Construction of a ratiometric fluorescent sensing platform based on near-infrared carbon dots for organophosphorus pesticides detection.

In this work, a convenient ratiometric fluorescent platform was designed to measure organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), acetylthiocholine (ATCh), manganese dioxide nanosheets (MnO2), near-infrared carbon dots (RCDs) and o-phenylenediamine (OPD). In this platform, a direct oxidation of OPD by MnO2 generated the luminescent product 2,3-diaminophenolazine (DAP) through intrinsic oxidase activity, while RCDs served as a fluorescent reference indicator. In the presence of AChE and ATCh, the enzymatic hydrolysate thiocholine (TCh) would reduce MnO2 nanosheets to Mn2+, leading to the quenching of DAP fluorescence. On the other hand, OPs can inhibit the catabolism of ATCh by AChE thus acting as a recognizer of OPs. According to these reactions, OPs were quantitatively analyzed by the intensity ratio of fluorescence emitted from RCDs and DAP (F560/F676). The constructed platform can detect OPs with the range of 0.2-0.6 µM with a detection limit of 4.3 nM. Figure A ratiometric fluorescent probe based on carbon dots was obtained and using it to determine the concentration of organophosphorus pesticides.

Predicting renal function recovery and short-term reversibility among acute kidney injury patients in the ICU: comparison of machine learning methods and conventional regression.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most frequent complications of critical illness. We aimed to explore the predictors of renal function recovery and the short-term reversibility after AKI by comparing logistic regression with four machine learning models. METHODS: We reviewed patients who were diagnosed with AKI in the MIMIC-IV database between 2008 and 2019. Recovery from AKI within 72 h of the initiating event was typically recognized as the short-term reversal of AKI. Conventional logistic regression and four different machine algorithms (XGBoost algorithm model, Bayesian networks [BNs], random forest [RF] model, and support vector machine [SVM] model) were used to develop and validate prediction models. The performance measures were compared through the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AU-ROC), calibration curves, and 10-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: A total of 12,321 critically ill adult AKI patients were included in our analysis cohort. The renal function recovery rate after AKI was 67.9%. The maximum and minimum serum creatinine (SCr) within 24 h of AKI diagnosis, the minimum SCr within 24 and 12 h, and antibiotics usage duration were independently associated with renal function recovery after AKI. Among the 8364 recovered patients, the maximum SCr within 24 h of AKI diagnosis, the minimum Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, the maximum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) within 24 h, vasopressin and vancomycin usage, and the maximum lactate within 24 h were the top six predictors for short-term reversibility of AKI. The RF model presented the best performance for predicting both renal functional recovery (AU-ROC [0.8295 ± 0.01]) and early recovery (AU-ROC [0.7683 ± 0.03]) compared with the conventional logistic regression model. CONCLUSIONS: The maximum SCr within 24 h of AKI diagnosis was a common independent predictor of renal function recovery and the short-term reversibility of AKI. The RF machine learning algorithms showed a superior ability to predict the prognosis of AKI patients in the ICU compared with the traditional regression models. These models may prove to be clinically helpful and can assist clinicians in providing timely interventions, potentially leading to improved prognoses.

Identification and Characterization of Cinnamyl Alcohol Dehydrogenase Encoding Genes Involved in Lignin Biosynthesis and Resistance to Verticillium dahliae in Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Verticillium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae, is one of the most devastating diseases in cotton (Gossypium spp.). Lignin in the cell wall forms a physical barrier to inhibit pathogen invasion, and defense-induced lignification reinforces secondary cell wall to prevent pathogens from further spreading. Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenases (CADs) catalyze the production of three main monolignols, p-coumaryl- (H), coniferyl- (G), and sinapyl-alcohols (S), which are the fundamental blocks of lignin. Here, we identified CAD genes in G. hirsutum, analyzed their expression profiles in cotton leaf, stem, and root from different developmental stages, and selected GhCAD35, GhCAD45, and GhCAD43, which were consistently induced by V. dahliae inoculation in G. hirsutum cultivars resistant or susceptible to V. dahliae. On the basis of confirmation of the in vitro enzymatic activity of the three proteins in generation of the three monolignols, we used virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to investigate the effects of silencing of GhCAD35, GhCAD45, or GhCAD43 on resistance to V. dahliae as well as on deposition and the composition of lignin. Silencing each of the three CADs impaired the defense-induced lignification and salicylic acid biosynthesis in stem, and compromised resistance to V. dahliae. Moreover, our study showed that silencing the three GhCADs severely affected the biosynthesis of S-lignin, leading to a decrease of the syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio. Heterogeneous overexpression of GhCAD35, GhCAD45, or GhCAD43 in Arabidopsis enhanced disease resistance. Taken together, our study demonstrates a role of the three GhCADs in defense-induced lignin biosynthesis and resistance to V. dahliae in G. hirsutum.

MDP25 mediates the fine-tuning of microtubule organization in response to salt stress.

Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeleton structures playing fundamental roles in plant responses to salt stress. The precise mechanisms by which microtubule organization is regulated under salt stress are largely unknown. Here, we report that Arabidopsis thaliana MICROTUBULE-DESTABILIZING PROTEIN 25 (MDP25; also known as PLASMA MEMBRANE-ASSOCIATED CATION-BINDING PROTEIN 1 (PCaP1)) helps regulate microtubule organization. Under salt treatment, elevated cytosolic Ca2+ concentration caused MDP25 to partially dissociate from the plasma membrane, promoting microtubule depolymerization. When Ca2+ signaling was blocked by BAPTA-AM or LaCl3 , microtubule depolymerization in wild-type and MDP25-overexpressing cells was slower, while there was no obvious change in mdp25 cells. Knockout of MDP25 improved microtubule reassembly and was conducive to microtubule integrity under long-term salt treatment and microtubule recovery after salt stress. Moreover, mdp25 seedlings exhibited a higher survival rate under salt stress. The presence microtubule-disrupting reagent oryzalin or microtubule-stabilizing reagent paclitaxel differentially affected the survival rates of different genotypes under salt stress. MDP25 promoted microtubule instability by affecting the catastrophe and rescue frequencies, shrinkage rate and time in pause phase at the microtubule plus-end and the depolymerization rate at the microtubule minus-end. These findings reveal a role for MDP25 in regulating microtubule organization under salt treatment by affecting microtubule dynamics.

High-Content Lithium Aluminum Titanium Phosphate-Based Composite Solid Electrolyte with Poly(ionic liquid) Binder.

Solid electrolytes have been regarded as the most promising electrolyte materials for the next generation of flexible electronic devices due to their excellent safety and machinability. Herein, composite solid electrolytes (CSE) with "polymer in ceramic" are prepared by using lithium aluminum titanium phosphate (LATP) as a matrix and modified poly(ionic liquid) as a binder. The results revealed that adding a poly(ionic liquid)-based binder not only endowed good flexibility for solid electrolytes, but also significantly improved the ionic conductivity of the electrolytes. When the content of LATP in the CSE was 50 wt.%, the electrolyte obtained the highest ionic conductivity (1.2 × 10-3 S·cm-1), which was one order of magnitude higher than that of the pristine LATP. Finally, this study also characterized the compression resistance of the composite solid-state electrolyte by testing the Vickers hardness, and the results showed that the hardness of the composite solid-state electrolyte can reach 0.9 ± 0.1 gf/mm2 at a LATP content of 50 wt.%.

Impact of bullying on occupational commitment in young nursing professionals: the mediating role of emotional labour and emotional exhaustion.

BACKGROUND: Nurses are often exposed to workplace bullying, which leads to their burnout and leaving the profession. However, the processes by which workplace bullying leads to such outcomes are not clear. AIMS: This study investigates how work-related and personal-related bullying affect nurses' occupational commitment by integrating emotional labour and emotional exhaustion. METHOD: This study employs a cross-sectional design. The model was tested using structural equation modelling with a sample of 245 Chinese nurses. RESULTS: Work-related bullying is positively related to both surface acting and deep acting, and a negative relationship exists between deep acting and emotional exhaustion. Personal-related bullying is not related to either surface acting or deep acting, but is positively related to emotional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion is negatively related to affective occupational commitment. CONCLUSIONS: This study implies that bullying behaviours should be distinguished with work-related bullying and personal-related bullying, and emotional regulation strategies are meaningful in managing the negative impact of work-related bullying. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Policymakers and managers need to distinguish two types of bullying behaviour and manage them accordingly with different strategies. For nursing schools it is important to prepare nursing students with not only professional skills but also social competence and emotional management skills.

Perioral wrinkles are associated with female gender, aging, and smoking: Development of a gender-specific photonumeric scale.

BACKGROUND: Perioral wrinkling is commonly reported among older adults, but its objective evaluation and causes remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We sought to develop a photonumeric scale for perioral wrinkling and to elucidate contributory lifestyle factors. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited participants for facial photographs and a survey. A gender-specific photonumeric scale for perioral wrinkling was developed and used by 3 graders to evaluate participant photographs. Scores and survey responses were used to create a multiple regression model to predict perioral wrinkling. RESULTS: In all, 143 participants aged 21 to 91 years were enrolled. Intraclass correlation coefficient values for interrater and intrarater reliability were high (>0.8) across 2 trials and 3 graders. A multiple regression model for prediction of perioral wrinkling severity included age, gender, and years of smoking as variables. LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by sample size and a predominantly Caucasian study population. CONCLUSION: We created a photonumeric scale that accounts for gender differences in perioral wrinkling and highlighted contributory variables to photoaging in this anatomical location.