Beautoide A, an Anti-Osteoclastogenic Steroid from Beauveria sp. NBUF147 Associated with an Irciniidae Sponge from the Marine Mesophotic Zone.

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), located at depths ranging from 30-150 m, host some of the most diverse yet least explored marine bioresources, particularly significant for the discovery of new bioactive molecules. The fungus Beauveria sp. NBUF147, associated with an Irciniidae sponge from the mesophotic zone at a depth of 82 m, underwent chemical investigation that led to the identification of one new sterol, beautoide A (1), and one reported sterol, 3ß,5α,9α-trihydroxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (2). Their structures were determined from analysis of spectroscopic data and X-ray crystallography. Evaluation of biological activity in prednisolone-induced osteoporotic zebrafish showed that 1 was anti-osteoclastogenic in vivo at 3.0 µM.

[Methodology for adaptive decision--making research on manufacturing process of traditional Chinese medicine based on deep reinforcement learning].

The manufacturing process of traditional Chinese medicine is subject to material fluctuation and other uncertain factors which usually cause non-optimal state and inconsistent product quality. Therefore, it is necessary to design and collect the quality-rela-ted physical parameters, process parameters, and equipment parameters in the whole manufacturing process of traditional Chinese medicine for digitization and modeling of the process. In this paper, a method for non-optimal state identification and self-recovering regulation was developed for active quality control in the manufacturing process of traditional Chinese medicine. Moreover, taking vacuum belt drying process as an example, a DQN algorithm-based intelligent decision model was established and verified and the implementation process was also discussed and studied. Thus, the process parameters-based self-optimization strategy discovery and path planning of optimal process control were rea-lized in this study. The results showed that the deep reinforcement learning-based artificial intelligence technology was helpful to improve the product quality consistency, reduce production cost, and increase benefit.

[Construction of knowledge base of Chinese medicine manufacturing].

Chinese medicine pharmaceutical industry is in the process of digital and intelligent transformation. Intelligent methods are required for efficient analysis and mining of the valuable information in the history data including literature data, pharmaceutical big data, and expert knowledge. Therefore, it is urgent to establish a knowledge-driven intelligent system of pharmaceutical technologies of Chinese medicine for efficient supplying of high-quality Chinese medicinal products. The present study proposed the construction method of the knowledge base of Chinese medicine manufacturing, which was preliminarily established from literature mining, case-based reasoning, and real-time prediction based on vacuum belt drying process optimization. Integrating the technologies(such as deep learning, case-based reasoning, and simulation modeling), pharmaceutical mechanisms, and big data, the knowledge base of Chinese medicine manufacturing can realize knowledge automation and scientific decision-making. It provides an example for upgrading from experience-based manufacturing to intelligent Chinese medicine manufacturing.

[Moisture content measurement model of whole package of Chinese medicinal materials based on microwave transmission technology].

In view of the relatively low representativeness of manual sampling inspection, and long time-consuming in oven detection of moisture content, which delayed the subsequent production period, this paper proposed a scheme for rapid moisture quantitative detection for Chinese medicinal materials by microwave transmission technology, and took 8 different types of Chinese medicinal mate-rials as examples to analyze the feasibility and reliability of the scheme for the detection results of moisture content of the whole package of Chinese medicine. In the experiment, the least square method was used to establish the measurement model of microwave absorption rate-moisture content for each kind of medicinal material. The results showed that the microwave transmission measurement of moisture content achieved high-precision measurement of the moisture content of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, Poria, Pheretima, Lilii Bulbus, Scutellariae Radix, and Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum. The measurement model of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen had the highest accuracy, and the R~2 and root mean square error of the validation set were 0.951 5 and 0.15%, respectively. At the same time, this study found that the microwave absorption intensity of animal medicines including Pheretima and Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum was much weaker than that of plant medicines such as Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, but there was also a good linear relationship between microwave absorption and moisture content, which proved the universality of this method. However, this method was not suitable for Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex because its package contained iron wire. For the whole package of medicinal materials with uniform density and no metal inside, the microwave transmission technology for moisture content measurement can be used to detect the moisture content, which is an effective alternative method to detect the moisture content of medicinal materials.

[Digital twin based key technologies for intelligent manufacturing of traditional Chinese medicine].

In this paper, we first introduced the concept of digital twin(DT) based key technologies for intelligent manufacturing of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and applied DT in two case studies of novel extraction equipment for traditional Chinese medicine and drying equipment for Chinese medicine pills to illustrate the advantages of DT in development of new pharmaceutical technology and optimization of pharmaceutical equipment structure. Furthermore, we discussed the feasibility to adopt DT in the production process of TCM for formation of data-driven real-time optimization of production process and dynamic prediction `of operation and maintenance service. The "ruled" production mode based on data and driven by algorithm was constructed to realize the technical scheme of quality perception, evaluation, prediction, intelligent control and intelligent decision-making in product life cycle.

Estimation of degree of polymerization of poly-acrylonitrile-grafted carbon nanotubes using Guinier plot of small angle x-ray scattering.

Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to estimate the degree of polymerization of polymer-grafted carbon nanotubes (CNTs) synthesized using a 'grafting from' method. This analysis characterizes the grafted polymer chains without cleaving them from CNTs, and provides reliable data that can complement conventional methods such as thermogravimetric analysis or transmittance electron microscopy. Acrylonitrile was polymerized from the surface of the CNTs by using redox initiation to produce poly-acrylonitrile-grafted CNTs (PAN-CNTs). Polymerization time and the initiation rate were varied to control the degree of polymerization. Radius of gyration (R g ) of PAN-CNTs was determined using the Guinier plot obtained from SAXS solution analysis. The results showed consistent values according to the polymerization condition, up to a maximum R g  = 125.70 Å whereas that of pristine CNTs was 99.23 Å. The dispersibility of PAN-CNTs in N,N-dimethylformamide was tested using ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectroscopy and was confirmed to increase as the degree of polymerization increased. This analysis will be helpful to estimate the degree of polymerization of any polymer-grafted CNTs synthesized using the 'grafting from' method and to fabricate polymer/CNT composite materials.

Molecular mechanism of ERK dephosphorylation by striatal-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase.

Striatal-enriched tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) is an important regulator of neuronal synaptic plasticity, and its abnormal level or activity contributes to cognitive disorders. One crucial downstream effector and direct substrate of STEP is extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), which has important functions in spine stabilisation and action potential transmission. The inhibition of STEP activity toward phospho-ERK has the potential to treat neuronal diseases, but the detailed mechanism underlying the dephosphorylation of phospho-ERK by STEP is not known. Therefore, we examined STEP activity toward para-nitrophenyl phosphate, phospho-tyrosine-containing peptides, and the full-length phospho-ERK protein using STEP mutants with different structural features. STEP was found to be a highly efficient ERK tyrosine phosphatase that required both its N-terminal regulatory region and key residues in its active site. Specifically, both kinase interaction motif (KIM) and kinase-specific sequence of STEP were required for ERK interaction. In addition to the N-terminal kinase-specific sequence region, S245, hydrophobic residues L249/L251, and basic residues R242/R243 located in the KIM region were important in controlling STEP activity toward phospho-ERK. Further kinetic experiments revealed subtle structural differences between STEP and HePTP that affected the interactions of their KIMs with ERK. Moreover, STEP recognised specific positions of a phospho-ERK peptide sequence through its active site, and the contact of STEP F311 with phospho-ERK V205 and T207 were crucial interactions. Taken together, our results not only provide the information for interactions between ERK and STEP, but will also help in the development of specific strategies to target STEP-ERK recognition, which could serve as a potential therapy for neurological disorders. Regulation of phospho-ERK by STEP underlies important neuronal activities. A detailed enzymologic characterisation and cellular studies of STEP revealed that specific residues in KIM and active site mediated ERK recognition. Structural differences between the KIM-ERK interfaces and the active site among different ERK phosphatases could be targeted to develop specific STEP inhibitor, which has therapeutic potential for neurological disorders. PKA, protein kinase A & NGF, nerve growth factor.

Abnormal incorporation of amino acids into the gas hydrate crystal lattice.

Gas hydrates are crystalline ice-like solid materials enclosing gas molecules inside. The possibility of the presence of gas hydrates with amino acids in the universe is of interest when revealing the potential existence of life as they are evidence of a source of water and organic precursors, respectively. However, little is known about how they can naturally coexist, and their crystallization behavior would become far more complex as both crystallize with formation of hydrogen bonds. Here, we report abnormal incorporation of amino acids into the gas hydrate crystal lattice that is contrary to the generally accepted crystallization mode, and this resulted in lattice distortion and expansion. The present findings imply the potential for their natural coexistence by sharing the crystal lattice, and will be helpful for understanding the role of additives in the gas hydrate crystallization.

Aqueous-solution route to zinc telluride films for application to CO2 reduction.

As a photocathode for CO2 reduction, zinc-blende zinc telluride (ZnTe) was directly formed on a Zn/ZnO nanowire substrate by a simple dissolution-recrystallization mechanism without any surfactant. With the most negative conduction-band edge among p-type semiconductors, this new photocatalyst showed efficient and stable CO formation in photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction at -0.2--0.7 V versus RHE without a sacrificial reagent.

Growth methodologies of boron nitride nanotubes and their neutron shielding applications: a review.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the growth methodologies and neutron shielding applications of Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNTs). BNNTs have garnered significant attention because of their unique combination of high thermal stability, mechanical strength, and exceptional neutron absorption properties. Synthesis methods for BNNTs, including laser ablation, thermal plasma treatment, chemical vapour deposition (CVD), and ball milling have been thoroughly examined, highlighting their mechanisms, advantages, and challenges. Each method contributes uniquely to the quality and applicability of BNNTs in terms of scalability and production efficiency. This study focused on the applications of BNNTs in neutron absorption, particularly in aerospace engineering. BNNTs have shown promising potential in enhancing the safety and longevity of space missions by providing effective radiation protection. Furthermore, their potential in medical applications, particularly in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) for cancer treatment, has been explored. BNCT offers a targeted approach to cancer therapy by utilizing the high boron-10 content of BNNTs for precise and localized treatment. This review also provides an outlook on the future of BNNT research, emphasizing the need for more efficient growth methods to facilitate wider adoption and commercialization. The versatility of BNNTs across various fields, from space exploration to medical science, underscores their potential as materials of significant scientific and technological importance. As research progresses, BNNTs are expected to play a pivotal role in advancing materials science and offer innovative solutions to complex challenges.

Research Progress of Biosensor Based on Organic Photoelectrochemical Transistor.

In order to solve the food safety problem better, it is very important to develop a rapid and sensitive technology for detecting food contamination residues. Organic photoelectrochemical transistor (OPECT) biosensor rely on the photovoltage generated by a semiconductor upon excitation by light to regulate the conductivity of the polymer channels and realize biosensor analysis under zero gate bias. This technology integrates the excellent characteristics of photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis and the high sensitivity and inherent amplification ability of organic electrochemical transistor (OECT). Based on this, OPECT biosensor detection has been proven to be superior to traditional biosensor detection methods. In this review, we summarize the research status of OPECT biosensor in disease markers and food residue analysis, the basic principle, classification, and biosensing mechanism of OPECT biosensor analysis are briefly introduced, and the recent applications of biosensor analysis are discussed according to the signal strategy. We mainly introduced the OPECT biosensor analysis methods applied in different fields, including the detection of disease markers and food hazard residues such as prostate-specific antigen, heart-type fatty acid binding protein, T-2 toxin detection in milk samples, fat mass and objectivity related protein, ciprofloxacin in milk. The OPECT biosensor provides considerable development potential for the construction of safety analysis and detection platforms in many fields, such as agriculture and food, and hopes to provide some reference for the future development of biosensing analysis methods with higher selectivity, faster analysis speed and higher sensitivity.

Preparation of Molybdenum Disulfide with Different Nanostructures and Its Adsorption Performance for Copper (â ¡) Ion in Water.

The environmental problems in the world are attracting increasing amounts of attention, and heavy metal pollution in the water has become one of the focuses of the ecological environment. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has excellent adsorption performance because of its extremely high specific surface area and unique active site structure, which has attracted an increasing amount of attention in the field of heavy metal disposal in various types of water. In this paper, two sorts of MoS2 nanoparticles, spherical and lamellar, were synthesized by different chemical methods. Their morphology and structure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a Raman spectrometer. The adsorption properties of two sorts of MoS2 nanoparticles for copper (Ⅱ) ions in water were investigated by changing the pH value, adsorption time, initial concentration of solution, adsorption temperature, etc. Finally, the adsorption mechanism was analyzed by kinetic, isothermal, and thermodynamic models. The results show that two microstructures of MoS2 nanoparticles can be used as efficient adsorption materials for removing heavy metal ions from water, although there are differences in adsorption capacity between them, which expands the theoretical basis of heavy metal adsorption in a water environment.

Synthesis of Double-Walled Boron Nitride Nanotubes from Ammonia Borane by Thermal Plasma Methods.

Highly crystalline double-walled boron nitride nanotubes (DWBNNTs ∼60%) were synthesized from ammonia borane (AB; H3B-NH3) precursors using a high-temperature thermal plasma method. The differences between the synthesized BNNTs using the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) precursor and AB precursor were compared using various techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and in situ optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The synthesized BNNTs were longer and had fewer walls when the AB precursor was used than when the conventional method was used (with the h-BN precursor). The production rate significantly improved from ∼20 g/h (h-BN precursor) to ∼50 g/h (AB precursor), and the content of amorphous boron impurities was significantly reduced, implying a self-assembly mechanism of BN radicals rather than the conventional mechanism involving boron nanoballs. Through this mechanism, the BNNT growth, which was accompanied by an increased length, a decreased diameter, and a high growth rate, could be understood. The findings were also supported by in situ OES data. Considering the increased production yield, this synthesis method using AB precursors is expected to make an innovative contribution to the commercialization of BNNTs.

Novel cancerization marker, TP53, and its role in distinguishing normal tissue adjacent to cancerous tissue from normal tissue adjacent to benign tissue.

BACKGROUND: The histopathological and molecular heterogeneity of normal tissue adjacent to cancerous tissue (NTAC) and normal tissue adjacent to benign tissue (NTAB), and the availability of limited specimens make deciphering the mechanisms of carcinogenesis challenging. Our goal was to identify histogenetic biomarkers that could be reliably used to define a transforming fingerprint using RNA in situ hybridization. METHODS: We evaluated 15 tumor-related RNA in situ hybridization biomarkers using tumor microarray and samples of seven tumor-adjacent normal tissues from 314 patients. Biomarkers were determined using comprehensive statistical methods (significance of support vector machine-based artificial intelligence and area under curve scoring of classification distribution). RESULTS: TP53 was found to be a most reliable index (P <10(-7); area under curve >87%) for distinguishing NTAC from NTAB, according to the results of a significance panel (BCL10, BECN1, BRCA2, FITH, PTCH11 and TP53). CONCLUSIONS: The genetic alterations in TP53 between NTAC and NTAB may provide new insight into the field of cancerization and tumor transformation.

Turning refuse plastic into multi-walled carbon nanotube forest.

A novel and effective method was devised for synthesizing a vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) forest on a substrate using waste plastic obtained from commercially available water bottles. The advantages of the proposed method are the speed of processing and the use of waste as a raw material. A mechanism for the CNT growth was also proposed. The growth rate of the CNT forest was ∼2.5 µm min-1. Transmission electron microscopy images indicated that the outer diameters of the CNTs were 20-30 nm on average. The intensity ratio of the G and D Raman bands was 1.27 for the vertically aligned CNT forest. The Raman spectrum showed that the wall graphitization of the CNTs, synthesized via the proposed method was slightly higher than that of commercially available multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). We expect that the proposed method can be easily adapted to the disposal of other refuse materials and applied to MWCNT production industries.

[Relation between soil nutrient of artificially cultivated area and rhizome quality of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relation between the quality of the Herb-Paris and their cultivation of soil nutritional status. METHODS: The soil nutrient status (0 - 30 cm) of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, artificially cultivated areas were determined in 2009 and their rhizome qualities harvested in 2010 were evaluated respectively. Determination of 0 - 30cm depth soil ingredients status with soil conventional five nutritional analysis method of 29 artificial cultivation area, 9 Prefectures of Yunnan Province. RESULTS: Soil nutrient has effect on quality of Herb-Paris medicinal ingredients. CONCLUSION: The multiple linear stepwise regression analysis reveals that among a certain range, the steroidal saponin VII content is positively correlated with the content of soil organic matter and pH. Steroidal saponin H content is positively correlated with the content of soil organic matter, available P and pH. Steroidal saponin I is positively correlated with the content of available K, but negatively correlated with the content of available Herb-Paris, and steroidal saponin II is positively correlated with the content of soil organic matter and available K.

Spontaneous formation of boron nitride nanotube fibers by boron impurity reduction in laser ablation of ammonia borane.

Highly crystalline and few-walled boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) had been synthesized by laser ablation using only ammonia borane as a precursor. As a molecular precursor, ammonia borane supplied both B and N atoms with a ratio of 1:1, and BNNTs were formed via the homogeneous nucleation of BN radicals, not the growth from boron nano-droplets, which is a generally accepted growth mechanism of the laser-grown BNNTs. Owing to the absence of amorphous boron impurities, the van der Waals interaction among BNNTs became effective and thus a BNNT fibers was formed spontaneously during the BNNT synthesis. The BNNT growth and the subsequent fiber formation are found to occur only at high pressures of a surrounding gas. The mechanism behind the critical role of pressure was elucidated from the perspective of reaction kinetics and thermal fluid behaviors. A polarized Raman study confirmed that the BNNT fiber formed exhibits a good alignment of BNNTs, which implies great potential for continuous production of high-quality BNNT fibers for various applications.

Effect of light-emitting diodes with different color rendering indexes on the ocular tissues of rat.

AIM: To compare the damage of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with different color rendering indexes (CRIs) to the ocular surface and retina of rats. METHODS: Totally 20 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups: the first group was normal control group without any intervention, other three groups were exposed by LEDs with low (LED-L), medium (LED-M), and high (LED-H) CRI respectively for 12h a day, continuously for 4wk. The changes in tear secretion (Schirmer I test, SIt), tear film break-up time (BUT), and corneal fluorescein sodium staining (CFS) scores were compared at different times (1d before experiment, 2 and 4wk after the experiment). The histopathological changes of rat lacrimal gland and retina were observed at 4wk, and the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in lacrimal gland were detected by immunofluorescence method. RESULTS: With the increase of light exposed time, the CFS value of each light exposed group continued to increase, and the BUT and SIt scores continued to decrease, which were different from the control group, and the differences between the light exposed groups were statistically significant. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) results showed that the lacrimal glands of each exposed group were seen varying degrees of acinar atrophy, vacuole distribution, increasing of eosinophil granules, etc.; the retina showed obvious reduction of photoreceptor cell layer and changes in retinal thickness; LED-L group has the most significant change in all tests. Immunofluorescence suggested that the positive expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 in the lacrimal glands of each exposed group were higher than those of the control group. CONCLUSION: LED exposure for 4wk can cause the pathological changes of lacrimal gland and retina of rats, and increase the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 in lacrimal gland, the degree of damage is negatively correlated with the CRI.

Spinal CCK1 Receptors Contribute to Somatic Pain Hypersensitivity Induced by Malocclusion via a Reciprocal Neuron-Glial Signaling Cascade.

Recent studies have shown that the incidence of chronic primary pain including temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) often exhibit comorbidities. We recently reported that central sensitization and descending facilitation system contributed to the development of somatic pain hypersensitivity induced by orofacial inflammation combined with stress. The purpose of this study was to explore whether TMD caused by unilateral anterior crossbite (UAC) can induce somatic pain hypersensitivity, and whether the cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor-mediated descending facilitation system promotes hypersensitivity through neuron-glia cell signaling cascade. UAC evoked thermal and mechanical pain hypersensitivity of the hind paws from day 5 to 70 that peaked at week 4 post UAC. The expression levels of CCK1 receptors, interleukin-18 (IL-18) and IL-18 receptors (IL-18R) were significantly up-regulated in the L4 to L5 spinal dorsal horn at 4 weeks post UAC. Intrathecal injection of CCK1 and IL-18 receptor antagonists blocked somatic pain hypersensitivity. IL-18 mainly co-localized with microglia, while IL-18R mainly co-localized with astrocytes and to a lesser extent with neurons. These findings indicate that the signaling transduction between neurons and glia at the spinal cord level contributes to the descending pain facilitation through CCK1 receptors during the development of the comorbidity of TMD and FMS. PERSPECTIVE: CCK1 receptor-dependent descending facilitation may mediate central mechanisms underlying the development of widespread somatic pain via a reciprocal neuron-glial signaling cascade, providing novel therapeutic targets for the clinical treatment of TMD and FMS comorbidities.