Rare short- and medium-chain fatty acid-producing anaerobes from raw soil play vital roles in formation of diverse flavour compounds of Jiangxiangxing Baijiu.

Pit mud is an essential habitat for diverse anaerobes, however, how pit mud of Jiangxiangxing Baijiu contributes to flavour is still unclear. The correlation between pit mud anaerobes and flavour compounds formation was investigated by analyzing flavour compounds and prokaryotic community of pit mud as well as fermented grains. Then scaling-down fermentation and culture-dependent approach were used to verify the effects of pit mud anaerobes on flavour compound formation. We found that short- and medium-chain fatty acids and alcohols, e.g., propionate, butyrate, caproate, 1-butanol, 1-hexanol, and 1-heptanol, were the vital flavour compounds produced by pit mud anaerobes. Pit mud anaerobes hardly migrated into fermented grains because of the low pH and low moisture of fermented grains. Therefore, the flavour compounds produced by pit mud anaerobes might enter fermented grains via volatilization. Moreover, enrichment culturing proved that raw soil was one of the sources for pit mud anaerobes, e.g., Clostridiumtyrobutyricum, Ruminococcaceae bacterium BL-4 and Caproicibacteriumamylolyticum. These rare short- and medium-chain fatty acid-producing anaerobes in raw soil can be enriched during Jiangxiangxing Baijiu fermentation. These findings clarified the role of pit mud during Jiangxiangxing Baijiu fermentation and revealed the key species involved in short- and medium-chain fatty acid-producing production.

The Cause of Ribbon Fluctuation in Magnetorheological Finishing and Its Influence on Surface Mid-Spatial Frequency Error.

In the high-power laser system, the mid-spatial frequency error of the surface of the high-power laser component will affect the normal operation of the high-power laser system. In order to improve the mid-spatial frequency error of the high-power laser component after magnetorheological finishing, the causes and influencing factors of the ribbon fluctuation in magnetorheological finishing are studied, and the influence of different ribbon fluctuation on the mid-spatial frequency error of the surface is studied. Firstly, the influence of different ribbon fluctuations on the mid-spatial frequency error of the machined surface is simulated by a computer. Secondly, the magnetic field in the circumferential direction of the polishing wheel, the fluctuation amount and frequency of the magnetorheological polishing ribbon are measured, and then the causes of the fluctuation of the magnetorheological polishing ribbon are analyzed. Moreover, through the principle of a single variable, the influence of process parameters on the fluctuation of magnetorheological polishing ribbon is explored. Finally, the fused silica component is scanned uniformly under the process parameters of magnetorheological polishing ribbon fluctuation of 40 µm, 80 µm, 150 µm, and 200 µm. The experimental results show that the greater the ribbon fluctuation, the greater the surface mid-spatial frequency error of the component, and the ribbon fluctuation is approximately linear with the RMS of the PSD2 in the mid-spatial frequency band on the surface of the component. Therefore, the fluctuation of the ribbon can be controlled by controlling the magnetorheological processing parameters, and the mid-spatial frequency band error on the surface of the high-power laser component can be significantly reduced by optimizing process parameters after magnetorheological finishing.

Downregulation of Long Noncoding RNA Myocardial Infarction Associated Transcript Suppresses Cell Proliferation, Migration, Invasion, and Glycolysis by Regulation of miR-488-3p/IGF1R Pathway in Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant public problem and the third cause of cancer-induced death all over the world. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) has been reported as a vital mediator in human cancer. However, the precise role of lncRNA myocardial infarction associated transcript (MIAT) in CRC is unclear. Materials and Methods: The abundance of MIAT, miR-488-3p, and the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. Western blot assay was carried out to assess the protein level in CRC samples or control group. The cell activity, abilities of migration and invasion, and glycolysis were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazol-3-ium bromide (MTT), transwell, and testing glucose consumption and lactate product, correspondingly. The target association between miR-488-3p, MIAT, or IGF1R was predicted and established by bioinformatics tools, dual-luciferase reporter, and RNA pull-down assays, correspondingly. The effects of MIAT silencing in vivo were analyzed by animal experiments. Results: LncRNA MIAT was upregulated in CRC sample and that was positively correlated with IGF1R expression. Loss-of-functional assay suggested that knockdown of MIAT impeded cell activity, migration, invasion, and glycolysis of CRC cells in vivo, along with xenograft growth in vivo. Moreover, silencing of IGF1R inhibited the progression of CRC. Therefore, overexpression of IGF1R could abolish silencing of MIAT-induced effects on CRC cells. Mechanistically, MIAT was a sponge for miR-488-3p, thereby regulating IGF1R expression in CRC. Conclusion: The present study confirmed that the "MIAT/miR-488-3p/IGF1R" pathway was involved in the development of CRC, which may be the target for developing therapeutic approaches for CRC.

Study on the Absorption Characteristics and Laser Damage Properties of Fused Silica Optics under Flexible Polishing and Shallow DCE Process.

The enhancement of laser damage resistance of fused silica optics was a hotspot in scientific research. At present, a variety of modern processes have been produced to improve the laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of fused silica optics. They included pre-treatment processes represented by flexible computer controlled optical surfacing (CCOS), magnetorheological finishing (MRF), ion beam finishing (IBF), and post-treatment processes represented by dynamic chemical etching (DCE). These have achieved remarkable results. However, there are still some problems that need to be solved urgently, such as excessive material removal, surface accuracy fluctuation in the DCE process, and the pollution in MRF process, etc. In view of above problems, an MRF, CCOS, IBF and shallow DCE combined technique was used to process fused silica optics. The surface morphology could be greatly controlled and chemical etching depth was reduced, while the LIDT increased steadily. After processing by this combined technique, the LIDT increased to 12.1 J/cm2 and the laser damage resistance properties of fused silica were significantly enhanced. In general, the MRF, IBF, CCOS and shallow DCE combined technique brought much help to the enhancement of laser damage resistance of fused silica, and could be used as a process route in the manufacturing process of fused silica.

High Child-Pugh and CRUB65 scores predict mortality of decompensated cirrhosis patients with COVID-19: A 23-center, retrospective study.

Background: COVID-19 has rapidly become a major health emergency worldwide. The characteristic, outcome, and risk factor of COVID-19 in patients with decompensated cirrhosis remain unclear.Methods: Medical records were collected from 23 Chinese hospitals. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis and age- and sex-matched non-liver disease patients were enrolled with 1:4 ratio using stratified sampling.Results: There were more comorbidities with higher Chalson Complication Index (p < 0.001), higher proportion of patients having gastrointestinal bleeding, jaundice, ascites, and diarrhea among those patients (p < 0.05) and in decompensated cirrhosis patients. Mortality (p < 0.05) and the proportion of severe ill (p < 0.001) were significantly high among those patients. Patients in severe ill subgroup had higher mortality (p < 0.001), MELD, and CRUB65 score but lower lymphocytes count. Besides, this subgroup had larger proportion of patients with abnormal (PT), activated partial thromboplatin time (APTT), D-Dimer, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBL) and Creatinine (Cr) (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression for severity shown that MELD and CRUB65 score reached significance. Higher Child-Pugh and CRUB65 scores were found among non-survival cases and multivariate logistic regression further inferred risk factors for adverse outcome. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves also provided remarkable demonstrations for the predictive ability of Child-Pugh and CRUB65 scores.Conclusions: COVID-19 patients with cirrhosis had larger proportion of more severely disease and higher mortality. MELD and CRUB65 score at hospital admission may predict COVID-19 severity while Child-Pugh and CRUB65 score were highly associated with non-survival among those patients.

Laser energy absorption prediction of silicon substrate surface from a mid- and high-spatial frequency error.

Additional laser energy absorption of optical elements limits the further development of high-energy laser systems. In engineering, inexpensive and precise absorption test technology is essential. We attempt to predict energy absorption via surface spatial error value based on the roughness-induced absorption (RIA) theory. However, the absorption coefficients cannot match roughness values measured with an atomic force microscope or white light interferometer. We find three influencing factors and optimize the definition of RIA to spatial error-induced absorption (SEIA). SEIA is proportional to δ2 of a mid- and high-spatial frequency error in a certain frequency range. This range depends on laser diameter, wavelength, and coating. Excluding the absorption induced by fabrication defects, the total absorption can be classified into SEIA and background absorption (BGA). BGA is decided by material and process technology, which can be obtained by calculations. The sum of SEIA and BGA is predictable because both can be estimated. The substrate absorption of high-energy optics can be semi-quantificationally predicted. SEIA provides a new angle to research element-absorbed laser energy for high-power laser technologies.

Enhancement of the Load Capacity of High-Energy Laser Monocrystalline Silicon Reflector Based on the Selection of Surface Lattice Defects.

Various defects during the manufacture of a high-energy laser monocrystalline silicon reflector will increase the energy absorption rate of the substrate and worsen the optical properties. Micron-scale or larger manufacturing defects have been inhibited by mechanism study and improvement in technology, but the substrate performance still fails to satisfy the application demand. We focus on the changes in the optical properties affected by nanoscale and Angstrom lattice defects on the surface of monocrystalline silicon and acquire the expected high reflectivity and low absorptivity through deterministic control of its defect state. Based on the first principles, the band structures and optical properties of two typical defect models of monocrystalline silicon-namely, atomic vacancy and lattice dislocation-were analyzed by molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that the reflectivity of the vacancy defect was higher than that of the dislocation defect, and elevating the proportion of the vacancy defect could improve the performance of the monocrystalline silicon in infrared (IR) band. To verify the results of simulations, the combined Ion Beam Figuring (IBF) and Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) technologies were applied to introduce the vacancy defect and reduce the thickness of defect layer. After the process, the reflectivity of the monocrystalline silicon element increased by 5% in the visible light band and by 12% in the IR band. Finally, in the photothermal absorption test at 1064 nm, the photothermal absorption of the element was reduced by 80.5%. Intense laser usability on the monocrystalline silicon surface was achieved, and the effectiveness and feasibility of deterministic regulation of optical properties were verified. This concept will be widely applied in future high-energy laser system and X-ray reflectors.

Effects of Ion Beam Etching on the Nanoscale Damage Precursor Evolution of Fused Silica.

Nanoscale laser damage precursors generated from fabrication have emerged as a new bottleneck that limits the laser damage resistance improvement of fused silica optics. In this paper, ion beam etching (IBE) technology is performed to investigate the evolutions of some nanoscale damage precursors (such as contamination and chemical structural defects) in different ion beam etched depths. Surface material structure analyses and laser damage resistance measurements are conducted. The results reveal that IBE has an evident cleaning effect on surfaces. Impurity contamination beneath the polishing redeposition layer can be mitigated through IBE. Chemical structural defects can be significantly reduced, and surface densification is weakened after IBE without damaging the precision of the fused silica surface. The photothermal absorption on the fused silica surface can be decreased by 41.2%, and the laser-induced damage threshold can be raised by 15.2% after IBE at 250 nm. This work serves as an important reference for characterizing nanoscale damage precursors and using IBE technology to increase the laser damage resistance of fused silica optics.

MTHFR C677T polymorphism and breast, ovarian cancer risk: a meta-analysis of 19,260 patients and 26,364 controls.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have found that many gene variations can be detected in both breast cancer and ovarian cancer, which is beneficial for the elaboration of the molecular origin of breast and ovarian cancer. Furthermore, many studies have explored the association of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism with the risk of breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer; however, the results remained inconclusive. Therefore, this study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 50 studies with 19,260 cases and 26,364 controls including 39 studies for breast cancer and 8 studies for ovarian cancer were identified on searching through PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, and Database of Chinese Scientific and Technical Periodicals (VIP). Allele model, dominant model, recessive model, homozygous model, and co-dominant model were applied to evaluate the association of MTHFR C677T polymorphism with breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer risk. Moreover, the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and breast and ovarian cancer risk. RESULTS: A significantly increased breast cancer risk was observed in the overall analysis (for C vs T, OR =1.19, CI: 1.12-1.28, P<0.05; for CC vs TT, OR =1.20, CI: 1.10-1.23, P<0.05; for (CT+CC) vs TT, OR =1.19, CI: 1.11-1.27, P<0.05; for CC vs (CT+TT), OR =1.19, CI: 1.79-1.95, P<0.05), while no significantly increased ovarian cancer risk was detected. In the subgroup analysis based on ethnicity, a significant association of breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer risk with MTHFR C677T polymorphism was observed in Asians. Interestingly, there was no significant association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk in Caucasians, whereas a significantly increased risk of breast cancer was found in Caucasians. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrates that MTHFR C677T polymorphism may be a risk factor for breast and ovarian cancer, especially in Asians.