Comparative assessment of leaf photosynthetic capacity datasets for estimating terrestrial gross primary productivity.

The maximum Rubisco carboxylation rate normalized to 25 °C (Vcmax25) is a key parameter in terrestrial biosphere models for simulating carbon cycling. Recently, global distributions of Vcmax25 have been derived through various methods and different data, including field measurements, ecological optimality theory (EOT), leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF). However, direct validation poses challenges due to high uncertainty arising from limited ground-based observations. This study conducted an indirect evaluation of four Vcmax25 datasets by assessing the accuracy of gross primary productivity (GPP) simulated using the Biosphere-atmosphere Exchange Process Simulator (BEPS) at both site and global scales. Results indicate that, compared to utilizing Vcmax25 fixed by plant functional types (PFT) derived from field measurements, incorporating Vcmax25 derived from SIF and LCC (SIF + LCC), or solely LCC, into BEPS significantly reduces simulated errors in the annual total GPP, with a 23.2 %-25.1 % decrease in the average absolute bias across 196 FLUXNET2015 sites. Daily GPP for evergreen needleleaf forests, deciduous broadleaf forests, shrublands, grasslands, and croplands shows a 7.8 %-27.6 % decrease in absolute bias, primarily attributed to reduced simulation errors during off-peak seasons of vegetation growth. Conversely, the annual total GPP error simulated using EOT-derived Vcmax25 increases slightly (2.2 %) compared to that simulated using PFT-fixed Vcmax25. This is primarily due to a significant overestimation in evergreen broadleaf forests and underestimation in croplands, despite slight increased accuracy for other PFTs. The global annual GPP simulated using Vcmax25 with seasonal variations (i.e., LCC Vcmax25 and SIF + LCC Vcmax25) yields a 4.3 %-7.3 % decrease compared to that simulated using PFT-fixed Vcmax25. Compared to FLUXCOM and GOSIF GPP products, the GPP simulated based on SIF + LCC Vcmax25 and LCC Vcmax25 demonstrates better consistency (R2 = 0.91-0.93, RMSE = 314.2-376.6 g C m-2 yr-1). This study underscores the importance of accurately characterizing the spatiotemporal variations in Vcmax25 for the accurate simulation of global vegetation productivity.

Combined detection of anticardiolipin and anti-ß2-glycoprotein 1 antibodies may predict pregnancy outcome.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a typical non-inflammatory autoimmune disease that is common in young women. It is characterized by the presence of the anti-cardiolipin antibody (ACA) and anti-ß2 glycoprotein 1 (anti-ß2-GP1) antibody and is associated with a high risk of arteriovenous thrombosis. We measured the expression of ACA and anti-ß2-GP1 antibodies in the serum of pregnant women early in their pregnancy, and analyzed the pregnancy outcome of the primigravidas who were positive for both the antibodies, so as to evaluate the efficacy of the combined determination in predicting pregnancy outcome. A total of 102 pregnant women who visited the Hebei General Hospital from January 2014 to December 2017 were enrolled in the study. The serum levels of ACA and anti-ß2-GP1 antibodies were determined in all the enrolled pregnant women using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and the correlation between positive ACA/anti-ß2-GP1 antibody and the adverse pregnancy outcomes was analyzed. Meanwhile, the difference in the pregnancy outcomes between patients who were positive for ACA only, for anti-ß2-GP1 only and for both of the two antibodies was also investigated. The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women who were positive for both the ACA and the anti-ß2-GP1 antibodies (48.87%) was higher than that of those positive for ACA only (28.67%) and those positive for anti-ß2-GP1 only (36.66%). The positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity and specificity of the combined determination of the two predictors was 81.75%, 95.84%, 88.37% and 95.92%, respectively. The combined determination of ACA and anti-ß2-GP1 antibodies early in pregnancy may predict the occurrence of pregnancy outcome, with superiority over either of the two predictors alone.

Whole-exome sequencing facilitates the differential diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDSs) are a group of rare monogenic conditions with strong heterogeneity and can be caused by 20 genes associating with the essence of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This study enrolled three cases with various subtypes of EDS. Clinical evaluation and genetic testing with whole-exome sequencing (WES) were performed. The clinical manifestations of all three patients were thoroughly monitored; and three de novo diagnostic variants, namely COL5A1: NM_001278074.1: c.4609-2A>C, COL3A1: NM_000090.3: c.3554G>T(p.Gly1185Val), and COL1A1: NM_000088.3: c.545G>T(p.Gly182Val) were identified from them, respectively. The findings in this study expanded the mutation spectrum of EDS and strengthened the efficiency of WES in the differential diagnosis on disorders with overlapping phenotypes and various pathogenesis.

lncRNA TUG1 modulates proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and angiogenesis via targeting miR-29b in trophoblast cells.

BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is regarded as the leading cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, the potential mechanism for the regulation of trophoblast behaviors and the pathogenesis of PE remain largely elusive. Recently, accumulating evidence emphasized that aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) functions as imperative regulators in human diseases, including PE. Thus, identifying PE-related specific lncRNAs to uncover the underlying molecular mechanism is of much significance. However, the functional roles and underlying mechanisms of lncRNAs in PE progression remain unclear. METHOD: Placenta tissues obtained from patients with PE and healthy pregnant women were performed to measure TUG1 expression by qRT-PCR analysis. Transient transfections were conducted to alter TUG1 expression. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry assays were carried out to assess cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Transwell and tube formation assays were performed to measure the capacity of cell invasion and angiogenesis. Moreover, the luciferase reporter assay was subjected to verify the binding relationship between TUG1 and miR-29b. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression of key proteins in the PI3K/AKT and ERK pathway. RESULTS: Here, we identified a lncRNA, TUG1, which was notably decreased in placental samples of PE patients. Functional experiments of loss- or gain-of-function assays also verified that ectopic expression of TUG1 promoted cell proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis, but negatively regulated cell apoptosis, whereas TUG1 inhibition presented the opposite effects. Furthermore, mechanistic researches revealed that TUG1 could act as a molecular sponge for miR-29b, thus regulating MCL1, VEGFA, and MMP2 to modulate PE development. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings demonstrated that TUG1 exerts as a critical role in PE progression, which might furnish a novel therapeutic marker for PE treatment.

A Methodological Study on Tuning the Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Performance by Molecular Constitution in Acridine-Benzophenone Derivatives.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters are usually designed as donor-acceptor structures with large dihedral angles, which tend to incur low fluorescent efficiency, and therefore, through molecular design various strategies have been proposed to increase the efficiency of emitters; however, few studies have compared these strategies in one TADF system. In this study, a novel TADF molecule, [4-(9,9-diphenylacridin-10-yl)phenyl](phenyl)methanone (BP-DPAC), was designed as a prototype, and two derivatives, BP-Ph-DPAC and DPAC-BP-DPAC, were also prepared to represent two common approaches to enhance TADF performance. Compared with the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 6.82 % for BP-DPAC, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) devices based on DPAC-BP-DPAC exhibited enhanced TADF properties with the highest maximum EQE of 18.67 %, owing to an additional diphenylacridine donor, whereas BP-Ph-DPAC showed non-TADF properties and exhibited the lowest EQE of 4.25 %, owing to the insertion of a phenyl ring between donor and acceptor.

High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells Employing Rhodamines as Cathode Interfacial Layers.

The development of simple and water-/alcohol-soluble interfacial materials is crucial for the cost-effective fabrication process of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Herein, highly efficient PSCs are reported employing water-/alcohol-soluble and low-cost rhodamines as cathode interfacial layers (CILs). The results reveal that rhodamine-based CILs can reduce the work function of the Al cathode and simultaneously increase the open-circuit voltage, current density, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs. The solution-processed rhodamine-based PSCs demonstrated a remarkable PCE of 10.39%, which is one of the best efficiencies reported for thieno[3,4-b]thiophene/benzodithiophene:[6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester-based PSCs so far. The efficiency is also 42.3% higher than that of the vacuum-deposited Ca-based device (PCE of 7.30%) and 21.5% higher than that of the complicated solution-processable polymeric electrolyte poly[(9,9-bis(3-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)]-based device (PCE of 8.55%). Notably, rhodamines are very economical and have been extensively used as dyes in industries. Our work indicates that rhodamines have shown a strong potential as CILs compared to their counterparts in the large-area fabrication process of PSCs.

Non-Doped Sky-Blue OLEDs Based on Simple Structured AIE Emitters with High Efficiencies at Low Driven Voltages.

Blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are necessary for flat-panel display technologies and lighting applications. To make more energy-saving, low-cost and long-lasting OLEDs, efficient materials as well as simple structured devices are in high demand. However, a very limited number of blue OLEDs achieving high stability and color purity have been reported. Herein, three new sky-blue emitters, 1,4,5-triphenyl-2-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)-1H-imidazole (TPEI), 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-2-(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)-1H-imidazole (TPEMeOPhI) and 1-phenyl-2,4,5-tris(4-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)phenyl)-1H-imidazole (3TPEI), with a combination of imidazole and tetraphenylethene groups, have been developed. High photoluminescence quantum yields are obtained for these materials. All derivatives have demonstrated aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior, excellent thermal stability with high decomposition and glass transition temperatures. Non-doped sky-blue OLEDs with simple structure have been fabricated employing these materials as emitters and realized high efficiencies of 2.41 % (4.92 cd A-1 , 2.70 lm W-1 ), 2.16 (4.33 cd A-1 , 2.59 lm W-1 ) and 3.13 % (6.97 cd A-1 , 4.74 lm W-1 ) for TPEI, TPEMeOPhI and 3TPEI, with small efficiency roll-off. These are among excellent results for molecules constructed from the combination of imidazole and TPE reported so far. The high performance of a 3TPEI-based device shows the promising potential of the combination of imidazole and AIEgen for synthesizing efficient electroluminescent materials for OLED devices.