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AbstractA large amount of pyrolysis residue is left in the coal seam after the in-situ pyrolysis of tar-rich coal, which contains rich heat energy. However, there are few numerical simulations on waste heat utilization from in-situ pyrolysis of tar-rich coal at present. This paper mainly focused on the temperature field distribution and heat transfer characteristics of the coal seam in the process of waste heat utilization of tar-rich coal in large spatial scale and over a long period. The effects of cooling medium type, cooling fluid velocity, cooling fluid temperature, fracture distribution and well pattern on temperature field distribution and heat transfer performance of tar-rich coal seam were analyzed by Fluent numerical simulation. The present study can offer theoretical guidance and technical support for large-scale utilization of residual heat from pyrolysis residue of tar-rich coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study identified potentially pivotal miRNAs contributing to chondrogenic differentiation in temporomandibular joint suffering abnormal stress. Materials and Methods: Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into control and experimental unilateral mastication (EUM) group. Bone micro‐structure parameters was detected by micro‐CT, and FGF‐1 and MMP‐1 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry. Differentially expressed miRNAs of bilateral condyle cartilage were screened via miRNA microarray at 4‐ and 8‐week EUM, then further verified using quantitative reverse‐transcription PCR. Over‐expression of five differentially expressed miRNAs in chondrocytes was triggered by transfecting miRNA mimics. The expression of MMP‐13, Col‐II, OPN, and Runx2 was verified by western blotting. Results: Expressions of FGF‐1 and MMP‐1 in right condyles gradually increased from 2 to 6 weeks after EUM. A total of 20 differentially expressed miRNAs were regulated by EUM, which related to cell proliferation, invasion, and osteoblast differentiation pathways. The over‐expression of miR‐148a‐3p and miR‐1‐3p led to down‐regulation of Col‐II, while MMP‐13 and Runx2 were up‐regulated by induction of hypotrophic differentiation or IL‐1β stimulation. These findings suggested that miR‐148a‐3p and miR‐1‐3p promote chondrogenic differentiation. Conclusions: Several pivotal miRNAs were found to be related to chondrogenic differentiation, which provides novel insight into pathogenic mechanisms of cartilage homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a distributed environmental energy harvesting device, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) inevitably encounter different and extreme application scenarios, such as environment with high temperature, high humidity, corrosion condition, frequent mechanical stimulus, and physical damages, which resulting in triboelectric performance degradation either by damaging device structure or reducing surface potential, and accelerating dissipation of surface bound charge. Therefore, tremendous efforts are dedicated to improving the TENG performance, enabling devices are competent in sustaining various challenging conditions. This review summarizes and highlights the latest research progress of strategy to achieve TENGs with high environmental adaptivity in three representative application fields of interfacial devices, wearable devices and implantable devices, aiming to gain insights in terms of material selection, structural design, preparation technology, working mode and integration strategy. The future development of the TENG would transform from static to dynamic device that possesses multifunction, high stability, autonomous response and actuation ability to adapt complex application environment. It is hoped that this review article could steer the development of environment‐adaptive TENGs to a higher level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading Comprehension models have achieved superhuman performance on mainstream public datasets. However, many studies have shown that the models are likely to take advantage of biases in the datasets, which makes it difficult to efficiently reasoning when generalizing to out-of-distribution datasets with non-directional bias, resulting in serious accuracy loss. Therefore, this paper proposes a pre-trained language model based de-biasing framework with positional generalization and hierarchical combination. In this work, generalized positional embedding is proposed to replace the original word embedding to initially weaken the over-dependence of the model on answer distribution information. Secondly, in order to make up for the influence of regularization randomness on training stability, KL divergence term is introduced into the loss function to constrain the distribution difference between the two sub models. Finally, a hierarchical combination method is used to obtain classification outputs that fuse text features from different encoding layers, so as to comprehensively consider the semantic features at the multidimensional level. Experimental results show that PLM-PGHC helps learn a more robust QA model and effectively restores the F1 value on the biased distribution from 37.51% to 81.78%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airglow observation is a very effective method to investigate plasma bubbles, and can obtain their horizontal structure. In this study, the image processing method was used to process airglow data, including image enhancement, azimuth correction, and image projection, and the clear image products of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) were obtained. Based on the optical data of the airglow imager in Hainan, we investigated the main optical features of EPBs, and statistically analyzed the occurrence of EPBs from September 2014 to August 2015. The observation results show that EPB exhibits plume-shaped structures, usually tilting westward, and EPB extends to a long distance along the geomagnetic field lines. It is found that the west wall of EPB is relatively stable, while there are some bifurcations on the east wall of EPB, and the bifurcation of EPB becomes more pronounced with time. Moreover, the spatial scale of EPB gradually increases with time, which is about several hundred kilometers, and the drift velocity of EPB is in the range of 40–130 m/s (+/−20 m/s). The statistical results show that EPBs mainly occur in the months of September to November and February to April, with a higher occurrence rate. In terms of seasonal occurrence, EPBs tend to appear more frequently in spring and autumn, and the occurrence rate of EPBs is relatively low in winter and summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adhesion/delamination characteristics at the stamp/film interface are critical for the efficiency of film microtransfer printing technology. To predict and regulate the interface mechanical behaviors, finite element models based on the J-integral, Virtual Crack Closure Technology (VCCT), and the cohesive zone method (CZM) were established and compared. Then, the effects of pulling speed and interface parameters on the pull-off force, which is used to characterize the interface adhesion strength, were investigated. Comparisons between the simulation results and previous experimental results demonstrated that the model based on the CZM was more applicable than the models based on the J-integral and VCCT in analyzing the adhesion/delamination behaviors of the stamp/film interface. Furthermore, the increase in pulling speed could enlarge the pull-off force for the viscoelastic stamp/film interface, while it had no influence on the pull-off force for the elastic stamp/film interface. In addition, a larger normal strength and normal fracture energy resulted in a larger pull-off force, which was beneficial to the realization of the picking-up process in microtransfer printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogen that can cause foodborne illness. Nisin (NS) and sesamol (SE) have been reported to exhibit significant inhibitory effects on the growth of L. monocytogenes. Effects of NS and SE on biofilm formation and virulence of L. monocytogenes were evaluated in this study. The results showed that the combination of NS and SE could effectively prevent the formation of L. monocytogenes biofilm on the surface of stainless steel within 48 h compared with NS or SE alone. Their combination of substances successfully eradicated the established biofilms of L. monocytogenes within a 4 h treatment. The combined treatment group significantly decreased the adhesion and invasion rates of L. monocytogenes ATCC 19112 to HepG2, Caco-2, and BeWo cells with 52 %–95 % and 60 %–94 %, respectively (p < 0.05) compared with the control group. Compared with the control group, the combined treatment group significantly downregulated the expression of virulence genes, including positive regulatory factor A, sigma factor B, internalin A, internalin B, listeriolysin O, and actin-based motility with a decrease of 31 %–97 %. Overall, these results suggest that the combined utilization of NS and SE exhibits promising potential as an effective strategy for inhibiting biofilm formation and virulence of L. monocytogenes. • The combination of nisin and sesamol inhibits biofilm formation of L. monocytogenes. • Nisin and sesamol act synergistically to remove mature biofilms formed by L. monocytogenes. • The adhesion and invasion of L. monocytogenes to host cells is reduced by nisin and sesamol. • Nisin and sesamol downregulate the expression of virulence genes in L. monocytogenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced-toxicity conditioning (RIC) regimens are used for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in older patients. However, successful outcomes are hindered by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), treatment-related mortality, and relapse, particularly after haploidentical donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HID-HSCT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an RIC conditioning regimen that included a combination of cyclosporin A, methotrexate (on day + 1), mycophenolate, lower doses of post-transplantation PTCy (40 mg/kg on day + 3), and ATG (7.5 mg/kg) as GVHD prophylaxis prior to haplo-stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) in older patients.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed outcomes in 55 patients ≥ 55 years of age with hematologic malignancies treated with fludarabine, cytarabine, busulfan, and low-dose cyclophosphamide as the conditioning regimen between January 1, 2019, and November 30, 2023.Results: Neutrophil engraftment was successful in all patients within 28 days, with 54 patients (98.2%) achieving complete donor chimerism. The cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality was 0% at 30 days, 7.5% at 100 days, and 19% at 1 year. The cumulative incidence of grade II–IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 25% (95%CI, 15−38%), whereas that of grade III–IV aGVHD was 9.1% (95% CI, 3.3−19%). The cumulative incidence of extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease at 1 year was 3.6% (95%CI, 0.66–11%). The cumulative incidences of relapse, overall survival, and GVHD-free/relapse-free survival at 1 year were 9.0%, 71.6%, and 67.1%, respectively.Conclusions: An RIC conditioning regimen, including a combination of lower PTCy/ATG as GVHD prophylaxis, followed by haplo-SCT, might be a promising option for appropriately selected older patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different aggregates vary in their ability to retain or adsorb metals in soil. Five soil profiles were sampled from different soil horizons and grouped, and the concentrations of Al, Mg, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cd, Cu and Pb were determined in six sizes of aggregates (> 2, 2-1, 1-0.6, 0.6-0.25, 0.25-0.053, < 0.053 mm). Significantly high (p < 0.05) structural stability indexes (SSI) and aggregate stability indexes (ASI) were recorded in the topsoil horizon, which may be attributed to the high soil organic matter (SOM) content in aggregates from topsoil. In addition, ASI and SSI were positively correlated (r = 0.569, p < 0.05) with each other, which indicated that the stability of soil aggregates could contribute to the structural stability of bulk soil. Moreover, accumulation factors (AF), principal component analysis (PCA) and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used for metal element assessment. The results indicated that SOM was not a key factor affecting the accumulation of Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd and Cu in soil aggregates. In general, AF values for metal elements in microaggregates (< 0.25 mm) were high, which showed that metals preferred to accumulate in fine soil aggregates. The PCA and Pearson's correlation coefficients indicated that soil parent materials primarily controlled the distribution of Al, Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn, while materials derived from technogenic sources have important impacts on the distribution of Cd, Cu and Pb in soil aggregates along the soil profile. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at evaluating the performance of perfusion patterns and the quantitative parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the detection of soft tissue tumors (STTs) and establishing a US workflow for STTs to improve patient management. Conventional ultrasound (US) and CEUS data were retrospectively collected from 156 soft tissue masses. Six perfusion patterns (P1-P6) were applied for CEUS qualitative analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the performance of conventional US and qualitative and quantitative CEUS in distinguishing benign and malignant STTs. The malignancy rates of P1-P6 in STTs were 0%, 50.0%, 9.1%, 33.3%, 73.4% and 61.0%, respectively. For "non-P1" STTs, the predictive model combining quantitative CEUS parameters with conventional US features, including margin (odds ratio [OR] = 4.490, p = 0.000), vascular density (OR = 2.307, p = 0.013), 50% wash-out intensity (OR = 1.904, p = 0.032) and 50% wash-out time (OR = 1.031, p = 0.019), performed favorably in predicting malignancy, with an accuracy of 81.0% and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.868. Furthermore, a US workflow for the detection of STTs based on conventional US and CEUS was established. CEUS with qualitative and quantitative analyses could be an effective tool for STT diagnosis. The US workflow in this study may improve the management of STT patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dislocation loop motion plays an important role in irradiation creep but their dynamic evolution is hardly investigated. In this work, the one-dimensional motion of loops was investigated by in-situ TEM in Fe9Cr1.5W ferritic/martensitic steel under the combination of irradiation and constant compression stress and compared with the case of irradiation only to highlight the synergistic effect. Loops preferred to glide along one side that was close to the compression direction and the other side was retarded.. The proportion of large mobile loops was also increased. Jump frequency was doubled after the addition of compression, indicating the high sensitivity to stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effect of hydrogen, helium and dose rate on the evolution of dislocation loops were in-situ studied in detail. • Triple-beam (Fe++H 2 ++He+) irradiation significantly promoted the nucleation and growth of dislocation loops. • Dose rate affected loop type. The higher the dose rate, the lower the fraction of 〈100〉 loops. • The ratio of rotated loops was highest under triple-beam (Fe++H 2 ++He+) irradiation. Simulating neutron irradiation with ion irradiation requires considering the comprehensive effects of hydrogen, helium and dose rate to fully understand the microstructure evolution of material in an irradiation environment. Here, the characterization and evolution of dislocation loops in pure iron were investigated under heavy ion irradiation with four different injected gas ion types (Fe+, Fe++H 2 +, Fe++He+and Fe++H 2 ++He+) and under dual-beam (Fe++He+) irradiation with four different dose rates using in-situ transmission electron microscopy at 723 K. Comparing to the single-beam (Fe+) irradiation, the additional injection of H or He, or co-injected H and He, mainly promoted the nucleation of dislocation loops at the early stage of irradiation and enhanced loop growth after that. Among them, the simultaneous irradiation of triple beams (Fe++H 2 ++He+) was most pronounced. Moreover, triple-beam (Fe++H 2 ++He+) irradiation resulted in the highest ratio of the rotation of loop habit-plane. Under dual-beam (Fe++He+) irradiation, the results demonstrated that as the dose rate increased, the loop density increased and the loop size decreased. Moreover, the fraction of 〈100〉 loops at low dose rate was noticeably greater than that at high dose rate. The results of the current work provide important references for a better understanding of the effectiveness of ion irradiation in simulating neutron irradiation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes can form biofilms, which enables it to persist in the food industry and poses a significant threat to food safety. The combination of nisin (NS) and sesamol (SE) has been found to inhibit the proliferation of L. monocytogenes. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of the combined use of NS and SE on the biofilm formation of L. monocytogenes and investigate the potential underlying mechanisms. The results showed that the combination of NS and SE completely inhibited the biofilm formation of both strains on the stainless steel sheet within 48 h. The existing L. monocytogenes biofilm on the stainless steel sheet was completely removed within 4 h after the combined treatment of NS and SE. Compared with individual treatment, the combined use of NS and SE resulted in a more significant downregulation in gene expression of fbpA , which is associated with L. monocytogenes biofilm formation. The findings suggest that the combined strategy of NS and SE in food processing has greater potential to control the formation of L. monocytogenes biofilms and eliminate existing ones, compared with using NS or SE alone. [Display omitted] • NS+SE combination treatment inhibited the formation of L. monocytogenes biofilms. • NS+SE treatment effectively eliminated the existing L. monocytogenes biofilms. • NS+SE treatment downregulated plcB and fbpA gene expression in L. monocytogenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant soft tissue tumors (STTs) are often mistaken for benign tumors, leading to inappropriate treatment including unplanned resection. Elastography, as a non-invasive measurement of tissue mechanical properties, makes use of the different soft tissue elasticity in diverse pathologies to generate information that can be used for diagnostic purposes. Elastography for STTs carries important information that is helpful in differentiating malignant and benign masses. The present study was undertaken to systematically review existing trials on the reliability of elastography in assessment of malignant STTs. A comprehensive literature exploration of the PubMed, EMbase and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was conducted for published articles involving the application of elastography in distinguishing malignant STTs. The diagnostic performance of elastography was evaluated with pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve. Publication bias was also evaluated. This meta-analysis enrolled 18 eligible studies with a total of 1420 patients. The overall number of reported STTs was 1569, of which 478 were classified as positive and 1091 as negative at elastography. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio of elastography were 0.82 (95% confidence interval: 0.74-0.87), 0.80 (0.71-0.86), 3.99 (2.65-6.01) and 0.23 (0.15-0.34), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio and area under the curve were 17.36 (8.28-36.38) and 0.88 (0.84-0.90), respectively (Glas et al. 2003). The results of meta-regression analysis revealed that the total number of patients and prevalence of malignant STTs were significant factors in sensitivity, and the year of publication, total number of patients and index test were significant factors affecting study heterogeneity for specificity (p < 0.05). No significant publication bias was observed. This meta-analysis indicates that ultrasound elastography achieves relatively good performance in discriminating between malignant and benign STTs. Nevertheless, further research is needed to verify this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analysis was aimed at investigating the value of using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant soft tissue masses (STMs). Relevant studies published before March 24, 2020 were identified through a comprehensive search of PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane and Web of Science. According to the inclusion criteria, five studies were selected comprising 746 patients. In the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant STMs, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of CEUS were 76% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 71%-81%; heterogeneity [I2] = 74.5%) and 67% (95% CI: 62%-71%; I2 = 36.5%), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio was 7.37 (95% CI: 3.78%-14.35; I2 = 66.6%). The overall area under the curve was 0.77 (standard error: 0.0392). Subgroup analysis revealed that different index tests of CEUS resulted in different diagnostic performance. Importantly, CEUS is an effective method for the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant STMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A good understanding of spatiotemporal characteristics of historical droughts is important for managing and tackling drought hazards. This paper aims to investigate spatiotemporal variations of drought in mainland China over 1961–2016 based on the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) at the 1‐ and 12‐month timescales. The trend significance and magnitude of 12‐month SPEI were analysed using the modified Mann–Kendall (MMK) method and Sen's slope values. The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) were applied to analyse the spatial patterns and periods in 1‐month SPEI series. The results showed that the temporal fluctuations of SPEI were weaker as the timescale increased. The droughts in 1960s were the severest than in other decades. The sites with SPEI < −5 (denoting the extreme droughts) mainly located in the northwestern and southwestern China. An overall wetter trend was detected in most regions of China, except the belt from northeastern to middle and southwestern China. The 1‐month SPEI had shorter than 1.20‐year of mean periods for the seven sub‐regions and China, while had 0.22–2.95 years of mean periods at different sites. Residuals (decomposed from 1‐month SPEI) showed increasing trends in most of the sub‐regions except sub‐region 3. In northern and northwestern China, longer periods of SPEI were detected. The highest values of EOF1 and EOF2 illustrated the eastern and northeastern China were drought‐sensitive areas. From the correlations between 1‐month SPEI and the atmospheric circulations, the AO was the main physical factor that influenced drought occurrence in mainland China. The identified spatiotemporal characteristics of SPEI could offer references for drought prevention and management in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulation of collagen type XII α1 chain (COL12A1) has been found in several cancer types and could be involved in tumor progression. However, its clinical significance in gastric cancer (GC) remains under exploration. Online databases (Gene Expression Omnibus and UALCAN), reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry were utilized in the present study to evaluate the expression of COL12A1 in GC tissues and cell lines. It was found that COL12A1 expression was notably upregulated in GC. Clinicopathological analysis showed that elevated COL12A1 expression was positively correlated with tumor invasiveness, metastasis and advanced clinical stage. The prognostic analysis suggested that high COL12A1 expression contributed to poor overall survival. Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that COL12A1 overexpression was a powerful independent prognostic indicator in patients with GC (hazard ratio, 1.896; 95% CI, 1.267–2.837; P=0.002). The results highlighted the importance of COL12A1 in GC and suggested its potential role as a candidate for clinical outcome prediction and targeted therapy in patients with GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat straws (WS) were pretreated by a two-step pretreatment for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis. The raw wheat straw (RWS) was firstly soaked in microwave-assisted NaOH solution at the presence of a mixed solution of H2O2 and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (HTAC), and the residue was put into methyl orange (MO) solution to obtain the final substrate for enzymatic hydrolysis. It was interesting to find that the WS after the first step of the pretreatment could effectively remove MO in the second step of the pretreatment with the highest removal efficiency of 98.86% at the MO concentration of 25 mg/L and at the adsorbent-adsorbate ratio of 0.8%. Meanwhile, the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of the WS that was pretreated by the two steps was higher than that of the RWS as well as the first-step-pretreated WS. Enzymatic hydrolysis experiment showed that the glucose concentration after 48-h hydrolysis was 4.85 g/L at the solid loading of 5%, compared with the RWS of 0.90 g/L and the first-step-pretreated WS of 4.33 g/L. This suggested that the two-step pretreatment method could not only make WS as a good adsorbent but also a more biodegradable lignocellulosic material. Characterization analysis showed that the specific surface area and the cellulose content of the WS were both increased after the two-step pretreatment, indicating that the pretreatment method was significant to properly utilizing WS as biosorbent and biofuel. Besides, a possible mechanism for the effect of the pretreatment on the WS was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chilled tuna fillets are easy to be contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes , which is an important risk factor for the outbreak of foodborne diseases. Nisin (NS) in combination with sesamol (SE) has showed to have the ability to inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes in bacterial culture-medium, however, their bacteriostatic effect in actual food model has been not evaluated. Therefore, in this study, the combined effect of NS and SE on the growth of L. monocytogenes in yellowfin tuna fillet (Thunnus albacares) which was stored at constant and fluctuating temperatures were evaluated. The results showed that the combined use of NS (25 μg/mL) and SE (1.0 mg/mL) significantly reduced the growth potential of L. monocytogenes to 1.1–3.2 log 10 CFU/g compared with the control group at constant and fluctuating 10 °C. The combined treatment of NS and SE delayed the lipid oxidation activity and increased the catalase activity and glutathione peroxidase activity of tuna fillets, but did not significantly change the texture and color characteristics of tuna fillets. These results indicated that the combined of NS and SE may be a promising technology to reduce L. monocytogenes pollution and maintain the physical and chemical properties of tuna fillets products. • Combined nisin and sesamol inhibited L. monocytogenes growth in tuna better than single treatment. • No difference in nisin and sesamol's effect on bacteria between constant and fluctuating temperature. • Combination of nisin and sesamol delayed lipid oxidation of tuna fillet. • Quality attributes of raw tuna fillets were maintained after combination of nisin and sesamol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contaminations of pathogenic and spoilage microbes on foods are threatening food safety and quality, highlighting the importance of developing antimicrobial agents. According to different working mechanisms, the antimicrobial activities of yeast-based agents were summarized from two aspects: antagonism and encapsulation. Antagonistic yeasts are usually applied as biocontrol agents for the preservation of fruits and vegetables via inactivating spoilage microbes, usually phytopathogens. This review systematically summarized various species of antagonistic yeasts, potential combinations to improve the antimicrobial efficiency, and the antagonistic mechanisms. The wide applications of the antagonistic yeasts are significantly limited by undesirable antimicrobial efficiency, poor environmental resistance, and a narrow antimicrobial spectrum. Another strategy for achieving effective antimicrobial activity is to encapsulate various chemical antimicrobial agents into a yeast-based carrier that has been previously inactivated. This is accomplished by immersing the dead yeast cells with porous structure in an antimicrobial suspension and applying high vacuum pressure to allow the agents to diffuse inside the yeast cells. Typical antimicrobial agents encapsulated in the yeast carriers have been reviewed, including chlorine-based biocides, antimicrobial essential oils, and photosensitizers. Benefiting from the existence of the inactive yeast carrier, the antimicrobial efficiencies and functional durability of the encapsulated antimicrobial agents, such as chlorine-based agents, essential oils, and photosensitizers, are significantly improved compared with the unencapsulated ones. • In vivo and in vitro methods for screening antagonistic yeasts from fruits, vegetables, soils, and marines. • Enhancing antimicrobial effect via combining other antagonistic microbes, physical treatments, and chemical agents. • Four antagonistic mechanisms: competition, parasitism effect, production of antimicrobial agents, and host resistance. • Embedding inactive yeast-based carriers with antimicrobial function via encapsulating antimicrobial chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As counter parts of ILs, DESs have received general interest because of their comparable physicochemical properties to ILs and facile preparation from readily available chemicals. In this work, the isomeric distributions of fructose, glucose, xylose and GlcNAc in CCU, CCG and CCO, i.e. basic, neutral and acidic DES, have been determined by 13 C NMR. Higher furanose fraction of fructose was observed in CCO compared to CCG and CCU. The glucose was chosen as model compound to reveal the effect of DES on the mutarotation behavior with DMSO‑ d 6 as co-solvents. The experimental results showed that a high ratio of CCU to glucose speed up the mutarotation rate of glucose in DMSO‑ d 6 , but have little influence on the anomeric distribution. Furthermore, the mutarotation of glucose in DESs is mainly driven by the HBD, whereas HBA provides little influence. However, HBD and HBA display a synergistic effect on the glucose mutarotation process. Hydrogen bonding between hydrogen of amino in urea and oxygen of hydroxyl in glucose is the driving force for the interconversion of anomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nisin (NS) has been considered as a food preservative against Listeria monocytogenes , an important foodborne pathogen that causes serious public health problems. However, the effectiveness of NS is also affected due to its instability and resistance of L. monocytogenes to NS. Combining NS with other antimicrobial substances is an excellent strategy to improve the effect. Sesamol (SE) has been reported to have the ability to inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes. Thus, in this study, based on the determination of the fractional inhibitory concentration indices, the in vitro synergistic antibacterial activity of NS and SE was confirmed using standard L. monocytogenes ATCC19112 and L. monocytogenes isolated from food and clinical sources. The inhibition of NS and SE combination on the growth of L. monocytogenes was higher than that of NS or SE alone in tryptic soy yeast extract broth (TSB-YE) and pasteurized milk. The changes and damages of the cell structure and the cell morphology in the combination group were more significant than those in the single use of NS or SE. These results indicate that the combined application of NS and SE may be a promising alternative to NS for controlling the contamination of L. monocytogenes in food. • Nisin and sesamol combination showed synergistic effect against Listeria monocytogenes. • Nisin and sesamol combination inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenes in milk. • Nisin and sesamol combination disturbed function and morphology of L. monocytogenes cell membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nisin alone has limitations in inhibiting L. monocytogenes. • Nisin combined with multiple methods has promise in controlling L. monocytogenes. • Nisin combined with nanotechnology is considered as a novel and useful anti- L. monocytogenes strategy. Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen causing serious public health problems. Nisin is a natural antimicrobial agent produced by Lactococcus lactis and widely used in the food industry. However, the anti- L. monocytogenes efficiency of nisin might be decreased due to natural or acquired resistance of L. monocytogenes to nisin, or complexity of the food environment. The limitation of nisin as a bacteriostatic agent in food could be improved using a combination of methods. In this review, the physiochemical characteristics, species, bioengineered mutants, and antimicrobial mechanism of nisin are reviewed. Strategies of nisin combined with other antibacterial methods, including physical, chemical, and natural substances, and nanotechnology to enhance antibacterial effect are highlighted and discussed. Additionally, the antibacterial efficiency of nisin applied in real meat, dairy, and aquatic products is evaluated and analyzed. Among the various binding treatments, the combination with natural substances is more effective than the combination with physical and chemical methods. However, the combination of nisin and nanotechnology has more potential in terms of the impact on food quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyroptosis is a pro‐inflammatory cell death that is associated with innate immunity promotion against tumors. Excess nitric oxide (NO)‐triggered nitric stress has potential to induce pyroptosis, but the precise delivery of NO is challenging. Ultrasound (US)‐responsive NO production has dominant priority due to its deep penetration, low side effects, noninvasion, and local activation manner. In this work, US‐sensitive NO donor N‐methyl‐N‐nitrosoaniline (NMA) with thermodynamically favorable structure is selected and loaded into hyaluronic acid (HA)‐modified hollow manganese dioxide nanoparticles (hMnO2 NPs) to fabricate hMnO2@HA@NMA (MHN) nanogenerators (NGs). The obtained NGs have a record‐high NO generation efficiency under US irradiation and can release Mn2+ after targeting the tumor sites. Later on, cascade tumor pyroptosis and cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase‐stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS‐STING)‐based immunotherapy is achieved and tumor growth is effectively inhibited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigated the mechanism and limit of cation adsorption by reconstruction of calcined layered double hydroxide (CHT) for the first time. Mg x Al-CHT was used to adsorb Zn 2+ and Ni 2+ from aqueous solution. As a result, adsorption amount of cation was approximately equal to dissolved amount of Mg 2+ from CHT. In other words, the molar ratio was close to 1:1 between exchanged cation (Zn 2+ or Ni 2+ ) and released Mg 2+ . Besides, Zn 2+ adsorption and Mg 2+ dissolution took place synchronously until equilibrium. XRD and SEM indicated that CHT rebuilt layered double hydroxide (LDH) after adsorbing Zn 2+ and Ni 2+ . Furthermore, molar ratios of Mg 2+ /Zn 2+ and Mg 2+ /Ni 2+ were 1:1 in reconstructed CHT regardless of the original Mg 2+ /Al 3+ ratio. Based on these results, it was proposed that half of octahedral Al 3+ in LDH transformed into tetrahedral ones after calcination, resulting in half of Mg 2+ bond being distorted in CHT and ready for a potential exchange. When CHT was used to adsorb bivalent cation (Me 2+ ), the maximum amount of adsorption was the half amount of Mg 2+ , and MgMeAl-LDH was formed by dissociation-deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to investigate spatial and temporal changes in cadherin-11 (CAD-11) expression and their effects on cartilage degeneration in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of guinea pigs with spontaneous osteoarthritis (OA).Methods: Dunkin-Hartley (DH) and Bristol strain 2 (BS2) guinea pigs at ages of 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were categorized into two groups and analyzed. The bilateral TMJ condyles of DH and BS2 guinea pigs were harvested and fixed. The distribution and expression profiles of CAD-11, collagen type II, and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) were detected by immunohistological assays. Histological micrographs of the condyle cartilage were obtained and analyzed.Results: Osteoarthritis can be spontaneously induced by mechanical stress in DH guinea pigs. The main histopathological changes in the TMJ structure and increased expression of MMP-3 occurred within 6-9 months of ages in DH guinea pigs with spontaneous OA. By contrast, minimal to mild cartilage degradations were observed in the TMJ of BS2 guinea pigs even at the age of 12 months. From as early as 3 months of age, the expression levels of CAD-11 were upregulated in the TMJ of DH guinea pigs compared with those in BS2 animals. CAD-11 expression differed between the two groups at 12 months of age.Conclusions: Increased CAD-11 expression within cartilage is associated with the development and progression of OA between the two strains of guinea pigs. Therefore, CAD-11 expression in TMJ could be an important predisposing factor for the development of spontaneous OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Inhibition of probiotics and their metabolites on L. monocytogenes. • Inhibitory mechanisms of probiotics on L. monocytogenes. • Effectiveness of probiotics and their metabolites in the control of L. monocytogenes contamination in foods. Listeria monocytogenes is an important food-borne pathogen, which could be detected in food, environmental and clinical samples. It contaminates food in any of the stages during production, processing, and storage, resulting in potential food safety issues. Traditional physical and chemical methods are effective in inhibiting the growth of L. monocytogenes and extending the shelf life of foods, however, the application of these methods usually results in undesirable damage to food quality. Recently, biological-based antimicrobial methods have attracted numerous attention due to their promising antimicrobial effects and ability to maintain food quality. The application of probiotics, as one of the biological based antimicrobial methods, has been widely reported that could effectively inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes. In this review, human listeriosis and the current contamination situation of L. monocytogenes in foods are summarized first. Then, the effects of probiotics on the growth, biofilm formation, and virulence of L. monocytogenes in foods are discussed. Furthermore, the inhibitory mechanisms of the probiotics and their metabolites against L. monocytogenes are highlighted. With a comprehensive understanding of the bacteriostatic effect of the probiotics, the latest applications of probiotics in dairy products, meat products, and fresh products are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Accurate identification of Drug-Target Interactions (DTIs) plays a crucial role in many stages of drug development and drug repurposing. (i) Traditional methods do not consider the use of multi-source data and do not consider the complex relationship between data sources. (ii) How to better mine the hidden features of drug and target space from high-dimensional data, and better solve the accuracy and robustness of the model. Results: To solve the above problems, a novel prediction model named VGAEDTI is proposed in this paper. We constructed a heterogeneous network with multiple sources of information using multiple types of drug and target data In order to obtain deeper features of drugs and targets, we use two different autoencoders. One is variational graph autoencoder (VGAE) which is used to infer feature representations from drug and target spaces. The second is graph autoencoder (GAE) propagating labels between known DTIs. Experimental results on two public datasets show that the prediction accuracy of VGAEDTI is better than that of six DTIs prediction methods. These results indicate that model can predict new DTIs and provide an effective tool for accelerating drug development and repurposing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical inversion of Global Positioning System (GPS) Ionospheric Radio Occultation (IRO) data is Abel inversion method, in which the spherical symmetry of the ionospheric electron density distribution is assumed. This assumption can cause some errors for the inversion of IRO data. In this paper, the error characteristics are discussed and a new IRO retrieval method is developed, which uses electron density gradient information of reconstructed ancillary model derived from classic Abel inversion to correct Total Electron Content (TEC) and then combines the corrected TEC with the spherical symmetric Abel inversion method. The inversion results from the simulated data of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) IRO are compared with reference profiles by directly interpolation, and show that the new retrieval method is more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To study the expression of ADAMTs-5 and TIMP-3 in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) model rats, to explore and confer the possible effects of ADAMTs-5 and TIMP-3 involved in the degradation of the early stage of OA. Design: 32 SD rats were divided into four groups: 2-week control group (NC1), 2-week OA group (OA1), 4-week control group (NC2) and 4-week OA group (OA2). Each group had 8 rats. Injection of collagenase was used to build up the TMJOA model. HE staining was used to analyze the structural change of condyle cartilage. Western blot and RT-PCR were used to measure the expression of ADAMTs-5 and TIMP-3 in protein and mRNA levels respectively. Results: HE analysis revealed that no significant changes were observed in NC1, NC2 and OA1 groups, while mild damages appeared in OA2 group. No significant differences were achieved in the expression of ADAMTs-5 in protein levels between NC1 and OA1, but the expression of ADAMTs-5 in 4-week group increased significantly compared to that in the NC2 group. On mRNA level, the expression of ADAMTs-5 in 2-week and 4-week OA groups increased significantly compared to that in the matched control group. Meanwhile, the expression of TIMP-3 decreased significantly, showing a completely different trend. Conclusions: The expression of ADAMTs-5 and TIMP-3 changed significantly in the early stage of TMJOA, which indicated that ADAMTs-5 and TIMP-3 may be play an important part in the initial stage of condylar cartilage degradation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The mapping function is crucial for the conversion of slant total electron content (TEC) to vertical TEC for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based observations. Instead of collapsing the ionosphere into one single shell in commonly used mapping models, we defined a new mapping function assuming the vertical ionospheric distribution as an exponential profiler with one simple parameter: the plasmaspheric scale height in the zenith direction of LEO satellites. The scale height obtained by an empirical model introduces spatial and temporal variances into the mapping function. The performance of the new method is compared with the mapping function F&K by simulating experiments based on the global core plasma model (GCPM), and it is discussed along with the latitude, seasons, local time, as well as solar activity conditions and varying LEO orbit altitudes. The assessment indicates that the new mapping function has a comparable or better performance than the F&K mapping model, especially on the TEC conversion of low elevation angles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scale height in the plasmasphere (H P) is an important factor to present the dynamic nature and variations of the plasmasphere. It is challenging to build reliable plasmaspheric scale height model because of poor coverage and limited continuity of plasmaspheric sounder data. In this paper, an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis method is applied to organize the H P obtained from total electron content (TEC) measurements of precise orbit determination (POD) antennas and electron density profiles of Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) mission, from the year 2007–2014, to reconstruct a global plasmaspheric scale height model. The model depends on parameters including the month of the year, the local time, the geographic latitude and the solar radio flux index F10.7. Comparison of this model and the scale height deduced from the International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies (ISIS) data shows remarkable consistency in H P values and variations. • A plasmaspheric scale height model is built based on COSMIC radio occultation data. • The scale height morphology, with a dataset covering almost a full solar cycle, is thoroughly discussed. • Comparison with ISIS derived scale height shows reasonable consistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing surrounding situations, such as enemy attacks, which can be realized by predator–prey relationships, is one of the common behaviors of the population in ecosystems. In this paper, we explore the relationship between such species' behavior and biodiversity in the spatial rock–paper–scissors game by employing the ecological concept "vigilance." In order to describe the vigilance process, we adopt a multiplex structure where two distinct layers describe virtual and physical interactions. By investigating the process of evolution in species, we also found that species with different vigilance go together. In addition, by utilizing the dynamic time warping method, we found that species with the same vigilance have consistent behavior, but species with different vigilance have diverse behavior. Our findings may lead to broader interpretations of mechanisms promoting biodiversity via vigilance in species ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the clinical characteristics of idiopathic condylar resorption (ICR). The aim of this study was to examine the signs and symptoms of temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) and evaluate the morphological characteristics of the condyles in patients with ICR. Methods: Sixty patients with ICR (41 in the bilateral ICR group and 19 in the unilateral ICR group) and forty-one healthy controls were examined. Signs and symptoms of TMD were described, and three-dimensional models of the condyles were measured and analyzed. Results: In total, 81.7% of ICR patients had self-reported symptoms and 78.3% of ICR patients had objective-found signs. The anteroposterior diameter, transverse diameter, height, maximal sectional area, volume of the condyles, axial angle, and the distance from the posterior point of the condyle to the Saggittal standard line were significantly smaller in the ICR condyles compared with the controls (p < 0.05). The condylar neck angle was significantly larger in the ICR condyles compared with the controls (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Most patients with ICR had signs and symptoms of TMD. The prevalence of clicking and opening–closing deviation was significantly different between the bilateral and the unilateral ICR groups. In patients with ICR, the size of the condyles decreased significantly; the condyles also rotated inward, moved forward, and inclined posteriorly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate evolving dynamics of cyclically competing species on spatially extended systems with considering a specific region, which is called the "wildlife refuge," one of the institutional ways to preserve species biodiversity. Through Monte-Carlo simulations, we found that the refuge can play not groundbreaking but an important role in species survival. Species coexistence is maintained at a moderate mobility regime, which traditionally leads to the collapse of coexistence, and eventually, the extinction is postponed depending on the competition rate rather than the portion of the refuge. Incorporating the extinction probability and Fourier transform supported our results in both stochastic and analogous ways. Our findings may provide valuable evidence to assist fields of ecological/biological sciences in understanding the presence and construction of refuges for wildlife with associated effects on species biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a solution of designing a topside broadcast ionospheric model to enable the future low earth orbit (LEO) navigation augmentation (LEO-NA) services. Considering the lack of global station observations to develop the LEO-NA ionosphere model, we utilize abundant global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data from LEO satellites to determine the topside global broadcast ionospheric delay. This delay can be combined with existing GNSS broadcast ionospheric delay correction models to determine LEO-NA ionospheric delay. First, the performance of the different-order spherical harmonic (SH) model is evaluated in generating a global topside ionospheric map. The results indicate that by increasing the order from 1 to 2, the internal and external accuracy of the model improves significantly. However, increasing the order from 2 to 8 leads to a decrease in accuracy of 0.10 and 0.11 TECU (total electron content unit) for the internal and external root mean square error. Taking into account compatibility with the Beidou global ionospheric delay correction model, limited data capacity in the navigation message, ionospheric model accuracy, and computational efficiency, we select the second-order SH model as the topside ionosphere broadcast model and outline the strategy for calculating broadcast coefficients. Finally, the accuracy of the topside global broadcast ionospheric delay correction model is evaluated during periods of high and low solar activity. The mean values of root mean square in 2009 and 2014 are 1.49 and 1.88 TECU, respectively. The model in 2009 and 2014 can correct for 67.30% and 72.49% of the ionospheric delay, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is widely utilized as a hydrophilic coating to extend the circulation time and improve the tumor accumulation of polymeric micelles. Nonetheless, PEGylated micelles often activate complement proteins, leading to accelerated blood clearance and negatively impacting drug efficacy and safety. Here, we have crafted amphiphilic block copolymers that merge hydrophilic sulfoxide-containing polymers (psulfoxides) with the hydrophobic drug 7-ethyl-10-hydroxylcamptothecin (SN38) into drug-conjugate micelles. Our findings show that the specific variant, PMSEA-PSN38 micelles, remarkably reduce protein fouling, prolong blood circulation, and improve intratumoral accumulation, culminating in significantly increased anti-cancer efficacy compared with PEG-PSN38 counterpart. Additionally, PMSEA-PSN38 micelles effectively inhibit complement activation, mitigate leukocyte uptake, and attenuate hyperactivation of inflammatory cells, diminishing their ability to stimulate tumor metastasis and cause inflammation. As a result, PMSEA-PSN38 micelles show exceptional promise in the realm of anti-metastasis and significantly abate SN38-induced intestinal toxicity. This study underscores the promising role of psulfoxides as viable PEG substitutes in the design of polymeric micelles for efficacious anti-cancer drug delivery. This study emphasizes PMSEA's potential as a sulfoxide-containing polymer for anti-cancer drug delivery, offering an alternative to PEG in constructing polymeric prodrug micelles efficiently. [Display omitted] • Sulfoxide-containing polymer PMeSEA presents a promising alternative to PEG. • Micelles grafted with PMeSEA successfully diminish complement system activation. • Reducing complement activation enhances the antitumor activity of PMeSEA-micelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attributing intensification extreme precipitation to anthropogenic factors on the regional scale is challenging, given the large fluctuations and the complexity of quantifying interactions among these anthropogenic factors. Here, we propose a new variance‐based method to investigate the roles of human‐induced greenhouse gas (GHG), aerosol (AER), and their interactions (GA) in shaping extreme precipitation on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP) at stational scale. In terms of contribution, GHG has the greatest impact on total wet‐day precipitation and simple daily intensity. In terms of significance, GA, and AER exert significant effects on all 10 extreme indices (P; < 0.05) over 48.3% and 44.8% of all stations, while GHG affects less (25.9%). Overall, GHG is not the only dominant factor, and GA and AER are expected to play vital roles in intensifying extreme precipitation over the QTP under SSP2‐4.5. These findings challenge the conventional insights that GHG is the primary anthropogenic driver of extreme precipitation. Plain Language Summary: Greenhouse gas (GHG) has long been regarded as the primary anthropogenic driver of the intensification of extreme precipitation. However, extreme precipitation is closely linked to the complex interplay of various anthropogenic influences, with contributions varying across regions due to differences in longitude, latitude, and altitude. Here, we propose a new method to robustly quantify the contributions of GHG, AER, and GA to extreme precipitation at each station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP). The results show that the majority of the stations quantified by this method are statistically significant. Importantly, we find that complex interactions of GHG and AER will shape extreme precipitation over the QTP. These findings challenge the traditional understanding of climate change attributed solely to GHG and prompt a reconsideration of whether reducing GHG alone could effectively mitigate climate change. Key Points: We propose a new variance‐based factorial analysis method to quantify contributions of anthropogenic factors at each meteorological station over Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP)Extreme precipitation over the QTP is projected to increase in the upcoming centuryThe interaction between greenhouse gas and aerosol would play a key role in intensification extreme precipitation over QTP under SSP2‐4.5 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate and explain the beneficial effects of local intra‐articular injection of Salubrinal on temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) using a rabbit model of anterior disc displacement (ADD). Methods: Rabbits were divided and subjected to surgical ADD. Salubrinal was administered by intra‐articular injection in the TMJ every other day for 2 and 4 weeks after operation. Histological examination and TUNEL staining were then performed. Immunohistochemistry, quantitative real‐time PCR, and Western blot analysis were employed to evaluate the expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress‐related markers, catabolic factors, extracellular matrix proteins, inflammatory factors, and nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) activation. Results: In the ADD groups, we found that Salubrinal partly reversed condylar cartilage deterioration according to the histological analysis. Salubrinal reduced chondrocytes apoptosis while increased matrix components including Collagen II and Aggrecan. Meanwhile, Salubrinal downregulated the catabolic expression of MMP13, ADAMTS5, VEGF, TNF‐α, and IL‐1β. We also observed that Salubrinal inhibited ER stress activation by reducing the expression of GRP78, CHOP, ATF4, and Caspase‐12. Additionally, Salubrinal suppressed the phosphorylation of NF‐κB. Conclusion: These results indicate that Salubrinal alleviates cartilage degradation following ADD, suggesting that intra‐articular injection of Salubrinal is a potential therapeutic approach for preventing TMJOA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• EPS promoted COD and NH 4 +-N removal by 13.2%–33.8% and 27.8%–42.1% at 3.5% salinity. • EPS protected major carbon-related enzymatic reaction under salinity stress. • Tyrosine in EPS contributed most to mitigation of cytotoxicity from salinity. • Salt inhibited ATP decomposition by impeding Na+K+-ATPase activity by 44.3%–57.7%. • Models for calculation of COD and NH 4 +-N removal rate at 3.5% salinity were built. The role of EPS in removal of carbonaceous organic matters and NH 4 +-N in simulated mariculture wastewater was examined at salinity of 0–3.5% in a multi-soil-layering bioreactor. Results showed that at 3.5% of salinity, the total activity of dehydrogenases (which were used to decompose carbonaceous organic matters) could be promoted by 13.2%–33.8% by EPS, increasing the removal rates of COD and NH 4 +-N by 13.2%–33.8% and 27.8%–42.1%, respectively. Besides, the activity of amylase in EPS was enhanced by 79.8%. However, reactions of some key enzymes such as acetate kinase and Na+K+-ATPase would not be accelerated by EPS, resulting in an inhibition of 44.3%–57.7% on energy gaining from ATP, and further inducing cytotoxicity. It was found that the glycolysis efficiency was promoted by 4.12%–59.3% in the presence of EPS, and glycolysis could also occur in EPS. Additionally, tyrosine was the main component in EPS to balance osmotic pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• EPS promoted COD and NH 4 +-N removal by 13.2%–33.8% and 27.8%–42.1% at 3.5% salinity. • EPS protected major carbon-related enzymatic reaction under salinity stress. • Tyrosine in EPS contributed most to mitigation of cytotoxicity from salinity. • Salt inhibited ATP decomposition by impeding Na+K+-ATPase activity by 44.3%–57.7%. • Models for calculation of COD and NH 4 +-N removal rate at 3.5% salinity were built. The role of EPS in removal of carbonaceous organic matters and NH 4 +-N in simulated mariculture wastewater was examined at salinity of 0–3.5% in a multi-soil-layering bioreactor. Results showed that at 3.5% of salinity, the total activity of dehydrogenases (which were used to decompose carbonaceous organic matters) could be promoted by 13.2%–33.8% by EPS, increasing the removal rates of COD and NH 4 +-N by 13.2%–33.8% and 27.8%–42.1%, respectively. Besides, the activity of amylase in EPS was enhanced by 79.8%. However, reactions of some key enzymes such as acetate kinase and Na+K+-ATPase would not be accelerated by EPS, resulting in an inhibition of 44.3%–57.7% on energy gaining from ATP, and further inducing cytotoxicity. It was found that the glycolysis efficiency was promoted by 4.12%–59.3% in the presence of EPS, and glycolysis could also occur in EPS. Additionally, tyrosine was the main component in EPS to balance osmotic pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) have garnered growing attention of researchers, as they are proved to be hazardous to the environment and humans. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are deemed as an important releasing source of MPs to the environment, and thus it is of significance to study the behavior of MPs in WWTPs. In this review, the fate of MPs in WWTPs and their effects on different wastewater treatment processes have been comprehensively discussed. Studies have shown that the secondary treatment is the most efficient process to remove MPs from wastewaters with a removal rate around 98%. The presence of MPs can increase reagent addition dosage, inhibit nitrogen conversion rate, and cause membrane fouling in wastewater treatment processes. Besides, the influences of MPs on activated sludge mainly exert on nitrification and denitrification processes, sludge digestion, and microbial communities. However, it is worth noting that different methods have been employed to determine the concentrations of MPs in WWTPs. As a result, the removal performance on MPs in WWTPs is difficult to be accurately assessed. Moreover, complicated interaction among MPs and other environmental pollutants may expand the impacts of MPs on wastewater treatment processes, which still remains insufficiently investigated. Therefore, this review has also proposed some knowledge gaps existing in present MP studies in WWTPs, and would provide reference to alleviate the adverse effects of MPs for future research. Unlabelled Image • Secondary treatment is regarded as the most efficient process to remove MPs. • Presence of MPs can increase reagent addition and cause membrane fouling in WWTPs. • MPs can affect nitrification and denitrification of AS by disturbing AOB and NOB. • Mechanisms for affecting AS at the presence of MPs are insufficiently investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of four-dimensional (4D) printing deformation, shape memory deformation can be achieved by changing printing parameters or materials. However, the effect of different thickness ratios between heterogeneous layers of the bilayer structure on deformation in 4D printing is still an unknown factor. A method for programming the fiber arrangement direction and the thickness ratio of the polylactic acid (PLA) layer and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) layer was proposed to achieve temperature-driven controllable deformation of the heterogeneous laminated bilayer structure. Three-dimensional (3D) printing method based on fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology was used to print homogeneous laminated structures, material distribution structures, and heterogeneous laminated bilayer structures, respectively. The thermal strain of homogeneous laminated structures with different fiber arrangement direction of PLA and TPU materials was analyzed. The effect of four printed material distribution structures on bending angle and bending response time of temperature-driven deformation in 4D printing was analyzed. The deformation performance of heterogeneous laminated bilayer structures with different thickness ratios between PLA layer and TPU layer were studied through a combination of theoretical analysis and experimental verification. The experimental results show that the bending curvature of the bilayer structure with the thickness ratio of 7:5 (PLA: TPU) is the maximum that is 1.11 cm−1. Four cross-shaped components were designed to demonstrate the programmability of heterogeneous laminated bilayer structure in 4D printing, and the controllable deformation of the programmable bilayer structure was verified through the printed rosette structure. Therefore, programming the fiber arrangement direction and the thickness ratio of the heterogeneous bilayer structure is an effective strategy for achieving temperature-driven controllable deformation in 4D printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NAC (NAM, ATAF and CUC)-like transcription factors, a class of plant-specific transcription factors, play a pivotal role in plant growth, development, metabolism, and stress response. Notably, a specific subclass of NAC family, known as SNAC (stress-responsive NAC), is particularly involved in the plant's response to abiotic stress. As a very useful tree, Casuarina equisetifolia L. also has excellent stress resistance properties. To explore gene resources of C. equisetifolia which are associated with stress resistance and the molecular mechanisms that it employed is very helpful to its molecular-assisted breeding. In this study, 10 CeSNAC transcription factors were identified by constructing the phylogenetic tree of 94 CeNACs from the genome of C. equisetifolia L. together with 79 SNAC in different plant species. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that these 10 CeSNAC genes are classified into the ATAF (Arabidopsis transcription activation factor), NAP (NAC-like, activated by AP3/P1), and AtNAC3 subfamilies of the NAC family, all featuring the typical NAM (no apical meristem) domain, with the exception of CeSNAC7. In addition, all NAC transcription factors, except CeSNAC9, were localized in the nucleus. Examination of the CeSNAC promoter unveiled the presence of stress response elements such as a STRE (stress responsive element), an MBS (MYB binding site), an ABRE (abscisic acid responsive element) and a LTR (low temperature responsive element). Under various stress treatments, the majority of CeSNAC expressions exhibited induction in response to low temperature, drought, and high salt treatments, as well as ABA (abscisic acid) treatment. However, CeSNAC6, CeSNAC7, and CeSNAC9 were found to be inhibited specifically by drought treatment. Additionally, only CeSNAC3 and CeNAC9 expression was hindered while the rest of the CeSNAC expression were induced by MeJA (methyl jasmonate) treatment. These findings shed light on the relationship between different CeSNAC genes and their responses to abiotic stress conditions, providing valuable insights for further research into CeSNAC functions and aiding the development of stress-resistant varieties in C. equisetifolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart textiles with highly controllable and tunable color changes have attracted considerable attention because of their promising practical application functionality, such as military clothes, sensors, decorations, and protective purposes like information encryption and alert, including thermochromism, photochromism, electrochromism, etc. Among them, the color variation of stimulus-responsive fabric triggered by electricity is more conveniently and effectively controlled than the color change that relies on stimuli like temperature and ultraviolet radiation. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfo-nate) (PEDOT:PSS) are one kind of the most promising electrochromic materials. Currently, electrochromic fabrics (ECFs) based on PEDOT:PSS is still hindered by relatively poor conductive efficiency and complex structure. Here, we developed a multicolor ECFs with a simplified structure using polyester (PET) fabric, PEDOT:PSS/dimethy sulfoxide (DMSO), ionic liquids as an electrochromic container, a conductive color-changing layer and ion transfer medium, respectively. Therein, PEDOT:PSS enhanced conductivity by changing the conformation with DMSO. The conductive solution PEDOT:PSS/DMSO was coated on the flexible PET substrates and then treated with ionic liquids as a conductive layer and redox reactions functional layer to realize the color-changing. These ECFs exhibited impressive electrochromic behavior with color-changing between light blue and dark blue. Moreover, the device was endowed with hydrophobicity and self-cleaning by spraying commercially available hydrophobic agents. To overcome the monochromatic color-changing capacity of traditional ECFs, subtractive principle was introduced to design multicolor electrochromic fabric. Multicolor electrochromic along with excellent flexibility, stability, and lightweight features, are practical for camouflage applications, such as the reversible yellow-green conversion that can adapt to land and grass fighting scenes. We believe the simple-structured multicolor electrochromic fabric would be promising for flexible display in any textile-based markets, such as adaptive camouflage. • The conductivity of electrochromic fabric was improved by optimizing DMSO doping. • An electrochromic device with simple structure was fabricated on fabric substrate. • Based on subtractive principle, prepared multicolor electrochromic fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marathons are significant sports events that can boost the regional economy. This study aims to examine the determinants of marathon runners’ behavioral intentions. Based on the 944 questionnaires collected in the Chicago and Xiamen Marathons in 2019, structural equation modeling, bootstrapping, and ordinary least squares regression methods are applied for the analysis. It reveals that event image and event quality can enhance destination personality which further positively influences runners’ behavioral intentions toward both cities. It also shows that destination personality mediates between event image, event quality, and behavioral intention for runners in both events. These findings have important implications for sports tourism research in various cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radio occultation method, one of the methods used to provide planetary atmospheric profiles with high vertical resolution, was applied to China's first Mars mission, Tianwen-1. We carried out observations based on the Chinese Deep Space Network, and one-way, two-way, and three-way modes were used for Doppler observations from the Tianwen-1 spacecraft. We successfully obtained effective observations from Tianwen-1 on 22 and 25 March 2022. An inversion system developed for Tianwen-1 radio occultation observations enabled the derivation of neutral atmospheric density, pressure, temperature, and electron density profiles of Mars. Utilizing one-way tracking data, Martian ionospheric electron density profiles were retrieved at latitudes between 68.7 and 70.7 degrees (N). However, the presence of strong random walk noise in one-way tracking data led to poor inversion results. Meanwhile, Martian ionospheric electron density and neutral atmosphere profiles were extracted from two-way and three-way tracking data at latitudes between 55.1 and 57.0 degrees (S) on 22 March and at latitudes between 62.8 and 63.4 degrees (S) on 25 March. Importantly, our inversion results from Tianwen-1 maintained consistency with results from the Mars Express and the Chapman theory (mainly in the M2 layer). Through two days' observation experiments, we established and verified the occultation solution system and prepared for the follow-up occultation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several biomarkers such as tumor mutation burden (TMB), neoantigen load (NAL), programmed cell‐death receptor 1 ligand (PD‐L1) expression, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) have been developed for predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in melanoma. However, some limitations including the undefined cut‐off value, poor uniformity of test platform, and weak reliability of prediction have restricted the broad application in clinical practice. In order to identify a clinically actionable biomarker and explore an effective strategy for prediction, we developed a genetic mutation model named as immunotherapy score (ITS) for predicting response to ICIs therapy in melanoma, based on whole‐exome sequencing data from previous studies. We observed that patients with high ITS had better durable clinical benefit and survival outcomes than patients with low ITS in three independent cohorts, as well as in the meta‐cohort. Notably, the prediction capability of ITS was more robust than that of TMB. Remarkably, ITS was not only an independent predictor of ICIs therapy, but also combined with TMB or LDH to better predict response to ICIs than any single biomarker. Moreover, patients with high ITS harbored the immunotherapy‐sensitive characteristics including high TMB and NAL, ultraviolet light damage, impaired DNA damage repair pathway, arrested cell cycle signaling, and frequent mutations in NF1 and SERPINB3/4. Overall, these findings deserve prospective investigation in the future and may help guide clinical decisions on ICIs therapy for patients with melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to identify genes associated with gastric cancer survival and improve risk stratification for patients with gastric cancer. Transcriptomic and clinicopathological data from 443 gastric cancer samples were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The DESeq R package was applied to screen for differentially expressed genes between Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage (I vs. IV) and histological grade (G3 vs. G1 and G2). A total of seven genes were common to both comparisons; spondin 1 (SPON1); thrombospondin 4 (THBS4); Sushi, Von Willebrand factor type A, EGF and pentraxin domain containing 1 (SVEP1); prickle planar cell polarity protein 1 (PRICKLE1); ATP binding cassette subfamily A member 8 (ABCA8); Slit guidance ligand 2 (SLIT2); and EGF containing fibulin extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1), were selected as candidate survival-associated genes for further analysis. The prognostic value of these genes was assessed according to a literature review and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. In addition, a multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed PRICKLE1 expression to be an independent prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer. Furthermore, a predictive nomogram was generated using PRICKLE1 expression, patient age and TNM stage to assess overall survival (OS) rate at 1, 3 and 5 years, with an internal concordance index of 0.65. External validation was conducted in an independent cohort of 59 patients with gastric cancer, and high consistency between the predicted and observed results for OS was exhibited. Overall, the current findings suggest that PRICKLE1 expression may serve as an independent prognostic factor that can be integrated with age and TNM stage in a nomogram able to predict OS rate in patients with gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]