The transcription factor bZIP44 cooperates with MYB10 and MYB72 to regulate the response of Arabidopsis thaliana to iron deficiency stress

Nicotianamine (NA) plays a crucial role in transporting metal ions, including iron (Fe), in plants; therefore, NICOTIANAMINE SYNTHASE (NAS) genes, which control NA synthesis, are tightly regulated at the transcriptional level. However, the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of NAS genes require further investigations. In this study, we determined the role of bZIP44 in mediating plant response to Fe deficiency stress by conducting transformation experiments and assays. bZIP44 positively regulated the response of Arabidopsis to Fe deficiency stress by interacting with MYB10 and MYB72 to enhance their abilities to bind at NAS2 and NAS4 promoters, thereby increasing NAS2 and NAS4 transcriptional levels and promote NA synthesis. In summary, the transcription activities of bZIP44, MYB10, and MYB72 were induced in response to Fe deficiency stress, which enhanced the interaction between bZIP44 and MYB10 or MYB72 proteins, synergistically activated the transcriptional activity of NAS2 and NAS4, promoted NA synthesis, and improved Fe transport, thereby enhancing plant tolerance to Fe deficiency stress.

The Potential of Berberine to Target Telocytes in Rabbit Heart

A brand-new class of interstitial cells, called telocytes, has been detected in the heart. Telocytes can connect and transmit signals to almost all cardiomyocytes; this is highly interrelated with the occurrence and development of heart diseases. Modern studies have shown that berberine has a therapeutic effect on cardiovascular health. However, berberine's mechanism of action on the cardiovascular system through cardiac telocytes is unclear. Interestingly, 5 µm of berberine remarkably decreased the concentration of intracellular calcium and membrane depolarization in cultured telocytes, upregulated the expression of CX43 and β-catenin, and downregulated the expressions of TRPV4 and TRPV1. Here, telocytes were identified in the vascular adventitia and intima, endocardium, myocardium, adventitia, and heart valves. Moreover, telocytes were broadly dispersed around cardiac vessels and interacted directly through gap junctions and indirectly through extracellular vesicles. Together, cardiac telocytes interact with berberine and then deliver drug information to the heart. Telocytes may be an essential cellular target for drug therapy of the cardiovascular system.

Encapsulation of Benzaldehyde Produced by the Eco-Friendly Degradation of Amygdalin in the Apricot Kernel Debitterizing Wastewater

In order to fully utilize the by-products of apricot kernel-debitterizing and address the chemical instability of benzaldehyde in the food industry, benzaldehyde was first prepared by adding the apricot kernel powder to degrade the amygdalin present in the apricot kernel-debitterizing water. Subsequently, β-cyclodextrin was employed to encapsulate the benzaldehyde, and its encapsulation efficacy was evaluated through various techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, release kinetics fitting inhibitory effect and the effect on Botrytis cinerea. Finally, the encapsulation was explored via molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The results indicate that the optimal preparation conditions for the benzaldehyde were 1.8 h, 53 °C and pH 5.8, and the encapsulation of benzaldehyde with β-cyclodextrin (wall-core ratio of 5:1, mL/g) has been verified by the deceleration in the release rate, the enhanced thermal stability and the prolonged inhibition effect against Botrytis cinerea. The encapsulation proceeded spontaneously without steric hindrance in the simulation, which led to a reduction in the hydrophobic cavity of β-cyclodextrin. In conclusion, the amygdalin in the debitterizing wastewater can be degraded in an eco-friendly way to produce benzaldehyde by adding apricot kernel powder, which contains β-glucosidase; the encapsulation of benzaldehyde is stable, thus enhancing the utilization of amygdalin in the debitterizing wastewater of apricot kernels.

The impact of delayed tracheostomy on critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation: a retrospective cohort study in a chinese tertiary hospital

OBJECTIVES

The timing of tracheostomy for critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation (MV) is a topic of controversy. Our objective was to determine the most suitable timing for tracheostomy in patients undergoing MV.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

One thousand eight hundred eighty-four hospitalisations received tracheostomy from January 2011 to December 2020 in a Chinese tertiary hospital.

METHODS

Tracheostomy timing was divided into three groups: early tracheostomy (ET), intermediate tracheostomy (IMT), and late tracheostomy (LT), based on the duration from tracheal intubation to tracheostomy. We established two criteria to classify the timing of tracheostomy for data analysis: Criteria I (ET ≤ 5 days, 5 days < IMT ≤ 10 days, LT > 10 days) and Criteria II (ET ≤ 7 days, 7 days < IMT ≤ 14 days, LT > 14 days). Parameters such as length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, and duration of MV were used to evaluate outcomes. Additionally, the outcomes were categorized as good prognosis, poor prognosis, and death based on the manner of hospital discharge. Student's t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were employed as appropriate to assess differences in demographic data and individual characteristics among the ET, IMT, and LT groups. Univariate Cox regression model and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model were utilized to determine whether delaying tracheostomy would increase the risk of death.

RESULTS

In both of two criterion, patients with delayed tracheostomies had longer hospital stays (p < 0.001), ICU stays (p < 0.001), total time receiving MV (p < 0.001), time receiving MV before tracheostomy (p < 0.001), time receiving MV after tracheostomy (p < 0.001), and sedation durations. Similar results were also found in sub-population diagnosed as trauma, neurogenic or digestive disorders. Multinomial Logistic regression identified LT was independently associated with poor prognosis, whereas ET conferred no clinical benefits compared with IMT.

CONCLUSIONS

In a mixed ICU population, delayed tracheostomy prolonged ICU and hospital stays, sedation durations, and time receiving MV. Multinomial logistic regression analysis identified delayed tracheostomies as independently correlated with worse outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ChiCTR2100043905. Registered 05 March 2021. http://www.chictr.org.cn/listbycreater.aspx.

Fast Stray Light Performance Evaluation Based on BSDF and Radiative Transfer Theory

Evaluating the stray light cancellation performance of an optical system is an essential step in the search for superior optical systems. However, the existing evaluation methods, such as the Monte Carlo method and the ray tracing method, suffer from the problems of vast arithmetic and cumbersome processes. In this paper, a method for a rapid stray light performance evaluation model and quantitatively determining high-magnitude stray light outside the field of view are proposed by adopting the radiative transfer theory based on the scattering property of the bidirectional scattering distribution function (BSDF). Under the global coordinates, based on the derivation of the light vector variation relationship in the near-linear system, the specific structural properties of the off-axis reflective optical system, and the specular scattering properties, a fast quantitative evaluation model of the optical system's stray light elimination capability is constructed. A loop nesting procedure was designed based on this model, and its validity was verified by an off-axis reflective optical system. It successfully fitted the point source transmittance (PST) curve in the range of specular radiation reception angles and quantitatively predicted the prominence due to incident stray light outside the field of view. This method does not require multiple software to work in concert and requires only 10-5 orders of magnitude of computing time, which is suitable for the rapid stray light assessment and structural screening of off-axis reflective optical systems with a good symmetry. The method is promising for improving imaging radiation accuracy and developing lightweight space cameras with low stray light effects.

Publicity governance in contingency management during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: A "Government-Society" perspective

BACKGROUND

Publicity is a common form of governance in government and is even more important in contingency management, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Publicity has two sides, the main body of publicity is led by the government, the object of publicity is the response to the public. So, publicity exists in the "government-society" field. Our aim was to find out how governments have been able to achieve effective publicity in the COVID-19 and to promote the active participation of society in governance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We adopted a case study approach. Taking Chongqing Municipality as an example, we collected 201 messages from five forms of publicity, including cell phone SMS, village (community) broadcast, publicity placards or banners, official websites, and government media platforms during the period of 2020-2021, and described and analyzed the publicity content of different forms of publicity.

RESULTS

During the whole period of the COVID-19, the publicity governance under contingency management showed the characteristics of focusing on administrative efficiency, social efficiency and post-social efficiency, and showed specific publicity governance functions such as mobilization and control, education and clarification, cultivation of public consciousness and shaping government credibility.

CONCLUSIONS

Publicity governance in contingency management during the COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes three effective approaches: time synchronization, organizational scale, and interaction among multiple advocacy agents. This can extend the existing government-centered research to the level of interaction between the government and society, and help the government to better use effective publicity to achieve the governance task under contingency management.

Transparent Recombination Electrode with Dual-Functional Transport and Protective Layer for Efficient and Stable Monolithic Perovskite/Organic Tandem Solar Cells

Rational selection and design of recombination electrodes (RCEs) are crucial to enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability of monolithic tandem solar cells (TSCs). Sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) with high conductivity and excellent transmittance is introduced as RCE in perovskite/organic TSCs. To prevent high-energy ITO particles destroy the underlying material during sputtering, dual-functional transport and protective layer (C1) is employed. The styryl group in C1 can be thermally crosslinked to serve as a sputtering protective layer. Meanwhile, the conjugated phenanthroline skeleton in C1 shows high electron mobility and hole blocking capability to promote the electron transport process at the interfaces and effectively reduce charge accumulation. Monolithic perovskite/organic TSC with high PCE of 24.07% and excellent stability is demonstrated by stacking a 1.77 eV bandgap perovskite layer and a 1.35 eV bandgap organic active layer. This strategy provides new insights for overcoming the fundamental efficiency limits of single-junction devices and promotes the further development of TSC devices.

Modeling and Analysis of a Conical Bridge-Type Displacement Amplification Mechanism Using the Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline Curve

This paper presents a new analytical model of a conical bridge-type displacement amplification mechanism (DAM) considering the effect of external loads and a piezostack actuator (PSA). With the merits of simple implementation and better fitting, the non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) is employed to parameterize conical connecting beams of the DAM, and an analytical model of the displacement amplification ratio and input stiffness is established based on Castigliano's second theorem. After that, considering the interactions with elastic loads and PSA, the actual displacement amplification ratio of the conical DAM is obtained, and the effect of the shape of connecting beams in the performance of the DAM is further analyzed. The proposed analytical model is verified by finite element analysis (FEA), and the results show a maximum error of 6.31% between the calculated value and FEA results, demonstrating the accuracy of the proposed model. A prototype of the conical DAM with optimized shape is fabricated and experimentally tested, which further validates the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed analytical model. The proposed model offers a new method for analysis and shape optimization of the bridge-type DAM under specific elastic loads.

Multiple Linear-Combination Security Network Coding

In this paper, we put forward the model of multiple linear-combination security multicast network coding, where the wiretapper desires to obtain some information about a predefined set of multiple linear combinations of the source symbols by eavesdropping any one (but not more than one) channel subset up to a certain size r, referred to as the security level. For this model, the security capacity is defined as the maximum average number of source symbols that can be securely multicast to all sink nodes for one use of the network under the linear-combination security constraint. For any security level and any linear-combination security constraint, we fully characterize the security capacity in terms of the ratio of the rank of the linear-combination security constraint to the number of source symbols. Also, we develop a general construction of linear security network codes. Finally, we investigate the asymptotic behavior of the security capacity for a sequence of linear-combination security models and discuss the asymptotic optimality of our code construction.

URNet: System for recommending referrals for community screening of diabetic retinopathy based on deep learning

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) will cause blindness if the detection and treatment are not carried out in the early stages. To create an effective treatment strategy, the severity of the disease must first be divided into referral-warranted diabetic retinopathy (RWDR) and non-referral diabetic retinopathy (NRDR). However, there are usually no sufficient fundus examinations due to lack of professional service in the communities, particularly in the developing countries. In this study, we introduce UGAN_Resnet_CBAM (URNet; UGAN is a generative adversarial network that uses Unet for feature extraction), a two-stage end-to-end deep learning technique for the automatic detection of diabetic retinopathy. The characteristics of DDR fundus data set were used to design an adaptive image preprocessing module in the first stage. Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) and t-distribution and stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) were used as the evaluation indices to analyze the preprocessing results. In the second stage, we enhanced the performance of the Resnet50 network by integrating the convolutional block attention module (CBAM). The outcomes demonstrate that our proposed solution outperformed other current structures, achieving 94.5% and 94.4% precisions, and 96.2% and 91.9% recall for NRDR and RWDR, respectively.

Mining belt foreign body detection method based on YOLOv4_GECA model

In the process of mining belt transportation, various foreign objects may appear, which will have a great impact on the crusher and belt, thus affecting production progress and causing serious safety accidents. Therefore, it is important to detect foreign objects in the early stages of intrusion in mining belt conveyor systems. To solve this problem, the YOLOv4_GECA method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the GECA attention module is added to establish the YOLOv4_GECA foreign object detection model in the mineral belt to enhance the foreign object feature extraction capability. Secondly, based on this model, the learning rate decay of restart cosine annealing is used to improve the foreign object image detection performance of the model. Finally, we collected belt transport image information from the Pai Shan Lou gold mine site in Shenyang and established a belt foreign body detection dataset. The experimental results show that the average detection accuracy of the YOLOv4_GECA method proposed in this paper is 90.1%, the recall rate is 90.7%, and the average detection time is 30 ms, which meets the requirements for detection accuracy and real-time performance at the mine belt transportation site.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of oleanolic acid derivatives with electrophilic warheads as antitumor agents

Aim: The oleanolic acid derivatives containing electrophilic warheads were synthesized, and their antitumor activities were investigated. Materials & methods: The cytotoxicity of compounds against tumor cells were determined by the MTT method. The antitumor effects of compounds 27a, Y03 and Y04 were evaluated in vitro through a wound-healing assay, apoptosis and cell circle analysis, and cellular reactive oxide species determination. The levels of related proteins in MCF-7 cells treated with Y03 was determined through Western blot analysis. Results & conclusion: Compounds 27a, Y03 and Y04 displayed high cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells and inhibited cell migration, induced apoptosis, arrest cell circle at G0/G1 and promoted cellular reactive oxide species generation. The antitumor mechanism involved inhibition of Akt/mTOR and induction of ferroptosis.

What affects self-regulated learning ability in undergraduate nursing students: A structural equation modelling approach

AIM

To examine how the effects of hardiness, self-efficacy and positive academic emotion related to the SRL ability of undergraduate nursing students.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey was designed.

METHODS

A total of 395 Chinese undergraduate nursing students from two undergraduate colleges filled out the questionnaires from May to June 2019. The relationships between hardiness, self-efficacy, positive academic emotion and SRL ability were analysed by structural equation modelling.

RESULTS

The response rate was 94.05%. SRL ability was significantly positive correlated with hardiness, self-efficacy and positive academic emotion in undergraduate nursing students. Self-efficacy (β = 0.417, p < 0.001) and positive academic emotion (β = 0.232, p < 0.001) showed a direct effect on the SRL ability. Although hardiness showed no direct effect on the SRL ability, it affected SRL ability through three indirect ways: self-efficacy (77.778%), positive academic emotion (14.184%) and the chain mediating effect from self-efficacy to positive academic emotion (8.038%).

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing students with a higher level of hardiness would have higher self-efficacy, and more positive and stable academic emotions to obtain the better SRL ability. The produced model provides insights into several factors associated with SRL ability of nursing students. Hardiness, self-efficacy and positive academic emotion should be emphasized in the education of nursing students because these factors could improve their SRL ability and promote their life-long learning.

The Synthesis of Glycerol Carbonate from Glycerol and Carbon Dioxide over Supported CuO-Based Nanoparticle Catalyst

A series of supported CuO-based nanoparticle catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method and used for the synthesis of glycerol carbonate from glycerol and CO₂ in the presence of 2-cyanopyridine as a dehydrant and DMF as a solvent. The effects of supports (activated alumina, silicon dioxide, graphene oxide, graphene, and activated carbon), CuO loading amount, calcination temperature, and reaction parameters on the catalytic activity of the catalyst were investigated in detail. XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET, and CO₂-TPD were used for the characterization of the prepared catalysts. It is found that CuO/Al₂O₃ shows a higher catalytic activity, which depends on the CuO loading amount and calcination temperature. The surface area and number of basic sites of the catalyst exhibit a crucial effect on the catalytic activity of CuO/Al₂O₃. Furthermore, there is a synergistic effect between the catalyst and 2-cyanopyridine where the former has a higher activation ability for glycerol and the latter acts not only as a dehydrant, but also as a promoter for CO₂ activation. Recycling experiments reveal that this catalyst can be reused for at least five cycles without any inactivation. Based on the experiment results and FTIR characterization, a possible reaction mechanism for the carbonylation of glycerol and CO₂ is proposed.

Monolithic MXene Aerogels Encapsulated Phase Change Composites with Superior Photothermal Conversion and Storage Capability

The inherently intermittent feature of solar energy requires reliable energy conversion and storage systems for utilizing the most abundant solar energy. Phase change materials are potential solutions to store a large amount of heat produced by solar light. However, few of the phase change materials have the ability to efficiently convert solar energy into heat; additionally, phase change materials need to be encapsulated in porous substrates for enhancing their leaking resistance and photo-to-thermal performance. In this work, monolithic MXene aerogels, fabricated by Al³⁺ cross-linking and freeze-drying, were used as the encapsulation and photothermal materials. The composites phase change materials of MXene/polyethylene glycol can be made with a large polyethylene glycol loading above 90 wt% with the maximum of 97 wt%, owing to the large porosity of MXene aerogels. The low content of MXene has a limited impact on the phase transition temperature and enthalpy of polyethylene glycol, with an enthalpy retention rate ranging from 89.2 to 96.5% for 90-97 wt% polyethylene glycol loadings. MXene aerogels greatly improve the leaking resistance of polyethylene glycol above its melting point of 60 °C, even at 100 °C. The composites phase change materials also show outstanding cycling stability for 500 cycles of heat storage and release, retaining 97.7% of the heat storage capability. The optimized composite phase change material has a solar energy utilization of 93.5%, being superior to most of the reported results. Our strategy produces promising composite phase change materials for solar energy utilization using the MXene aerogels as the encapsulation and photothermal materials.

Effective Therapeutic Verification of Crocin I, Geniposide, and Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Vivo and In Vitro

For many centuries, Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) was highly valued as a food homologous Chinese herbal medicine with various bioactive compounds, including crocin I and geniposide. However, the functional mechanism underlying the hypoglycemic effect of gardenia is absent in the literature. To evaluate the effect of gardenia and its different extracts on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in in vivo and in vitro experiments, the dried gardenia powder was extracted using 60% ethanol and eluted at different ethanol concentrations to obtain the corresponding purified fragments. After that, the active chemical compositions of the different purified gardenia fragments were analyzed using HPLC. Then, the hypoglycemic effects of the different purified gardenia fragments were compared using in vitro and in vivo experiments. Finally, the different extracts were characterized using UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS and the mass spectrometric fragmentation pathway of the two main compounds, geniposide and crocin I, were identified. The experimental results indicated that the inhibitory effect of the 40% EGJ (crocin I) on the α-glucosidase was better than the 20% EGJ (geniposide) in vitro. However, the inhibitory effect of geniposide on T2DM was better than crocin I in the animal experiments. The different results in vivo and in vitro presumed potentially different mechanisms between crocin I and geniposide on T2DM. This research demonstrated that the mechanism of hypoglycemia in vivo from geniposide is not only one target of the α-glucosidase but provides the experimental background for crocin I and the geniposide deep processing and utilization.

Diacylated anthocyanins from purple sweet potato (Ipomoeabatatas L.) attenuate hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia in mice induced by a high-fructose/high-fat diet

Studies have shown that targeting xanthine oxidase (XO) can be a feasible treatment for fructose-induced hyperuricemia and hyperglycemia. This study aimed to evaluate the dual regulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of diacylated anthocyanins from purple sweet potato (diacylated AF-PSPs) on hyperglycemia and hyperuricemia induced by a high-fructose/high-fat diet. The body weight, organ index, serum biochemical indexes, and liver antioxidant indexes of mice were measured, and the kidneys were observed in pathological sections. The relative expression levels of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) of fructose metabolism pathway enzymes in kidney were detected by fluorescent real-time quantitative polymerase chain (qPCR) reaction technique, and the expression of renal transporter protein and inflammatory factor pathway protein was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique. Results showed that diacylated AF-PSPs alleviated hyperuricemia in mice, and that this effect might be related to the regulation of liver XO activity, lipid accumulation, and relevant renal transporters. Diacylated AF-PSPs reduced body weight and relieved lipid metabolism disorder, liver lipid accumulation, and liver oxidative stress, thereby enhancing insulin utilization and sensitivity, lowering blood sugar, and reducing hyperglycemia in mice. Also, diacylated AF-PSPs restored mRNA levels related to renal fructose metabolism, and reduced kidney injury and inflammation. This study provided experimental evidence for the mechanisms of dual regulation of blood glucose and uric acid (UA) by diacylated AF-PSPs and their utilization as functional foods in the management of metabolic syndrome.

REVIO: Range- and Event-Based Visual-Inertial Odometry for Bio-Inspired Sensors

Visual-inertial odometry is critical for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and robotics. However, there are problems of motion drift and motion blur in sharp brightness changes and fast-motion scenes. It may cause the degradation of image quality, which leads to poor location. Event cameras are bio-inspired vision sensors that offer significant advantages in high-dynamic scenes. Leveraging this property, this paper presents a new range and event-based visual-inertial odometry (REVIO). Firstly, we propose an event-based visual-inertial odometry (EVIO) using sliding window nonlinear optimization. Secondly, REVIO is developed on the basis of EVIO, which fuses events and distances to obtain clear event images and improves the accuracy of position estimation by constructing additional range constraints. Finally, the EVIO and REVIO are tested in three experiments-dataset, handheld and flight-to evaluate the localization performance. The error of REVIO can be reduced by nearly 29% compared with EVIO in the handheld experiment and almost 28% compared with VINS-Mono in the flight experiment, which demonstrates the higher accuracy of REVIO in some fast-motion and high-dynamic scenes.

Optimization of spatial pipeline with multi-hoop supports for avoiding resonance problem based on genetic algorithm

The reasonable layout of hoops can effectively avoid the excitation frequency of engine rotors and greatly reduce the vibration level of pipeline systems. In this study, a spatial pipeline supported by multi-hoops was taken as the object, the method of using genetic algorithm to efficiently obtain the optimal layout of hoops to avoid resonance was investigated. The finite element model of the pipeline system was created as the basic model of optimization, spring elements were applied to simulate the mechanical characteristics of hoop and the influence of spring element direction on the vibration characteristics of pipeline system were mainly described. In the optimization of avoiding resonance for spatial pipelines, the optimization goal was to maximize the first-order natural frequency, the positions of the hoops were converted into the node number as design variables, and the final optimization model of pipeline to avoid resonance was determined on the premise of reasonably setting of constraint conditions for design variables. The genetic algorithm was utilized to solve the optimization model, and two optimization methods were proposed, which were named as "genetic algorithm calling finite element model" and "genetic algorithm updating stiffness matrix" respectively. Finally, a case study was carried out to display the proposed methods. The maximum deviation between the calculation and the test results is less than 1.5% for the first three order natural frequencies, which proves the rationality of the created finite element model of spatial pipeline. Furthermore, the optimization practices show that the reasonable hoop layout of the pipeline system can be obtained by the two optimization methods, but the efficiency of the optimization performed by "genetic algorithm updating stiffness matrix" is much higher than that of "genetic algorithm calling finite element model".

NIR-II emissive AIEgen photosensitizers enable ultrasensitive imaging-guided surgery and phototherapy to fully inhibit orthotopic hepatic tumors

Accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of primary liver tumors are of great significance, and optical imaging has been widely employed in clinical imaging-guided surgery for liver tumors. The second near-infrared window (NIR-II) emissive AIEgen photosensitizers have attracted a lot of attention with higher-resolution bioimaging and deeper penetration. NIR-II aggregation-induced emission-based luminogen (AIEgen) photosensitizers have better phototherapeutic effects and accuracy of the image-guided surgery/phototherapy. Herein, an NIR-II AIEgen phototheranostic dot was proposed for NIR-II imaging-guided resection surgery and phototherapy for orthotopic hepatic tumors. Compared with indocyanine green (ICG), the AIEgen dots showed bright and sharp NIR-II emission at 1250 nm, which extended to 1600 nm with high photostability. Moreover, the AIEgen dots efficiently generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) for photodynamic therapy. Investigations of orthotopic liver tumors in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that AIEgen dots could be employed both for imaging-guided tumor surgery of early-stage tumors and for 'downstaging' intention to reduce the size. Moreover, the therapeutic strategy induced complete inhibition of orthotopic tumors without recurrence and with few side effects.

Regioisomers Salviprolin A and B, Unprecedented Rosmarinic Acid Conjugated Dinorditerpenoids from Salvia przewalskii Maxim

Salvia przewalskii Maxim is a perennial plant from the genus Salvia (family Lamiaceae). The roots of S. przewalskii were long used as a traditional herb to treat blood circulation related illnesses in China. As part of our continuing interest in polycyclic natural products from medicinal plants, two unprecedented adducts comprised of a dinor-diterpenoid and a 9'-nor-rosmarinic acid derivative, linked by a 1,4-benzodioxane motif (1 and 2), were isolated from the roots of S. przewalskii. Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic approaches including 1D, 2D NMR, and HRFABMS. Their cytotoxic activities against five human tumor cell lines were evaluated.

Entropy-Enthalpy Compensations Fold Proteins in Precise Ways

Exploring the protein-folding problem has been a longstanding challenge in molecular biology and biophysics. Intramolecular hydrogen (H)-bonds play an extremely important role in stabilizing protein structures. To form these intramolecular H-bonds, nascent unfolded polypeptide chains need to escape from hydrogen bonding with surrounding polar water molecules under the solution conditions that require entropy-enthalpy compensations, according to the Gibbs free energy equation and the change in enthalpy. Here, by analyzing the spatial layout of the side-chains of amino acid residues in experimentally determined protein structures, we reveal a protein-folding mechanism based on the entropy-enthalpy compensations that initially driven by laterally hydrophobic collapse among the side-chains of adjacent residues in the sequences of unfolded protein chains. This hydrophobic collapse promotes the formation of the H-bonds within the polypeptide backbone structures through the entropy-enthalpy compensation mechanism, enabling secondary structures and tertiary structures to fold reproducibly following explicit physical folding codes and forces. The temperature dependence of protein folding is thus attributed to the environment dependence of the conformational Gibbs free energy equation. The folding codes and forces in the amino acid sequence that dictate the formation of β-strands and α-helices can be deciphered with great accuracy through evaluation of the hydrophobic interactions among neighboring side-chains of an unfolded polypeptide from a β-strand-like thermodynamic metastable state. The folding of protein quaternary structures is found to be guided by the entropy-enthalpy compensations in between the docking sites of protein subunits according to the Gibbs free energy equation that is verified by bioinformatics analyses of a dozen structures of dimers. Protein folding is therefore guided by multistage entropy-enthalpy compensations of the system of polypeptide chains and water molecules under the solution conditions.

Pore size distributions and pore multifractal characteristics of medium and low-rank coals

It is of great significance to study the porosity and permeability properties of medium and low-rank coal. The porosity and permeability in confining stress experiments were used to simulate the porosity and permeability variations of coal samples under different depth conditions. The pore structure of Baoqing coal samples is greatly affected by the confining pressure, and the pores and micro cracks are more easily compressed. Based on the experimental data of mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and nitrogen adsorption (NA), the pore size distributions (PSDs) of medium and low-rank coals were studied. High mercury intrusion pressure would lead to coal matrix compression. Therefore, the pore volume calculated by MIP data was corrected by NA data. The PSDs characteristics of Jixi (JX) coal and Baoqing (BQ) coal samples are obtained from the revised pore volume, and the dominant pores of medium and low-rank coals are obtained. The results show that JX coal has higher spatial heterogeneity, connectivity and pore autocorrelation. Micro fractures have an influence on the autocorrelation and heterogeneity of coal samples, especially for BQ coal samples.

Dynamic evolution analysis of the factors driving the growth of energy-related CO2 emissions in China: An input-output analysis

In recent years, the global greenhouse effect caused by excessive energy-related carbon emissions has attracted more and more attention. In this paper, we studied the dynamic evolution of factors driving China's energy-related CO2 emissions growth from 2007 to 2015 by using energy consumption method and input-output analysis and used the IO-SDA model to decompose the energy carbon emissions. Within the research interval, the results showed that (1) on the energy supply-side, the high carbon energy represented by raw coal was still the main factor to promote the growth of energy-related CO2 emissions. However, the optimization of energy consumption structure is conducive to reducing emissions. Specifically, the high carbon energy represented by raw coal exhibited a downward trend in promoting the increment of energy-related CO2 emissions, while the clean energy represented by natural gas showed an upward trend in promoting the increment of CO2 emissions. It is worth noting that there is still a lot of room for optimization of China's energy consumption structure to reduce emissions. (2) On the energy demand-side, the final demand effect is the main driving force of the growth of carbon emissions from fossil energy. Among them, the secondary industry plays a major role in the final demand effect. The "high carbonization" of the final product reflects the characteristics of China's high energy input in the process of industrialization. At the same time, since the carbon emission efficiency of the tertiary industry and the primary industry is better than that of the secondary industry, actively optimizing the industrial structure is conducive to slowing down the growth of carbon emission brought by the demand effect. (3) The input structure effect is the main restraining factor for the growth of energy carbon emissions, while the energy intensity effect has a slight driving effect on the growth of energy carbon emissions. The results show that China's "extensive" economic growth model has been effectively reversed, but the optimization of fossil energy utilization efficiency is still not obvious, and there is still a large space to curb carbon emissions by improving fossil energy utilization efficiency in the future.

Rational Regulation of Surface Free Radicals on TiO2 Nanotube Arrays via Ag2O-AgBiO3 towards Enhanced Selective Photoelectrochemical Detection

Due to integrated advances in photoelectrochemical (PEC) functionalities for environment detection applications, one-dimensional (1D) TiO2 nanostructures provide a new strategy (PEC sensors) towards organics detection in wastewater. However, the unidealized selectivity to the oxidation of water and organics limits the PEC detection performance. Herein, we designed a ternary photoanode consisting of Ag2O-AgBiO3/TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs) to solve this issue by using a facile one-step precipitation reaction. High oxidation capacity for organics is achieved by regulating the surface free radicals properly through the heterostructure formed between the interface of TiO2 and AgBiO3. More importantly, as a trap for electron capture, Ag2O in this ternary system could not only further improve the separation efficiency of charge carriers, but also capture electrons transferred to the TiO2 conduction band, thus reducing the electrons transferred to the external circuit and the corresponding background photocurrent when detecting organics. As a result, the reconstructed TiO2 NTAs decrease their photocurrent response to water and enhance their response to organics, thus presenting lower oxidation activity to water and higher activity to organics, that is, highly selective oxidation characteristics. This work provides more insights into the impact of charge transfer and surface free radicals on developing promising and efficient PEC sensors for organics.

Electrodeposited Polyaniline Nanofibers and MoO3 Nanobelts for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitor with Redox Active Electrolyte

Transition molybdenum oxides (MoO3) and conductive polymer (polyaniline, PANI) nanomaterials were fabricated and asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was assembled with MoO3 nanobelts as negative electrode and PANI nanofibers as a positive electrode. Branched PANI nanofibers with a diameter of 100 nm were electrodeposited on Ti mesh substrate and MoO3 nanobelts with width of 30-700 nm were obtained by the hydrothermal reaction method in an autoclave. Redox active electrolyte containing 0.1 M Fe2+/3+ redox couple was adopted in order to enhance the electrochemical performance of the electrode nano-materials. As a result, the PANI electrode shows a great capacitance of 3330 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 in 0.1 M Fe2+/3+/0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte. The as-assembled ASC achieved a great energy density of 54 Wh kg-1 at power density of 900 W kg-1. In addition, it displayed significant cycle stability and its capacitance even increased to 109% of the original value after 1000 charge-discharge cycles. The superior performance of the capacitors indicates their promising application as energy storage devices.

Evidential Estimation of an Uncertain Mixed Exponential Distribution under Progressive Censoring

In this paper, the evidential estimation method for the parameters of the mixed exponential distribution is considered when a sample is obtained from Type-II progressively censored data. Different from the traditional statistical inference methods for censored data from mixture models, here we consider a very general form where there is some uncertain information about the sub-class labels of units. The partially specified label information, as well as the censored data are represented in a united frame by mass functions within the theory of belief functions. Following that, the evidential likelihood function is derived based on the completely observed failures and the uncertain information included in the data. Then, the optimization method using the evidential expectation maximization algorithm (E2M) is introduced. A general form of the maximal likelihood estimates (MLEs) in the sense of the evidential likelihood, named maximal evidential likelihood estimates (MELEs), can be obtained. Finally, some Monte Carlo simulations are conducted. The results show that the proposed estimation method can incorporate more information than traditional EM algorithms, and this confirms the interest in using uncertain labels for the censored data from finite mixture models.

The amelioration of ulcerative colitis induced by Dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid with Radix Hedysari

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an unknown precise etiology. This study proves that Radix Hedysari (RH) ameliorates UC. Four RH extracts were used to ameliorate UC induced by 2,4-Dinitrobenzenesulfonic acid by 7 days intervention in agreement to preliminary studies. Compared to treatment with RH extracts, the RH ethanol extract (EE) was found to be more effective in ameliorating UC. With EE, the DAI were significantly decreased. Macroscopic and histopathological assessments suggest that the colon mucosa was repaired, the organizational structure of the colon had been rebuilt. The levels of MPO, TNF-α, IL-1β, and MDA were significantly decreased (p < .01), the levels of T-SOD and CAT were significantly increased (p < .01). Moreover, the compounds in EE were analyzed by HPLC. The results show that EE can ameliorate UC, and its anti-inflammatory capability probably plays an important role. RH can act as a functional food and ameliorate UC. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In this work, the ameliorative effect of RH on UC was evaluated from multiple angles. There are two practical applications of this work. On the one hand, a new approach to ameliorating UC is provided by this work. In addition, UC patients have a new option for improving their symptoms. On the other hand, this work also provides information on how best to process RH for therapeutic use. In addition, we can utilize some compounds of RH that were once considered useless and reduce the waste of natural resources.

Analysis of the Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Land Cover and Heat Island Effects in Six Districts of Chongqing's Main City

The urban heat island effect has always been one of the hottest issues in urban development. In this study, Landsat images from the summers of 2001, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2018 were used to identify land cover type in six districts of Chongqing's main city. Land cover was categorized as water, vegetation or impervious surface with the object-oriented method. Land surface temperature (LST) data was calculated with the atmospheric radiation transfer equation method, and was then divided into different heat island intensity grades. Next, the spatial and temporal changes in land cover type and heat island effect were analyzed in the six districts. Center migration analysis and heat island coefficients were used to quantitatively reflect the spatiotemporal evolution relationship between land cover and heat island effect. All six districts exhibited a trend of expanding impervious surface, with a 419.38% increase from 2001 to 2018, and shrinking vegetation, with a 17.81% decrease from 2001 to 2018. Also from 2001 to 2018, Yuzhong District had the most significant heat island effect, with a heat island coefficient 0.35 higher than the mean value of the whole study area. The impervious surface center migrated in different directions in each district. Both the direction and the corresponding velocity of the impervious surface and heat island centers were tightly correlated, with a correlation coefficient of 0.53. Relative heat island coefficients (the difference from the mean) of water ranged from -2.08 to -1.17 in different districts. That of impervious surface ranged from 1.60 to 1.93, and that of vegetation ranged from -0.22 to 1.09. The internal heterogeneity of land cover and heat island effect in Chongqing's main city was huge. This study quantitatively analyzed the evolution of the heat island effect in the study area to help provide each district with some targeted suggestions for future urban planning.

DFT Study into the Influence of Carbon Material on the Hydrophobicity of a Coal Pyrite Surface

From the macroscopic point of view, the hydrophilicity of symbiotic carbon pyrite is weakened overall compared to that of pure pyrite. It is very important to explain the impact of elemental carbon accreted on a pyrite surface on the surface's hydrophobicity from the perspective of quantum chemistry. To study the influence of adsorbed carbon atoms on the hydrophilicity of a coal pyrite surface versus a pyrite surface, the adsorption of a single water molecule at an adjacent Fe site of a one-carbon-atom-covered pyrite surface and a carbon atom monolayer were simulated and calculated with the first-principles method of density functional theory (DFT). The water molecules can be stably adsorbed at the adjacent Fe site of the carbon-atom-covered pyrite surface. The hybridization of the O 2p (H2O) and Fe 3d (pyrite surface) orbitals was the main interaction between the water molecule and the pyrite surface, forming a strong Fe-O covalent bond. The water molecule only slightly adsorbs above a C atom on the carbon-atom-covered pyrite and the carbon atom monolayer surfaces. The valence bond between the water molecule and the pyrite surface changed from an Fe-O bond to an Fe-C-O bond, in which the C-O bond is very weak, resulting in a weaker interaction between water and the surface.

Direct and indirect costs of families with a child with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in an academic hospital in China: a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the direct and indirect costs in families with a child with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in China.

DESIGN

A single-site, cross-sectional survey of primary caregiver of a child with ALL was performed.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We analysed the total costs incurred on the completion of the first three-phase treatment (induction, consolidation and intensification), which requires intensive hospitalisation. Eligible patients were (1) diagnosed with ALL between 2010 and 2012 at Shanghai Children's Medical Center (SCMC), (2) aged 0-14 years at diagnosis and (3) completed the first three-phase treatment at SCMC. The data were collected between October 2014 and December 2014.

OUTCOME MEASURES

We decomposed the total costs into three categories: (1) direct medical costs, which were further divided into outpatient and inpatient costs; (2) direct non-medical costs, which referred to expenses incurred in relation to the illness; and (3) indirect costs due to productivity loss.

RESULTS

A total of 161 patients were included in the study. Direct medical costs accounted for about 51.7% of the overall costs, and the rest of 48.3% of the total costs were attributed to direct non-medical costs and indirect costs. Regarding families with different household registration type (rural vs urban), the total costs were significantly different between the two groups (US$36 125 vs US$25 593; p=0.021). Specifically, urban families incurred significantly larger indirect costs than rural families (US$12 343 vs US$4157; p=0.018). Although the direct non-medical costs were not significantly different, urban families spent more money on hygiene cleaning products and auxiliary treatment equipment (p=0.041) and gifts and treats (p=0.034) than rural families.

CONCLUSIONS

The financial burden faced by the Chinese families with a child with ALL was tremendous, and the distributions of costs among the three categories were different between urban and rural families.

Identification of copper (Cu) stress-responsive grapevine microRNAs and their target genes by high-throughput sequencing

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of single-stranded non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) that are 20-24 nucleotides (nt) in length. Extensive studies have indicated that miRNAs play important roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. With more copper (Cu) and copper containing compounds used as bactericides and fungicides in plants, Cu stress has become one of the serious environmental problems that affect plant growth and development. In order to uncover the hidden response mechanisms of Cu stress, two small RNA libraries were constructed from Cu-treated and water-treated (Control) leaves of 'Summer Black' grapevine. Following high-throughput sequencing and filtering, a total of 158 known and 98 putative novel miRNAs were identified in the two libraries. Among these, 100 known and 47 novel miRNAs were identified as differentially expressed under Cu stress. Subsequently, the expression patterns of nine Cu-responsive miRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). There existed some consistency in expression levels of Cu-responsive miRNAs between high throughput sequencing and qRT-PCR assays. The targets prediction of miRNAs indicates that miRNA may regulate some transcription factors, including AP2, SBP, NAC, MYB and ARF during Cu stress. The target genes for two known and two novel miRNAs showed specific cleavage sites at the 10th and/or 11th nucleotide from the 5'-end of the miRNA corresponding to their miRNA complementary sequences. The findings will lay the foundation for exploring the role of the regulation of miRNAs in response to Cu stress and provide valuable gene information for breeding some Cu-tolerant grapevine cultivars.

Low reversed cyclic loading tests for integrated precast structure of lightweight wall with single-row reinforcement under a lightweight steel frame

Given the development of precast structures for low-rise residential buildings, this study explores a new structure-namely, an integrated precast structure of lightweight recycled concrete wall with single-row reinforcement-under a lightweight steel frame filled with recycled concrete (integrated precast structure for short). The lightweight steel frame and lightweight wall cooperate to bear the forces. The applied concealed bracing, either a rebar bracing or a steel plate bracing, increases the shear resistance of the wall. The lightweight steel frame is designed to bear the vertical loading, whereas the seismic load in the horizontal direction is jointly borne by the frame and wall. This study presents the results of low reversed cyclic loading tests on nine specimens of integrated precast structures. An analysis is then carried out to investigate the mechanical properties of the specimens; based on these results, a formula for the force-bearing performance of the inclined section is developed. The results show satisfactory performance as an integrated piece; the proposed structure has two seismic lines of defence, with the lightweight wall restraint by the side frame being the first line and the steel frame being the second line. Because the failure of the wall can be categorized as shear failure, the restraint of the lightweight steel frame significantly reduces the potential damage of the wall. As the beams and columns of the steel frame tend to bend against failure, the wall filling helps resist sliding. Therefore, the reinforced joints of the connecting beams and columns show no visible signs of damage, indicating that the connection between the beams and columns is reliable. The narrow spacing of rebars and the setting of concealed bracing contribute to the increase in ductility and energy efficiency of the integrated structure and the evident reduction in the failure process. Furthermore, the recycled concrete increases the seismic resistance of the structure.

Map-based cloning and characterization of Zea mays male sterility33 (ZmMs33) gene, encoding a glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase

Map-based cloning of maize ms33 gene showed that ZmMs33 encodes a sn-2 glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, the ortholog of rice OsGPAT3, and it is essential for male fertility in maize. Genetic male sterility has been widely studied for its biological significance and commercial value in hybrid seed production. Although many male-sterile mutants have been identified in maize (Zea mays L.), it is likely that most genes that cause male sterility are unknown. Here, we report a recessive genetic male-sterile mutant, male sterility33 (ms33), which displays small, pale yellow anthers, and complete male sterility. Using a map-based cloning approach, maize GRMZM2G070304 was identified as the ms33 gene (ZmMs33). ZmMs33 encodes a novel sn-2 glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) in maize. A functional complementation experiment showed that GRMZM2G070304 can rescue the male-sterile phenotype of the ms33-6029 mutant. GRMZM2G070304 was further confirmed to be the ms33 gene via targeted knockouts induced by the clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system. ZmMs33 is preferentially expressed in the immature anther from the quartet to early-vacuolate microspore stages and in root tissues at the fifth leaf growth stage. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that ZmMs33 and OsGPAT3 are evolutionarily conserved for anther and pollen development in monocot species. This study reveals that the monocot-specific GPAT3 protein plays an important role in male fertility in maize, and ZmMs33 and mutants in this gene may have value in maize male-sterile line breeding and hybrid seed production.

A novel environmental restoration method for an abandoned limestone quarry with a deep open pit and steep palisades: a case study

In general, exploitation of rock materials, such as limestone or granite exploitation, can cause serious damage to the environment near a mine area. With economic development and the ever-increasing demand for ore resources, mining activities have induced very serious environmental issues in China. Therefore, environmental restoration work around mines in China is urgently required. This study explores the Chuankou open-pit limestone quarry in Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province, Northwest China, as the engineering case. The environmental issues caused by over 40 years of limestone exploitation, including land degradation, land occupation, dust pollution and potential geological disasters, were investigated. Combining the characteristics of this quarry with a summary of previous studies on environmental restoration work, this paper proposes a novel and systematic method that was comprehensively carried out through engineering and revegetation measures. The engineering measure, that is, the construction of an artificial slope by using local abandoned construction materials, solved the environmental problems in this quarry and provided site conditions favourable for revegetation. The revegetation measure restored the local ecosystem. This method provides both a new idea for the sustainable development of a mining area and a useful reference for analogous engineering cases.

Microbial profiles of a drinking water resource based on different 16S rRNA V regions during a heavy cyanobacterial bloom in Lake Taihu, China

Understanding of the bacterial community structure in drinking water resources helps to enhance the security of municipal water supplies. In this study, bacterial communities were surveyed in water and sediment during a heavy cyanobacterial bloom in a drinking water resource of Lake Taihu, China. A total of 325,317 high-quality sequences were obtained from different 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) regions (V3, V4, and V6) using the Miseq sequencing platform. A notable difference was shown between the water and sediment samples, as predominated by Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria in the water and Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Verrucomicrobia in the sediment, respectively. The LD12 family dominated the water surface and was tightly associated with related indicators of cyanobacterial propagation, indicating involvement in the massive proliferation of cyanobacterial blooms. Alternatively, the genus Nitrospira dominated the sediment samples, which indicates that nitrite oxidation was very active in the sediment. Although pathogenic bacteria were not detected in a large amount, some genera such as Mycobacterium, Acinetobacter, and Legionella were still identified but in very low abundance. In addition, the effects of different V regions on bacterial diversity survey were evaluated. Overall, V4 and V3 were proven to be more promising V regions for bacterial diversity survey in water and sediment samples during heavy water blooms in Lake Taihu, respectively. As longer, cheaper, and faster DNA sequencing technologies become more accessible, we expect that bacterial community structures based on 16S rRNA amplicons as an indicator could be used alongside with physical and chemical indicators, to conduct comprehensive assessments for drinking water resource management.

AtCesA8-driven OsSUS3 expression leads to largely enhanced biomass saccharification and lodging resistance by distinctively altering lignocellulose features in rice

BACKGROUND

Biomass recalcitrance and plant lodging are two complex traits that tightly associate with plant cell wall structure and features. Although genetic modification of plant cell walls can potentially reduce recalcitrance for enhancing biomass saccharification, it remains a challenge to maintain a normal growth with enhanced biomass yield and lodging resistance in transgenic plants. Sucrose synthase (SUS) is a key enzyme to regulate carbon partitioning by providing UDP-glucose as substrate for cellulose and other polysaccharide biosynthesis. Although SUS transgenic plants have reportedly exhibited improvement on the cellulose and starch based traits, little is yet reported about SUS impacts on both biomass saccharification and lodging resistance. In this study, we selected the transgenic rice plants that expressed OsSUS3 genes when driven by the AtCesA8 promoter specific for promoting secondary cell wall cellulose synthesis in Arabidopsis. We examined biomass saccharification and lodging resistance in the transgenic plants and detected their cell wall structures and wall polymer features.

RESULTS

During two-year field experiments, the selected AtCesA8::SUS3 transgenic plants maintained a normal growth with slightly increased biomass yields. The four independent transgenic lines exhibited much higher biomass enzymatic saccharification and bioethanol production under chemical pretreatments at P < 0.01 levels, compared with the controls of rice cultivar and empty vector transgenic line. Notably, all transgenic lines showed a consistently enhanced lodging resistance with the increasing extension and pushing forces. Correlation analysis suggested that the reduced cellulose crystallinity was a major factor for largely enhanced biomass saccharification and lodging resistance in transgenic rice plants. In addition, the cell wall thickenings with the increased cellulose and hemicelluloses levels should also contribute to plant lodging resistance. Hence, this study has proposed a mechanistic model that shows how OsSUS3 regulates cellulose and hemicelluloses biosyntheses resulting in reduced cellulose crystallinity and increased wall thickness, thereby leading to large improvements of both biomass saccharification and lodging resistance in transgenic rice plants.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has demonstrated that the AtCesA8::SUS3 transgenic rice plants exhibited largely improved biomass saccharification and lodging resistance by reducing cellulose crystallinity and increasing cell wall thickness. It also suggests a powerful genetic approach for cell wall modification in bioenergy crops.

MiR-155 Enhances Insulin Sensitivity by Coordinated Regulation of Multiple Genes in Mice

miR-155 plays critical roles in numerous physiological and pathological processes, however, its function in the regulation of blood glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity and underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we reveal that miR-155 levels are downregulated in serum from type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients, suggesting that miR-155 might be involved in blood glucose control and diabetes. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies in mice demonstrate that miR-155 has no effects on the pancreatic β-cell proliferation and function. Global transgenic overexpression of miR-155 in mice leads to hypoglycaemia, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Conversely, miR-155 deficiency in mice causes hyperglycemia, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. In addition, consistent with a positive regulatory role of miR-155 in glucose metabolism, miR-155 positively modulates glucose uptake in all cell types examined, while mice overexpressing miR-155 transgene show enhanced glycolysis, and insulin-stimulated AKT and IRS-1 phosphorylation in liver, adipose tissue or skeletal muscle. Furthermore, we reveal these aforementioned phenomena occur, at least partially, through miR-155-mediated repression of important negative regulators (i.e. C/EBPβ, HDAC4 and SOCS1) of insulin signaling. Taken together, these findings demonstrate, for the first time, that miR-155 is a positive regulator of insulin sensitivity with potential applications for diabetes treatment.

An Improved FFR Design with a Ventilation Fan: CFD Simulation and Validation

This article presents an improved Filtering Facepiece Respirator (FFR) designed to increase the comfort of wearers during low-moderate work. The improved FFR aims to lower the deadspace temperature and CO2 level by an active ventilation fan. The reversing modeling is used to build the 3D geometric model of this FFR; the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation is then introduced to investigate the flow field. Based on the simulation result, the ventilation fan of the improved FFR can fit the flow field well when placed in the proper blowing orientation; streamlines from this fan show a cup-shape distribution and are perfectly matched to the shape of the FFR and human face when the fan blowing inward. In the deadspace of the improved FFR, the CO2 volume fraction is controlled by the optimized flow field. In addition, an experimental prototype of the improved FFR has been tested to validate the simulation. A wireless temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature variation inside the prototype FFR, deadspace temperature is lowered by 2 K compared to the normal FFR without a fan. An infrared camera (IRC) method is used to elucidate the temperature distribution on the prototype FFR's outside surface and the wearer's face, surface temperature is lowered notably. Both inside and outside temperature results from the simulation are in agreement with experimental results. Therefore, adding an inward-blowing fan on the outer surface of an N95 FFR is a feasible approach to reducing the deadspace CO2 concentration and improve temperature comfort.

Gel performance in rheology and profile control under low-frequency vibration: coupling application of physical and chemical EOR techniques

Flowing gel plugging and low-frequency vibration oil extraction technology have been widely applied in low-permeability formation. High probability of overlapping in action spheres of two technologies might lead to poor operating efficiency during gel injection. Study on flowing gel rheological properties under low-frequency vibration was essential, which was carried out indoor with viscosity measurement. Potential dynamic mechanisms were analyzed for the rheological variation. Under low-frequency vibration, gel rheological properties were found to be obviously influenced, with vibration delaying gel cross-linking in induction period, causing a two-stage gel viscosity change in acceleration period, and decreasing gel strength in stable period. Surface of gel system under vibration presented different fluctuating phenomenon from initial harmonic vibrating to heterogeneous fluctuating (droplet separation might appear) to final harmonic vibrating again. Dynamic displacement in unconsolidated sand pack revealed that low-frequency vibration during gel injection might be a measure to achieve deep profile control, with the gel injection depth increased by 65.8 % compared with the vibration-free sample. At last, suggestions for field test were given in the paper to achieve lower injection friction and better gel plugging efficiency.

Dysfunctional miRNA-Mediated Regulation in Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma

Past research on pathogenesis of a complex disease suggests that differentially expressed message RNAs (mRNAs) can be noted as biomarkers of a disease. However, significant miRNA-mediated regulation change might also be more deep underlying cause of a disease. In this study, a miRNA-mediated regulation module is defined based on GO terms (Gene Ontology terms) from which dysfunctional modules are identified as the suspected cause of a disease. A miRNA-mediated regulation module contains mRNAs annotated to a GO term and MicroRNAs (miRNAs) which regulate the mRNAs. Based on the miRNA-mediated regulation coefficients estimated from the expression profiles of the mRNA and the miRNAs, a SW (single regulation-weight) value is then designed to evaluate the miRNA-mediated regulation change of an mRNA, and the modules with significantly differential SW values are thus identified as dysfunctional modules. The approach is applied to Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma and it identifies 70 dysfunctional miRNA-mediated regulation modules from initial 4381 modules. The identified dysfunctional modules are detected to be comprehensive reflection of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. The proposed approach suggests that accumulated alteration in miRNA-mediated regulation might cause functional alterations, which further cause a disease. Moreover, this approach can also be used to identify diffentially miRNA-mediated regulated mRNAs showing more comprehensive underlying association with a disease than differentially expressed mRNAs.