Engineering the Electronic Structure of Submonolayer Pt on Intermetallic PdPb via Charge Transfer Boosts the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

The efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) plays a key role in accelerating sustainable H production from water electrolysis, but its large-scale applications are hindered by the high cost of the state-of-the-art Pt catalyst. In this work, submonolayer Pt was controllably deposited on an intermetallic PdPb nanoplate (AL-Pt/PdPb). The atomic efficiency and electronic structure of the active surface Pt layer were largely optimized, greatly enhancing the acidic HER.

Identification of genes for salt tolerance and yield-related traits in rice plants grown hydroponically and under saline field conditions by genome-wide association study.

Background: Soil salinity is one of the main environmental conditions that affects rice production. Identifying the genetic loci that affect rice salt tolerance (ST)-related traits at the seedling stage, especially under saline field conditions, is crucial for ST rice breeding by pyramiding ST genes that act at different developmental stages.

Results: Large phenotypic variations were observed in 708 rice accessions, and yield and its related traits were considerably limited when exposed to salt stress.

The antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic activities of phosphorylated polysaccharide from Ulva pertusa.

Ulvan was the polysaccharide (U) from a large edible green algae Ulva pertusa. In this study, phosphorylated ulvan (PU) was prepared by the sodium trimetaphosphate -sodium tripolyphosphate method. Antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic effects of U and PU were investigated employing in vivo systems.

Antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic activities of high sulfate content purified polysaccharide from Ulva pertusa.

In this study, purification of polysaccharide ulvan by anion exchange chromatography was prepared, and the major polysaccharide fraction (FU) was collected at 1.0 M NaCl elute by anion exchange chromatography, then high sulfate content purified ulvan (HFU) was prepared with sulfur trioxide/N,N-dimethylformamide (SO-DMF) in formamide. The antioxidant activity and the antihyperlipidemic activity of HFU in mice were determined.

A Supported Nickel Catalyst Stabilized by a Surface Digging Effect for Efficient Methane Oxidation.

A surface digging effect of supported Ni NPs on an amorphous N-doped carbon is described, during which the surface-loaded Ni NPs would etch and sink into the underneath carbon support to prevent sintering. This process is driven by the strong coordination interaction between the surface Ni atoms and N-rich defects. In the aim of activation of C-H bonds for methane oxidation, those sinking Ni NPs could be further transformed into thermodynamically stable and active metal-defect sites within the as-generated surface holes by simply elevating the temperature.

AGEs induces apoptosis and autophagy via reactive oxygen species in human periodontal ligament cells.

The apoptosis of human periodontal ligament cells (HPDLCs) may be an important factor of the negative effect of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on the periodontal tissue of diabetic patients. However, the pathways or potential effects of apoptosis in AGEs-treated HPDLCs have not been fully elucidated. Autophagy is closely related to apoptosis.

MIR155HG is a prognostic biomarker and associated with immune infiltration and immune checkpoint molecules expression in multiple cancers.

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitor has achieved remarkable success in multiple cancer treatment. However, how to pre-judge which patients are suitable for immune checkpoint inhibitor is a difficult problem. We use the existing public bioinformatics database to comprehensively analyze the relationship between clinical data of various cancers with immune checkpoint blocking molecules and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and try to find the potential predictive value of lncRNA for immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors.

Receptor‑interacting serine/threonine‑protein kinase 1 promotes the progress and lymph metastasis of gallbladder cancer.

Receptor‑interacting serine/threonine‑protein kinase 1 (RIP‑1) is highly expressed in gallbladder cancer, and is very important in promoting tumor proliferation and invasion. The underlying mechanism in this promotion is the RIP‑1‑nuclear factor κ‑B (NF‑κB) and activator protein 1 (AP‑1)‑vascular endothelial growth factor‑C (VEGF‑C) signaling pathways. However, the precise mechanisms by which RIP‑1 regulates VEGF‑C expression are still unknown.

GhEIN3, a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) homologue of AtEIN3, is involved in regulation of plant salinity tolerance.

Ethylene insensitive 3 (EIN3), a key transcription factor in ethylene signal transduction, play important roles in plant stress signaling pathways. In this study, we isolated and characterized an EIN3-like gene from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), designated as GhEIN3. GhEIN3 is highly expressed in vegetative tissues, and its expression is induced by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and NaCl.

Biochemical characterization and expression analysis of lignification in two pear (Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim.) varieties with contrasting stone cell content.

As lignified stone cells reduce fruit quality, we investigated lignin deposition, phenolic metabolites, and expression of lignin biosynthetic genes during fruit development to elucidate the molecular mechanism of stone cell lignification using histological, biochemical, and transcriptional data from two Ussurian pear varieties (Jianba and Nanguo) with contrasting stone cell content. Lignin content and distribution coincided with stone cell accumulation. As per LC-MS analysis, Jianba exhibited higher levels of lignin monomers and hydroxycinnamates than Nanguo, consistently with lignin amount in each case.

PREVIOUS DELIVERY OF MACROSOMIA IS ASSOCIATED WITH MATERNAL ADIPOSITY IN LATER LIFE IN CHINESE PAROUS WOMEN WITH NORMAL WEIGHT BEFORE AND/OR AFTER PREGNANCY.

Obesity has become a major worldwide health challenge. Macrosomic infants are more likely to experience type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and hypertension in adulthood. However, whether macrosomia increases the risk of maternal adiposity later in life is still unknown.

Dissecting genetic loci affecting grain morphological traits to improve grain weight via nested association mapping.

The quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for grain morphological traits were identified via nested association mapping and validated in a natural wheat population via haplotype analysis. Grain weight, one of the three most important components of crop yield, is largely determined by grain morphological traits. Dissecting the genetic bases of grain morphology could facilitate the improvement of grain weight and yield production.

M1 macrophages regulate TLR4/AP1 via paracrine to promote alveolar bone destruction in periodontitis.

Objective: Macrophages could be fully polarized and acquire specific phenotype like M1, which considered to be essential for the alveolar bone destruction during the development of periodontitis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of M1 macrophages on the alveolar bone destruction are still not clear yet.

Methods: Mouse periodontitis model was established to determine the involvement of M1 macrophages in the pathogenic process.

Identifying Imaging Markers for Predicting Cognitive Assessments Using Wasserstein Distances Based Matrix Regression.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a severe type of neurodegeneration which worsens human memory, thinking and cognition along a temporal continuum. How to identify the informative phenotypic neuroimaging markers and accurately predict cognitive assessment are crucial for early detection and diagnosis Alzheimer's disease. Regression models are widely used to predict the relationship between imaging biomarkers and cognitive assessment, and identify discriminative neuroimaging markers.

Chlorogenic Acid Attenuates Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice through MAPK/ERK/JNK Pathway.

Objective: Observe the protective effect of chlorogenic acid on dextran sulfate-induced ulcerative colitis in mice and explore the regulation of MAPK/ERK/JNK signaling pathway.

Methods: Seventy C57BL/6 mice (half males and half females) were randomly divided into 7 groups, 10 in each group: control group (CON group), UC model group (UC group), and sulfasalazine-positive control group (SASP group), chlorogenic acid low dose group (CGA-L group), chlorogenic acid medium dose group (CGA-M group), chlorogenic acid high dose group (CGA-H group), and ERK inhibitor + chlorogenic acid group (E+CGA group). The effects of chlorogenic acid on UC were evaluated by colon mucosa damage index (CMDI), HE staining, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, and Western blot.

Identification of hub genes and therapeutic drugs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma based on integrated bioinformatics strategy.

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of leading malignant cancers of gastrointestinal tract worldwide. Until now, the involved mechanisms during the development of ESCC are largely unknown. This study aims to explore the driven-genes and biological pathways in ESCC.

BR deficiency causes increased sensitivity to drought and yield penalty in cotton.

Background: Brassinosteroids (BRs) play crucial roles in drought tolerance, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear in the important oilseed and fiber crop, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Results: To elucidate how BRs mediate drought tolerance in cotton, a cotton brassinosteroid (BR)-deficient mutant, pag1 (pagoda1), was employed for analysis.

2D MOF induced accessible and exclusive Co single sites for an efficient O-silylation of alcohols with silanes.

Co single atoms anchored on ultrathin two-dimensional nitrogen-doped carbon (Co SAs/2D N-C) were in situ derived from 2D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These ultrathin nanosheets functionalized by the isolated Co atoms possess a high density of active sites and accessible surfaces, exhibiting an exceptional catalytic performance in the oxidation of silanes.

Orexin A ameliorates HBV X protein-induced cytotoxicity and inflammatory response in human hepatocytes.

Hepatitis B virus is one of the main causes of hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatitis B virus-encoded X protein (HBx) has been shown to be involved in many aspects of the pathogenicity of liver diseases. Orexin A is a small peptide produced in the hippocampus.

Temporal Correlation Structure Learning for MCI Conversion Prediction.

In Alzheimer's research, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is an important intermediate stage between normal aging and Alzheimer's. How to distinguish MCI samples that finally convert to AD from those do not is an essential problem in the prevention and diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Traditional methods use various classification models to distinguish MCI converters from non-converters, while the performance is usually limited by the small number of available data.

Highly sensitive ethanol gas sensor based on ultrathin nanosheets assembled BiWO with composite phase.

Bismuth tungstate (BiWO) has many intriguing properties and has been the focus of studies in a variety of fields, especially photocatalysis. However, its application in gas-sensing has been seldom reported. Here, we successfully synthesized assembled hierarchical BiWO which consists of ultrathin nanosheets with crystalline-amorphous composite phase by a one-step hydrothermal method.

Generation of arbitrary vector vortex beams on hybrid-order Poincaré sphere based on liquid crystal device.

We propose theoretically and verify experimentally a method of using electrically tunable liquid crystal q-plate and wave plate for generating arbitrary vector vortex beams on a hybrid-order Poincaré sphere (HyOPS). The generated vector vortex beam is verified and shows decent agreement with the prediction. This method brings many advantages, such as high conversion efficiency, good electrical controllability, and integration.

Impacts of different aged landfill leachate on PVC corrosion.

Landfill leachate is generally transferred to in situ facilities for advanced treatment by using a pipe system. Because of its harmful and complex compounds, leachate may react with pipe materials, leading to corrosion and scaling. This experimental study uses typical PVC pipe material and investigates its anti-corrosion performance by placing the material samples into different aged leachates.

Identification of a complex genomic rearrangement in TMPRSS3 by massively parallel sequencing in Chinese cases with prelingual hearing loss.

Background: Genetic variants in TMPRSS3 have been causally linked to autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss (HL) at the DFNB8 and DFNB10 loci. These variants include both single nucleotide and copy number variations (CNVs). In this study, we aim to identify the genetic cause in three Chinese subjects with prelingual profound sensorineural HL.