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Summary Flowering is a vital agronomic trait that determines the economic value of most ornamental plants. The flowering time of rose (Rosa spp.) is photoperiod insensitive and is thought to be tightly controlled by light intensity, although the detailed molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here, we showed that rose plants flower later under low‐light (LL) intensity than under high‐light (HL) intensity, which is mainly related to the stability of PHYTOCHROME‐INTERACTING FACTORs (RcPIFs) mediated by OPEN STOMATA 1‐Like (RcOST1L) under different light intensity regimes. We determined that HL conditions trigger the rapid phosphorylation of RcPIFs before their degradation. A yeast two‐hybrid screen identified the kinase RcOST1L as interacting with RcPIF4. Moreover, RcOST1L positively regulated rose flowering and directly phosphorylated RcPIF4 on serine 198 to promote its degradation under HL conditions. Additionally, phytochrome B (RcphyB) enhanced RcOST1L‐mediated phosphorylation of RcPIF4 via interacting with the active phyB‐binding motif. RcphyB was activated upon HL and recruited RcOST1L to facilitate its nuclear accumulation, in turn leading to decreased stability of RcPIF4 and flowering acceleration. Our findings illustrate how RcPIF abundance safeguards proper rose flowering under different light intensities, thus uncovering the essential role of RcOST1L in the RcphyB–RcPIF4 module in flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-Glucosidases are widely applied to biofuel production, food industry, and improvement in flavors. The novel β-glucosidase gene debgl was identified from the Arctic bacterium Devosia sp. Arc12 and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The putative gene, belonging to the glycoside hydrolase family 1, consists of 1311 nucleotides and encodes 437 amino acid residues. The optimal temperature and pH of the recombinant DeBgl were 55 °C and 7, respectively. The recombinant DeBgl displayed salt and ethanol tolerance, and the V max , K m , and k cat for the substrate cellobiose were 754 μmol min−1 mg−1, 12.8 mM, and 661.4 s−1, respectively. The concentration of glucose was reached 51.6 g L−1 after incubation at 40 °C for 8 h in 100 g L−1 cellobiose solution. It suggests that the recombinant DeBgl is a good candidate enzyme to degrade complex celluloses. The signal peptide (SP) citH has been proven to be the most suitable for the secretory expression of β-glucosidase by screening the signal peptide library in Bacillus subtilis. The secretory activity of the SP citH fused DeBgl in the vector pMA5 was 9-fold higher than that of the DeBgl without signal peptide. This secretory expression system of β-glucosidase may benefit its industrial application. [Display omitted] • A novel β-glucosidase was isolated from the genus Devosia. • The recombinant DeBgl was highly tolerant to many types of chemicals. • The recombinant DeBgl is a good candidate to degrade complex celluloses. • DeBgl was expressed in Bacillus subtilis WB600 and could be secreted. • Signal peptide citH was the best in DeBgl in WB600. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pervasive differences in cancer screening among race/ethnicity and insurance groups presents a challenge to achieving equitable healthcare access and health outcomes. However, the change in the magnitude of cancer screening disparities over time has not been thoroughly examined using recent public health survey data. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of the 2008 and 2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) database focused on breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening rates among race/ethnicity and insurance groups. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between cancer screening rates, race/ethnicity, and insurance coverage, and to quantify the changes in disparities in 2008 and 2018, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Colorectal cancer screening rates increased for all groups, but cervical and mammogram rates remained stagnant for specific groups. Non-Hispanic Asians continued to report consistently lower odds of receiving cervical tests (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.32–0.55, p<0.001) and colorectal cancer screening (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.42–0.72, p<0.001) compared to non-Hispanic Whites in 2018, despite significant improvements since 2008. Non-Hispanic Blacks continued to report higher odds of recent cervical cancer screening (OR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.47–2.68, p<0.001) and mammograms (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02–1.71, p<0.05) than non-Hispanic Whites in 2018, consistent with higher odds observed in 2008. Hispanic individuals reported improved colorectal cancer screening over time, with no significant difference compared to non-Hispanics Whites in 2018, despite reporting lower odds in 2008. The uninsured status was associated with significantly lower odds of cancer screening than private insurance for all three cancers in 2008 and 2018. Conclusion: Despite an overall increase in breast and colorectal cancer screening rates between 2008 and 2018, persistent racial/ethnic and insurance disparities exist among race/ethnicity and insurance groups. These findings highlight the importance of addressing underlying factors contributing to disparities among underserved populations and developing corresponding interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Materials and Methods Results Conclusion To compare the clinicopathological, molecular, and immune features of conventional and high‐grade transformation (HGT) secretory carcinoma (SC) in salivary glands.The clinicopathological data of 88 cases including 74 conventional SCs and 14 SCs with HGT were reviewed. Targeted next‐generation sequencing was performed in 11 SCs with HGT and 7 conventional SCs. The level of PD‐L1 and CD8+ TILs was determined by immunohistochemistry.Compared with the conventional group, the rates of nodal metastasis, local recurrence, distant metastasis and mortality were significantly higher in the HGT cohort. Mutations of ARID1A/B, KMT2A, HOXD13, NRG1 and ETV6 genes were identified in HGT SCs. A recurrent E307G mutation in GATA6 gene was also observed in two cases. Two deceased HGT patients with distant metastasis harboured NOTCH3 mutations. ETV6‐RET translocation was prone to occur in the HGT SCs. Additionally, PD‐L1 expression was low, and CD8+ TILs were sparse in most HGT cases.Our findings reveal novel gene alterations involved in the progression of HGT in SCs. Most HGT SCs patients cannot benefit from PD‐L1 blocking and may be approached with a distinct treatment strategy including the lymph node dissection and application of molecular target drugs in precision oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidation behavior of SiC ceramics is vital to assess its lifetime under extreme conditions within nuclear power systems. Employing systematic first-principles calculations, we studied the oxygen (O) properties in 3C-SiC without and with irradiation-induced defects to understand the oxidation mechanism. Interstitial O (O i n t) exhibits two energetically favored states with an energy difference of only 0.02 eV. Two O i n t atoms have a strong mutual attraction, with a binding energy reaching 0.80 eV. The stability of O-related defects with charge was investigated. The formation energy of O at the carbon site (O C) is negative, implying that the dissolution of O in the host carbon site is exothermic. The binding strengths of O i n t and O C with irradiation-induced defects are notably high. The formation energies of O and carbon vacancy clusters (V C m O n) decrease approximately linearly and turn negative as the number of O increases. The binding energy of V C m O n is still very high, indicating a strong attraction between them. Furthermore, Trapping of O by carbon vacancies may reduce the mobility of O. Electronic properties are analyzed to reveal the interaction mechanism between irradiation-induced defects and O. The irradiation-induced defects may enhance the oxidation of SiC due to the strong binding energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous evapotranspiration (ET) data with high spatial resolution are crucial for water resources management in irrigated agricultural areas in arid regions. Many global ET products are available now but with a coarse spatial resolution. Spatial-temporal fusion methods, such as the spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (STARFM), can help to downscale coarse spatial resolution ET products. In this paper, the STARFM model is improved by incorporating the temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) into the data fusion process, and we propose a spatial and temporal adaptive evapotranspiration downscaling method (STAEDM). The modified method STAEDM was applied to the 1 km SSEBOP ET product to derive a downscaled 30 m ET for irrigated agricultural fields of Northwest China. The STAEDM exhibits a significant improvement compared to the original STARFM method for downscaling SSEBOP ET on Landsat-unavailable dates, with an increase in the squared correlation coefficients (r2) from 0.68 to 0.77 and a decrease in the root mean square error (RMSE) from 10.28 mm/10 d to 8.48 mm/10 d. The ET based on the STAEDM additionally preserves more spatial details than STARFM for heterogeneous agricultural fields and can better capture the ET seasonal dynamics. The STAEDM ET can better capture the temporal variation of 10-day ET during the whole crop growing season than SSEBOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell sorting is an essential prerequisite for cell research and has great value in life science and clinical studies. Among the many microfluidic cell sorting technologies, label-free methods based on the size of different cell types have been widely studied. However, the heterogeneity in size for cells of the same type and the inevitable size overlap between different types of cells would result in performance degradation in size-based sorting. To tackle such challenges, deformation-assisted technologies are receiving more attention recently. Cell deformability is an inherent biophysical marker of cells that reflects the changes in their internal structures and physiological states. It provides additional dimensional information for cell sorting besides size. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the recent advances in deformation-assisted microfluidic cell sorting technologies. According to how the deformability is characterized and the form in which the force acts, the technologies can be divided into two categories: (1) the indirect category including transit-time-based and image-based methods, and (2) the direct category including microstructure-based and hydrodynamics-based methods. Finally, the separation performance and the application scenarios of each method, the existing challenges and future outlook are discussed. Deformation-assisted microfluidic cell sorting technologies are expected to realize greater potential in the label-free analysis of cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allometric scaling is closely related to the morphology, function and behavior of trees, which are of great significance to the study of ecology. However, most of the traditional allometric scaling studies used the scalar attributes of trees, without considering the 3D vector mode of tree growth. In order to investigate the allometric relationships between branch lengths in 3D vector mode, in this study, an accurate and detailed quantitative structure model was used to reconstruct tree architectures from 3D point cloud data collected by terrestrial laser scanning and extract the structural parameters of each branch (length, branching level and zenith angle). The standardized major axis was used to establish and analyze the scalar and vector allometric relationships between branch lengths. Our results show that at the same branching level and using the same allometric model, the scaling exponents between the lengths of branches and the lengths of cumulative child (descendant) branches (no matter whether the lengths are in scalar or vector form) are similar among trees, and there is no significant difference between the scaling exponents of most trees. And the scaling exponents between the lengths of the horizontal components of branches and the cumulative lengths of the horizontal components of the child (descendant) branches are much larger than those between the lengths of the vertical components of branches and the cumulative lengths of vertical components of the child (descendant) branches. At different branching levels, the scaling exponents between the lengths of branches and the cumulative lengths of descendant branches tend to decrease with the increase in the branching level. The allometric models in terms of the cumulative lengths of horizontal components of the child (descendant) branches and the allometric models in terms of the cumulative lengths of child (descendant) branches have similar model accuracy and scaling exponents. The study results of allometric relationships between tree branch lengths in 3D mode are of great importance for understanding the crown morphology and the branching rule, which is helpful to further understand the growth strategies and adaptation mechanisms of trees and explain the growth and development mechanisms of trees from a physiological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) based on a differential laser Doppler system has been widely used in fluid mechanics to measure particle velocity. However, the two outgoing lights must intersect strictly at the measurement position. In cross-interface applications, due to interface effects, two beams of light become easily disjointed. To address the issue, we present a laser velocimeter in a coaxial arrangement consisting of the following components: a single-frequency laser (wavelength λ = 532 nm) and a Twyman–Green interferometer. In contrast to previous LDV systems, a laser velocimeter based on the Twyman–Green interferometer has the advantage of realizing cross-interface measurement. At the same time, the sensitive direction of the instrument can be changed according to the direction of the measured speed. We have developed a 4000 m level laser hydrothermal flow velocity measurement prototype suitable for deep-sea in situ measurement. The system underwent a withstand voltage test at the Qingdao Deep Sea Base, and the signal obtained was normal under a high pressure of 40 MPa. The velocity contrast measurement was carried out at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research. The maximum relative error of the measurement was 8.82% when compared with the acoustic Doppler velocimeter at the low-speed range of 0.1–1 m/s. The maximum relative error of the measurement was 1.98% when compared with the nozzle standard velocity system at the high-speed range of 1–7 m/s. Finally, the prototype system was successfully evaluated in the shallow sea in Lingshui, Hainan, with it demonstrating great potential for the in situ measurement of fluid velocity at marine hydrothermal vents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Molecularly targeted therapy has revolutionized the therapeutic landscape and is emerging as the first-line treatment option for ALK-rearranged non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, the highly informative and robust biomarkers based on pre-treatment CT images and clinicopathologic features will be developed and validated to predict the prognosis for ALK-inhibitor therapy in NSCLC patients. Methods: A total of 161 ALK-positive NSCLC patients treated with ALK inhibitors were retrospectively collected as training, validation and test sets from multi-center institutions. Cox proportional hazard regression (CPH) penalized by LASSO and random survival forest (RSF) coupled with recursive feature elimination (RFE) were used for radiomics and clinical features identification and model construction. An overlapping post-processing method was extra added to training process to investigate the stronger biomarker on the whole set. Results: 123 of the collected cases progressed after a median follow-up of 15.5 months (IQR, 8.3–25.3). The T and M staging, pericardial effusion, age and ALK inhibitor-alectinib were determined as significant predictors in the survival analysis. Furthermore, we visualized the finally retained 4 radiomics feature. The RSF models built from overlapping-processed clinical and radiomics features respectively reached the maximum C-index of 0.68 and 0.75,but the combination of them,radioclinical signature, improved the score to 0.78. The model on the validation and external test datasets yielded the C-index of 0.73 and 0.79, with the iAUC of 0.76 and 0.83, the IBS of 0.119 and 0.112. Conclusion: With respect to a simple selection strategy of overlapping optimal radiomics and clinical features from different survival models may promote better progression-free survival(PFS) prediction than conventional survival analysis, which provides a potential method for guiding personalized pre-treatment options of NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interpretation of data and optimization spectral acquisition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) have been challenging due to the varied instrument performances among laboratories and the complex chemical characteristics of DOM. However, a universal spectral optimization strategy for FT-ICR MS spectra is still unavailable. The results of this study showed that the number, intensity, and resolving power of all assigned peaks increased with the ion accumulation time (IAT) and DOM concentrations within a reasonable range. The space-charge effect induced by the excess ions in the ICR cell can deteriorate the data quality of the FT-ICR MS spectra, which could be inspected by examining the mass errors and intensity deviation of the monoisotopic and 13C-isotopic peaks based on the 13C-isotopic pattern. The maximum absolute mass error and 13C-isotopic pattern-based intensity deviation are two critical criteria for inspecting the space-charge effect, which was suggested to be 2.0 ppm and 20%, respectively. Therefore, a novel strategy based on the 13C-isotopic pattern has been proposed in this study to optimize the FT-ICR MS spectra of DOM based on their wide occurrence of monoisotopic and 13C-isotopic signals. This optimization strategy has laid the fundamentals for the method development of FT-ICR MS and could be extended to different FT-ICR MS instruments and various organic complex mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfire is a sudden and highly destructive natural disaster that poses significant challenges in terms of response and rescue efforts. Influenced by factors such as climate, combustible materials, and ignition sources, wildfires have been increasingly occurring worldwide on an annual basis. In recent years, researchers have shown growing interest in studying wildfires, leading to a substantial body of related research. These studies encompass various topics, including wildfire prediction and forecasting, the analysis of spatial and temporal patterns, the assessment of ecological impacts, the simulation of wildfire behavior, the identification of influencing factors, the development of risk assessment models, techniques for managing combustible materials, decision-making technologies for firefighting, and fire-retardant methods. Understanding the factors that affect wildfire spread behavior, employing simulation methods, and conducting risk assessments are vital for effective wildfire prevention, disaster mitigation, and emergency response. Consequently, it is imperative to comprehensively review and explore further research in this field. This article primarily focuses on elucidating and discussing wildfire spread behavior as a key aspect. It summarizes the driving factors of wildfire spread behavior and introduces a wildfire spread behavior simulation software and its main applications based on these factors. Furthermore, it presents the research progress in wildfire risk assessment based on wildfire spread behavior factors and simulation, and provides an overview of various methods used for wildfire risk assessment. Finally, the article proposes several prospects for future research on wildfire spread: strengthening the dynamic monitoring of wildfires and utilizing comprehensive data from multiple sources, further exploring the differential effects of key factors on wildfire spread, investigating differences in driving factors, improving wildfire models in China, developing applicable software, and conducting accurate and scientific assessments of wildfire risks to protect ecological resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal pollution in soil–crop systems has attracted great attention globally, caused by rapid urbanization and intensive industrialization. The research aims to investigate the environmental quality of the agricultural production area in Taizhou City, a typical economic region that is along the Yangtze River in the Southeast of China. A total of 370 sampling sites were chosen, with 370 soil, rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) samples collected, respectively, for measuring and analyzing the status, spatial distribution and pollution level of different heavy metals. The mean values of soil Cr, Pb, Cd, As and Hg were 66.78, 32.88, 0.23, 8.16 and 0.16 mg/kg, which were lower than the risk control standard values (RCV). However, the mean values of Pb, Cd and Hg were 1.25-, 1.77- and 2-fold larger than their soil background values (SBV) due to the intensive anthropogenic activities. The average content of Cd in rice exceeded its food safety limiting values (FCV) by 0.05 mg/kg, and the average contents of Pb in rice and wheat both exceeded the relevant FSV by 0.42 and 0.186 mg/kg, respectively. In addition, the maximum As and Cr contents in rice and wheat could be 0.13, 0.46 mg/kg and 0.63, 3.5 mg/kg larger than the relative FCVs in certain areas. Most of the high-value areas of soil and crop heavy metals were mainly located in Xinghua City, Taixing City and Jiangyan District, which had a similar distribution pattern with local industries or anthropogenic activities. The heavy metal pollution in soils and crops was found to be inconsistent, as 8.94% of the arable land possessed lightly metal pollution, while 3.18% of the area of rice and 4.0% of the area of wheat suffered severe pollution, with excessive accumulation of Cr, Pb and Cd. Based on the heavy metal pollution assessment of soil–crop systems, approximately 83% of the study area possessed medium or higher environmental quality, which was preferable for agricultural production. Our results implied that the spatial distribution and pollution level of the heavy metals in soil–crop systems were significantly influenced by industrial activities, followed by agricultural sources, transportation emissions and so on. Therefore, continuous monitoring and source control of heavy metals, especially for Cr, Pb and Cd, should be conducted to ensure the regional environmental quality and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation between planting and breeding results in an unbalanced distribution of the regional livestock and poultry manure (RLM) industry, and it has raised great concerns. A holistic analysis and problem-solving scheme using 72 townships as the research point was developed in this study. On the basis of a survey from a typical agricultural region in China, the local characteristics of manure discharge, land use, and crop cultivation were analyzed. The assessment of land carrying capacity and environmental risk assessment was conducted by simulating the nitrogen cycle. Afterwards, optimized livestock breeding strategies and inter-regional transfer and flow scheme of manure nutrients were proposed. The spatial distribution of RLM in terms of pig manure equivalent showed an imbalance of high north–south and low middle, and the nitrogen requirement of crops showed a decreasing trend from north to south. In some townships, the environmental risks were higher than level I, which indicated that pollution existed around large construction sites and water areas in the northwest. The land carrying capacity index calculated at 50% nutrient ratio displayed no overloaded risk, whereas 10–20% nutrient ratio exhibited overloaded risk. Assessments showed that the residual RLM and its nitrogen volume were 151,700 and 3574.64 tons per year, respectively. More than 80% of the study area could be used as a nitrogen nutrient sink area, and only six townships are nitrogen nutrient sources. Therefore, optimizing the allocation of manure nutrients is expected to avoid agricultural contamination from livestock manure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A core–shell V 2 O 5 · n H 2 O@polyaniline composite is fabricated by wrapping, directed against the capacity attenuation brought by structural collapse of V 2 O 5 · n H 2 O. [Display omitted] Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are regarded as attractive candidates for next-generation energy storage devices. Among various cathode materials, V 2 O 5 · n H 2 O (VOH) possesses a high theoretical capacity but poor cycle stability due to the susceptibility of its open structure to damage by the quick shuttling of Zn2+. Herein, the structural stability of VOH is directly improved by wrapping polyaniline (PANI) on the VOH nanobelts (VOH@PANI). As a cathode material for AZIBs, the VOH nanobelts@PANI core–shell structures exhibit an outstanding cycle stability of 98% after 2000 cycles at 2 A g−1. The improved conductivity and additional energy storage contribution of the PANI endow VOH@PANI with a specific capacity as high as 440 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, substantially higher than pure VOH (291 mAh g−1). At the same time, high energy and power densities of 349 Wh kg−1 and 3347 W kg−1 are achieved. This work not only demonstrates that p- type doped PANI coatings on VOH can boost the Zn2+ storage of VOH, but also provides a novel method to enhance cathode materials for high electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is safe and effective for insomnia disorder (ID). Convergent evidence show that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) may be involved in the regulation of sleep and awakening at the cortical level and may serve as a potential target of rTMS in the treatment of ID. The purpose of this clinical trial is to study the efficacy of mPFC-rTMS in the treatment ID and explore the neural mechanism using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods and design: This will be a parallel-group randomized, patient- and assessor-blinded trial. The study will recruit 60 ID patients assigned to a real mPFC-rTMS group or a sham mPFC-rTMS group. The allocation ratio is 1:1, with 30 subjects in each group. Interventions will be administered five times per week over a 4-week period, with an 8-week follow-up period. All participants will undergo neuropsychological and fMRI evaluations. The primary outcome measure of this study is the change scores of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The secondary outcome measures include the fMRI measurements, the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), a sleep diary, and a polysomnography. Assessment of all parameters will be performed at baseline, post-treatment, and during follow-up. Discussion: It is expected that the study results will provide strong evidence of the effectiveness and the neural mechanism by which mPFC-rTMS improves sleep quality in ID patients. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trials Register ChiCTR2100054154. Registered on 10 December 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduce of the silicon concentration to low level (<5 mg·L−1) from the reverse osmosis brine wastewater is challenging and desirable for the maintain the membrane life and performance, as well as the wastewater treatment costs. This work focuses on the removal of silicon from the reverse osmosis brine wastewater by adding FeCl 3 into the plant wastewater for simultaneous Fe(OH) 3 formation and silicon adsorption. The effects of pH, FeCl 3 dosing concentration, reaction time, and temperature on the silicon removal ratio were investigated. It was demonstrated that the silicon removal ratio could reach up to 94% and its residual concentration was 3.2 mg·L−1, which met the require of water quality in the reverse osmosis system. These results showed that Fe(OH) 3 could effectively be formed by adding FeCl 3 and realize the efficient silicon removal from the reverse osmosis brine wastewater, even when chloride ion (Cl-), sulfate anion (S O 4 2 - ) and nitrate ion (N O 3 - ) were present. Moreover, the adsorption thermodynamics, kinetics and isotherms during the process of the adsorption of silicon from the wastewater by Fe(OH) 3 were studied. The calculated adsorption capacity of silicon could reach 612.74 mg·g−1, which was much larger than those of reported adsorbents. These results showed that the silicon removal process was spontaneously exothermic and mainly controlled by the physical adsorption and the monomolecular layer adsorption. This simple and cost-effective method could be used for the silicon removal from different kinds of Si-containing wastewater. [Display omitted] • Efficient Si removal was achieved by simultaneous Fe(OH) 3 formation and adsorption. • Si removal ratio could reach up to 94% and the residual concentration was 3.2 mg·L−1. • The adsorption thermodynamics, kinetics and isotherms were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic performance and moisture and sulfur dioxide resistance are important for a catalyst used for the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Supported noble metals are active for VOC oxidation, but they are easily deactivated by water and sulfur dioxide. Hence, it is highly desired to develop a catalyst with high performance and good moisture and sulfur dioxide resistance in the oxidation of VOCs. In this work, we first adopted the hydrothermal method to synthesize a V2O5-TiO2 composite support, and then employed the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-protecting NaBH4 reduction strategy to fabricate xPdPty/V2O5-TiO2 catalysts (x and y are the PdPty loading (0.41, 0.46, and 0.49 wt%) and Pt/Pd molar ratio (2.10, 0.85, and 0.44), respectively; the corresponding catalysts are denoted as 0.46PdPt2.10/V2O5-TiO2, 0.41PdPt0.85/V2O5-TiO2, and 0.49PdPt0.44/V2O5-TiO2). Among all the samples, 0.46PdPt2.10/V2O5-TiO2 exhibited the best catalytic activity for toluene oxidation (T50% = 220 °C and T90% = 245 °C at a space velocity of 40,000 mL/(g h), apparent activation energy (Ea) = 45 kJ/mol), specific reaction rate at 230 °C = 98.6 μmol/(gPt s), and turnover frequency (TOFNoble metal) at 230 °C = 142.2 × 10−3 s−1. The good catalytic performance of 0.46PdPt2.10/V2O5-TiO2 was associated with its well-dispersed PdPt2.10 nanoparticles, high adsorbed oxygen species concentration, good redox ability, large toluene adsorption capacity, and strong interaction between PdPty and V2O5-TiO2. No significant changes in toluene conversion were detected when 5.0 vol% H2O or 50 ppm SO2 was introduced to the reaction system. According to the characterization results, we can realize that vanadium is the main site for SO2 adsorption while PdO is the secondary site for SO2 adsorption, which protects the active Pt site from being poisoned by SO2, thus making the 0.46PdPt2.10/V2O5TiO2 catalyst show good sulfur dioxide resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caloric restriction (CR) reverses obesity and insulin resistance, yet the detailed mechanism underlying its beneficial effects is poorly understood. The galanin system is closely associated with energy metabolism. It is yet unclear whether this effect of CR is operating through the regulation of the galanin system. To test this effect, we subjected rats to either 60% or 40% calorie restriction for one week. After the one-week's experiment, galanin and many genes associated with the function of metabolism were examined. The present findings showed that 7 days of 60% or 40% calorie restriction lowered body weight and plasma glucose concentration in rats, suggesting that rats under CR have improved weight loss and systemic glucose metabolism. Besides, the lower plasma glucose was associated with an increase in muscle glucose uptake resulting from elevations of both glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) expression in skeletal muscles. Moreover, the levels of galanin and its receptors (GALR1-3) mRNA markedly increased in the hypothalamus of CR rats. Taken together, these results supported that non-pharmacological activation of the galanin/GALR signaling with CR regimen led to activation of the PGC-1α/GLUT4 axis in skeletal muscles which can enhance energy metabolism. The current findings provide additional evidence that galanin is a critical factor for CR-induced weight loss and metabolic changes. CR regimen may be recognized as a non-pharmacological intervention that could prevent obesity and its associated metabolic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hadal microorganisms play an important role in the biogeochemical processes in marine ecosystems and act as a valuable resource for industrial applications. This paper presents the bacterial community analysis of samples taken from the Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench, which is the deepest site in the ocean. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to reveal that the vertically sampled bacterial populations at eight stations varied at the surface to 10 km depth. The surface water samples harbored a distinct bacterial assemblage, while the mesopelagic and bathyal samples manifested different bacterial community composition, which was not consistent with previous studies. Gammaproteobacteria was the most abundant bacteria in the bathyal and hadal waters. The hadal bacterial community consisted mostly of Alteromonadales and Oceanospirillales. The former was widely spread in the water column, which might suggest habitat partitioning at the genus and operational taxonomic unit levels, while the latter might represent hadal-enriched hydrocarbon degraders. The present work complements the current knowledge and understanding of the bathyal and hadal bacterial communities of the Mariana Trench. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-Galactosidase is a widely adopted enzyme in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Metagenome techniques have the advantage of discovering novel functional genes, particularly potential genes from uncultivated microbes. In this study, a novel GH42 β-galactosidase isolated from a deep-sea metagenome was overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and purified by affinity chromatography. The optimal temperatures and pH of the enzyme for o-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (oNPG) and lactose were 40 ℃, 6.5 and 50 ℃, 7, respectively. The enzyme was stable at temperatures between 4 and 30 ℃ and within the pH range of 6–9. Moreover, it was highly tolerant to salt and inhibited by Zn2+ and Cu2+. The kinetic values of Km and kcat of the enzyme against oNPG were 1.1 mM and 57.8 s−1, respectively. Furthermore, it showed hydrolysis and transglycosylation activity to lactose and the extra monosaccharides could improve the productivity of oligosaccharides. Overall, this recombinant β-galactosidase is a potential biocatalyst for the hydrolysis of milk lactose and synthesis of functional oligosaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal carbide such as molybdenum carbide has been widely used in electrolytic water for hydrogen production due to its potential catalytic property. The synthesis of molybdenum carbide-based high-efficient catalysts by simple process remains great challenges. Herein, Mo oxide/carbide material with hybrid morphology was synthesized by carbonizing mixture of lotus roots and Mo salt. The as-obtained material consists of MoO 2 /Mo 2 C (MOMC) anchored on biomass-derived nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) matrix. The results show that as-prepared material displays leaf-like and belt-like nanosheets, and the MOMC/NC catalyst with optimal Mo contents exhibits an excellent activity with a low overpotential of 138 mV to drive 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope is 56.7 mV dec−1 in alkaline medium, indicating that as-prepared catalyst will have promising application in the field of catalysis. [Display omitted] • Ultrasmall MoO 2 /Mo 2 C NPs were synthesized by carbonizing lotus roots and Mo salt. • Biomass-derived carbon consists of leaf-like and belt-like nanosheets. • The as-obtained MoO 2 /Mo 2 C/C exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity and stability for HER. • As-synthesized material is a promising noble metal-free electrocatalyst served as HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Queuosine (Q) is a naturally occurring modified nucleoside that occurs in the first position of transfer RNA anticodons such as Asp, Asn, His, and Tyr. As eukaryotes lack pathways to synthesize queuine, the Q nucleobase, they must obtain it from their diet or gut microbiota. Previously, we described the effects of queuine on the physiology of the eukaryotic parasite Entamoeba histolytica and characterized the enzyme EhTGT responsible for queuine incorporation into tRNA. At present, it is unknown how E. histolytica salvages queuine from gut bacteria. We used liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and N-acryloyl-3-aminophenylboronic acid (APB) PAGE analysis to demonstrate that E. histolytica trophozoites can salvage queuine from Q or E. coli K12 but not from the modified E. coli QueC strain, which cannot produce queuine. We then examined the role of EhDUF2419, a protein with homology to DNA glycosylase, as a queuine salvage enzyme in E. histolytica. We found that glutathione S-transferase (GST)-EhDUF2419 catalyzed the conversion of Q into queuine. Trophozoites silenced for EhDUF2419 expression are impaired in their ability to form Q-tRNA from Q or from E. coli. We also observed that Q or E. coli K12 partially protects control trophozoites from oxidative stress (OS), but not siEhDUF2419 trophozoites. Overall, our data reveal that EhDUF2419 is central for the direct salvaging of queuine from bacteria and for the resistance of the parasite to OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under a severe neutron irradiation environment, helium behaviour has become a significant concern due to helium-induced degradation of mechanical properties in SiC structural materials. Experimental observations showed that helium prefers to aggregate at grain boundaries (GBs) in SiC ceramics. However, the interaction mechanisms between helium and GBs have remained unclear. By performing first-principles calculations, we studied helium segregation at six symmetric tilt GBs and helium diffusion along and across the GBs. The solution energies of helium at the GBs are much lower than that of helium in grains, indicating preferential helium segregation at the GBs. The negative segregation energies of helium decrease linearly with the excess volume of GBs and the relative charge densities of the interstitial sites, which reveals that helium easily segregates at the GBs having open structures and low charge density interstitial sites. The interstitial helium atoms at GBs are difficult to form clusters due to weak interactions. The diffusion energy barriers of helium along the GBs Σ9(221)[1 1 ¯ 0] and Σ27(552)[1 1 ¯ 0] in the direction of tilt axis [1 1 ¯ 0] are much lower than that of helium in the grains. The two GBs can significantly enhance the helium diffusivity, serving as fast diffusion channels for helium. The calculation results are analysed and compared with our experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A continued phytochemical investigation guided by 1H NMR and LC-MS data on the ethanol extract from the peeled stems of Syringa pinnatifolia Hemsl. led to the isolation of 16 undescribed dimeric eremophilane sesquiterpenoids, namely syringenes R–Z (1 – 9) and A 1 –G 1 (10 – 16). These structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data, including HRESIMS, NMR, quantum-mechanics-based computational analysis of NMR chemical shifts, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, and a concise rule for determination of relative configuration of angular methyl was proposed. The results of the cardioprotective assay demonstrated that 3 exhibits a protective effect against hypoxia-induced injuries in H9c2 cells. This effect was observed at a concentration of 10 μM, with a protective rate of 28.43 ± 11.80%. Sixteen undescribed dimeric eremophilane sesquiterpenoids were isolated from Syringa pinnatifolia. A concise rule for relative configuration of angle methyls of eremophilane dimers was proposed. [Display omitted] • Sixteen undescribed dimeric eremophilane sesquiterpenoids were isolated from Syringa pinnatifolia. • The absolute configurations were determined by analyzing its spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. • A concise rule for relative configuration of angle methyls of eremophilane dimers was proposed. • Syringene T exhibits a protective effect against hypoxia-induced injuries in H9c2 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE), a common neurological complication of sepsis, is a heterogenous complex clinical syndrome caused by the dysfunctional response of a host to infection. This dysfunctional response leads to excess mortality and morbidity worldwide. Despite clinical relevance with high incidence, there is a lack of understanding for its both its acute/chronic pathogenesis and therapeutic management. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind SAE may provide tools to better enhance therapeutic efficacy. Mounting evidence indicates that some types of non-apoptotic regulated cell death (RCD), such as ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy, contribute to SAE. Targeting these types of RCD may provide meaningful targets for future treatments against SAE. This review summarizes the core mechanism by which non-apoptotic RCD leads to the pathogenesis of SAE. We focus on the emerging types of therapeutic compounds that can inhibit RCD and delineate their beneficial pharmacological effects against SAE. Within this review we suggest that pharmacological inhibition of non-apoptotic RCD may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy against SAE. [Display omitted] • Ferroptosis is involved in the genesis of sepsis-associated encephalopathy. • Pyroptosis is involved in the genesis of sepsis-associated encephalopathy. • Autophagy is involved in the genesis of sepsis-associated encephalopathy. • Inhibiting ferroptosis,pyroptosis, and autophagy as a therapeutic target for SAE. • Small-molecule compounds that inhibit ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy shed new light on the development of drugs to treat SAE in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a serious threat to the life and health of patients with high incidence rate and mortality. The present research was to assess the relationship between the serum Krüppel-like factor 7 (KLF7) level and the recurrence and metastasis of NSCLC patients. 150 patients with NSCLC treated by thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer in our hospital from January 2016 to February 2017 were selected. As the control group, 148 healthy people who went to the hospital for physical examination in the same period were screened. The expression levels of serum KLF7 in the observation group and the control group were compared and analyzed. According to the level of KLF7 expression, the patients in the observation group were divided into KLF7 high expression group (≥258.6 ng/L, n =75) and KLF7 low expression group (<258.6 ng/L, n =75). The 3-year recurrence and metastasis rate of patients in each group was compared and analyzed. It was found the concentration of serum KLF7 in peripheral blood of NSCLC (2.25 ± 0.65) ng/ml was significantly higher than that in healthy population (1.42 ± 0.38) ng/ml (P < 0.05). The expression level of serum KLF7 was not related to gender, age, smoking history, and tumor diameter of NSCLC patients (P > 0.05), but related to the degree of differentiation and TNM stage of NSCLC patients (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis showed that the degree of differentiation, TNM stage, and KLF7 were significantly correlated with 3-year recurrence and metastasis of NSCLC patients (P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that low degree of differentiation, TNM stage IIIa, and KLF7 were independent risk factors for recurrence and metastasis in NSCLC patients in 3 years (P < 0.05). Taken together, the expression level of serum KLF7 in patients with NSCLC is significantly increased, which is an independent risk factor for recurrence and metastasis in 3 years, and is worthy of clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: There is a wide variety of insects in the suborder Heteroptera (true bugs), with various feeding habits and living habitats. Microbes that live inside insect guts play critical roles in aspects of host nutrition, physiology, and behavior. However, most studies have focused on herbivorous stink bugs of the infraorder Pentatomomorpha and the gut microbiota associated with the megadiverse heteropteran lineages, and the implications of ecological and diet variance have been less studied. Here, we investigated the gut microbial biodiversity of 30 species of true bugs representative of different ecological niches and diets. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes dominated all samples. True bugs that live in aquatic environments had a variety of bacterial taxa that were not present in their terrestrial counterparts. Carnivorous true bugs had distinct gut microbiomes compared to herbivorous species. In particular, assassin bugs of the family Reduviidae had a characteristic gut microbiota consisting mainly of Enterococcus and different species of Proteobacteria, implying a specific association between the gut bacteria and the host. These findings reveal that the environmental habitats and diets synergistically contributed to the diversity of the gut bacterial community of true bugs. Insects are generally associated with gut bacterial communities that benefit the hosts with respect to diet digestion, limiting resource supplementation, pathogen defense, and ecological niche expansion. Heteroptera (true bugs) represent one of the largest and most diverse insect lineages and comprise species consuming different diets and inhabiting various ecological niches, even including underwater. However, the bacterial symbiotic associations have been characterized for those basically restricted to herbivorous stink bugs of the infraorder Pentatomomorpha. The gut microbiota associated with the megadiverse heteropteran lineages and the implications of ecological and diet variance remain largely unknown. Here, we conducted a bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of the gut microbiota across 30 species of true bugs representative of different ecological niches and diets. It was revealed that Proteobacteria and Firmicute were the predominant bacterial phyla. Environmental habitats and diets synergistically contributed to the diversity of the gut bacterial community of true bugs. True bugs living in aquatic environments harbored multiple bacterial taxa that were not present in their terrestrial counterparts. Carnivorous true bugs possessed distinct gut microbiota compared to phytophagous species. Particularly, assassin bugs of the family Reduviidae possessed a characterized gut microbiota predominantly composed of one Enterococcus with different Proteobacteria, implying a specific association between the gut bacteria and host. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of the comprehensive surveillance of gut microbiota association with true bugs for understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning insect–bacteria symbiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous communities practice survivance and challenge social and political systems to support their children's identity and well‐being. Grounded in transformative social‐emotional learning (SEL) and tribal critical race theory, this 3‐year community‐based participatory research study (2019–2021) examined how a SEL program co‐created with an Indigenous community in Flathead Nation in Montana supports anti‐racism and anti‐colonialism among Indigenous children. Critical reflexivity and thematic analyses of Community Advisory Board meetings and journals written by 60 students (Mage = 10.3, SD = 1.45; 47% girls; 60% Native American) during the SEL program revealed themes on Indigenous identity, belonging, wellness, and colonialism. These results shed light on challenging the racist and colonial roots of education to support Indigenous children's survivance and social‐emotional well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The image sticking of the liquid crystal display (LCD) is related to the residual direct current voltage (RDCV) on the liquid crystal cell. The saturated residual DC voltage (SRDCV) can be obtained by analyzing the change of the capacitance of the liquid crystal cell under the application of DC bias (DCB), thus the LCD image sticking can be evaluated. Based on this, we evaluated the image sticking of the hybrid aligned nematic (HAN) liquid crystal display (HAN-LCD) with four different alignment layer materials (KPI-300B, PIA-2710, RV-961G, SE-4811(0526)) combinations of infused liquid crystal materials with negative dielectric anisotropy, from which the effect of the alignment layer material on image sticking was analyzed. The experiment found that the SRDCV measured by the HAN cell with vertical PI model SE-4811(0526) and parallel PI model PIA-2710 is the minimum under positive and negative DCB. The results show that the alignment layer material can greatly affect the image sticking problem of HAN-LCD, and provide useful guidance for improving its display quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Aqueous rechargeable Zn-ion batteries (ARZIBs) have been attracting a great deal of attention due to their immense potential in large-scale power grid applications. It is of great significance to explore cathode material with novel designed structure and first-class performances for ARZIBs. Herein, we successfully construct a double-sandwich-like structure, MOF-derived carbon/manganese silicate/reduced graphene oxide/manganese silicate/MOF-derived carbon (denoted as rGO/MnSi/MOF-C), as the cathode material for ARZIBs. Among the double-sandwich-like structure, manganese silicate (Mn 2 SiO 4 , denoted as MnSi) is in the middle of internal reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and external MOF-8 derived carbon (MOF-C). This integrated rGO/MnSi/MOF-C with double-sandwich-like structure can not only avert the sluggish electronic conduction progress caused by the conventional three-phase mixture system of rGO, MnSi and MOF-C, but also display promising Zn2+ storing capability. As expected, in mild aqueous 2 M (mol L−1) ZnSO 4 + 0.2 M MnSO 4 electrolyte, the initial discharge capacity of rGO/MnSi/MOF-C cathode reaches to 246 mAh·g−1, and the peak discharge capacity reaches to 462 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1. This work not only involves the novel MnSi-based cathode for ARZIBs, but also first demonstrates our assumption of constructing the double-sandwich-like structure to improve Zn2+ storage. Moreover, the concept "double-sandwich-like structure" provides an idea for synthesizing the integrated carbon/transition metal silicates (TMSs)/carbon structure to boost the electrochemical properties of TMSs for energy-storing devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Papillary thyroid carcinoma is treated in China mostly with surgery, including total ablation, lobectomy, and lobe and isthmus resection. Therefore, whether thyroid status affects the FNA‐Tg cutoff value in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis deserves our attention. In addition, we investigated the influence of serum Tg, TSH, and TgAb on the accuracy of using FNA‐Tg for diagnosis. Methods: Our retrospective analysis included 189 suspected cervical lymph nodes, and we determined whether the cutoff value of FNA‐Tg was affected by thyroid status, sTg, sTSH, and sTgAb. Results: In thyroid present cases, the optimal cutoff value of FNA‐Tg was 2.3 ng/ml (sensitivity 96.2%, specificity 100%), and in the thyroid absent cases, the optimal cutoff value of FNA‐Tg was 0.7 ng/ml (sensitivity 97.6%, specificity 96.0%). Although serum Tg, TSH, and TgAb were weakly correlated with FNA‐Tg values, they did not affect the diagnostic performance of the optimal cutoff value of FNA‐Tg according to thyroid status. Conclusions: The optimal cutoff value of FNA‐Tg should be selected according to the thyroid status (2.3 ng/ml for thyroid present cases and 0.7 ng/ml for thyroid absent cases) to ensure the efficient diagnosis of cervical metastatic lymph nodes of papillary thyroid carcinoma. It was determined that sTg, sTSH, and sTg‐Ab cannot influence the diagnostic performance of FNA‐Tg. The combination method of FNA‐Tg and FNAC is the most optimal choice for the diagnosis of lymph nodes metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a highly sensitive and transparent flexible temperature sensor fabricated from the polyethylene terephthalate flexible substrate and the nematic liquid crystal (1M0921900-000) is proposed, which simultaneously has low power consumption. Using the relaxation time (τ = RC) as an intrinsic variable to characterise temperature, a better linear fitting with temperature can be obtained at low voltage, high precision and more stable temperature monitoring can be achieved. The maximum sensitivity is −4.05%/°C at 0.1 V and 200 Hz. The transmittance of the sensor can reach 62.36–81.13% in the visible light range. Compared with the rigid liquid crystal temperature sensor, the rise time and the decay time of the sensor are reduced by 97.104% and 90.313%, respectively. In addition, it also has good stability, recovery, and durability, which shows potential applicability to electronic skin, prostheses, robots, and biomedical by accurately monitoring the change of external temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impregnation and ion exchange methods were employed to prepare the Ni-modified clinoptilolites (CPs). Their physicochemical properties and structural features were evaluated by various characterizations, such as XRD patterns, SEM and TEM images, Raman and FT-IR spectra, XPS and H 2 -TPR, N 2 sorption isotherms, and TG analysis. The results demonstrated that the loaded Ni nanoparticles were highly dispersed on the lamellar surfaces of the synthesized CPs. Meanwhile, their CH 4 and CO 2 dry reforming reactions (DRM) at 500–900 °C were conducted utilizing Ni species as active sites. The results demonstrated that the Ni-loaded CPs exhibited greater catalytic activity than the Ni-exchanged CPs, besides that, the Ni-loaded CPs demonstrated the highest catalytic stability at 700 °C. However, the carbon deposition of the Ni-loaded CPs seemed more difficult to eliminate than that of the Ni-exchanged CPs in the DRM durations. These results elucidate the excellent performances of the developed Ni-modified CPs for designing more stable and efficient Ni-based DRM catalysts. [Display omitted] • Ni-modified clinoptilolite (CP) was synthesized for CH4-CO2 reforming reaction. • DRM catalytic activity of Ni-loaded CP is higher than that of Ni-exchanged CP. • Ni-loaded CP showed an excellent DRM catalytic activity. • The well-dispersed Ni-nanoparticle was distributed in lamellar surface of CP. • Limitation of diffusion and adsorption of reactant and intermediate was overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study investigated the clinicopathological characteristics of secretory carcinoma of salivary glands (SCSG) in 23 patients with histopathologically confirmed SCSG between January 2010 and December 2020. In total, 13 males and 10 females (ratio, 1.3:1) aged 10 − 69 years (median, 45 years) were enrolled in this study; the average disease duration was 2.44 years (0.25–20 years). Twenty-one patients (91.3%) had SCSG in the parotid gland, and two (8.7%) in the submandibular gland. All patients had single nodules of diameters 0.8–4.8 cm (average 2.6 cm); five with lymph node metastases, and two with distant metastases. Immunohistochemically, tumors stained positive for S-100, mammaglobin, CK7, GATA3 and pan-Trk, and negative for DOG1, P63, and calponin, with Ki-67 positivity from 1 to 50%. ETV6 gene rearrangement was confirmed in 15 patients. All patients underwent oncological resection, four had radioactive particles implanted postoperatively, one received chemotherapy, and seven underwent chemoradiotherapy. Six patients had regional recurrences, two distant metastases, and one died before the last follow-up. SCSGs are typically indolent, with a low locoregional recurrence rate and excellent survival. Prognosis is correlated to clinical stage, pathological grade, and surgical procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MnVOH/rGO with Mn2+ acting as the "spearhead" to connect with the V 2 O 5 · n H 2 O laminates by electrostatic interreaction and rGO improving the conductivity is synthesized and exhibits the enhanced electrochemical properties by their synergic impact. [Display omitted] • Mn2+ act as the "spearhead" to avoid the electrostatic bog for moving Zn2+ ions. • The synergic impact of Mn2+ and rGO makes the electrochemical properties vastly improved. • The Zn//MnVOH/rGO cell behaves good rate performance (∼97% of initial capacity). Vanadium oxides attract much attention and are concerned as one of the most promising cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) owing to the layered structures. However, their intensive development is limited by the fragile structures and laggard ion-transferring. Herein, Mn2+ inserted hydrated vanadium pentoxide nanobelts/reduced graphene oxide (Mn x V 2 O 5 · n H 2 O/rGO, abbreviated as MnVOH/rGO) was prepared by a simple one-pot hydrothermal process, delivering excellent electrochemical properties for AZIBs. The Zn//MnVOH/rGO cell operates well even at changing current densities over 45 cycles, behaving 361 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1, 323 mAh·g−1 as the current density gradually increasing to 2 A·g−1 and 350 mAh·g−1 when gradually back to 0.1 A·g−1 (∼97% of initial capacity). Such a superb cycling and rate performance is ascribed to the unique stable structure with the compact electrostatic attraction between Mn2+ and V 2 O 5 · n H 2 O (VOH) laminate. On the one hand, Mn2+ generates electrostatic network with [VO 6 ] polyhedrons and suppresses the following electrostatic trap for the moving Zn2+. On the other hand, rGO improves the conductivity, endowing the high capacity and energy density. The performance of the MnVOH/rGO cathode exceeds most of vanadium-based cathodes applying in AZIBs and paves the way to the ideal energy storage system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermistor was fabricated by filling the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) material IM95100-000 into a liquid crystal device with an interdigital electrode structure. In the temperature range of 25 °C–120 °C, the temperature response of the thermistor under different voltages was measured with a step length of 5 °C to study its performance. The experimental results show that the resistance value of the thermistor decreases exponentially with increasing temperature in the range of 25 °C–120 °C. The temperature resistance characteristics at different voltages can satisfy the Steinhart-Hart formula well and the nonlinear fitting coefficient can reach 0.999; under the voltage of 1 V, the total resistance percentage changes by 93.1%, the material constant B25-120 value can reach 3299.07 K, and the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) can reach 0.98%/K. As a temperature sensor, it is twice as sensitive as that without the interpolated electrode structure, and the sensitivity can be further improved as the temperature decreases. Through the stability and recovery measurements, it is found that the resistance has no obvious deviation, which verifies the possibility of long-term application of this thermistor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the binder-free V 2 O 5 ⋅nH 2 O/rGO-PVA film was synthesized with the first usage of PVA by a one-step hydrothermal method combination with the filtration, and the film exhibits high capacity as free-standing cathode for solid-state aqueous zinc-ion batteries. • The binder-free V 2 O 5 ⋅nH 2 O/rGO-PVA film is synthesized and proposed as a novel batteries cathode material. • V 2 O 5 ⋅nH 2 O/rGO-PVA film displays the excellent capacity of 481 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1. • The achieved performances are superior to most cathode materials reported for solid-state zinc-ion batteris. Recently, solid-state aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) have become the most promising wearable storage systems to replace Li-ion batteries owing to their advantages such as high safety and environmental friendliness. However, the critical challenge is to develop stable and robust cathode materials for excellent Zn2+ storage. In this study, a hydrated vanadium pentoxide/reduced graphene oxide-polyvinyl alcohol (V 2 O 5 ⋅nH 2 O/rGO-PVA, abbreviated as VOH/rGO-P) film was synthesized as a binder-free cathode for solid-state aqueous ZIBs. The addition of PVA not only increases the layer spacing of VOH and forms a strong hydrogen bond network with GO and water molecules, but also enhances the mechanical properties of the film. As a binder-free cathode for solid-state aqueous ZIBs, the VOH/rGO-P film attains excellent electrochemical capacity as high as 481 mAh∙g−1 at 0.1 A∙g−1. Such a high specific capacity indicates that the VOH/rGO-P film shows great potential for the next generation solid-state aqueous ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anatase TiO2 with co‐exposed (001) and (101) surfaces [(001)‐(101)‐TiO2], as a semiconductor photocatalyst in crystal plane control engineering, has become a research hotspot in environmental purification and energy conversion due to its strong physicochemical stability, non‐toxic and harmless, and low production cost. This review briefly introduces the basic principles and influencing factors of [(001)‐(101)‐TiO2]. On this basis, the effect of heterostructures formed by different materials and modification methods on its photocatalytic activity are elaborated in detail. Mainly formed heterostructures mentioned in this review include oxygen vacancy/Ti3+‐[(001)‐(101)‐TiO2] heterostructures, noble metal‐[(001)‐(101)‐TiO2] heterostructures, metal sulfide‐[(001)‐(101)‐TiO2] heterostructures, metal oxide‐[(001)‐(101)‐TiO2] heterostructures and carbon material‐[(001)‐(101)‐TiO2] heterostructures. The light absorption range and charge separation mechanism of (001)‐(101)‐TiO2 after modification are discussed. Moreover, the application of photocatalytic redox reaction in simulating photosynthesis to prepare new energy (hydrogen evolution and CO2 reduction), environmental purification and sterilization is introduced in detail. Finally, various measures of designing (001)‐(101)‐TiO2 nanostructures for further applications in energy production and environmental remediation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turn-on loss is the dominant part of the switching loss for SiC MOSFETs in hard switching. Reducing turn-on loss with conventional voltage source gate drives (VSGs) is difficult because of the limited gate voltage rating and large internal gate resistance of SiC MOSFETs. A charge pump gate drive (CPG) that can reduce the turn-on loss is presented in this article. By precharging the charge-storage capacitor in the gate drive with a charge pump circuit, the gate drive output voltage is pumped up to provide higher gate current during the turn-on transient. As a result, the turn-on time and loss is decreased. Moreover, due to the charge transfer from the charge-storage capacitor to the MOSFET gate capacitance, the pumped output voltage can naturally drop back to a normal value that avoids gate overcharging. The structure of the gate drive is simple, and no additional control is needed. The operation of the proposed CPG is verified with double pulse tests based on SiC MOSFETs. The switching loss of the proposed CPG is reduced by up to 71.7% compared to the conventional VSG at full load condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) ceramics are one of the most promising candidates for structural materials in future fusion reactors. In a fusion environment, irradiation of high-energy neutrons induces a large number of point defects and many transmutants (H, He, Li, Be, B, Mg, Al and P). The interaction of irradiation-induced point defects with the transmutants affects the evolution of micro structure in 3C-SiC, however, the micro processes are still mysterious. In this work, we carry out systematical ab initio calculations concerning the interaction of irradiation-induced point defects with the transmutants in 3C-SiC. It is found that Li and Be atoms prefer to occupy the tetrahedral interstitial site surrounding by four carbon atoms. B atom is favorable to occupy the substitutional site of carbon, while Mg, Al, and P atoms prefer to occupy the substitutional site of silicon. Moreover, only B, Mg and Al pairs have positive binding energies, which suggests that B, Mg, and Al pairs tend to segregate and form clusters at substitutional sites. Vacancy and self-interstitial atom can act as trapping centers for transmutants, especially for Mg. The electron density and the volume difference are analyzed to understand the underlying reasons controlling the interaction of point defects with transmutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melatonin has been implicated in the regulation of bone metabolism; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying its involvement in fracture healing are still obscure. We previously developed an in vivo fracture healing model using the scale of a double-transgenic zebrafish, trap:GFP ; osterix:mCherry , which labels osteoclasts and osteoblasts with GFP and mCherry, respectively. Here we show using this model that melatonin inhibits both osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation under fracture stress through the repression of Erk signaling in epidermal cells of the scale. Melatonin treatment resulted in reduced numbers of both osteoblasts and osteoclasts in the fractured scale. Immunochemistry analysis revealed that Erk signals in epidermal cells, which express melatonin receptors, were greatly enhanced in response to fracture stress, but this enhancement was blocked by melatonin treatment. Moreover, inhibition of Erk signaling phenocopied the effects of melatonin treatment in the fractured scale. Collectively, these data suggest that the activation of epidermal Erk signaling is required for both osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation in the early stage of fracture healing, and melatonin suppresses epidermal Erk signaling, leading to impaired fracture healing. • Melatonin treatment impairs fracture healing in the zebrafish scale. • Fracture stress enhances epidermal Erk signals that promote bone repair. • Melatonin suppresses epidermal Erk signals in the fractured scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the symmetrical metal-cladding waveguide structure, the optical transduction of the E. coli O157:H7 concentration by using the enhanced Goos-Hänchen (GH) shift is demonstrated to be an advantageous alternative over those evanescent wave-based biosensors. The experimental results indicate that the interaction between the analyte and the excited ultrahigh order modes (in the form of the oscillating wave) is the dominant reason leading to ultrahigh sensitivity. On the condition that the intrinsic damping is well-matched with the radiative damping, the giant GH shift (hundreds of micrometers) offers a higher sensitivity than the regular measurement of reflected light intensity. The transduction limit of E. Coli O157:H7 concentration about 100 cfu ml-1 is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoperiodic flowering responses are classified into three major types: long day (LD), short day (SD), and day neutral (DN). The inverse responses to daylength of LD and SD plants have been partly characterized in Arabidopsis and rice; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the DN response is largely unknown. Modern roses are economically important ornamental plants with continuous flowering (CF) features, and are generally regarded as DN plants. Here, RcCO and RcCOL4 were identified as floral activators up-regulated under LD and SD conditions, respectively, in the CF cultivar Rosa chinensis 'Old-Blush'. Diminishing the expression of RcCO or/and RcCOL4 by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) delayed flowering time under both SDs and LDs. Interestingly, in contrast to RcCO -silenced plants, the flowering time of RcCOL4 -silenced plants was more delayed under SD than under LD conditions, indicating perturbed plant responses to day neutrality. Further analyses revealed that physical interaction between RcCOL4 and RcCO facilitated binding of RcCO to the CORE motif in the promoter of RcFT and induction of RcFT. Taken together, the complementary expression of RcCO in LDs and of RcCOL4 in SDs guaranteed flowering under favorable growth conditions regardless of the photoperiod. This finding established the molecular foundation of CF in roses and further shed light on the underlying mechanisms of DN responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The residue Pro-176 located in the active groove of the CGTase was replaced by other 15 amino acids residues. • The mutant P176G is important for the β-CD specificity. • The cyclization activity of mutants P176I and P176L both improve. • The Pro at position 176 play an important role in enzymatic properties. Based on the analysis of amino acid sequence and simulated structure, saturation mutagenesis was performed to explore the role of the site p176 of cyclodextrin glucosytransferase (CGTase) from Bacillus sp. Y112. Compared to the wild-type, mutant P176G showed 10.4 % improvement in conversion from starch to cyclodextrins (CDs), whose β-CD yield increased by 6% and α-CD yield decreased by 8%. Mutants P176L and P176I were increased by 7.9 % and 9.4 % on CDs production, indicating replacement of hydrophobic amino acids significantly improved in cyclization activity. Kinetics studies indicated the substrate affinity of P176G and P176K were increase by 13 % and 14 %, and the catalytic efficiency of P176K was increase by 14 %. In addition, the optimal temperature of mutants transformed from 50℃ to 40℃ and the optimal pH shifted from 10.0 to 8.0. These results indicate that the site P176 plays a critical role in catalytic activity, product specificity and enzymatic properties of CGTase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoderm migration in the Drosophila embryo is a highly conserved, complex process that is required for the formation of specialized tissues and organs, including the somatic and visceral musculature. In this FlyBook chapter, we will compare and contrast the specification and migration of cells originating from the trunk and caudal mesoderm. Both cell types engage in collective migrations that enable cells to achieve new positions within developing embryos and form distinct tissues. To start, we will discuss specification and early morphogenetic movements of the presumptive mesoderm, then focus on the coordinate movements of the two subtypes trunk mesoderm and caudal visceral mesoderm, ending with a comparison of these processes including general insights gained through study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differentiation of osteoclasts (OCs) from hematopoietic cells requires cellular interaction with osteoblasts (OBs). Due to the difficulty of live-imaging in the bone, however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying intercellular communication involved in OC differentiation are still elusive. Here, we develop a fracture healing model using the scale of trap:GFP; osterix:mCherry transgenic zebrafish to visualize the interaction between OCs and OBs. Transplantation assays followed by flow cytometric analysis reveal that most trap:GFPhigh OCs in the fractured scale are detected in the osterix:mCherry+ fraction because of uptake of OB-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). In vivo live-imaging shows that immature OCs actively interact with osterix:mCherry+ OBs and engulf EVs prior to convergence at the fracture site. In vitro cell culture assays show that OB-derived EVs promote OC differentiation via Rankl signaling. Collectively, these data suggest that EV-mediated intercellular communication with OBs plays an important role in the differentiation of OCs in bone tissue. Kobayashi-Sun et al. characterise the healing of fractured bone in the transgenic zebrafish scale by transplantation assays and live imaging, revealing that immature osteoclasts engulf osteoblast-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) under fracture stress, leading to osteoclast differentiation. This study provides insights into the role of EVs in osteoclastogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platinum(IV) complexes with a heterocyclic ligand and an ancillary ligand have been investigated and applied for treating various tumour cell lines. Another application of the Pt(IV) complexes in forming peptide disulfide bonds was investigated in this work. For development of Pt(IV) complex chemistry for disulfide bond formation in peptides, two Pt(IV) complexes, [PtCl2(phen)(en)]Cl2 and [PtCl2(bpy)(en)]Cl2, were synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, ESI-MS and NMR. Subsequently, they were investigated as oxidants for the formation of disulfide bonds in various peptides. Excellent purities and yields of disulfide-containing peptides were achieved when the reactions were carried out in aqueous solution. The reactions were completed rapidly in a wide range of pH values even in acidic medium at room temperature. An intramolecular disulfide bond was formed in each of the peptides in a solution containing two dithiol-containing peptides, making the Pt(IV) complexes useful for generating disulfide-containing peptide libraries. In addition, the two Pt(IV) complexes can be used as oxidants for the synthesis of disulfide bonds on a resin, which is a more convenient method to synthesize disulfide-containing peptides through automation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]