Plant diversity enhances ecosystem multifunctionality via multitrophic diversity.

Ecosystem functioning depends on biodiversity at multiple trophic levels, yet relationships between multitrophic diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality have been poorly explored, with studies often focusing on individual trophic levels and functions and on specific ecosystem types. Here, we show that plant diversity can affect ecosystem functioning both directly and by affecting other trophic levels. Using data on 13 trophic groups and 13 ecosystem functions from two large biodiversity experiments-one representing temperate grasslands and the other subtropical forests-we found that plant diversity increases multifunctionality through elevated multitrophic diversity.

Three-electrode germanium-on-silicon avalanche photodiode array.

In this Letter, we report a bridge-connected three-electrode germanium-on-silicon (Ge-on-Si) avalanche photodiode (APD) array compatible with the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. In addition to the two electrodes on the Si substrate, a third electrode is designed for Ge. A single three-electrode APD was tested and analyzed.

Multitrophic arthropod diversity mediates tree diversity effects on primary productivity.

Forests sustain 80% of terrestrial biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services. Biodiversity experiments have demonstrated that plant diversity correlates with both primary productivity and higher trophic diversity. However, whether higher trophic diversity can mediate the effects of plant diversity on productivity remains unclear.

Association of primary tumor location with long-term oncological prognosis following hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma:A multicenter propensity score matching analysis.

Purpose: There is a striking laterality in the site of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a strong predominance for the right side; however, the impact of primary tumor location on long-term prognosis after hepatectomy of HCC remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of primary tumor location on long-term oncological prognosis after hepatectomy for HCC.

Patients And Methods: Data of consecutive patients undergoing curative hepatectomy for HCC between 2008 and 2017 were analyzed.

Functional and phylogenetic relationships link predators to plant diversity via trophic and non-trophic pathways.

Human-induced biodiversity loss negatively affects ecosystem function, but the interactive effects of biodiversity change across trophic levels remain insufficiently understood. We sampled arboreal spiders and lepidopteran larvae across seasons in 2 years in a subtropical tree diversity experiment, and then disentangled the links between tree diversity and arthropod predator diversity by deconstructing the pathways among multiple components of diversity (taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional) with structural equation models. We found that herbivores were major mediators of plant species richness effects on abundance, species richness, functional and phylogenetic diversity of predators, while phylogenetic, functional and structural diversity of trees were also important mediators of this process.

Tree dissimilarity determines multi-dimensional beta-diversity of herbivores and carnivores via bottom-up effects.

Global biodiversity decline and its cascading effects through trophic interactions pose a severe threat to human society. Establishing the impacts of biodiversity decline requires a more thorough understanding of multi-trophic interactions and, more specifically, the effects that loss of diversity in primary producers has on multi-trophic community assembly. Within a synthetic conceptual framework for multi-trophic beta-diversity, we tested a series of hypotheses on neutral and niche-based bottom-up processes in assembling herbivore and carnivore communities in a subtropical forest using linear models, hieratical variance partitioning based on linear mixed-effects models (LMMs) and simulation.

Anodic Oxidation Tuning of NiFeV Diselenide to the Core-Shell Heterojunction for Boosting Oxygen Evolution.

Developing non-noble metal-based core-shell heterojunction electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity and long-lasting stability is crucial for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here, we prepared novel core-shell Fe,V-NiSe@NiFe(OH) heterostructured nanoparticles on hydrophilic-treated carbon paper with high electronic transport and large surface area for accelerating the oxygen evolution rate high-temperature selenization and electrochemical anodic oxidation procedures. Performance testing shows that Fe,V-NiSe@NiFe(OH) possesses the highest performance for OER compared to as-prepared diselenide core-derived heterojunctions, which only require an overpotential of 243 mV at 10 mA cm and a low Tafel slope of 91.

Cancer-related stroke: Exploring personalized therapy strategies.

Background: Cancer and ischemic stroke are two common diseases that threaten human health and have become the main causes of death in the world. It is estimated that one-in-ten patients with ischemic stroke have concomitant cancer, and this incidence is expected to increase as improvements in medical technology extends the life expectancy of cancer patients.

Discussion: Cancer-related stroke (CRS) refers to unexplained ischemic stroke in patients with active cancer that cannot be explained by current stroke mechanisms.

Titanium dioxide-functionalized dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles for highly selective isolation of phosphoproteins.

Selective isolation of phosphoproteins is of great significance in biological applications. Herein, titanium dioxide-functionalized dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles are prepared via a post-grafting method for selective capture of phosphoproteins. The fabricated nanoparticles possess a unique central-radial pore structure with a surface area of 666.

Tree diversity and functional leaf traits drive herbivore-associated microbiomes in subtropical China.

Herbivorous insects acquire microorganisms from host plants or soil, but it remains unclear how the diversity and functional composition of host plants contribute to structuring herbivore microbiomes. Within a controlled tree diversity setting, we used DNA metabarcoding of 16S rRNA to assess the contribution of Lepidoptera species and their local environment (particularly, tree diversity, host tree species, and leaf traits) to the composition of associated bacterial communities. In total, we obtained 7,909 bacterial OTUs from 634 caterpillar individuals comprising 146 species.

[Corrigendum] Effects of simvastatin on iNOS and caspase‑3 levels and oxidative stress following smoke inhalation injury.

After the publication of the above paper, the authors have noticed that the affiliations were presented incorrectly; essentially, Drs Rong‑qiang Yang, Peng‑fei Guo, Qing‑nan Meng, Ya Gao, Imran Khan, Xiao‑bo Wang and Zheng‑jun Cui are based at the Department of Burn and Repair Reconstruction Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, whereas Drs Zhao Ma and Cheng Chang are located at The School of Basic Medical Science of Zhengzhou University. Therefore, the affiliations for this paper should have appeared as follows: Rong‑Qiang Yang1, Peng‑Fei Guo1, Zhao Ma2, Cheng Chang2, Qing‑Nan Meng1, Ya Gao1, Imran Khan1, Xiao‑Bo Wang1 and Zheng‑Jun Cui1. 1Department of Burn and Repair Reconstruction Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University; 2The School of Basic Medical Science of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, P.

Effects of simvastatin on iNOS and caspase‑3 levels and oxidative stress following smoke inhalation injury.

The overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) induces cell apoptosis through various signal transduction pathways and aggravates lung injury. Caspase‑3 is an important protein in the apoptotic pathway and its activation can exacerbate apoptosis. Simvastatin, a hydroxymethyl glutaryl‑A reductase inhibitor, protects against smoke inhalation injury by inhibiting the synthesis and release of inflammatory factors and decreasing cell apoptosis.

Boron-Modified Defect-Rich Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets: Reducing Nonspecific Adsorption and Promoting a High Capacity for Isolation of Immunoglobulin G.

A new type of boric acid derivative-modified molybdenum disulfide nanosheet was prepared by amination and sulfur chemical grafting, where lipoic acid, lysine, and 5-carboxybenzoboroxole were used as reactants. The two-dimensional composite, abbreviated as MoS-Lys-CBX, is an ultrathin nanosheet with a minimum unit of single or few layers. Compared with the original molybdenum disulfide, the nonspecific adhesion of interfering proteins on the surface was reduced, and the adsorption capacity of glycoproteins was enhanced, which was 1682.

Iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes on bismuth titanate nanosheets for metal affinity separation of phosphoproteins.

Separation of phosphoproteins plays an important role for identification of biomarkers in life science. In this work, bismuth titanate supported, iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes were prepared for selective separation of phosphoproteins. The iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes were synthesized by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and glycidyl methacrylate, followed by a ring opening reaction of epoxy group, and chelation of the obtained cis-diols with Fe ions.

Host functional and phylogenetic composition rather than host diversity structure plant-herbivore networks.

Declining plant diversity alters ecological networks, such as plant-herbivore interactions. However, our knowledge of the potential mechanisms underlying effects of plant species loss on plant-herbivore network structure is still limited. We used DNA barcoding to identify herbivore-host plant associations along declining levels of tree diversity in a large-scale, subtropical biodiversity experiment.

Purification of hemoglobin by adsorption on nitrogen-doped flower-like carbon superstructures.

Nitrogen-doped flower-like carbon superstructures (NPC-F) are prepared via carbonizing self-assembled polyimide nanosheets. SEM, TEM, XPS, and N sorption methods are adopted to characterize the flower-like structure. NPC-F exhibits adsorption selectivity for hemoglobin (Hb) because the specific pyridinic N groups of NPC-F could coordinate with the sixth vacancy of ferrous ion in hemoglobin.

Two-dimensional titanate-based zwitterionic hydrophilic sorbent for the selective adsorption of glycoproteins.

The selective adsorption towards glycoproteins from complex biosamples is of vital importance in life science studies. A new zwitterionic hydrophilic material, i.e.

DMSA-Functionalized Mesoporous Alumina with a High Capacity for Selective Isolation of Immunoglobulin G.

A novel dimercaptosuccinic acid-functionalized mesoporous alumina (DMSA-MA) is synthesized by the dicarboxylic acid groups of dimercaptosuccinic acid molecules coordinating to the Al ions located in the mesostructure. The as-prepared DMSA-MA composites possess a large surface area of 91.17 m/g as well as a uniform pore size and a high pore volume of 17.

Boron-titanate monolayer nanosheets for highly selective adsorption of immunoglobulin G.

Boron-titanate monolayer nanosheets were prepared through a scalable step by step intercalation approach for anchoring 3-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane (MPTS) on the surface. MPTS provides clickable sites with 4-vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA) via a thiol-ene (TE) click reaction to obtain monolayer titanate nanosheets with boronic acid ligands immobilized on the surface. The nanosheets obtained are denoted as VPBA-MPTS-TiNSs, with a lateral dimension of a few dozen nanometers and with a thickness of ca.

PEGylated titanate nanosheets: hydrophilic monolayers with a superior capacity for the selective isolation of immunoglobulin G.

A novel organic-inorganic hybrid was prepared by anchoring (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) on the surface of monolayer titanate nanosheets and subsequent modification with hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG). The PEGylated hydrophilic monolayer titanate nanosheets were abbreviated as PEG-APTES-TiNSs, and they exhibit a lateral dimension of dozens of nanometers and a thickness of ca. 1.

Polyoxometalate-Coated Magnetic Nanospheres for Highly Selective Isolation of Immunoglobulin G.

Polyoxometalate [{a-PWOZr(μ-OH)(HO)}] (POM1) is first prepared by sandwiching Zr among 2 mono-lacunary α-Keggin polyoxometalates, and then novel magnetic nanoparticles (NPs), FeO@polyethyleneimine (PEI)@POM1, are fabricated by coating POM1 onto the surface of magnetic FeO@PEI NPs under electrostatic interaction. The obtained FeO@PEI@POM1 NPs are characterized by Fourier transform infrared, zeta potential, vibrating sample magnetometer, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Ascribed to the hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interactions, the NPs exhibit high adsorption selectivity toward IgG, and the adsorption capacity is high up to 304 mg g under optimal adsorption conditions.

Room-Temperature-Synthesized High-Mobility Transparent Amorphous CdO-GaO Alloys with Widely Tunable Electronic Bands.

In this work, we have synthesized CdGaO alloy thin films at room temperature over the entire composition range by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. We found that alloy films with high Ga contents of x > 0.3 are amorphous.

Copper-Decorated Titanate Nanosheets: Novel Homogeneous Monolayers with a Superior Capacity for Selective Isolation of Hemoglobin.

Novel unilamellar and homogeneous titanate nanosheets were prepared by anchoring (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and chelating copper ions, also know by the short form Cu-APTES-TiNSs. The nanosheets were uniform two-dimensional lamellas/monolayers with a thickness of 1.9 nm, and they were further characterized by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and N adsorption-desorption.

Effects of weight training time on bone mineral density of patients with secondary osteoporosis after hemiplegia.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of weight training time on bone mineral density (BMD) of patients with secondary osteoporosis after hemiplegia. A total of 129 hemiplegic patients with stroke, 75 males and 54 females, aged 50-75 years, were recruited in this study. Male patients were randomly divided into 3 groups (25 cases each) receiving 30 min (group M30), 60 min (group M60), or 90 min (group M90) daily upright bed weight training.