Adipokinetic hormone signaling regulates adult dehydration resistance in the migratory locust

Drought events have become more severe under climate change,and this can pose a major threat to the survival of various organisms.The molecular mechanisms involved in dehydration resistance are not well known.Here,adults of the migratory locust,Locusta migratoria,were subjected to food-mediated dehydration,and adipokinetic hormone(AKH)signaling was found to play a key role in regulating dehydration resistance.Specifically,dehydration shortened the lifespan,increased the body weight loss,and reduced the water loss rate in adult locusts.Global transcriptome profiles revealed variations in tissue-specific gene expression between dehydration-resistant locusts and normal locusts.Importantly,dehydration selection and exposure induced prominent expression of AKH genes in the retrocerebral complex of adult locusts.Furthermore,individual knockdown of AKH1,AKH2,or AKH receptor(AKHR)accelerated water loss and shortened the lifespan of adult locusts under dehydration conditions,and trehalose supplementation ameliorated the negative effects caused by interference with AKH or AKHR.These findings demonstrated that AKH/AKHR signaling-dependent trehalose metabolism plays a crucial role in regulating locust dehydration resistance and thus provide novel insights into the regulatory mechanism underlying drought resistance.

The shallow Longmenshan crustal S-velocity structure of the fault zone using ambient noise tomography of a seismic dense array

The Longmenshan fault zone(LMSF),characterized by complex structures and strong seismicity,is located at the junction between the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and the north-western Sichuan basin.Since the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12,2008,abundant studies of the formation mechanism of earthquakes along the LMSF were performed.In this study,a short-period dense seismic array deployed across the LMSF was applied by ambient noise tomography.Fifty-two 3-D seismic instruments were used for data acquisition for 26 days.We calculated the empirical Green's functions(EGFs)between different station-pairs and extracted 776 Rayleigh-wave dispersion curves between 2 and 7 s.And then,we used the direct-inversion method to obtain the fine shallow crustal S-wave velocity structure within 6 km depth in the middle section of the Longmenshan fault zone and nearby areas.Our results show that the sedimentary layer(>5 km)exists in the northwest margin of Sichuan Basin with a low S-wave velocity(~1.5-2.5 km/s)which is much thicker than that beneath the Longmenshan fault zone and the Songpan-Garze block.The high-velocity structures with clear boundaries below the middle of Longmenshan fault zone(~2-4 km)and the Songpan-Garze block(~4.5-6 km)probably reveal the NW-SE distribution patterns of both the Pengguan complex and the high-density belt hidden in the northwest of the Pengguan complex.And the obviously high-velocity anomalies observed at the depth of^1-2 km in the southeastern margin of the Songpan-Garze block can be considered as the Laojungou granites.Our results provide a high-resolution shallow velocity structure for detailed studies of the Longmenshan fault zone.

Risk factors and a predictive nomogram for lymph node metastasis in superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND Superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)is defined as cancer infiltrating the mucosa and submucosa,regardless of regional lymph node metastasis(LNM).Endoscopic resection of superficial ESCC is suitable for lesions that have no or low risk of LNM.Patients with a high risk of LNM always need further treatment after endoscopic resection.Therefore,accurately assessing the risk of LNM is critical for additional treatment options.AIM To analyze risk factors for LNM and develop a nomogram to predict LNM risk in superficial ESCC patients.METHODS Clinical and pathological data of superficial ESCC patients undergoing esophagectomy from January 1,2009 to January 31,2016 were collected.Logistic regression analysis was used to predict LNM risk factors,and a nomogram was developed based on risk factors derived from multivariate logistic regression analysis.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to obtain the accuracy of the nomogram model.RESULTSA total of 4660 patients with esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy.Of these,474 superficial ESCC patientswere enrolled in the final analysis,with 322 patients in the training set and 142 patients in the validation set.Theprevalence of LNM was 3.29%(5/152)for intramucosal cancer and increased to 26.40%(85/322)for submucosalcancer.Multivariate logistic analysis showed that tumor size,invasive depth,tumor differentiation,infiltrativegrowth pattern,tumor budding,and lymphovascular invasion were significantly correlated with LNM.Anomogram using these six variables showed good discrimination with an area under the ROC curve of 0.789(95%CI:0.737-0.841)in the training set and 0.827(95%CI:0.755-0.899)in the validation set.CONCLUSIONWe developed a useful nomogram model to predict LNM risk for superficial ESCC patients which will facilitateadditional decision-making in treating patients who undergo endoscopic resection.

Closed-loop scheduling optimization strategy based on particle swarm optimization with niche technology and soft sensor method of attributes-applied to gasoline blending process

Gasoline blending scheduling optimization can bring significant economic and efficient benefits to refineries.However,the optimization model is complex and difficult to build,which is a typical mixed integer nonlinear programming(MINLP)problem.Considering the large scale of the MINLP model,in order to improve the efficiency of the solution,the mixed integer linear programming-nonlinear programming(MILP-NLP)strategy is used to solve the problem.This paper uses the linear blending rules plus the blending effect correction to build the gasoline blending model,and a relaxed MILP model is constructed on this basis.The particle swarm optimization algorithm with niche technology(NPSO)is proposed to optimize the solution,and the high-precision soft-sensor method is used to calculate the deviation of gasoline attributes,the blending effect is dynamically corrected to ensure the accuracy of the blending effect and optimization results,thus forming a prediction-verification-reprediction closed-loop scheduling optimization strategy suitable for engineering applications.The optimization result of the MILP model provides a good initial point.By fixing the integer variables to the MILPoptimal value,the approximate MINLP optimal solution can be obtained through a NLP solution.The above solution strategy has been successfully applied to the actual gasoline production case of a refinery(3.5 million tons per year),and the results show that the strategy is effective and feasible.The optimization results based on the closed-loop scheduling optimization strategy have higher reliability.Compared with the standard particle swarm optimization algorithm,NPSO algorithm improves the optimization ability and efficiency to a certain extent,effectively reduces the blending cost while ensuring the convergence speed.

Low-content Pt-triggered the optimized d-band center of Rh metallene for energy-saving hydrogen production coupled with hydrazine degradation

Utilizing the hydrazine-assisted water electrolysis for energy-efficient hydrogen production shows a promising application, which relies on the development and design of efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts. Herein, we reported a low-content Pt-doped Rh metallene(Pt-Rhene) for hydrazine-assisted water electrolysis towards energy-saving hydrogen(H_(2)) production, where the ultrathin metallene is constructed to provide enough favorable active sites for catalysis and improve atom utilization.Additionally, the synergistic effect between Rh and Pt can optimize the electronic structure of Rh for improving the intrinsic activity. Therefore, the required overpotential of Pt-Rhene is only 37 mV to reach a current density of-10 mA cm^(-2) in the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER), and the Pt-Rhene exhibits a required overpotential of only 11 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2) in the hydrazine oxidation reaction(HzOR). With the constructed HER-HzOR two-electrode system, the Pt-Rhene electrodes exhibit an extremely low voltage(0.06/0.19/0.28 V) to achieve current densities of 10/50/100 mA cm^(-2) for energy-saving H_(2) production, which greatly reduces the electrolysis energy consumption. Moreover,DFT calculations further demonstrate that the introduction of Pt modulates the electronic structure of Rh and optimizes the d-band center, thus enhancing the adsorption and desorption of reactant/intermediates in the electrocatalytic reaction.

Discussion on 'Was the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake triggered by Zipingpu Reservoir?'

Some recent publications presented a result suggesting that Zipingpu reservoir hastened the occurrence of the 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake by tens to hundreds of years. Their researches calculated the Coulomb stress change induced by Zipingpu reservoir on the rupturing fault of Wenchuan earthquake. Their results, however, are critically dependent upon the 3-D event location, reservoir location, and the fault plane orientation. We repeated Ge et al.＇s work in this paper and found that an improper dip angle parameter of their 2-D fault model might lead to a wrong conclusion. Both the modeling results based on the 2-D model and 3-D model with proper fault parameters will show Coulomb stress changes alone were neither large enough nor had the correct orientation to affect the occurrence of Wenchuan earthquake, which supports our recent argument based on the local seismicity analysis and the induced Coulomb stress change calculation with a 3-D model.

Test the topographic steady state in an active mountain belt

Landscape evolution is the window to the link between deep earth and surface processes. One of the key issues in landscape evolution is to characterize the topographic steady state of mountain belts. The Taiwan mountain belt is an extraordinary case due to its extremely high uplift and denudation rates. The uplift of Taiwan Island is caused by the oblique collision between the Luzon Arc and the East Asian continent. In this case, the mountain building process in the north always occurs earlier than that in the south,which causes the spatial distribution of steady-state regions.The East Central Range receives much research attention with the presence of river basins that mainly distribute along the trajectory of the collision propagation. Normally, based on analyses of geomorphic parameters, the whole Central Range, or at least part of it, should be at a topographic steady state. However, the balance between uplift rates and denudation rates that exist in these regions is seldomly tested. In this contribution, we make a comprehensive literature review on the uplift and denudation rates derived from various approaches, including sediment yields, in-situ cosmogenic nuclide ^(10) Be, incision of river channels,thermochronology, and GPS observations. This literature review reveals that the topographic steady state may prevail in the northern and middle parts of the East Central Range.However, an obvious inconsistency in denudation rates calculated by different methods prevents us from better constraining the topographic steady state in some regions of this mountain range.

The Effectiveness of Nursing Intervention for Patients with Claustrophobia in MR Examination

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a nursing intervention for patients with claustrophobia in MR examination. Methods: This study included 40 claustrophobic patients who underwent MR examination from March 2013 to May 2015 in our hospital. These patients were randomly divided into two groups;each group had 20 patients. Among them, usual care was taken in one group (control group) and nursing intervention was added on the basis of usual care in another group (observation group). The patient's psychological state and MR successful rate were compared between these two groups. Results: In control group and observation group, the scores of anxiety were 46.20 ±3.07, 37.50 ±2.54, respectively. The scores of depression were 44.30 ±2.54, 37.70 ±2.15. MR successful rates were 35.00% and 90.00%, respectively. There were significant differences in these two groups (P 【0.05). Conclusion: Effective nursing interventions can improve patient’s psychological state and MR successful rate for claustrophobic patients.

Information Propagation with Retweet Probability on Online Social Network

The rapid development of online social network has attracted a lot of research attention. On online social network, people can discuss their ideas, express their interests and opinions, all of which are demonstrated by information propagation. So how to model the information propagation cascade accurately has become a hot topic. In this paper, we firstly incorporate the retweet probability into the traditional propagation models. To find the accurate retweet probability, we introduce the logistic regression model for every user based on the extracted features. With the crawled real dataset, simulation is conducted on the real online social network and moreover some novel results have been obtained. The homogenous retweet probability in the original model has underestimated the speed of information propagation, despite the scale of information propagation is almost at the same level. Besides, the initial information poster is really important for a certain propagation, which enables us to make effective strategies to prevent epidemics of rumor on social network.

Switchable shape memory polymer bio-inspired adhesive and its application for unmanned aerial vehicle landing

Controlled and switchable adhesion is commonly observed in biological systems.In recent years,many scholars have focused on making switchable bio-inspired adhesives.However,making a bio-inspired adhesive with high adhesion performance and excellent dynamic switching properties is still a challenge.A Shape Memory Polymer Bio-inspired Adhesive(SMPBA)was successfully developed,well realizing high adhesion(about 337 kPa),relatively low preload(about90 kPa),high adhesion-to-preload ratio(about 3.74),high switching ratio(about 6.74),and easy detachment,which are attributed to the controlled modulus and contact area by regulating temperature and the Shape Memory Effect(SME).Furthermore,SMPBA exhibits adhesion strength of80–337 kPa on various surfaces(silicon,iron,and aluminum)with different roughness(Ra=0.021–10.280)because of the conformal contact,reflecting outstanding surface adaptability.The finite element analysis verifies the bending ability under different temperatures,while the adhesion model analyzes the influence of preload on contact area and adhesion.Furthermore,an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)landing device with SMPBA was designed and manufactured to achieve UAV landing on and detaching from various surfaces.This study provides a novel switchable bio-inspired adhesive and UAV landing method.

Human monoclonal antibodies block the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor

According to the World Health Organization(WHO)newly updated situation report on March 18th,2020,the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has confirmed 191,127 cases and claimed 7807 deaths worldwide.1 The etiological agent of COVID-19 has been identified as a novel coronavirus,the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),belonging to Sarbecovirus subgenus(genus Betacoronavirus,family Coronaviridae)and showing 79.6 and 96.2%sequence identity in nucleotide to SARS-CoV and a bat coronavirus(BatCoV RaTG13),respectively.2–4 Like SARS-CoV infection,a substantial fraction of COVID-19 patients exhibits severe respiratory symptoms and has to be hospitalized in intensive care unit.5–8 Although the mortality rate of COVID-19 is significantly lower than that of SARS-CoV infection,SARS-CoV-2 shows much higher human-to-human transmission rate,rapidly leading to a global pandemic declared by WHO on March 11th,2020.

Disease severity dictates SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing antibody responses in COVID-19

COVID-19 patients exhibit differential disease severity after SARS-CoV-2 infection.It is currently unknown as to the correlation between the magnitude of neutralizing antibody(NAb)responses and the disease severity in COVID-19 patients.In a cohort of 59 recovered patients with disease severity including severe,moderate,mild,and asymptomatic,we observed the positive correlation between serum neutralizing capacity and disease severity,in particular,the highest NAb capacity in sera from the patients with severe disease,while a lack of ability of asymptomatic patients to mount competent NAbs.Furthermore,the compositions of NAb subtypes were also different between recovered patients with severe symptoms and with mild-tomoderate symptoms.These results reveal the tremendous heterogeneity of SARS-CoV-2-specific NAb responses and their correlations to disease severity,highlighting the needs of future vaccination in COVID-19 patients recovered from asymptomatic or mild illness.

Combination of graphene oxide and platelet-rich plasma improves tendon-bone healing in a rabbit model of supraspinatus tendon reconstruction

The treatment of rotator cuff tear is one of the major challenges for orthopedic surgeons.The key to treatment is the reconstruction of the tendon-bone interface(TBI).Autologous platelet-rich plasma(PRP)is used as a therapeutic agent to accelerate the healing of tendons,as it contains a variety of growth factors and is easy to prepare.Graphene oxide(GO)is known to improve the physical properties of biomaterials and promote tissue repair.In this study,PRP gels containing various concentrations of GO were prepared to promote TBI healing and supraspinatus tendon reconstruction in a rabbit model.The incorporation of GO improved the ultrastructure and mechanical properties of the PRP gels.The gels containing 0.5 mg/ml GO(0.5 GO/PRP)continuously released transforming growth factor-b1(TGF-b1)and platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF)-AB,and the released TGF-b1 and PDGF-AB were still at high concentrations,1063.451 pg/ml and814.217 pg/ml,respectively,on the 14th day.In vitro assays showed that the 0.5 GO/PRP gels had good biocompatibility and promoted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells proliferation and osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation.After 12 weeks of implantation,the magnetic resonance imaging,microcomputed tomography and histological results indicated that the newly regenerated tendons in the 0.5 GO/PRP group had a similar structure to natural tendons.Moreover,the biomechanical results showed that the newly formed tendons in the 0.5 GO/PRP group had better biomechanical properties compared to those in the other groups,and had more stable TBI tissue.Therefore,the combination of PRP and GO has the potential to be a powerful advancement in the treatment of rotator cuff injuries.

Anti-forcing spectrum of any cata-condensed hexagonal system is continuous

The anti-forcing number of a perfect matching M of a graph G is the minimal number of edges not in M whose removal makes M a unique perfect matching of the resulting graph. The anti-forcing spectrum of G is the set of anti-forcing numbers over all perfect matchings of G. In this paper, we prove that the anti-forcing spectrum of any cata-condensed hexagonal system is continuous, that is, it is a finite set of consecutive integers.

A potent human monoclonal antibody with pan-neutralizing activities directly dislocates S trimer of SARS-CoV-2 through binding both up and down forms of RBD

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has caused a global pandemic of novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19).The neutralizing monoclonal antibodies(mAbs)targeting the receptor-binding domain(RBD)of SARS-CoV-2 are among the most promising strategies to prevent and treat COVID-19.However,SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern(VOCs)profoundly reduced the efficacies of most of mAbs and vaccines approved for clinical use.Herein,we demonstrated mAb 35B5 efficiently neutralizes both wild-type(WT)SARS-CoV-2 and VOCs.

13-Valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines vaccination innovative strategy in Weifang City,China:a case study

The World Health Organization(WHO)prioritizes pneumococcal disease as a vaccine-preventable disease and recommends the inclusion of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines(PCV)in national immunization programs worldwide.However,PCV is not included in the National Immunization Program in China and has low vaccination coverage due to its high cost.To address this,Weifang City implemented an innovative strategy for a 13-valent PCV(PCV13)on June 1,2021.This strategy aimed to provide one dose of PCV13 free of charge for children aged 6 months to 2 years in registered households and to adopt a commercial insurance model with one dose of PCV13 free of charge in 2023 for children over 2 years old.The Health Commission of Weifang and other departments conducted a comprehensive investigation and considered various factors,such as vaccine efectiveness,safety,accessibility,vaccine price,and immunization schedules,for eligible children(under 5 years old).Stakeholder opinions were also solicited before implementing the policy.The Commission negotiated with various vaccine manufacturers to maximize its negotiating power and reduce vaccine prices.The implementation plan was introduced under the Healthy Weifang Strategy.Following the implementation of this strategy,the full course of vaccination coverage increased signifcantly from 0.67 to 6.59%.However,vaccination coverage is still lower than that in developed countries.Weifang’s PCV13 vaccination innovative strategy is the frst of its kind in Chinese mainland and is an active pilot of non-immunization program vaccination strategies.To further promote PCV13 vaccination,Weifang City should continue to implement this strategy and explore appropriate fnancing channels.Regions with higher levels of economic development can innovate the implementation of vaccine programs,broaden fnancing channels,improve accessibility to vaccination services,and advocate for more localities to incorporate PCV13 into locally expanded immunization programs or people-benefting projects.A monitoring and evaluation system should also be established to evaluate implementation efects.

Heterogeneity of HIV-1 latent reservoirs

Antiretroviral therapy(ART)can effectively inhibit human immunodeficiency virus-1(HIV-1)replication,but is not curative due to the existence of a stable viral latent reservoir harboring replication-competent proviruses.In order to reduce or eliminate the HIV-1 latent reservoir,characteristics of the latently infected cells need to be intensively studied,and a comprehensive understanding of the heterogenous nature of the latent reservoir will be critical to develop novel therapeutic strategies.Here,we discuss the different cell types and mechanisms contributing to the complexity and heterogeneity of HIV-1 latent reservoirs,and summarize the key challenges to the development of cure strategies for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS).

Predictive value of Th17 and Treg cells at baseline for HBsAg loss in chronic hepatitis B patients with low HBsAg quantification treated with pegylated interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogue

Background and aims:The primary goal of chronic hepatitis B(CHB)treatment is to reduce hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg).T helper 17(Th17)and regulatory T(Treg)cells are essential for the development of CHB.However,how Th17 and Treg cells contribute to HBsAg loss is still unknown.Therefore,this study aimed to search for the predictive value of Th17 and Treg cells for HBsAg loss in CHB patients with low HBsAg quantification.Methods:The study included 99 hepatitis B e antigen(HBeAg)-negative CHB patients who had completed a year of nucleos(t)ide analogue(NA)monotherapy and had received both NA and pegylated interferon(PEG-IFN)treatment for less than 96 weeks(96 wk).In the cured group,48 patients lost HBsAg within 48 wk,while 51 patients did not(uncured group).Blood samples and clinical data were collected for research.Results:During PEG-IFN and NA combination therapy,the proportion of Th17 cells in the cured group increased significantly,while the proportion of Treg cells in the uncured group increased.From 0 to 24 wk,the proportion of Th17 cells in the cured group was significantly higher than in the uncured group,while the opposite was true for Treg cells.Patients with alanine aminotransferase(ALT)2.5 upper limit of normal(ULN)at 12 wk had a higher proportion of Th17 cells and a lower proportion of Treg cells than those with ALT<2.5 ULN at 12 wk.Additionally,the proportion of Th17 cells is inversely associated with the level of HBsAg,whereas the level of Treg cells is positively related to HBsAg quantification.The clinical cure index,including age,HBsAg quantification,and the proportions of Th17 and Treg cells,had a higher area under the curve(0.957)for predicting HBsAg loss when compared to the proportions of Th17 and Treg cells and HBsAg quantification alone.Conclusions:Combined with quantification of HBsAg,the proportions of Th17 cells and Treg cells at baseline can be used as good predictors of HBsAg loss in patients with low HBsAg quantification treated with NA and PEG-IFN.

电化学还原高压CO_(2)捕集溶液制太阳能燃料

本文突破单一考虑CO_(2)转化的局限,从CO_(2)捕集-转化-利用集成的角度提出了直接光/电化学还原高压CO_(2)捕集溶液制太阳能燃料,在捕集端避免高温条件气相CO_(2)再生步骤;在产无端利用CO_(2)和CO溶解度的巨大差异,实现零能耗气体产物分离;在转化过程中,本文建立了考虑压力的光/电化学CO_(2)还原多尺度方法.本文建立了微观第一性原理计算-介观动力学模拟-宏观输运模型耦合的多尺度模型,以基元反应参数、分电流密度作为跨接参数,以电极表面CO_(2)浓度、pH作为迭代参数,实现了多尺度模拟计算;研究了宏观压力变化对界面微环境(电极表面分子覆盖度和局域pH)的作用机制,发现分子覆盖度对CO_(2)还原反应的促进作用与局域pH对析氢反应的抑制作用相协同,实现了CO_(2)高效、高选择性转化.本文研制了直接光/电化学还原高压CO_(2)捕集溶液制太阳能燃料原理样机,太阳能制燃料效率达到16.8%,超过了文献报道的饱和CO_(2)溶液供给的太阳能制燃料系统.

Efficient solar fuel production with a high-pressure CO_(2)-captured liquid feed

We demonstrated an efficient solar photovoltaic-powered electrochemical CO_(2) reduction device with a high-pressure CO_(2)-captured liquid feed.In an“air-to-barrel”picture,this device holds promise to avoid both high-temperature gaseous CO_(2) regeneration and high energy-cost gas product separation steps,while these steps are necessary for devices with a gaseous CO_(2) feed.To date,solar fuel production with a CO_(2)-saturated liquid feed suffers from high over-potential to suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction and consequently,low solar-to-chemical(STC)energy conversion efficiency.Here,we presented a distinct high-pressure operando strategy,i.e.,we took extra advantage of the high pressure in catalyst synthesis besides in the period of the CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR).The power of this strategy was demonstrated by a proof-of-concept device in which a representative copper catalyst was first synthesized in operando in a high-pressure(50 bar)CO_(2)-saturated KHCO3 solution,and then this high-pressure CO_(2)-captured liquid was converted to solar fuel using the operando synthesized Cu catalyst.This Cu catalyst achieved 95%CO_(2)RR selectivity at the recorded low potential of−0.3 V vs.RHE enabled by the combination of operando facet engineering and oxide derivation.Furthermore,this device achieved a record-high STC efficiency of 21.6%under outdoor illumination,superior to other CO_(2)-saturated liquid-fed devices,and compared favorably to gaseous CO_(2)-fed devices.