A Highly Salt-Soluble Ketone-Based All-Solid-State Polymer Electrolyte with Superior Performances for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have great potential to be used in high-safety lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, it is still a significant challenge for SPEs to develop high ionic conductivity, high mechanical strength, and good interior interfacial compatibility. In this work, a ketone-based all-solid-state electrolyte (PAD) resulting from allyl acetoacetate (AAA), diacetone acrylamide (DAAM), and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) was prepared by UV-inducing photopolymerization. The abundant ketone groups endow the prepared PAD all-solid-state electrolyte with strong dissociation of lithium salts and weak coordination interactions between ketone groups and Li⁺. Depending on the unique properties of the ketone groups in the electrolyte system, the prepared polymer electrolytes show a high lithium-ion transference number of 0.87 and a wide electrochemical window of 4.95 V. Furthermore, the PAD electrolyte also exhibits superior viscoelasticity, which is beneficial for good contact with electrodes. As a result, the assembled LFP/PAD/Li cells with PAD electrolytes show good cycle performance and rate performance. Concretely, the all-solid-state symmetric lithium cells with the PAD electrolyte can achieve stable lithium plating and stripping at 0.05 mA cm^-2 for over 1000 h at 60 °C. This work highlights the advantages of ketone-based electrolyte as a polymer electrolyte and provides a design method for advanced polymer electrolytes applied in high-performance solid lithium batteries.

Beta-adrenergic receptor blocker propranolol triggers anti-tumor immunity and enhances irinotecan therapy in mice colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) stands as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide with limited available medicines. While drug repurposing comes as a promising strategy for cancer treatment, we discovered that propranolol (Prop), a non-selective β1 and β2 adrenergic receptor blocker, significantly inhibited the development of subcutaneous CT26 CRC and AOM/DSS-induced CRC models. The RNA-seq analysis highlighted the activated immune pathways after Prop treatment, with GO analysis enriched in T-cell differentiation, leukocyte-mediated immunity, regulation of leukocyte-mediated cytotoxicity, and interferon-gamma production. Routine analyses of blood revealed a decrease in neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, a biomarker of systemic inflammation, and a prognostic indicator in the Prop-treated groups in both CRC models. Analysis of the tumor-infiltrating immune cells exhibited that Prop regressed the exhaustion of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in the CT26-derived graft models, which was further corroborated in the AOM/DSS-induced models. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis fitted well with the experimental data, showing that β2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) was positively correlated with T-cell exhaustion signature in various tumors. The in vitro experiment showed no direct effect of Prop on CT26 cell viability, while T cells were activated with significantly-upregulated production of IFN-γ and Granzyme B. Consistently, Prop was unable to restrain CT26 tumor growth in nude mice. At last, the combination of Prop and the chemotherapeutic drug Irinotecan acted out the strongest inhibition in CT26 tumor progress. Collectively, we repurpose Prop as a promising and economical therapeutic drug for CRC treatment and highlight T-cell as its target.

Exploration of lung mycobiome in the patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

As the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) progresses, the relationship between microbes and human health has been receiving increasing attention. A growing number of reports support the correlation between cancer and microbes. However, most studies have focused on bacteria, rather than fungal communities. In this study, we studied the alteration in lung mycobiome in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using metagenomic sequencing and qPCR. The higher fungal diversity and more complex network were observed in the patients with NSCLC. In addition, Alternaria arborescens was found as the most relevant fungus to NSCLC, and the enrichment of it in cancerous tissue was also detected. This study proposes that the changes in fungal communities may be closely related to lung cancer, and provides insights into further exploration the relationship between lung cancer and fungi.

Temperature-dependent mycotoxins production investigation in Alternaria infected cherry by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry

For temperature-dependent Alternaria mycotoxins production analysis, cherry samples were inoculated with Alternaria sp. and incubated at two different temperatures (4 °C and 25 °C). Six Alternaria mycotoxins, including altenuene (ALT), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), alternariol (AOH), altertoxin-I (ATX-I), tenuazonic acid (TeA), and tentoxin (TEN), in cherries were detected with integrated visible data-processing tools. Maximum concentration of these mycotoxins reached 71,862.2 μg/kg at 25 °C. Notably, considerable amount of TeA (290.4 μg/kg) was detected at 4 °C, which indicated that low temperature is not a safe storage condition for fruits. A total of 102 compounds were detected with a neutral loss of 162.0528 Da, and TeA-glucose was identified in this work. Based on MS/MS cosine similarity, products were verified and annotated with feature based molecular networking (FBMN) in global natural products social networking (GNPS). The results showed Alternaria mycotoxins in cherry samples were mainly demethylation, hydrogenation, and dehydration. This work revealed the production of Alternaria mycotoxins in cherries under different storage temperature, which will provide theoretical basis for the control of mycotoxin contamination in food commodities.

Long non-coding RNA MFSD4A-AS1 promotes lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis of papillary thyroid cancer

Lymphatic metastasis is the leading cause responsible for recurrence and progression in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), where dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been extensively demonstrated to be implicated. However, the specific lymphatic node metastatsis-related lncRNAs remain not identified in PTC yet. Lymphatic node metastatsis-related lncRNA, MFSD4A-AS1, was explored in the PTC dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas and our clinical samples. The roles of MFSD4A-AS1 in lymphatic metastasis were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatic analysis, luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay were performed to identify the potential targets and the underlying pathway of MFSD4A-AS1 in lymphatic metastasis of PTC. MFSD4A-AS1 was specifically upregulated in PTC tissues with lymphatic metastasis. Upregulating MFSD4A-AS1 promoted mesh formation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and invasion and migration of PTC cells. Importantly and consistently, MFSD4A-AS1 promoted lymphatic metastasis of PTC cells in vivo by inducing the lymphangiogenic formation and enhancing the invasive capability of PTC cells. Mechanistic dissection further revealed that MFSD4A-AS1 functioned as competing endogenous RNA to sequester miR-30c-2-3p, miR-145-3p and miR-139-5p to disrupt the miRNA-mediated inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factors A and C, and further activated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling by sponging miR-30c-2-3p that targeted TGFBR2 and USP15, both of which synergistically promoted lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis of PTC. Our results unravel novel dual mechanisms by which MFSD4A-AS1 promotes lymphatic metastasis of PTC, which will facilitate the development of anti-lymphatic metastatic therapeutic strategy in PTC.

Investigation on the genetic-inconsistent paternity cases using the MiSeq FGx system

Mutations might challenge the paternity index calculation in forensic identification. While many studies have focussed on the autosomal short tandem repeats (A-STR), the mutation status of sex chromosomes and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) remain blank. Next generation sequencing (NGS), known as high throughput and large sequence polymorphism, is a promising tool for forensic genetics. To describe the mutation landscapes in the paternity cases with genetic inconsistencies, a total of 63 parentage confirmed paternity cases contained at least one mismatched locus have been collected. The mutations were subsequently evaluated using Verogen's MPS ForenSeq^TM DNA Signature Kit and a microsatellite instability (MSI) detection kit. The result showed 98.41% (62/63) of the cases had no additional autosomal mutations even when the number of A-STRs increased to 27. As for the sex chromosomes, about 11.11% (7/63) of the cases exhibited either X-STR or Y-STR mutations. D2S1338, FGA and Penta E were the most frequent altered STRs, which suggested they might be the mutation hotspots. In addition, a male with sex chromosome abnormality was observed accidently, whose genotype might be 47, XXY, rather than MSI. Nearly 56.90% of the STR loci possessed isoalleles, which might result in higher STR polymorphisms. No Mendelian incompatibility was detected among the SNP markers, which indicated that SNP was a more reliable genetic marker in the genetic-inconsistent paternity cases. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2021.2009631 .

A Sustainable Road Transport Decarbonisation: The Scenario Analysis of New Energy Vehicle in China

Due to the prosperous development of the economy, the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) have intensified and attracted attention worldwide. China has set the "dual-carbon" aim to pursue sustainable development in the transport sector. Thus, this study created a generalised Bass model to forecast new energy vehicle (NEV) ownership by introducing a new factor, charging piles, to reflect the infrastructure effects. Using the improved model with the hypothesis of annual mileage, an empirical analysis was conducted with the subject of NEVs in China by using the NEV-related panel data from 2010 to 2020, and the forecast result is outstanding with a goodness-of-fit of 99.7%. With the forecasts, carbon emission reduction was calculated with a bottom-up method. To further discuss the pathway to achieve carbon neutrality in the transport sector of China, a scenario analysis was conducted with ideal, enhanced, and radical constraints. The results show that if all factors remain "as is" until 2050, China will be far from carbon neutrality. Thus, this paper proposes relevant policy implications to assist the government to obtain effective methods to assess carbon reduction benefits and find viable pathways to a sustainable road transport system.

Clinical efficacy of Danshen preparation in the treatment of vascular cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Danshen preparations are widely used in the treatment of ischaemic cerebrovascular disease. However, the clinical efficacy of such preparations remains unclear. Consequently, Danshen preparations are used to a lesser extent in vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).

Aim of the study

In this study, we aimed to systematically assess the clinical efficacy and safety of Danshen preparations in VCI. To this end, we examined and performed a meta-analysis (MA) of the evidence available from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of Danshen preparations conducted in patients with VCI.

Methods

We queried the following sources and collected all articles reporting on RCTs of Danshen preparations published prior to December 2021: PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Chongqing VIP Database (CQVIP), and China Biology Medicine (CBM) disc databases. The assessment of treatments that were included in references were performed by RevMan 5.2 software based on guidelines from Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

Results

We included a total of 12 RCTs that included data on clinical therapeutic effects. The evaluation criteria included the following: National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Barthel Index (BI), Mini-Mental State Assessment (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL), treatment effect index, and incidence of adverse reaction index. In the included studies, the observation groups included 656 cases and the control groups included 660 cases. The results of the MA were as follows: the mean difference (MD) value after combining the effect size for NIHSS was -2.91, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of -4.22 to -1.59; the combined effect quantity hypothesis test revealed that Z = 4.33 (p < 0.00001), indicating that the score pertaining to the degree of neurological deficit (NIHSS) in the observation group after treatment was significantly lower than that in the control group. This result reveals that treatment with a Danshen preparation can reduce neurological deficit in VCI patients. The MD value after combining the effect size for mRS was -0.73, with a 95% CI of -0.85 to -0.61; the result of the combined effect quantity hypothesis test revealed that Z = 12.29 (p < 0.00001). These results indicate that the degree of disability was significantly reduced after treatment in the observation group. The MD value after combining the effect size for MMSE was 2.09, with a 95% CI of 0.33-3.84; the result of the combined effect quantity hypothesis test showed that Z = 2.33 (p = 0.02). These results indicate that the cognitive function score (MMSE) of the observation group after treatment was significantly higher than that of the control group and suggests that the cognitive function of VCI patients was improved after treatment with Danshen preparations. The MD value after combining the effect size for ADL was 8.79, with a 95% CI of 3.52 to 14.06; the result of the combined effect quantity hypothesis test indicated that Z = 3.27 (p = 0.001). These results showed that the life ability (ADL scale) scores of patients in the observation group after treatment were significantly higher than those in the control group, and reveals that after treatment with Danshen preparations, patients exhibited significant improvement in life ability. The MD value after combining the effect size for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was -3.21, with a 95% CI of -4.21 to -2.22; the result of the combined effect quantity hypothesis test showed that Z = 6.31 (p < 0.00001), indicating that the hs-CRP level in the observation group was significantly decreased after treatment. The MD value after combining the effect size for interleukin (IL)-6 was -2.95, with a 95% CI of -3.86 to -2.04; the result of the combined effect quantity hypothesis test showed that Z = 6.36 (p < 0.00001). These results showed that the IL-6 level in the observation group was significantly decreased after treatment.

Conclusion

The existing clinical evidence shows that Danshen preparations exert significant therapeutic effects on VCI patients and can ameliorate inflammatory conditions in these patients. In addition, Danshen preparations are relatively safe.

Clinical, genetic, and experimental research of hyperphenylalaninemia

Hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) is the most common amino acid metabolism defect in humans. It is an autosomal-recessive disorder of the phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism, in which high Phe concentrations and low tyrosine (Tyr) concentrations in the blood cause phenylketonuria (PKU), brain dysfunction, light pigmentation and musty odor. Newborn screening data of HPA have revealed that the prevalence varies worldwide, with an average of 1:10,000. Most cases of HPA result from phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency, while a small number of HPA are caused by defects in the tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) metabolism and DnaJ heat shock protein family (Hsp40) member C12 (DNAJC12) deficiency. Currently, the molecular pathophysiology of the neuropathology associated with HPA remains incompletely understood. Dietary restriction of Phe has been highly successful, although outcomes are still suboptimal and patients find it difficult to adhere to the treatment. Pharmacological treatments, such as BH4 and phenylalanine ammonia lyase, are available. Gene therapy for HPA is still in development.

A New In Situ Prepared MOF-Natural Polymer Composite Electrolyte for Solid Lithium Metal Batteries with Superior High- Rate Capability and Long-Term Cycling Stability at Ultrahigh Current Density

Lithium metal batteries hold promise for energy storage applications but suffer from uncontrolled lithium dendrites. In this study, a new composite membrane based on modified natural polymer and ZIF-67 is designed and prepared by the in situ composite method for the first time. Among them, a modified natural polymer composed of lithium alginate (LA) and polyacrylamide (PAM) can be obtained by electrospinning. Importantly, the polar functional groups of natural polymers can interact by hydrogen bonding and MOFs can construct lithium-ion transport channels. Consequently, compared with LA-PAM electrolyte without MOF, the electrochemical stability window of ZIF-67-LA-PAM electrolyte becomes wider from 4.5 to 5.2 V, and the lithium-ion transference number (t_Li+ ) enhances from 0.326 to 0.627 at 30°C. It is worth noting that the symmetric cells with ZIF-67-LA-PAM have superior stable cycling performance at 40 and 100 mA cm^-2 , and a high rate at 10C and 20C for LFP cells. Besides, the cell with NCM811 high-voltage cathode can run stably for 400 cycles with an initial discharge capacity of 136.1 mAh g^-1 at 0.5C. This work provides an effective method for designing and preparing MOF-natural polymer composite electrolytes and exhibits an excellent application prospect in high-energy-density lithium metal batteries.

An improved stereodivergent and practical synthesis of α- and β-pseudouridine

An improved stereodivergent and practical synthesis of both α- and β-pseudouridines have been achieved from a common intermediate. This practical approach features a highly diastereoselective Grignard reaction to the inexpensive...

Fat storage-inducing transmembrane proteins: beyond mediating lipid droplet formation

Fat storage-inducing transmembrane proteins (FITMs) were initially identified in 2007 as members of a conserved endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident transmembrane protein gene family, and were found to be involved in lipid droplet (LD) formation. Recently, several studies have further demonstrated that the ability of FITMs to directly bind to triglyceride and diacylglycerol, and the diphosphatase activity of hydrolyzing fatty acyl-CoA, might enable FITMs to maintain the formation of lipid droplets, engage in lipid metabolism, and protect against cellular stress. Based on the distribution of FITMs in tissues and their important roles in lipid droplet biology and lipid metabolism, it was discovered that FITMs were closely related to muscle development, adipocyte differentiation, and energy metabolism. Accordingly, the abnormal expression of FITMs was not only associated with type 2 diabetes and lipodystrophy, but also with cardiac disease and several types of cancer. This study reviews the structure, distribution, expression regulation, and functionality of FITMs and their potential relationships with various metabolic diseases, hoping to provide inspiration for fruitful research directions and applications of FITM proteins. Moreover, this review will provide an important theoretical basis for the application of FITMs in the diagnosis and treatment of related diseases.

Cell-cell contact-driven EphB1 cis- and trans- signalings regulate cancer stem cells enrichment after chemotherapy

Reactivation of chemotherapy-induced dormant cancer cells is the main cause of relapse and metastasis. The molecular mechanisms underlying remain to be elucidated. In this study, we introduced a cellular model that mimics the process of cisplatin responsiveness in NSCLC patients. We found that during the process of dormancy and reactivation induced by cisplatin, NSCLC cells underwent sequential EMT-MET with enrichment of cancer stem cells. The ATAC-seq combined with motif analysis revealed that OCT4-SOX2-TCF-NANOG motifs were associated with the enrichment of cancer stem cells induced by chemotherapy. Gene expression profiling suggested a dynamic regulatory mechanism during the process of enrichment of cancer stem cells, where Nanog showed upregulation in the dormant state and SOX2 showed upregulation in the reactivated state. Further, we showed that EphB1 and p-EphB1 showed dynamic expression in the process of cancer cell dormancy and reactivation, where the expression profiles of EphB1 and p-EphB1 showed negatively correlated. In the dormant EMT cells which showed disrupted cell-cell contacts, ligand-independent EphB1 promoted entry of lung cancer cells into dormancy through activating p-p38 and downregulating E-cadherin. On the contrary, in the state of MET, in which cell-cell adhesion was recovered, interactions of EphB1 and ligand EphrinB2 in trans promoted the stemness of cancer cells through upregulating Nanog and Sox2. In conclusion, lung cancer stem cells were enriched during the process of cellular response to chemotherapy. EphB1 cis- and trans- signalings function in the dormant and reactivated state of lung cancer cells respectively. It may provide a therapeutic strategy that target the evolution process of cancer cells induced by chemotherapy.

Swelled Mechanism of Crumb Rubber and Technical Properties of Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen

Crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB) has excellent high-temperature performance and fatigue resistance, and is widely used in asphalt pavement to cope with increasing traffic axle load and changing climate. Under conventional preparation conditions, the swelling degree of CR can directly impact the comprehensive properties of CRMB; however, physical and chemical properties research on swelling crumb rubber (SCR) and crumb rubber recycled bitumen (CRRB) in CRMB is relatively lacking. In this paper, the working performance of CRMB and CRRB in high-temperature and low-temperature conditions were studied through physical and working performance testing of bitumen. The CR and SCR were tested by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and particle size distribution (PSD) tests to study the physicochemical behavior and microscopic effects before and after CR swelling. The results showed that CR dosage was in the range of 10%, 15%, and 20%, as well as that CR dosages have a positive effect on the high- and low-temperature performance, storage stability, and elastic recovery of bitumen. The high-temperature PG grades of bitumen were directly improved by four grades, and the elastic recovery rate increased by 339.9%. CR improved the ultra-low temperature crack resistance of bitumen. Due to the absorption of lighter components by CR, the relative content of the heavy component of bitumen increased; however, its low-temperature performance decreased significantly. After swelling, the CR particle size increased and the range became wider, the surface complexity of CR became higher, and the specific surface area was larger. At the same time, CR carried out the transformation process from large and medium molecules to small molecules. During the swelling process, a new benzene ring structure appeared in the CR, and the C-C bond and C-S bond of CR broke, forming part of the C=C bond.

[Application progress of home self-sampling for human papillomavirus and human immunodeficiency virus testing]

Self-sampling is a method by which the subject collects the own specimens for disease detection. It has the advantages of strong privacy, convenient and simple operation, free time and place, etc. It can improve the compliance of people in remote areas, affected by traditional concepts, limited by working hours and underdeveloped transportation and medical treatment to participate in disease detection and screening. With the development of "Internet+health care" and "Internet+nursing service", home-based self-sampling testing will become a developing situation for disease detection and screening. Human immunodeficiency virus and Human papillomavirus infection bring a heavy burden to individuals and society. In the absence of effective and widespread primary prevention, secondary prevention, namely "early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment" is an effective measure to control the adverse consequences. At present, there are many researches on HPV and HIV self-sampling test, whose test results are highly reliable and highly accepted in the population, and is of great significance for improving the coverage rate of cervical cancer screening and the diagnosis rate of HIV carriers.

Characterizing phenotypic diversity of trehalose biosynthesis mutants in multiple wild strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, trehalose-6-phospahte synthase (Tps1) and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (Tps2) are the main proteins catalyzing intracellular trehalose production. In addition to Tps1 and Tps2, 2 putative regulatory proteins with less clearly defined roles also appear to be involved with trehalose production, Tps3 and Tsl1. While this pathway has been extensively studied in laboratory strains of S. cerevisiae, we sought to examine the phenotypic consequences of disrupting these genes in wild strains. Here we deleted the TPS1, TPS2, TPS3, and TSL1 genes in 4 wild strains and 1 laboratory strain for comparison. Although some tested phenotypes were not shared between all strains, deletion of TPS1 abolished intracellular trehalose, caused inability to grow on fermentable carbon sources and resulted in severe sporulation deficiency for all 5 strains. After examining tps1 mutant strains expressing catalytically inactive variants of Tps1, our results indicate that Tps1, independent of trehalose production, is a key component for yeast survival in response to heat stress, for regulating sporulation, and growth on fermentable sugars. All tps2Δ mutants exhibited growth impairment on nonfermentable carbon sources, whereas variations were observed in trehalose synthesis, thermosensitivity and sporulation efficiency. tps3Δ and tsl1Δ mutants exhibited mild or no phenotypic disparity from their isogenic wild type although double mutants tps3Δ tsl1Δ decreased the amount of intracellular trehalose production in all 5 strains by 17-45%. Altogether, we evaluated, confirmed, and expanded the phenotypic characteristics associated trehalose biosynthesis mutants. We also identified natural phenotypic variants in multiple strains that could be used to genetically dissect the basis of these traits and then develop mechanistic models connecting trehalose metabolism to diverse cellular processes.

Trehalose and its applications in the food industry

Trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide composed of two glucose molecules linked by α, α-1,1-glycosidic bond. It is present in a wide variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, insects, plants, and invertebrate animals. Trehalose has distinct physical and chemical properties that have been investigated for their biological importance in a range of prokaryotic and eukaryotic species. Emerging research on trehalose has identified untapped opportunities for its application in the food, medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. This review summarizes the chemical and biological properties of trehalose, its occurrence and metabolism in living organisms, its protective role in molecule stabilization, and natural and commercial production methods. Utilization of trehalose in the food industry, in particular how it stabilizes protein, fat, carbohydrate, and volatile compounds, is also discussed in depth. Challenges and opportunities of its application in specific applications (e.g., diagnostics, bioprocessing, ingredient technology) are described. We conclude with a discussion on the potential of leveraging the unique molecular properties of trehalose in molecular stabilization for improving the safety, quality, and sustainability of our food systems.

A sequence-based 163plex microhaplotype assay for forensic DNA analysis

Novel genetic marker microhaplotype has led to an upsurge in forensic genetic research. This study established a 163 microhaplotype (MH) multiplex assay based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) and evaluated the assay’s performance and applicability. Our results showed that the 163 MH assay was accurate, repeatable and reliable, and could distinguish between African, European-American, Southern Asia and Eastern Asia populations. Among the 163 MH makers, 48 MHs with Ae > 3.0 in China Eastern Han were selected and confirmed to be highly polymorphic, with a combined power of discrimination of 1–8.26 × 10–44 and the combined power of exclusion in duos and trios of 1–1.26 × 10–8 and 1–8.27 × 10–16, respectively. Moreover, the mixture study demonstrated the realizability of the MHs in deconvoluting mixtures with different proportions of two to five-person. In conclusion, our findings support the use of this MH assay for ancestry inference, human identification, paternity testing and mixture deconvolution in forensic research.

Improved spectral demodulation algorithm with EEMDAD for sapphire fiber Fabry-Perot high-temperature sensing

In this paper, an improved spectral demodulation algorithm with the ensemble empirical mode decomposition average denoising is proposed to suppress order jumps in the sapphire fiber Fabry-Perot high-temperature sensing system. It is proven that the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensor is closely related to the severity of the demodulation jumps. The proposed algorithm can reduce the fluctuations of key parameters by reducing the noise in the spectrum, thus overcoming this obstacle. The simulations and experiment demonstrate that the algorithm can effectively eliminate the order jumps in both stable and variable temperature environments. The proposed algorithm solves the order jumping problem that has long plagued the demodulation of this system, improves demodulation accuracy, ensures the reliable operation of the high-temperature sensor, and exhibits excellent demodulation performance.

Identification of Biomarkers Related to M2 Macrophage Infiltration in Alzheimer’s Disease

Many studies have demonstrated that neuroinflammation contributes to the onset and development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The infiltration of immune cells in the brain was observed in AD. The purpose of the present study was to verify potential mechanisms and screen out biomarkers related to immune infiltration in AD. We collected the expression profiling datasets of AD patients and healthy donors from the NCBI’s Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We confirmed that immune-related mechanisms were involved in AD using differentially expressed genes analysis and functional enrichment analysis. We then found that M2 macrophage infiltration was most positively correlated with AD according to the CIBERSORT algorithm and a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). TLR2, FCGR2A, ITGB2, NCKAP1L and CYBA were identified as hub genes correlated with M2 macrophage infiltration in AD. Furthermore, the expression levels of these hub genes were positively correlated with Aβ42 and β-secretase activity. A diagnostic model of these hub genes was constructed, which showed a high area under the curve (AUC) value in both the derivation and validation cohorts. Overall, our work further expanded our understanding of the immunological mechanisms of AD and provided new insights into therapeutic strategies in AD.

Research on Design and Performance of Self-Compacting Cement Emulsified Bitumen Mixture (CEBM)

To meet the needs of the road industry for maintenance operations, a new cement emulsified bitumen mixture (CEBM) with early-strength, self-compacting, and room-temperature construction characteristics was designed. The strength formation mechanism of CEBM was revealed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the surface free energy (SFE) theory. The mechanical properties and road performance of the CEBM were investigated extensively. The results show that before the demulsification of emulsified bitumen, the SFE of the bitumen–aggregate–water three-phase system was reduced due to the replacement of the bitumen–aggregate interface with water. The adhesion work between the emulsified bitumen and the aggregate is negative, which means the adhesion between the emulsified bitumen and the aggregate will not occur spontaneously due to the existence of water. The liquid emulsified bitumen improves the workability of the mixture and ensures that the mixture can be evenly mixed and self-compacted. After demulsification, the work of adhesion between the residual bitumen and the aggregate is positive, which means residual bitumen and aggregate can bond spontaneously. In addition, the hydration products of cement and aggregate form a skeleton, and the emulsified bitumen film wraps and bonds the cement and aggregate together, creating strength. The emulsified bitumen, cement content, and curing conditions have significant effects on the stability of CEBM. The recommended dosage of emulsified bitumen and cement is 8% and 8–10%, respectively. This material integrates the hardening effect of cement and the viscoelastic performance of bitumen and has good workability, mechanical properties, and road performance. Therefore, the CEBM is technically feasible for application to bitumen pavement.

Intracellular trehalose accumulation via the Agt1 transporter promotes freeze-thaw tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

AIM

This study is to investigate the use of a constitutively expressed trehalose transport protein to directly control intracellular trehalose levels and protect baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells against freeze-thaw stress in vivo.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We used a constitutively overexpressed Agt1 transporter system to investigate the role of trehalose in the freeze-thaw tolerance of yeast cells by regulating intracellular trehalose concentrations independently of intracellular biosynthesis. Using this method, we found that increasing intracellular trehalose in yeast cells improved cell survival rate after 8 days of freezing at -80°C and -20°C. We also observed that freeze-thaw tolerance promoted by intracellular trehalose only occurs in highly concentrated cell pellets rather than cells in liquid suspension.

CONCLUSIONS

Trehalose is sufficient to provide freeze-thaw tolerance using our Agt1 overexpression system. Freeze-thaw tolerance can be further enhanced by deletion of genes encoding intracellular trehalose degradation enzymes.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY

These findings are relevant to improving the freeze-thaw tolerance of baker's yeast in the frozen baked goods industry through engineering strains that can accumulate intracellular trehalose via a constitutively expressed trehalose transporter and inclusion of trehalose into the growth medium.

Latest on biomaterial-based therapies for topical treatment of psoriasis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease which is fundamentally different from dermatitis. Its treatments include topical medications and systemic drugs depending on different stages of the disease. However, these commonly used therapies are falling far short of clinical needs due to various drawbacks. More precise therapeutic strategies with minimized side effects and improved compliance are highly demanded. Recently, the rapid development of biomaterial-based therapies has made it possible and promising to attain topical psoriasis treatment. In this review, we briefly describe the significance and challenges of the topical treatment of psoriasis and emphatically overview the latest progress in novel biomaterial-based topical therapies for psoriasis including microneedles, nanoparticles, nanofibers, and hydrogels. Current clinical trials related to each biomaterial are also summarized and discussed.