Large-brained birds lay smaller but heavier clutches

The brain is among the most energetically costly organs in vertebrates,and thus trade-offs have been hypothesized to exert constraints on brain size evolution.The energy trade-off hypothesis(ETH) predicts that reducing the energy consumption of reproduction or other costly tissues should compensate for the cost of a large brain.Egg production in birds requires a large proportion of the total energy budget,and a clutch mass in some bird species can outweigh the body mass of the female.To date,this hypothesis has mainly been tested in mammals and ectothermic animals such as anurans and fishes.We collated data on adult brain size,body mass and eggproduction traits such as clutch size,egg mass and annual broods from published studies,and conducted a phylogenetic comparative test of the interplay between egg-production investment and brain size evolution across bird species.After controlling for phylogenetic relationships and body size,we find a negative correlation between brain size and clutch size across 1395 species,which favored ETH.However,when egg mass was integrated in models,positive associations were detected between brain size and mass of eggs(via egg mass,clutch mass and annual total egg mass).Our results suggest that brain size trades off against egg-production only via certain aspects(e.g.,clutch size).By contrast,a positive relationship between brain size and total egg reproduction(e.g.,clutch mass and annual total egg mass) implied increased total energy budget outweighing energy allocation across bird species.Our study shows that there is no general energy trade-off between brain size and eggreproduction investment,and suggests that brain size evolution follows mixed strategies across bird species.

Study of Krypton Laser-Induced Choroidal Neovascularization in a Guinea Pig Model of High Anisometropia

Purpose:To investigate the association between high anisometropia and the area of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) induced by krypton laser in guinea pigs and better understand the pathogenesis and prevention of myopic CNV. Methods:.Nine 3-week old male guinea pigs with anisometropia > 6.00D were randomly assigned to three groups according to examination date after laser photocoagulation (7d, 14d and 28d). All animals underwent refraction. The eye with higher myopia was used as the experimental eye, and the other as the control eye..All eyes received repeated multi-wavelength krypton laser photocoagulation treatments (wavelength: 532 nm; laser power: 400 mW; spot diameter: 50 μm; exposure time: 0.1s). Fundus photography and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) were performed. Afterwards, the animals were sacrificed immediately,.and the eyes were enucleated and processed for histopathologic examination and flat mounts. Results: CNV appeared at 7d after laser treatment. The area of CNV peaked at 14d, and decrease in area and the presence of scarring was noted at 28 d..CNV was present in 66.7% of eyes by ICGA at 14 d..CNV could be observed under light microscopy at all three time points..At 14 d,.flat mount showed the neovascular plexus around the lesion. Semi-quantitative analysis revealed that the area of CNV in treated eyes was greater than that of control eyes. Conclusion:.Since the mechanism of CNV in this study resembles that of CNV in pathological myopia, this model can be used to investigate the etiology, pathogenesis and treatment of CNV in pathological myopia.

ASF1 regulates asexual and sexual reproduction in Stemphylium eturmiunum by DJ-1 stimulation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Most fungi display a mixed mating system with both asexual and sexual reproduction.The timing of the two modes of reproduction must be carefully coordinated through signal perception and coordination in the cell along with chromatin modification.Here,we investigated coordination of reproductive output by investigating the function of the histone chaper-one anti-silencing factor 1(ASF1)in a fungal species amenable to characterization of both asexual and sexual reproduction.We used knockout approach to show that SeASF1 influenced asexual and sexual reproduction in Stemphylium eturmiunum.SeASF1-deleted strains failed to produce pseudothecia,but produce abnormal conidia and showed an irregular distribution of nuclei in mycelium.Transcriptome sequencing was then used to identify genes with altered expression in the SeASF1-deleted strains.The transcriptional expression of the identified SeDJ-1 was strongly regulated by SeASF1.The interaction of SeDJ-1 and SeASF1 was confirmed using Y2H,Co-IP,and pull-down.Due to some components of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B(PI3K/AKT)signaling pathway were known to interact with DJ-1 in mammals,we verified SePI3K,an element of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in S.eturmiunum,was directly linked to SeDJ-1 and then these two proteins were defined as a coordinator of reproduction.However,knockout of SeDJ-1 or SePI3K altered the asexual and sexual repro-duction,but SePI3K recovered the asexual and sexual development of∆Sedj-1.The SeDJ-1-M6 segment of SeDJ-1 was essential for its interaction with SePI3K and played a critical role in restoring sexual reproduction in the∆Sepi3k,providing a deep understanding of the regulatory mechanism of SeDJ-1 in S.eturmiunum development.Summarily,SeASF1 is able to trigger SeDJ-1 and SeDJ-1can also activate SePI3K,which is orchestrally involved in asexual and sexual reproduction in S.eturmiunum.All these results reveal that SeASF1 manipulates asexual and sexual reproduction in S.eturmiunum by SeDJ-1 perception of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.These data highlight the deep similarities in coordinating asexual and sexual processes in both fungi and eukaryotes in general.

Fabrication of the TiO_(2)/Ti_(3)C_(2) loaded ceramic membrane targeting for photocatalytic degradation of PPCPs:ciprofloxacin,tetracycline,and ibuprofen

Photocatalytic membranes offer an effective strategy to overcome the difficulties of solid-liquid separation and secondary contamination of powdered photocatalysts.MXene is a 2D material of layered Ti_(3)C_(2),which is considered to limit electron-hole separation and contribute to photocatalysis.In this work,the etched Ti_(3)C_(2) MXene was loaded on the surface of ceramic membranes using polydopamine(PDA)as a binder,followed by one-step calcination to produce TiO_(2) nanoparticles(NPs)in situ.The characterizations supported that the TiO_(2)/Ti_(3)C_(2) ceramic membranes had high mechanical strength while retaining the layered structure of Ti_(3)C_(2),which was conducive to the inhibition of electron and hole complexation,improving the photocatalytic performance.Degradation experiments revealed that the material showed enhanced degradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products(PPCPs)such as ciprofloxacin(CIP),tetracycline(TCN)and ibuprofen(IBP).The LC-MS and toxicity prediction models indicated that the developmental toxicity of CIP degradation products decreased with prolonged photocatalytic reaction,exhibiting no acute toxicity to fish.The MT650 exhibited significantly enhanced water flux properties(320 L/(m^(2)·h).The TiO_(2)/Ti_(3)C_(2) ceramic membranes explored in this work are expected to target the treatment of PPCPs with excellent engineering promise.

TRAF3 activates STING-mediated suppression of EV-A71 and target of viral evasion

Innate immunity represents one of the main host responses to viral infection.1,2,3 STING(Stimulator of interferon genes),a crucial immune adapter functioning in host cells,mediates cGAS(Cyclic GMP-AMP Synthase)sensing of exogenous and endogenous DNA fragments and generates innate immune responses.4 Whether STING activation was involved in infection and replication of enterovirus remains largely unknown.In the present study,we discovered that human enterovirus A71(EV-A71)infection triggered STING activation in a cGAS dependent manner.EV-A71 infection caused mitochondrial damage and the discharge of mitochondrial DNA into the cytosol of infected cells.However,during EV-A71 infection,cGAS-STING activation was attenuated.EV-A71 ^(pro)teins were screened and the viral ^(pro)tease 2A^(pro) had the greatest capacity to inhibit cGAS-STING activation.We identified TRAF3 as an important factor during STING activation and as a target of 2A^(pro).Supplement of TRAF3 rescued cGAS-STING activation suppression by 2A^(pro).TRAF3 supported STING activation mediated TBK1 phosphorylation.Moreover,we found that 2A^(pro) ^(pro)tease activity was essential for inhibiting STING activation.Furthermore,EV-D68 and CV-A16 infection also triggered STING activation.The viral ^(pro)tease 2A^(pro) from EV-D68 and CV-A16 also had the ability to inhibit STING activation.As STING activation prior to EV-A71 infection generated cellular resistance to EV-A71 replication,blocking EV-A71-mediated STING suppression represents a new anti-viral target.

A hybrid chemical modification strategy for monocrystalline silicon micro-grinding:Experimental investigation and synergistic mechanism

For high performance manufacturing of micro parts and features,a hybrid chemical modification strategy is proposed to decrease critical energy barrier of mechanical removal of hard and brittle crystal material by refining localized machining condition.The strategy,namely UVlight and IR-laser hybrid chemical modification(UVIR-CM)strategy,includes two steps,an ultraviolet light(UV-light)catalytic advanced oxidation and an infrared laser(IR-laser)assisted selective modification based on Fenton liquid–solid reaction for monocrystalline silicon.The modification effects of UVIR-CM strategy were investigated by surface morphology micro-observation,crosssection transmission electron microscopy(TEM)observation,Raman spectroscopy analysis and nanoindentation test.Experimental results demonstrated that varied degrees of laser texturing appeared on different strategy samples’IR-laser scanned area.And the IR-laser thermal damage has been successfully inhibited due to the refraction and reflection of energy by bubbles in liquid medium.But for the UVIR-CM strategy,a uniform and amorphous silicate layer is detected in a certain boundary.The UV-light promotes oxidation cycle ability of the chemical solution and ensures sufficient oxide modified layer for subsequent step.Attributing to synergism of photochemical,photothermal and kinetic effects induced by IR-laser,the modified layer displays layered structure with about 600 nm thickness,(2.7±0.60)GPa nanohardness,and(93.7±22.9)GPa indentation modulus.And the layered structure is amorphous layer,nanocrystal and micro-twins layer from the surface to the interior of sample.Consequently,it reveals that the subsequent mechanical removal will become easy due to decreasing energy barrier of monocrystalline silicon in selective area.Meanwhile,its original excellent mechanical properties also are maintained under a certain depth.The results contribute to develop a novel combined micro-machining technology to achieve collaborative manufacturing of structure shape and surface integrity for micro parts and feature.

中国自然保护地整合优化关键问题

自然保护地建设是国际公认的保护生物多样性、提供优质生态产品与服务、维系生态系统健康的最重要和最有效途径。自然保护地作为中国自然生态空间最精华和最重要的组成部分,是建设生态文明的核心载体,是美丽中国的重要象征,在维护国家生态安全中具有首要地位(唐小平等, 2019)。从1956年建立第一个自然保护地以来,中国自然保护地建设取得了巨大成就,保护体系逐步完善,建立了由自然保护区、风景名胜区、森林公园、地质公园、湿地公园等组成的数量众多、类型丰富、功能多样的自然保护地体系。截止到2019年底,中国已有各类自然保护地约1.18万处,大约覆盖了陆域国土面积的18%,占海域面积的4.6%(高吉喜等,2019),无论从数量上还是面积上均位居世界前列,为保护生物多样性、自然景观及自然遗迹,维护国家和区域生态安全等发挥了重要作用。

从划定历程与属性特征正确认识生态保护红线内涵

生态保护红线是国家生态安全的底线,也是我国生态文明改革的重大举措。生态保护红线划定实施以来,因其创新了生态保护模式与制度,得到了国内和国际社会的广泛关注。然而,当前对生态保护红线的理解仍不够深入,一定程度影响了红线的落地应用及其成效发挥。为此,本文梳理了生态保护红线从理论起源到实践落地的演变历程,阐述了生态保护红线的科学内涵与时代释义,分析了生态保护红线的管控要求,明确提出生态保护红线既要严格管控,又要适度利用。生态保护红线不是无人区,而是生态安全的底线、国土空间格局优化的基线,实现人与自然和谐共生、区域可持续发展是划定生态保护红线的最终目的。未来生态保护红线可考虑从拓展生态保护红线内涵、优化生态廊道识别技术、完善优质生态产品价值实现机制、生态保护成效的可持续性、加强国际推广等方面进一步加以完善。

Focus and Progress of the Occupational Health Initiative

Summary China’s rapid socioeconomic development has led to the coexistence of traditional and modern occupational hazards,and workers are facing increasingly serious risks of physical and mental health issues.Combined with the Healthy China strategy acting as the innovative force in advancing China’s public health,a series of national action plans has been implemented providing comprehensive strategies for protecting worker’s benefits and strengthening occupational disease prevention by integrating the sources of government,employers,workers,and other stakeholders.

Occupational Stress and Risk Factors Among Workers from Electronic Manufacturing Service Companies in China

What is already known about this topic?Occupational stress and workplace health have become issues of significant concern for both employees and employers.The workers from electronic manufacturing services(EMS)industry in China are exposed to increasing occupational hazards and injuries.Despite the fact that it is a known health risk for psychological and medical disorders,only few studies have investigate the prevalence of occupational stress and risk factors among EMS workers.What is added by this report?Analysis of data from the EMS industry of Occupational Stress Surveillance Program with a sample of 21,362 participants from 20 EMS companies.Results show that the prevalence of high strain and effort-reward imbalance were 19.5% and 15.8%,respectively,which are significantly differed by selected socio-demographic and job characteristics.Participants who are migrant,or working in the assembly-line position or in shift are exposed to higher stress level.What are the implications for public health practice?EMS workers are liable to be at risk for occupational stress and for developing psychological disorders and diseases.The findings of this study contribute to an evidence-base which inform the development and implementation of strategies aimed at reducing occupational stress of EMS workers should be at organizational and individual level.

A pH Self-Monitoring Heterogeneous Multicompartmental Proteinosome with Spatiotemporal Regulation of Insulin Transportation

Inspired by the intricate eukaryotic cell structure,the spontaneously assembling multicompartments capable of spatiotemporally regulated biomacromolecules transportation is still a challenge.Here,a heterogeneous proteinosome-based multicompartment was designed and constructed by combining aqueous two-phase system and Pickering emulsion methods.By loading PEGylated insulin with boronic acid group into the multicompartment and glucose oxidase(GOx)into the innermost microgel domain,a short-or long-term transportation pathway of the loaded insulin was constructed by responding to the concentration of glucose.Moreover,the diminution of dynamic boronic ester bonding,the hindrance of polyethylene oxide micro-chamber,electrostatic interaction and the swelling behavior of hydrogel triggered by GOx/glucose reaction resulted in spatiotemporally controlled multi-pathway transportation mode with the releasing of insulin loaded inside the innermost microgel at high concentration of glucose(10 mg·mL^(-1)).Specially,by incorporating rhodamine B and fluorescein labelled BSA into the multicompartment,the release procedure of the loaded insulin can be monitored by the fluorescence color-change.Overall,a multimode microcompartment is constructed which is then expected to provide a promising platform for further therapeutic protein,gene and drug delivery,as well as towards the design of complicated cell biomimetics.

Enhanced cross-flow filtration with flat-sheet ceramic membranes by titanium-based coagulation for membrane fouling control

Application of ceramic membrane(CM)with outstanding characteristics,such as high flux and chemical-resistance,is inevitably restricted by membrane fouling.Coagulation was an economical and effective technology for membrane fouling control.This study investigated the filtration performance of ceramic membrane enhanced by the emerging titanium-based coagulant(polytitanium chloride,PTC).Particular attention was paid to the simulation of ceramic membrane fouling using four widely used mathematical models.Results show that filtration of the PTC-coagulated effluent using flat-sheet ceramic membrane achieved the removal of organic matter up to 78.0%.Permeate flux of ceramic membrane filtration reached 600 L/(m2$h),which was 10-fold higher than that observed with conventional polyaluminum chloride(PAC)case.For PTC,fouling of the ceramic membrane was attributed to the formation of cake layer,whereas for PAC,standard filtration/intermediate filtration(blocking of membrane pores)was also a key fouling mechanism.To sum up,cross-flow filtration with flat-sheet ceramic membranes could be significantly enhanced by titanium-based coagulation to produce both high-quality filtrate and high-permeation flux.

Selective expansion and enhanced anti-tumor effect of antigen-specific CD4^(+)T cells by retrovirus-mediated IL-15 expression

Mounting evidence has demonstrated that CD4^(+)T cells play an important role in anti-tumor immune responses.Thus,adoptive transfer of these cells may have great potential for anti-cancer therapy.However,due to the difficulty to generate sufficient tumor-specific CD4^(+)T cells,the use of CD4^(+)T cells in tumor therapy is limited.It has been found that IL-15 transfection enhances the proliferation and anti-tumor activity of tumor-specific CD8+Tcells,but the effect of IL-15 transfection on CD4^(+)T cells remains unknown.Here,the effects of retrovirusmediated IL-15 expression in Ova-specific CD4^(+)T cells from Do11.10 mice were evaluated and it was discovered that IL-15 transfected CD4^(+)T cells expressed both soluble and membrane-bound IL-15.Retrovirusmediated IL-15 expression led to a selective expansion of antigen-specific CD4^(+)T cells by inhibiting their apoptosis.In vivo IL-15 transfected CD4^(+)T cells were more effective in suppressing tumor growth than control retroviral vector transfected ones.To ensure the safety of the method,the employment of thymidine kinase gene made it possible to eliminate these transgenic CD4^(+)T cells following ganciclovir treatment.Together,we show that IL-15 transfection induced a selective expansion of antigen-specific CD4^(+)T cells ex vivo and enhanced their tumor-suppression effects in vivo.This has an important significance for improving the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapy.

TNFR-1 on tumor cells contributes to the sensitivity of fi brosarcoma to chemotherapy

Impaired tumor necrosis factor receptor-1(TNFR-1)signaling has been found in some malignant tumors with poor prognosis.However,the exact role of TNFR-1 signaling in fi brosarcoma remains unclear.Here,we explored the question by comparing the growth of TNFR-1 deficient(Tnfr1-)and TNFR-1 competent(Tnfr1+)fibrosarcoma FB61 cells(FB61-m and FB61-R1)in mice.TNFR-1 expression on fibrosarcoma cells delayed their growth in vivo but not in vitro.Moreover,reduced FB61-R1 tumor growth was also obtained in T NFR-1 knockout mice.The mechanism relies mainly on the TNFR-1-mediated down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)production by tumor cells.Importantly,treatment of FB61-m tumors with melphalan resulted in a short delay of tumor growth,followed by a quick r emission.However,when FB61-R1 tumors were treated with melphalan,tumor growth was similarly delayed at fi rst and then completely rejected.Our results reveal evidence for TNFR-1 on tumor cells as a prerequisite in chemotherapy for fi brosarcoma,and provide novel insight into the therapeutic approach against some types of tumors using TNFR-1 angonist.

TNFR2 expression on non-bone marrow-derived cells is crucial for lipopolysaccharide-induced septic shock and downregulation of soluble TNFR2 level in serum

Persistently high serum levels of soluble tumor-necrosis factor(TNF)receptor 2(sTNFR2)have been observed in septic shock and many inflammatory diseases.However,its origin and regulation during these pathological processes are still largely unknown.In this study,murine bone marrow(BM)chimeras selectively expressing TNFR2 on either BM-derived or non-BM-derived cells were generated and challenged with lipopolysaccharide(LPS).The results show that TNFR2 expression on non-BM-derived cells is crucial for both the sensitivity of mice to LPS and the downregulation of sTNFR2 in serum.Most importantly,sTNFR2 was released from both BM-and non-BM-derived cells.Non-BM TNFR1 expression influenced the sensitivity of mice to LPS challenge but not the level of serum sTNFR2.These results provide the first in vivo evidence for the origin and regulation of sTNFR2 in serum and could aid in the development of novel anti-TNF strategies against septic shock.

Life-Inspired Endogenous Dynamic Behavior of Lipid Droplet-like Microcompartments in Artificial Adipocyte-like Structures

Chemical systems that can replicate cellular behaviors are gaining increasing attention and are being used to study various biological processes.Here,a protein-or amylose-based assembly at an oil/water interface was employed to construct a large compartmentalized adipocyte-like structure,and a lipid droplet-like microcompartment(amylose-polymerstabilized 2-ethyl-1-hexanol microcompartment),which exhibits floating behaviors driven by the amylose-polymer micelle solubilization,was introduced inside these adipocyte-like structures.When the lipase-based catalytic reaction and the external oil composition were controlled and another lipid droplet-like microcompartment(lipase-stabilized tributyrin microcompartment)was introduced,then a series of dynamic behaviors were exhibited by the two types of lipid droplet-like microcompartments,including growth,self-sorting,and fusion within the adipocyte-like structures.Therefore,it is anticipated that this autonomous generation of hierarchical multicompartments represents a breakthrough compared to the traditional bottom-up strategies,and the artificial life systems we studied could contribute a chemical-based strategy of understanding the process of lipid droplet growth and fusion inside a living adipocyte cell.