Presence of a long nuclear-localization signal sequence in homeodomain transcription factor Nkx 1.2

Homeodomains,a 60-amino acid sequence encoded by 180 nucleotides,are highly conserved DNA-binding motifs that are present in a variety of transcription factors in species ranging from yeast to humans.The NKX proteins belong to the homeodomain(HD)-containing transcription factor family.They play vital roles in the regulation of morphogenesis.NKX1-2 is one member of the NKX subfamily.At present,information about its nuclear localization signal(NLS)sequence is limited.We studied the NLS sequence of zebrafish Nkx1.2 by introducing sequence changes such as deletion,mutation,and truncation,and identified an NLS motif(QNRRTKWKKQ)that is localized at the C-terminus of the homeodomain.Moreover,the deletion of two amino acid residues(RR)in this NLS motif prevents Nkx1.2 from entering the nucleus,indicating that the two amino acids are essential for Nkx1.2 nuclear localization.However,the NLS motif alone is unable to target cytoplasmic protein glutathione S-transferase(GST)to the nucleus.An intact homeodomain is necessary for mediating the complete nuclear transport of cytoplasmic protein.Unlike most nuclear import proteins with short NLS sequences,a long NLS is present in zebrafish Nkx1.2.We also demonstrated that the sequences of homeodomain of NKX1.2 are well conserved among different species.This study is informative to verify the function of the NKX1.2 protein.

Reveal the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanism of an edible medicinal plant Rhodiola crenulate in DSS-induced colitis through plasma pharmacochemistry and metabolomics

Rhodiola crenulate is the edible medicinal herbal medicine widely used for altitude sickness in China.Interestingly,our previous work has found that R.crenulate extract(RCE)could significantly improve the pathology associated with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis.Thus,the current research aims to reveal the pharmacodynamic material basis of RCE,as well as its mechanism against colitis.The chemical characterization of RCE was performed by UHPLC-HR-MS,through which a total of 88 constituents were identified.Meanwhile,our results also found 29 constituents absorbed into blood and 8 metabolized absorbable compounds.The decreased flavonoids prototype and the elevated sulfated products of phenols were observed under pathophysiological conditions of colitis.The metabolomics study revealed that colitis caused the alternation of fatty acid metabolism,steroid hormone biosynthesis and bile acid metabolism.Correspondingly,RCE could prevent colitis by improving fatty acid metabolism and secondary bile acid metabolism.

The impact of the digital economy on the servitization of industrial structures: the moderating effect of human capital

The digital economy,which was born during the late third technological revolution,has caused significant economic and societal changes.Amid sluggish global economic growth,China’s economy is facing upgrades and transformations.The sample selection for this study was conducted from 2013 to 2020.Data related to the digital economy and servitization of the industrial structure of 30 Chinese provinces,municipalities,and autonomous regions were collected.This study presents the human capital variable,based on which an econometric analysis was conducted,and examines its moderating effect.The findings indicate that even after the replacement variable indicator’s robustness test,the relationship between the digital economy and the servitization of industrial structures remains unchanged.This study demonstrats that the quality of human capital plays a positive role in this effect.Finally,a heterogeneity test demonstrated that there are different pathways for the impact of the digital economy on the servitization of industrial structures in the eastern,central,and western regions.This study provides evidence to help researchers understand the moderating utility of human capital.

DNMT3a通过提升基因内部甲基化介导紫杉醇诱导的LINE-1异常表达

药物诱导的长散在重复序列LINE-1异常激活可促进细胞基因组不稳定,而基因组不稳定是促进肿瘤发生发展和耐药表型形成的重要因素。因此,探索LINE-1异常激活的分子机制具有重要的理论和临床意义。DNA甲基化是调控基因表达的重要方式,已知DNA甲基转移酶家族成员DNMT3a不仅能通过促进基因启动子甲基化抑制基因表达,还可通过增强基因内部甲基化上调基因表达。本实验室前期研究发现,将乳腺癌细胞暴露于化疗药物可诱导LINE-1异常高表达,但LINE-1启动子甲基化水平并无显著改变。本研究进一步探讨了在化疗药物压力下DNMT3a是否可通过增强LINE-1基因内部甲基化水平促进LINE-1在乳腺癌细胞中的异常高表达。ChIP实验和甲基分析结果显示,用化疗药物紫杉醇(PTX)处理乳腺癌细胞,不仅可以诱导DNMT3a表达,而且可以促进DNMT3a与LINE-1基因内部区域的结合,提升其基因内部甲基化水平,进而上调LINE-1的表达水平。利用表达载体增加细胞内DNMT3a的表达水平,可显著上调LINE-1基因内部的甲基化及基因的表达水平,而下调DNMT3a的表达可有效抑制LINE-1表达。上述研究结果表明,DNMT3a介导的基因非启动子区甲基化在药物诱导的LINE-1异常激活中发挥重要作用,为认识LINE-1在乳腺癌化疗耐药性形成过程中异常激活的机制提供了新思路。

N and P resorption in a pioneer shrub(Artemisia halodendron) inhabiting severely desertified lands of Northern China

Nutrient resorption is an important conservation mechanism for plants to overcome nutrient limitation in the less fertile area of desertifled land. In the semi-arid Horqin Sandy Land of Northern China, the shrub Artemisia ha/odendron usually colonizes into the bare ground of severely desertified land as a pioneer species. It is, therefore, expected that A. ha/odendron will be less dependent on current nutrient uptake through efficient and proficient re- sorption of nutrients. In this study, we found that averaged nitrogen （N） and phosphorus （P） concentrations in se- nesced leaves significantly varied from 12.3 and 1.2 mg/g in the shifting sand dune to 15.9 and 1.9 mg/g in the fixed sand dune, respectively, suggesting that foliar N and P resorption of A. ha/odendron were more proficient in the shifting sand dune. In particular, positive relationships between nutrient concentrations in senesced leaves and soil nutrient availability indicate that A. ha/odendron in infertile habitats is more likely to manage with a low level of nu- trients in senesced leaves, giving this species an advantage in infertile soil. Moreover, foliar N- and P-resorption efficiencies and proficiencies showed limited inter-annual variability although annual precipitation varied greatly among 2007-2009. However, N and P resorption of A. ha/oc/endron were not more efficient and proficient than those previously reported for other shrubs, indicating that the pioneer shrub in sand dune environments does not rely more heavily than other plants on the process of resorption to conserve nutrients. Incomplete resorption of nutrients in A. halodendron suggests that senesced-leaf fall would return litter with high quality to the soil, and thereby would indirectly improve soil nutrient availability. The restoration of desertified land, therefore, may be ac- celerated after A. halodendron pioneers into shifting sand dunes.

Land cover changes and the effects of cultivation on soil properties in Shelihu wetland,Horqin Sandy Land,Northern China

Land cover change plays an essential role in the alternation of soils properties. By field investigation and applying satellite images, land cover information in the Shelihu wetland was carried out in an area of 2,819 hm2 in 1985, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2011, respectively, in Horqin Sandy Land. A total of 57 soil sampling sites across Shelihu were chosen in wet meadow （CL0）, cropland （CL） and sandy land （SL） according to the spatial characteristics of water body change. Soil texture, organic carbon （SOC）, total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） contents, electrical conductivity （EC） and pH were measured at the soil depths of 0-10, 10-20 and 20-40 cm to examine the influence of agricultural conversion and continuous cultivation on soil properties. The results showed that the study area was covered by water body in 1985, which gradually declined afterwards and then reclaimed rapidly at a mean annual rate of 132.1 hm2/a from wet meadow to cropland since 1995. In 2011, water body was drained and the area was occupied by 10.8% of CL0, 76.9% of CL and 12.3% of SL. Large amounts of SOC, TN and TP were accumulated in the above depths in CL0. Soil in CL0 also had higher EC and silt and clay fractions, lower pH than in SL and CL. Soil in SL was seriously degraded with lower contents of SOC, TN and TP than in CL and CL0. SOC, TN content and EC in CL decreased with the increase of cultivation age, while pH showed a reverse trend with significance at plough horizon. The agricultural conversion in Shelihu was driven by the comprehensive factors of precipitation reduction, economic development and intense competitions for irrigation water. Continuous cultivation in this process is not sustainable because of SOC degradation and nutrient content reduction. The key point is that conventional tillage and removal of residuals induced further land degradation. Wetland reclamation for immediate economic interests led to greater costs in the long-term environmental restoration in Horqin Sandy Land.

Prader-Willi综合征下丘脑功能障碍的遗传机制研究进展

Prader-Willi综合征(Prader-Willi syndrome,PWS)是一种罕见的先天发育性疾病,主要由父系15号染色体长臂15q11~q13区域基因缺失或沉默引起。PWS临床表型复杂,主要包括无法满足的饥饿、病态的肥胖、智力发育迟缓、性腺发育不良等,多数症状提示与下丘脑的功能障碍相关。然而到目前为止,PWS的分子遗传机制尚不明确,尤其是基因和临床表现之间的对应关系和详细机制有待进一步研究。本文以PWS“基因型–下丘脑功能障碍表型”之间的关联为重点,综述了15q11~q13区域基因(NIPA1、NIPA2、TUBGCP5、CYFIP1、MAGEL2、NDN、MKRN3和SNORD116等)与PWS患者过度摄食和肥胖、性腺发育不良、睡眠呼吸障碍、生长发育迟缓等表型相关的研究进展,旨在加深对PWS遗传机制的理解,探讨潜在的PWS药物靶点的可能性。

The driving force of water resource stress change based on the STIRPAT model:take Zhangye City as a case study

A prominent contradiction between supply and demand of water resources has restricted local development in social and economic aspects of Zhangye City,located in a typical arid region of China.Our study quantified the Water Resource Stress Index(WRSI)from 2003 to 2017 and examined the factors of population,urbanization level,GDP per capita,Engel coefficient,and water consumption per unit of GDP by using the extended stochastic impact by regression on population,affluence and technology(STIRPAT)model to find the key factors that impact WRSI of Zhangye City to relieve the pressure on water resources.The ridge regression method is applied to improve this model to eliminate multicollinearity problems.The WRSI system was developed from the following three aspects:water resources utilization(WR),regional economic development water use(WU),and water environment stress(WE).Results show that the WRSI index has fallen from 0.81(2003)to 0.17(2017),with an average annual decreased rate of 9.8%.Moreover,the absolute values of normalized coefficients demonstrate that the Engel coefficient has the largest positive contribution to increase WRSI with an elastic coefficient of 0.2709,followed by water consumption per unit of GDP and population with elastic coefficients of 0.0971 and 0.0387,respectively.In contrast,the urbanization level and GDP per capita can decrease WRSI by−0.2449 and−0.089,respectively.The decline of WRSI was attributed to water-saving society construction which included the improvement of water saving technology and the adjustment of agricultural planting structures.Furthermore,this study demonstrated the feasibility of evaluating the driving forces affecting WRSI by using the STIRPAT model and ridge regression analysis.

Litter decomposition in fragile ecosystems:A review

As a linkage between plants and soil,litter decomposition and its effect on nutrient recirculation have an important ecolog‐ical significance as they contribute to soil structure improvement and the restoration of degraded ecosystems.Fragile eco‐systems in arid regions(both hot and cold)are depleted in soil organic matter,and as a result of various factors their circu‐lation of material and energy is slower.Here we discuss how litter decomposition is necessary to maintain the stability of fragile ecosystems.We reviewed research on litter decomposition carried out in arid regions.Our objective in this review is to outline how litter decomposition,and the subsequent buildup of organic matter in soil,is a key process determining the stability of fragile ecosystems.Our review shows that existing studies have focused on the influence of single ecologi‐cal factors on litter decomposition and nutrient cycling,and highlights how the exploration of interactions among factors determining litter decomposition is still lacking.This interaction is a key aspect,since in the real world,decomposition and nutrient return to soil of litter products is affected by multiple factors.We propose a network setup on a cross-regional scale using standardized methods(e.g.,the tea bag method)to understand litter decomposition and nutrient return in frag‐ile ecosystems.Such a unique network could contribute to establish predictive models suitable for litter decomposition and nutrient return in these areas,and thus could provide theoretical and practical support for regional ecological protec‐tion and high-quality development.

Mapping a Paleodrainage System of the Keriya River Using Remote Sensing Data and Historical Materials

Keriya River, one of the ancient Four Green Corridors in the Tarim Basin, recording the changes of climate-environment and the ancient Silk Road of the region. According to the archaeological data, historical materials and paleoclimates information, its eeo-environment and climate have taken great changes since the 1.09 Ma B.P, especially during the recent 2,000 years, many famous ancient cities having been abandoned and the south route of the Silk Road has been moved southward. This study illustrates the capability of the remote sensing data （radar data, topographic data and optical images） and historical materials, in mapping the ancient drainage networks. A major paleodrainage system of Keriya River has linked the Kunlun Mountains to the Tienshan Mountains, possibly as far back as the early Pleistocene. The Keriya River will have important implications for not only the understanding of the paleoenvironments and paleoclimates of Tarim Basin from the early Pleistocene to the Holocene, but also the changes of the Silk Road.

A novel deep learning framework with variational auto-encoder for indoor air quality prediction

Exposure to poor indoor air conditions poses significant risks to human health, increasing morbidity and mortality rates. Soft measurement modeling is suitable for stable and accurate monitoring of air pollutants and improving air quality. Based on partial least squares (PLS), we propose an indoor air quality prediction model that utilizes variational auto-encoder regression (VAER) algorithm. To reduce the negative effects of noise, latent variables in the original data are extracted by PLS in the first step. Then, the extracted variables are used as inputs to VAER, which improve the accuracy and robustness of the model. Through comparative analysis with traditional methods, we demonstrate the superior performance of our PLS-VAER model, which exhibits improved prediction performance and stability. The root mean square error (RMSE) of PLS-VAER is reduced by 14.71%, 26.47%, and 12.50% compared to single VAER, PLS-SVR, and PLS-ANN, respectively. Additionally, the coefficient of determination (R2) of PLS-VAER improves by 13.70%, 30.09%, and 11.25% compared to single VAER, PLS-SVR, and PLS-ANN, respectively. This research offers an innovative and environmentally-friendly approach to monitor and improve indoor air quality.

Additive manufacturing of degradable metallic scaffolds for material-structure-driven diabetic maxillofacial bone regeneration

The regeneration of maxillofacial bone defects associated with diabetes mellitus remains challenging due to the occlusal loading and hyperglycemia microenvironment.Herein,we propose a material-structure-driven strategy through the additive manufacturing of degradable Zn-Mg-Cu gradient scaffolds.The in situ alloying of Mg and Cu endows Zn alloy with admirable compressive strength for mechanical support and uniform degradation mode for preventing localized rupture.The scaffolds manifest favorable antibacterial,angiogenic,and osteogenic modulation capacity in mimicked hyperglycemic microenvironment,and Mg and Cu promote osteogenic differentiation in the early and late stages,respectively.In addition,the scaffolds expedite diabetic maxillofacial bone ingrowth and regeneration by combining the metabolic regulation effect of divalent metal cations and the hyperboloid and suitable permeability of the gradient structure.RNA sequencing further reveals that RAC1 might be involved in bone formation by regulating the transport and uptake of glucose related to GLUT1 in osteoblasts,contributing to cell function recovery.Inspired by bone healing and structural cues,this study offers an essential understanding of the designation and underlying mechanisms of the material-structure-driven strategy for diabetic maxillofacial bone regeneration.

Security enhancement of artificial neural network using physically transient form of heterogeneous memristors with tunable resistive switching behaviors

As a critical command center in organisms,the brain can execute multiple intelligent interactions through neural networks,including memory,learning and cognition.Recently,memristive-based neuromorphic devices have been widely developed as promising technologies to build artificial synapses and neurons for neural networks.However,multiple information interactions in artificial intelligence devices potentially pose threats to information security.Herein,a transient form of heterogeneous memristor with a stacked structure of Ag/MgO/SiN_(x)/W is proposed,in which both the reconfigurable resistive switching behavior and volatile threshold switching characteristics could be realized by adjusting the thickness of the SiN_(x)layer.The underlying resistive switching mechanism of the device was elucidated in terms of filamentary and interfacial effects.Representative neural functions,including short-term plasticity(STP),the transformation from STP to long-term plasticity,and integrate-and-fire neuron functions,have been successfully emulated in memristive devices.Moreover,the dissolution kinetics associated with underlying transient behaviors were explored,and the water-assisted transfer printing technique was exploited to build transient neuromorphic device arrays on the water-dissolvable poly(vinyl alcohol)substrate,which were able to formless disappear in deionized water after 10-s dissolution at room temperature.This transient form of memristive-based neuromorphic device provides an important step toward information security reinforcement for artificial neural network applications.

Tunnel bottleneck management with high-occupancy vehicle priority on intelligent freeways

Tunnels on freeways,as one of the critical bottlenecks,frequently cause severe congestion and passenger delay.To solve the tunnel bottleneck problem,most of the existing research can be divided into two types.One is to adopt variable speed limits(VSLs)to regulate a predetermined speed for vehicles to get through a bottleneck smoothly.The other is to adopt high-occupancy vehicle(HOV)lane management.In HOV lane management strategies,all traffic is divided into HOVs and low-occupancy vehicles(LOVs).HOVs are vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers.LOVs are vehicles with only a driver.This kind of research can grant priority to HOVs by providing a dedicated HOV lane.However,the existing research cannot both mitigate congestion and maximize passenger-oriented benefits.To address the research gap,this paper leverages connected and automated vehicle(CAV)technologies on intelligent freeways and develops a tunnel bottleneck management strategy with a dynamic HOV lane(DHL).The strategy bears the following features:1)enables tunnel bottleneck management at a microscopic level;2)maximizes passenger-oriented benefits;3)grants priority to HOVs even when the HOV lane is open to LOVs;4)allocates right-of-way segments for HOVs and LOVs in real time;and 5)performs well in a mixed-traffic environment.The proposed strategy is evaluated through comparison against the non-control baseline and a VSL strategy.Sensitivity analysis is conducted under different congestion levels and penetration rates.The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy outperforms in terms of passenger-oriented delay reduction and HOVs’priority level improvement.

Gria:an efficient deterministic concurrency control protocol

Deterministic databases are able to reduce coordination costs in a replication.This property has fostered a significant interest in the design of efficient deterministic concurrency control protocols.However,the state-of-the-art deterministic concurrency control protocol Aria has three issues.First,it is impractical to configure a suitable batch size when the read-write set is unknown.Second,Aria running in low-concurrency scenarios,e.g.,a single-thread scenario,suffers from the same conflicts as running in high-concurrency scenarios.Third,the single-version schema brings write-after-write conflicts.To address these issues,we propose Gria,an efficient deterministic concurrency control protocol.Gria has the following properties.First,the batch size of Gria is auto-scaling.Second,Gria’s conflict probability in low-concurrency scenarios is lower than that in high-concurrency scenarios.Third,Gria has no write-after-write conflicts by adopting a multi-version structure.To further reduce conflicts,we propose two optimizations:a reordering mechanism as well as a rechecking strategy.The evaluation result on two popular benchmarks shows that Gria outperforms Aria by 13x.

Furan Donor for NIR-II Molecular Fluorophores with Enhanced Bioimaging Performance

The second near-infrared(NIR-II,1,000 to 1,700 nm)molecular fluorophores containing donor–acceptor–donor conjugated backbone have attracted substantial attention due to their outstanding advantages,such as stable emission and facilely tuned photophysical properties.However,it is still challenging for them to simultaneously achieve high brightness and red-shifted absorption and emission.Herein,furan is adopted as the D unit to construct NIR-II fluorophores,demonstrating red shift of absorption,enhanced absorption coefficient,and fluorescent quantum yield when compared with the generally used thiophene counterparts.The high brightness and desirable pharmacokinetics of the optimized fluorophore,IR-FFCHP,endows improved performance for angiography and tumor-targeting imaging.Furthermore,dual-NIR-II imaging of tumor and sentinel lymph nodes(LNs)has been achieved with IR-FFCHP and PbS/CdS quantum dots,enabling the in vivo imaging navigated LN surgery in tumor-bearing mice.This work demonstrates the potential of furan for constructing bright NIR-II fluorophores for biological imaging.

Fluoride ions adsorption from water by CaCO_(3)enhanced Mn-Fe mixed metal oxides

Novel CaCO_(3)-enhanced Mn-Fe mixed metal oxides(CMFC)were successfully prepared for the first time by a simple-green hydrothermal strategy without any surfactant or template combined with calcination process.These oxides were then employed as an adsorbent for adsorptive removal of excess fluoride ions.The adsorbent was characterized by SEM,XPS,XRD,FTIR,and BET analysis techniques.The adsorption property of CMFC toward fluoride ion was analyzed by batch experiments.In fact,CMFC exhibited adsorption capacity of 227.3 mg∙g^(-1)toward fluoride ion.Results showed that ion exchange,electrostatic attraction and chemical adsorption were the main mechanism for the adhesion of large amount of fluoride ion on the CMFC surface,and the high adsorption capacity responded to the low pH of the adsorption system.When the fluoride ion concentration was increased from 20 to 200 mg∙L^(-1),Langmuir model was more in line with experimental results.The change of fluoride ion adsorption with respect to time was accurately described by pseudosecond-order kinetics.After five cycles of use,the adsorbent still maintains a performance of 70.6%of efficiency,compared to the fresh adsorbent.Therefore,this material may act as a potential candidate for adsorbent with broad range of application prospects.

Space technology:A powerful tool for safeguarding world heritage

WORLD HERITAGE AND SPACE TECHNOLOGY The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage(WHC),adopted by United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)on November 16,1972,aims to ensure the identification,protection,conservation,presentation,and transmission to future generations of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.The WHC works toward these goals by emphasizing the Outstanding Universal Value(OUV)of heritage sites and the unique contribution such places can make to conservation and human development agendas.1 As of the end of January 2023,theWHC has been signed by 194 state parties,covering 1,157 sites(including 900 cultural,218 natural,and 39 mixed properties),55 of which are considered to be in danger.These sites,totaling an area of more than 370 million hectares are designated as World Heritage(WH)sites(https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/).WH sites have played a significant role in the sustainable development of society globally and helped effectively maintain and preserve the cultural diversity and global biodiversity of the Earth.

Environmental changes during early-middle Holocene from the sediment record of the Chaohu Lake,Anhui Province

A typical lake sediment core is obtained from the Chaohu Lake in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River,Anhui Province,China.The timing scale is constrained by AMS 14 C dating method.Climate proxies such as pollen and grain size in the core are analyzed to reconstruct the environment changes at this site approximately between 9870 and 2170 cal.a BP.The results indicate that at the research area, the climate in the early-middle Holocene had evolved through 3 stages.From 9870 to 6040 cal.a BP, proxy records show a warm and dry climate with low water levels after the late-glacial period.During this stage,cool and dry events occurred at about 8910 and 6060-6030 cal.a BP.Then,between 6040 and 4860 cal.a BP,the climate was humid and vegetation was more flourishing in the Chaohu Lake Valley.The Holocene Optimum occurred at 5840-5500 cal.a BP in the Chaohu Lake,showing the best condition of water and heat.Elm Decline occurred at the period of 5380-4930 cal.a BP.Since 4860 cal.a BP,the climate was warm and dry through 2170 cal.a BP as shown in both pollen spectrum and grain-size histories.Two obvious dry events occurred in 3760 and 2170 cal.a BP,respectively.At 2170 cal.a BP,the water level of the Chaohu Lake reached the lowest as the lakebed possibly exposed. Such lake sediment observations are consistent with the historical records in this area.