miR-381 was confirmed in our research. Furthermore, we found that HMGB1 and CXCR4 were increased in CCI rats time-dependently. Moreover, it was demonstrated that silence of HMGB1 and CXCR4 in CCI rats depressed neuropathic pain progression greatly. In conclusion, it was indicated that miR-381could inhibit neuropathic pain development through targeting HMGB1 and CXCR4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 (CCTO) was firstly adopted to activate sulfite for As(III) removal. • Cu and Ti bimetals heterogeneously activate sulfite on the catalyst interface. • SO 4 •− was predominately responsible for As(III) oxidation. • A kinetic model of CCTO/sulfite system was established. A new activation technology for sulfite (S(IV)) using a perovskite CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 (CCTO) catalyst has been proposed to remediate the As(III) polluted water. When 0.05 g·L−1 CCTO and 0.4 mmol·L−1 S(IV) were mixed, 90.6% of As(III) could be removed in 30 min at an initial pH of 8.0. Dissolved oxygen played an indispensable role in the reaction. CCTO can interact with S(IV) via a heterogeneous catalytic route on its surface. Electrochemical characterization indicated that the electron transfer process between the surface Cu/ Ti atoms and S(IV) ions evoked the activation of S(IV), leading to the generation of SO 4 •−, which played a dominant role in the oxidation of As(III). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have disclosed the spontaneous adsorption of sulfite on CCTO surface. A kinetics study determined the steady-state concentration of SO 4 •− to be 4.29 × 10−14 mol·L−1, which reacts with As(III) with a second-order reaction rate constant of 3.83 × 1010 L·mol−1·s−1. Furthermore, the CCTO catalyst was highly reusable, the structure of which did not significantly alter during the reaction. Therefore, the CCTO/S(IV) system is a promising and efficient advanced oxidation technique for the purification of As(III) in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium- (Na+) and potassium- (K+) ion batteries are cost-effective alternatives to lithium-ion (Li+) batteries due to the abundant sodium and potassium resources. Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are essential for safer and more efficient Na+ and K+ batteries because they often exhibit low ionic conductivity at room temperature. While zwitterionic (ZW) materials enhance Li+ battery conductivity, their potential for Na+ and K+ transport in batteries remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the effect of three ZW molecules (ChoPO4, i.e., 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine, ImSO3, i.e., sulfobetaine ethylimidazole, and ImCO2, i.e., carboxybetaine ethylimidazole) on the dissociation of Na+ and K+ coordination with ethylene oxide (EO) chains in EO-based electrolytes through molecular dynamics simulations. Our results showed that ChoPO4 possessed the highest cation–EO10 dissociation ability, while ImSO3 exhibited the lowest. Such dissociation ability correlated with the cation–ZW molecule coordination strength: ChoPO4 and ImSO3 showed the strongest and the weakest coordination with cations. However, the cation–ZW molecule coordination could slow the cationic diffusion. The competition of these effects resulted in accelerating or decelerating cationic diffusion. Our simulated results showed that ImCO2 enhanced Na+ diffusion by 20%, while ChoPO4 and ImSO3 led to a 10% reduction. For K+, ChoPO4 reduced its diffusion by 40%, while ImCO2 and ImSO3 caused a similar decrease of 15%. These findings suggest that the ZW structure and the cationic size play an important role in the ionic dissociation effect of ZW materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Hepatic gluconeogenesis plays an important role in regulating fasting plasma glucose levels and is a target of anti-diabetic drugs. Several kinds of iridoid glucosides exhibit hypoglycemic effect, whereas the mechanism was not clear. Aim of the study In this study, the effects of geniposide and gentiopicroside, two natural iridoid glucosides, on hepatic gluconeogenesis were investigated. Methods Glucose uptake assay, MTT assay, q-PCR, luciferase assay and western blot assay were performed to investigate the pharmacological effect of geniposide and gentiopicroside on human liver cell line L02. Thereby the fast blood glucose and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance were measured in high fat diet induced hyperglycemic mice after geniposide or gentiopicroside administration. Results The results showed that geniposide and gentiopicroside inhibited the transcription of G6PC and PEPCK in L02 cells and in mice. Additional experimental data indicated that these two compounds were able to inhibit the transcriptional activity of FOXO1 by inducing phosphorylation of AKT at Ser473. Furthermore, we found that these two compounds alleviated high fat diet induced hyperglycemia in mice. Conclusions Geniposide and gentiopicroside might reduce blood glucose and suppress hepatic gluconeogenesis by regulating the AKT-FOXO1 pathway, and the potential use of these two iridoid glucosides as anti-diabetic agents merits further in-depth exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel electrically steerable planar array antenna based on liquid crystal (LC) is elaborately designed, fabricated and measured. The occupied area and undesired coupling of the meander line phase shifter are reduced by chamfering appropriately. Combined with the electrically tunable LC material, the miniaturised phase shifter achieves 146° phase shift and 122.7°/dB frequency-dependent figure-of-merit. Utilising in series phase shifters, power dividers and in parallel patches, the proposed antenna features compact configuration 41° continuous wide beam scanning range from forward to backward at the satellite communication band 12.5 GHz. At the same time, it maintains satisfactory reflection coefficient and impedance bandwidth at each angle. Finally, the measurements validate the scanning of the beam by electrically tuning the phase shift between the radiating elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composites with interfacial self-healing ability are smart and promising materials in the future. Although some approaches have been used to heal the micro-cracks in composite materials, it is still a great challenge to develop a versatile strategy to fabricate multifunctional interface for self-healing. Here, boron nitride nanosheets (BN) are immobilized onto PBO fibers by facile polydopamine (PDA) chemistry. Benefiting from the photothermal effect of BN-PDA, the obtained surface layer displays interfacial self-healing properties under Xenon light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

De novo design provides an attractive approach to test the mechanism by which metalloproteins define the geometry and reactivity of their metal ion cofactors. While there has been considerable progress in designing proteins that bind transition metal ions including iron-sulfur clusters, the design of tetranuclear clusters with oxygen-rich environments has not been accomplished. Here, we describe the design of tetranuclear clusters, consisting of four Zn[sup 2+] and four carboxylate oxygens situated at the vertices of a distorted cube-like structure. The tetra-Zn[sup 2+] clusters are bound at a buried site within a four-helix bundle, with each helix donating a single carboxylate (Glu or Asp) and imidazole (His) ligand, as well as second- and third-shell ligands. Overall, the designed site consists of four Zn[sup 2+] and 16 polar side chains in a fully connected hydrogen-bonded network. The designed proteins have apolar cores at the top and bottom of the bundle, which drive the assembly of the liganding residues near the center of the bundle. The steric bulk of the apolar residues surrounding the binding site was varied to determine how subtle changes in helix -- helix packing affect the binding site. The crystal structures of two of four proteins synthesized were in good agreement with the overall design; both formed a distorted cuboidal site stabilized by flanking second- and third-shell interactions that stabilize the primary ligands. A third structure bound a single Zn[sup 2+] in an unanticipated geometry, and the fourth bound multiple Zn[sup 2+] at multiple sites at partial occupancy. The metal-binding and conformational properties of the helical bundles in solution, probed by circular dichroism spectroscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation, and NMR, were consistent with the crystal structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a survey of 241 Master of Arts programs in TESOL (MATESOL) in 16 countries serving as a snapshot of second language teacher education in 2014. After an initial screening by a set of criteria, these programs were first identified, and their course offerings, among other criteria, such as entrance and capstone requirements, were categorized. In total, 3,877 courses across 15 knowledge fields were coded with frequency counts taken. Our analysis revealed that the most frequently appearing course offerings tended to focus on teaching methods. However, large differences appeared among the programs with regard to the offering of courses in various knowledge fields. Differences also appeared between US and non-US programs, particularly with regard to practicum requirements. Several other patterns and themes emerged from the data including the extensive coverage of social and cultural aspects of language learning in elective courses, and the lack of focus on specific English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts in course offerings, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camellia wumingensis, a neglected species known only from limestone areas of Guangxi, China, is formally described and illustrated here. It is morphologically similar to C. flavida var. patens in having current-year branchlets purplish red, petiole adaxially grooved, flowers axillary or terminal, ovary glabrous, capsule oblate, and seeds brown, but is readily distinguished by the leaf texture and size, number of secondary veins, flower size, flower bud shape and size, number of petals, degree of fusion of the outer filaments, and pericarp thickness. Other related species C. flavida and C. pinguoensis var. terminalis are also compared with C. wumingensis in the paper, and the differences between them are obvious. In addition to a diagnosis and detailed description, information on the geographical distribution, images of morphological characters and pollen grains, and a provisional conservation status assessment are provided for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bimetallic surface alloys have been considered as an effective strategy to achieve better catalytic performance and to modify the work function of the substrate toward metal-gate electrode application. We perform a systematical investigation of Group 10 and Group 11 transition metals adsorption on Rh (111), Ru (0001) and W (110) surfaces with various coverages using first-principles method. Through comparing the Bader charge results and the plots of work function shift, it is found that the polarization effect plays an important role in modification of the bimetallic surface work functions rather than the charge transfer effect especially at low coverages. The coverage-dependent work function behavior gives a general feature: as it has a large negative shift at 0.25ML coverage, then increases almost linearly with the coverage and followed by a saturation value which is controlled by the lattice strain. It is also found that the metal over-layer growth modes are correlated with the specific features of the coverage-dependent metal-substrate adhesion energy. All these findings may give some guidelines for the bimetallic catalysts design in terms of growth, stability and activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we report a direct and nondestructive method to functionalize carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Novel highly reactive diarylcarbene derivative is designed and synthesized. Different to previous approaches, this diarylcarbene contains atomic transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator segments, which can serve as starting points for further polymer grafting. Then, the initiator segments are covalently bonded to the CNTs via one-step cycloaddition of diarylcarbene and the succeeding ATRP links polystyrene (PS) chains to the CNTs. In order to further verify the effectiveness of modification, we use the obtained CNTs (PS- f CNTs) as reinforcement to enhance PS films. By addition 0.5 wt% PS-fCNTs, the PS composite films reveal 79.3 and 85.2% increases in tensile strength and Young's modulus. The protocol is believed to offer alternate strategy to modify the CNTs and greatly expand the application field of CNTs in material science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neolithic transition, defined as the shift from a hunter-gatherer economy into the one based on agricultural activities, is assumed to have resulted in extensive human population growths. Despite major progress has been made by archaeologists in the use of archaeobotanic data to reconstruct a reliable time frame of Neolithic transition in China, the roles played by Neolithic transition in East Asian demographic history are not yet well understood. This paper offers a perspective on the issues regarding when and how the East Asian population expanded and its consequences. Considering diverse genetic evidences, we revealed that, in East Asia, there were at least two population expansion events in the Paleolithic Era and notably, the latter Paleolithic expansion and climate improvement after Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, about 15 ka) might together facilitate the emergence of agriculture. In comparison to the Paleolithic expansion, Neolithic expansion had its own characteristics, such as stronger expansion dynamics and sex-specific expansion pattern. According to the Y-chromosome-based tree in our recent studies, we found strong signals of partial paternal lineage expansions during or after the Neolithic transition, for instance, O3a2c1a-F5 (Oα), O3a2c1-F46 (Oβ), O3a1c1-F11 (Oγ), C3a1-F2613 (Cα), Q1a1-M120 (Qα), and O1a1a1-F78 (Oδ), suggesting the influence of a strong bottleneck caused by cultural changes. Finally, we discussed the relationship between major East Asian paternal lineages and linguistic families, as well as early archeology cultures, linking the Daxi culture to the modern Hmong-Mien populations, the Liangzhu Culture and/or Songze Culture to modern Austronesian and Daic populations, and Yangshao Culture, Dawenkou Culture and/or Longshan Culture, and Hongshan Culture to modern Sino-Tibetan populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, wet peroxide oxidation was proposed to treat petroleum refinery effluents. The results indicated that wet peroxide oxidation is an effective process for petroleum refinery effluents treatment. Adding LaFeO3 caused an increase in TOC removal. When reaction temperature is 320°C, residence time - 9 min, H2O2 dose - 500 mg/l and LaFeO3 dose - 400 mg, and TOC removal increases 9.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this virtual special issue editorial, we examine the claims put forward by studies concerning East Asian language learners' reticence and willingness to communicate (‘WTC’) published in System between 2000 and 2015. The selected articles have explored why and how language learners are willing to participate or choose to be reticent in classroom activities in a variety of contexts including Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, New Zealand, and Taiwan. The findings encourage language teachers to involve East Asian language learners in pedagogical activities as these learners are not culturally conditioned to be silent and passive. The selected articles also remind language teachers of the importance of managing various individual and contextual factors underlying these learners' willingness to communicate in classes. With this editorial, we invite our readers to react to the selected articles and help us deepen engagement with these issues so that we can promote language learners' classroom participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]