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Different from conventional ferromagnetic methods, producing a spin-polarized current through electrical ways in spintronic devices can greatly increase operating speed, reduce power consumption, and improve device integration. Inspired by recent experimental progress on the synthesis of a heptauthrene molecule, we investigate its spin-dependent transport contacted with Au electrodes through first-principles calculations. By applying a gate voltage, the transmission can be switched between completely spin-up and spin-down polarized states, achieving an electrically controlled dual-spin filter. Furthermore, a fine tuning on the spin polarization, between 100% and − 100%, can also be realized, where the transport with any ratio of spin-up to spin-down electron quantities can be realized beyond the traditional devices. The peculiar transmission spectra and their shift are found to play crucial roles, where transmission peaks distribute on both sides of the Fermi level with opposite spin components. Such a spin-polarization modulating effect is found to be robust to the molecule-electrode contacting site, indicating it is an intrinsic feature of such systems. Moreover, the dimension of the device is at the single-molecule level, suggesting great application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste activated sludge (WAS) is attracting attention for its energy and resource potential. Anaerobic digestion (AD) can be used to efficiently recover energy resources and stabilize pollutants in WAS, with biochar emerging as an ideal additive to boost this process. However, the low abundance of surface functional groups and small pore structure of raw biochar may limit its performance in the AD of WAS. These limitations can be overcome by using functional biochar. In this review, the preparation and modification methods for functional biochar and its role in the AD of WAS are systematically summarized and discussed. Notably, the role of functional biochar in electron transfer, buffering effects, microbial immobilization, alleviation of inhibitory effects, and functional microbial modulation are analyzed. Additionally, the impacts of biochar on digestate utilization, pollutant removal, and carbon fixation are discussed. Special attention is given to functional biochar for its ability to promote circular economy and carbon neutrality. Finally, future perspectives on the use of functional biochar in the AD of WAS are presented. The aim of this review is to provide insights into the application of functional biochar in the AD of WAS from the perspective of performance improvement, resource utilization, and circular economy. Highlights: The properties affecting the role of functional biochar in the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge were reviewed. Modifications of biochar might improve the efficacy of anaerobic digestion of sludge. Functional biochar has carbon reduction potential in the anaerobic digestion of sludge. A novel scheme for utilizing resources from biowastes was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plasma microRNAs act as biomarkers for predicting and diagnosing diseases. Reliable non-invasive biomarkers for biochemical pregnancy loss have not been established. We aim to analyze the dynamic microRNA profiles during the peri-implantation period and investigate if plasma microRNAs could be non-invasive biomarkers predicting BPL. Methods: In this study, we collected plasma samples from patients undergoing embryo transfer (ET) on ET day (ET0), 11 days after ET (ET11), and 14 days after ET (ET14). Patients were divided into the NP (negative pregnancy), BPL (biochemical pregnancy loss), and CP (clinical pregnancy) groups according to serum hCG levels at day11~14 and ultrasound at day28~35 following ET. MicroRNA profiles at different time-points were detected by miRNA-sequencing. We analyzed plasma microRNA signatures for BPL at the peri-implantation stage, we characterized the dynamic microRNA changes during the implantation period, constructed a microRNA co-expression network, and established predictive models for BPL. Finally, the sequencing results were confirmed by Taqman RT-qPCR. Results: BPL patients have distinct plasma microRNA profiles compared to CP patients at multiple time-points during the peri-implantation period. Machine learning models revealed that plasma microRNAs could predict BPL. RT-qPCR confirmed that miR-181a-2-3p, miR-9-5p, miR-150-3p, miR-150-5p, and miR-98-5p, miR-363-3p were significantly differentially expressed between patients with different reproductive outcomes. Conclusion: Our study highlights the non-invasive value of plasma microRNAs in predicting BPL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the issue of mediocre separation efficiency of depressants in the copper-lead separation process, this article synthesized a macromolecular organic depressant, polymaleic anhydride-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (PMA–EDTC), using a polycarboxylic macromolecule as the backbone and also introducing –N–(C=S)–S– as the solidophilic group and employed as a galena depressant. The structure of PMA–EDTC was characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The effect of PMA–EDTC on the floatability of galena and chalcopyrite was investigated through micro-flotation and Contact angle measurements. The experimental results demonstrated that PMA–EDTC exhibited selectivity inhibition towards galena rather than chalcopyrite across a wide pH range. At a dose of 8 mg/L, there was effective separation between galena and chalcopyrite with a separation coefficient of 24.17, effectively altering the floatability of galena while having little impact on the floatability of chalcopyrite. The selective inhibition behavior and adsorption mechanism of PMA–EDTC on galena and chalcopyrite were investigated using FT-IR, Zeta potential, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). FT-IR and Zeta potential studies indicated that PMA–EDTC formed chemical adsorption on the surface of galena. XPS confirmed the model of chemical adsorption of PMA–EDTC on lead atoms in the galena surface. The results indicate that PMA–EDTC adsorbs on the surface of galena via its –(C=S)–S–group, forming a hydrophilic complex and achieving selective depression of lead and the cleaning flotation of copper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of six control parameters, intake valve opening timing (IVO), exhaust valve opening timing (EVO), compression ratio (CR), engine speed, intake temperature, and intake pressure on engine output power, indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, are analyzed through engine simulation. The six parameters were categorized into two groups based on the degree of influence: high influence (EVO, speed and intake pressure) and low influence (CR, IVO and intake temperature). The relationship between these two groups of parameters and power, ISFC and NOx emissions was explored. Optimization was carried out for each of the two groups of parameters, and the optimization of the high impact parameters resulted in a higher diversity and wider distribution of the solution set. On the other hand, the optimization of the low-impact parameters resulted in a more concentrated distribution of the solution set, while better reflecting the trade-off between the optimization objectives. For the optimal solutions for both sets of parameters, the high-impact parameters provided significant optimization performance compared to the standard operating conditions. Although power and ISFC were optimized, the optimal solution for the low-impact parameter performed poorly with a significant increase in NOx emissions. Therefore, the parameters should be evaluated for optimization using high impact parameters to improve engine performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the light-harvesting capability and electron-hole separation efficiency, a novel heteroatom-introduced Bi 2 WO 6 photocatalyst (OV–Bi 2 WO 6) with oxygen vacancies (OVs) was prepared via the partial substitution of O2− by S2− anions. The OV-Bi 2 WO 6 showed high photocatalytic properties in photo-oxidation/reduction reactions under visible-light. The OVs content could be controlled by adjusting the sulfur source amount, and the optimal OV (0.9) -Bi 2 WO 6 with suitable OVs had a high photocatalytic activity with 97.6% of MO removal and 88.2% of Cr(VI) removal efficiency. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations verified that the OVs in Bi 2 WO 6 could induce a new defect level to decrease the bandgap energy and accelerate the carrier separation/migration. Furthermore, the possible photocatalytic mechanisms for MO degradation and Cr(VI) reduction over the OV-Bi 2 WO 6 were proposed, respectively. The present work helped us to better understand the enhancement mechanism of OVs in Bi-based semiconductors and paved the way to develop high-performance photocatalysts for environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assist-as-needed (AAN) controller is effective in robot-assisted rehabilitation. However, variations of the engagement of subjects with fixed controller often lead to unsatisfying results. Therefore, adaptive AAN that adjusts control parameters based on individualized engagement is essential to enhance the training effect further. Nevertheless, current approaches mainly focus on the within-trial real-time engagement estimation, and the presence of measurement noise may cause improper evaluation of engagement. In addition, most studies on human-in-loop optimization strategies modulate the controller by greedy strategies, which are prone to fall into local optima. These shortcomings in previous studies could significantly limit the efficacy of AAN. This paper proposes an adaptive AAN to promote engagement by providing subjects with a subject-adaptive assistance level based on trial-wise engagement estimation and performance. Firstly, the engagement is estimated from energy information, which assesses the work done by the subject during a full trial to reduce the influence of measurement outliers. Secondly, the AAN controller is adapted by Bayesian optimization (BO) to maximize the subject's performance according to historical trial-wise performance. The BO algorithm is good at dealing with noisy signals within limited steps. Experiments with ten healthy subjects resulted in a decrease of 34.59 $\%$ in their average trajectory error, accompanied by a reduction of 9.71 $\%$ in their energy consumption, thus verifying the superiority of the proposed method to prior work. These results suggest that the proposed method could potentially improve the effect of upper limb rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 2000s there has been a rise in female spies depicted in both Hollywood and Chinese cinema. This article employs Kaplan's familial model and Braidotti's discussion of body to analyze the problematic relation between women and nation in three recent female-led sexpionage spy films—Red Sparrow (2018), The Message (2009) and The Silent War (2012). Through situating these movies in the context of growing nationalism and political tension (i.e. "Cold War 2.0") and post-feminist media texts emphasizing women's liberated sexuality, we examine how Red Sparrow promotes American nationalism via advocating certain women's bodily rights, whereas The Message and The Silent War promote Chinese nationalism by prioritizing women as state subjects rather than sexualized individuals. In these two Chinese films, the transcendence of the sexualized Chinese female spy-protagonist into revolutionary leader and symbolic mother figure is only realized through death by sexual and physical abuse. Although Red Sparrow asserts women's sexual rights and challenges the notion of nation-as-family, the bodily rights it advocates operate within an individualist framework detached from the collective actions for women's emancipation and empowerment. Red Sparrow also implicitly supports the virtuous heterosexual conjugal relationship, which reinforces heterosexism and a decidedly state-centric hierarchical and political ordering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI), which causes loss of sensory and motor function in the body below the level of injury, is a devastating disease of the central nervous system. SCI leads to severe secondary immunosuppression, called SCI-induced immunodeficiency syndrome (SCI-IDS), which is characterized by increased susceptibility to infection and further exacerbates neurological dysfunction. Several studies have suggested that SCI-IDS is an independent risk factor for poor neurological prognosis. SCI-IDS predominantly occurs following injury above the T5 levels and eventually leads to systemic immune failure, possibly via the sympathetic–adrenal medullary axis and the hypothalamic‒pituitary‒adrenal (HPA) axis. However, the mechanism remains unclear. Methods and objectives: The concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol in plasma, as well as changes in sympathetic activity (blood pressure and catecholamine levels in plasma), were assessed in rats in the high-level (T3) spinal cord injury (T3-SCI) group and the low-level (T10) spinal cord injury (T10-SCI) group. Second, the differential regulation of the gene network between the sympathetic–adrenal medullary axis and the HPA axis was explored by histology and multitissue transcriptomics, and the neuroendocrine–immune network associated with SCI-IDS was further elucidated. Results: The spleen and thymus gland, which are secondary immune organs, were significantly atrophied in rats in the T3-SCI group, and the white pulp of the spleen was significantly atrophied. The level of cortisol, which is mediated by the adrenal glands, was markedly elevated, but norepinephrine levels were markedly decreased. There was no difference in adrenocorticotropic hormone expression between any of the groups. The transcriptome analysis results showed that the downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the T3-SCI group were enriched in the GO term immunoregulation, indicating that splenic immune function was markedly impaired after high-level SCI. The upregulated DEGs in the hypothalamus (hub genes: Nod2, Serpine1, Cebpb, Nfkbil1, Ripk2, Zfp36, Traf6, Akap8, Gfer, Cxcl10, Tnfaip3, Icam1, Fcgr2b, Ager, Dusp10, and Mapkapk2) were significantly enriched in inflammatory pathways, and the downregulated genes (hub genes: Grm4, Nmu, P2ry12, rt1-bb1, Oprm1, Zfhx2, Gpr83, and Chrm2) were enriched in pathways related to inhibitory Gi-mediated G protein-coupled receptor (Gi-GPCR) neurons and neuropeptide changes. The upregulated genes in the adrenal glands (hub genes: Ciart, per2, per3, cry1, and cry2) were enriched in cortisol secretion and circadian rhythm changes, and the downregulated genes (hub genes: IL7r, rt1-bb, rt1-bb1, rt1-da, rt1-ba, cd74, cxcr3, vcam1, ccl5, bin1, and IL8) were significantly enriched in MHC-mediated immune responses. Conclusions: To explore the possible mechanism underlying SCI-IDS, this study assessed the differential regulation of the gene network associated with neuroendocrine immunity after SCI. Progressive neuroinflammation spreads after injury, and neurotransmission through Gi-mediated G protein-coupled receptors in the HPA axis and neuropeptide production by the hypothalamus are inhibited. Disruption of the connection between the hypothalamus and the adrenal glands causes autonomous regulation of the adrenal glands, disturbance of circadian rhythm and finally hypercortisolemia, leading to general suppression of peripheral adaptive immunity. Neuraxial nerve inflammation caused by SCI persists indefinitely, blocking nerve repair; persistent system-wide immunosuppression in the periphery results in increased susceptibility to infection, leading to poor neurological prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Carl Dennis's secularized religious visions in his Pulitzer-winning poetry collection, Practical Gods (2001). Dennis's secularized religious visions can be quite understandable in the context of the ascending trends of secularization, diversification, and globalization of religion in America, and they demonstrate affinities with literary predecessors such as Wallace Stevens, with his aestheticized religion under the influence of Nietzsche, as well as with the innovative religious thinking of William Blake, Kazantzakis, and Oscar Wilde, and with certain aspects of Taoism and Zen Buddhism. This paper addresses Dennis's perception of theological controversies, such as the contradiction between the omnipotence of God and the existence of evil, theological determinism vs. human free will, theological view of history vs. New Historicism, divinity in man, aestheticized religion, and earthly paradise through the focused lens of Dennis's "practical religion". Despite the breadth of the theses in Dennis's conceived practical religion as examined in this paper, they are all tied up with the core of the phenomenological study of religion: that religion is important to believers of the religion irrespective of the objective truth of the religion or the actual existence of God. In Dennis's views, as accorded with the phenomenological study of religions, God maybe an idea and a fiction, but it is a necessary fiction for humans. Thus, Dennis humanizes gods with the flaws and fragility of humanity while deifying ordinary humanity in the contemporary context. Contrasting what he views as theological determinism with its view of linear history and the apocalypse of grand events, Dennis embraces human free will, a non-teleological, aestheticized living with necessary fiction, and a transient paradise on earth. Carl Dennis's religious vision reveals a poststructuralist (even though he did not brand himself so) abolition of the absoluteness of a transcendent signifier as well as binary opposition (between God and man, good and evil, religious/historical truth and fictionality), and it manifests an affinity with New Historicism and the phenomenological study of religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imbalance of Th17 and Treg cell differentiation, intestinal flora imbalance, and intestinal mucosal barrier damage may be important links in the occurrence and development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) since Th17 and Treg differentiation are affected by the intestinal flora. This study aimed to explore the effect of Escherichia coli (E. coli) LF82 on the differentiation of Th17 and Treg cells and the role of the intestinal flora in mouse colitis. The effects of E. coli LF82 infection on intestinal inflammation were evaluated by analyzing the disease activity index, histology, myeloperoxidase activity, FITC-D fluorescence value, and claudin-1 and ZO-1 expression. The effects of E. coli LF82 on the Th17/Treg balance and intestinal flora were analyzed by flow cytometry and 16S rDNA sequencing. Inflammatory markers, changes in the intestinal flora, and Th17/Treg cells were then detected after transplanting fecal bacteria from normal mice into colitis mice infected by E. coli LF82. We found that E. coli LF82 infection can aggravate the intestinal inflammation of mice colitis, destroy their intestinal mucosal barrier, increase intestinal mucosal permeability, and aggravate the imbalance of Th17/Treg differentiation and the disorder of intestinal flora. After improving the intestinal flora imbalance by fecal bacteria transplantation, intestinal inflammation and intestinal mucosal barrier damage were reduced, and the differentiation balance of Th17 and Treg cells was restored. This study showed that E. coli LF82 infection aggravates intestinal inflammation and intestinal mucosal barrier damage in colitis by affecting the intestinal flora composition and indirectly regulating the Th17 and Treg cell differentiation balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review is about statistical genetics, an interdisciplinary topic between statistical physics and population biology. The focus is on the phase of quasi-linkage equilibrium (QLE). Our goals here are to clarify under which conditions the QLE phase can be expected to hold in population biology and how the stability of the QLE phase is lost. The QLE state, which has many similarities to a thermal equilibrium state in statistical mechanics, was discovered by M Kimura for a two-locus two-allele model, and was extended and generalized to the global genome scale by Neher & Shraiman (2011). What we will refer to as the Kimura–Neher–Shraiman theory describes a population evolving due to the mutations, recombination, natural selection and possibly genetic drift. A QLE phase exists at sufficiently high recombination rate (r) and/or mutation rates µ with respect to selection strength. We show how in QLE it is possible to infer the epistatic parameters of the fitness function from the knowledge of the (dynamical) distribution of genotypes in a population. We further consider the breakdown of the QLE regime for high enough selection strength. We review recent results for the selection-mutation and selection-recombination dynamics. Finally, we identify and characterize a new phase which we call the non-random coexistence where variability persists in the population without either fixating or disappearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchically porous sulfide with abundant cavities contributes to high specific charge (872.0 C g−1 at 1 A g−1), the corresponding NiCoMnS//AC HSC device exhibited a high energy density of 47.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 750 W kg−1. [Display omitted] • The hierarchically porous NiCoMnS sulfide nanosheets were in situ synthesized on NF. • Sulfur source concentration played a vital role in constructing the nanosheets with abundant cavities in the post-sulfidation process. • The self-supporting NiCoMnS/NF exhibited an excellent conductivity and high specific charge. • Assembled NiCoMnS//AC HSC device delivered a high energy density of 47.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density 750 W kg−1. Ternary transition metal sulfides have attracted much attention due to their superior electrochemical properties. Nevertheless, it is difficult to commercialize sulfides due to their intrinsic properties such as dull reaction kinetics and an insufficient number of active sites. Herein, a self-supporting porous NiCoMnS sulfide (NiCoMnS/NF) arrayed on nickel foam (NF) with 3D honeycomb-like structure was designed and prepared via a hydrothermal and post-sulfidation process. It was found that the 3D hierarchically network architecture, constructed by nanosheets with abundant cavities, endowed NiCoMnS/NF with a high specific area and rich ion/electron-transport channels, which facilitated ion/electron transfer and Faradaic reaction kinetic. The optimal NiCoMnS/NF exhibited a markedly improved electrochemical performance due to the merits of complementary multi-composition and unique 3D network structure with multi-level "superhighways". Furthermore, the NiCoMnS//AC device fabricated with NiCoMnS/NF cathode and activated carbon (AC) anode delivered an excellent specific charge and exceptional energy density. This work offers a reference for designing the structure of electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Doxorubicin (DOX) can contribute to severe myocardial injury, and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC)‐exosomes (Exos) improves acute myocardial infarction. Hence, this research investigated whether BMSC‐Exos alleviated DOX‐induced myocardial injury. Methods: BMSC‐derived Exos were isolated and identified, and the optimal concentration of DOX was confirmed. H9C2 cells were treated with DOX and BMSC‐Exos or in combination with the protein kinase B (AKT) inhibitor. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and JC‐1 were detected to assess oxidative stress (OS) and mitochondrial membrane damage, respectively. In addition, the expression of pyroptosis‐related molecules was measured. The expression of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)‐AKT pathway‐related proteins and the phosphorylation and acetylation of forkhead box O1 (Foxo1) in the cell nucleus and cytoplasm were tested. Last, interactions between Foxo1 and gasdermin D (GSDMD) were assessed. Results: BMSC‐Exo treatment increased viability and mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced lactic dehydrogenase release and ROS levels in DOX‐treated H9C2 cells. Furthermore, the addition of BMSC‐Exos suppressed DOX‐induced activation and upregulation of NLRP3 and apoptosis‐associated speck‐like protein containing A CARD (ASC) and in vitro cleavage of caspase‐1, GSDMD, interleukin (IL)‐1β, and IL‐18 proteins. Additionally, BMSC‐Exo treatment enhanced the expression of phosphorylated (p)‐PI3K, p‐AKT, and p‐mTOR in DOX‐treated H9C2 cells and the levels of phosphorylated Foxo1 in the cytoplasm of DOX‐treated H9C2 cells. Foxo1 was enriched in the promoter region of GSDMD. Moreover, the AKT inhibitor API‐2 annulled the effects of BMSC‐Exos on OS, pyroptosis, and Foxo1 phosphorylation in DOX‐treated H9C2 cells. Conclusions: BMSC‐Exos phosphorylated Foxo1 and inactivated Foxo1 transcription via the PI3K‐AKT pathway to diminish GSDMD expression, thus restraining DOX‐induced pyroptosis and OS of myocardial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The common spatial pattern (CSP) algorithm is efficient and accurate for channels selection and features extraction for electroencephalogram (EEG) signals classification. The CSP algorithm is usually applied on a subject-by-subject basis by measuring only intra-subject variations for selecting the most significant channels; we refer to this algorithm as CSP-based customized channels selection (CSP-CC). In practice, deploying the CSP-CC algorithm requires to set up a customized EEG device for each subject separately, which can be very costly. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, called CSP-based unified channels (CSP-UC), for overcoming the aforementioned difficulties. The aim of the proposed algorithm is to extract unified channels that are valid for any subject; hence, one EEG device can be deployed for all subjects. Moreover, a methodology for developing both binary-class and ternary-class EEG signals classification models using either customized or unified channels is introduced. This methodology is applicable for both subject-by-subject and cross-subjects basis. In ternary-class classification models, the traditional "Max_Vote" method, used for voting the predicted class labels, has been modified to a more accurate method called "Max_Vote_then_Max_Probability." On a subject-by-subject basis, the experimental results on EEG-based driver's fatigue dataset have shown that the accuracy of the classification models that are based on the proposed CSP-UC algorithm is slightly lower than that of those based on the CSP-CC algorithm. Nevertheless, the former algorithm is more practical and cost-effective than the latter. But in cross-subjects, the classification models based on the CSP-UC algorithm outperform those based on the CSP-CC algorithm in both accuracy and the number of used channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red blood cell-like S,F-codoped Bi 2 WO 6 with suitable oxygen vacancies was synthesized via the hydrothermal-calcination and post-sulfurization, which showed the highest photocatalytic performance in Cr(VI) reduction (94.3% in 120 min) and MO degradation (95.4% in 120 min) under visible-light. [Display omitted] • 3D red blood cell-like S,F-codoped Bi 2 WO 6 with suitable oxygen vacancies synthesized by adjusting S/F ratio during post-sulfurization. • The S/F heteroatom codoping could effectively modulate the electronic structure of Bi 2 WO 6 by inducing oxygen vacancy. • Electronic band structure photoelectric and photocatalytic properties were strongly related to oxygen vacancy amount. • The optimal S,F-codoped Bi 2 WO 6 showed the excellent photooxidation-reduction activity under visible-light due to suitable oxygen vacancies in Bi 2 WO 6 crystal lattice. Heteroatom doping was recently regarded as an effective method to tune the band gap and improve the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, a novel S,F-codoped Bi 2 WO 6 (S,F-Bi 2 WO 6) with suitable oxygen vacancies was synthesized via the hydrothermal-calcination and post-sulfurization, for efficient Cr(VI) reduction and methyl orange (MO) degradation under visible light. The amount of surface oxygen vacancies could be controlled by adjusting the S/F ratio during the doping process, which modulated the band structure and photogenerated charge behavior of Bi 2 WO 6. The optimal S 0.10 F-Bi 2 WO 6 exhibited an excellent photooxidation-reduction performance, which Cr(VI) reduction and MO degradation efficiencies were 1.6 and 2.6 times than those of the pristine Bi 2 WO 6 without oxygen vacancy under visible-light, respectively. The enhanced photooxidation-reduction performance was because the right amount of oxygen vacancies could effectively narrow the bandgap and improve the separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs. Thus, this work offered a mild and simply approach for preparing heteroatom doped Bi 2 WO 6 and a potential to be extended to the synthesis of other doped materials for environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of generalized design and batch processing of face gear, a method of tooth surface design and side milling of ruled line face gears is proposed in this paper. First of all, the discrete points of the pitch cone surface of the face gear are calculated, and the straight-line cluster and section curve of the tooth surface is constructed to analyze the deviation of the ruled line face gear. Secondly, the tooth surface model of the ruled line face gear is constructed, and the curvature and contact trace are calculated. Thirdly, the curvature and tangent of the ruled line face gear tooth surface are analyzed, the feed plane of the equidistant surface and the guideline are obtained, the torsion angle of the tooth surface and the distribution of the tangent vector along the generatrix are calculated, and the tool axis position based on the two-point offset method is studied. Finally, the side milling processing test of the face gear is carried out, and the tooth surface of the face gear after side milling is measured. The measurement results verify the correctness of the tooth surface design and the side milling processing method of the ruled line face gear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study aimed to investigate changes in the quality of heat‐processed beef flavour (HPBF) during 168‐day storage period at 4, 20 and 50 °C through evaluating 10 physicochemical indexes and sensory profiles. The sensory score of HPBF reduced dramatically at 50 °C compared with those at other temperatures. The correlation analysis indicated that among the 10 physicochemical indexes, oxidation–reduction potential (ORP), which is positively correlated to lipid oxidation, possessed the strongest association with the total sensory score of HPBF. The kinetic analysis showed that the increasing rate of ORP during the first 50‐day period at 50 °C was more than 10 times larger than those at 4 and 20 °C. These results suggested that lipid oxidation played a major role in affecting the quality of HPBF, especially during the early storage period. Reducing lipid oxidation via for instance maintaining a relatively low storage temperature should be given better attention for obtaining high‐quality HPBF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ou Guang-An agrees with the artistic characteristics of Lu Xun as Jasper sees them and emphasises Lu Xun's depiction of the defects of national character, a well-established but somehow obsolete perspective. Chapters 7 and 8 are Jasper's understanding of Sino-Christian theology and Ou Guang-An's response to Jasper, respectively. Jasper underscores with great insight Lu Xun's irony, his ambivalent connection with traditional Chinese culture which he openly debunks, and points out that Mao's valorisation of Lu Xun compromises Lu Xun's artistic achievements and profound ambiguity. [Extracted from the article]

This study sought to analyze the main antibacterial active components of Lactobacillus pentosus (L. pentosus) L-36 cell-free culture supernatants (CFCS) in inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), to explore its physicochemical properties and anti-bacterial mechanism. Firstly, the main antibacterial active substance in L-36 CFCS was peptides, which inferred by adjusting pH and enzyme treatment methods. Secondly, the physicochemical properties of the antibacterial active substances in L-36 CFCS were studied from heat, pH, and metal ions, respectively. It demonstrated good antibacterial activity when heated at 65 °C, 85 °C and 100 °C for 10 and 30 min, indicating that it had strong thermal stability. L-36 CFCS had antibacterial activity when the pH value was 2–6, and the antibacterial active substances became stable with the decrease in pH value. After 10 kinds of metal ions were treated, the antibacterial activity did not change significantly, indicating that it was insensitive to metal ions. Finally, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence probe were used to reveal the antibacterial mechanism of S. aureus from the aspects of cell morphology and subcellular structure. The results demonstrated that L-36 CFCS could form 1.4–2.3 nm pores in the cell membrane of S. aureus, which increased the permeability of the bacterial cell membrane, resulting in the depolarization of cell membrane potential and leakage of nucleic acid protein and other cell contents. Meanwhile, a large number of ROS are produced and accumulated in the cells, causing damage to DNA, and with the increase in L-36 CFCS concentration, the effect is enhanced, and finally leads to the death of S. aureus. Our study suggests that the main antibacterial active substances of L-36 CFCS are peptides. L-36 CFCS are thermostable, active under acidic conditions, insensitive to metal ions, and exhibit antibacterial effects by damaging cell membranes, DNA and increasing ROS. Using lactic acid bacteria to inhibit S. aureus provides a theoretical basis for the discovery of new antibacterial substances, and will have great significance in the development of antibiotic substitutes, reducing bacterial resistance and ensuring animal food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further improve maneuverability and passability, new heavy-duty vehicles place higher demands on the service space and strength performance of transmission systems. The new surface gear transmission stands out for its unique technical advantages, but how to reduce the volume as much as possible under the premise of meeting the strength performance remains difficult to research. In the past, the method of improving the strength performance of the face gear pair has usually been by increasing the parameters and optimizing the tooth profile. These methods are not suitable for use considering space constraints and guaranteeing center-to-center distances. To overcome the contradiction between small volume and large load, this work proposes a strength matching method to improve the face gear pair's strength performance in limited service space. First, according to the meshing principle of the face gear pair, the displacement coefficient is considered in the configuration process of the face gear pair, and the mathematical model of the face gear pair is established. Second, to ensure the effective contact area of the face gear pair, a mathematical model of the reverse contact trace avoiding the undercutting and pointing area is established. The proposed method is validated by electrolytic machining and transmission performance tests. This research solves application problems, such as the strength mismatch of the face gear transmission system, and lays the foundation for the engineering application of face gear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel graphitic carbon nitride/polyaniline (g-C3N4/PANI) composite was successfully fabricated, which showed excellent photocatalytic performance towards the reduction of Cr(VI) and degradation of MO (methyl orange) under visible-light. PANI not only acted as a light acceptor to produce photogenerated electrons but also as a conductive polymer to boost the migration of charge carriers, leading to an improvement in photocatalytic activity. Using multiple characterization techniques and optical and photoelectrical measurements, the improved photocatalytic performance was ascribed to the g-C3N4/PANI p–n heterostructure and integration of the merits of its individual components. The optimal g-C3N4/PANI5.0 exhibited excellent Cr(VI) reduction activity (93.7% for 120 min), which was 21-times higher than that of the pristine g-C3N4 under visible-light. Furthermore, g-C3N4/PANI5.0 showed high MO degradation activity and also excellent mineralization capability (68.0% TOC removal for 75 min), and its degradation rate (98.2% for 75 min) was 33.9- and 14.7-times higher than that of PANI and g-C3N4, respectively. Finally, possible photocatalytic enhancement mechanisms for the reduction of Cr(VI) and degradation of MO were proposed under visible light based on the optical and electrochemical performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quorum sensing (QS) plays an important role in the production of virulence factors and pathogenicity in pathogenic bacteria and is, therefore, a hopeful target to fight against bacterial infections. During our search for natural QS inhibitors, two new xanthonolignoids (1 and 2), each existing as a racemic mixture, one new simple oxygenated xanthone (7), and eight known analogs (3–6, 8–11) were isolated from Hypericum scabrum Linn. Chiral separation of 1 yielded a pair of enantiomers 1a and 1b. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and ECD (electrostatic circular dichroism) calculations. All isolates were evaluated for their QS inhibitory activity against Chromobacterium violaceum. Both 9 and 10 exhibited the most potent QS inhibitory effects with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 31.25 and 62.5 μM, respectively. Crystal violet staining was used to further evaluate the biofilm inhibition potential of compounds 7, 9 and 10, and the formation of biofilms increased with decreasing drug concentration in a classic dose-dependent manner. The results of a cytotoxicity assay revealed that compounds 7, 9 and 10 exhibited no cytotoxic activity on PC-12 cells at the tested concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain–Computer Interface (BCI) technology has recently been advancing rapidly, bringing significant hope for improving human health and quality of life. Decoding and visualizing visually evoked electroencephalography (EEG) signals into corresponding images plays a crucial role in the practical application of BCI technology. The recent emergence of diffusion models provides a good modeling basis for this work. However, the existing diffusion models still have great challenges in generating high-quality images from EEG, due to the low signal-to-noise ratio and strong randomness of EEG signals. The purpose of this study is to address the above-mentioned challenges by proposing a framework named NeuroDM that can decode human brain responses to visual stimuli from EEG-recorded brain activity. In NeuroDM, an EEG-Visual-Transformer (EV-Transformer) is used to extract the visual-related features with high classification accuracy from EEG signals, then an EEG-Guided Diffusion Model (EG-DM) is employed to synthesize high-quality images from the EEG visual-related features. We conducted experiments on two EEG datasets (one is a forty-class dataset, and the other is a four-class dataset). In the task of EEG decoding, we achieved average accuracies of 99.80% and 92.07% on two datasets, respectively. In the task of EEG visualization, the Inception Score of the images generated by NeuroDM reached 15.04 and 8.67, respectively. All the above results outperform existing methods. The experimental results on two EEG datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the NeuroDM framework, achieving state-of-the-art performance in terms of classification accuracy and image quality. Furthermore, our NeuroDM exhibits strong generalization capabilities and the ability to generate diverse images. • EV-Transformer is proposed to extract the spatial–temporal information from EEG. • We synthesize high-quality images from the EEG visual-related features. • We implement NeuroDM and validate its effectiveness on two different EEG datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Core-shell NiC 2 O 4 @C/N-doped NiCoZn-LDH(NCO@C/N-LDH) structure was prepared by two-step hydrothermal process. • Carbon and nitride were directly doped into NiCoZn-LDH nanosheets as shell. • The assembled NCO@C/N-LDH//AC devices provided high energy storage capability. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are promising cathode materials for supercapacitors due to high theoretical specific capacitance and unique layered structure. Constructing hierarchical core–shell structure for the multicomponent LDHs is an effective strategy to further utilize them. Herein, a novel hierarchical core–shell structure (NCO@C/N-LDH) was fabricated by direct-doping of C and N species into NiCoZn-LDH nanosheets (C/N-LDH) coved on NiC 2 O 4 (NCO) arranged on the nickel foam via two-step hydrothermal method. The NCO as a backbone prevented C/N-LDH nanosheets from collapsing in charge/discharge process, while the C/N-LDH shell provided abundant active sites and exclusive access to electron/ion transport for accelerating the Faradaic reaction kinetics. The optimal NCO@C/N-LDH (2.0) displayed a remarkable electrochemical performance with a high specific charge of 1841.0C/g at 1 A/g and good rate capability. Furthermore, the as-fabricated NCO@C/N-LDH//AC device delivered a high energy density of 56.9 Wh kg−1 at power density of 800 W kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note is concerned with the stability analysis of linear systems with a time-varying delay, where the delay is assumed to be a periodically varying bounded function with restricted derivatives. Combining the allowable delay set (ADS) definition and the region partitioning technique, an ADS partitioning approach is proposed, and then by with aid of this approach, a novel Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF), namely delay-set-partition-based (DSPB) LKF, is developed. Compared with the previous LKF method, the main advantage of the DSPB LKF lies in allowing the considered system to construct its own LKF in each sub-ADS. By utilizing the proposed LKF, less conservative stability criteria are derived. Finally, two simulation examples are provided to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Ag3VO4/CoWO4 (AgCoO) p–n heterostructure was designed and prepared by an in situ growth method. The physicochemical properties of the as-prepared materials were characterized by multiple techniques, and the photocatalytic performances in Cr(VI) reduction and TC degradation were also evaluated under visible-light irradiation. The optimal AgCoO0.20 exhibited excellent Cr(VI) reduction activity (98.5% removal rate) and TC degradation activity (71.4% removal rate). The enhanced Cr(VI) reduction and TC degradation performances were attributed to fast transportation and efficient separation of the charge carriers due to the synergistic effect of the sufficient interfacial contact and the interaction between CoWO4 and Ag3VO4 induced by the formation of the p–n heterostructure. Ultimately, the possible enhanced photocatalytic mechanism over the Ag3VO4/CoWO4 p–n heterostructure composite was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses racial study of 21st century Pulitzer-winning minority poets. Topics discussed including forms of racism reflects in Pulitzer-winning minority poets; ideological and epistemic violence, drawing on Spivak's notion; and how were genocide and racial violence traumatically inscribed in the literary works.

A facile two-step hydrothermal approach with post-sulfurization treatment was put forward to construct the mixed transition metal sulfide (NiCoZnS) with a high electrochemical performance. The different morphologies of NiCoZnS materials were successfully fabricated by adjusted the Ni/Co molar ratio of the NiCoZn(OH)F precursor. Moreover, the in situ phase transformation from the NiCoZn(OH)F phase to Zn0.76Co0.24S and NiCo2S4 phases and lattice defects via the S2âˆ' ion-exchange were determined by x-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques, which improved electric conductivity and interfacial active sites of the NiCoZnS, and so promoted the reaction kinetics. Significantly, the urchin-like NiCoZnS1/1 prepared at the Ni/Co molar ratio of 1.0 exhibited promising electrochemical performances with high capacitance and excellent cycling stability. Furthermore, the asymmetric device (NiCoZnS//AC) using NiCoZnS1/1 as the positive electrode had excellent supercapacitor performances with an energy density of 57.8 Wh·kgâ€"1 at a power density of 750 W·kgâ€"1 as well as a long cycle life (79.2% capacity retention after 10 000 cycles), indicating the potential application in high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sphingolipids (lipids with a sphingoid base backbone) are important components of eukaryotic membrane systems and key signaling molecules that are essential for controlling cellular homeostasis, acclimating to stress, and regulating plant immunity. Studies using sphingolipid treatments, measuring sphingolipids in infected plants, and functionally studying sphingolipid biosynthetic mutants demonstrated that sphingolipids participate in plant cell death and defense responses. In this review, we present an updated map of sphingolipid signaling and review recent progress in understanding the functions of sphingolipids in plant immunity as structural components of biological membranes, and as mediators of defense signaling. Moreover, several pressing questions, such as how sphingolipids in the plasma membrane, particularly microdomains, act to perceive pathogens and transduce signals during plant–pathogen interactions, remain to be further explored in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The convoluted element of PM2.5 may cause various biological reactions. Nowadays, few studies have indicated the long-term health effects of PM2.5 on HCC. Therefore, this meta-analysis first aims to obtain more precise estimates of the effects of PM2.5 exposure on HCC to assess the strength of the evidence. Methods: A combination of computer and manual retrieval was used to search in Medline through PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Review Manager 5.3 software was used to examine the heterogeneity among the studies. Results: Finally, 8 qualified articles meet the inclusion criteria. The results were I2 = 0%, P > 0.1 indicating that there was no heterogeneity. The results showed that the concentration of PM2.5 increased by 10 μg/m3 was significantly correlated with liver cancer, and HR was 1.22 (95% CI 1.14–1.30, P < 0.05), indicating that maternal exposure to PM2.5 was positively correlated with liver cancer. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis showed that the patients with HCC significance related to PM2.5 exposure. However, more studies investigating the combined effects of different air pollutants on HCC incidence are warranted to provide more comprehensive evidence for assessing the different levels impacts of PM2.5 exposure on HCC incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the highly symmetrical structures generated from one‐pot syntheses, the partial functionalization of macrocycles is usually beset with low yields and onerous purifications of the target multifunctional macrocycles. To improve this situation, taking pillar[6]arenes as an example, a two‐step fragment coupling method has been developed for synthesizing symmetrically tetra‐functionalized pillar[6]arenes, namely X‐pillar[6]arenes. This method is simple and versatile, which makes hetero‐fragment coupling and pre‐functionalization available. Nine new macrocycles and a pillar[6]arene‐based cage have been prepared. In addition, one of the newly synthesized macrocycles, COOEtEtXP[6], exhibits a strong cyan luminescence in the solid state under irradiation by 365 nm UV light. This emission originates from intramolecular through‐space conjugation. Meanwhile, formation of a supramolecular polymer by multiple non‐covalent intra/intermolecular interactions helps rigidify the structure and make COOEtEtXP[6] an efficient solid‐state emitter. It is believed that this fragment coupling can also be used to realize the multi‐functionalization of other macrocycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the highly symmetrical structures generated from one‐pot syntheses, the partial functionalization of macrocycles is usually beset with low yields and onerous purifications of the target multifunctional macrocycles. To improve this situation, taking pillar[6]arenes as an example, a two‐step fragment coupling method has been developed for synthesizing symmetrically tetra‐functionalized pillar[6]arenes, namely X‐pillar[6]arenes. This method is simple and versatile, which makes hetero‐fragment coupling and pre‐functionalization available. Nine new macrocycles and a pillar[6]arene‐based cage have been prepared. In addition, one of the newly synthesized macrocycles, COOEtEtXP[6], exhibits a strong cyan luminescence in the solid state under irradiation by 365 nm UV light. This emission originates from intramolecular through‐space conjugation. Meanwhile, formation of a supramolecular polymer by multiple non‐covalent intra/intermolecular interactions helps rigidify the structure and make COOEtEtXP[6] an efficient solid‐state emitter. It is believed that this fragment coupling can also be used to realize the multi‐functionalization of other macrocycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is considered the most malignant and devastating intracranial tumor without effective treatment. Autophagy, apoptosis, and necrosis, three classically known cell death pathways, can provide novel clinical and immunological insights, which may assist in designing personalized therapeutics. In this study, we developed and validated an effective signature based on autophagy-, apoptosis- and necrosis-related genes for prognostic implications in GBM patients.Methods: Variations in the expression of genes involved in autophagy, apoptosis and necrosis were explored in 518 GBM patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Univariate Cox analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis, and multivariate Cox analysis were performed to construct a combined prognostic signature. Kaplan-Meier survival, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Cox regression analyses based on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were conducted to estimate the independent prognostic performance of the gene signature. The Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) dataset was used for external validation. Finally, we investigated the differences in the immune microenvironment between different prognostic groups and predicted potential compounds targeting each group.Results: A 16-gene cell death index (CDI) was established. Patients were clustered into either the high risk or the low risk groups according to the CDI score, and those in the low risk group presented significantly longer OS and PFS than the high CDI group. ROC curves demonstrated outstanding performance of the gene signature in both the training and validation groups. Furthermore, immune cell analysis identified higher infiltration of neutrophils, macrophages, Treg, T helper cells, and aDCs, and lower infiltration of B cells in the high CDI group. Interestingly, this group also showed lower expression levels of immune checkpoint molecules PDCD1 and CD200, and higher expression levels of PDCD1LG2, CD86, CD48 and IDO1.Conclusion: Our study proposes that the CDI signature can be utilized as a prognostic predictor and may guide patients' selection for preferential use of immunotherapy in GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether MTHFR C677T genotype affects pregnancy outcomes following assisted reproductive technology is conflicting. And the role of MTHFR C677T genotype on cumulative live birth has not been reported. This study aims to investigate the effect of MTHFR C677T genotype on cumulative live birth following in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET).Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study that includes 1173 women undergoing their first IVF-ET. We retrospectively compared the reproductive outcomes among the groups stratified by MTHFR C677T genotypes (677CC, 677CT, 677TT). We performed interaction analysis to detect the factor that interacts with the MTHFR C677T genotype. Poisson regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations between MTHFR C677T genotypes with the number of transferable embryos and the number of good-quality embryos. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between MTHFR C677T genotypes with cumulative live birth. All regression analyses were adjusted with the confounding factors which may independently impact reproductive outcomes.Results: There is a significant interactive effect of MTHFR 677TT genotype with GnRHa protocol on reproductive outcomes (P for interaction<0.05). MTHFR 677TT homozygous mutation was found to impact reproductive outcomes under GnRHa short protocol but not GnRHa long protocol. MTHFR 677TT is significantly associated with decreased number of transferable embryos (p-value=0.028), decreased number of good-quality embryos (p-value=0.005), and decreased cumulative live birth rate (p-value=0.024) in patients undergoing GnRHa short protocol. However, the clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate and live birth rate at the first embryo transfer cycle were not significantly different between the groups under both protocols (p-values>0.05).Conclusions: MTHFR 677TT genotype is associated with decreased number of transferable embryos, decreased number of good-quality embryos, and decreased cumulative live birth rate in the first complete cycle in patients undergoing GnRHa short protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Whether the dominant status of vaginal Lactobacillus is associated with IVF/ICSI outcomes. Methods: This is a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study consists of 2285 women undergoing their first fresh autologous IVF cycles. We divided the patients into the Lactobacillus-dominant group and non-Lactobacillus-dominant group based on the abundance of Lactobacillus in Gram-stained vaginal smear examined by microscopy. We compared IVF outcomes between the two groups. We matched Lactobacillus-dominant women with non-Lactobacillus-dominant women by propensity score (PS) to reduce the impact of confounding factors. We evaluated the effect of vaginal Lactobacillus on live birth using univariate and multivariate analysis models. We also conducted interaction and stratified analyses. Results: Compare to the Lactobacillus-dominant group, the biochemical pregnancy rate (50.12% vs. 57.61%, P = 0.03), clinical pregnancy rate (40.98% vs. 50.82%, P < 0.01), and live birth rate (31.83% vs. 41.22%, P < 0.01) were significantly lower in the non-Lactobacillus-dominant group, the preclinical pregnancy loss rate (18.22% vs. 11.79%, P = 0.05) and preterm birth rate (33.09% vs. 21.59%, P = 0.02) were significantly higher in the non-Lactobacillus-dominant group. However, the miscarriage rate (18.86% vs. 15.67%, P = 0.40) and ectopic pregnancy rate (1.41% vs.1.64%, P = 0.78) were similar between the two groups. Loss dominance of Lactobacillus in the vagina was an independent risk factor for live birth (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50–0.88). Conclusions: Loss dominance of Lactobacillus in the vagina negatively affects IVF outcomes by decreasing the chances of pregnancy and live birth, increasing risks of preclinical pregnancy loss and preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Qualitative and quantitative were conducted on 36 key aroma compounds of MC. • Key aroma compound changes were identified during the ripening of MC. • The dynamic changes in the microbial community composition of MC were studied. • There were significant correlations between flavor metabolites and microorganisms. This study aimed to analyze the key aroma compounds and core functional microorganisms of Monascus -fermented cheese (MC). 36 key aroma compounds were identified according to gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC–MS), aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), and odor activity values (OAV) analysis. And internal standard curves were used to clarify the changes in their concentration of them during cheese ripening. Furthermore, High-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the composition and dynamic changes of bacteria and fungi in MC, respectively. Lactococcus lactis was found to be the dominant bacterium while Monascus was confirmed to be the dominant fungus. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis showed that Lactococcus lactis, Staphylococcus, Trichococcus, and Monascus were strongly associated with the 36 key aroma compounds (r > 0.80, p < 0.05). Finally, a metabolic network containing biosynthetic pathways of the key aroma compounds was constructed. This study provides deeper insights into the unique aroma of MC and the contribution of cheese microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that are dysregulated in many diseases and can act as biomarkers. Although well-studied in cancer, the role of miRNAs in embryo implantation is poorly understood. Approximately 70% of embryos fail to implant following in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, 10% of patients experienced recurrent implantation failure. However, there are no well-established biomarkers that can predict implantation failure. Our purpose is to investigate distinct miRNA profiles in plasma and plasma exosomes during the window of implantation between patients with failed implantation and successful implantation. Methods: We select a nested case-control population of 12 patients with implantation failure or successfully clinical pregnancy using propensity score matching. RNA was extracted from plasma and plasma exosomes collected during the window of implantation (WOI). MicroRNA expression in all samples was quantified using microRNA sequencing. The intersection of differently expressed miRNAs in plasma and exosomes were further validated in the GEO dataset. Significantly altered microRNAs in both plasma and plasma exosomes were then subjected to target prediction and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses to search for key signaling pathways. WGCNA analysis was performed to identify hub miRNAs associated with implantation. Results: 13 miRNAs were differentially expressed in both plasma and plasma exosomes in patients with implantation failure. Among them, miR-150-5p, miR-150-3p, miR-149-5p, and miR-146b-3p had consistent direction changes in endometrium of patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF), miR-342-3p had consistent direction changes in blood samples of patients with RIF. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs are enriched in pathways related to embryo implantation. WGCNA analysis indicated that miR-150-5p, miR-150-3p, miR-146b-3p, and miR-342-3p are hub miRNAs. Conclusions: Implantation failure is associated with distinct miRNA profiles in plasma and plasma exosomes during WOI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To detect the association between PAI-1 -675 4G/5G polymorphism and recurrent implantation failure (RIF). We performed this meta-analysis by searching databases of PubMed, EMBASE, OVID, and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) for case-control studies that evaluated the association between PAI 4G/5G polymorphism and RIF. Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model. The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported to evaluate the association. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were performed to explore the source of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis and trim-and-fill analysis were performed to explore the robustness of the meta-analysis. Eight case-control studies consisted of 1273 women were included in this meta-analysis (including 697 RIF patients and 576 control participants). The combined results showed that the homozygous genotype of PAI-1 -675 4G/4G was significantly associated with RIF (OR 2.79, 95%CI 1.53–5.08, P-value = 0.0008). Meta-regression and subgroup analysis showed that sample origin is the primary source of heterogeneity (P-value for meta-regression: 0.005). Study quality also explains some heterogeneity (P-value for meta-regression: 0.03). Sensitivity analysis showed that the result was not significantly changed after excluding one study each time. Trim-and-fill analysis showed that the result was not significantly changed after filled with three studies. PAI -675 4G/4G genotype may serve as one of the predisposing factors of RIF. Women with PAI-1 4G/4G genotype were at higher risk of RIF. However, more high-quality studies are needed to confirm the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rising consensus that the cell can dynamically allocate its resources provides an interesting angle for discovering the governing principles of cell growth and metabolism. Extensive efforts have been made in the past decade to elucidate the relationship between resource allocation and phenotypic patterns of microorganisms. Despite these exciting developments, there is still a lack of explicit comparison between potentially competing propositions and a lack of synthesis of inter-related proposals and findings. Results: In this work, we have reviewed resource allocation-derived principles, hypotheses and mathematical models to recapitulate important achievements in this area. In particular, the emergence of resource allocation phenomena is deciphered by the putative tug of war between the cellular objectives, demands and the supply capability. Competing hypotheses for explaining the most-studied phenomenon arising from resource allocation, i.e. the overflow metabolism, have been re-examined towards uncovering the potential physiological root cause. The possible link between proteome fractions and the partition of the ribosomal machinery has been analysed through mathematical derivations. Finally, open questions are highlighted and an outlook on the practical applications is provided. It is the authors' intention that this review contributes to a clearer understanding of the role of resource allocation in resolving bacterial growth strategies, one of the central questions in microbiology. Conclusions: We have shown the importance of resource allocation in understanding various aspects of cellular systems. Several important questions such as the physiological root cause of overflow metabolism and the correct interpretation of 'protein costs' are shown to remain open. As the understanding of the mechanisms and utility of resource application in cellular systems further develops, we anticipate that mathematical modelling tools incorporating resource allocation will facilitate the circuit-host design in synthetic biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ternary NiCoAl hydrotalcite (NiCoAl-LDH) was combined with carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) to fabricate a novel electrochemical sensor for simultaneously determining the co-existing trace phenolic substances. The morphology, structure, and electrochemical behavior of the as-prepared materials were characterized by various techniques. Benefitting from the great conductivity of MWCNT and high electrocatalytic activity of NiCoAl-LDH for phenolic substances, the advanced MWCNT/NiCoAl-LDH sensor presented a fast response, high sensitivity, excellent stability, and satisfactory replicability. The sensor offered good linear responses in the ranges1.50~600 μM to hydroquinone (HQ), 5.00~1.03 × 103 μM to catechol (CC), and 6.00 × 10−2~250 μM to bisphenol A (BPA). The detection limits of HQ, CC, and BPA were 0.4, 0.8, and 6. × 10−3 μM (S/N = 3), respectively. In environmental water, the sensor achieved satisfactory recoveries for the simultaneous detection of HQ (98.6~101%), CC (98.0~101%), and BPA (97.5~101%), with relative standard deviations less than 4.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Sphingolipids have key functions in plant membrane structure and signaling. Perturbations of plant sphingolipid metabolism often induce cell death and salicylic acid (SA) accumulation; SA accumulation, in turn, promotes sphingolipid metabolism and further cell death. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis thaliana lipase‐like protein ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 (EDS1) and its partner PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT 4 (PAD4) participate in sphingolipid metabolism and associated cell death. The accelerated cell death 5 (acd5) mutants accumulate ceramides due to a defect in ceramide kinase and show spontaneous cell death. Loss of function of EDS1, PAD4 or SALICYLIC ACID INDUCTION DEFICIENT 2 (SID2) in the acd5 background suppressed the acd5 cell death phenotype and prevented ceramide accumulation. Treatment with the SA analogue benzothiadiazole partially restored sphingolipid accumulation in the acd5 pad4 and acd5 eds1 double mutants, showing that the inhibitory effect of the pad4‐1 and eds1‐2 mutations on acd5‐conferred sphingolipid accumulation partly depends on SA. Moreover, the pad4‐1 and eds1‐2 mutations substantially rescued the susceptibility of the acd5 mutant to Botrytis cinerea. Consistent with this, B. cinerea‐induced ceramide accumulation requires PAD4 or EDS1. Finally, examination of plants overexpressing the ceramide synthase gene LAG1 HOMOLOGUE2 suggested that EDS1, PAD4 and SA are involved in long‐chain ceramide metabolism and ceramide‐associated cell death. Collectively, our observations reveal that EDS1 and PAD4 mediate ceramide (especially long‐chain ceramide) metabolism and associated cell death, by SA‐dependent and SA‐independent pathways. Significance Statement: Several reports have investigated the roles of ceramides in plants; however, the mechanism by which ceramides elicit cell death remains to be elucidated. In this work we found that ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 and its partner PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT 4, which are crucial components in SA biosynthesis and cell death regulation, mediate ceramide (especially long‐chain ceramide) metabolism and associated cell death by SA‐dependent and SA‐independent pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the associations between polymorphisms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Methods: We performed the systematic review and meta-analysis by searching databases of PubMed, EMBASE, OVID, and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) for studies that evaluated the associations between VEGF polymorphisms with RIF. Meta-analysis was performed if the polymorphism was studied by more than two case–control studies. Data were analyzed using R software. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported to assess the associations. Results: Nine VEGF polymorphisms (−1154G > A, −460T > C, +405G > C, −7C > T, −634C > G, −2578C > A, +936C > T, 5C > T, −583C > T) were systematically reviewed. Meta-analysis was performed on VEGF −1154 G > A polymorphism. Three case–control studies consisted of 683 women were included in the quantitative meta-analysis (305 RIF patients and 378 controls). Results showed that VEGF −1154A allele was significantly associated with RIF (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.08–1.78, P-value = 0.01). The dominant genetic model showed that VEGF 1154AA plus VEGF 1154AG genotypes were more frequent in RIF patients than VEGF 1154GG genotype (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.10–2.20, P-value = 0.01). However, the result under the recessive genetic model showed no significant difference (OR 1.67, 95% CI 0.92–3.03, P-value = 0.09). Conclusion: VEGF −1154A allele may serve as one of the predisposing factors of RIF. Women with VEGF 1154 AA/GA genotypes were at higher risk of RIF. However, we should consider the haplotype effect of VEGF polymorphisms in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PPy/ZnTi-LDH was successfully prepared by in-situ oxidation polymerization. • PPy as light acceptor provide a new electron transfer path for Cr(VI) reduction. • PPy/ZnTi-LDH displayed a superior photocatalytic activity and stability. A conjugated polymer polypyrrole (PPy) was used to decorate the ZnTi hydrotalcite (ZnTi-LDH) for constructing an organic–inorganic PPy/ZnTi-LDH composite by a facile in-situ oxidation polymerization. It was found that the as-prepared composite displayed a superior photocatalytic performance and excellent stability under visible light irradiation, which Cr(VI) reduction efficiency (99.72% for 35 min) was around 53 and 12 times higher than those of the pristine ZnTi-LDH and pure PPy, respectively, and still maintained 95.10% even after 5th cycles. The dramatically enhanced photocatalytic performances were attributed to the beneficial combination of the ZnTi-LDH stratified structure and conductive PPy, which effectively facilitated charge transfer, restrained recombination, and increased visible-light absorption. Particularly, PPy as a remarkable conductive polymer, played a crucial role in the Cr(VI) reduction, which not only was a light acceptor to produce photo-generated charge carriers but also provided a good electron transport path to accelerate the separation and migration of electron-hole pairs to improve the photoreduction performances. Finally, possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism of the PPy/ZnTi-LDH was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, ranks as the fifth most common cancer and has been the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are proteins that interact with different classes of RNA and are commonly detected in cells.Methods: We used RNA sequencing data from TCGA to display dysfunctional RBPs microenvironments and provide potential useful biomarkers for HCC diagnosis and prognosis.Results: 330 differently expressed RBPs (208 upregulated and 122 downregulated) were identified. KEGG were mainly enriched in RNA degradation, Influenza A, Hepatitis C, RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway, Herpes simplex virus 1 infection and RNA transport. CBioPortal results demonstrated that these genes were altered in 50 samples out of 357 HCC patients (14%) and the amplification of BRCA1 was the largest frequent copy-number alteration.Conclusion: Based on the online database, we identified novel RBPs markers for the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant tumor of the upper aerodigestive tract. These RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) influence post‐transcriptional in cells and regulate cell physiology, participate in regulating RNA stability, alternative splicing, translation, modification, localization, and apoptosis. We used RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to display dysfunctional RBPs microenvironments and provide potential useful biomarkers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) diagnosis and prognosis. Six RBPs (DNMT1, PCF11, EIF5A2, RNASE10, PSMA6, and IGF2BP2) were selected as independent prognosis factors of HNSCC patients. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were mainly enriched in RNA transport, Spliceosome, RNA degradation, mRNA surveillance pathway, and Epstein–Barr virus infection. cBioPortal results demonstrated that these six genes were altered in 150 samples out of 504 HNSCC patients (30%) and the amplification of IGF2BP2 was the largest frequent copy‐number alteration. Based on the online database, we identified novel RBPs markers for the prognosis of HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultrasound (US) imaging technique has been applied to scoliosis assessment, and the proxy Cobb angle can be acquired on the US coronal images. The spinous process angle (SPA) is a valuable parameter to indicate 3-D deformity of spine. However, the SPA cannot be measured on US images since the spinous process (SP) is merged in the soft tissue layer and impossible to be identified on the coronal view directly. A new method based on the gradient vector flow (GVF) snake model was proposed to automatically locate SP position on the US transverse images, and the density-based spatial clustering of application with noise (DBSCAN) was used to remove the outliers out of the detected location results. With marking the SP points on the US coronal image, the SP curve was interpolated and the SPA was measured. The algorithm was evaluated on 50 subjects with various severity of scoliosis, and two raters measured the SPA on both US images and radiographs manually. The mean absolute differences (MADs) of SPAs obtained from the two modalities were 3.4° ± 2.4° and 3.6° ± 2.8° for the two raters, respectively, which were less than the clinical acceptance error (5°), and the results reported a good linear correlation (r > 0.85) between the US method and radiography. It indicates that the proposed method can be a promising approach for SPA measurement using the US imaging technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]