A One Precursor One siRNA Model for Pol IV-Dependent siRNA Biogenesis.

RNA-directed DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana is driven by the plant-specific RNA Polymerase IV (Pol IV). It has been assumed that a Pol IV transcript can give rise to multiple 24-nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that target DNA methylation. Here, we demonstrate that Pol IV-dependent RNAs (P4RNAs) from wild-type Arabidopsis are surprisingly short in length (30 to 40 nt) and mirror 24-nt siRNAs in distribution, abundance, strand bias, and 5'-adenine preference. P4RNAs exhibit transcription start sites similar to Pol II products and are featured with 5'-monophosphates and 3'-misincorporated nucleotides. The 3'-misincorporation preferentially occurs at methylated cytosines on the template DNA strand, suggesting a co-transcriptional feedback to siRNA biogenesis by DNA methylation to reinforce silencing locally. These results highlight an unusual mechanism of Pol IV transcription and suggest a "one precursor, one siRNA" model for the biogenesis of 24-nt siRNAs in Arabidopsis.

Ezh2 promotes mammary tumor initiation through epigenetic regulation of the Wnt and mTORC1 signaling pathways.

The regulation of gene expression through histone posttranslational modifications plays a crucial role in breast cancer progression. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the contribution of histone modification to tumor initiation remain unclear. To gain a deeper understanding of the role of the histone modifier Enhancer of Zeste homology 2 (Ezh2) in the early stages of mammary tumor progression, we employed an inducible mammary organoid system bearing conditional Ezh2 alleles that faithfully recapitulates key events of luminal B breast cancer initiation. We showed that the loss of Ezh2 severely impairs oncogene-induced organoid growth, with Ezh2-deficient organoids maintaining a polarized epithelial phenotype. Transcriptomic profiling showed that Ezh2-deficient mammary epithelial cells up-regulated the expression of negative regulators of Wnt signaling and down-regulated genes involved in mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) signaling. We identified Sfrp1, a Wnt signaling suppressor, as an Ezh2 target gene that is derepressed and expressed in Ezh2-deficient epithelium. Furthermore, an analysis of breast cancer data revealed that Sfrp1 expression was associated with favorable clinical outcomes in luminal B breast cancer patients. Finally, we confirmed that targeting Ezh2 impairs mTORC1 activity through an indirect mechanism that up-regulates the expression of the tumor suppressor Pten. These findings indicate that Ezh2 integrates the mTORC1 and Wnt signaling pathways during early mammary tumor progression, arguing that inhibiting Ezh2 or therapeutically targeting Ezh2-dependent programs could be beneficial for the treatment of early-stage luminal B breast cancer.

A Protocol for Simultaneous In Vivo Imaging of Cardiac and Neuroinflammation in Dystrophin-Deficient MDX Mice Using [18F]FEPPA PET.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disorder caused by dystrophin loss-notably within muscles and the central neurons system. DMD presents as cognitive weakness, progressive skeletal and cardiac muscle degeneration until pre-mature death from cardiac or respiratory failure. Innovative therapies have improved life expectancy; however, this is accompanied by increased late-onset heart failure and emergent cognitive degeneration. Thus, better assessment of dystrophic heart and brain pathophysiology is needed. Chronic inflammation is strongly associated with skeletal and cardiac muscle degeneration; however, neuroinflammation's role is largely unknown in DMD despite being prevalent in other neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we present an inflammatory marker translocator protein (TSPO) positron emission tomography (PET) protocol for in vivo concomitant assessment of immune cell response in hearts and brains of a dystrophin-deficient mouse model [mdx:utrn(+/-)]. Preliminary analysis of whole-body PET imaging using the TSPO radiotracer, [18F]FEPPA in four mdx:utrn(+/-) and six wildtype mice are presented with ex vivo TSPO-immunofluorescence tissue staining. The mdx:utrn(+/-) mice showed significant elevations in heart and brain [18F]FEPPA activity, which correlated with increased ex vivo fluorescence intensity, highlighting the potential of TSPO-PET to simultaneously assess presence of cardiac and neuroinflammation in dystrophic heart and brain, as well as in several organs within a DMD model.

Reduced soil multifunctionality and microbial network complexity in degraded and revegetated alpine meadows.

Understanding how microbial processes develop and change in alpine meadow soils is key to global initiatives toward environmental sustainability and local land management. Yet, how microbial interactions mediate soil multifunctionality in disturbed and managed alpine meadows remains understudied. Here, we investigated multiple community metrics, particularly microbial network properties and assembly processes, of soil bacterial and fungal communities and their links to certain soil functions along a degradation-restoration sequence of alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Meadow degradation caused significant declines in soil hydraulic conductivity (e.g., higher bulk density, reduced soil porosity and water content) and nitrogen availability, leading to lowered soil multifunctionality. Meadow degradation only caused weak changes in microbial abundance, alpha diversity, and community composition, but remarkably reduced bacterial network complexity, to a less extent for fungal network properties. Short-term artificial restoration with productive grass monocultures did not restore soil multifunctionality, in turn even destabilized bacterial network and favored pathogenic over mutualistic fungi. Soil fungi community are more stable than bacteria in disturbed alpine meadows, and they evolved with distinct assembly strategies (stochastic-dominant versus deterministic-driven processes, respectively). Further, microbial network complexity, positively and better predicts soil multifunctionality than alpha diversity. Our work shows how microbial interaction complexity may enhance soil multifunctionality in degraded alpine meadow ecosystems, noting that meadow restoration with low plant species diversity may failed in restoring multiple ecosystem functions. These findings would help predict the outcomes of global environmental changes and inform management strategies in regional grassland conservation and restoration.

The performance of machine learning approaches for attenuation correction of PET in neuroimaging: A meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This systematic review provides a consensus on the clinical feasibility of machine learning (ML) methods for brain PET attenuation correction (AC). Performance of ML-AC were compared to clinical standards. METHODS: Two hundred and eighty studies were identified through electronic searches of brain PET studies published between January 1, 2008, and August 1, 2022. Reported outcomes for image quality, tissue classification performance, regional and global bias were extracted to evaluate ML-AC performance. Methodological quality of included studies and the quality of evidence of analysed outcomes were assessed using QUADAS-2 and GRADE, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 19 studies (2371 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the global bias of ML methods was 0.76 ± 1.2%. For image quality, the relative mean square error (RMSE) was 0.20 ± 0.4 while for tissues classification, the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) for bone/soft tissue/air were 0.82 ± 0.1 / 0.95 ± 0.03 / 0.85 ± 0.14. CONCLUSIONS: In general, ML-AC performance is within acceptable limits for clinical PET imaging. The sparse information on ML-AC robustness and its limited qualitative clinical evaluation may hinder clinical implementation in neuroimaging, especially for PET/MRI or emerging brain PET systems where standard AC approaches are not readily available.

Noninvasive Quantification of Cerebral Blood Flow Using Hybrid PET/MR Imaging to Extract the [15 O]H2 O Image-Derived Input Function Free of Partial Volume Errors.

BACKGROUND: Quantification of cerebral blood flow (CBF) with [15 O]H2 O-positron emission tomography (PET) requires arterial sampling to measure the input function. This invasive procedure can be avoided by extracting an image-derived input function (IDIF); however, IDIFs are sensitive to partial volume errors due to the limited spatial resolution of PET. PURPOSE: To present an alternative hybrid PET/MR imaging of CBF (PMRFlowIDIF ) that uses phase-contrast (PC) MRI measurements of whole-brain (WB) CBF to calibrate an IDIF extracted from a WB [15 O]H2 O time-activity curve. STUDY TYPE: Technical development and validation. ANIMAL MODEL: Twelve juvenile Duroc pigs (83% female). POPULATION: Thirteen healthy individuals (38% female). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCES: 3 T; gradient-echo PC-MRI. ASSESSMENT: PMRFlowIDIF was validated against PET-only in a porcine model that included arterial sampling. CBF maps were generated by applying PMRFlowIDIF and two previous PMRFlow methods (PC-PET and double integration method [DIM]) to [15 O]H2 O-PET data acquired from healthy individuals. STATISTICAL TESTS: PMRFlow and PET CBF measurements were compared with regression and correlation analyses. Paired t-tests were performed to evaluate differences. Potential biases were assessed using one-sample t-tests. Reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients. Statistical significance: α  = 0.05. RESULTS: In the animal study, strong agreement was observed between PMRFlowIDIF (average voxel-wise CBF, 58.0 ± 16.9 mL/100 g/min) and PET (63.0 ± 18.9 mL/100 g/min). In the human study, PMRFlowDIM (y = 1.11x - 5.16, R2  = 0.99 ± 0.01) and PMRFlowPC-PET (y = 0.87x + 3.82, R2  = 0.97 ± 0.02) performed similarly to PMRFlowIDIF, and CBF was within the expected range (eg, 49.7 ± 7.2 mL/100 g/min for gray matter). DATA CONCLUSION: Accuracy of PMRFlowIDIF was confirmed in the animal study with the primary source of error attributed to differences in WB CBF measured by PC MRI and PET. In the human study, differences in CBF from PMRFlowIDIF , PMRFlowDIM , and PMRFlowPC-PET were due to the latter two not accounting for blood-borne activity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1.

The functional and structural associations of aberrant microglial activity in major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating mental illness that has been linked to increases in markers of inflammation, as well as to changes in brain functional and structural connectivity, particularly between the insula and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC). In this study, we directly related inflammation and dysconnectivity in treatment-resistant MDD by concurrently measuring the following: microglial activity with [18F]N-2-(fluoroethoxyl)benzyl-N-(4phenoxypyridin-3-yl)acetamide ([18F]FEPPA) positron emission tomography (PET); the severity of MDD; and functional or structural connectivity among insula or sgACC nodes. METHODS: Twelve patients with treatment-resistant MDD (8 female, 4 male; mean age ± standard deviation 54.9 ± 4.5 years and 23 healthy controls (11 female, 12 male; 60.3 ± 8.5 years) completed a hybrid [18F]FEPPA PET and MRI acquisition. From these, we extracted relative standardized uptake values for [18F]FEPPA activity and Pearson r-to-z scores representing functional connectivity from our regions of interest. We extracted diffusion tensor imaging metrics from the cingulum bundle, a key white matter bundle in MDD. We performed regressions to relate microglial activity with functional connectivity, structural connectivity and scores on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. RESULTS: We found significantly increased [18F]FEPPA uptake in the left sgACC in patients with treatment-resistant MDD compared to healthy controls. Patients with MDD also had a reduction in connectivity between the sgACC and the insula. The [18F]FEPPA uptake in the left sgACC was significantly related to functional connectivity with the insula, and to the structural connectivity of the cingulum bundle. [18F]FEPPA uptake also predicted scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.Limitations: A relatively small sample size, lack of functional task data and concomitant medication use may have affected our findings. CONCLUSION: We present preliminary evidence linking a network-level dysfunction relevant to the pathophysiology of depression and related to increased microglial activity in MDD.

A Metallofullertube of Ce2 @C100 with a Carbon Nanotube Segment: Synthesis, Single-Molecule Conductance and Supramolecular Assembly.

Tubular fullerenes can be considered as end-capped carbon nanotubes with accurate structure, which are promising nanocarbon materials for advanced single-molecule electronic devices. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a metallofullertube Ce2 @D5 (450)-C100 , which has a tubular C100 cage with a carbon nanotube segment and two fullerene end-caps. As there are structure correlations between tubular Ce2 @D5 (450)-C100 and spherical Ce2 @Ih -C80 , their structure-property relationship has been compared by means of experimental and theoretical methods. Notably, single-molecule conductance measurement determined that the conductivity of Ce2 @D5 (450)-C100 was up to eight times larger than that of Ce2 @Ih -C80 . Furthermore, supramolecular assembly of Ce2 @D5 (450)-C100 and a [12]CPP nanohoop was investigated, and theoretical calculations revealed that metallofullertube Ce2 @D5 (450)-C100 adopted a "standing" configuration in the cavity of [12]CPP. These results demonstrate the special nature of this kind of metallofullertube.

Multimodal Measurements of Brain Tissue Metabolism and Perfusion in a Neonatal Model of Hypoxic-Ischaemic Injury.

This is the first multimodal study of cerebral tissue metabolism and perfusion post-hypoxic-ischaemic (HI) brain injury using broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (bNIRS), diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS), positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). In seven piglet preclinical models of neonatal HI, we measured cerebral tissue saturation (StO2), cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral oxygen metabolism (CMRO2), changes in the mitochondrial oxidation state of cytochrome c oxidase (oxCCO), cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRglc) and tissue biochemistry (Lac+Thr/tNAA). At baseline, the parameters measured in the piglets that experience HI (not controls) were 64 ± 6% StO2, 35 ± 11 ml/100 g/min CBF and 2.0 ± 0.4 µmol/100 g/min CMRO2. After HI, the parameters measured were 68 ± 6% StO2, 35 ± 6 ml/100 g/min CBF, 1.3 ± 0.1 µmol/100 g/min CMRO2, 0.4 ± 0.2 Lac+Thr/tNAA and 9.5 ± 2.0 CMRglc. This study demonstrates the capacity of a multimodal set-up to interrogate the pathophysiology of HIE using a combination of optical methods, MRS, and PET.

Farmland abandonment and its determinants in the different ecological villages of the Koshi river basin, central Himalayas: Synergy of high-resolution remote sensing and social surveys.

Globally, there is a noticeable increasing trend in farmland abandonment, which directly affects farmers' livelihood and food security. The abandonment status, its determinants and impact vary by spatial and socioeconomic context. In order to study this important issue, we selected three different villages representing three ecological regions (Mountain, Hill, and Tarai) in the Koshi River Basin (KRB), and applied two methods: the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and a social survey. The UAV captured 3711 images and we carried out 162 households' survey with structured questionnaires. Pix4Dmapper and ArcGIS tools were used for combining and processing the images. On-screen digitalization and binary logistic regression (BLR) were applied to examine the status and determinants of farmland abandonment. The results show a higher proportion of farmland abandonment in the villages located in the Hill and Mountain regions compared to those in the Tarai region. Almost 10.3% area of total land and 22.3% area of total farmland was abandoned in the Hill village. The Tarai village had the least farm abandonment (3.7%). Farmers perceived that climate change (less precipitation, increasing temperatures, and drought), shifting occupations, crops damaged by wildlife, migration, lack of irrigation, and a labor shortage are the leading determinants of farmland abandonment. These factors varied slightly across the different ecological regions. The BLR model was a good fit with Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.776, with a correct model prediction (87.7%) and p = 0.032. The results from the regression model suggest that an increase in temperature (p = 0.000), decrease in rainfall (p = 0.001), lack of machinery used for farm-work (p = 0.000), lack of irrigation (p = 0.000), and reduction of labor-force (p = 0.000) are the main contributing determinants of farmland abandonment. This synergy of high-resolution remote sensing and farmers' perception-based findings facilitates the improvement of land-use governmental policies to improve farmers' quality of life and build sustainable farmland management.

The rapid degradation of bisphenol A induced by the response of indigenous bacterial communities in sediment.

In the present study, sediment was spiked with bisphenol A (BPA) solution to explore the interaction between indigenous bacterial communities and BPA biodegradation in sediment. Results showed that BPA could be adsorbed to the sediment and then biodegraded rapidly. Biodegradation efficiency of BPA in treatments with 10 and 50 mg/L BPA reached 64.3 and 61.8% on the first day, respectively. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that BPA affected the densities, species, and diversities of bacteria significantly. The response of bacterial community to BPA favored BPA biodegradation by promoting the growth of BPA-reducing bacteria and inhibiting other competitors. According to the results of sequencing, Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas played vital roles in the degradation of BPA. They presented over 73% of the original bacterial community, and both of them were promoted by BPA comparing with controls. Laccase and polyphenol oxidase contributed to the degradation of BPA and metabolic intermediates, respectively. This paper illustrates the rapid biodegradation of BPA induced by the response of indigenous bacterial communities to the BPA stress, which will improve the understandings of BPA degradation in sediment.

Automated, Transferable, and Ethanol-Free Radiosynthesis of [11C]Butanol.

Cerebral blood flow and blood-brain barrier permeability assessment are crucial hemodynamic parameters to measure under neurological conditions. In conjunction with positron emission tomography (PET), oxygen-15-labeled water has emerged as a gold standard for measuring cerebral perfusion; however, at higher flow rates, [15O]water extraction becomes nonlinear. In such a scenario, freely diffusible [11C]butanol can provide a truer estimate. Radiosyntheses of [11C]butanol reported to date are protracted, are not automated, or require ethanol in the final formulation. By using a flow-based, captive solvent approach on a commercially available radiosynthesizer, we automated and reduced the synthesis time to 28 min. Forgoing cartridge-based purification for an aqueous high-performance liquid chromatography method, we obtained high purity [11C]butanol in ethanol-free phosphate buffered saline in sufficient yields for clinical PET studies. We here report our expedited, automated, and ethanol-free radiosynthesis of [11C]butanol along with preliminary imaging of a porcine subject.

Systemic risk spillover between the stock market and banking deposits: Evidence from a sustainability perspective in the South Asian countries.

This research explores the link between stock markets and banking deposits in South Asian (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal) countries. This study empirically examines the systemic risk potential of financial institutions in South Asia using current systemic risk statistics. Yearly data on stock prices and banking deposits from January 2000 to December 2020 were analyzed using a two-stage process. In the first phase, we measure VaR (value at risk), and in the second step, we measure the DCC GARCH model for our empirical analysis. The study findings reveal systemic risk spillover between the stock markets of South Asian countries and the relevant country's banking system deposits. The policymakers can use our study findings to create a more sustainable financial sector.

Simultaneous estimation of a model-derived input function for quantifying cerebral glucose metabolism with [18F]FDG PET.

BACKGROUND: Quantification of the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRGlu) by dynamic [18F]FDG PET requires invasive arterial sampling. Alternatives to using an arterial input function (AIF) include the simultaneous estimation (SIME) approach, which models the image-derived input function (IDIF) by a series of exponentials with coefficients obtained by fitting time activity curves (TACs) from multiple volumes-of-interest. A limitation of SIME is the assumption that the input function can be modelled accurately by a series of exponentials. Alternatively, we propose a SIME approach based on the two-tissue compartment model to extract a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) model-derived input function (MDIF) from the whole-brain TAC. The purpose of this study is to present the MDIF approach and its implementation in the analysis of animal and human data. METHODS: Simulations were performed to assess the accuracy of the MDIF approach. Animal experiments were conducted to compare derived MDIFs to measured AIFs (n = 5). Using dynamic [18F]FDG PET data from neurologically healthy volunteers (n = 18), the MDIF method was compared to the original SIME-IDIF. Lastly, the feasibility of extracting parametric images was investigated by implementing a variational Bayesian parameter estimation approach. RESULTS: Simulations demonstrated that the MDIF can be accurately extracted from a whole-brain TAC. Good agreement between MDIFs and measured AIFs was found in the animal experiments. Similarly, the MDIF-to-IDIF area-under-the-curve ratio from the human data was 1.02 ± 0.08, resulting in good agreement in grey matter CMRGlu: 24.5 ± 3.6 and 23.9 ± 3.2 mL/100 g/min for MDIF and IDIF, respectively. The MDIF method proved superior in characterizing the first pass of [18F]FDG. Groupwise parametric images obtained with the MDIF showed the expected spatial patterns. CONCLUSIONS: A model-driven SIME method was proposed to derive high SNR input functions. Its potential was demonstrated by the good agreement between MDIFs and AIFs in animal experiments. In addition, CMRGlu estimates obtained in the human study agreed to literature values. The MDIF approach requires fewer fitting parameters than the original SIME method and has the advantage that it can model the shape of any input function. In turn, the high SNR of the MDIFs has the potential to facilitate the extraction of voxelwise parameters when combined with robust parameter estimation methods such as the variational Bayesian approach.

Theoretical Study on a Supramolecular Dimeric Structure Constructed by Metallofullerene Y3N@C80 and Figure-of-Eight Nanoring.

A new supramolecular complex with a dimeric structure (2Y3N@C80⊂OPP) constructed by metallofullerene Y3N@Ih-C80 and figure-of-eight molecular nanoring of oligoparaphenylene (OPP) was investigated using dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D3). The interactions between the Y3N@Ih-C80 guest and the OPP host were studied theoretically at the B3LYP-D3/6-31G(d)∼SDD level. By analyzing geometric characteristics and host-guest binding energies, it is revealed that the OPP is an ideal host molecule for the Y3N@Ih-C80 guest. Typically, the OPP can well induce the orientation of the endohedral Y3N cluster on the plane of nanoring. Meanwhile, the configuration of the dimeric structure demonstrates that OPP presents excellent elastic adaptability and shape flexibility during the encapsulation of Y3N@Ih-C80. Highly accurate binding energy suggests that 2Y3N@C80⊂OPP (∼-443.82 kJ mol-1 at the ωB97M-V/def2-QZVPP level of theory) is an extremely stable host-guest complex. Thermodynamic information indicates that the formation of the 2Y3N@C80⊂OPP dimer is thermodynamically spontaneous. Furthermore, electronic property analysis reveals that this dimeric structure has a strong electron-attracting ability. Energy decomposition and real-space function analyses of host-guest interactions reveal the characteristics and nature of the noncovalent interactions in the supramolecules. These results provide theoretical support for the design of new host-guest systems based on metallofullerene and nanoring.

Embedded nano spin sensor for in situ probing of gas adsorption inside porous organic frameworks.

Spin-based sensors have attracted considerable attention owing to their high sensitivities. Herein, we developed a metallofullerene-based nano spin sensor to probe gas adsorption within porous organic frameworks. For this, spin-active metallofullerene, Sc3C2@C80, was selected and embedded into a nanopore of a pyrene-based covalent organic framework (Py-COF). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy recorded the EPR signals of Sc3C2@C80 within Py-COF after adsorbing N2, CO, CH4, CO2, C3H6, and C3H8. Results indicated that the regularly changing EPR signals of embedded Sc3C2@C80 were associated with the gas adsorption performance of Py-COF. In contrast to traditional adsorption isotherm measurements, this implantable nano spin sensor could probe gas adsorption and desorption with in situ, real-time monitoring. The proposed nano spin sensor was also employed to probe the gas adsorption performance of a metal-organic framework (MOF-177), demonstrating its versatility. The nano spin sensor is thus applicable for quantum sensing and precision measurements.

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High intensity grazing is considered as an important cause of grassland degradation. Numerous studies have explored effects of grazing activities on grassland ecosystems. Nevertheless, the research regarding grazing activity itself, especially the quantification methods and gradient division of grazing pressure, is relatively insufficient. Based on a total of 141 Chinese and English papers containing keywords such as 'grazing pressure', 'grazing intensity', and giving specific quantification methods and classification standards, we sorted out the definition, quantification methods, and grading standards of grazing pressure. The results showed that the definition of grazing pressure in current studies could be classified into two categories: considering the number of livestock carried in the current grassland ecosystem only from the perspective of the amount of grazing livestock; or considering the impacts or consequences on grassland ecosystems. Small-scale manipulative experiments mainly quantified and divided gra-zing pressure by controlling the number of livestock, grazing duration, grazing area, etc. Ecosystem responses to grazing activities were also converted by the above indicators, while the large-scale data spatialization method only considered number of livestock per unit area. The method of remote sensing inversion focused on ecosystem responses, that is, the impacts of grazing activities on grasslands, and it was difficult to separate the role of climatic factors. The quantitative standards of grazing pressure in different grassland types were quite different, even in the same grassland type, and such difference was directly related to grassland productivity.

More management is needed to improve the effectiveness of artificial grassland in vegetation and soil restoration on the three-river headwaters region of China.

Establishing an artificial grassland is a common measure employed to restore heavily degraded alpine grasslands for regional sustainability. The Three-River Headwaters Region in China has significant areas of black-soil-type grassland which is typified by heavy degradation; nearly 35% of the grassland regions in the Three-River Headwaters Region has degraded into this type. There are different plant community types of black-soil-type grasslands, however, it is not clear which restoration measures should be adopted for different kinds of black-soil-type grasslands. Here, we investigate the plant community characteristics and soil physicochemical properties of artificial grasslands, two types of black-soil-type grasslands, and native undegraded grassland in the Three-River Headwaters Region, then analyzed the direct and indirect interactions between the plant and soil properties by partial least squares path models (PLS-PM). Our results revealed that establishing artificial grassland significantly increased aboveground biomass and plant community coverage, and also decreased plant species richness and diversity and soil water content, soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the 0-10 cm soil layer as compared with black-soil-type grasslands. Plant community diversity had a positive effect on plant community productivity, soil nutrient, and soil water content in native undegraded grassland. These results suggest that more management interventions are needed after establishing an artificial grassland, such as reducing dominant species in two types of black-soil-type grasslands, water regulation in the A. frigida-dominated meadow, diversifying plant species (i.e., Gramineae and sedges), and fertilizer addition.

Structure and single-molecule conductance of two endohedral metallofullerenes with large C88 cage.

Endohedral metallofullerenes are capable of holding peculiar metal clusters inside the carbon cage. Additionally, these display many chemical and physical properties originating from the complexation between the metal clusters and carbon cages, which could be acquired for wide applications. In this study, two metallofullerenes (Ce2O@C88 and Ce3N@C88) with an identical large C88-D2(35) cage, and their molecular structures and single-molecule conductance properties were investigated comparatively. Characterizations of UV-vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and DFT calculations were employed to determine the geometries and electronic structures of Ce2O@C88 and Ce3N@C88. These molecules revealed varied energy gaps, structural parameters, vibrational modes, and molecular frontier orbitals. Although the two metallofullerenes have an identical cage isomer of C88-D2(35), their different endohedral clusters can influence their structures and physicochemical properties. Furthermore, the single-molecule conductance properties were measured using the scanning tunneling microscopy break junction technique (STM-BJ). The experimental results revealed that Ce2O@C88 has a higher conductance than Ce3N@C88 and C60. This revealed the cluster-dependent electron transportation as well as the significant research value of metallofullerenes with large carbon cages. These results provide guidance for fabricating single-molecule electronic devices.

Development of a minimally invasive simultaneous estimation method for quantifying translocator protein binding with [18F]FEPPA positron emission tomography.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using a minimally invasive simultaneous estimation method (SIME) to quantify the binding of the 18-kDa translocator protein tracer [18F]FEPPA. Arterial sampling was avoided by extracting an image-derived input function (IDIF) that was metabolite-corrected using venous blood samples. The possibility of reducing scan duration to 90 min from the recommended 2-3 h was investigated by assuming a uniform non-displaceable distribution volume (VND) to simplify the SIME fitting. RESULTS: SIME was applied to retrospective data from healthy volunteers and was comprised of both high-affinity binders (HABs) and mixed-affinity binders (MABs). Estimates of global VND and regional total distribution volume (VT) from SIME were not significantly different from values obtained using a two-tissue compartment model (2CTM). Regional VT estimates were greater for HABs compared to MABs for both the 2TCM and SIME, while the SIME estimates had lower inter-subject variability (41 ± 17% reduction). Binding potential (BPND) values calculated from regional VT and brain-wide VND estimates were also greater for HABs, and reducing the scan time from 120 to 90 min had no significant effect on BPND. The feasibility of using venous metabolite correction was evaluated in a large animal model involving a simultaneous collection of arterial and venous samples. Strong linear correlations were found between venous and arterial measurements of the blood-to-plasma ratio and the remaining [18F]FEPPA fraction. Lastly, estimates of BPND and the specific distribution volume (i.e., VS = VT - VND) from a separate group of healthy volunteers (90 min scan time, venous-scaled IDIFs) agreed with estimates from the retrospective data for both genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that accurate estimates of regional VT, BPND and VS can be obtained by applying SIME to [18F]FEPPA data. Furthermore, the application of SIME enabled the scan time to be reduced to 90 min, and the approach worked well with IDIFs that were scaled and metabolite-corrected using venous blood samples.