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Background: Previous researches examining the impact of dietary nutrition on mortality risk have mainly focused on individual nutrients, however the interaction of these nutrients has not been considered. The purpose of this study was to identify of nutrient deficiencies patterns and analyze their potential impact on mortality risk in older adults with hypertension. Methods: We included participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study. The latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to uncover specific malnutrition profiles within the sample. Risk of the end points across the phenogroups was compared using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression model. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the influencing factors of specific malnutrition profiles. Results: A total of 6924 participants aged 60 years or older with hypertension from NHANES 2003–2014 was followed until December 31, 2019 with a median follow-up of 8.7 years. Various nutrients included vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, fiber, folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, and selenium, and LCA revealed 4 classes of malnutrition. Regarding all-cause mortality, "Nutrient Deprived" group showed the strongest hazard ratio (1.42 from 1.19 to 1.70) compared with "Adequate Nutrient" group, followed by "Inadequate Nutrient" group (1.29 from 1.10 to 1.50), and "Low Fiber, Magnesium, and Vit E" group (1.17 from 1.02 to 1.35). For cardiovascular mortality, "Nutrient Deprived" group showed the strongest hazard ratio (1.61 from 1.19 to 2.16) compared with "Adequate Nutrient" group, followed by "Low Fiber, Magnesium, and Vit E" group (1.51 from 1.04 to 2.20), and "Inadequate Nutrient" group (1.37 from 1.03 to 1.83). Conclusions: The study revealed a significant association between nutrients deficiency patterns and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in older adults with hypertension. The findings suggested that nutrients deficiency pattern may be an important risk factor for mortality in older adults with hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DLA-88 is a classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I gene in dogs, and allelic DLA-88 molecules have been divided into two categories named "DLA-88*0" and "DLA-88*5." The defining difference between the two categories concerns an LQW motif in the α2 domain helical region of the DLA-88*5 molecules that includes the insertion of an extra amino acid compared to MHC class I consensus length. We here show that this motif has been exchanged by recombination between different DLA-88 evolutionary lineages. Previously, with pDLA-88*508:01, the structure of a molecule of the DLA-88*5 category was elucidated. The present study is the first to elucidate a structure, using X-ray crystallography, of the DLA-88*0 category, namely DLA-88*001:04 complexed with β2m and a nonamer peptide derived from canine distemper virus (CDV). The LQW motif that distinguishes DLA-88*5 from DLA-88*0 causes a shallower peptide binding groove (PBG) and a leucine exposed at the top of the α2 domain helix expected to affect T cell selection. Peptide ligand amino acid substitution and pMHC-I complex formation and stability analyses revealed that P2 and P3 are the major anchor residue positions for binding to DLA-88*001:04. We speculate that the distribution pattern of the LQW motif among canine classical MHC class I alleles represents a strategy to enhance allogeneic rejection by T cells of transmissible cancers such as canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To retrospectively investigate the clinical characteristics, prognosis, treatment, and therapy outcome of Chinese patients with primary testicular lymphoma (PTL). we collected data of 49 PTL patients from four hospitals over 13 years. The median age was 63 years old. We described the clinical characteristics of the patients including the laterality, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), pathology classification, stage, International prognostic index (IPI) scores and more. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 34 patients and partial remission (PR) in 3 patients; Progressive disease (PD) was detected in 11 patients, and 10 patients died. The average progression-free survival (PFS) of all patients was 43.92 months, and the average overall survival (OS) was 47.55 months. The Ann Arbor stage, IPI score, and LDH were associated with OS, while Ann Arbor stage, IPI score, LDH, and histotype were significantly associated with PFS. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy following orchiectomy was associated with a significantly longer PFS. Most patients can achieve CR after induced therapy or orchiectomy. However, there are many associated prognostic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is recognized as a valuable predictor of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Dietary fiber is strongly correlated with CVDs. However, the effect of dietary fiber on AAC in the population is not well understood.Objective: To assess the relationship between dietary fiber intake and AAC in the US adult population.Methods: A total of 2671 individuals with both dietary fiber intake and AAC score data were enrolled from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a cross-sectional health examination in the US. Multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR), with 95% confidence interval (CI). To reveal the relationship between dietary fiber intake and AAC, restricted cubic spline was also applied.Results: Out of the total participants, 241 (9%) had severe AAC and 550 (20%) had mild-moderate AAC. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that higher intake of dietary fiber was associated with lower risk of severe AAC, but not with lower risk of mild-moderate AAC. For every one standard deviation increase (9.4 g/day) in dietary fiber intake, the odds of severe AAC were reduced by 28% [OR 0.72 (95% CI, 0.57-0.90), p = 0.004], after adjusting for confounding factors. Dose-response relationship revealed that dietary fiber intake was negatively correlated with severe AAC (p for linear < 0.001, p for nonlinear = 0.695).Conclusions: Dietary fiber intake was negatively associated with severe AAC, and showed a dose-response relationship in US adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms are an important part of atmospheric particulate matter and are closely related to human health. In this paper, the variations in the characteristics of the chemical components and bacterial communities in PM10 and PM2.5 grouped according to season, pollution degree, particle size, and winter heating stage were studied. The influence of environmental factors on community structure was also analyzed. The results showed that seasonal variations were significant. NO3− contributed the most to the formation of particulate matter in spring and winter, while SO42− contributed the most in summer and autumn. The community structures in summer and autumn were similar, while the community structure in spring was significantly different. The dominant phyla were similar among seasons, but their proportions were different. The dominant genera were no-rank_c_Cyanobacteria, Acidovorax, Escherichia-Shigella and Sphingomonas in spring; Massilia, Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Rhodococcus, and Brevibacillus in summer and autumn; and Rhodococcus in winter. The atmospheric microorganisms in Beijing mainly came from soil, water, and plants. The few pathogens detected were mainly affected by the microbial source on the sampling day, regardless of pollution level. RDA (redundancy analysis) showed that the bacterial community was positively correlated with the concentration of particulate matter and that the wind speed in spring was positively correlated with NO3− levels, NH4+ levels, temperature, and relative humidity in summer and autumn, but there was no clear consistency among winter samples. This study comprehensively analyzed the variations in the characteristics of the airborne bacterial community in Beijing over one year and provided a reference for understanding the source, mechanism, and assessment of the health effects of different air qualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical stimulation is an effective tool for mapping and altering brain connectivity, with applications ranging from treating pharmacology-resistant neurological disorders to providing sensory feedback for neural prostheses. Paramount to the success of these applications is the ability to manipulate electrical currents to precisely control evoked neural activity patterns. However, little is known about stimulation-evoked responses in inhibitory neurons nor how stimulation-evoked activity patterns depend on ongoing neural activity. In this study, we used 2-photon imaging and cell-type specific labeling to measure single-cell responses of excitatory and inhibitory neurons to electrical stimuli in the visual cortex of awake mice. Our data revealed strong interactions between electrical stimulation and pre-stimulus activity of single neurons in awake animals and distinct recruitment and response patterns for excitatory and inhibitory neurons. This work demonstrates the importance of cell-type-specific labeling of neurons in future studies. • High-frequency stimulation recruits inhibitory/excitatory neurons at similar rates • Increasing stimulation amplitude more densely recruits excitatory neurons • Increasing stimulation amplitude recruits a larger volume of inhibitory neurons • High levels of ongoing activity diminish or suppress excitatory neuron responses How does cortical electrical stimulation affect different types of neurons in awake animals? The authors show that increasing stimulation amplitude recruits a distributed population of excitatory neurons but recruits inhibitory neurons closer to the electrode. Furthermore, evoked responses in excitatory neurons are strongly influenced by their pre-stimulus activity level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct a supercharacter theory, and establish the supercharacter table for Sylow p-subgroups G 2 s y l (q) of the Chevalley groups G 2 (q) of Lie type G 2 when p>2. Then we calculate the conjugacy classes, determine the complex irreducible characters by Clifford theory, and obtain the character tables for G 2 s y l (q) when p>3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various activated persulfate (PS) technologies have been investigated and implemented to eliminate antibiotic contaminants from water. The investigation and evaluation of different activation systems are essential for the application of PS techniques. The degradation of amoxicillin (AMX) by heat, light, or heterogeneous catalyst of Fe–AC composite activated PS was investigated, and the kinetics, mechanisms and toxicities were compared in this work. The apparent activation energy of the Fe–AC system was lower than that of the heat system. Hydroxyl and sulfate radicals were demonstrated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and quenching tests. There were 22, 21 and 13 types of degradation intermediates detected in heat, light and Fe–AC system, respectively. Six pathways of AMX degradation were proposed and compared in the three activated PS systems. The toxicity prediction of degradation intermediates under different treatment processes was estimated by ecological structure-activity relationship model and toxicity estimation software tool. The genotoxicity of the AMX degradation solution was tested by Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1_recA, which indicated that the AMX solution after treatment in the Fe–AC system had almost no genotoxicity. The Fe–AC/PS system shows apparent advantages over the heat or light activated PS system in most cases, demonstrating that the Fe–AC/PS system is suitable for AMX-contaminated remediation in aqueous solution. [Display omitted] • AMX degradation followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. • The hydroxyl and sulfate radicals were active species in the three systems. • The toxicity prediction of intermediates was estimated by ECOSAR and T.E.S.T. • Fe–AC/PS system was the most efficient and environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing iridium loading in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) without sacrificing electrochemical performance plays a critical role in lowering the cost of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers. However, low Ir loading often results in insufficient percolation of IrO 2 particles and high interfacial resistance between the catalyst layer and the porous transport layer, causing reduced electrochemical performance and long-term durability issues. Herein, a MEA incorporating the conductive polymers of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as a binder and dispersant is investigated under 0.3 mg Ir cm−2 loading. The zeta potential and morphological experiments confirm that the incorporation of PEDOT:PSS to the catalyst ink can improve the ink stability, reduce the catalyst particle size and create more pores in the catalyst layer. The MEA using a 1:1 ratio of PEDOT:PSS to Nafion achieves an enhanced current density of 1.68 V@1.0 A cm−2 at 80 °C (vs. a MEA using Nafion only, 1.75 V@1.0 A cm−2). The Raman results indicate that the PEDOT in the presence of Nafion exhibits a more conductive quinoid resonance structure than PEDOT. In situ durability testing of the MEA for over 800 h demonstrates a degradation rate of 48.7 μV h−1 at 1.0 A cm−2 and 80 °C. Description: Incorporation of the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS into anode catalyst layers helps construct efficient triple-phase boundaries, which improves the electrochemical performance of PEM water electrolysis. [Display omitted] • PEDOT:PSS are added into the catalyst ink as an electronic binder and dispersant. • Efficient triple-phase boundaries are created in the Nafion/PEDOT:PSS CL. • The I–V performance of the MEA is 1.68 V@1.0 A cm−2 at 80 °C under 0.3 mg Ir cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treating wastewater using purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) is an environmentally friendly technique that can simultaneously remove pollutants and lead to the accumulation of high-value cell inclusions. However, no PNSB system for treating heavy oil refinery wastewater (HORW) and recovering high-value cell inclusions has yet been developed. In this study, five batch PNSB systems dominated by Rhodopseudomonas were used to treat real HORW for 186 d. The effects of using different hydraulic retention times (HRT), sludge retention times (SRT), trace element solutions, phosphate loads, and influent loads were investigated, and the bacteriochlorophyll, carotenoid, and coenzyme Q 10 concentrations were determined. The community structure and quantity of Rhodopseudomonas in the systems were determined using a high-sequencing technique and quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique. The long-term results indicated that phosphate was the limiting factor for treating HORW in the PNSB reactor. The soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) removal rates were 67.03% and 85.26% without and with phosphate added, respectively, and the NH 4 +-N removal rates were 32.18% and 89.22%, respectively. The NO 3 −-N concentration in the effluent was stable at 0–3 mg/L with or without phosphate added. Adding phosphate increased the Rhodopseudomonas relative abundance and number by 13.21% and 41.61%, respectively, to 57.35% and 8.52 × 106 gene copies/μL, respectively. The SRT was the limiting factor for SCOD removal, and the bacteria concentration was the limiting factor for nitrogen removal. Once the inflow load had been increased, the total nitrogen (TN) removal rate increased as the HRT increased. Maximum TN removal rates of 64.46%, 68.06%, 73.89%, 82.15%, and 89.73% were found at HRT of 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19 d, respectively. The highest bacteriochlorophyll, carotenoid, and coenzyme Q 10 concentrations were 2.92, 4.99, and 4.53 mg/L, respectively. This study provided a simple and efficient method for treating HORW and reutilizing resources, providing theoretical support and parameter guidance for the application of Rhodopseudomonas in treating HORW. • PNSB system with Rhodopseudomonas can treat heavy oil refinery wastewater effectively. • Phosphate improved SCOD and TN removal by 26.50% and 166.95% respectively in systems. • Phosphate obviously stimulated the growth of Rhodopseudomonas in PNSB system. • Rhodopseudomonas can adapt to higher concentrations of influent loads. • Compared to SCOD, nitrogen removal relied on longer HRT and higher bacterial concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Amyloid β (Aβ) drives the accumulation of excess Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog Deleted on Chromosome 10 (PTEN) at synapses, inducing synaptic depression and perturbing memory. This recruitment of PTEN to synapses in response to Aβ drives its interaction with PSD95/Disc large/Zonula occludens-1 (PDZ) proteins and, indeed, we previously showed that an oligo lipopeptide (PTEN-PDZ) capable of blocking such PTEN:PDZ interactions rescues the synaptic and cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Hence, the PTEN:PDZ interaction appears to be crucial for Aβ-induced synaptic and cognitive impairment. Here we have evaluated the feasibility of using PTEN-PDZ lipopeptides based on the human/mouse PTEN C-terminal sequence, testing their stability in biological fluids, their cytotoxicity, their ability to self-assemble and their in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Myristoyl or Lauryl tails were added to the peptides to enhance their cell permeability. Methods: Lipopeptides self assembly was assessed using electron microscopy and the thioflavin T assay. Stability studies in mouse plasma (50%), intestinal washing, brain and liver homogenates as well as permeability studies across an all human 2D blood-brain barrier model prepared with human cerebral endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3) and human astrocytes (SC-1800) were undertaken. Results: The mouse lauryl peptide displayed enhanced overall stability in plasma, ensuring a longer half-life in circulation that meant there were larger amounts available for transport across the BBB (Papp0-4h: 6.28 ± 1.85 × 10−6 cm s−1). Conclusion: This increased availability, coupled to adequate BBB permeability, makes this peptide a good candidate for therapeutic parenteral (intravenous, intramuscular) administration and nose-to-brain delivery. Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phosphate ester bonds are widely present in living organisms and in the environment. From the nucleic acids to the sparingly dispersed pesticides and chemical warfare residues, the phosphoester bond's stability against hydrolysis can be extremely high or exceptionally low. Recently, the enzyme‐mimicking nanomaterials, namely 'nanozyme', have been explored for their activities in hydrolytically cleaving DNA, organophosphate and their analogues. Herein in a broad perspective these nanomaterials were summarized and compared with a view to reproducing the catalysis efficiency and selectivity of natural phosphatases and nucleases. The development of biomimetic inorganic materials would not only provide potential nanomedicine for future gene editing, but also offer alternative solutions to the environmentally friendly treatment of pesticide residues and chemical warfare stockpiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of atherosclerosis remains complex. Pitavastatin serves an important role in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of nanoparticle (NP)-mediated delivery of pitavastatin into atherosclerotic plaques as a novel treatment method for atherosclerosis. The results of the present study demonstrated that pitavastatin-NP was more effective in attenuating the size of atherosclerotic plaques and enhancing the stability of plaques in vitro compared with pitavastatin alone. In an apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-knockout mouse model of atherosclerosis, a single intravenous injection of fluorescein isothiocyanate-NP resulted in the delivery of NP into atherosclerotic plaques for up to 7 days post-injection. In ApoE-knockout mice and THP-1-derived macrophages, pitavastatin-NP attenuated the development of atherosclerosis, which was associated with regulating lipid metabolism, and inhibited the secretion of inflammatory markers compared with pitavastatin alone. Additionally, the treatment advantages of pitavastatin-NP were independent of lipid lowering. The results demonstrated that pitavastatin-NP administration was more effective in attenuating the development of atherosclerotic plaques compared with systemic administration of pitavastatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic nanoparticle-mediated isolation (MMI) is a new method for isolating active functional microbes from complex microorganisms without substrate labeling. In this study, the composition and properties of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were characterized by a number of techniques, indicating that MNPs have characteristics such as microinterfaces and can be efficiently fixed on the surface of microbial cells. It also introduced the MMI technology in activated sludge after stable long-term treatment. With further addition of promotor carbon sources, the enrichment of the functional nitrogen degraders in MMI was significantly higher than in samples without MNPs, showing the advantages of MMI in identifying the active degraders. Redundancy analysis (RDA) also showed that the functional nitrogen degraders such as Comamonadaceae_unclassified and Thiobacillus absolutely dominated in situ ammonia degradation, and the change in dominant genera had the same trend as the degradation rate of ammonia nitrogen. In the magnetically functionalized system, the separated functional nitrogen degraders significantly improved ammonia nitrogen degradation efficiency, making it basically stable at more than 80%, up to 91.6%. These results prove that the complex flora created after the addition of MNPs is more adaptable to newly introduced pollutants, and MMI is a powerful tool for studying pollutant-degrading microorganisms under in situ conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CLGP4 was a novel sulfated xylogalactomanan purified from Caulerpa lentillifera. • CLGP4 showed a better anti-inflammatory activity on LPS-induced HT29 cells. • CLGP4 contained →4)Manp(1→, →2,4)Manp(1→, →2)Manp(1→, →3)Galp(1→ and →4)Xylp(1→. • The terminals of CLGP4 were β-Galp and β-Xylp. • Sulfate groups were on C-3 of →4)Xylp(1→, C-6 of →3)Galp(1→ and C-3 of →2)Manp(1→. In the present study, the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of four purified polysaccharides (CLGP1, CLGP2, CLGP3 and CLGP4) extracted from edible green algae Caulerpa lentillifera was evaluated. As a result, CLGP4 exhibited more effectively inhibitory effect on LPS-induced HT29 cells, including reducing the production of IL-1β, TNF-α, SIgA and mucin2, and decreasing the expression of IL-1β and TNF-α. According to the results, CLGP4 showed a better anti-inflammatory effect, might highly related to the presence of sulfate groups. Furthermore, the structure of CLGP4 was analyzed by methylation analysis, GC–MS and NMR spectroscopy. It was found that CLGP4 was a novel xylogalactomanan consisting of β-(1 → 4)-Man p , →2,4)Man p (1→, β-(1 → 2)-Man p , β-(1 → 3)-Gal p , β-(1 → 4)-Xyl p , terminal β-Gal p and terminal β-Xyl p residues. Additionally, the sulfate groups were located on C-3 of →4)Xyl p (1→, C-6 of →3)Gal p (1→ and C-3 of →2)Man p (1→. These results could enlarge the potential application of CLGP4 as functional ingredient to attenuate inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a facile ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor was developed towards sensitive and selective detection of vanillin, based on Ketjen black/ferrocene dual-doped zeolite-like MOFs (Fc-KB/ZIF-8) and electrodeposited gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) coupling with DNA aptamer. Fc-KB/ZIF-8 composites were prepared via one-pot solvothermal reaction and drop-coated on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface to form Fc-KB/ZIF-8@GCE. AuNPs were in-situ electro-deposited on the modified GCE. 5′-SH terminated aptamer of vanillin was combined with AuNPs via Au-S coupling to form aptamer-AuNPs/Fc-KB/ZIF-8@GCE as a new sensing platform. Under optimal conditions, electrochemical (square wave voltammetry) curves of this sensing platform were measured in electrolyte solutions containing vanillin. With increase of vanillin concentration ( C van), vanillin had an increased peak current intensity ( I van , as response signal). Fc doped into ZIF-8 had slight changes in its peak current intensity ( I Fc , as reference signal). There is a well plotting linear relationship between I van / I Fc and the logarithm of C van ranging from 10 nM to 0.2 mM, with a low limit of detection of 3 nM. The aptamer-AuNPs/Fc-KB/ZIF-8@GCE was applied as a ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor of vanillin. This aptasensor had sensitive and selective electrochemical signal responses on vanillin, over potential interferents. This aptasensor enabled vanillin detection in real food samples, showing high detection performance. Experimental results testified that this aptasensor had high reliability and practicability for vanillin determination in real samples. Image 1 • A novel ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor of vanillin was developed.. • The aptasensor was fabricated by using aptamer-AuNPs/Fc-KB/ZIF-8@GCE sensing platform. • The aptasensor enabled efficient detection of vanillin in real samples with high detection recoveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developing brain can respond quickly to altered sensory experience by circuit reorganization. During a critical period in early life, neurons in the primary visual cortex rapidly lose responsiveness to an occluded eye and come to respond better to the open eye. While physiological and some of the molecular mechanisms of this process have been characterized, its structural basis, except for the well-known changes in the thalamocortical projection, remains obscure. To elucidate the relationship between synaptic remodeling and functional changes during this experience-dependent process, we used 2-photon microscopy to image synaptic structures of sparsely labeled layer 2/3 neurons in the binocular zone of mouse primary visual cortex. Anatomical changes at presynaptic and postsynaptic sites in mice undergoing monocular visual deprivation (MD) were compared to those in control mice with normal visual experience. We found that postsynaptic spines remodeled quickly in response to MD, with neurons more strongly dominated by the deprived eye losing more spines. These postsynaptic changes parallel changes in visual responses during MD and their recovery after restoration of binocular vision. In control animals with normal visual experience, the formation of presynaptic boutons increased during the critical period and then declined. MD affected bouton formation, but with a delay, blocking it after 3 d. These findings reveal intracortical anatomical changes in cellular layers of the cortex that can account for rapid activity-dependent plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Molecular simulation is proposed as a guidance to design an efficient oral drug delivery system. • Oral absorption of doxorubicin was remarkably enhanced by hyaluronic acid grafted fatty glyceride carriers. • The absorption improvement of doxorubicin is fatty glyceride chain length dependent. Oral chemotherapy is preferred but challenged by low bioavailability of anticancer drugs. Self-assembled nanoparticles are promising in solving this problem but the design of appropriate nanocarrier remains a difficulty. Here, using doxorubicin (DOX) as a drug model, the objective of this study was to illustrate how to design an efficient drug delivery system using molecular simulation and elucidate the influence of fatty glyceride chain length in hyaluronic acid (HA) copolymers on peroral absorption of DOX. The compatibility between DOX and HA-g-glyceryl monocaprylate (HGC), HA-g-glyceryl monolaurate (HGL) and HA-g-glyceryl monostearate (HGS) was assessed by molecular simulation using solubility parameters and Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (χ FH). Thereafter, HA copolymers were synthesized to verify the prediction. Among the copolymers, HGS showed the best compatibility with DOX followed by HGC and HGL. The physicochemical properties and stability of all the nanoparticles were copolymers structure dependent, with HGS-DOX nanoparticles showing the superior properties followed by HGC-DOX, HGL-DOX nanoparticles. The same order was found in cellular uptake, epithelial transport and in vivo absorption studies in rats, with HGS-DOX nanoparticles showing 7 times higher absorption after peroral administration than intravenous injection of DOX solution. In conclusion, molecular simulation is an effective strategy to the rational nanoparticle design for oral doxorubicin delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let (W , S) be a Coxeter system and ⁎ an automorphism of W with order ≤2 and S ⁎ = S. Lusztig and Vogan ([20] , [23]) have introduced a u -deformed version M u of Kottwitz's involution module over the Iwahori–Hecke algebra H u (W) with Hecke parameter u 2 , where u is an indeterminate. Lusztig has proved that M u is isomorphic to the left H u (W) -submodule of H ˆ u generated by X ∅ : = ∑ w ⁎ = w ∈ W u − ℓ (w) T w , where H ˆ u is the vector space consisting of all formal (possibly infinite) sums ∑ x ∈ W c x T x (c x ∈ Q (u) for each x). He speculated that one can extend this by replacing u with any λ ∈ C ∖ { 0 , 1 , − 1 }. In this paper, we give a positive answer to his speculation for any λ ∈ K ∖ { 0 , 1 , − 1 } and any W , where K is an arbitrary ground field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A carbon-carbon linked polyaromatic electrolyte was designed and synthesized for proton exchange membranes. The facile synthesis consists of a metal-free Friedel-Crafts polymerization and a direct post-sulfonation. To prevent the random sulfonation, the trifluorobuanone monomer was incorporated as a spacer to sterically confine the sulfonated area. Hydrophobic/hydrophilic separation was observed in the polymer's microstructure. The membrane (ion exchange capacity = 1.88 mmolg−1) displayed low water swelling (area swelling = 38.0% at 80 °C) at a slightly higher proton conductivity than Nafion 212. Tensile strength of 39.3 MPa and elongation at break of 67.0% were confirmed by stress-strain measurements. The membrane electrode assembly afforded an electrolyzing performance of 4.6 A cm−2@2.0 V while Nafion 212 was 3.6 A cm−2@2.0 V under the same testing conditions. The 45 μm film exhibited better stability than Nafion 212 (∼50 μm) both in the preliminary in-situ cyclic accelerated stress test and the 800-h galvanostatic evaluation. The degradation rate of our thin membrane in the 800-h test was comparable to that of Nafion 115 (∼125 μm). [Display omitted] • A sulfonated aromatic polymer was synthesized via a facile two-step process. • An alkyl spacer was incorporated as the side chain to avoid random sulfonation. • The PEM exhibited low dimensional swelling in water. • The MEA achieved a high electrolyzing performance of 4.6 A cm−2@2 V. • The in-situ durability tests confirmed its better stability compared to PFSAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A. cristatus plays a vital role in the biochemical and genetic regulation of metabolite profile for liquid-state fermentation of primary dark tea, green tea and white tea infusions. [Display omitted] • Major chemical components and tea pigments were changed in different degrees. • Mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, fumonisin B1 and ochratoxin A) were not detected. • Metabolomic analysis and transcriptomic analysis were analyzed in combination. • Altered metabolites were mainly from amino acid, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Liquid-state fermentation (LSF) of tea leaves is a promising way to obtain tea-based nutraceutical products rich in various bioactive compounds. In the study, the changes of bioactive compounds, tea pigments and complex metabolites from LSF of primary dark tea, green tea and white tea infusions with Aspergillus cristatus were determined. Chemical analyses revealed that soluble sugars, monosaccharide composition, total polyphenols, total flavonoids, free amino acids, soluble proteins and tea pigments were changed in different ways. An untargeted metabolomic analysis and ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-seq) based transcriptomic analysis were performed to investigate the metabolic differentiation and clarify the key differentially expressed genes (DEGs, fold change >2 and p < 0.05), showing that amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and lipid metabolism were the most enriched pathways during A. cristatus fermentation of primary dark tea, green tea and white tea infusions. In addition, glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism were greatly accumulated in the fermentation of primary dark tea and white tea infusions; Pyruvate metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, fatty acid degradation, tyrosine metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis and valine and leucine, isoleucine degradation were greatly accumulated in the fermentation of primary dark tea and green tea infusions; Starch and sucrose metabolism was greatly accumulated in the fermentation of green tea and white tea infusions; Galactose metabolism was significantly enhanced in the fermentation of primary dark tea infusion; Amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism and alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism were significantly enhanced in the fermentation of green tea infusion. Besides, some other pathways involving aminobenzoate degradation, biosynthesis of cofactors, pyrimidine metabolism, benzoxazinoid biosynthesis and phenazine biosynthesis, tropane, piperidine and pyridine alkaloid biosynthesis and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis also differed from each other. These findings support that A. cristatus plays a vital role in the biochemical and genetic regulation of metabolite profile, and could be considered a potential prospect for better use of A. cristatus on different kinds of tea materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • PCMX degradation by TAP followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. • k obs increased with the reaction temperature and initial PS concentration. • The hydroxyl radicals and sulfate radicals were active species in this system. • The acute toxicity and genotoxicity of the system decreased by TAP. Abstract Chloroxylenol (PCMX) degradation by thermally activated persulfate (TAP) in aqueous solution and the toxicity changes of the system were investigated. PCMX oxidative degradation followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The apparent activation energy of PCMX degradation was calculated to be 130.0 kJ·mol−1, according to the Arrhenius equation, over the range of 30–60 °C. The PCMX degradation efficiency was significantly increased with the reaction temperature and initial persulfate concentration, while it was not influenced by the initial solution pH or water matrices. The hydroxyl radicals and sulfate radicals (SRs) in the TAP system were proved by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. SRs were the predominant radical species at neutral pH, as verified by radical scavenging tests. The possible degradation pathways, including electron transfer, dechlorination, aromatic ring oxidation, side-chain oxidation and a subsequently opening aromatic ring, were proposed based on intermediate detection. The acute toxicity and genotoxicity of the PCMX degradation solution were estimated by the Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1_recA_lux bioreporter, respectively. The results suggested that TAP was a feasible and environmentally friendly technology for PCMX-contaminated water remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determine a supercharacter theory for the matrix Sylow p -subgroup 3 D 4 syl (q 3) of the Steinberg triality group 3 D 4 (q 3) , and establish the supercharacter table of 3 D 4 syl (q 3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) pose a great threat to public health and food security via the horizontal transfer in the food production chain. Oxidative degradation of amoxicillin (AMO) in aqueous solution by thermally activated persulfate (TAP) was investigated. The AMO degradation followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model at all tested conditions. The pseudo-first-order rate constants of AMO degradation well-fitted the Arrhenius equation when the reaction temperature ranged from 35°C to 60°C, with the apparent activate energy of 126.9 kJ·mol−1. High reaction temperature, high initial persulfate concentration, low pH, high Cl− concentration, and humic acid (HA) concentration increased the AMO degradation efficiency. The EPR test demonstrated that both ·OH and SO4·− were generated in the TAP system, and the radical scavenging test identified that the predominant reactive radical species were SO4·− in aqueous solution without adjusting the solution pH. In groundwater and drinking water, AMO degradation suggested that TAP could be a reliable technology for water remediation contaminated by AMO in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameters of ≤2.5 and ≤10 μm (PM 2.5 and PM 10 , respectively), which was found at different concentrations in spring, was collected in Beijing. The chemical composition and bacterial community diversity of PM were determined, and the relationship between them was studied by 16S rRNA sequencing and mathematical statistics. Chemical composition analysis revealed greater relative percentages of total organic compounds (TOC) and secondary ions (NO 3 − , SO 4 2− , and NH 4 + ). The concentrations of Ca 2+ , Na + , Mg 2+ , K + and SO 4 2− increased in high-concentration PM, which was associated with the contribution of soil, dust and soot. Microbiological analysis revealed 1191 operational taxonomic units. Microbial community structure was stable at the phylum level. The most abundant phyla were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria. Community clustering analysis at the genus level showed that the difference in bacterial community structure between different PM concentrations (clean air vs. smog) was greater than that between different particle sizes. The dominant genera varied in different concentrations of PM. An unclassified genus of Cyanobacteria and Comamonadaceae were most abundant in low- and high-concentration PM, respectively. The microbial community structure was dynamic at the genus level due to different environmental factors. The dominant bacteria in high-concentration PM were widely distributed in soils, indicating that the soil contributed more to the increase in the PM. The individual microbes that were detected did not increase significantly as the PM concentration increased. The bacterial community structure was strongly correlated with K + , Ca 2+ , Na + , Mg 2+ , SO 4 2− and TOC in high-concentration PM and had a good correlation with NO 3 − , Cl − , NH 4 + and TIC in low-concentration PM. Soil and dust contributed to the increase in the concentration of the particles, and the relevant chemical components also produced differences in the bacterial community structure in different concentrations of PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding stimuli-responsiveness to TTA-UC is appealing as it provides a unique platform for biosensing and chemosensing. Here, we synthesized three guanidyl functionalized annihilators A-1 ∼ A-3 for stimuli-responsive TTA-UC. The annihilator A-1 self-assembled into microparticles in aprotic solvent like THF, CHCl 3 and toluene with the DPA units arranged in an ordered manner via the strong hydrogen bonding interactions between the guanidyl groups, which guaranteed effective energy migration of triplet excitons, thus, efficient TTA-UC with Φ UC of 10.2% was observed in THF. While MeOH degraded the well-aligned aggregates, accompanied by the decrease of Φ UC to 2.9%. For A-2 and A-3 , weak UC emissions in all the investigated solvents were observed due to π-π stacking of anthracene core. Interestingly, the destroyed hydrogen-bonding network of A-1 was successfully reconstructed by the addition of trace water with Φ UC recovered from 2.9% to 9.2% when 3% water was added. We also found that the well-aligned aggregates significantly accelerated the TTA process but have no impact on the TTET process, thus, enhanced ratiometric sensing of trace H 2 O in methanol was achieved with the unchanged phosphorescence as the internal standard and a detection limit as low as 0.084% (v/v) was achieved. [Display omitted] • Guanidyl Functionalized annihilators were synthesized for stimuli-responsive TTA-UC. • High Φ UC of 10.2% was observed in THF due to order arrangement of the annihilators. • MeOH degraded the well-aligned aggregates, accompanied by a decrease of Φ UC to 2.9%. • Trace water repaired the hydrogen-bonding network and enhanced the Φ UC to 9.2%. • Ratiometric sensing of trace H 2 O in methanol was achieved with LOD of 0.084%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study comparatively evaluated the effects of different extraction methods on yield, structural features and antioxidant activities of Laminaria japonica ( L. japonica ) polysaccharides. Results showed that acid, water and alkaline extracted L . japonica polysaccharides (LJP-CA, LJP-W and LJP-A, respectively) differed significantly. Among three polysaccharides, LJP-W showed the highest viscosity with high uronic acid content and average molecular weight, whereas LJP-CA showed the lowest viscosity with low uronic acid and high sulfate content with moderate average molecular weight. LJP-CA was mainly composed of fucose, mannose and galactose, but the proportion of glucose was greatly increased in LJP-W and LJP-A. LJP-W had an even and smooth sheet-like appearance, while LJP-CA and LJP-A exhibited irregular and rough fragments or particles with stronger antioxidant activities. These results suggest that acid and alkali would propose an improved process for polysaccharide preparation from L . japonica and to exploit its potential application as a functional ingredient in food application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, four purified fractions (CLGP1, CLGP2, CLGP3 and CLGP4) were prepared from green seaweed Caulerpa lentillifera . They were identified to be a novel kind of xylogalactomanans, differed in molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and the content of uronic acids and sulfate groups, leading to various ζ-potential, ultrastructure and immunostimulatory activity. Especially, CLGP4 was quite different from the others, as it was found to be a homogeneous heteropolysaccharide composed of Xyl, Man and Gal in a percentage ratio of 1.00:2.15:2.40 with 3877.8 kDa. Moreover, CLGP4 contained minor uronic acids (2.37% ± 0.94%) and the highest sulfate content (21.26% ± 1.22%). These differences in structural features had an effect on the ζ-potential and ultrastructure of CLGP4, showing rod-, rubble- and ellipsoid-shaped particles with largest negatively charge. In vitro immunostimulatory activity evaluation revealed that all the four fractions significantly stimulated macrophages, but CLGP4 showed more potent immunostimulatory activity due to its stronger function on promoting proliferation of macrophages, enhancing phagocytosis, NO production and acid phosphatase activity in macrophages. Therefore, CLGP4 could be explored as a natural immunomodulator. These results would help a fully exploition of Caulerpa lentillifera polysaccharides recognized as health-improving ingredients in functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new naphthalene bioreporter was designed and constructed in this work. A new vector, pWH1274_Nah, was constructed by the Gibson isothermal assembly fused with a 9 kb naphthalene-degrading gene nahAD ( nahAa nahAb nahAc nahAd nahB nahF nahC nahQ nahE nahD ) and cloned into Acinetobacter ADPWH_lux as the host, capable of responding to salicylate (the central metabolite of naphthalene). The ADPWH_Nah bioreporter could effectively metabolize naphthalene and evaluate the naphthalene in natural water and soil samples. This whole-cell bioreporter did not respond to other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; pyrene, anthracene, and phenanthrene) and demonstrated a positive response in the presence of 0.01 μM naphthalene, showing high specificity and sensitivity. The bioluminescent response was quantitatively measured after a 4 h exposure to naphthalene, and the model simulation further proved the naphthalene metabolism dynamics and the salicylate-activation mechanisms. The ADPWH_Nah bioreporter also achieved a rapid evaluation of the naphthalene in the PAH-contaminated site after chemical spill accidents, showing high consistency with chemical analysis. The engineered Acinetobacter variant had significant advantages in rapid naphthalene detection in the laboratory and potential in situ detection. The state-of-the-art concept of cloning PAHs-degrading pathway in salicylate bioreporter hosts led to the construction and assembly of high-throughput PAH bioreporter array, capable of crude oil contamination assessment and risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of construction combined with fibre materials for prefabricated shear wall structures is proposed to improve the seismic performance of conventional regenerated brick concrete shear walls. Four fibre-reinforced recycled brick concrete precast shear walls (PFRBCSWs) composed of restraint boundary elements (RBE) and the corresponding monolithic specimen were constructed and tested under an in-plane reversed cyclic loading. The experimental results indicate that: (1) Compared with the monolithic specimen, the difference in the bearing capacity of PFRBCSWs is within 20%, and the energy consumption capacity at each stage is slightly higher. (2) Fibres could significantly improve the initial stiffness and energy dissipation capacity of PFRBCSWs, and effectively restrain the crack development. (3) The hybrid fibre-reinforced wall structure (S-PFPW) achieves the highest initial stiffness and energy dissipation capacity, but has poor ductility and bearing capacity. Numerical simulation of the tests were conducted, and parameter studies were carried out for the aspect ratio and axial compression ratio of PFRBCSWs, as well as the reinforcement ratio of the RBE. The shear resisting mechanisms of PFRBCSWs are analysed based on the softened strut-and-tie mode. The predicting formula for bearing capacity is proposed, and it fits well with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, only a few noble metal oxides exhibit the required efficiency and stability as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts under the acidic, high‐voltage conditions that exist during proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE). The high cost and scarcity of these catalysts hinder the large‐scale application of PEMWE. Here, we report a novel OER electrocatalyst for OER comprised of uniformly dispersed Ru clusters confined on boron carbon nitride (BCN) support. Compared to RuO2, our BCN‐supported catalyst shows enhanced charge transfer. It displays a low overpotential of 164 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, suggesting its excellent OER catalytic activity. This catalyst was able to operate continuously for over 12 h under acidic conditions, whereas RuO2 without any support fails in 1 h. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the interaction between the N on BCN support and Ru clusters changes the adsorption capacity and reduces the OER energy barrier, which increases the electrocatalytic activity of Ru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, only a few noble metal oxides exhibit the required efficiency and stability as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts under the acidic, high‐voltage conditions that exist during proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE). The high cost and scarcity of these catalysts hinder the large‐scale application of PEMWE. Here, we report a novel OER electrocatalyst for OER comprised of uniformly dispersed Ru clusters confined on boron carbon nitride (BCN) support. Compared to RuO2, our BCN‐supported catalyst shows enhanced charge transfer. It displays a low overpotential of 164 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, suggesting its excellent OER catalytic activity. This catalyst was able to operate continuously for over 12 h under acidic conditions, whereas RuO2 without any support fails in 1 h. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the interaction between the N on BCN support and Ru clusters changes the adsorption capacity and reduces the OER energy barrier, which increases the electrocatalytic activity of Ru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimuli‐responsive triplet‐triplet annihilation upcoversion (TTA‐UC) systems show additional application potentials in biological and environmental sensing besides the typical applications, such as improving the efficiency of solar‐powered devices. This work presents a double‐beam synergistically controlled TTA‐UC system that can increase the UC emission intensity by more than 6‐fold with the aid of the thermal lensing effect of an near‐infrared (NIR)‐absorbing solution in a double‐beam coupling system of visible/NIR light. The collimation effect of a divergent 532 nm laser beam, achieved through the concave lens effect of a Pdpc(OBu)8 solution under NIR irradiation, significantly increases the excitation power density of the UC system, which is responsible for the increment of UC emission intensity. The ON/OFF ratio of the TTA‐UC switching can be conveniently regulated by the output power of either the 532 nm laser or 721 nm laser, as well as the concentration and compounds of the photothermal lens effect solution. The visible/NIR stimuli‐responsive TTA‐UC system is applied to photolithography to increase both the speed and depth of the photo printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amino-terminal domain (ATD) of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) accounts for approximately 50% of the protein, yet its functional role, if any remains a mystery. We have discovered that the translocation of surface GluA1, but not GluA2, AMPAR subunits to the synapse requires the ATD. GluA1A2 heteromers in which the ATD of GluA1 is absent fail to translocate, establishing a critical role of the ATD of GluA1. Inserting GFP into the ATD interferes with the constitutive synaptic trafficking of GluA1, but not GluA2, mimicking the deletion of the ATD. Remarkably, long-term potentiation (LTP) can override the masking effect of the GFP tag. GluA1, but not GluA2, lacking the ATD fails to show LTP. These findings uncover a role for the ATD in subunit-specific synaptic trafficking of AMPARs, both constitutively and during plasticity. How LTP, induced postsynaptically, engages these extracellular trafficking motifs and what specific cleft proteins participate in the process remain to be elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blood–brain barrier represents an insurmountable obstacle for the therapy of central nervous system related diseases. Polymeric micelles have many desirable properties for brain targeting by oral delivery, but the stability and targeting efficiency needs to be improved. In this study, it was demonstrated that binary micelle system can compensate the drawbacks of mono system by preparing mixed micelles in combination with PEG-based copolymers. Here, we explored a brain targeting drug delivery system via facile approaches using P123 based mixed micelles in combination with a message guider from traditional Chinese medicine, borneol, for oral delivery. With higher drug-loading, improved stability, prolongedin vitrorelease profile, increased bioavailability and enhanced brain targeting effect was achieved after peroral delivery of the mixed micelles. More importantly, without extra structure modification for active targeting, it was demonstrated for the first time that oral delivery of vinpocetine loaded mixed micelles together with borneol is an effective way to increase drug concentration in the brain and the targeting efficiency is borneol dose dependent. Such a “simple but effective” modality may shed light on the potential use of polymeric micelles in combination with a message drug to achieve drug brain targeting or other targeting sites via oral delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Siberian tiger, Panthera tigris altaica, is an endangered species, and much more work is needed to protect this species, which is still vulnerable to extinction. Conservation efforts may be supported by the genetic assessment of wild populations, for which highly specific microsatellite markers are required. However, only a limited amount of genetic sequence data is available for this species. To identify the genes involved in the lung transcriptome and to develop additional simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for the Siberian tiger, we used high-throughput RNA-Seq to characterize the Siberian tiger transcriptome in lung tissue (designated 'PTA-lung') and a pooled tissue sample (designated 'PTA'). Approximately 47.5 % (33,187/69,836) of the lung transcriptome was annotated in four public databases (Nr, Swiss-Prot, KEGG, and COG). The annotated genes formed a potential pool for gene identification in the tiger. An analysis of the genes differentially expressed in the PTA lung, and PTA samples revealed that the tiger may have suffered a series of diseases before death. In total, 1062 non-redundant SSRs were identified in the Siberian tiger transcriptome. Forty-three primer pairs were randomly selected for amplification reactions, and 26 of the 43 pairs were also used to evaluate the levels of genetic polymorphism. Fourteen primer pairs (32.56 %) amplified products that were polymorphic in size in P. tigris altaica. In conclusion, the transcriptome sequences will provide a valuable genomic resource for genetic research, and these new SSR markers comprise a reasonable number of loci for the genetic analysis of wild and captive populations of P. tigris altaica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the effect of formaldehyde on microorganisms and body had become a global public health issue. The multistage combination of anaerobic and aerobic process was adopted to treat paraformaldehyde wastewater. Microbial community structure in different reaction stages was analyzed through high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that multistage A-O activated sludge process positively influenced polyformaldehyde wastewater. The removal rates of formaldehyde were basically stable at more than 99% and those of COD were about 89%. Analysis of the microbial diversity index indicated that the microbial diversity of the reactor was high, and the treatment effect was good. Moreover, microbial community had certain similarity in the same system. Microbial communities in different units also showed typical representative characteristics affected by working conditions and influent concentrations. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant fungal genera in the phylum level of community composition. As to family and genus levels, Peptostreptococcaceae was distributed at various stages and the dominant in this system. This bacterium also played an important role in organic matter removal, particularly decomposition of the acidified middle metabolites. In addition, Rhodobacteraceae and Rhodocyclaceae were the formaldehyde-degrading bacteria found in the reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to explore the effect of hydrophilic and hydrophobic structure of grafted polymeric micelles on drug loading, and elucidate whether drug-polymer compatibility, as predicted by Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs), can be used as a tool for drug-polymer pairs screening and guide the design of grafted polymeric micelles. HSPs of 27 drugs and three grafted copolymers were calculated according to group contribution method. The drug-polymer compatibilities were evaluated using the approaches of Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (χ FH ) and polarity difference (△X p ). Two models, model A and B, were put forward for drug-polymer compatibility prediction. In model A, hydrophilic/hydrophobic part as a whole was regarded as one segment. And, in model B, hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments were evaluated individually. First of all, using chitosan (CS)-grafted-glyceryl monooeate (GMO) based micelle as an example, the suitability of model A and model B for predicating drug-polymer compatibility was evaluated theoretically. Thereafter, corresponding experiments were carried out to check the validity of the theoretical prediction. It was demonstrated that Model B, which evaluates drug compatibility with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments of the copolymer, is more reliable for drug-polymer compatibility prediction. Moreover, the approach of model B allows for the selection of a defined grafted polymer with for a specific drug and vice versa. Thus, drug compatibility evaluation via HSPs with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments is a suitable tool for the rational design of grafted polymeric micelles. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study provided further support to the established model and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination poses threats to ecological systems and human health. Many studies have reported its negative impacts on soil microbes, but limited information is known about microbial change and response to multiple TPH contamination events. In this study, we investigated TPH contamination level, microbial community structure and functional genes at a multi-contaminated industrial site in Lanzhou, where a benzene spill accident caused the drinking water crisis in 2014. TPHs distribution in soils and groundwater indicated multiple TPH contamination events in history, and identified the spill location where high TPH level (6549 mg kg−1) and high ratio of low-molecular-weight TPHs (>80%) were observed. In contrast, TPH level was moderate (349 mg kg−1) and the proportion of low-molecular-weight TPHs was 44% in soils with a long TPH contamination history. After the spill accident, soil bacterial communities became significant diverse (p = 0.047), but the dominant microbes remained the same as Pseudomonadaceae and Comamonadaceae. The abundance of hydrocarbon-degradation related genes increased by 10–1000 folds at the site where the spill accident occurred in multi-contaminated areas and was significantly related to 2-ring PAHs. Such changes of microbial community and hydrocarbon-degradation related genes together indicated the resilience of soil indigenous microbes toward multiple contamination events. Our results proved the significant change of bacterial community and huge shift of hydrocarbon-degradation related genes after the spill accident (multiple contamination events), and provided a deep insight into microbial response at industrial sites with a long period of contamination history. [Display omitted] • First report on petroleum contamination profiles of Lanzhou benzene exceedance accident. • Multiple contaminated sites were recognized by high concentration of light molecular weight hydrocarbons. • Significant change of microbial community diversity after multiple contamination events. • Increasing abundance of hydrocarbon degradation related genes after multiple contamination events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal structure, magnetic and electronic properties of SmFeO3under hydrostatic pressure have been studied by first-principles calculations within the generalized gradient approximation plus HubbardU(GGA + U). The iso-structural phase transition with spin, volume and band gap collapses can be induced by a large enough hydrostatic pressure. The high-spin (HS) state of Fe3+, with the magnetic moment of ~4 μB, is retained at low pressure. The spin crossover occurs at a transition pressure (~68 GPa) with the magnetic moment of Fe3+decreasing to ~1 μBin low-spin (LS) state. Meanwhile, the reductions of cell volume (by ~−5.43%) and band gap (from >2 eV to ~1.6 eV) of SmFeO3are obtained when the HS–LS transition happens. Finally, the critical pressure of HS–LS transition, magnetic and electronic properties are found to be HubbardUdependent. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The immune-protective effect of polysaccharides from Fuzhuan brick tea (FBTPs) was associated with regulating on the obtained microbiota and effective metabolites in specifically metabolic pathways. [Display omitted] • A kind of polysaccharides FBTPs was obtained from Fuzhuan brick tea. • FBTPs owned immune-protective effect in Cy-induced immunosuppressive mice. • The protective effect was associated with improving microbiota and metabolic profiles. • The altered metabolites involved in specifically metabolic pathways. • The altered metabolites were highly relevant to the changes in microbiota. The present study investigated the immune-protective effect of polysaccharides from Fuzhuan brick tea (FBTPs) in cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced immunosuppressive mice. The results showed that high-dose of FBTPs administration remarkably alleviated Cy-evoked immune damage through improving the body features, organ indices, immune responses and oxidative stress in the mice. Further microbiota analysis revealed that FBTPs obviously restored Cy-evoked microbial dysbiosis by increasing several beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus , Allobaculum , Unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae and norank_f_Lachnospiraceae , while reducing Bacteroides , norank_f_Ruminococcaceae , Colidextribacter , Alloprevotella , norank_f_Desulfovibrionaceae and Helicobacter. Meanwhile, metabolomics analysis found that FBTPs significantly altered a range of microbial metabolites, including inosine, deoxyinosine, taurine, sinapic acid, maltotriose, butyric acid, lysophosphatidyl cholines (LysoPCs), lysophosphatidic acids (LysoPAs) and choline. These altered metabolites were involved in purine metabolism, ABC transporters, sulfur metabolism, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, carbohydrate digestion and absorption, protein digestion and absorption, choline metabolism in cancer and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways, which were mainly related to immune responses, antioxidant capacity and energy supply of the immunosuppressive mice. Additionally, some significant correlations were observed between the specific microbiota and effective metabolites. These results provide a novel insight into the immune-protective effect of FBTPs on regulating the intestinal microbiota and metabolism, which are helpful for thoroughly understanding the nutrition of FBTPs and providing a solid basis for the deeper utilization of Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polysaccharide LbGp1 from Lycium barbarum L. was sulphated with sulphur trioxide–pyridine complex in DMF, yielding two sulphated polysaccharides, which were LbGp1-OL-SL with 13.7% sulphate content, and LbGp1-OL-SH with 27.4% sulphate content. The sulphation patterns were analysed using a GC–MS strategy. After a series of sequential chemical derivatisations, the sulphated polysaccharides were converted to partially methylated alditol acetates. All the sulphate groups were replaced by acetyl groups, maintaining the positional information of the original sulphation pattern. The number and position of sulphate substitutions were deduced by comparing the relative molar ratio from methylation analysis between native polysaccharide and sulphated derivatives. In LbGp1-OL-SL, 12.65% of sulphation located on C-5 of Ara, only 0.69% and 0.34% of sulphation occurred on C-4 and C-6 Gal, respectively; while in LbGp1-OL-SH, 24.96% of sulphate groups were found at C-5 of Ara, and 0.40% and 2.02% of sulphate groups were found at C-4 and C-6 Gal, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bourbaki, Birkhoff-Pierce and Fuchs pointed out or showed that a lattice-ordered field in which each square is positive must be totally ordered. Yang proved that a lattice-ordered ring R is a totally ordered skew-field if and only if every strictly positive element of R is invertible and each square in R is positive. In this note, we construct a simple example to explain the difference between order-isomorphisms and lattice-isomorphisms, and show that the difference can be dropped in lattice-ordered rings. Especially, this yields an extension and an elementary proof of the main theorem in Yang's paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corticofugal projections from the primary auditory cortex (Al) have been shown to play a role in modulating subcortical processing. However, functional properties of the corticofugal neurons and their synaptic circuitry mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we performed in vivo whole-cell recordings from layer 5 (L5) pyramidal neurons in the rat Al and found two distinct neuronal classes according to their functional properties. Intrinsic-bursting (IB) neurons, the L5 corticofugal neurons, exhibited early and rather unselective spike responses to a wide range of frequencies. The exceptionally broad spectral tuning of IB neurons was attributable to their broad excitatory inputs with long temporal durations and inhibitory inputs being more narrowly tuned than excitatory inputs. This uncommon pattern of excitatory-inhibitory interplay was attributed initially to a broad thalamocortical convergence onto IB neurons, which also receive temporally prolonged intracortical excitatory input as well as feedforward inhibitory input at least partially from more narrowly tuned fast-spiking inhibitory neurons. In contrast, regular-spiking neurons, which are mainly corticocortical, exhibited sharp frequency tuning similar to L4 pyramidal cells, underlying which are well-matched purely intracortical excitation and inhibition. The functional dichotomy among L5 pyramidal neurons suggests two distinct processing streams. The spectrally and temporally broad synaptic integration in IB neurons may ensure robust feedback signals to facilitate subcortical function and plasticity in a general manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional receptive fields of neurons in sensory cortices undergo progressive refinement during development. Such refinement may be attributed to the pruning of non-optimal excitatory inputs, reshaping of the excitatory tuning profile through modifying the strengths of individual inputs, or strengthening of cortical inhibition. These models have not been directly tested because of the technical difficulties in assaying the spatiotemporal patterns of functional synaptic inputs during development. Here we apply in vivo whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings to the recipient layer 4 neurons in the rat primary auditory cortex (A1) to determine the developmental changes in the frequency–intensity tonal receptive fields (TRFs) of their excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Surprisingly, we observe co-tuned excitation and inhibition immediately after the onset of hearing, suggesting that a tripartite thalamocortical circuit with relatively strong feedforward inhibition is formed independently of auditory experience. The frequency ranges of tone-driven excitatory and inhibitory inputs first expand within a few days of the onset of hearing and then persist into adulthood. The latter phase is accompanied by a sharpening of the excitatory but not inhibitory frequency tuning profile, which results in relatively broader inhibitory tuning in adult A1 neurons. Thus the development of cortical synaptic TRFs after the onset of hearing is marked by a slight breakdown of previously formed excitation–inhibition balance. Our results suggest that functional refinement of cortical TRFs does not require a selective pruning of inputs, but may depend more on a fine adjustment of excitatory input strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determine a supercharacter theory for Sylow p -subgroups G 2 s y l 2 (3 2 m + 1) of the Ree groups G 2 2 (3 2 m + 1) , calculate the conjugacy classes of G 2 s y l 2 (3 2 m + 1) , and establish the character table of G 2 s y l 2 (3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This review systematically summarizes recent advances in zero-dimensional sulfur nanomaterials. • Various synthetic methods, modification strategies and versatile applications are comprehensively discussed. • This review rationally comments current advances, potential challenges and perspectives in the forthcoming studies. In recent years, there are ever-increasing scientific researches about zero-dimensional (0D) sulfur nanomaterials, focusing on sulfur nanoparticles, sulfur quantum dots and various nanosulfur-containing functional materials. After surface modifications and further modifications with different components, the products exhibit multiple structures, excellent functions and promising applications. This present review systematically summarizes various synthetic methods, modification strategies and versatile applications of 0D sulfur nanomaterials. The first section introduces various synthetic methods, including hydrothermal, solvothermal, green synthesis, microemulsion, electrochemical, mechanochemical synthesis, chemical vapor deposition and the synthesis on various substrates. The second section highlights different modification strategies, mainly involving surface modifications, composite systems, core/shell structures, porous structures, thin films, nanohybrids and assembly systems. The third section discusses versatile application fields, referring to energy storage and conversion, photo/electro-catalysis, optical and electrochemical sensing, bio-imaging, biomedicine therapy, antifungal and antibacterial activities, separation and preconcentration, positive effects on plant growth. Meanwhile, this review rationally comments the current advances, challenges and perspectives in forthcoming studies through discussing state-of-the-art related studies on 0D sulfur nanomaterials. Considering rapid development in the promising research direction and the lack of an all-around review currently, this opportune and comprehensive review is attractive for researchers in multiple scientific disciplines, including chemistry, material science, engineering, biology and medicine. This review will promote the development of 0D nanomaterials and the rational exploration of new low-dimensional functional nanomaterials and derivatives toward promising applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Using magnetic-nanoparticles to accelerate the enrichment process of bacteria. • Efficient liquid-phase single-cell separation efficiency compared to pure culture. • Enrichment of acetonitrile degrading bacterial strain resource library. Although there are many microorganisms in nature, the limitations of isolation and cultivation conditions have restricted the development of artificial enhanced remediation technology using functional microbial communities. In this study, an integrated technology of Magnetic Nanoparticle-mediated Enrichment (MME) and Microfluidic Single Cell separation (MSC) that breaks through the bottleneck of traditional separation and cultivation techniques and can efficiently obtain more in situ functional microorganisms from the environment was developed. MME technology was first used to enrich rapidly growing active bacteria in the environment. Subsequently, MSC technology was applied to isolate and incubate functional bacterial communities in situ and validate the degradation ability of individual bacteria. As a result, this study has changed the order of traditional pure culture methods, which are first selected and then cultured, and provided a new method for obtaining non-culturable functional microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities have released numerous environmental pollutants, posing significant risks to ecological systems and human health. Toxicity assessment of environmental pollutants generally contains several principal aspects, i.e., toxicity levels, mechanisms and origins. Conventional toxicity assays can only address one of the mentioned criteria, e.g., toxicity level quantification by physicochemical methods and toxicity mechanism characterization by molecular-based analytical approaches. A comprehensive ecotoxicity risk assessment is increasingly demanded to diagnose toxicity levels, identify toxicity mechanisms and source-apportion toxicity origin. This review critically summarizes conventional toxicity assays for environmental pollutants and proposes a biosensor-biospectroscopy coupling (BBC) based test battery approach to achieve the quantification and source-appointment of ecotoxicity. It shows adequate abilities to interrogate the toxicity levels and mechanisms, distinguish the synergistic and antagonistic effects of multiple pollutants, and source-apportion the toxicities, which can be potentially incorporated into real-time water quality monitoring systems for wastewater treatment plants, on-site devices for long-term evaluation of remediation performance at contaminated sites retrospectively, or rapid risk assessment of contaminants in multiple environmental matrices for emergency response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial degraders play crucial roles in wastewater treatment processes, but their use is limited as most microbes are yet unculturable. Stable isotope probing (SIP) is a cultivation-independent technique identifying functional-yet-uncultivable microbes in ambient environment, but is unsatisfactory for substrates with low assimilation rate owing to the low isotope incorporation into DNA. In this study, we used acetonitrile as the target low-assimilation chemical in many wastewater treatment plants and attempted to identify the active acetonitrile degraders in the activated sludge, via DNA-SIP and magnetic-nanoparticle mediated isolation (MMI) which is another cultivation-independent approach without the requirement of substrate labeling. The two approaches identified different active acetonitrile degraders in a 3-day short-term anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX). MMI enriched significantly more acetonitrile-degraders than SIP, showing the advantages in identifying the active degraders for low-assimilation substrates. Sequencing batch reactor (SBR, 30-day degradation) helped in more incorporation of 15N-labeled acetonitrile into the active degraders, thus the same acetonitrile-degraders and acetonitrile-degrading genes were identified by SIP and MMI. Different acetonitrile degraders between ANAMMOX and SBR were attributed to the distinct hydrological conditions. Our study for the first time explored the succession of acetonitrile-degraders in wastewater and identified the active acetonitrile-degraders which could be further enriched for enhancing acetonitrile degradation performance. These findings provide new insights into the acetonitrile metabolic process in wastewater treatment plants and offer suggestive conclusions for selecting appropriate treatment strategy in wastewater management. Unlabelled Image • First study identifying the active acetonitrile-degraders via SIP and MMI • Higher efficiency isolating low-assimilation chemical degraders by MMI than SIP • Different acetonitrile-degraders in short-term ANAMMOX and long-term SBR [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]