Highly Sensitive and Selective Detection of Pharmaceuticals on Au/MIL-101(Cr) by SERS.

The detection of pharmaceuticals has been a matter of concern among scientists and health researchers in the past few decades. However, it is still difficult to realize the sensitivity and selectivity detection of pharmaceuticals with similar structures. Herein, the pharmaceutical molecules of 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (MBI) and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) with so similar structures can be selectively detected by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) taking advantage of the fingerprint identification on Au/MIL-101(Cr), with sensitive detection limits of 0.5 ng·mL-1 for MBI and 1 ng·mL-1 for MBT. MBI is selectively enriched by Au/MIL-101(Cr) from the mixture solution and detected by SERS below 30 ng·mL-1. MBI can also be selectively detected in the serum samples with a detection limit of 10 ng·mL-1. Density functional theory calculations combined with the SERS experiments explained that the high sensitivity and selectivity are caused by the intrinsic differences in Raman intensity and different adsorption energies from the pharmaceutical molecules adsorbed on Au/MIL-101(Cr), respectively. This study provides an effective way to enrich and detect pharmaceutical molecules with similar structures.

A tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-Containing Polyimide-Based Chemosensor for Sequential Detection of Fluoride Ions and Trace Water in Organic Solvents.

A tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-containing polyimide (PI-OSi) has been established as a colorimetric and ratiometric chemosensor for rapid detecting fluoride ions (F-). The UV-vis absorbance ratio value (A322/A288) of PI-OSi in a DMF solution displays a wide linear range change to F- concentrations with a detection limit (DL) value of 2.13 µM. Additionally, adding incremental amounts of F- to a DMF solution of PI-OSi shows an immediate color change to yellow and finally to green from colorless. More interestingly, the resulting PI-OSi plus F- system (PI-OSi·F) could detect trace water in DMF. The A292/A322 value of PI-OSi·F almost linearly increases with low water content, which suggests convenient quantitative sensing of trace water content in DMF. The DL value of PI-OSi·F for sensing water in DMF is determined to be 0.00149% (v/v). The solution color of PI-OSi·F returns to colorless when the water content increases, indicating that PI-OSi·F can conveniently estimate water content in DMF by naked-eye detection. The detection mechanisms confirmed by an 1H NMR study and a DFT calculation involve a F--induced desilylation reaction of PI-OSi to form phenolate anion followed by protonation with trace water. Finally, PI-OSi film was fabricated for the colorimetric detection of F- and water in CH3CN.

A ratiometric fluorescence and colorimetric dual-mode sensing platform based on sulfur quantum dots and carbon quantum dots for selective detection of Cu2.

A new dual-mode ratiometric fluorescence and colorimetric probe for selective determination of Cu2+ was developed based on blue-emission sulfur quantum dots (SQDs) and yellow-emission carbon quantum dots (CQDs). The fluorescence and absorbance of CQDs increased in the presence of Cu2+ due to the Cu2+ -oxidized o-phenylenediamine group on the surface of the CQDs. Because of the inner filter effect between SQDs and CQDs-Cu2+, the fluorescence response of SQDs decreased following the introduction of Cu2+. Furthermore, in the presence of Cu2+, the dual-mode SQD-CQD probe showed visible color changes under both ultraviolet light and sunlight. Under optimal conditions, the dual-mode probe was used to quantitatively detect Cu2+ with a linear range of 0.1-5.0 µM for ratiometric fluorescence and colorimetry, with a limit of detection of about 31 nM and 47 nM, respectively. Finally, the dual-mode probe was used for the determination of Cu2+ in practical samples to expand the practical application, and the difference between ratiometric fluorescence and colorimetric methods was compared. The recovery results confirmed the high accuracy of the dual-mode probe, showing that it has immense potential for sensitive and selective detection of Cu2+ in practical samples.

Nuclear factor OsNF-YB4 promotes flowering by negatively regulating the floral repressor gene Ghd7 in rice.

Flowering time or heading date is a critical agronomic trait of rice and is regulated by numerous genes, including several genes encoding nuclear factor YB (NF-YB) in rice, NF-YB11 is one of the genes well known to be involved in the process, delaying flowering under long-day (LD) conditions but promoting flowering under short-day (SD) conditions. In this study, we identified another NF-YB gene, OsNF-YB4. Overexpression of OsNF-YB4 promoted rice flowering under both natural long-day (NLD) and natural short-day (NSD) conditions, whereas suppression or loss-of-function of this gene delayed flowering. The transcription of OsNF-YB4 exhibited an obvious circadian pattern and was induced by light under both LD and SD conditions. Expression analyses of flowering regulators in the photoperiodic flowering pathway demonstrated that up-regulation of OsNF-YB4 resulted in down-regulation of floral repressor Grain number, plant height and heading date 7 (Ghd7), and thus activating the Early heading date 1 (Ehd1)-mediated flowering pathway. Besides, OsNF-YB4 was observed to bind to the specific CCAAT-box regions in the Ghd7 promoter in vitro and interact with GHD7 in yeast. All these evidences support that OsNF-YB4 functions as a flowering promoter by negatively regulating the expression of floral repressor Ghd7 in rice photoperiodic flowering-time regulatory network.

Acute Pancreatitis Complicated by Sheehan's Syndrome: A Case Report and Literature Review.

A 44-year-old woman was transferred to the ICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University for 2 days of persistent epigastric pain and 7 hours of unconsciousness. Her admission diagnosis was severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis (hypertriglyceridemia type) with multiple organ dysfunctions. The results of CT revealed a small area of necrotizing pancreatitis, which was not consistent with the severe clinical manifestations. Considering lack of hair and history of postpartum hemorrhage, hormone examination was carried out. According to the results of the examination, she was further diagnosed as Sheehan's syndrome and pituitary crisis. After hormone replacement therapy, her condition improved rapidly.

Bimetallic gold/silver nanoclusters as a fluorescent probe for detection of methotrexate and doxorubicin in serum.

New bimetallic gold/silver nanoclusters (NCs) are reported that display strong blue fluorescence with excitation/emission maxima at 370/455 nm, decay times of around 14 ns for the main components, and a quantum yield of around 20%. The NCs were synthesized by using L-tryptophan (L-Trp) as the template to react with tetrachloroauric acid and silver nitrate at 120 °C for 4 h in a one-pot reaction. Their fluorescence is around 5 times stronger than that of pure gold nanoclusters. The fluorescence of the bimetallic NCs is strongly reduced in the presence of the antitumor drugs methotrexate (MTX) and doxorubicin (DOX) due to an inner filter effect. Response to MTX is linear in the 2.5-150 µM concentration range, and to DOX in the 2.5-150 µM concentration range. The detection limits are as low as 2.5 nM and 3 nM, respectively. The recoveries from spiked serum are between 87.7% - 101.2% for MTX and between 86.2%-105.4% for DOX. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the synthesis of Au/AgNCs and the fluorometric determination of methotrexate (MTX) and doxorubicin (DOX) based on the inner filter effect.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 ameliorates vascular calcification by inhibiting osteogenic transition in vitamin D3 plus nicotine-treated rats.

FGF21, a special member of FGF superfamily, has been proven to have pleiotropic metabolic effects and many potential therapeutic action in various metabolic disorders. Vascular calcification (VC), a perplexing clinical issue, is a major risk factor for many cardiovascular diseases, especially for patients with some metabolic diseases. However, the role of FGF21 on VC in vivo remains unclear. Thus, in this study, we observed the effect and mechanism of FGF21 on VC induced by vitamin D3 plus nicotine (VDN) treated rats. After four weeks' treatment, the calcium overload is mainly manifested in the increased blood pressure, aortic calcium content and ALP activity. Also, the HE and Alizarin-red S staining showed the structural damage of calcified vessel walls. In addition, the level of endogenous FGF21/ß-Klotho/FGFR1 axis was up-regulated in the aortas of VC rats. Furthermore, exogenous FGF21 treatment significantly ameliorated the aortic injury and calcification in VC rats, and the level of ß-Klotho and FGFR1 were furtherly increase. Moreover, FGF21 inhibited the osteogenic transition of VSMCs by down-regulating the expression of bone-associated proteins such as osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OCN) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), together with restored the expression of SM22α and SM α-actin, which are two of lineage markers in VSMCs. We provide the first evidence that FGF21 can inhibit the development of VC by inhibiting the osteogenic transition of VSMCs in rats. FGF21 might be an efficient endogenous vasoprotective factor for calcification.

Odor Discrimination by Similarity Measures of Abstract Odor Factor Maps from Electronic Noses.

The aim of this study is to improve the discrimination performance of electronic noses by introducing a new method for measuring the similarity of the signals obtained from the electronic nose. We constructed abstract odor factor maps (AOFMs) as the characteristic maps of odor samples by decomposition of three-way signal data array of an electronic nose. A similarity measure for two-way data was introduced to evaluate the similarities and differences of AOFMs from different samples. The method was assessed by three types of pipe and powder tobacco samples. Comparisons were made with other techniques based on PCA, SIMCA, PARAFAC and PARAFAC2. The results showed that our method had significant advantages in discriminating odor samples with similar flavors or with high VOCs release.

Pregnane X receptor is associated with unfavorable survival and induces chemotherapeutic resistance by transcriptional activating multidrug resistance-related protein 3 in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although chemotherapy represents a predominant anti-cancer therapeutic modality, drug treatment efficacy is often limited due to the development of resistant tumor cells. The pregnane X receptor (PXR) affects chemotherapeutic effects by regulating targets involved in drug metabolism and transportation, but the regulatory mechanism is poorly understood. METHODS: Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) content in tumor cells was analyzed by mass cytometry. The roles of PXR on cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis and tumor growth with L-OHP-treated were investigated by MTS, colony formation, flow cytometry and xenograft tumor assays. Luciferase reporter, Chromatin-immunoprecipitation and Site-directed mutagenesis were evaluated the mechanisms. The PXR and multidrug resistance-related protein 3 (MRP3) expressions were examined by western blot, RT-PCR or immunohistochemistry of TMA. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were adopted to analyze the prognostic value of PXR in colorectal cancer (CRC). RESULTS: PXR over-expression significantly increased oxaliplatin (L-OHP) transport capacity with a reduction of its content and repressed the effects of L-OHP on tumour cell proliferation and apoptosis. Conversely, PXR knockdown augments L-OHP-mediated cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Moreover, PXR significantly reduced the therapeutic effects of L-OHP on tumor growth in nude mice. Further studies indicated a positive correlation between PXR and MRP3 expression and this finding was confirmed in two independent cohorts. Significantly increased MRP3 expression was also found in PXR over-expressing cell lines. Mechanistically, PXR could directly bind to the MRP3 promoter, activating its transcription. The PXR binding sites were determined to be at -796 to -782bp (CTGAAGCAGAGGGAA) and the key binding sites were the "AGGGA" (-787 to -783bp) on the MRP3 promoter. Accordingly, blockade of MRP3 diminishes the effects on drug resistance of PXR. In addition, PXR expression is significantly associated with poor overall survival and represents an unfavorable and independent factor for male or stage I + II CRC patient prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: PXR is a potential biomarker for predicting outcome and activates MRP3 transcription by directly binding to its promoter resulting in an increased L-OHP efflux capacity, and resistance to L-OHP or platinum drugs in CRC. Our work reveals a novel and unique mechanism of drug resistance in CRC.

Association between a syndemic of psychosocial problems and unprotected anal intercourse among men who have sex with men in Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have discussed the overlapping and reinforcing effects (defined as a syndemic) of psychosocial problems on high-risk sexual behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM). The present study aimed to apply the syndemic theory to verify the reinforcing effects of psychosocial problems on unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) among MSM in Shanghai, and determine if other important psychosocial factors fit into the syndemic theory. METHODS: Data were collected from 547 MSM in Shanghai, China, through face-to-face interviews. The measures for psychosocial problems included the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale; and the Sexual Compulsivity Scale. We used multivariate analysis and binary logistic regression to investigate the associations between psychosocial problems and high-risk sexual behaviors. RESULTS: The prevalence of UAI among MSM in the past 6 months was 54.5%. Education (graduate from college vs. high school) served as a protective factor against UAI (OR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.38-0.94). There was a high prevalence of psychosocial problems, and at least one-third of participants reported experiencing more than two psychosocial symptoms. Of these psychosocial factors that we investigated, lower self-esteem was associated with UAI in both univariate and multivariate regression model (P = 0.009). Result suggests that overlapping and reinforcing effects of psychosocial problems may increase high risk sexual behaviors among MSM in Shanghai, China (OR 1.65, 95% CI: 1.09-2.50; P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: We found further evidence for a syndemic of psychosocial problems among MSM in Shanghai, China. This syndemic may also increase high risk sexual behaviors among MSM. Most HIV prevention interventions are focused on behavior change and only have moderate effects; our findings suggest that a shift from behavior-focused interventions to a more comprehensive strategy that addresses psychosocial factors may be necessary.

Rapid synthesis of cyclic RGD conjugated gold nanoclusters for targeting and fluorescence imaging of melanoma A375 cells.

A simple, rapid, and inexpensive method for the synthesis of cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide conjugated gold nanoclusters (RGD-GNCs) was reported. The nanoclusters were synthesized with chloraurate as precursor and cyclic RGD peptides as both reducing and protecting agent directly under alkali condition, and the whole synthetic process only took 15 min at room temperature. The properties of the nanoclusters were characterized by means of ultraviolet-visible spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The prepared gold nanoclusters were successfully used as a contrast agent in fluorescence imaging of the melanoma A375 cells, which overexpress the integrin αvß3. The results demonstrated that our nanoclusters possess good biocompatibility, stability, and low toxicity. Moreover, the method is expected to be applicable to the synthesis of nanoclusters conjugated with other biomolecules.

Plasma NT pro-BNP, hs-CRP and big-ET levels at admission as prognostic markers of survival in hospitalized patients with dilated cardiomyopathy: a single-center cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Circulating N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT pro-BNP), high- sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and big endothelin (big-ET) have been shown to be increased in heart failure and to contribute to both hemodynamic deterioration and cardiovascular remodeling. Here, we examined the prognostic value of the three neurohormones at admission in a population of hospitalized patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS AND RESULTS: This cohort study was undertaken in 622 hospitalized patients with DCM in Fuwai Hospital from January 2005 to September 2011 (female 26.5%, 51.4 ± 14.6 years old). Standard demographics, echocardiography and routine blood samples were obtained shortly after admission. NT pro-BNP, hs-CRP and big-ET were measured, and their concentrations in relation to all-cause mortality were assessed through a mean follow-up of 2.6 ± 1.6 years. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the all-cause mortality rates were higher in patients with NT pro-BNP > 2247 pmol/L compared to patients with NT pro-BNP < 2247 pmol/L (11.9% vs 34.8%, log-rank χ2 = 35.588, P < 0.001), in patients with hs-CRP > 3.90 mg/L compared to patients with hs-CRP < 3.90 mg/L (12.8% vs 33.6%, log-rank χ2 = 39.662, P < 0.001) and in patients with big-ET > 0.95 pmol/L compared to patients with big-ET <0.95 pmol/L (12.5% vs 31.0%, log-rank χ2 = 17.890, P < 0.001). High circulating concentrations of NT pro-BNP (HR 2.217, 95% CI 1.015-4.846, P = 0.046) and hs-CRP (HR 1.922, 95% CI 1.236-2.988, P = 0.004), but not big-ET, in addition to left atrial diameter and fasting blood glucose, were independent predictors of the outcome defined as all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In a large population of patients with DCM, the circulating concentrations of NT pro-BNP and hs-CRP, but not big-ET, were independent markers of all-cause mortality.

Performance Evaluation of a Nylon-like Polyester Tire Cord Combining the Characteristics of Nylon and Polyester.

A nylon-like polyester tire cord, which combined the characteristics of nylon and polyester tire cords, was designed as the carcass reinforcement material used to meet the increasing demands of the tire industry for performance and impact on the environment. Tires' carcass construction plays a crucial role in affecting handling performance and ride comfort. Small changes in the carcass component can lead to significant improvements in the total tire/vehicle performance. This study evaluated the performance of nylon-like polyester and nylon 6 motorcycle tires. The results showed that the nylon-like polyester tire passed all indoor tests, and post-cure inflation (PCI) could be eliminated, resulting in energy and cost savings. The rolling resistance coefficient of the nylon-like polyester tire was reduced by 6.8% compared to that of the nylon 6 control tire, which could save fuel and have a positive impact on the environment. Nylon-like polyester tire cord extracted from the experimental tire possessed a higher modulus compared to that of nylon 6 tire cord, which could lead to better handling and ride comfort performance. Morphological pictures showed that both nylon-like polyester and nylon 6 cords extracted from tires had a good rubber coverage and comparable adhesion properties.

Instant and short-term effects of acupuncture for depression and anxiety in unstable angina pectoris patients with percutaneous coronary interventions.

Aim: Patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) usually present anxiety or depression during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study sought to investigate the instant and short-term effects of acupuncture for anxiety and depression in UAP patients with PCI. Methods: A total of 210 UAP patients who underwent PCI were recruited and randomly assigned (1:1:1) to acupuncture, placebo, or control groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the levels of fasting glucose, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP), advanced oxidation protein products (AoPPs), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OX-LDL). Serial questionnaires with the Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA) scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were evaluated, and heart rate variability indicators were obtained. Results: Primary end-point: low frequency/high frequency (HF) was lower in the electroacupuncture group (p = 0.014), while standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals, average standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals, percentage of successive intervals that differ more than 50 ms, and HF were increased with acupuncture (p = 0.018, p = 0.043, p = 0.016, and p = 0.002, respectively). Secondary end-point: significant improvements in anxiety levels (HAMA) were observed in the three groups (p < 0.001). The fasting insulin and HOMA-IR levels were similar between the control group and the acupuncture group (p = 0.285 and p = 0.165, respectively). The levels of IL-6 and AoPPs differed among the three groups (p = 0.021 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, no significant differences were found in fasting plasma glucose, fasting c-peptide, Hs-CRP, and OX-LDL levels among the three groups (p = 0.585, p = 0.611, p = 0.902, and p = 0.756, respectively). Conclusions: In this study, short-term acupuncture may potentially relieve clinical symptoms before PCI treatment. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier (NCT03789344).

Sulfur dots and iron co-doped nickel-based metal-organic frameworks with high nanozyme activity for the colorimetric determination of α-glucosidase activity.

Alpha-glucosidase (α-Glu) plays a crucial role in regulating the normal physiological function of the body; therefore, α-Glu activity detection is crucial in clinical studies. In this study, a nickel-based metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) co-doped with sulfur dots (SDs) and iron (Fe) was designed and constructed for the colorimetric detection of α-Glu. The SDs/Fe/Ni-MOF shows a very low Michaelis-Menten constant (0.0466 mM) for H2O2, suggesting a very high affinity for H2O2. Additionally, the free radicals generated by the nanozyme-catalyzed reaction were analyzed, and the feasibility of the nanozyme-catalyzed process was further verified using density functional theory. The bimetallic (Fe and Ni) can improve the catalytic activity of the material, and sulfur can improve the affinity with the substrate to further enhance the catalytic performance. Notably, hydroquinone (HQ) inhibits nanozyme activity, whereas α-Glu hydrolyzes alpha-arbutin (α-Arb) and subsequently produces HQ. Therefore, this study developed a method for detecting α-Glu activity using α-Arb as a substrate. This method has high selectivity, a wide detection range (1.00-100 U L-1), and a low detection limit (0.525 U L-1). Finally, the method was used to α-Glu activity detected in serum samples with good accuracy. This study provides a new method for the detection of α-Glu.

Central arterial pressure predicts in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events after acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is currently the main treatment of acute ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI), whereafter various postoperative adverse events often occur. Central arterial pressure (CAP) is closely related to the pathophysiological process of cardiovascular disease, and its relationship with outcomes after PCI in STEMI patients remains unclear. The aim of this study was to observe the relationship between pre-PCI CAP and in-hospital outcomes in STEMI patients which might be helpful to evaluate prognosis. Methods: A total of 512 STEMI patients who underwent emergency PCI were included. Baseline data and CAP information before PCI and in-hospital outcomes were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding factors. Potential non-linear relationships between CAP and in-hospital outcomes were described using a restricted cubic bar plot. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), net reclassification index, and composite discriminant improvement index were used to analyze the correlation between CAP and outcomes during hospitalization. Results: Among the 512 patients, 116 experienced at least 1 in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), with an incidence rate of 22.60%. Among CAP indicators, higher [>137.5 mmHg, OR =2.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-6.06] or lower (<102 mmHg, OR =7.55, 95% CI: 3.45-16.52) central systolic pressure (CSP), lower (<61 mmHg, OR =2.78, 95% CI: 1.36-5.67) central diastolic pressure (CDP), higher (>55 mmHg, OR =2.09, 95% CI: 1.01-4.31) or lower (<29 mmHg, OR =3.28, 95% CI: 1.54-7.00) central pulse pressure (CPP), and higher (>101 mmHg, OR =2.07, 95% CI: 1.01-4.61) or lower (<76 mmHg, OR =4.91, 95% CI: 2.31-10.44) central mean pressure (CMP) were independent risk factors for MACEs. The relationship between CSP and CMP and in-hospital outcomes showed a "J"-shaped relationship, CDP and in-hospital outcomes showed an "L"-shaped relationship, and CPP and in-hospital outcomes showed a "U"-shaped relationship. There was no statistical difference in the prediction ability of in-hospital outcomes detected between CSP, CDP, and CMP (P>0.05), but the comparison of the 3 with CPP was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions: CSP, CDP, and CMP have certain predictive ability for postoperative in-hospital outcomes in STEMI patients and can be used during percutaneous intervention.

Large-area ultra-thin GO nanofiltration membranes prepared by a pre-crosslinking rod coating technique.

In existing separation membranes, it is difficult to quickly produce large-area graphene oxide (GO) nanofiltration membranes with high permeability and high rejection, which is the bottleneck of industrialization. In this study, a pre-crosslinking rod-coating technique is reported. A GO-P-Phenylenediamine (PPD) suspension was obtained by chemically crosslinking GO and PPD for 180 min. After scraping and coating with a Mayer rod, the ultra-thin GO-PPD nanofiltration membrane with an area of 400 cm2 and a thickness of 40 nm was prepared in 30 s. The PPD formed an amide bond with GO to improve its stability. It also increased the layer spacing of GO membrane, which could improve the permeability. The prepared GO nanofiltration membrane had a 99 % rejection rate for dyes such as methylene blue, crystal violet, and Congo red. Meanwhile, the permeation flux reached to 42 LMH/bar, which was 10 times that of the GO membrane without PPD crosslinking, and it still maintained excellent stability under strongly acidic and basic conditions. This work successfully solved the problems of GO nanofiltration membranes, including the large-area fabrication, high permeability and high rejection.

Modeling the Wintering Habitat Distribution of the Black Stork in Shaanxi, China: A Hierarchical Integration of Climate and Land Use/Land Cover Data.

Species distribution models (SDMs) are effective tools for wildlife conservation and management, as they employ the quantification of habitat suitability and environmental niches to evaluate the patterns of species distribution. The utilization of SDMs at various scales in a hierarchical approach can provide additional and complementary information, significantly improving decision-making in local wildlife conservation initiatives. In this study, we considered the appropriate spatial scale and data resolution to execute species distribution modeling, as these factors greatly influence the modeling procedures. We developed SDMs for wintering black storks at both the regional and local scales. At the regional scale, we used climatic and climate-driven land use/land cover (LULC) variables, along with wintering occurrence points, to develop models for mainland China. At the local scale, we used local environmental variables and locally gathered wintering site data to develop models for Shaanxi province. The predictions from both the regional and local models were then combined at the provincial level by overlapping suitable areas based on climatic and local conditions. We compared and evaluated the resulting predictions using seven statistical metrics. The national models provide information on the appropriate climatic conditions for the black stork during the wintering period throughout China, while the provincial SDMs capture the important local ecological factors that influence the suitability of habitats at a finer scale. As anticipated, the national SDMs predict a larger extent of suitable areas compared to the provincial SDMs. The hierarchical prediction approach is considered trustworthy and, on average, yields better outcomes than non-hierarchical methods. Our findings indicate that human-driven LULC changes have a significant and immediate impact on the wintering habitat of the black stork. However, the effects of climate change seem to be reducing the severity of this impact. The majority of suitable wintering habitats lie outside the boundaries of protected areas, highlighting the need for future conservation and management efforts to prioritize addressing these conservation gaps and focusing on the protection of climate refuges.

Overexpression of OsNF-YB4 leads to flowering early, improving photosynthesis and better grain yield in hybrid rice.

For cereal crops, such as rice, the grain yield mainly comes from the accumulation of carbohydrates in the seed, which depends ultimately on photosynthesis during the growth period. To create early ripen variety, higher efficiency of photosynthesis is thus necessary to get higher grain yield with shorter growth period. In this study, flowering early was observed in the hybrid rice with overexpression of OsNF-YB4. Along with the flowering early, the hybrid rice also was shorter in plant height with less of leaves and internodes, but no changes of panicle length and leaf emergence. The grain yield was kept or even increased in the hybrid rice with shorter growth period. Transcription analysis revealed that Ghd7-Ehd1-Hd3a/RFT1 was activated early to promote the flowering transition in the overexpression hybrids. RNA-Seq study further showed that carbohydrate-related pathways were significantly altered in addition to circadian pathway. Notably, up-regulation of three pathways related to plant photosynthesis was observed, as well. Increased carbon assimilation with alteration of chlorophyll contents was subsequently detected in the following physiological experiments. All these results demonstrate that overexpression of OsNF-YB4 in the hybrid rice activates flowering early and improves photosynthesis resulting in better grain yield with shorter growth period.

Selectivity of two types of sulfadimidine-imprinted monolithic polymer-based fibers.

Molecularly imprinted polymeric monolithic fiber is a new technique of solid-phase microextraction that focuses on selectivity. However, the inner mechanism of increasing the selectivity is not well understood. Here, a new approach to improve the selectivity is shown through controlling the surface of a molecular imprinted polymeric monolithic fiber. Sulfadimidine-imprinted polymeric monolithic fibers were fabricated using two kinds of molds, the polytetrafluoroethylene capillary and the silica capillary. A mixture of sulfadimidine, sulfamerazine, sulfadiazine, and sulfametoxypirydazine was used to test the selectivity of the fibers to sulfadimidine. This paper demonstrates that the extraction ratio for sulfadimidine in mixture is increased to more than 150% in sulfadimidine-imprinted polymeric monolithic fiber compared to nonimprinted polymeric monolithic fiber. The extraction ratio is increased to about 30% in sulfadimidine-imprinted polymeric monolithic fiber fabricated from silica capillary than in the counterpart from nonimprinted polymeric monolithic fiber. The sulfadimidine-imprinted polymeric monolithic fibers were also applied to extract standard mixtures spiked into Pearl River water and milk. The results indicated that polytetrafluoroethylene-sulfadimidine imprinted polymeric monolithic fiber showed highest selectivity to sulfadimidine in complex samples.