Ethanol as Solvent Additives with Competitive Effect for High-Stable Aqueous Zinc Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are emerging as promising sustainable energy-storage devices. However, their cyclic stability is still a great challenge due to the inevitable parasitic reaction and dendrite growth induced by water. Herein, a cosolvent strategy based on competitive effect is proposed to address the aforementioned challenges. Ethanol with a higher Gutmann donor number demonstrates lower polarity and better wettability on the Zn surface compared with water, which endows ethanol with the ability of minimizing water activity by weakening H bonds and preferentially adsorbing on the Zn electrode. The above competitive advantages synergistically contribute to inhibiting the decomposition of free water and dendrite growth. Besides, an organic-inorganic hybrid solid-electrolyte interphase layer is in situ built based on ethanol additives, where organic matrix suppresses water corrosion while inorganic fillers promote fast Zn2+ diffusion. Consequently, the electrolyte with ethanol additives boosts a high reversibility of Zn deposition, long-term durability, as well as superior Zn2+ diffusibility in both Zn half-cells (Zn||Cu and Zn||Zn batteries) and Zn full cells (Zn||PTCDA and Zn||VO2 batteries). This work sheds light on a universal strategy to design a high-reversible and dendrite-free Zn anode for stable aqueous batteries.

Transcription-related metabolic regulation in grafted lemon seedlings under magnesium deficiency stress.

Magnesium is one of the essential nutrients for plant growth, and plays a pivotal role in plant development and metabolism. Soil magnesium deficiency is evident in citrus production, which ultimately leads to failure of normal plant growth and development, as well as decreased productivity. Citrus is mainly propagated by grafting, so it is necessary to fully understand the different regulatory mechanisms of rootstock and scion response to magnesium deficiency. Here, we characterized the differences in morphological alterations, physiological metabolism and differential gene expression between trifoliate orange rootstocks and lemon scions under normal and magnesium-deficient conditions, revealing the different responses of rootstocks and scions to magnesium deficiency. The transcriptomic data showed that differentially expressed genes were enriched in 14 and 4 metabolic pathways in leaves and roots, respectively, after magnesium deficiency treatment. And the magnesium transport-related genes MHX and MRS2 may respond to magnesium deficiency stress. In addition, magnesium deficiency may affect plant growth by affecting POD, SOD, and CAT enzyme activity, as well as altering the levels of hormones such as IAA, ABA, GA3, JA, and SA, and the expression of related responsive genes. In conclusion, our research suggests that the leaves of lemon grafted onto trifoliate orange were more significantly affected than the roots under magnesium-deficient conditions, further indicating that the metabolic imbalance of scion lemon leaves was more severe.

Research progress on insect visual electrophysiological techniques.

Insect visual electrophysiological techniques are important to study the electrical characteristics of photoreceptor cells and visual neurons in insects, including electroretinography (ERG) and microelectrode intracellular recording (MIR). ERG records the changes of voltage or electric current in the retina of insects in response to different light stimuli, which occurs outside the cell. MIR records the changes in individual photoreceptor cells or visual neurons of an insect exposed to different lights, which occurs inside the cell. Insect visual electrophysiological techniques can explore the mechanism of electrophysiological response of insects' vision to light and reveal their sensitive light spectra and photoreceptor types. This review introduced the basic structure and the principle of ERG and MIR, and summarized their applications in insect researches in the past 20 years, which would provide references for elucidating the mechanism of light perception in insects and the use of insect phototropism to control pests.

Plasmalogens and Octanoylcarnitine Serve as Early Warnings for Central Retinal Artery Occlusion.

Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is a kind of ophthalmic emergency which may cause loss of functional visual acuity. However, the limited treatment options emphasize the significance of early disease prevention. Metabolomics has the potential to be a powerful tool for early identification of individuals at risk of CRAO. The aim of the study was to identify potential biomarkers for CRAO through a comprehensive analysis. We employed metabolomics analysis to compare venous blood samples from CRAO patients with cataract patients for the venous difference, as well as arterial and venous blood from CRAO patients for the arteriovenous difference. The analysis of metabolites showed that PC(P-18:0/22:6(4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)), PC(P-18:0/20:4(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)) and octanoylcarnitine were strongly correlated with CRAO. We also used univariate logistic regression, random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) to screen clinical parameters of patients and found that HDL-C and ApoA1 showed significant predictive efficacy in CRAO patients. We compared the predictive performance of the clinical parameter model with combined model. The prediction efficiency of the combined model was significantly better with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.815. Decision curve analysis (DCA) also exhibited a notably higher net benefit rate. These results underscored the potency of these three substances as robust predictors of CRAO occurrence.

Phthalate Biomarkers Composition in Relation to Fatty Liver: Evidence from Epidemiologic and in vivo studies.

Phthalates, classified as environmental endocrine disruptors, pose potential toxicity risks to human health. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease is one of the most widespread liver diseases globally. Compared to studies focusing on metabolic disorders in relation to pollutants exposure, the impact of individual factors such as fatty liver on the in vivo metabolism of pollutants is always overlooked. Therefore, this study measured concentrations and composition of phthalate monoesters (mPAEs) in human urine samples, particularly those from fatty liver patients. Furthermore, we induced fatty liver in male Wistar rats by formulating a high-fat diet for twelve weeks. After administering a single dose of DEHP at 500 mg/kg bw through gavage, we compared the levels of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), its metabolites (mDEHPs) and three hepatic metabolic enzymes, namely cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450), UDP glucuronosyltransferase 1 (UGT1), and carboxylesterase 1 (CarE1), between the normal and fatty liver rat groups. Compared to healthy individuals (n = 75), fatty liver patients (n = 104) exhibited significantly lower urinary concentrations of ∑mPAEs (median: 106 vs. 166 ng/mL), but with a higher proportion of mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate in ∑mDEHPs (25.7 % vs. 9.9 %) (p < 0.05). In the animal experiment, we found that fatty liver in rats prolonged the elimination half-life of DEHP (24.61 h vs. 18.89 h) and increased the contents of CYP450, CarE1, and UGT1, implying the common but differentiated metabolism of DEHP as excess lipid accumulation in liver cells. This study provides valuable information on how to distinguish populations in biomonitoring studies across a diverse population and in assigning exposure classifications of phthalates or similar chemicals in epidemiologic studies.

Corpus callosum and cerebellum participate in semantic dysfunction of Parkinson's disease: a diffusion tensor imaging-based cross-sectional study.

Language dysfunction is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, among which, the decline of semantic fluency is usually observed. This study aims to explore the relationship between white matter (WM) alterations and semantic fluency changes in PD patients. 127 PD patients from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative cohort who received diffusion tensor imaging scanning, clinical assessment and semantic fluency test (SFT) were included. Tract-based special statistics, automated fiber quantification, graph-theoretical and network-based analyses were performed to analyze the correlation between WM structural changes, brain network features and semantic fluency in PD patients. Fractional anisotropy of corpus callosum, anterior thalamic radiation, inferior front-occipital fasciculus, and uncinate fasciculus, were positively correlated with SFT scores, while a negative correlation was identified between radial diffusion of the corpus callosum, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and SFT scores. Automatic fiber quantification identified similar alterations with more details in these WM tracts. Brain network analysis positively correlated SFT scores with nodal efficiency of cerebellar lobule VIII, and nodal local efficiency of cerebellar lobule X. WM integrity and myelin integrity in the corpus callosum and several other language-related WM tracts may influence the semantic function in PD patients. Damage to the cerebellum lobule VIII and lobule X may also be involved in semantic dysfunction in PD patients.

Milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 alleviates liver injury in severe acute pancreatitis by restoring autophagy flux and inhibiting ferroptosis in hepatocytes.

BACKGROUND: Liver injury is common in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Excessive autophagy often leads to an imbalance of homeostasis in hepatocytes, which induces lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial iron deposition and ultimately leads to ferroptosis. Our previous study found that milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) alleviates acinar cell damage during SAP via binding to αvß3/5 integrins. MFG-E8 also seems to mitigate pancreatic fibrosis via inhibiting chaperone-mediated autophagy. AIM: To speculate whether MFG-E8 could also alleviate SAP induced liver injury by restoring the abnormal autophagy flux. METHODS: SAP was induced in mice by 2 hly intraperitoneal injections of 4.0 g/kg L-arginine or 7 hly injections of 50 µg/kg cerulein plus lipopolysaccharide. mfge8-knockout mice were used to study the effect of MFG-E8 deficiency on SAP-induced liver injury. Cilengitide, a specific αvß3/5 integrin inhibitor, was used to investigate the possible mechanism of MFG-E8. RESULTS: The results showed that MFG-E8 deficiency aggravated SAP-induced liver injury in mice, enhanced autophagy flux in hepatocyte, and worsened the degree of ferroptosis. Exogenous MFG-E8 reduced SAP-induced liver injury in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanistically, MFG-E8 mitigated excessive autophagy and inhibited ferroptosis in liver cells. Cilengitide abolished MFG-E8's beneficial effects in SAP-induced liver injury. CONCLUSION: MFG-E8 acts as an endogenous protective mediator in SAP-induced liver injury. MFG-E8 alleviates the excessive autophagy and inhibits ferroptosis in hepatocytes by binding to integrin αVß3/5.

Ca2LaTaO6:Bi3+/Mn4+ Phosphors with High Brightness Far-Red Emitting and Luminescence Enhancement for Plant Growth LED Lights and Temperature Sensor.

Herein, Bi3+/Mn4+ doped Ca2LaTaO6 phosphors with a double-perovskite structure were successfully synthesized with solid-state reaction at high temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) performances were investigated in detail. The blue radiation (∼465 nm) from the Bi3+ ion and the red radiation (∼686 nm) originating from the Mn4+ ion were obtained under 313 nm excitation. Especially, the pathway of energy transfer (Bi3+ → Mn4+) contributes to enhance the red emission intensity (Mn4+: ∼686 nm) in Ca2LaTaO6:Bi3+/Mn4+ system. The PL mechanism of Ca2LaTaO6:Bi3+/Mn4+ was analyzed through luminescence lifetimes and PL spectra. Moreover, the emitting bands of Ca2LaTaO6:Bi3+/Mn4+ were primarily matched with the absorbing bands of carotenoids and phytochrome PFR on behalf of plant growth, so the phosphors were suitable for the design of a plant growth light under near-ultraviolet to blue excitation. At last, the optical temperature dependent performances of the Ca2LaTaO6:Bi3+/Mn4+ were analyzed with luminescence intensity ratio technology. The sample has presented excellent temperature measuring relative sensitivity (SR = 2.106% K-1). The results illustrated that the Ca2LaTaO6:Bi3+/Mn4+ phosphor also can be used to develop an optical temperature sensor.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0005519 contributes to acute kidney injury via sponging microRNA-98-5p.

BACKGROUND: This study intends to explore the role and molecular mechanism of hsa_circ_0005519 in acute kidney injury (AKI). METHODS: We conducted reverse transcription-qPCR for human serum to determine levels of hsa_circ_0005519 in AKI patients and healthy controls. Hsa_circ_0005519 was inhibited for expression in HK-2 cells using specific siRNAs. A number of techniques, MTT and ELISA assays, were used to analyze the potential role of hsa_circ_0005519 in cell viability, oxidative stress, and inflammation of LPS-induced HK-2 cells. RESULTS: The serum of patients with AKI exhibited a significant increase in hsa_circ_0005519 expression, compared with healthy controls. Hsa_circ_0005519 was knockdown by siRNA, and its knockdown led to cell viability increase in LPS-induced HK-2 cells. Inhibition of hsa_circ_0005519 can reverse the TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß increase in LPS-induced HK-2 cells. Inhibiting hsa_circ_0005519 led to downregulation of MPO and MDA levels. MiR-98-5p was a downstream miRNA for hsa_circ_0005519. MiR-98-5p can offset the effects of hsa_circ_0005519 on LPS-induced HK-2 cells. IFG1R was a target gene for miR-98-5p. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the highly expressed hsa_circ_0005519 plays a promoting role in AKI.

Characterization and childhood exposure assessment of toxic heavy metals in household dust under true living conditions from 10 China cities.

Health hazards caused by metal exposure in household dust are concerning environmental health problems. Exposure to toxic metals in household dust imposes unclear but solid health risks, especially for children. In this multicenter cross-sectional study, a total of 250 household dust samples were collected from ten stratified cities in China (Panjin, Shijiazhuang, Qingdao, Lanzhou, Luoyang, Ningbo, Xi'an, Wuxi, Mianyang, Shenzhen) between April 2018 and March 2019. Questionnaire was conducted to gather information on individuals' living environment and health status in real-life situations. Multivariate logistic regression and principal component analysis were conducted to identify risk factors and determine the sources of metals in household dust. The median concentration of five metals in household dust from 10 cities ranged from 0.03 to 73.18 µg/g. Among the five heavy metals, only chromium in household dust of Mianyang was observed significantly both higher in the cold season and from the downwind households. Mercury, cadmium, and chromium were higher in the third-tier cities, with levels of 0.08, 0.30 and 97.28 µg/g, respectively. There were two sources with a contribution rate of 38.3 % and 25.8 %, respectively. Potential risk factors for increased metal concentration include long residence time, close to the motorway, decoration within five years, and purchase of new furniture within one year. Under both moderate and high exposure scenarios, chromium showed the highest level of exposure with 6.77 × 10-4 and 2.28 × 10-3 mg·kg-1·d-1, and arsenic imposed the highest lifetime carcinogenic risk at 1.67 × 10-4 and 3.17 × 10-4, respectively. The finding highlighted the priority to minimize childhood exposure of arsenic from household dust.

Investigations of a 1018 nm gain-switched Yb-doped fiber oscillator.

In this paper, we investigate a 1018 nm gain-switched ytterbium-doped fiber oscillator at a low repetition rate in terms of theory and experiment. Theoretically, a numerical model applicable to a 1018 nm gain-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser was established. The influence of the pump peak power and active fiber lengths on the 1018 nm gain-switched ytterbium-doped fiber laser was numerically simulated. Experimentally, a compact 1018 nm all-fiber-structured pulsed laser oscillator is constructed, in which a pulse width of 110 ns and a single-pulse energy of 0.1 mJ were obtained. Moreover, the experimental results are in agreement with the numerical simulation ones. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that gain-switching technology has been applied to 1018 nm fiber lasers to generate nanosecond pulsed lasers. The model and experimental results can provide a reference for the engineering design of the same type of low repetition rate fiber lasers below the kilohertz level.

Precise synthesis of BN embedded perylene diimide oligomers for fast-charging and long-life potassium-organic batteries.

Replacing the C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond with an isoelectronic BN unit is an effective strategy to tune the optoelectronic properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, precise control of the BN orientations in large PAH systems is still a synthetic challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a facile approach for the synthesis of BN embedded perylene diimide (PDI) nanoribbons, and the polarization orientations of the BN unit were precisely regulated in the two PDI trimers. These BN doped PDI oligomers show great potential as organic cathodes for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). In particular, trans-PTCDI3BN exhibits great improvement in voltage potential, reversible capacities (ca. 130 mA h g-1), superior rate performance (19 s to 69% of the maximum capacity) and ultralong cyclic stability (nearly no capacity decay over 30 000 cycles), which are among those of state-of-the-art organic-based cathodes. Our synthetic approach stands as an effective way to access large PAHs with precisely controlled BN orientations, and the BN doping strategy provides useful insight into the development of organic electrode materials for secondary batteries.

Solar-Blind Photodetector Arrays Fabricated by Weaving Strategy.

The quest for solar-blind photodetectors (SBPDs) with exceptional optoelectronic properties for imaging applications has prompted the investigation of SBPD arrays. Ga2O3, characterized by its ultrawide bandgap and low growth cost, has emerged as a promising material for solar-blind detection. In this study, SBPD arrays were fabricated by weaving Sn-doped ß-Ga2O3 microbelts (MBs). These MBs, which have a conductive core surrounded by a high-resistivity depletion surface layer resulting from the segregation of Sn and oxygen, are woven into a grid structure. Each intersection of the MBs functions as a photodetector pixel, with the intersecting MBs serving as the output electrodes of the pixel. This design simplifies the readout circuit for the photodetector array. The solar-blind photodetector array demonstrates superior solar-blind detection performance, including a dark current of 0.5 pA, a response time of 38.8 µs, a light/dark current ratio of 108, and a responsivity of 300 A/W. This research may provide a feasible strategy for the fabrication of photodetector arrays, thus pushing forward the application of photodetectors in imaging.

Bibenzyl and naphthalene derivatives from Dendrobium chrysanthum and their anti-hepatic-steatosis activities.

In this study, 16 new compounds, six bibenzyls (1-6) and 10 naphthalenes (7-13), including three pairs of naphthalene enantiomers and three known compounds (14-16), were isolated from Dendrobium chrysanthum. Structurally, compounds 1-5 are previously undescribed dimeric bibenzyls, uniquely linked by unusual carbon bonds. The structures of the compounds were determined using spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The screening results indicated that 1, 2, and 5 showed remarkable lipid-lowering activities in FFA-induced HepG2 cells, with EC50 values ranging from 3.13 to 6.57 µM. Moreover, 1, 2, and 5 significantly decreased both the mRNA and protein levels of the target SREBP-1c, and 5 also reduced PPARα mRNA and protein levels. Therefore, 1, 2, and 5 are potential drugs against hepatic steatosis by targeting PPARα or SREBP-1c.

Biosynthesis of Cytosporones in Leotiomycetous Filamentous Fungi.

Polyketides with the isochroman-3-one pharmacophore are rare among fungal natural products as their biosynthesis requires an unorthodox S-type aromatic ring cyclization. Genome mining uncovered a conserved gene cluster in select leotiomycetous fungi that encodes the biosynthesis of cytosporones, including isochroman-3-one congeners. Combinatorial biosynthesis in total biosynthetic and biocatalytic formats in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in vitro reconstitution of key reactions with purified enzymes revealed how cytosporone structural and bioactivity diversity is generated. The S-type acyl dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (ADA) core of cytosporones is assembled by a collaborating polyketide synthase pair. Thioesterase domain-catalyzed transesterification releases ADA esters, some of which are known Nur77 modulators. Alternatively, hydrolytic release allows C6 hydroxylation by a flavin-dependent monooxygenase, yielding a trihydroxybenzene moiety. Reduction of the C9 carbonyl by a short chain dehydrogenase/reductase initiates isochroman-3-one formation, affording cytosporones with cytotoxic and antimicrobial activity. Enoyl di- or trihydroxyphenylacetic acids are generated as shunt products, while isocroman-3,4-diones are formed by autoxidation. The cytosporone pathway offers novel polyketide biosynthetic enzymes for combinatorial synthetic biology to advance the production of "unnatural" natural products for drug discovery.

The multi-scale structures and in vitro digestibility of starches with different crystalline types induced by dielectric barrier discharge plasma.

The effects of plasma treatment on multi-scale structures and in vitro digestibility of starches isolated from Tartary buckwheat (TBS), potato (PTS), and pea (PS), were investigated. The results from SEM and CLSM showed that plasma treatment resulted in the extension of pores from the starch hilum to the surface. The XRD and 13C CP/MAS NMR spectra demonstrated that the crystalline type of three starches was not changed by plasma treatment, while the RC and double helix content of TBS increased. Besides, the single helix content and the proportion of amorphous phase decreased following the treatment, which was consistent with the result of SAXS. However, the PTS and PS showed the opposite results by plasma treatment. In addition, the modification significantly changed the molecular weight (Mw) and chain length distribution of all the starches, among which the Mw of PTS fell drastically from 2.45 × 107 g/mol to 1.74 × 107 g/mol. The in vitro digestibility of starches increased significantly when treated with plasma, in which TBS exhibited the biggest increase for its inside-out and side-by-side digestion manners. Therefore, plasma treatment led to different alteration trends for multi-scale structures with quite various change extent for in vitro digestibility about different crystalline starches.

Characterization of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in Escherichia coli isolated from captive black bears.

The objective of this study was to analyze the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) characteristics produced by antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and gene cassettes in Escherichia coli isolated from the feces of captive black bears. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by using the disk diffusion method, and both MGEs and integron gene cassettes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Our results showed that 43.7% (62/142) of the isolates were multidrug resistant strains and 97.9% (139/142) of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic. The highest AMR phenotype was observed for tetracycline (79.6%, 113/142), followed by ampicillin (50.0%, 71/142), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (43.7%, 62/142) and cefotaxime (35.9%, 51/142). However, all isolates were susceptible to tobramycin. tetA had the highest occurrence in 6 ARGs in 142 E. coli isolates (76.8%, 109/142). Ten mobile genetic elements were observed and IS26 was dominant (88.0%, 125/142). ISECP1 was positively associated with five ß-lactam antibiotics. ISCR3/14, IS1133 and intI3 were not detected. Seventy-five E. coli isolates (65 intI1-positive isolates, 2 intI2-positive isolates and 8 intI1 + intI2-positive isolates) carried integrons. Five gene cassettes (dfrA1, aadA2, dfrA17-aadA5, aadA2-dfrA12 and dfrA1-aadA1) were identified in the intI1-positive isolates and 2 gene cassettes (dfrA1-catB2-sat2-aadA1 and dfrA1-catB2-sat1-aadA1) were observed in the intI2-positive isolates. Monitoring of ARGs, MGEs and gene cassettes is important to understand the prevalence of AMR, which may help to introduce measures to prevent and control of AMR in E. coli for captive black bears.

High-speed flexible near-infrared organic photodiode for optical communication.

Optical communication is a particularly compelling technology for tackling the speed and capacity bottlenecks in data communication in modern society. Currently, the silicon photodetector plays a dominant role in high-speed optical communication across the visible-near-infrared spectrum. However, its intrinsic rigid structure, high working bias and low responsivity essentially limit its application in next-generation flexible optoelectronic devices. Herein, we report a narrow-bandgap non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) with a remarkable π-extension in the direction of both central and end units (CH17) with respect to the Y6 series, which demonstrates a more effective and compact 3D molecular packing, leading to lower trap states and energetic disorders in the photoactive film. Consequently, the optimized solution-processed organic photodetector (OPD) with CH17 exhibits a remarkable response time of 91 ns (λ = 880 nm) due to the high charge mobility and low parasitic capacitance, exceeding the values of most commercial Si photodiodes and all NFA-based OPDs operating in self-powered mode. More significantly, the flexible OPD exhibits negligible performance attenuation (<1%) after bending for 500 cycles, and maintains 96% of its initial performance even after 550 h of indoor exposure. Furthermore, the high-speed OPD demonstrates a high data transmission rate of 80 MHz with a bit error rate of 3.5 [Formula: see text] 10-4, meaning it has great potential in next-generation high-speed flexible optical communication systems.