Chromosome-level genome assembly of the yellow-cheek carp Elopichthys bambusa.

Yellow-cheek carp (Elopichthys bambusa) is a typical large and ferocious carnivorous fish endemic to East Asia, with high growth rate, nutritional value and economic value. In this study, a chromosome-level genome of yellow-cheek carp was generated by combining PacBio reads, Illumina reads and Hi-C data. The genome size is 827.63 Mb with a scaffold N50 size of 33.65 Mb, and 99.51% (823.61 Mb) of the assembled sequences were anchored to 24 pseudo-chromosomes. The genome is predicted to contain 24,153 protein-coding genes, with 95.54% having functional annotations. Repeat elements account for approximately 55.17% of the genomic landscape. The completeness of yellow-cheek carp genome assembly is highlighted by a BUSCO score of 98.4%. This genome will help us understand the genetic diversity of yellow-cheek carp and facilitate its conservation planning.

FBXO22 promotes glioblastoma malignant progression by mediating VHL ubiquitination and degradation.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor. Despite comprehensive treatment with traditional surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the median survival rate is <14.6% and the 5-year survival rate is only 5%. FBXO22, a substrate receptor of the SCF ubiquitin ligases, has been reported to play a promoting role in melanoma, liver cancer, cervical cancer, and other cancers. However, the function of FBXO22 in GBM has not been reported. In the present study, we demonstrate that FBXO22 is highly expressed in glioma and is positively correlated with worse pathological features and shorter survival of GBM patients. We revealed that FBXO22 promotes GBM cell proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. In terms of mechanism, we reveal that FBXO22 decreases VHL expression by directly mediating VHL ubiquitination degradation, which ultimately increases HIF-1α and VEGFA expression. In addition, our data confirm that there are positive correlations among FBXO22, HIF-1α, and VEGFA expression, and there is a negative correlation between FBXO22 and VHL protein expression in glioma patients. Our study strongly indicates that FBXO22 is a promising diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for glioma patients.

The controllable and efficient synthesis of two-dimensional metal-organic framework nanosheets for heterogeneous catalysis.

Two-dimensional (2D) MOFs exhibit unique periodicity in surface structures and thus have attracted much interest in the fields of catalysis, energy, and sensors. However, the expanded production scale of 2D MOFs had remained a great challenge in most previous studies. Herein, a controllable and efficient crystallization method for synthesizing 2D MOF nanosheets using high-gravity reactive precipitation is proposed, significantly improving heterogeneous catalysis efficiency. The two-dimensional ZIF-L nanosheets prepared in a rotating packed bed (RPB) reactor show a smaller lateral and lamellar thickness and a higher BET surface area compared to ZIF-L nanosheets prepared in a conventional stirred tank reactor (STR), with a greatly shortened reaction time. Applying the ZIF-L-RPB nanosheets as a catalyst, the catalytic Knoevenagel condensation as a probe reaction displays a high conversion rate of benzaldehyde (99.3%) within 2 h at room temperature, greatly exceeding that displayed by ZIF-L-STR and other reported catalysts. Furthermore, ZIL-L-RPB nanosheets of only 0.2 wt% enhanced the catalytic activity for the glycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with a PET conversion and a monomer yield of 90% in a short period of 15 min at 195 °C and almost completely depolymerized PET with a monomer yield of 94% in 30 min, which was far above that achieved by ZIL-L-STR. These results indicate the promising prospects of a high-gravity reactive precipitation strategy with precise size control in an economical way to prepare high-activity 2D MOF nanosheets for a wide range of heterogeneous catalysis.

Selective Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethyl Furfural Coupled with H2 Production over Surface Sulfur Vacancy-Rich Zn3In2S6/Bi2MoO6 Heterojunction Photocatalyst.

The construction of heterojunctions and surface defects is a promising strategy for enhancing photocatalytic activity. A surface sulfur vacancy (VS)-rich Zn3In2S6/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction photocatalyst (ZIS-VS/BMO) was herein developed for the selective oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) to value-added 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) coupled with H2 production. The ZIS-VS/BMO heterojunction consisted of Bi2MoO6 (BMO) with preferentially exposed high-index (131) facets and VS-rich two-dimensional (2D) Zn3In2S6 (ZIS-VS) nanosheets with preferentially exposed high-index (102) facets. The directional transfer of light-driven electrons from BMO to ZIS-VS occurs in the heterojunction interface, as confirmed by an in situ irradiated XPS (ISI-XPS) measurement, which facilitates the electron-hole separation. The benefits of VS in activating HMF, suppressing overoxidation of DFF, and accelerating electron transport were disclosed by molecular simulation. ZIS-VS/BMO displays outstanding performance with a DFF yield of 74.1% and a DFF selectivity of 90%, as well as a rapid rate of H2 evolution. This research would help design highly efficient photocatalysts and develop a new technology for biomass resource utilization.

Molecular biological, physiological, cytological, and epigenetic mechanisms of environmental sex differentiation in teleosts: A systematic review.

Human activities have been exerting widespread stress and environmental risks in aquatic ecosystems. Environmental stress, including temperature rise, acidification, hypoxia, light pollution, and crowding, had a considerable negative impact on the life histology of aquatic animals, especially on sex differentiation (SDi) and the resulting sex ratios. Understanding how the sex of fish responds to stressful environments is of great importance for understanding the origin and maintenance of sex, the dynamics of the natural population in the changing world, and the precise application of sex control in aquaculture. This review conducted an exhaustive search of the available literature on the influence of environmental stress (ES) on SDi. Evidence has shown that all types of ES can affect SDi and universally result in an increase in males or masculinization, which has been reported in 100 fish species and 121 cases. Then, this comprehensive review aimed to summarize the molecular biology, physiology, cytology, and epigenetic mechanisms through which ES contributes to male development or masculinization. The relationship between ES and fish SDi from multiple aspects was analyzed, and it was found that environmental sex differentiation (ESDi) is the result of the combined effects of genetic and epigenetic factors, self-physiological regulation, and response to environmental signals, which involves a sophisticated network of various hormones and numerous genes at multiple levels and multiple gradations in bipotential gonads. In both normal male differentiation and ES-induced masculinization, the stress pathway and epigenetic regulation play important roles; however, how they co-regulate SDi is unclear. Evidence suggests that the universal emergence or increase in males in aquatic animals is an adaptation to moderate ES. ES-induced sex reversal should be fully investigated in more fish species and extensively in the wild. The potential aquaculture applications and difficulties associated with ESDi have also been addressed. Finally, the knowledge gaps in the ESDi are presented, which will guide the priorities of future research.

Study on oxidation behavior during process of recycling carbon fibers from CFRP by pyrolysis.

The study utilized a pyrolysis method to recycle carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), followed by oxidation to remove pyrolysis carbon. The obtained recycled carbon fibers had good mechanical properties, and the tensile strength could reach 96.2% of the virgin carbon fibers under the optimal process conditions. The recycled carbon fibers displayed similar chemical structure and graphitization degree as the virgin carbon fibers, and showed better wettability with epoxy resin. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were also employed to analyze the mechanism of pyrolysis carbon oxidation removal. The results showed that the adsorption energy of oxygen on pyrolytic carbon and the reaction activation energy were lower than those of carbon fibers, indicating that pyrolytic carbon was more easily oxidized than carbon fibers. This allowed pyrolytic carbon to be removed by oxidation at relatively low temperatures and preserved the integrity of carbon fibers, thus ensuring that the carbon fibers also maintained excellent mechanical properties after recycling. This study helps to reveal the oxidation mechanism of resin pyrolysis carbon, providing technical support for efficient and clean recycling of carbon fibers.

Effect of Heat Treatment Processes on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of High-Strength Aluminum Alloy Deposited Layers Processed by Fused Arc Additive Manufacturing.

In this study, 7075 aluminum alloy welding wire with TiB2 nanoparticle reinforcement as an additive together with the variable polarity TIG welding arc as a heat source were applied to produce thin-walled deposited layer samples. Results indicated that the performance of the deposited structure of 7075 aluminum alloy with a TiB2 reinforcement phase was significantly improved compared to the deposited structure of ordinary 7075 aluminum alloy welding wire. Meanwhile, the precipitation of the TiB2 reinforcement phase was insufficient within the structure, and the enhancing effect could not be fully exerted. Moreover, the 7-series aluminum alloy contained a large amount of Zn and Mg elements inside. If the soluble crystalline phase was not fully dissolved, severe stress corrosion could be caused, which inevitably led to a decrease in the mechanical properties. To further improve the performance of the deposited layer, a T6 heat treatment process was performed at 470 °C for 2 h, followed by rapid cooling with distilled water and artificial aging at 120 °C for 24 h. After heat treatment, many second phases appeared in the microstructure of the deposited layer, and the tensile strength increased from (361.8 ± 4.8) MPa to (510.2 ± 5.4) MPa together with the elongation which increased from (9.5 ± 0.5) % to (10.2 ± 0.4) %. The fracture mode of the fracture was a ductile fracture along grain boundaries. The microhardness increased from (145 ± 5) HV to (190 ± 4) HV and exhibited good corrosion resistance in a 3.5% NaCl solution corrosion test.

Effect of Diameter on the Structural Evolution and Tensile Properties of Electrospun PAN-Based Carbon Nanofiber Mats.

The mechanical properties of carbon nanofiber mats (CNFMs) were closely correlated with the fiber diameter due to their brittle nature. In this work, CNFMs with different fiber diameters were prepared by electrospinning with different spinning parameters, followed by stabilization in air and carbonization in nitrogen. Structural characterizations revealed that PAN nanofibers with smaller diameters tended to form larger cross-linking structures during stabilization. Meanwhile, the degree of graphitization of CNFMs was higher when the diameter was reduced. However, the tensile properties of CNFM were not solely determined by the fiber diameter but were the general reflection of structural regularity and defects. The highest tensile strength of 125.2 MPa was achieved when the fiber diameter was around 500 nm.

Out-of-season spawning of largemouth bass in a controllable recirculating system.

Largemouth bass (LMB) production exceeded 0.7 million tons in 2021 and has become one of the most important freshwater aquaculture species in China. The stable and fixed culture cycle led to regular and drastic price fluctuation during the past decade. Strong price fluctuation provides opportunities and challenges for the LMB industry, and out-of-season spawning (OSS) and culture will provide technical support for the opportunities. To induce OSS at a low cost, we established a controllable recirculating system that allows precise thermo-photoperiod manipulation. In the system, four experimental groups were assigned, 18NP (18°C overwintering water temperature, natural photoperiod), 18CP (18°C overwintering water temperature, controlled photoperiod), 16CP (16°C overwintering water temperature, controlled photoperiod), and NTNP (natural water temperature and natural photoperiod), to determine the effects of chilling temperature and photoperiod on spawning performance. OSS was observed in all the experimental groups without significant differences, except NTNP. The manipulated broodstock can re-spawn 3 months later in the next spring in advance. Further analysis of the volume percentage of different stages of oocytes provides a base for excellent regression between the volume percentage of the primary growth stage, cortical alveoli stage, vitellogenesis/maturation stage, and gonadal development/maturation. The results suggest that the volume percentage of oocytes is a better indicator of gonadal development and maturation than the gonadosomatic index. We also found that LMB prefers palm fiber as a spawning nest over gravel. The findings of this work provide important technique guidance for practical OSS of the LMB aquaculture industry and standardization of ovary development and maturation in fish with asynchronous developmental oocytes.

MEX3A Impairs DNA Mismatch Repair Signaling and Mediates Acquired Temozolomide Resistance in Glioblastoma.

MutS protein homolog 2 (MSH2) is a key element involved in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system, which is responsible for recognizing and repairing mispaired bases. Simultaneously, MSH2 identifies DNA adducts induced by temozolomide (TMZ) and triggers apoptosis and autophagy in tumor cells. Previous work has revealed that reduced MSH2 expression is often observed in patients with glioblastoma (GBM) who relapse after chemotherapy. Elucidation of the mechanism behind TMZ-mediated reduction of MSH2 could help improve GBM treatment. Here, we report significant upregulation of Mex-3 RNA binding family member A (MEX3A) in GBM tissues and cell lines following TMZ treatment. MEX3A bound to the MEX3 recognition element (MRE) of MSH2 mRNA, which in turn recruited CCR4-NOT complexes to target MSH2 mRNA for deadenylation and degradation. In addition, ectopic expression of MEX3A significantly decreased cellular DNA MMR activities and reduced the chemosensitivity of GBM cells via downregulation of MSH2, while depletion of MEX3A sensitized GBM cells to TMZ. In MGMT-deficient patients with GBM, MEX3A expression correlated with MSH2 levels, and high MEX3A expression was associated with poor prognosis. Overall, these findings reveal a potential mechanism by which MSH2 expression is reduced in post-TMZ recurrent GBM. SIGNIFICANCE: A MEX3A/CCR4-NOT/MSH2 axis plays a crucial role in promoting temozolomide resistance, providing new insights into the function of MEX3A and suggesting MEX3A as a potential therapeutic target in therapy-resistant glioblastoma.

Transient Heat Conduction in the Orthotropic Model with Rectangular Heat Source.

Epidermal electronic systems (EESs) are a representative achievement for utilizing the full advantages of ultra-thin, stretchable and conformal attachment of flexible electronics, and are extremely suitable for integration with human physiological systems, especially in medical hyperthermia. The stretchable heater with stable electrical characteristics and a uniform temperature field is an irreplaceable core component. The inorganic stretchable heater has the advantage of maintaining stable electrical characteristics under tensile deformation. However, the space between the patterned electrodes that provides tensile properties causes uneven distribution of the temperature field. Aiming at improving the temperature distribution uniformity of stretchable thermotherapy electrodes, an orthotropic heat transfer substrate for stretchable heaters is proposed in this paper. An analytical model for transient heat conduction of stretchable rectangular heaters based on orthotropic transfer characteristics is established, which is validated by finite element analysis (FEA). The homogenization effect of orthotropic heat transfer characteristics on temperature distribution and its evolutionary relationship with time are investigated based on this model. This study will provide beneficial help for the temperature distribution homogenization design of stretchable heaters and the exploration of its transient heat transfer mechanism.

Recent Advances in Flexible RF MEMS.

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that are based on flexible substrates are widely used in flexible, reconfigurable radio frequency (RF) systems, such as RF MEMS switches, phase shifters, reconfigurable antennas, phased array antennas and resonators, etc. When attempting to accommodate flexible deformation with the movable structures of MEMS, flexible RF MEMS are far more difficult to structurally design and fabricate than rigid MEMS devices or other types of flexible electronics. In this review, we survey flexible RF MEMS with different functions, their flexible film materials and their fabrication process technologies. In addition, a fabrication process for reconfigurable three-dimensional (3D) RF devices based on mechanically guided assembly is introduced. The review is very helpful to understand the overall advances in flexible RF MEMS, and serves the purpose of providing a reference source for innovative researchers working in this field.

An Analytic Orthotropic Heat Conduction Model for the Stretchable Network Heaters.

Compared with other physiotherapy devices, epidermal electronic systems (EES) used in medical applications such as hyperthermia have obvious advantages of conformal attachment, lightness and high efficiency. The stretchable flexible electrode is an indispensable component. The structurally designed flexible inorganic stretchable electrode has the advantage of stable electrical properties under tensile deformation and has received enough attention. However, the space between the patterned electrodes introduced to ensure the tensile properties will inevitably lead to the uneven temperature distribution of the thermotherapy electrodes and degrade the effect of thermotherapy. It is of great practical value to study the temperature uniformity of the stretchable patterned electrode. In order to improve the uniformity of temperature distribution in the heat transfer system with stretchable electrodes, a temperature distribution manipulation strategy for orthotropic substrates is proposed in this paper. A theoretical model of the orthotropic heat transfer system based on the horseshoe-shaped mesh electrode is established. Combined with finite element analysis, the effect of the orthotropic substrate on the uniformity of temperature distribution in three types of heat source heat transfer systems is studied based on this model. The influence of the thermal conductivity ratio in different directions on the temperature distribution is studied parametrically, which will help to guide the design and fabrication of the stretchable electrode that can produce a uniform temperature distribution.

Evaluation of Mechanical Properties and Pyrolysis Products of Carbon Fibers Recycled by Microwave Pyrolysis.

Disposal of the waste from carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) has become an urgent problem due to the increasing application of CFRPs in many industries. A novel method for the rapid recovery of carbon fibers by a microwave pyrolysis and oxidation process was proposed in this study. The resin matrix was rapidly pyrolyzed by heating CFRPs directly with microwave radiation, and then the residual carbon and organic matter on the surface of carbon fibers were removed by oxidation to obtain recycled carbon fibers (RCFs). The recovery rate of recycled carbon fibers was measured, and their mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile strength and tensile modulus tests. The results showed that, after microwave pyrolysis at 500 °C for 15 min and oxidation at 550 °C for 30 min, the maximum tensile strength of RCFs was 3042.90 MPa (about 99.42% of that of virgin carbon fibers), the tensile modulus was 239.39 GPa, and the recovery rate was about 96.5%. The microstructure and chemical composition of RCFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the components of the pyrolysis byproducts were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. These results indicate that this method is suitable for the effective recovery of high-quality carbon fibers from CFRPs.

High-temperature stress will put the thermo-sensitive teleost yellow catfish (Tachysurus fulvidraco) in danger through reducing reproductivity.

Recently, concerns for species that sex differentiation is influenced by temperature in the context of global warming have increased because disrupted operational sex ratios could threaten population maintenance. In contrast, little attention has been given to the reproductive ability of populations that experienced elevated temperatures. In this study, we demonstrated that high temperature (HT) would decrease population size via three different aspects of reproductive ability for the first time. We show that, in a thermo-sensitive teleost yellow catfish, a short period of HT (+3 °C) exposure during the critical period of sex differentiation leads to a different percentage of masculinization of XX genotypic females (1-23%) in wet-lab and natural water bodies. Combining the results of gonadal appearance, histology, sperm parameters, and fertilization rate, we found that XX pseudo-males induced by HT display significantly discounted fertility and reproductive performance compared to XY normal males. We demonstrate that the survival of the XY genotype is lower than XX genotype under environmental stress, including HT, hypoxia, and parasite infection, and the differential survival seems unrelated to male-biased sexual size dimorphism. The mathematical model predicts that the phenotypic female percent will be stabilized at 50% and the population will be sustainably maintained when masculinizing force is less than 0.5, while HT will put the population in danger when the masculinizing force exceeds 0.5. However, when we combine the real-world data of reproductive ability and mathematic model, our results suggest the population size decreases and the long-term survival of the studied species are threatened under the projected pace of increasing temperature. These findings will be useful for understanding the long-term effects of increasing temperature on sex ratio, reproduction and population maintenance in teleost.

New insights into the radial structural differences of polyacrylonitrile fibres during thermal stabilization by the synchronous processing adjustment of time and temperature.

In this study, the synchronous effects of time and temperature on the radial structural differences of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibres during thermal stabilization were investigated. For each sample to achieve equal densities (∼1.36 g cm-3), PAN fibres were thermally stabilized for various times between 8-32 min and at corresponding temperatures of 279-252 °C, which was considered to give a synchronous processing adjustment as a time-temperature integral (TTI). Besides, a previously developed mathematic model was utilized to quantitatively evaluate the differences in the radial heterogeneous structures of the stabilized PAN fibres as a function of TTI. It was found that several structural parameters (e.g., the stabilization degrees, the present crystallinities, and the orientation degrees) of PAN chains in the skin regions that mainly determine the fibres' overall performances were dramatically different from those in the core regions. Meanwhile, based on the TTI model, these skin-structure parameters demonstrated a strong correlation with the tensile properties of the resultant carbon fibres. However, while the stabilized PAN fibres had equal densities, their structural parameters, as well as the properties of the resultant carbon fibres, were obviously different.

Sending-or-Not-Sending Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution with a Passive Decoy-State Method.

Twin-field quantum key distribution (TF-QKD) has attracted considerable attention because it can exceed the basic rate-distance limit without quantum repeaters. Its variant protocol, sending or not-sending quantum key distribution (SNS-QKD), not only fixes the security vulnerability of TF-QKD, but also can tolerate large misalignment errors. However, the current SNS-QKD protocol is based on the active decoy-state method, which may lead to side channel information leakage when multiple light intensities are modulated in practice. In this work, we propose a passive decoy-state SNS-QKD protocol to further enhance the security of SNS-QKD. Numerical simulation results show that the protocol not only improves the security in source, but also retains the advantages of tolerating large misalignment errors. Therefore, it may provide further guidance for the practical application of SNS-QKD.

Expanding uncapped translation and emerging function of circular RNA in carcinomas and noncarcinomas.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are classified as noncoding RNAs because they are devoid of a 5' end cap and a 3' end poly (A) tail necessary for cap-dependent translation. However, increasing numbers of translated circRNAs identified through high-throughput RNA sequencing overlapping with polysome profiling indicate that this rule is being broken. CircRNAs can be translated in cap-independent mechanism, including IRES (internal ribosome entry site)-initiated pattern, MIRES (m6A internal ribosome entry site) -initiated patterns, and rolling translation mechanism (RCA). CircRNA-encoded proteins harbour diverse functions similar to or different from host proteins. In addition, they are linked to the modulation of human disease including carcinomas and noncarcinomas. CircRNA-related translatomics and proteomics have attracted increasing attention. This review discusses the progress and exclusive characteristics of circRNA translation and highlights the latest mechanisms and regulation of circRNA translatomics. Furthermore, we summarize the extensive functions and mechanisms of circRNA-derived proteins in human diseases, which contribute to a better understanding of intricate noncanonical circRNA translatomics and proteomics and their therapeutic potential in human diseases.

Highly conductive graphene/carbon black screen printing inks for flexible electronics.

The industrial scale production and application of liquid conductive nanomaterials with well-defined conductive properties, printing adaptability and mechanical properties are crucial for the flexible electronic devices. Although graphene can be used as an attractive liquid nanoink platform for electronic devices, it is still a major challenge to prepare graphene conductive inks with high concentration, conductivity and stability with graphene powders as raw materials and improve the post-treatment process for printed patterns. Here, a novel graphene-based screen printing conductive ink employing liquid-exfoliated graphene powders produced by jet cavitation and carbon black jointly as conductive filler is presented. The inks with graphene powders containing thicker smaller-area flakes and carbon black fraction of 15% in the total conductive fillers exhibit printability down to lines of 90 µm in width and printed pattern electrical conductivity of 2.15 × 104 S/m at 7 µm thickness along with outstanding mechanical properties. Also, special post-treatment, i.e. heating-compression rolling-heating, makes the conductive ink formulation compatible with a wide range of substrates and suitable for Roll-to-Roll applications. Overall, this paper provides a new solution to high-efficiency, low-cost, large-scale production of printed flexible electronics.

Effects of oxygen on the structural evolution of polyacrylonitrile fibers during rapid thermal treatment.

In this study, the mechanism of stabilizing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers in a short period of time is investigated through probing the effects of oxygen on the structural evolution of PAN under different temperature regimes. It has been found that oxygen has a significant influence on both the chemical and physical structural evolution of PAN fibers, even in a short period of stabilization time, and the influences are dissimilar at different stabilization temperatures. At lower temperatures (below 140 °C), there is no noticeable change in the chemical and physical structures of the PAN fibers. In the mid-temperature range (140-200 °C), oxygen can slightly induce the cross-linking of PAN chains and result in a higher rate of decreasing crystallinity. When the main chemical reactions are initiated at higher temperatures (200-260 °C), oxygen is directly involved in the oxidation reaction of the PAN chains and facilitates cyclization and dehydrogenation. These reactions initiate in the amorphous regions of PAN fibers, and extend to the crystalline regions at elevated temperatures.