Developing dual-responsive quinolinium prodrugs of 8-hydroxyquinoline by harnessing the dual chelating sites.

The bidentate metal ion chelator 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) demonstrates significant potential in anticancer therapy but is hindered by adverse effects due to nonspecific chelation in normal tissues. The phenolic hydroxyl oxygen of 8-HQ has been extensively exploited to develop O-masked 8-HQ prodrugs aimed at achieving on-demand chelation. However, the equally crucial quinoline nitrogen for chelation remains underutilized.

The Structure Characterization of Polysaccharides from Codonopsis Pilosula and the Structure-Activity Relationship with Immune-Regulation on THP-1 Cells.

In recent years, polysaccharides from Codonopsis pilosula (CPs) have received increasing attention for their excellent behaviors in immune-regulation. However, the relationship between the structure and immunomodulatory activity has rarely been reported. In this work, four fractions purified from crude CPs (CPW, CPS0.

Development and preclinical evaluation of a cyclic PET tracer targeting integrin-α6 on colorectal cancer models.

Integrin-α6 is an attractive diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker in cancer, because it is highly expressed in several types of malignancies. Based on our previous findings, we designed a cyclic peptide, NOTA-A6P, to enhancing affinity, tumor uptake and serum stability, and then developed a cyclic radiotracer, [F]AlF-NOTA-A6P, for the specific detection of early colorectal cancer by PET/CT imaging. [F] AlF-NOTA-A6P was automatically labeled for colorectal cancer imaging in a novel synthesis module.

Natural variation of CT2 affects the embryo/kernel weight ratio in maize.

Embryo size is a critical trait determining not only grain yield but also the nutrition of the maize kernel. Up to the present, only a few genes have been characterized affecting the maize embryo/kernel ratio. Here, we identify 63 genes significantly associated with maize embryo/kernel weight ratio using a genome-wide association study (GWAS).

Internal blood lead exposure levels in permanent residents of Jiangxi Province and its effects on routine hematological and biochemical indices.

Background: Lead exposure levels are closely linked to human health and can cause damage to multiple organ systems, including the blood system and liver. However, due to insufficient evidence, the effects of lead exposure on hematological and biochemical indices have not been fully established.

Objective: This study aims to explore the blood lead levels of permanent residents in Jiangxi Province and analyze the factors affecting blood lead levels and the impact of blood lead levels on hematological and biochemical indices.

Identification and Functional Analysis of circRNAs during Goat Follicular Development.

Litter size is a crucial quantitative trait in animals, closely linked to follicular development. Circular RNA (circRNA), a type of single-stranded closed-loop endogenous RNA with stable expression, plays pivotal roles in various biological processes, yet its function in goat follicular development remains unclear. In this study, we collected large (follicle diameter > 3 mm) and small (1 mm < follicle diameter < 3 mm) follicles from black goats in the Chuanzhong region for circRNA sequencing, with the aim of elucidating the functional circRNAs that influence follicle development in goats.

Decoding the Qu-aroma of medium-temperature Daqu starter by volatilomics, aroma recombination, omission studies and sensory analysis.

Qu-aroma is of great significance for evaluation the quality of Daqu starter. This study aimed to decode the Qu-aroma of medium-temperature Daqu (MT-Daqu) via "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches. Firstly, 52 aroma descriptors were defined to describe the MT-Daqu aroma by quantitative descriptive analysis.

Genome-wide expression quantitative trait locus analysis reveals silk-preferential gene regulatory network in maize.

Silk of maize (Zea mays L.) contains diverse metabolites with complicated structures and functions, making it a great challenge to explore the mechanisms of metabolic regulation. Genome-wide identification of silk-preferential genes and investigation of their expression regulation provide an opportunity to reveal the regulatory networks of metabolism.

Amonafide-based HO-responsive theranostic prodrugs: Exploring the correlation between HO level and anticancer efficacy.

Leveraging the elevated hydrogen peroxide (HO) levels in cancer cells, HO-activated prodrugs have emerged as promising candidates for anticancer therapy. Notably, the efficacy of these prodrugs is influenced by the varying HO levels across different cancer cell types. In this context, we have developed a novel HO-activated prodrug, PBE-AMF, which incorporates a phenylboronic ester (PBE) motif.

Exploration of electrochemical behavior of Sb-based porous carbon composites anode for sodium-ion batteries.

Sb-based materials are considered as promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their excellent sodium storage capacities and suitable potentials. However, the Sb-based anodes usually suffer from intense volume expansion and severe pulverization during the alloying-dealloying process, resulting in poor cycling performance. Herein, a composite anode with Sb/SbO nanoparticles embedded in N-doped porous carbon is prepared by the gas-solid dual template method.

Exploring salt tolerance mechanisms using machine learning for transcriptomic insights: case study in .

Salt stress poses a significant threat to global cereal crop production, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of salt tolerance mechanisms. Accurate functional annotations of differentially expressed genes are crucial for gaining insights into the salt tolerance mechanism. The challenge of predicting gene functions in under-studied species, especially when excluding infrequent GO terms, persists.

A genome-wide association study uncovers a ZmRap2.7-ZCN9/ZCN10 module to regulate ABA signalling and seed vigour in maize.

Seed vigour, including rapid, uniform germination and robust seedling establishment under various field conditions, is becoming an increasingly essential agronomic trait for achieving high yield in crops. However, little is known about this important seed quality trait. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study to identify a key transcription factor ZmRap2.

Transcriptome analysis of mRNA and miRNA in the development of LeiZhou goat muscles.

The progression of muscle development is a pivotal aspect of animal ontogenesis, where miRNA and mRNA exert substantial influence as prominent players. It is important to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in skeletal muscle development to enhance the quality and yield of meat produced by Leizhou goats. We employed RNA sequencing (RNA-SEQ) technology to generate miRNA-mRNA profiles in Leizhou goats, capturing their developmental progression at 0, 3, and 6 months of age.

Intelligent Sensing, Control and Optimization of Networks.

The development of many modern critical infrastructures calls for the integration of advanced technologies and algorithms to enhance the performance, efficiency, and reliability of network systems [...

Doping strategies for inorganic lead-free halide perovskite solar cells: progress and challenges.

In recent years, remarkable advancements have been achieved in the field of halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the commercialization of PSCs has been impeded by challenges such as Pb leakage and the instability of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs). Hence, the future lies in the development of environmentally friendly inorganic lead-free halide perovskites (LFHPs) based on elements like Sn, Ge, Bi, Sb, and Cu, which show great promise for photovoltaic applications.

Synthesis of an autochthonous microbial community by analyzing the core microorganisms responsible for the critical flavor of bran vinegar.

Traditional bran vinegar brewing unfolds through natural fermentation, a process driven by spontaneous microbial activity. The unique metabolic activities of various microorganisms lead to distinct flavors and qualities in each batch of vinegar, making it challenging to consistently achieve the desired characteristic flavor compounds. Therefore, identifying the critical microbial species responsible for flavor production and designing starter cultures with improved fermentation efficiency and characteristic flavors are effective methods to address this discrepancy.

Graph Soft Actor-Critic Reinforcement Learning for Large-Scale Distributed Multirobot Coordination.

Learning distributed cooperative policies for large-scale multirobot systems remains a challenging task in the multiagent reinforcement learning (MARL) context. In this work, we model the interactions among the robots as a graph and propose a novel off-policy actor-critic MARL algorithm to train distributed coordination policies on the graph by leveraging the ability of information extraction of graph neural networks (GNNs). First, a new type of Gaussian policy parameterized by the GNNs is designed for distributed decision-making in continuous action spaces.

Enhanced performance of BiI-incorporated CsPbBr solar cells.

CsPbBr all-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been extensively investigated due to their remarkable stability. However, their limited film quality and wide bandgap result in a low photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE). In this study, BiI was incorporated into CsPbBr films to synergistically enhance light absorption and film quality.

Genes and pathways correlated with heat stress responses and heat tolerance in maize kernels.

Global warming leads to frequent extreme weather, especially the extreme heat events, which threating the safety of maize production. Here we selected a pair of maize inbred lines, PF5411-1 and LH150, with significant differences in heat tolerance at kernel development stage. The two maize inbred lines were treated with heat stress at kernel development stage.