Characterization and Phylogenetic Implications of the Complete Mitogenomes of Two Species in the Genus Zhangixalus(Anura:Rhacophoridae)

Mitochondrial genomes(mitogenomes)in frogs are essential for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships and shedding light on the molecular evolution in these animals.However,there are only seven complete Rhacophoridae genomes that have been reported to date.In this paper,two complete mitogenomes of the Chinese whipping frog(Zhangixalus chenfui)and Emei tree frog(Z.omeimontis)were described,each of which was 20520 and 19782 bp in size,and had A+T contents of 64.26%and 63.83%.The two mitogenomes each included two non-coding control region(D-loop,CR),two ribosomal RNA genes(rRNAs),13 protein-coding genes(PCGs),and 22 transfer RNA genes(tRNAs),and it was found that the mitogenome of Z.chenfui also includes three tandem tRNAMet gene sequences.A typical clover-leaf structure was found for all tRNAs except for tRNASer1(AGN),which showed a reduced DHU arm.The putative D-loop region contains multiple types of tandem repeats regions.Both of these two mitogenomes showed similar pattern of gene rearrangement(tRNA-Ser-ND6-tRNA-Glu-CytbCR1-ND5-CR2-tRNA-Thr-tRNA-Leu-tRNA-Pro).Additionally,three consecutive tRNAMet genes were found for the first time in Z.chenfui,a species in the Rhacophoridae family.For all phylogenetic analyses,which were based on 13 protein-coding genes from 91 Ranoidea mitogenomes,the same phylogenetic trees were observed using either maximum likelihood or Bayesian approaches.These results suggest that the phylogenetic hypotheses for the Ranoidea(including Rhacophoridae,Mantellidae,Ranidae and Dicroglossidae)derived from these mitogenomic data could provide substantiation for the relationships of(Dicroglossidae(Ranidae,(Mantellidae,Rhacophoridae))),and support the presence of a monophyletic group in four families.Moreover,Z.omeimontis and Z.dennysi were found to cluster on the same branch,indicating that they were more closely related as a group.This group may in turn form sister groups with Z.arboreus and Z.schlegelii.However,Z.chenfui is located on the base of other species in the genera.Increased mitogenome sampling should be conducted to provide a more satisfactory resolution to the phylogeny of the Rhacophorus,Rhacophoridae,and Mantellidae.

Heat shock protein 90 promotes RNA helicase DDX5 accumulation and exacerbates hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting autophagy

Objective:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),the main type of liver cancer,has a high morbidity and mortality,and a poor prognosis.RNA helicase DDX5,which acts as a transcriptional co-regulator,is overexpressed in most malignant tumors and promotes cancer cell growth.Heat shock protein 90(HSP90)is an important molecular chaperone in the conformational maturation and stabilization of numerous proteins involved in cell growth or survival.Methods:DDX5 m RNA and protein expression in surgically resected HCC tissues from 24 Asian patients were detected by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot,respectively.The interaction of DDX5-HSP90 was determined by molecular docking,immunoprecipitation,and laser scanning confocal microscopy.The autophagy signal was detected by Western blot.The cell functions and signaling pathways of DDX5 were determined in 2 HCC cell lines.Two different murine HCC xenograft models were used to determine the function of DDX5 and the therapeutic effect of an HSP90 inhibitor.Results:HSP90 interacted directly with DDX5 and inhibited DDX5 protein degradation in the AMPK/ULK1-regulated autophagy pathway.The subsequent accumulation of DDX5 protein induced the malignant phenotype of HCC by activating theβ-catenin signaling pathway.The silencing of DDX5 or treatment with HSP90 inhibitor both blocked in vivo tumor growth in a murine HCC xenograft model.High levels of HSP90 and DDX5 protein were associated with poor prognoses.Conclusions:HSP90 interacted with DDX5 protein and subsequently protected DDX5 protein from AMPK/ULK1-regulated autophagic degradation.DDX5 and HSP90 are therefore potential therapeutic targets for HCC.

Abnormal accumulation of RNA helicase DDX5 protein promotes malignancy of hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),the most common type of liver cancer,has a high morbidity and mortality rate,and poor prognosis.There is currently no effective treatment for HCC.RNA helicase DDX5,which acts as a transcriptional co-regulator,is overexpressed in most malignant tumors and promotes cancer cell activities.

Serum CA125, CA199, CEA, CA724, and AFP for diagnosis and prognosis prediction in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Objective:Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC)is a malignancy that involves difficulties in early diagnosis and has extremely poor prognosis.This study aimed to evaluate serum carbohydrate antigen 125(CA125),serum carbohydrate antigen 199(CA199),carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA),carbohydrate antigen 724(CA724)and alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of ICC patients.

Lymph node metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with gut microbiota, bile acid metabolism and inflammation

Objective:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common primary liver cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer-related death globally.Lymph node metastasis(LNM)is negatively correlated with prognosis of HCC patients.The gut microbiota has an important role in development and progression of HCC.In this study.

Exploratory study of highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 populations

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),is threatening public health.The human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)has a remarkably high affinity binding to SARS-CoV-2.This study explored whether certain populations,including obese and cancer patients,are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2.The expression pattern of ACE2 in normal and tumor tissues of cancer patients was compared by the search for network database and re-analysis of pubic data.The level of ACE2 expression in normal adipose tissue was higher than that in normal lung tissue,which indicated the adipose tissue might be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2;the levels of ACE2 expressed by adipocytes and adipose progenitor cells were similar between non-obese individuals and obese individuals(BMI>29),but obese individuals have more adiposes so as to increase the number of ACE2-expressing cells;the expression of ACE2 in tumor tissues posed by five different types of cancers increased significantly compared with that in adjacent tissues.Therefore,we proposed the following hypothesis:the obese individuals and five types of cancer patients might have a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection,which might become the target population of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the future.

复杂氧化铜矿浮选活化剂研究进展

铜因其优异的物理化学性能而在工业中得到广泛应用。目前,随着硫化铜资源的枯竭,氧化铜资源的开发利用逐渐成为研究的重点。氧化铜矿作为铜金属的最主要来源之一,其有效回收的关键是活化过程。然而由于易选铜矿物的逐渐减少,且现存氧化铜矿资源呈现出氧化率高、矿物组成复杂、易泥化等特点,致使选别过程较为困难。经典的硫化-黄药浮选法无法满足目前复杂氧化铜矿资源的选别要求。此外,活化剂作用于矿物表面的机理以及对活化产物晶体结构的解释不明确,在一定程度上制约了氧化铜矿分离理论和方法的发展。近年来,针对复杂难选的氧化铜资源,多种新型活化剂或者组合活化剂已见诸报端,在一定程度上解决了复杂氧化铜矿难选的问题。本工作通过梳理近年来氧化铜矿活化剂发展脉络,重点综述了新型活化剂以及新型活化方法的应用及活化机理,旨在丰富氧化铜矿高效浮选理论体系,为生产实践提供参考。

Explore the dominant factor in prime editing via a view of DNA processing

Prime editing is a revolutionary gene-editing method that is capable of introducing insertions,deletions and base substitutions into the genome.However,the editing efficiency of Prime Editor(PE)is limited by the DNA repair process.Here,we show that overexpression of the flap structure-specific endonuclease 1(FEN1)and the DNA ligase 1(LIG1)increases the efficiency of prime editing,which is similar to the dominant negative mutL homolog 1(MLH1dn).In addition,MLH1 is still the dominant factor over FEN1 and LIG1 in prime editing.Our results help to further understand the relationship of proteins involved in prime editing and envisage future directions for the development of PE.

Spatial and temporal variation of water clarity in typical reservoirs in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region observed by GF 1-WFV satellite data

Rapidly monitoring regional water quality and the changing trend is of great practical and scientific significance,especially for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(BTH)region of China where water resources are relatively scarce and inland water bodies are generally small.The remote sensing data of the GF 1 satellite launched in 2013 have characteristics of high spatial and temporal resolution,which can be used for the dynamic monitoring of the water environment in small lakes and reservoirs.However,the water quality remote sensing monitoring model based on the GF 1 satellite data for lakes and reservoirs in BTH is still lacking because of the considerable differences in the optical characteristics of the lakes and reservoirs.In this paper,the typical reservoirs in BTH-Guanting Reservoir,Yuqiao Reservoir,Panjiakou Reservoir,and Daheiting Reservoir are taken as the study areas.In the atmospheric correction of GF 1-WFV,the relative radiation normalized atmospheric correction was adopted after comparing it with other methods,such as 6 S and FLAASH.In the water clarity retrieval,a water color hue angle based model was proposed and outperformed other available published models,with the R 2 of 0.74 and MRE of 31.7%.The clarity products of the four typical reservoirs in the BTH region in 2013-2019 were produced using the GF 1-WFV data.Based on the products,temporal and spatial changes in clarity were analyzed,and the main influencing factors for each water body were discussed.It was found that the clarity of Guanting,Daheiting,and Panjiakou reservoirs showed an upward trend during this period,while that of Yuqiao Reservoir showed a downward trend.In the influencing factors,the water level of the water bodies can be an important factor related to the water clarity changes in this region.

薄壳山核桃酚类代谢物研究进展

薄壳山核桃(Carya illinoensis)富含酚类代谢物,具有显著的抗氧化活性。近年来,我国薄壳山核桃产业快速发展,种植面积迅速扩大。明确薄壳山核桃中的酚类代谢物组成及保健功效对于促进健康产业发展具有重要意义。迄今为止,从薄壳山核桃中已检测出酚类代谢物67个,其中包括单宁36个、类黄酮22个、酚酸9个,水解后检测出酚类代谢物苷元34个。该文主要对薄壳山核桃酚类代谢物的组成、提取方法、含量、药理活性及与采后贮藏特性的关系进行综述,以期为今后深入研究薄壳山核桃酚类代谢物与其生理活性的关系及挖掘薄壳山核桃酚类代谢物的保健价值提供依据。

The impact of receptor-binding domain natural mutations on antibody recognition of SARS-CoV-2

Dear Editor,The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 25.0 million confirmed cases and over 840,000 deaths globally.As the third severe respiratory disease outbreak caused by the coronavirus,COVID-19 has led to much larger infected populations and coverage of geographic areas than SARS and MERS.Such high prevalence of infection has raised significant concerns about the emergence and spread of escape variants,which may evade human immunity and eventually render candidate vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics ineffective.Indeed,some naturally mutated SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV strains from the sequential outbreaks were reported to resist neutralization by the antibodies isolated during the first outbreak1,2.

Advances in shape measurement in the digital world

The importance of particle shape in terms of its effects on the behaviour of powders and other particulate systems has long been recognised, but particle shape information has been rather difficult to obtain and use until fairly recently, unlike its better-known counterpart, particle size. However, advances in computing power and 3D image acquisition and analysis techniques have resulted in major progress being made in the measurement, description and application of particle shape information in recent years. Because we are now in a digital era, it is fitting that many of these advanced techniques are based on digital technology. This review article aims to trace the development of these new techniques, highlight their contributions to both academic and practical applications, and present a perspective for future developments.

The effects of interface scattering on thermoelectric properties of film thermoelectric materials

A theoretical model taking into consideration the interface effects is established to predict the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity for a polycrystalline thermoelectric(TE)thin film.The interface scattering mechanisms(including the film-surface scattering and grain-boundary scattering)of the transport electrons in the film materials are revealed.The relations between the Seebeck coefficient,the electrical conductivity and the interface parameters(the film-surface reflection coefficient and the grain-boundary transmission coefficient)are then discussed with respect to the proposed model.The differences in the TE properties between the films and bulk materials caused by size restriction are investigated.The results indicate that the higher grain number leads to stronger grain-boundary scattering and more distinct size effects of the TE properties.In contrast to the surface effect,the grain-boundary effect plays a main role in the TE properties of TE films with polycrystalline structures.

Cross Trajectory Gaussian Process Regression Model for Battery Health Prediction

Accurate battery capacity prediction is important to ensure reliable battery operation and reduce the cost.However,the complex nature of battery degradation and the presence of capacity regeneration phenomenon render the prediction task very challenging.To address this problem,this paper proposes a novel and efficient algorithm to predict the battery capacity trajectory in a multi-cell setting.The proposed method is a new variant of Gaussian process regression(GPR)model,and it utilizes similar trajectories in the historical data to enhance the prediction of desired capacity trajectory.More importantly,the proposed method adds no extra computation cost to the standard GPR.To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method,validation tests on two different battery datasets are implemented in the case studies.The prediction results and the computation cost are carefully benchmarked with cuttingedge GPR approaches for battery capacity prediction.

CFD-DNS simulation of irregular-shaped particle dissolution

A coupled approach between the conventional computational fluid dynamics platform COMSOL and an in-house-developed direct numerical simulation code DigiDiss is presented to study the dissolution kinetics of an irregular-shaped particle in a stirred cuvette.The complex flow dynamics from COMSOL were imported into DigiDiss as an initial flow condition.A digitised 3D particle structure scanned and reconstructed by X-ray micro-tomography was used in the dissolution simulation.A quantitative assessment of the simulation results was made using as a reference experimental data and a theoretical calculation based on the shrinking spherical model with different flow velocity profiles near the particle.The comprehensive agreement demonstrates the coherence of the simulation method in reproducing the experimental behaviour and is seen as a step closer towards developing a computer software design aide to help with formulation development.

Molecular deconvolution of the neutralizing antibodies in duced by an in activated SARS-CoV-2 virus vaccine

Dear Editor,The rapid emerge nee and persistence of the pan demic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has had enormous impacts on global health and the economy.Effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are urgently needed to control the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,and multiple vaccines have been found to be efficacious in preventing symptomatic COVID-19(Polack et al.,2020;Wu et al.,2020;Jones and Roy,2021).

Use of multiscale particle simulations in the design of nuclear plant decommissioning

The application of a digital modelling method that can faithfully take account of three-dimensional shape and inherent physical and chemical properties of each particulate component provides an essential tool in decommissioning design. This is useful in handling of high, medium and low level radioactive waste. The processes involve making decisions on where to cut existing plant components and then how to pack these components into boxes, which are then cemented and kept for long term storage as the level of radioactive declines with time. We illustrate the utility of the method and its ability to take data at plant scale （m-scale） and then deduce behaviours at sub millimetre scale in the packed containers. A variety of modelling approaches are used as a part of this approach including cutting algorithms, geometric and dynamic （distinct element） force models, and lattice Boltzmann methods. These methods are applicable to other complex particulate systems including simulation of waste, building recycling, heap leaching and related minerals processes. The paper introduces the basic concepts of this multi-scale and multi-model approach.

Cardioprotective Effect of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 Against Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis via Regulation of the Mitochondrial Fusion

Objective:Pressure overload-induced myocardial apoptosis is a critical pathologically initiated process leading to heart failure(HF).Growth differentiation factor 15(GDF15)dramatically increases during cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction,but its functions and mechanisms are barely known.This study aims to elucidate the role and mechanism of GDF15 in HF.Methods:Between January 2017 and August 2018,57 patients diagnosed with chronic HF(aged>18 years,with left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)35%)and 57 non-HF patients(aged>18 years,LVEF>35%)were prospectively enrolled in this study based on the balance of the baseline characteristics.Other acute or chronic diseases and pregnant/lactating women were excluded.The serum concentrations of GDF15 were detected.Isoproterenol(ISO)-induced HF mouse model was established by pumping with ISO(30mg/(kg·day))for 4 weeks,and the GDF15 expression in serum and heart tissue was evaluated in vivo.Primary cardiomyocytes were cultured and treated with ISO to induce cardiomyocytes damage.The apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and the effect of GDF15 on ISO-induced cardiomyocytes injury was evaluated in vitro.Results:After adjusting the baseline characteristic,serum levels of GDF15 were significantly higher in HF subjects than in non-HF patients.Similarly,in the ISO-induced HF mouse model,the significant increase in GDF15 was associated with the process of HF in vivo.Moreover,the elevation of GDF15 occurred prior to heart remodeling in the ISO-induced HF mouse model.Furthermore,using primary cardiomyocytes,we demonstrated that the GDF15 was remarkably enhanced in serum from pathological HF patients and cardiac tissue from the ISO-induced mouse model.Reducing GDF15 exaggerated the ISO-induced cell apoptosis by blocking mitochondrial fusion and increasing oxidative stress.In contrast,the silence of GDF15 aggravated the ISO-induced cardiomyocytes damage.Conclusions:GDF15 acts as a protective factor against cardiomyocyte apoptosis by improving mitochondria fusion during HF.These findings indicate that GDF15 may be a potential therapeutic target for HF.