Search

Objective: PD-L1, a target of immune checkpoint blockade, has been proven to take the role of an oncogene in most human tumors. However, the role of PD-L1 in human pan-cancers has not yet been fully investigated. Materials and methods: Pan-cancer analysis was conducted to analyze expression, genetic alterations, prognosis analysis, and immunological characteristics of PD-L1. Estimating the correlation between PD-L1 expression and survival involved using pooled odds ratios and hazard ratios with 95% CI. The Kaplan–Meier (K-M) technique, COX analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to the survival analysis. Additionally, we investigated the relationships between PD-L1 and microsatellite instability (MSI), tumor mutational burden (TMB), DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), the associated genes of mismatch repair (MMR), and immune checkpoint biomarkers using Spearman's correlation analysis. Also, immunohistochemical analysis and qRT-PCR were employed in evaluating PD-L1's protein and mRNA expression in pan-caner. Results: PD-L1 showed abnormal mRNA and protein expression in a variety of cancers and predicted prognosis in cancer patients. Furthermore, across a variety of cancer types, the aberrant PD-L1 expression was connected to the MSI, MMR, TMB, drug sensitivity, and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Moreover, PD-L1 was significantly correlated with infiltrating levels of immune cells (T cell CD8 + , neutrophil, and so on). Conclusion: Our study provides a better theoretical basis and guidance for the clinical treatment of PD-L1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. NKG2A (KLRC1) belongs to the NKG2 family, which has been shown to affect the activity of natural killer (NK) cells and CD8T cells. However, a comprehensive biological analysis and exploration of NKG2A in different cancers is lacking and this needs to be further investigated. Methods. A comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of NKG2A was performed based on multiple databases. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype–Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases were used to analyze the expression profile of NKG2A in pan-cancer. The relevance of NKG2A to the prognosis of different cancers was assessed using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. In addition, we explored the correlation between NKG2A expression and gene mutations, pathological staging, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs), DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) genes, tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), mismatch repair (MMR), and immune checkpoints (ICPs). Finally, the expression levels of NKG2A in several cancer cell lines were verified by qRT-PCR. Results. Pan-cancer comprehensive analysis showed that NKG2A expression levels were significantly different between multiple cancers and corresponding normal tissues. The differential expression of NKG2A was related to the prognosis and pathological staging of patients with multiple cancers, and was closely related to the excessive infiltration of immune cells and the regulation of ICP genes in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In addition, TMB, MSI, MMR, and DNMT genes in many cancer types are also affected by NKG2A expression. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed that NKG2A was associated with multiple immune-related functions and pathways in malignant tumors. qRT-PCR results showed that NKG2A was underexpressed in liver, gastric, and colon cancer cell lines compared to normal cells, which was consistent with bioinformatics analysis. Conclusion. The present study suggests that NKG2A may be a potential predictive biomarker for cancer immune response and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Silkworms have remarkable protein synthesis ability, which is favored by biomaterials and biomedicine researchers. The silk gland is the most concerned target tissue of sericulture. Many studies have focused on introducing exogenous functional fibrin genes into the silkworm genome, and have obtained biomedical proteins with good biological activity and multifunctional silk fibers with special properties using the silk gland bioreactor. However, the silk gland of transgenic silkworms often suffers from low vitality, stunting and other problems, and the reasons are still unknown; the biosafety of transgenic silkworms is also unknown. Therefore, we studied the effect of the recombinant Ser3 ectopic gene expressed in the posterior silk gland on hemolymph melanization and metabolism in silkworms. The results showed that although the mutant had normal vitality in normal environments, hemolymph metabolism and immunity were significantly affected. Therefore, the results have positive significance to promote the safe assessment and development of genetically modified organisms. The transgenesis of silkworms is an important way to innovate genetic resources and silk function. However, the silk-gland (SG) of transgenic silkworms, which is the most concerned target tissue of sericulture, often suffers from low vitality, stunting and other problems, and the reasons are still unknown. This study trans engineered recombinant Ser3, a middle silk gland (MSG) specific expression gene, in the posterior silk gland (PSG) of the silkworm, and studied hemolymph immune melanization response changes in mutant pure line SER (Ser3+/+). The results showed that although the mutant had normal vitality, the melanin content and phenoloxidase (PO) activity in hemolymph related to humoral immunity were significantly reduced, and caused significantly slower blood melanization and weaker sterilization ability. The mechanism investigation showed that the mRNA levels and enzymatic activities of phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine decarboxylase (DDC) in the melanin synthesis pathway in mutant hemolymph, as well as the transcription levels of the PPAE, SP21 and serpins genes in the serine protease cascade were significantly affected. Moreover, the total antioxidant capacity, superoxide anion inhibition capacity and catalase (CAT) level related to the redox metabolic capacity of hemolymph were significantly increased, while the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR), as well as the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and glutathione (GSH), were significantly decreased. In conclusion, the anabolism of melanin in the hemolymph of PSG transgenic silkworm SER was inhibited, while the basic response level of oxidative stress was increased, and the hemolymph immune melanization response was decreased. The results will significantly improve the safe assessment and development of genetically modified organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The immunological checkpoint known as Inducible T Cell Costimulatory Factor (ICOS, Cluster of Differentiation, CD278) is activated and expressed on T cells. Both somatic cells and antigen-presenting cells expressed its ligand, ICOSL (including tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment).It is important for immunosuppression. Uncertainty surrounds the function of ICOS in tumor immunity. Methods: Several bioinformatics techniques were employed by us to thoroughly examine the expression and prognostic value of ICOS in 33 cancers based on data collected from TCGA and GTEx. In addition, ICOS was explored with pathological stage, tumor-infiltrating cells, immune checkpoint genes, mismatch repair (MMR) genes, DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), microsatellite instability (MSI),and tumor mutation burden (TMB).In addition,To ascertain the level of ICOS expression in various cells, qRT-PCR was employed. Results: The findings revealed that ICOS expression was up regulation in most cancer types. The high expression of ICOS in tumor samples was related to the poor prognosis of UVM and LGG; The positive prognosis was boosted by the strong expression of ICOS in OV, SARC, SKCM, THYM, UCEC, and HNSC. The result is that the expression of malignancy was revealed by the immune cells' invasion.profile of ICOS in different types of cancer. Different ways that ICOS expression is connected to immune cell infiltration account for variations in patient survival. Additionally, the TMB, MSI, MMR, and DNMT genes as well as ICOS expression are linked in many cancer types.The results of PCR showed that it is highly expressed in gastric, breast, liver and renal cell carcinoma cell lines compared with normal cells. Conclusion: This study suggests that ICOS may be a potential tumor immunotherapy target and prognostic marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, Co-doped Na3V2-xTix(PO4)2F3(NVTPF x = 0, 0.1, 0.5, 0.7) sodium ion battery anode material was prepared by one-step hydrothermal method and it was coated with graphene. The crystal structure and morphology of NVTPF cathode material were characterized by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer. The results show that the particle diameter of the sample becomes smaller and the shape gradually becomes regular with the increase of Ti doping amount. The graphene coating did not change the crystal structure of NVTPF, but it was helpful to improve its electrochemical performance. The substitution of Ti4+ for V3+ contributes to improve the electronic conductivity and diffusion coefficient of sodium ions, reduce the charge transfer impedance, and accelerate the reaction kinetics of NVTPF electrode, thus significantly improving the cycling stability of NVTPF electrode. Among the four groups of materials, Na3v1.5Ti0.5(PO4)2F3 has the best electrochemical performance. At 1C, the specific capacity of initial discharge is 53.4 mAh/g, and the capacity retention rate of 35 cycles is 72.3%. The graphene coated NVTPF has a discharge capacity of 125.9mAh/g for the first cycle and 44.8mAh/g for 35 cycles at 1C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses, the most abundant life form on Earth, are key regulators of microbial cellular and community properties. They can drive substantial microbial mortality (killing large proportions of microbial cells in the environment each day) and have profound effects on biogeochemical cycles. Recent studies suggest that viruses are a central member of soil trophic networks and can function across a wide range of spatial scales, thereby having critical roles in terrestrial ecosystem services. However, soil viral ecology research is still in its infancy stages, and it remains challenging to systematically assess the role of viruses in soil food webs and ecosystem function. With an urgent need to increase soil ecosystem productivity and sustainability, interpreting the ecological function of soil viruses presents major opportunities for better understanding critical soil ecosystem processes. In this work, we propose new perspectives of studying the function of soil viruses under an ecosystem services framework, which revolves around fundamentals of virus-host interactions, methodology for studying soil viral ecology, virus-driven shifts in microbial communities, impacts of soil viruses on ecosystem functionality and livelihood, and viral responses to a changing climate. • Fundamental study of soil virosphere has been overlooked. • Experimental evidence of soil viruses affecting ecological processes is urgently needed. • Systematically assessing the function of soil viruses requires technical innovations. • The ecological role of soil virosphere under global change is an emerging knowledge gap. • Incorporating soil viruses into soil ecosystem services framework is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Although combination therapies have substantially improved the clinical outcomes of cancer patients, the prognosis and early diagnosis remain unsatisfactory. As a result, it is critical to look for novel indicators linked to cancer. Despite a number of recent studies indicating that the lncRNA brain cytoplasmic RNA1(BCYRN1) may be a potential predictive biomarker in cancer patients, BCYRN1's prognostic value is still being debated. Methods. We utilized PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library to search for studies related to BCYRN1 until October 2021. Valid data were extracted after determining the articles according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and forest plots were made using Stata software. We used hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals to evaluate the relationship between abnormal BCYRN1 expression and patient prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics. Results. Meta-analysis revealed that increased BCYRN1 expression was associated with both overall tumor survival (OS; HR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.51–2.25, p < 0.0001) and disease-free survival (DFS; HR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.20–2.26, p = 0.002). Furthermore, a strong association was discovered between increased BCYRN1 expression and tumor invasion depth (OR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.49–2.99, p = 0.000), clinical stage (OR = 2.52, 95% CI 1.18–5.37, p = 0.017), and distant tumor metastasis (OR = 4.19, 95% CI 1.45–12.05, p = 0.008). Conclusions. We found that high BCYRN1 expression was associated with poor survival prognosis and aggressive clinicopathological characteristics in various cancers, indicating that it is a potential prognostic indicator as well as a therapeutic target. Further research is needed on pan-cancer cohorts to determine the clinical relevance of BCYRN1 in distinct cancer types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: The molecular mechanisms underlying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated cell division cycle‐associated 3 (CDCA3) expression status and characterized a CDCA3‐related long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) in HCC. Methods: RT‐qPCR and western blot were used to determine CDCA3 expression level in HCC clinical specimens. 5′ and 3′‐RACE, RNAscope, RNA pull‐down, CRISPR/Cas9‐based RNA immunoprecipitation (CRIP) and site‐directed mutation experiments were used to characterize lncCDCA3L and investigate its function target. Chi‐square test and Kaplan–Meier analysis were used to assess lncCDCA3L clinical significance. The effects of lncCDCA3L on HCC development were assessed by overexpression in vitro and in vivo. Results: In this study, we found CDCA3 was a potential oncogenic factor in HCC and characterized the lncCDCA3L, which could inhibit CDCA3. LncCDCA3L is significantly downregulated in HCC and its expression level is associated with tumour size and can act as an independent risk factor affecting postoperative survival time in HCC patients. Mechanistically, lncCDCA3L can repress CDCA3 protein level and inhibit hepatocarcinogenesis by directly binding to CDCA3 mRNA at 1423–1455 region via a novel manner based on a hairpin structure motif. Conclusions: Our study collectively unveiled the molecular mechanisms of how lncCDCA3L repressed the tumourigenic properties of HCC cells and exhibited a tumour suppressor character in HCC in a CDCA3‐dependent manner. The findings here support lncCDCA3L can be used as a candidate prognostic biomarker for HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowering means that the plant enters the reproductive growth stage, which is a crucial stage in the plant life cycle. Delaying flowering time to prolong vegetative growth is an important method to increase biomass yield and saccharification efficiency in switchgrass, It is of great significance to study the molecular mechanism of plant flowering and regulate the process of plant flowering in the process of biomass production. In this study, we identified 55 serine/threonine-protein kinase genes related to flower development from the switchgrass transcriptome database. Simultaneously, we cloned one of them, PvSTK1 , whose expression level and differential fold were significantly higher than other members. PvSTK1 is located on chromosome 8N and its protein was in the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. The spatio-temporal expression analysis of the PvSTK1 in switchgrass displayed that the PvSTK1 is crucial in vegetative period, however, not in the transition to reproductive period. Overexpression of PvSTK1 in Arabidopsis resulted in down-regulation of flower-promoting genes and up-regulation of flower-suppressing genes, thereby delaying flowering. In addition, PvSTK1 caused atrophy of the ovules of the florets at the base of the inflorescence, leading to sterility of the florets. The function of PvSTK1 is to inhibit the development of floral organs, and its overexpression can prolong its vegetative period. In the future, overexpression of the PvSTK1 gene in switchgrass will change the flowering time and increase yield and utilization efficiency of biomass. • A serine/threonine-protein kinase gene, PvSTK1 , related to flower development was cloned. • Overexpression of PvSTK1 gene in Arabidopsis causes delayed flowering and floret sterility. • PvSTK1 is involved in the regulation of the photoperiod, vernalization, and autonomous pathway gene networks. • PvSTK1 makes Arabidopsis florets sterile by affecting ovule rather than anther development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methanogenic processes have great potential in the sustainable treatment of organic wastes with the production of methane as a renewable source of energy. However, the broader application of methanogenic processes has been hindered by process instability frequently encountered during fluctuations in operational conditions. The accumulation of organic acids, particularly propionate, is considered to be an important cause of process instability. Therefore, to gain an understanding of microbial responses during process instability, it is imperative to identify microbial populations involved in the utilization of elevated levels of propionate. In this study, microbial community analysis showed that bacterial populations from the orders of Syntrophobacterales and Clostridiales were the primary syntrophic partners in anaerobic conversion of propionate. Archaeal populations associated with Methanosaeta and Methanoculleus dominated the propionate-degrading communities enriched in methanogenic batch bioreactors. The involvement of Methanosaeta and Methanoculleus in anaerobic conversion of propionate was further supported by the close correspondence between elevated propionate and increased population abundance of Methanosaeta and Methanoculleus in continuous anaerobic digesters treating animal waste. Subsequent testing using additional methanogenic batch bioreactors revealed that the dominance of Methanosaeta and Methanoculleus populations was linked to the anaerobic degradation of elevated levels of propionate and butyrate, but not the conversion of formate, acetate, or methanol into methane. The identification of microbial populations specifically linked to anaerobic conversion of elevated propionate in this study provided much needed insight for the understanding of microbial processes relevant to process stability in methanogenic waste treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compressible, hydrophobic, and photothermal plant fiber sponge is developed by a simple and efficient physical foaming strategy combined with in-situ vapor and thermal reduction treatment. With favorable hydrophobicity, compressibility, and photothermal conversion capacity, the sponges can be used as an absorbent for high-efficient cleanup of viscous crude oil spill. [Display omitted] • A physical foaming strategy combined with vapor and thermal reduction strategy is developed for preparing hydrophobic plant fiber sponges. • The sponges possess good hydrophobicity, compressibility, photothermal conversion capacity, and high oil absorptive capacity. • The sponges are ideal self-heating absorbent for viscous crude oil spill cleanup. Developing solar-assisted self-heating hydrophobic absorbents for efficient cleanup of viscous crude oil spills is attracting attention. However, using a simple, environment-friendly, and scalable fabrication approach to prepare solar-heating absorbent remains a big challenge. Due to the viscosity of crude oil can enormously decrease with increasing temperature, the self-heating absorbent which can in-situ raise the temperature to decrease the viscosity of crude oil shows potential application in accelerating the absorption and recovery of crude oil. Here, a hydrophobic and photothermal reduced graphene oxide and hexamethyldisilane synergistically modified plant fiber sponge (PFS@rGO@HMDS) is developed by an easy and efficient mechanical foaming strategy combined with in-situ vapor and thermal reduction treatment. The obtained PFS@rGO@HMDS exhibits good hydrophobicity (135° in water contact angle), excellent mechanical compressibility and durability, high solar absorption (>97.84 %), and oil absorptive capacity (27.3–52.0 g/g). Benefiting from the excellent photothermal conversion capacity, the surface temperature at the equilibrium of PFS@rGO@HMDS can reach 71.2 °C under 1 sun irradiation to reduce the viscosity of crude oil and realize the rapid crude oil spill remediation. The PFS@rGO@HMDS also can be used in a continual absorbent system to accomplish the ongoing and quick repair of viscous oil spills from the seawater surface, showcasing its enormous potential for use in huge-scale oil spill clean-up and recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Co-doped Na3V2−xCox(PO4)2F3(x = 0,0.1,0.5,0.7) sodium ion battery anode material was prepared by one-step hydrothermal method, and Na3V1.5Co0.5(PO4)2F3 anode material coated with graphene was also prepared. It is confirmed that moderate Co2+ doping can improve the electrochemical performance of NVPF. Among all samples, Na3V1.5Co0.5(PO4)2F3@Graphene shows the best rate and cycle performance. It exhibits the highest specific capacity of 91.5 and 48.8 mAh/g at 1C, respectively when x = 0.5, after coating graphene, the charge-discharge specific capacities of 1C cycle are 128.2 mAh/g and 63.5 mAh/g for the first time, and 62.2 mAh/g and 45.1 mAh/g for 45 weeks.The performance results show that the excellent electrochemical performance of Na3V1.5Co0.5(PO4)2F3@Graphene can be attributed to the increase in electronic conductivity and ion diffusion coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ferroelectric, lead-free perovskite sodium bismuth titanate-barium titanate (BNT-BT) has excellent electrical performance and is now recognized as a possible alternative material for lead zirconate titanate (PZT). It can be doped with some active elements to form a solid solution with a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), where the solid solution has high dielectric properties and high energy storage performance. In this paper, the research results of BNT-BLT, BNT-BLZT, BNT-BSLZT, BNT-BMNLT and BNT-BST-KNN ceramic materials are summarized, and the influence of their doping mode on the phase structure and electrical properties are analyzed. The study found a rhombohedral and tetragonal phase coexistence region, where the tolerance factor value of ceramics is between 0.7530 and 0.7803. Moreover, the energy storage density of antiferroelectric ceramics increases with the expansion of the MPB region and is affected by the dielectric constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[(Bi1/2Na1/2)0.92Ba0.05La0.02](Mg1/3Nb2/3)xTi(1-0.5x)O3(BNT-BLMNT, x = 0.01, 0.03,0.05,0.07) lead-free anti-ferroelectric ceramics were synthesized by a conventional solid-state. The effects of B-doped Mg4Nb2O9 groups on phase structures, compositional distribution and electrical properties of BNT-BLMNT ceramics were systematically investigated to further understand the mechanism of phase transition.It was found that the grain size of ceramic materials tends to decrease and the distribution becomes more uniform, indicating that Mg4Nb2O9 is conducive to the synthesis of ceramic materials in this system and effectively improves the grain size and distribution of this material with the increase of B-doped Mg4Nb2O9 group content. According to SEM and XRD analysis, Mg4Nb2O9 was completely dissolved in the ceramic crystal, forming a solid solution, all of which were of a single perovskite crystal structure.With the increase of it's content, the remnant polarization (Pr) decreased significantly, from 38.9 µC/cm2(x = 0.01) to 10.4 µC/cm2(x = 0.05), and the difference between the maximum polarization(Pmax) and the remnant polarization(Pr) became larger and larger, indicating that the addition of Mg and Nb elements increased the transition trend of the anti-ferroelectric phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1-x)Bi1/2Na1/2TiO3-xBa1/2Sr1/2TiO3-0.05KNaNbO3(BNT-BST-KNN, x = 0.01, 0.03,0.05,0.07) lead-free anti-ferroelectric ceramics were synthesized by a conventional solid-state. The effects of co-doping of Sr element and KNN group on phase structures, compositional distribution and electrical properties of BNT-BST-KNN ceramics were systematically investigated to further understand the mechanism of phase transition. It was found that the grain size decreased obviously, indicating that the addition of Sr element inhibited the grain growth. According to SEM and XRD analysis, the components of the samples obtained were all perovskite phase structure, and the coke free green stone was equal to other heterophases, indicating that K1+, Na1+, Nb4+ and Sr2+ ions successfully diffused into the crystal lattice of BiNaTiO3-BaTiO3 and formed a uniform solid solution. It shows that the doping of Sr element and KNN effectively promotes the transformation of trigonal phase to tetragonal phase. From the analysis results, the doping of Sr element and KNN effectively reduces the dielectric loss of the materials, and the dielectric property stability is greatly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[(Bi1/2Na1/2)0.94Ba0.06]0.97La0.02TiO3 (BNT-BLT) lead-free anti-ferroelectric ceramics were synthesized by a conventional solid-state.By analyzing TGA and DSC curves, the material should be calcined at about 800 °C. The effects of different milling time on the microstructure of the materials were also studied. Microstructures analysis and the calculation from the X-ray diffraction results reveal that the milling time of BNT-BLT ceramic should be controlled within a reasonable range, around 15 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of how to store/release gait energy with high efficiency for the conventional unpowered lower extremity exoskeletons, an unpowered lower-limb exoskeleton is proposed. In the current study, the human motion model is established, and the change rule and recovery/utilization mechanism of gait energy are illustrated. The stiffness and metabolic cost of relevant muscles in lower extremity joints are obtained based on OpenSim software. The results show that stiffness of muscle is increased when muscle concentric contraction generates positive work, but it is reverse when muscle eccentric contraction generates negative work. Besides, metabolic cost of the soleus, gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior decreased about 31.5%, 34.7%, and 40%, respectively. Metabolic cost of the rectus femoris, tensor fascia lata, and sartorius decreased about 36.3%, 7%, and 5%, respectively, and the total metabolic cost of body decreased about 15.5%, under the exoskeleton conditions. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the optimal design of unpowered lower extremity exoskeleton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented proliferation of mobile smart devices has propelled a promising computing paradigm, Mobile Crowd Sensing (MCS), where people share surrounding insight or personal data with others. As a fast, easy, and cost-effective way to address large-scale societal problems, MCS is widely applied into many fields, e.g., environment monitoring, map construction, public safety, etc. Despite the popularity, the risk of sensitive information disclosure in MCS poses a serious threat to the participants and limits its further development in privacy-sensitive fields. Thus, the research on privacy protection in MCS becomes important and urgent. This paper targets the privacy issues of MCS and conducts a comprehensive literature research on it by providing a thorough survey. We first introduce a typical system structure of MCS, summarize its characteristics, propose essential requirements on privacy on the basis of a threat model. Then, we survey existing solutions on privacy protection and evaluate their performances by employing the proposed requirements. In essence, we classify the privacy protection schemes into four categories with regard to identity privacy, data privacy, attribute privacy, and task privacy. Besides, we review the achievements on privacy-preserving incentives in MCS from four viewpoints of incentive measures: credit incentive, auction incentive, currency incentive, and reputation incentive. Finally, we point out some open issues and propose future research directions based on the findings from our survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) is the most common reason for a drug to be withdrawn from the market. Apart from stopping the offending drug, no regimens are available for treating idiosyncratic DILI in clinical practice. Methods: We carried out a randomized, double‐blind, multidoses, active drug controlled, multicentre phase II trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the study drug, magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG), as compared to tiopronin, a standard therapy for DILI in China. The primary outcome was the proportion of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization at week 4 after study drug administration. Logistic regression was used to examine the odds of ALT normalization between low dose (Group A) and high dose (Group B) vs active control (Group C). Results: One hundred and seventy‐four eligible subjects were randomized and enrolled into three groups: 59 in group A, 56 in group B and 59 in group C. It was shown that group A and group B lowered ALT level even at early stage of study drug administration; when compared with Group C (61.02%), the proportions of ALT normalization at week 4 were significantly greater in Group A (84.75%, P = .0029) and Group B (85.71%, P = .0037) respectively. The results from the univariate logistic model showed that the odds of ALT normalized among subjects in Group A were about 3.6 times greater (OR = 3.55, 95% CI: 1.47‐8.57, P = .0049) than subjects in Group C. Similar effect was observed among subjects in Group B (OR = 3.83, 95% CI: 1.54‐9.55, P = .0039). Conclusions: This trial provided preliminary evidence that MgIG is an effective and safe treatment for patients with acute DILI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methacrylate functional monomers containing polymerisable double bonds and sulphhydryl group were synthesised using (methyl) hydroxyethyl (propyl) acrylate and mercaptopropionic acid as precursors with benzene (toluene, ethyl acetate, ether) as solvent and aqueous agent, p-toluene sulphonic acid as catalyst, hydroquinone as polymerisation inhibitor. The yield of methacrylate functional monomers was more than 90%. The structure and purity of methacrylate functional monomers was characterised by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The precursor material source is of low cost and widely available, and the product did not need to be purified by a special method, which means that it can be directly used for the synthesis of vinyl branched polymer. Therefore, the price of vinyl branched polymer can be greatly reduced and the application range of vinyl branched polymer can be greatly expanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ETU exposure at environmental relevant concentrations triggered neurobehavioral toxicity in zebrafish. • ETU exposure altered locomotive behavior, axon growth and neuromuscular junction in larval zebrafish. • ETU induced phenotype changes via the activation of MAPK signaling pathway and the downregulation of presynaptic proteins. Ethylene thiourea (ETU) converted from ethylene bisdithiocarbamate (EBDC) fungicides has aroused great concern because of its prevalence and harmful effects. Although ETU-induced neurotoxicity has been reported, the potential mechanisms remain unclear. This study provided insights into its neurotoxic effects at environmentally relevant concentrations in zebrafish. Our findings showed that embryonic exposure to ETU decreased the hatch rate and delayed somite development. Furthermore, ETU treatment significantly reduced the dark velocity in the locomotion assay. The upregulated tendency of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway (mknk1, atf4, mapkapk3) screened by transcriptome analysis implied motor neuron degeneration, which was validated by subsequent morphological observation, as axon length and branches were truncated in the 62.5 µg/L ETU group. However, although the rescue experiment with a p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) successfully ameliorated axon degeneration, it failed to reverse the locomotion behaviors. Further exploration of transcriptome data revealed the varied expression of presynaptic scaffold protein-related genes (pcloa, pclob, bsna), whose downregulation might impair the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Therefore, we reasonably suspected that ETU-induced neurobehavioral deficits might result from the combined effects of the MAPK pathway and presynaptic proteins. Considering this, we highlighted the necessity to take precautions and early interventions for susceptible ETU-exposed populations. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis is recognized as a sign of cancer and facilitates cancer progression and metastasis. Suppression of angiogenesis is a desirable strategy for gastric cancer (GC) management. In this study, we showed a novel role of gastrin in angiogenesis of GC. We observed that treatment with gastrin 17 (G17) increased the proliferation of AGS cells and enhanced tube formation during normoxia and hypoxia. The expression level of VEGF were increased by G17 treatment as well. Experiments on the mechanism showed that G17 promoted HIF-1α expression, which subsequently enhanced β-catenin nuclear localization and activation of TCF3 and LEF1 and finally resulted in angiogenesis by upregulating VEGF. An in vivo experiment confirmed that G17 enhanced GC cell proliferation and angiogenesis in the resultant tumor. In conclusion, our findings indicate that gastrin promotes angiogenesis via activating HIF-1α/β-catenin/VEGF axis in GC. • Gastrin promotes proliferation of GC cells and angiogenesis under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. • Gastrin promotes angiogenesis through the β-catenin/VEGF pathway in the normoxic condition. • Gastrin promotes angiogenesis via the HIF-1α/β-catenin/VEGF pathway under hypoxia. • Gastrin promotes GC cell proliferation and angiogenesis during hypoxia in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guajadial, one of natural dialdehyde meroterpenoids, demonstrated significant antineoplasmic activity. The present research was to investigate the inhibitory effects of guajadial by using two NSCLC cells (A549 and H1650) proliferation and migration. Western blotting was employed to explore the underlying mechanisms of VEGF receptor (VEGFR)2-mediated. This research indicated that guajadial not only inhibited endothelial cell proliferation and migration but also suppress tumor growth in human NSCLC xenograft mouse models. It is also suggested that guajadial inhibited A549 proliferation via blocking the Ras/MAPK pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High Intensity D–T fusion Neutron Generator (HINEG), developed by Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology (INEST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)•FDS Team, is an essential platform for advanced nuclear energy systems, which can be used for researches on nuclear technology and safety including the validation of neutronic method and software, validation and measurement of nuclear data, radiation shielding and protection, material irradiation damage and activation, neutronic performance of components, etc. In addition, the application of HINEG can be extended to nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, neutron imaging and other nuclear technology applications. A full-digital multidimensional redundancy control for HINEG system has been implemented by full-digital hardware of the Server/Client mode, and software infrastructure of data acquisition and process control designed by modular and multidimensional redundancy method. Either local users or remote users can execute all authorized control function by unified interface under the condition of radiation, ultra-high voltage and complex electromagnetic environment. With the application of HINEG Control System (HINEG CS), it is the first time for the neutron generator control system to realize full-digital and multidimensional redundancy control which can improve the reliability of neutron generator. HINEG CS has successfully been realized on HINEG, furthermore stability, reliability and good scalability have been well verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[(Bi1/2Na1/2)0.94Ba0.06](1–1.5x)LaxTiO3(BNT-BLT, x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06) lead-free anti-ferroelectric ceramics were synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction method. The microstructure and the electrical properties of BNT-BLT were investigated. The X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the BNT-BLT ceramic is constituted by a single perovskite structure phase. The average grain size of the ceramic samples gradually decreases with increasing La content, reducing the ferroelectric properties of the material and enhancing its anti-ferroelectric properties. TheP-Ehysteresis loops of BNT-BLT ceramics at an electric field of 36 kV/cm indicate that both the saturation polarization (Ps) and the remnant polarization (Pr) decrease as the La doping increases. These properties indicate that BNT-BLZT ceramics are a promising lead-free anti-ferroelectric material for applications in energy-storage capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

[(Bi1/2Na1/2)0.92Ba0.05La0.02][SnxZr(0.95-x)Ti0.05]O3(BNT-BLSZT, x = 0, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09) lead-free ferroelectric ceramics synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction method exhibit high crystallinity and high density at 1150°C. The microstructure and the electrical properties of BNT-BLSZT were investigated. The X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the BNT-BLSZT ceramic is constituted by a single perovskite structure phase. The average grain size of the ceramic samples slightly increases with increasing Sn content, TheP-Ehysteresis loops of BNT-BLZST ceramics at 50 kV/cm indicate that both the saturation polarization (Ps) and the remnant polarization (Pr) decrease with increasing Sn-doping. It shows that Sn-doping is useful to improve energy storage density of the ceramics. These properties indicate that BNT-BLZST ceramics are a promising lead-free anti-ferroelectric material for applications in energy-storage capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Atomic-scale mechanochemistry is realized from force exerted by a C60-functionalized scanning tunneling microscope tip. Two conformers of tin phthalocyanine can be prepared on coinage-metal surfaces. A transition between these conformers is induced on Cu(111) and Ag(100). Density-functional calculations reveal details of this reaction. Because of the large energy barrier of the reaction and the strong interaction of SnPc with Cu(111), the process cannot be achieved by electrical means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomic-scale mechanochemistry is realized from force exerted by a C60-functionalized scanning tunneling microscope tip. Two conformers of tin phthalocyanine can be prepared on coinage-metal surfaces. A transition between these conformers is induced on Cu(111) and Ag(100). Density-functional calculations reveal details of this reaction. Because of the large energy barrier of the reaction and the strong interaction of SnPc with Cu(111), the process cannot be achieved by electrical means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper proposes a novel concept and methodology to study longitudinal wave propagation in entangled metallic wire material (EMWM), a porous structural network consisting of spatial helix wires. The numerical model of EMWM is constructed using representative volume elements (RVE) obtained through X-ray tomography and skeletonization of a standard specimen. By increasing the approximate periodic boundary, the improved wave and finite ele-ment method (WFE) is employed to model EMWM as approximately periodic structures, allowing for numerical simulations of wave propagation characteristics. Frequency bands and resonance modes of EMWM are calculated to analyze the characteristics of one-dimensional wave propagation. The numerical results show that EMWM exhibits unique frequency band characteristics compared to typical periodic porous materials. In the frequency range of 15 to n n 35 kHz, the first pass band corresponds to the tensile-compressive motion of the entire specimen, while the higher pass bands correspond to localized vibrations within the spatial wires. Additionally, the frequency bands can be adjusted across a wide range based on the relative density of EMWM specimens. The improved WFE method and obtained numerical data can facilitate the application of EMWM on high frequency vibration isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This communication presents the complete design of a circularly polarized (CP) folded reflectarray (FRA) antenna with an integrated planar structure for the first time in the open literature. To achieve circularly polarized, a printed meander-line polarizer is designed and integrated with the linearly polarized (LP) FRA. To achieve a low-profile planar structure, an integrated $2 \times 2$ planar array is designed as the feed source instead of a horn. Thus, the whole antenna, including the feed source, LPFRA, and meander-line polarizer, can be fully integrated and fabricated using low-cost printed circuit board technology. To validate the concept, a right-handed CPFRA operating in C-band is designed, fabricated, and measured. The broadside axial ratio (AR) of the proposed CPFRA is lower than 1 dB over a bandwidth from 5.22 to 5.46 GHz. In addition, the maximum gain of 22.8 dBic is obtained at 5.38 GHz with the antenna efficiency of 27%. The antenna is promising for applications in satellite communication due to advantages of low profile, easy fabrication, low cost, and high gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Bi0.46Na0.46Ba0.05La0.02)ZrxTi(1-x)O3(BNBLZT,x= 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07) lead-free anti-ferroelectric ceramics were synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction method. Microstructures and electrical properties of BNBLZT were investigated. Calculation from the X-ray diffraction results reveals that BNBLZT ceramic possesses a single perovskite structure phase. All BNBLZT ceramics show high density and the grain sizes decrease slightly with the addition of Zr concentration. In addition, theP-Ehysteresis loops measured at room temperature show that the largest energy-storage densityWmaxis 1.89 J/cm3. The temperature dependence of dielectric permittivity ϵrand dielectric loss tanδ illustrate that the addition of Zr can improve the piezoelectric properties of BNBLZT ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To investigate the association between preoperative plasma fibrinogen level and overall survival (OS) in a cohort of Chinese gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 1090 gastric cancer patients treated between January 2003 and December 2011 who were eligible for inclusion criteria. Plasma fibrinogen level was routinely measured before surgeries. The optional cut-off value for fibrinogen level was estimated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. OS was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curve. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were performed to determine correlations between preoperative plasma fibrinogen level and OS.Results: Enrolled subjects who returned for at least one follow-up visit had been followed for a median of 44.0 months (interquartile range, 62.0 months). An optimal cut-off value of 3.9g/L was determined for preoperative plasma fibrinogen level. Lymph node dissection method, tumor location, invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, differentiation, distant metastasis, CA199 and plasma fibrinogen level remained statistically significant with OS in multivariate analysis. Plasma fibrinogen level was significantly associated with age, tumor size, lymph node dissection method, invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage and CEA.Conclusions: Elevated preoperative plasma fibrinogen was independently associated with poor prognosis and may serve as a clinically useful biomarker for risk assessment and treatment choice in Chinese gastric cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mantle peridotites from modern supra-subduction zones (SSZs) are important windows through which we can investigate the geodynamic processes active in the subduction factory, but they are unfortunately rare and hard to access. Most ophiolitic peridotites stem from SSZ settings and are therefore good candidates to explore the water budget and deformation in mantle wedges. We present here an integrated study of the geochemistry, deformation microstructures and water contents of olivine and orthopyroxene from the Dongqiao harzburgites, central Tibet. These peridotites are characterized by an absence of interstitial clinopyroxene, the partial replacement of orthopyroxene by olivine, the highly magnesian olivine and chromium spinel, and remarkable LREE enrichments. These features suggest that the Dongqiao harzburgites are highly depleted and have undergone a high degree (~40 %) of partial melting, followed by infiltration of and interaction with melt while they were part of the mantle wedge. Olivine and orthopyroxene show prominent plastic deformation microstructures and have developed significant crystallographic preferred orientations (CPOs), suggestive of dislocation creep deformation. Fourier transform infrared analyses show that olivine is essentially dry, while orthopyroxene contains an average water content of 70 ± 14 wt ppm. We propose that orthopyroxene largely retains its in-situ water content from the mantle source, while olivine completely loses its water during emplacement. The orthopyroxene water contents fall into the lower end of the range observed in SSZ peridotites. We consider that the high degree of partial melting and the interaction with a water-undersaturated melt contribute to the relatively lower water contents in orthopyroxene from the Dongqiao harzburgites. Based on experimentally determined hydrogen partition coefficients between olivine and orthopyroxene, the water contents of olivine in the mantle source are calculated to be 7–9 wt ppm (or 114–147 ppm H/Si), which is consistent with the observed A-type CPOs in olivine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

0.96Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.04PbZrO3(PNN-PZ) ceramics prepared via columbite method exhibit high crystallinity and high density, typical relaxor behavior is demonstrated by the dielectric data. The high dielectric tunability (˜87%) and low dielectric loss (˜0.007) were obtained for PNN-PZ at room temperature around 30kV/cm and 1 kHz, at fields below 13kV/cm, a double-wells model work well between tunability and dc bias electric field, in contrast, at all fields, the thermodynamic model can do better in fitting the dielectric nonlinear tunability behavior of the PNN-PZ ceramics than the double-wells model. These properties indicate that PNN-PZ ceramics might be a promising candidate for tunable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Glioma is the most common and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have been verified to mediate diverse biological behaviors in various human cancers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore a novel circRNA termed circGNB1 and elucidate relative molecular mechanism in functional phenotypes, which might be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic approach for glioma. CircGNB1 was upregulated in glioma and closely associated with the low poor prognosis. Functional assays demonstrated that circGNB1 overexpression promoted glioma stem cells (GSCs) viability proliferation, invasion, and neurosphere formation. Mechanistically, circGNB1 upregulated the expression of oncogene XPR1 via sponging miR-515-5p and miR-582-3p. The following experiments proved XPR1 could promote the malignant phenotype of GSCs via upregulating IL6 expression and activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling. Moreover, the RNA binding protein IGF2BP3 could bind to and maintain the stability of circGNB1, thus promoting the effects of circGNB1 on GSCs. Our study reveals that circGNB1 plays a crucial role in promoting tumorigenesis and malignant progression in glioma, which provides a promising cancer biomarker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the response characteristics of wave propagation in entangled metallic wire materials (EMWMs) are investigated by acoustic emission. The frequency, amplitude of wave emission, and the pre-compression force of the specimen can be adjusted in the experimental setup. EMWM specimens fabricated from stainless steel wires and with different design parameters are tested in this work. The results show that waves of different amplitudes propagate in EMWMs with approximate linear characteristics and the fluctuation coefficient of wave passing ratios is calculated below 15%. The response spectrum of passing waves shows a distinct single-peak characteristic, with the peak response at approximately 14 kHz. The parameters of pre-compression force, porosity, wire diameter, helix diameter, specimen height, and the layered structure of specimens have no significant effect on the frequency characteristics but moderately affect the wave passing ratios. Notably, EMWMs exhibit a lower wave passing ratio (ranging from 0.01 to 0.18) compared to aluminum alloy and natural rubber. The characteristics of response spectrums can be successfully reproduced by the finite element simulation. This work demonstrates EMWMs' potential as an acoustic frequency vibration isolation material, offering excellent performance and engineering design convenience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractals, being 'exactly the same at every scale or nearly the same at different scales' as defined by Benoit B. Mandelbrot, are complicated yet fascinating patterns that are important in aesthetics, mathematics, science and engineering. Extended molecular fractals formed by the self-assembly of small-molecule components have long been pursued but, to the best of our knowledge, not achieved. To tackle this challenge we designed and made two aromatic bromo compounds (4,4″-dibromo-1,1′:3′,1″-terphenyl and 4,4‴-dibromo-1,1′:3′,1″:4″,1‴-quaterphenyl) to serve as building blocks. The formation of synergistic halogen and hydrogen bonds between these molecules is the driving force to assemble successfully a whole series of defect-free molecular fractals, specifically Sierpiński triangles, on a Ag(111) surface below 80 K. Several critical points that govern the preparation of the molecular Sierpiński triangles were scrutinized experimentally and revealed explicitly. This new strategy may be applied to prepare and explore various planar molecular fractals at surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) has the potential to progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or to promote type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, NASH and T2DM do not always develop coordinately. Additionally, there are no definite noninvasive methods for NASH diagnosis currently. We established rat models of NAFL, NASH, and NAFL + T2DM to recapitulate different phenotypes associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its progression. Histologic features of rat livers were scored according to criteria established by the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network. Microarray was performed to assess gene expression changes in rat livers. We find that gene expression of s100a9 was higher in NAFL group compared with control, and was increased in NASH groups and decreased in NAFL + T2DM group compared with NAFL. In contrast, srebf1, tbx21, and gimap4 only showed limited discriminating abilities in different groups. There is a significant positive correlation between serum levels of S100A9 and NAFLD Activity Score (NAS), the severity of hepatic steatosis, and lobular inflammation (r = 0.80, 0.64 and 0.86, P < 0.001). These findings suggest that S100A9 may be extremely useful in the diagnosis of NASH (AUROC: 0.947, CI: 0.845-1.049). Additionally, serum S100A9 levels displayed a strong correlation with ALT, AST and TBil (r = 0.81, 0.89 and 0.91, P < 0.001) but a weak correlation with FBG, HOMA-IR, TG, and TC (r = -0.41, -0.40, 0.47 and 0.49, P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results we provide here suggest that S100A9 may be useful as a biomarker for the hepatic and metabolic progression of NAFLD and the non-invasive diagnosis of NASH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-stent restenosis caused by tumor ingrowth increases the risk of secondary surgery for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) because conventional vascular stent grafts suffer from mechanical fatigue, thrombosis, and endothelial hyperplasia. For that, we report a woven vascular stent-graft with robust mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and drug delivery functions to inhibit thrombosis and the growth of AAA. Paclitaxel (PTX)/metformin (MET)-loaded silk fibroin (SF) microspheres were self-assembly synthesized by emulsification-precipitation technology and layer-by-layer coated on the surface of a woven stent via electrostatic bonding. The woven vascular stent-graft before and after coating drug-loaded membranes were characterized and analyzed systematically. The results show that small-sized drug-loaded microspheres increased the specific surface area and promoted the dissolution/release of drugs. The stent-grafts with drug-loaded membranes exhibited a slow drug-release profile more for than 70 h and low water permeability at 158.33 ± 17.56 mL/cm2·min. The combination of PTX and MET inhibited the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Therefore, it was possible to generate dual-drug-loaded woven vascular stent-grafts to achieve the more effective treatment of AAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Biochar (BC) amendment at rate <0.5% did not affect mineralization of 14C-catechol. [•] BC amendment significantly enhanced the 14C accumulation in earthworm body. [•] 14C-catecholic residues were stabilized in cast after gut passage of earthworms. [•] No additive or synergic effects of BC and earthworm on fate of catechol was found. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Steroid oestrogens are typical endocrine-disrupting compounds in the environment and are excreted from the human and animals mainly as conjugates, including sulfate and glucuronide salts. The oestrogen conjugates are largely biologically inactive, but they can be de-conjugated and release free oestrogens, which usually exhibit strong oestrogenicity. Therefore, it is important to study the fate of oestrogen conjugates in the environment. However, because of the complexity of environmental matrixes, time-consuming pre-treatments of samples are usually required to reduce the interference of the matrixes. 14C radioisotope can trace target substances and their degradation products at low concentrations in complex environmental samples and is therefore essential in such studies. We synthesized three oestrogen sulfates with 14C-labelling at the ring, i.e. [3-14C]-estrone-3-sulfate ammonium salt, [3-14C]-17β-estradiol-17-sulfate ammonium salt, and [3-14C]-17β-estradiol-3,17-disulfate diammonium salt with radiochemical purities of >98% by sulfation of [3-14C]-labelled estrone and 17β-estradiol in dry pyridine with SO3-triethylamine at room temperature or 90-95 °C, followed by hydrolysis with KOH-methanol solution and purification by preparative thin-layer chromatography on silica gel using an ammonia-containing eluent. The products were characterized by mass spectrometry and 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, using their corresponding non-labelled compounds. The 14C-labelled oestrogen conjugates provide possibilities for studying their fate in soil and sediment environments as well as in the animal manure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Energy-storage properties of [(Bi1/2Na1/2)0.94Ba0.06]La(1−x)Zr x TiO3 (BNT-BLZT, x=0, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06) lead-free anti-ferroelectric ceramics fabricated via the conventional sintering technique were first investigated. Calculation from the X-ray diffraction results reveals that BNT-BLZT ceramic possesses a single perovskite structure phase. In addition, the P–E hysteresis loops measured at room temperature show that the BNT-BLZT (x=0.02) ceramics obtain the maximum P value of 37.5μC/cm2 and the largest energy-storage density W max is 1.58J/cm3. The temperature dependence of dielectric permittivity ε r and dielectric loss tanδ illustrate that the addition of Zr can improve the piezoelectric properties of BT-BLZT ceramics. These properties indicate that BNT-BLZT ceramics might be a promising lead-free anti-ferroelectric material for energy storage application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Thelocal structures and 4f → 5d transition energies ofCe3+located on the two crystallographic strontium sitesof Sr3AlO4F, with charge compensation by meansof nearby sodium substitutions for strontium (NaSr′)or oxygen substitutions for coordinating fluorine (OF′),have been studied using the density functional theory (DFT) withinthe supercell model and the wave function-based embedded cluster calculations,respectively. The DFT total energy calculations show that Ce3+prefers strongly to occupy the eight-coordinated (Sr2) site overthe ten-coordinate (Sr1) site. On the basis of the results from embeddedcluster calculations at the CASPT2 level with the spin–orbiteffect, the experimentally observed excitation bands are identifiedin association with the charge-compensated cerium centers. Especially,the two bands observed at ∼404 and ∼440 nm have beenboth assigned to the Ce3+located at the Sr2 sites butwith compensation by one and two nearest-neighbor OF′substitutions, respectively, rather than to the Ce3+onthe Sr1 and the Sr2 sites, respectively, as proposed earlier. Furthermore,the structural and electronic reasons for the red shift of the lowest4f → 5d transition caused by coordinating OF′substitutions are analyzed in terms of the variations in centroidenergy and crystal-field splitting of the 5d1configurationwith the local environment. Finally, the thermal quenching of 5d luminescenceat relatively high Ce3+concentrations is discussed onthe basis of the electronic properties calculated with the hybridDFT method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report here a comprehensive investigation of mineral chemistry, water content and deformation features (including the crystallographic preferred orientation and dislocation substructures of olivine) of the Xugou garnet peridotite from the southern Sulu ultrahigh pressure (UHP) terrane. Our results suggest: (1) the Xugou garnet peridotite was equilibrated and deformed at high pressure (4.8–6.6 GPa) and relatively low temperature (810–930 °C) conditions. (2) In contrast to the pronounced shape-preferred orientations of olivine, pyroxene and garnet, electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) measurements show a weak C-type fabric in olivine, a strong (100)[001] fabric in clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene and a nearly random fabric in garnet, respectively. The deformation mechanism map suggests a dominant deformation mechanism of dislocation-accommodated grain boundary sliding (DisGBS) in olivine. (3) The trivial amount of water in olivine ( ), orthopyroxene ( ), clinopyroxene ( ) and garnet (dry) correspond to a water-poor deformation condition. We proposed that the C-type olivine fabric was generated by a dominant DisGBS with some contribution from diffusion creep at elevated pressures. Calculated seismic properties of the peridotite show the fastest P-wave velocity and the fast polarization direction of S-waves are oriented normal to the foliation plane and perpendicular to the lineation in the foliation plane, indicating that the C-type olivine fabric could also be a candidate to explain the observed strike-parallel faster S-wave polarization near trenches and in collisional orogenic belts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present the results of an experimental investigation of the influence of oxygen fugacity on the deformation of a partially molten spinel lherzolite using a 0.1MPa gas-media creep rig under temperatures of 1160–1190°C, stresses of 4–74MPa and well-controlled oxygen fugacities of 10−7 to 10−11 MPa. The partially molten spinel lherzolite was deformed by a dislocation-mediated creep process such as dislocation creep or dislocation-accommodated grain boundary sliding (DGBS) (n =3.5±0.3) as well as in the diffusion creep regime (n =1.2±0.2). The average oxygen fugacity exponent of lherzolite is 0.04±0.02, which is significantly smaller than the values measured for olivine single crystals (0.10–0.36) and dunite rocks (0.20) deformed by dislocation creep. We attribute the low oxygen fugacity exponent of partially molten lherzolite samples either to the operation of grain boundary sliding, if DGBS dominates the deformation, or to the presence of pyroxenes whose deformation has a weak or no dependency on oxygen fugacity, if dislocation creep dominates the deformation. In the latter case, the oxygen fugacity exponent decreases rapidly with decreasing volume fraction of olivine. The low oxygen fugacity exponent for our partially molten lherzolite samples implies that dislocation creep or DGBS of mantle peridotite will most likely be insensitive to variations of oxygen fugacity in the upper mantle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Frequent promoter hypermethylation of the inhibitors in either Rb or p53 pathways is associated with the hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC) development. Objective To quantitatively assess the gradual changes of the promoter methylation of p14 ARF, p15 INK4b, p16 INK4a and CCND2 genes in hepatitis B virus ( HBV) infection-related HCC. Methods A total of 118 pairs of tumour and their corresponding non-tumour tissues were collected from HCC patients with evidence of HBV infection. The promoter methylation status was analysed by combined DNA methylation-sensitive and methylation-dependent restriction endonuclease digestion, followed by subsequential quantitative PCR assay. Results Promoter hypermethylation frequencies were gradually increased from 6.25% in normal liver tissues to 21.19% in adjacent non-tumour and to 40.68% in tumour tissues for p16 INK4a ( P = 0.000), and from none to 10.20% and to 29.59% for CCND2 ( P = 0.001). The hypermethylation intensities in HCC tissues were also significantly increased ( P = 0.0018 for p16 INK4a, P = 0.0001 for CCND2). Altogether, 48.93% cases were found with increased hypermethylation intensity of either p16 INK4a and/or CCND2 promoter in tumour tissues, compared with their matched non-tumour tissues. In addition, tumour tissue p16 INK4a promoter hypermethylation was significantly higher in male than that in female gender patients in frequency ( P = 0.041) and was significantly increased in patients older than 50 years of age in intensity ( P = 0.0021). No hypermethylation of p14 ARF or p15 INK4b was found. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that from normal liver to the adjacent cirrhotic liver and to the HCC tissues, p16 INK4a hypermethylation was gradually increased both in frequency and in intensity, such increase might be gender and age related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cholestane-3β,5α,6β-triol is an extensively studied biologically important oxysterol. The full set of eight cholestane-3,5,6-triol stereoisomers was synthesised in diastereomerically pure forms by the stereoselective cleavage of eight diastereomerically pure 4,5-epoxycholestane-3,6-diols with LiAlH4, in high yields on multigram scales and without chromatography for most of them. However, applying various reportedly successful combinations of a hydride donor and a Lewis acid to the same substrates under a variety of conditions failed to generate a single unsubstituted cholestane-3,4,6-triol. The products of the eight cholestane-3,5,6-triol stereoisomers will serve as a good probe in the study of biological functions of oxysterols in a biological process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to study the surface structures of dry-prepared and di-chloroethane-treated HOPG samples. Both triangular and honeycomb structures were simultaneously observed with the same tip at room temperature around a strand (grain boundary) on the HOPG surface. This observation did not support the tip effect in STM imaging explanation for HOPG in literature. A general layer-sliding model was utilized to explain the experimental results: sliding of the HOPG topmost layer was used to explain the origins of the triangular and honeycomb structures, and molecule intercalation into inter-layer spacing between the first and second layers of HOPG induced inhomogeneous deformation of the HOPG topmost layer that accordingly generated the Moiré patterns of the HOPG sample in di-chloroethane. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents the synthesis, cytotoxic and mechanistic studies of alpha-arylidenecyclohex(pent)anone or alpha-arylcyclohexanine alpha-Mannich bases and their deoxo bisaryl cyclohex(pent)ene analogs. Reason for the design and synthesis of alpha-arylcyclohexanone compounds; Methods for the synthesis of alpha-phenylcyclohexanones; Mannich reactions with dimethylamine, pyrrolidine and piperidine.

A group of 1-alkylaminomethyl-2-aryl-3-arylidenecyclohex(pent)enes 3a-n with a 1-alkylaminomethyl-2,4-diaryl-1,3-butadiene fragment and a group of their congeners 3-alkylaminomethyl-1,2-diarylcyclohexene 7a-f have been synthesised for the first time. The conjugated system in 1-alkylaminomethyl-2-aryl-3-arylidenecyclohex(pent)enes 3a-n was unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Cytotoxicity tests revealed that 3a-n possess inconsistent cytotoxicity against cancer cells, not their congeners 7a-f. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]