Assessing the efficiency of UAV for pesticide application in disease management of peanut crop.

BACKGROUND: Effective utilization of plant protection UAVs in peanut cultivation management necessitates a comprehensive grasp of how application volume rates and pesticides influence peanut leaf spot and rust control. This study aimed to compare the effects of application volume rates and pesticides on droplet deposition, disease, leaf retention rate, and peanut yield. A T20 plant protection UAV sprayer was used to apply four various pesticide doses. In comparison, a knapsack sprayer was used to spray with an application volume rate of 450 L/ha. RESULTS: The results showed a significant difference in droplet deposition between the plant protection UAVs and the electric knapsack sprayer. In the pesticide treatment with an application volume rate of 15.0 L/ha, there was no significant difference in the deposition on the peanut canopy of each pesticide treatment, but there was a significant difference in the deposition on the ground in the treatment with adding vegetable oil adjuvant. The treatment with added vegetable oil additives showed the worst performance. The treatment with a spray volume of 22.5 L/ha showed the best performance, with only the leaf spot control effect being 0.3 percentage points lower than that of the electric knapsack sprayer. CONCLUSION: Plant protection UAV spraying is feasible to control peanut diseases. Considering the operational effectiveness of the plant protection UAV and application volume rate, it is recommended to use a spray volume of 22.5 L/ha without adding vegetable oil adjuvants for field operations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Single-cell RNA profiling reveals classification and characteristics of mononuclear phagocytes in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer mortality and a serious health problem worldwide. Mononuclear phagocytes are the main immune cells in the tumor microenvironment of CRC with remarkable plasticity, and current studies show that macrophages are closely related to tumor progression, invasion and dissemination. To understand the immunological function of mononuclear phagocytes comprehensively and deeply, we use single-cell RNA sequencing and classify mononuclear phagocytes in CRC into 6 different subsets, and characterize the heterogeneity of each subset. We find that tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) involved in the differentiation of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory mononuclear phagocytes. Trajectory of circulating monocytes differentiation into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and the dynamic changes at levels of transcription factor (TF) regulons during differentiation were revealed. We also find that C5 subset, characterized by activation of lipid metabolism, is in the terminal state of differentiation, and that the abundance of C5 subset is negatively correlated with CRC patients' prognosis. Our findings advance the understanding of circulating monocytes' differentiation into macrophages, identify a new subset associated with CRC prognosis, and reveal a set of TF regulons regulating mononuclear phagocytes differentiation, which are expected to be potential therapeutic targets for reversing immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Identification of a lipid homeostasis-related gene signature for predicting prognosis, immunity, and chemotherapeutic effect in patients with gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common and deadliest cancers worldwide. Lipid homeostasis is essential for tumour development because lipid metabolism is one of the most important metabolic reprogramming pathways within tumours. Elucidating the mechanism of lipid homeostasis in GC might significantly improve treatment strategies and patient prognosis. GSE62254 was applied to construct a lipid homeostasis-related gene signature score (HGSscore) by multiple bioinformatic algorithms including weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and LASSO-Cox regression. A nomogram based on HGSscore and relevant clinical characteristics was constructed to predict the survival of patients with GC. TIMER and xCell were used to evaluate immune and stromal cell infiltration in the tumour microenvironment. Correlations between lipid homeostasis-related genes and chemotherapeutic efficacy were analysed in GSCAlite. RT‒qPCR and cell viability assays were applied to verify the findings in this study. HGSscore was constructed based on eighteen lipid homeostasis-related genes that were selected by WGCNA and LASSO-Cox regression. HGSscore was strongly associated with advanced TNM stage and showed satisfactory value in predicting GC prognosis in three independent cohorts. Furthermore, we found that HGSscore was associated with the tumour mutation burden (TMB) and immune/stromal cell infiltration, which are related to GC prognosis, indicating that lipid homeostasis impacts the formation of the tumour microenvironment (TME). With respect to the GSCAlite platform, PLOD2 and TGFB2 were shown to be positively related to chemotherapeutic resistance, while SLC10A7 was a favourable factor for chemotherapy efficacy. Cell viability assays showed that disrupted lipid homeostasis could attenuate GC cell viability. Moreover, RT‒qPCR revealed that lipid homeostasis could influence expression of specific genes. We identified a lipid homeostasis-related gene signature that correlated with survival, clinical characteristics, the TME, and chemotherapeutic efficacy in GC patients. This research provides a new perspective for improving prognosis and guiding individualized chemotherapy for patients with GC.

Zinc-oxide nanoparticles ameliorated the phytotoxic hazards of cadmium toxicity in maize plants by regulating primary metabolites and antioxidants activity.

Cadmium stress is a major threat to plant growth and survival worldwide. The current study aims to green synthesis, characterization, and application of zinc-oxide nanoparticles to alleviate cadmium stress in maize (Zea mays L.) plants. In this experiment, two cadmium levels (0, 0.6 mM) were applied to check the impact on plant growth attributes, chlorophyll contents, and concentration of various primary metabolites and antioxidants under exogenous treatment of zinc-oxide nanoparticles (25 and 50 mg L-1) in maize seedlings. Tissue sampling was made 21 days after the zinc-oxide nanoparticles application. Our results showed that applying cadmium significantly reduced total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents by 52.87% and 23.31% compared to non-stress. In comparison, it was increased by 53.23%, 68.49% and 9.73%, 37.53% with zinc-oxide nanoparticles 25, 50 mg L-1 application compared with cadmium stress conditions, respectively. At the same time, proline, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase contents were enhanced in plants treated with cadmium compared to non-treated plants with no foliar application, while it was increased by 12.99 and 23.09%, 23.52 and 35.12%, 27.53 and 36.43%, 14.19 and 24.46%, 14.64 and 37.68% by applying 25 and 50 mg L-1 of zinc-oxide nanoparticles dosages, respectively. In addition, cadmium toxicity also enhanced stress indicators such as malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and non-enzymatic antioxidants in plant leaves. Overall, the exogenous application of zinc-oxide nanoparticles (25 and 50 mg L-1) significantly alleviated cadmium toxicity in maize. It provides the first evidence that zinc-oxide nanoparticles 25 ~ 50 mg L-1 can be a candidate agricultural strategy for mitigating cadmium stress in cadmium-polluted soils for safe agriculture practice.

Tryptophan Seed Treatment Improves Morphological, Biochemical, and Photosynthetic Attributes of the Sunflower under Cadmium Stress.

Tryptophan, as a signal molecule, mediates many biotic and environmental stress-induced physiological responses in plants. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of tryptophan seed treatment in response to cadmium stress (0, 0.15, and 0.25 mM) in sunflower plants. Different growth and biochemical parameters were determined to compare the efficiency of the treatment agent. The results showed that cadmium stress reduced the growth attributes, including root and shoot length, dry and fresh weight, rate of seed germination, and the number of leaves. Cadmium stress also significantly reduced the contents of chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll, carotenoid contents, phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanin, and ascorbic acid. Whereas cadmium stress (0.15 and 0.25 mM) enhanced the concentrations of malondialdehyde (45.24% and 53.06%), hydrogen peroxide (-11.07% and 5.86%), and soluble sugars (28.05% and 50.34%) compared to the control. Tryptophan treatment decreased the effect of Cd stress by minimizing lipid peroxidation. Seed treatment with tryptophan under cadmium stress improved the root (19.40%) and shoot length (38.14%), root (41.90%) and shoot fresh weight (13.58%), seed germination ability (13.79%), average leaf area (24.07%), chlorophyll b (51.35%), total chlorophyll (20.04%), carotenoids (43.37%), total phenolic (1.47%), flavonoids (19.02%), anthocyanin (26.57%), ascorbic acid (4%), and total soluble proteins (12.32%) compared with control conditions. Overall, the tryptophan seed treatment showed positive effects on sunflower plants' growth and stress tolerance, highlighting its potential as a sustainable approach to improve crop performance.

Genomics and metabolic characteristics of simultaneous heterotrophic nitrification aerobic denitrification and aerobic phosphorus removal by Acinetobacter indicus CZH-5.

This study provides for the first time a systematic understanding of Acinetobacter indicus CZH-5 performance, metabolic pathway and genomic characteristics for aerobic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal. Acinetobacter indicus CZH-5 showed promising performance in heterotrophic nitrification aerobic denitrification and aerobic phosphorus removal. Under optimal conditions, the maximum ammonia-N, total nitrogen and orthophosphate-P removal efficiencies were 90.17%, 86.33%, and 99.89%, respectively. The wide tolerance range suggests the strong environmental adaptability of the bacteria. The complete genome of this strain was reconstructed. Whole genome annotation was used to re-construct the N and P metabolic pathways, and related intracellular substance metabolic pathways were proposed. The transcription levels of related functional genes and enzyme activities further confirmed these metabolic mechanisms. N removal was achieved via the nitrification-denitrification pathway. Furthermore, CZH-5 exhibited significant aerobic P uptake, with phosphate diesters as the main species of intracellular P.

Evaluation of the deposition and distribution of spray droplets in citrus orchards by plant protection drones.

Plant protection drone spraying technology is widely used to prevent and control crop diseases and pests due to its advantages of being unaffected by crop growth patterns and terrain restrictions, high operational efficiency, and low labor requirements. The operational parameters of plant protection drones significantly impact the distribution of spray droplets, thereby affecting pesticide utilization. In this study, a field experiment was conducted to determine the working modes of two representative plant protection drones and an electric backpack sprayer as a control to explore the characteristics of droplet deposition with different spray volumes in the citrus canopy. The results showed that the spraying volume significantly affected the number of droplets and the spray coverage. The number of droplets and the spray coverage area on the leaf surface were significantly increased by increasing the spray volume from 60 L/ha to 120 L/ha in plant protection drones. Particularly for the DJI T30, the mid-lower canopy showed a spray coverage increase of 52.5%. The droplet density demonstrated the most significant variations in the lower inner canopy, ranging from 18.7 droplets/cm2 to 41.7 droplets/cm2 by XAG V40. From the deposition distribution on fruit trees, the plant protection drones exhibit good penetration ability, as the droplets can achieve a relatively even distribution in different canopy layers of citrus trees. The droplet distribution uniformity inside the canopy is similar for XAG V40 and DJI T30, with a variation coefficient of approximately 50%-100%. Compared to the plant protection drones, the knapsack electric sprayer is suitable for pest and disease control in the mid-lower canopy, but they face challenges of insufficient deposition capability in the upper canopy and overall poor spray uniformity. The distribution of deposition determined in this study provides data support for the selection of spraying agents for fruit trees by plant protection drones and for the control of different pests and diseases.

Construction and validation of a immune-related prognostic gene DHRS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma based on bioinformatic analysis.

A member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily (DHRS1, SDR19C1) is a member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily and a potential predictor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of DHRS1 in HCC immunity remains unclear. We systematically analyzed the association between DHRS1 and HCC immunity with transcriptional and clinical data from the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, an integrated repository portal for tumor immune system interactions, and cBioPortal databases. Six DHRS1-associated immunomodulators strongly correlated with survival and were uncovered by exploiting univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. We created a risk score for each patient by adding the points from each immunomodulator and then classified them into high and low risk categories. Survival analysis were used to compare the overall survival between the 2 groups, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was applied to assess the accuracy of the risk score. Data from our center were adopted as the external validation set, the risk score was calculated using the risk coefficient of the 6 genes in the training cohort, and survival analysis were executed to verify the experimental group results. A nomogram was ultimately constructed with the R package. Our data revealed a correlation between the levels of immune cell infiltration and either the DHRS1 gene copy numbers or mRNA levels in HCC. Second, we generated a signature based on the 6 DHRS1-related immunomodulators (KDR, TNFRSF4, CD276, TNFSF4, SLAMF6, and SIGLEC9). We postulate that the generated risk scores would serve as an independent indicator of HCC prognosis, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the risk score of 0.743. We further established external validation sets to reconfirm the predictive validity of the risk score. Finally, a prognostic nomogram and calibration curve were created. The DHRS1 gene may exert an impact on HCC immunity. We posit that the nominated immune signature based on DHRS1-associated immunomodulators could constitute a promising prognostic biomarker in HCC.

Numerical Modeling of Transient Flow Characteristics on the Top Surface of a Steel Slab Continuous Casting Strand Using a Large Eddy Simulation Combined with Volume of Fluid Model.

In the current study, the transient flow characteristics on the top surface of a steel slab continuous casting strand were numerically investigated using a large eddy simulation combined with volume of fluid (LES + VOF) model. The validation of numerical simulation was verified via nail board measurement in the industrial continuous casting mold. The effects of casting speed on the top surface level profile and the instantaneous distribution of vortex were discussed. The level variation profile migrated after a period of time, moving from one side of the wide face of the mold to the other. The wave height and transient variation degree of the standing wave increased with an increase in the casting speed. The region near the SEN was more likely to promote the formation of vortices. The vortex generation became easier when the vorticity peaks were concentrated on the outer edge of the low-speed confluence area near the submerged entry nozzle. In addition, the effect of surface velocity on the instantaneous level fluctuation was analyzed. The frequency of level fluctuations was highest at 3~4 mm, and the high-frequency range of velocity fluctuation was 20~60 mm/s at 0.9 m/min casting speed for a 1500 mm × 200 mm caster section. The linear relationship between the level fluctuation and surface velocity magnitude was obtained. The present work aimed at evaluating the dynamic problem of the standing wave at the liquid powder-molten steel interface on the top surface of the mold, which is helpful in optimizing the casting parameters for regular casting practice and improving the quality of the steel slabs.

Effect of abnormal values of three temperature indicators on ischemic stroke hospital admissions in Guangzhou, China.

Abnormal temperature has important effects on the occurrence of ischemic stroke (IS). However, relatively less efforts have been taken to systematically unravel the association between various abnormal temperature and IS hospital admission. Focusing on three temperature indicators (i.e., mean temperature, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature), this study attempts to analyse how their abnormal values affect IS hospital admission. The dataset covers the period between September 17, 2012 and August 28, 2018, and includes a total of 1464 cases who were admitted to the hospital for the first onset of IS and lived in the main urban area of Guangzhou. The study adopts the time-stratified case-crossover analysis. Abnormal values of temperature were measured using the 2.5th and 97.5th quantile values of each temperature indicator, with the former refers to a low value whereas the latter a high one. The effects of abnormal temperature on IS hospital admission were assessed through calculating the relative risks induced by the low and high values (the median values of each temperature indicators were taken as the references). The results show that the risk window periods for IS hospital admission associated with the low values of the temperature indicators are the lags of 3-7 days and 18-19 days. The risks of high temperature values on IS admission, however, are insignificant with either one-day lag or cumulative lag. As to different population groups, females show higher risks of IS hospital admission at low temperature values than males; and elderly people, compared with young people, are more vulnerable to low temperature values. To cities with similar climate of Guangzhou, particular attention should be paid to the impact of low temperature values, especially the low value of minimum temperature, on IS admission, and to females and elderly people who are more sensitive to abnormal temperatures.

Degradation of sulfamethoxazole by super-hydrophilic MoS2 sponge co-catalytic Fenton: Enhancing Fe2+/Fe3+ cycle and mass transfer.

To promote the cycle of Fe2+/Fe3+ in co-catalytic Fenton and enhance mass transfer in an external circulation sequencing batch packed bed reactor (ECSPBR), super-hydrophilicity MoS2 sponge (TMS) modified by tungstosilicic acid (TA) was prepared for efficiently degrading sulfamethoxazole (SMX) antibiotics in aqueous solution. The influence of hydrophilicity of co-catalyst on co-catalytic Fenton and the advantages of ECSPBR were systematically studied through comparative research methods. The results showed that the super hydrophilicity increased the contact between Fe2+ and Fe3+ with TMS, then accelerated Fe2+/Fe3+ cycle. The max Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio of TMS co-catalytic Fenton (TMS/Fe2+/H2O2) was 1.7 times that of hydrophobic MoS2 sponge (CMS) co-catalytic Fenton. SMX degradation efficiency could reach over 90% under suitable conditions. The structure of TMS remained unchanged during the process, and the max dissolved concentration of Mo was lower than 0.06 mg/L. Additionally, the catalytic activity of TMS could be restored by a simple re-impregnation. The external circulation of the reactor was conducive to improving the mass transfer and the utilization rate of Fe2+ and H2O2 during the process. This study offered new insights to prepare a recyclable and hydrophilic co-catalyst and develop an efficient co-catalytic Fenton reactor for organic wastewater treatment.

High-efficient degradation of chloroquine phosphate by oxygen doping MoS2 co-catalytic Fenton reaction.

To degrade the antiviral and antimalarial drug chloroquine phosphate (CQP), an oxygen doping MoS2 nanoflower (O-MoS2-230) co-catalyst was prepared by a hydrothermal method to construct an O-MoS2-230 co-catalytic Fenton system (O-MoS2-230/Fenton) without pH adjustment (initial pH 5.4). Remarkable CQP degradation efficiency (99.5 %) could be achieved in 10 min under suitable conditions ([co-catalyst] = 0.2 g L-1, [Fe2+]0 = 70 µM, [H2O2]0 = 0.4 mM) with a reaction rate constant of 0.24 min-1, which was 4.8 times that of MoS2 co-catalytic Fenton system (MoS2/Fenton). Compared to MoS2/Fenton, the system had 1.5 times more Fe2+ (28.4 µM) and showed a 24.0 % increase in H2O2 activation efficiency, reaching 50.0 %. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) determinations and active species trapping experimental data revealed that •OH and 1O2 were responsible for CQP degradation. The combination of experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrates that O doping in MoS2 modifies the surface charge distribution, leading to an increase in its conductivity, thus accelerating the Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle and promoting reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Furthermore, O-MoS2-230/Fenton system exhibited excellent stability. This work reveals the degradation mechanism of accelerated Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle and abundant ROS in the O-MoS2-230/Fenton system and provides a promising technology for antibiotic pollutant degradation.

Modification of low temperature-related hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases by multiple green space indicators at multiple spatial scales: Evidence from Guangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Extreme temperatures have an adverse effect on the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Previous literatures tend to discuss the modification of CVDs occurrence by green space under high temperature. Relatively less attention is paid to the modification under low temperature. The variation of different attributes and spatial scales of green space in affecting CVDs occurrence are also overlooked. METHODS: This study collected a total of 4364 first-time admission cases due to CVDs in a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou from 2012 to 2018, measured the scale of green space by greening rate (GR) and percentage of landscape (PLAND), the distribution of green space by patch density (PD), mean nearest neighbor distance (ENN_MN) and largest patch index (LPI), and the accessibility of green space by green patch accessibility index (GPAI). Using the time stratified case crossover design method, the modification of low temperature-related CVDs occurrence by the above green space indicators is evaluated in an area with a radius of 100-1000 m which is further divided at an interval of 100 m. RESULTS: We found high GR, high PLAND, high PD, low ENN_MN, high LPI, and low GPAI corresponds to low risk of CVDs occurrence, the optimal modification scale of each green space indicator, which is radius corresponding to the maximum risk difference between high and low indicator subgroups, is around 800 m (GR), 600 m (PLAND and PD), 500 m (GPAI), and 300 m (LPI and ENN_MN), respectively. As the temperature decreases further, the health benefit from low GPAI at the optimal scale is weakened, whereas the benefits from the others are strengthened. CONCLUSIONS: Low temperature related CVDs occurrence risk can be modified by multiple green space indicators, and these modifications have spatial scale effect. Our findings have important theoretical and practical significance for the formulation and implementation of local green space policies.

Monitoring insect biodiversity and comparison of sampling strategies using metabarcoding: A case study in the Yanshan Mountains, China.

Insects are the richest and most diverse group of animals and yet there remains a lack, not only of systematic research into their distribution across some key regions of the planet, but of standardized sampling strategies for their study. The Yanshan Mountains, being the boundary range between the Inner Mongolian Plateau and the North China Plain, present an indispensable piece of the insect biodiversity puzzle: both requiring systematic study and offering opportunities for the development of standardized methodologies. This is the first use of DNA metabarcoding to survey the insect biodiversity of the Yanshan Mountains. The study focuses on differences of community composition among samples collected via different methods and from different habitat types. In total, 74 bulk samples were collected from five habitat types (scrubland, woodland, wetland, farmland and grassland) using three collection methods (sweep netting, Malaise traps and light traps). After DNA extraction, PCR amplification, sequencing and diversity analysis were performed, a total of 7427 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) at ≥97% sequence similarity level were delimited, of which 7083 OTUs were identified as belonging to Insecta. Orthoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Hemiptera were found to be the dominant orders according to community composition analysis. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis based on Bray-Curtis distances revealed highly divergent estimates of insect community composition among samples differentiated by the collection method (R = .524802, p = .001), but nonsignificant difference among samples differentiated according to habitat (R = .051102, p = .078). The study therefore appears to indicate that the concurrent use of varied collection methods is essential to the accurate monitoring of insect biodiversity.

Performance and mechanism of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in zeolite spheres internal loop airlift reactor.

An internal loop airlift reactor was constructed with zeolite spheres as biofilm carriers (ZS-ALR), and the performance and mechanism of nitrogen removal were investigated. The results indicated that the TN, NH4+-N and TOC removal efficiencies of ZS-ALR reached 96.12%, 100% and 94.54% under appropriate conditions (HRT of 6-8 h, aeration rates of 80-120 mL/min, C/N ratios of 4-6), and the highest TN removal rate constant was 0.01156 min-1. Further investigating the influence of ammonia-N concentrations on nitrogen removal and biofilm stability revealed that catabolism was important in TN removal, and the prominent genera for nitrogen removal included Sphaerotilus (42.20%), Flavobacterium (17.47%) and Fusibacter (6.14%). Meanwhile, the abundance of amoA, napA, narG and nosZ genes was markedly influenced by ammonia-N concentrations. The nitrogen removal of ZS-ALR was mainly through ammonia-N adsorption by zeolite spheres and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification by biofilm.

Helmet-Wearing Tracking Detection Based on StrongSORT.

Object detection based on deep learning is one of the most important and fundamental tasks of computer vision. High-performance detection algorithms have been widely used in many practical fields. For the management of workers wearing helmets in construction scenarios, this paper proposes a framework model based on the YOLOv5 detection algorithm, combined with multi-object tracking algorithms, to monitor and track whether workers wear safety helmets in real-time video. The improved StrongSORT tracking algorithm of DeepSORT is selected to reduce the loss of the tracked object caused by the occlusion, trajectory blur, and motion scale of the object. The safety helmet dataset is trained with YOLOv5s, and the best result of training is used as the weight model in the StrongSORT tracking algorithm. The experimental results show that the mAP@0.5 of all classes in the YOLOv5s model can reach 95.1% in the validation dataset, mAP@0.5:0.95 is 62.1%, and the precision of wearing helmet is 95.7%. After the box regression loss function was changed from CIOU to Focal-EIOU, the mAP@0.5 increased to 95.4%, mAP@0.5:0.95 increased to 62.9%, and the precision of wearing helmet increased to 96.5%, which were increased by 0.3%, 0.8% and 0.8%, respectively. StrongSORT can update object trajectories in video frames at a speed of 0.05 s per frame. Based on the improved YOLOv5s combined with the StrongSORT tracking algorithm, the helmet-wearing tracking detection can achieve better performance.

Modulation of Remote Epitaxial Heterointerface by Graphene-Assisted Attenuative Charge Transfer.

Remote epitaxy (RE), substrate polarity can "penetrate" two-dimensional materials (2DMs) and act on the epi-layer, showing a prospective universal growth strategy. However, essentially, the role that 2DMs plays in RE has not been deeply investigated so far. Here, the RE of single-crystal films on the weakest polarity/iconicity substrate is realized to reveal its essence physical properties. Graphene facilitates attenuative charge transfer (ACT) from a substrate to epi-layer to construct remote interactions. Interfacial atoms are assembled into "incommensurate" epitaxial relationships through graphene to reduce misfit dislocations in the epi-layer. Moreover, graphene reduces the atomic migration barrier, leading to a tendency toward a "layer-by-layer" growth mode. Such film growth mode is different with the conventional epitaxy (CE), and it is beneficial for the fast growth of epi-layers and the reduction of dislocations at coalescence boundaries. The insightful revelation of the role of graphene reveals the interface physics of RE and provides a more valuable guide to using 2DMs to expand three-dimensional materials (3DMs) for application in devices.

Associations between Different Ozone Indicators and Cardiovascular Hospital Admission: A Time-Stratified Case-Crossover Analysis in Guangzhou, China.

Epidemiological studies reported that ozone (O3) is associated with cardiovascular diseases. However, only few of these studies examined the impact of multiple O3 indicators on cardiovascular hospital admissions. This study aimed to explore and compare the impacts of different O3 indicators on cardiovascular hospital admissions in Guangzhou, China. Based upon the data on daily cardiovascular hospital admissions, air pollution, and meteorological factors in Guangzhou from 2014 to 2018, a time-stratified case-crossover design model was used to analyze the associations between different O3 indicators and cardiovascular hospital admissions. Moreover, the sensitivities of different age and gender groups were analyzed for the whole year and different seasons (i.e., warm and cold). During the warm season, for the single-pollutant model, the odds ratio (OR) value of cardiovascular hospital admissions was 1.0067 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0037, 1.0098) for every IQR increase in MDA8 O3 at a lag of five days. The effect of O3 on people over 60 year was stronger than that on the 15-60 years age group. Females were more sensitive than males to O3 exposure. These results provided valuable references for further scientific research and environmental improvement in Guangzhou. Given that short-term O3 exposure poses a threat to human health, the government should therefore pay attention to prevention and control policies to reduce and eliminate O3 pollution and protect human health.

Let-7c-5p down-regulates immune-related CDCA8 to inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of let-7c-5p on the malignant behaviors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its specific molecular pathway. METHODS: Differential expression and survival analysis of let-7c-5p were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and then its expression level was preliminarily verified through qPCR. The effect of let-7c-5p on the malignant phenotype of HCC cells was subsequently evaluated using CCK-8, transwell, wound healing, and flow cytometry assays. Downstream mRNA regulated by let-7c-5p was identified and confirmed by ENCORI database, dual-luciferase reporter, and western blot assays. The immunocorrelation of genes was evaluated by Xiantao tool, and TIMER and TISIDB databases. RESULTS: The expression level of let-7c-5p in HCC was obviously reduced, which was found to be closely associated with the short survival time of HCC patients. Cell phenotypic experiments showed that let-7c-5p inhibited proliferation, invasion, and migration and promoted apoptosis of HCC cells. Dual-luciferase reporter and western blot analysis demonstrated that CDCA8 is a downstream mRNA of let-7c-5p and is negatively regulated by it. Rescue experiment revealed that CDCA8 reversed the effect of let-7c-5p on the malignant phenotype of HCC cells. Furthermore, analysis of the public database revealed that CDCA8 is related to some immune cells and immunomodulators, and that it may participate in the regulation of some immune pathways and immune functions. CONCLUSION: Let-7c-5p has been proved to suppress HCC by down-regulating immune-related CDCA8, which will help understand the pathogenesis of HCC and develop drugs for its treatment.

High level of tumor marker CA19-9 returned to normal after cholecystectomy in calculous cholecystitis patients.

BACKGROUND: High serum CA19-9 is usually caused by pancreaticobiliary malignancies, but it has also been found in a tiny minority of calculous cholecystitis patients. AIMS: To clarify the relationship between calculous cholecystitis and serum CA19-9. METHODS: Clinical data of calculous cholecystitis patients with high serum CA19-9 (high group, n = 20) and normal serum CA19-9 (normal group, n = 40) who underwent cholecystectomy were analyzed. Serum CA19-9 of high group were followed-up and gallbladder specimens were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Serum CA19-9 in the high group ranged from 105 to 1635 U/ml, of which 30% exceeded 1000 U/ml. Follow-up results showed that 20 patient's serum CA19-9 returned to normal after cholecystectomy, including 4 closely followed-up patients whose serum CA19-9 recovered within one month. Immunohistochemical results revealed that CA19-9 was mildly positive only in mucosal epithelial cells in the normal group, but positive in mucosal epithelial cells, vascular endothelial cells, and intercellular substances in the high group, accounting for high serum CA19-9. CONCLUSION: Serum CA19-9 is proved to be associated with calculous cholecystitis for the first time, so that clinicians should consider calculous cholecystitis associated CA19-9 elevation in the clinic practice besides other CA19-9 related diseases.