Inferring Eupolypods Divergence Time Using Bayesian Tip-Dating

According to the most recent Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (PPG), eupolypods, or eupolypod ferns, are the most differentiated and diversified of all major lineages of ferns, accounting for more than half of extant fern diversity. However, the evolutionary history of eupolypods remains incompletely understood, and conflicting ideas and scenarios exist in the literature about many aspects of this history. Due to a scarce fossil record, the diversification time of eupolypods mainly inferred from molecular dating approaches. Currently, there are two molecular dating results: the diversification of eupolypods occurred either in the Late Cretaceous or as early as in the Jurassic. This study uses the Bayesian tip-dating approach for the first time to infer the diversification time for eupolypods. Our analyses support the Jurassic diversification for eupolypods. The age estimations for the diversifications of the whole clade and one of its two subclades (the eupolypods II) are both in the Jurassic, which adds to the growing body of data on a much earlier diversification of Polypodiales in the Mesozoic than previously suspected.

Steam reforming of acetic acid over Ni/biochar of low metal-loading:Involvement of biochar in tailoring reaction intermediates renders superior catalytic performance

Biochar is a reactive carrier as it may be partially gasified with steam in steam reforming,which could influence the formation of reaction intermediates and modify catalytic behaviors.Herein,the Ni/biochar as well as two comparative catalysts,Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2),with low nickel loading(2%(mass))was conducted to probe involvement of the varied carriers in the steam reforming.The results indicated that the Ni/biochar performed excellent catalytic activity than Ni/SiO_(2) and Ni/Al_(2)O_(3),as the biochar carrier facilitated quick conversion of the -OH from dissociation of steam to gasify the oxygen-rich carbonaceous intermediates like C=O and C-O-C,resulting in low coverage while high exposure of nickel species for maintaining the superior catalytic performance.In converse,strong adsorption of aliphatic intermediates over Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) induced serious coking with polymeric coke as the main type(21.5%and 32.1%,respectively),which was significantly higher than that over Ni/biochar(3.9%).The coke over Ni/biochar was mainly aromatic or catalytic type with nanotube morphology and high crystallinity.The high resistivity of Ni/biochar towards coking was due to the balance between formation of coke and gasification of coke and partially biochar with steam,which created developed mesopores in spent Ni/biochar while the coke blocked pores in Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) catalysts.

Fern Diversity in the Mid-Cretaceous Amber Forests Revealed by Exceptionally Preserved Sporangium Types

The amber deposits from the Albian-Cenomanian in Myanmar have emerged as a pivotal source for exceptionally abundant fossil insect fauna since their initial discovery. Recent studies have increasingly focused on elucidating the fern inventory and examining newly available fossils from Myanmar amber, suggesting a diverse fern flora that once thrived in Cretaceous forests. Through investigations of amber collections, with particular emphasis on sporangium structures—especially the annulus types preserved in amber inclusions—this study revealed additional novelties within the Cyatheales and Schizaeales in mid-Cretaceous Myanmar amber forests. The described specimens and newly discovered fossils provide compelling evidence that Polypodiales were not only diverse and abundant but also that other fern lineages, such as Cyatheales and Schizaeales, coexisted in these ancient forest ecosystems. This study reveals the high diversity of ferns in the mid-Cretaceous Myanmar area, while also implying the paleoecological and paleogeographical significance of the Mesozoic Burmese amber forests.

The China Alzheimer Report 2022

China’s population has rapidly aged over the recent decades of social and economic development as neurodegenerative disorders have proliferated,especially Alzheimer’s disease(AD)and related dementias(ADRD).AD’s incidence rate,morbidity,and mortality have steadily increased to make it presently the fifth leading cause of death among urban and rural residents in China and magnify the resulting financial burdens on individuals,families and society.The‘Healthy China Action’plan of 2019-2030 promotes the transition from disease treatment to health maintenance for this expanding population with ADRD.This report describes related epidemiological trends,evaluates the economic burden of the disease,outlines current clinical diagnosis and treatment status and delineates existing available public health resources.More specifically,it examines the public health impact of ADRD,including prevalence,mortality,costs,usage of care,and the overall effect on caregivers and society.In addition,this special report presents technical guidance and supports for the prevention and treatment of AD,provides expertise to guide relevant governmental healthcare policy development and suggests an information platform for international exchange and cooperation.

Steam reforming of acetic acid over Ni-Ba/Al2O3 catalysts:Impacts of barium addition on coking behaviors and formation of reaction intermediates

The influence of barium addition to a Ni/Al2O3 catalyst on the reaction intermediates formed,the activity,resistance of the catalyst to coking,and properties of the coke formed after acetic acid steam reforming were investigated in this study.The results showed the drastic effects of barium addition on the physicochemical properties and performances of the catalyst.The solid-phase reaction between alumina and BaO formed BaAl2O4,which re-constructed the alumina structure,resulting in a decrease in the specific surface area and an increase in the resistance of metallic Ni to sintering.The addition of barium was also beneficial for enhancing the catalytic activity,resulting from the changed catalytic reaction network.The in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) study of the acetic acid steam reforming indicated that barium could effectively suppress the accumulation of the reaction intermediates of carbonyl,formate,and C=C functional groups on the catalyst surface,attributed to its relatively high ability to cause the gasification of these species.In addition,coking was considerably more significant over the Ba-Ni/Al2O3 catalyst.Moreover,the Ba-Ni/Al2O3 catalyst was more stable than the Ni/Al2O3catalyst,owing to the distinct forms of coke formed (carbon nanotube form over the Ba-Ni/Al2O3 catalyst,and the amorphous form over the Ni/Al2O3 catalyst).

Morphology-controlled Tantalum Diselenide Structures as Self-optimizing Hydrogen Evolution Catalysts

Metallic layered transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs)nanomaterials based on Group 5 transition metals are attracting substantial interests as alternative catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).However,controllable preparation of tantalum diselenide(TaSe2)remains challenging,which has hindered the exploration on its application in HER.Herein,we develop a facile method named surface-assisted chemical vapor transport(SACVT)for controllable synthesis of TaSe2 plates and nanobelts,by regulating the molar ratio of selenium to tantalum and reaction temperature.Unique quasi-arrays and self-supported structure help TaSe2 nanobelt own more active sites and higher ability of charge transfer,so it is superior to TaSe2 plate in electrocatalytic HER.Interestingly,they both exhibit the ability to optimize their morphologies upon cycling for dramatically improved and robust electrocatalytic performance.The selfoptimized structures can increase the effective active surface by exposing more active sites on the basal-planes and edges,shorten the interlayer electron-transfer pathways at a thinned domain,and accelerate the charge transfer,which mainly derive from high basal-plane activity and weak interaction between layers of metallic TaSe2.This work provides a reliable way for controllable synthesis of different TaSe2 structures,motivating further efforts to explore new high-efficiency catalysts in the large family of metallic TMDs for electrochemical energy conversion.

A study of RNA-editing in Populus trichocarpa nuclei revealed acquisition of RNA-editing on the endosymbiont-derived genes,and a preference for intracellular remodeling genes in adaptation to endosymbiosis

RNA-editing is a post-transcriptional modification that can diversify genome-encoded information by modifying individual RNA bases.In contrast to the well-studied RNA-editing in organelles,little is known about nuclear RNA-editing in higher plants.We performed a genome-wide study of RNA-editing in Populus trichocarpa nuclei using the RNA-seq data generated from the sequenced poplar genotype,‘Nisqually-1’.A total of 24,653 nuclear RNA-editing sites present in 8,603 transcripts were identified.Notably,RNA-editing in P.trichocarpa nuclei tended to occur on endosymbiont-derived genes.We then scrutinized RNA-editing in a cyanobacterial strain closely related to chloroplast.No RNA-editing sites were identified therein,implying that RNA-editing of these endosymbiont-derived genes was acquired after endosymbiosis.Gene ontology enrichment analysis of all the edited genes in P.trichocarpa nuclei demonstrated that nuclear RNA-editing was primarily focused on genes involved in intracellular remodeling processes,which suggests that RNA-editing plays contributing roles in organellar establishment during endosymbiosis.We built a coexpression network using all C-to-U edited genes and then decomposed it to obtain 18 clusters,six of which contained a conserved core motif,A/G-C-A/G.Such a short core motif not only attracted the RNA-editing machinery but also enabled large numbers of sites to be targeted though further study is necessary to verify this finding.

Repeatability and reproducibility of corneal higher-order aberrations measurements after small incision lenticule extraction using the Scheimpfug-Placido topographer

Background:To evaluate the precision of corneal higher-order aberrations measurements after small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)using the Sirius Scheimpfug-Placido topographer(CSO,Italy).Methods:Seventy-fve eyes from 75 postoperative subjects were included in this prospective study.Three consecutive corneal aberrometric measurements were obtained with the Scheimpfug-Placido topographer by two experienced operators to assess intra-and inter-observer reproducibility.The within-subject standard deviation(Sw),test-retest repeatability(TRT)and the intraclass correlation coefcient(ICC)were calculated.Results:For intraobserver repeatability of anterior and total corneal aberrations,all ICCs were more than 0.922,except for trefoil(0.722 to 0.768).The ICCs of total root mean square(RMS),coma Z(3,±1),and spherical aberration Z(4,0)were over 0.810 while higher-order RMS,trefoil Z(3,±3),and astigmatism II Z(4,±2)were below 0.634 for posterior corneal surface aberrations.All Sw values for all types of aberrations were equal to or below 0.07μm.Regarding interobserver reproducibility,all TRT values were no more than 0.12μm,0.05μm,and 0.11μm for anterior,posterior,and total corneal aberrations,respectively.The ICC values ranged from 0.875 to 0.989,from 0.686 to 0.976 and over 0.834 for anterior,posterior,and total corneal aberrations,respectively.Conclusions:The repeatability of measurements of anterior and total corneal aberrations with the Sirius system in corneas after SMILE surgery was high,except for trefoil.There was some variability in posterior corneal aberrometric measurements.High reproducibility of corneal aberrometric measurements was observed between measurements of both examiners,except for trefoil,with poor to moderate reproducibility.

Mg-Al-hydrotalcite with alkaline sites protects Ni/KIT-6 from formation of amorphous coke in glycerol steam reforming via tailoring reaction intermediates

During steam reforming,the performance of a catalyst and amount/property of coke are closely related to reaction intermediates reaching surface of a catalyst.Herein,modification of reaction intermediates by placing Mg-Al-hydrotalcite above Ni/KIT-6 catalyst in steam reforming of glycerol was conducted at 300 to 600°C.The results revealed that the catalytic activity of Ni/KIT-6 in the lower bed was enhanced with either Mg1-Al5-hydrotalcite(containing more acidic sites)or Mg5-Al1-hydrotalcite(containing more alkaline sites)as upper-layer catalyst.The in situ infrared characterization of steam reforming demonstrated that Mg-Al-hydrotalcite catalyzed the deoxygenation of glycerol,facilitating the reforming of the partially deoxygenated intermediates over Ni/KIT-6.Mg-Al-hydrotalcite as protective catalyst,however,did not protect the Ni/KIT-6 from formation of more coke.Nonetheless,this did not lead to further deactivation of Ni/KIT-6 while Mg5-Al1-hydrotalcite even substantially enhanced the catalytic stability,even though the coke was much more significant than that in the use of single Ni/KIT-6(52.7%vs.28.6%).The reason beneath this was change of the property of coke from more aliphatic to more aromatic.Mg5-Al1-hydrotalcite catalyzed dehydration of glycerol,producing dominantly reaction intermediates bearing C=C,which formed the catalytic coke of with carbon nanotube as the main form with smooth outer walls as well as higher aromaticity,C/H ratio,crystallinity,crystal carbon size,thermal stability,and resistivity toward oxidation on Ni/KIT-6 in the lower bed.In comparison,the abundance of acidic sites on Mg1-Al5-hydrotalcite catalyzed the formation of more oxygen-containing species,leading to the formation of carbon nanotubes of rough surface on Ni/KIT-6.

Genetic Insights into Glycine’s Protective Role Against CAD—European and East Asia,2015 and 2020

Introduction:The purpose of this study is to examine the potential causal relationship between levels of circulating glycine and coronary artery disease(CAD)using a two-step Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis.Methods:We analyzed data from genome-wide association studies(GWAS)conducted on European and East Asian populations.To assess the causal effects of circulating glycine levels on the risk of CAD.We used the inverse-variance weighting(IVW),weighted median(WM),MR-Egger,and Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier(MR-PRESSO)methods.Furthermore,we conducted mediation analysis to investigate the contribution of blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease-related traits.Results:The two-step Mendelian randomization analysis revealed that higher levels of glycine in the blood were associated with a reduced risk of CAD in Europeans[odds ratio(OR)=0.84,95%confidence interval(CI):0.72,−0.98;P=0.029]and East Asians:(OR=0.76,95%CI:0.66,−0.89;P=3.57×10−4).Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these findings.Additionally,our results suggest that about 6.06%of the observed causal effect is mediated through genetically predicted systolic blood pressure(SBP)in the European population.Discussion:Our results contribute to the current knowledge regarding the involvement of glycine in the progression of CAD,and provide valuable methodological insights for the prevention and treatment of this condition.

Revealing the regulation of water dipole potential to aggregation of amyloid-β42 at chiral interface by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy

Surface chirality plays an important role in determining the biological effect,but the molecular nature beyond stereoselectivity is still unknown.Herein,through surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy,electrochemistry,and theoretical simulations,we found diasteromeric monolayers induced by assembled density on chiral gold nanofilm and identified the positive contribution of water dipole poten-tial at chiral interface and their different interfacial interactions,which result in a difference both in the positive dipoles of interfacial water compensating the negative surface potential of the SAM and in the hindrance effect of interface dehydration,thereby regulating the interaction between amyloid-βpeptide(Aβ)and N-isobutyryl-cysteine(NIBC).Water on L-NIBC interface which shows stronger positive dipole potential weakens the negative surface potential,but its local weak binding to the isopropyl group facilitates hydrophobic interaction between Aβ42 and L-NIBC and resultedfiber aggregate.Conversely,electrostatic interaction between Aβ42 and D-NIBC induces spherical oligomer.Thesefindings provide new insight into molecular nature of chirality-regulated biological effect.

Developmental Gerontology and Active Population Aging in China

Population aging is an irreversible process in the development of modern society,which brings challenges to comprehensive modernized social governance.Population aging is a“dualistic”development issue that not only leads to aging of the labor force structure but also creates new demographic dividends.This study describes the core thoughts of developmental gerontology(DG),which provides new insight into the relationship between active aging and comprehensive governance for modernized society.The development of DG will provide a feasible and sustainable path to integrate and coordinate the relationship between population aging,society,and economy.

Secreted LRPAP1 binds and triggers IFNAR1 degradation to facilitate virus evasion from cellular innate immunity

variety of ways to antagonize host defense through eliminating IFN-signaling intracellularly for decades.However,the way by viruses target IFN-signaling extracellularly has not been discovered.Infection by both coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and enterovirus 71(EV71 or EV-A71)can cause severe diseases such as neurological disorders and even death in children.

Nitrogen-doped pyrogenic carbonaceous matter facilitates azo dye decolorization by sulfide: The important role of graphitic nitrogen

Pyrogenic carbonaceous matter(PCM) catalyzes azo dye decolorization by sulfide, but the nitrogen doping catalytic mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we found that stagnate time of azo dye methyl orange(MO) decolorization was reduced to 0.54-18.28 min in the presence of various nitrogen-doped graphenes(NGs), remarkably lower compared to graphene itself. Particularly, graphitic nitrogen played a critical role in NGs-catalyzed MO decolorization by sulfide. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and in-situ surface Raman analysis demonstrated that doping nitrogen, especially graphite one facilitated reactive intermediate polysulfides formation. This is attributed to the improved electron conductivity through graphitic nitrogen doping, and the enhanced interactions between sulfide and carbon atoms bonded to graphitic nitrogen. This study not only provides a better understanding of PCM impact on transformations and fates of organic pollutants in natural environments, but also offer a new regulation strategy for more efficient wastewater treatment processes in PCM-catalyzed engineering systems.

Enhancing carbon dioxide reduction electrocatalysis by tuning metal-support interactions: a first principles study

The electrochemical reduction of CO_(2) is an extremely potential technique to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality,but the development of electrocatalysts with high activity,excellent product selectivity,and long-term durability remains a great challenge.Herein,the role of metal-supports interaction(MSI)between different active sites(including single and bimetallic atom sites consisting of Cu and Ni atoms)and carbon-based supports(including C_(2) N,C_(3)N_(4),N-coordination graphene,and graphdiyne)on catalytic activity,prod-uct selectivity,and thermodynamic stability towards CO_(2) reduction reaction(CRR)is systematically investi-gated by first principles calculations.Our results show that MSI is mainly related to the charge transfer behavior from metal sites to supports,and different MSI leads to diverse magnetic moments and d-band centers.Subsequently,the adsorption and catalytic performance can be efficiently improved by tuning MSI.Notably,the bimetallic atom supported graphdiyne not only exhibits a better catalytic activity,higher product selec-tivity,and higher thermodynamic stability,but also effectively inhibits the hydrogen evolution reaction.This finding provides a new research idea and optimization strategy for the rational design of high-efficiency CRR catalysts.

Sirius Scheimpflug-Placido versus. ultrasound pachymetry for central corneal thickness: meta-analysis

Background:To compare the difference in central corneal thickness(CCT)measurements in normal eyes between a rotating Scheimpflug camera combined with a Placido-disk corneal topographer(Sirius,CSO,Italy)and ultrasound pachymetry(USP).Methods:A systematic literature search was conducted for relevant studies published on PubMed,Medline,EMBASE,and the Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to August 1st,2019.Primary outcome measures were CCT measurements between Sirius and USP.A random effects model was used to pool CCT measurements.Results:A total of twelve studies involving 862 eyes were included in this meta-analysis.The meta-analysis found CCT measurements between Sirius and USP to be statistically significantly different(P<0.0001).The mean difference between Sirius and USP was-11.26μm with a 95%confidence interval(CI)(-16.92μm,-5.60μm).The heterogeneity Was IP=60%(P=0.004).Conclusion:CCT measurements with the Sirius Scheimpflug-Placido topographer were statistically significantly lower than USP.However,it may be argued that the mean difference of 11.26μm is not a clinically significant difference.

Do exercise therapies restore the deficits of joint position sense in patients with chronic ankle instability? A systematic review and meta-analysis

To determine whether existing exercise therapies can restore the joint position sense(JPS)deficits of patients with chronic ankle instability(CAI)when compared with controlled non-training patients.Seven databases were searched using ankle,injury,proprioception,and exercise-therapy-related terms.Peer-reviewed human studies in English that used the absolute errors score of joint position reproduction(JPR)test to compare the JPS of injured ankles in CAI patients before and after exercise therapy and non-training controls were included and analyzed.Demographic information,sample size,description of exercise therapies,methodological details of the JPR test,and absolute error scores were extracted by two researchers independently.Meta-analysis of the differences in JPS changes(i.e.,absolute errors after treatment minus the baseline)between the exercise therapies and non-training controls was performed with the weighted mean difference(WMD)and 95%confidence interval(CI).Seven studies were finally included.Meta-analyses revealed significantly higher improvements in passive JPS during inversion with,WMD?1.54and eversion,of,WMD?1.80,after exercise therapies when compared with non-training controls.However,no significant changes in the impaired side active JPS were observed with regard to inversion and eversion.Existing exercise therapies may have a positive effect on passive JPS during inversion and eversion,but do not restore the active JPS deficits of injured ankles in patients with CAI when compared with non-training controls.Updated exercise components with a longer duration that focus on active JPS with longer duration are needed to supplement the existing content of exercise therapies.

石墨镀Sn调控对石墨/Cu复合材料组织及力学性能的影响

石墨/Cu自润滑复合材料具有良好的摩擦学性能和耐腐蚀性能,在高速铁路领域具有广阔的应用前景。传统石墨/Cu自润滑复合材料中由于石墨与基体不润湿,复合材料界面结合强度低,在材料承受载荷时容易造成石墨相的剥离、脱落,导致复合材料在高载荷服役条件下性能较差。采用化学镀覆工艺在石墨表面镀覆软金属Sn元素调控石墨/Cu复合材料界面,既能够改善复合材料材料组织,又改善了复合材料的力学性能,使复合材料满足服役条件。结果表明:通过石墨镀Sn调控技术,Sn调控石墨/Cu复合材料的组织并无新相生成,复合材料界面处发生强烈的原子互扩散,界面由机械结合变成扩散结合。Sn调控石墨/Cu复合材料的力学性能有显著提高,其中硬度平均提高了80.43%,抗弯强度平均提高了246.74%;当石墨含量为6wt%时,Sn调控石墨/Cu复合材料的硬度提高至(83.61±4.33) HV,抗弯强度提高至(410.41±20.52) MPa,适应并满足复合材料在未来愈加严酷工况环境下的服役需求。

Biosynthesis and Regulation of Salicylic Acid and N-Hydroxypipecolic Acid in Plant Immunity

Salicylic acid(SA)has long been known to be essential for basal defense and systemic acquired resistance(SAR).N-Hydroxypipecolic acid(NHP),a recently discovered plant metabolite,also plays a key role in SAR and to a lesser extent in basal resistance.Following pathogen infection,levels of both compounds are dramatically increased.Analysis of SA-or SAR-deficient mutants has uncovered how SA and NHP are biosynthesized.The completion of the SA and NHP biosynthetic pathways in Arabidopsis allowed better understanding of how they are regulated.In this review,we discuss recent progress on SA and NHP biosynthesis and their regulation in plant immunity.