Development ofκ-carrageenan hydrogels with mechanically stronger structures via a solvent-replacement method

Strongκ-carrageenan(KC)hydrogels were fabricated via solvent replacement with sorbitol,and the effects of KC mass fraction and solvent replacement on the structural characteristics encapsulation capability of the hydrogels were evaluated.Microstructural observation showed that the 3D network structures of hydrogels exhibited a complete and continuous skeleton.FTIR spectra of KC hydrogels revealed the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds after sorbitol replacement.The stability against heating and freeze-thawing of hydrogels was enhanced due to the addition of sorbitol and the rise in KC mass fraction.The hydrogel with 1.5 wt%KC after sorbitol replacement presented the best stability.Frequency sweep tests suggested that storage modulus of the samples were influenced by sorbitol replacement and KC concentration.Swelling tests revealed that the hydrogels after replacement with a higher KC content(1.25,1.50 wt%)presented higher swelling capacity,and they were more stable in alkaline and acidic solutions.When epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG)was incorporated within the hydrogels,the hydrogels after sorbitol replacement offered higher protection capability.The information obtained in this study indicated that sorbitol replacement strengthened KC hydrogels,and they could act more appropriately as accountable carriers for bioactives.

Photothermal Catalytic Selective Oxidation of Isobutane to Methacrylic Acid over Keggin-Type Heteropolyacid

Thermal and photothermal catalytic selec-tive oxidation of isobutane to methacrylic acid(MAA)are comparatively studied over a keggin-type Cs2.9Cu0.34V0.49PMo12O40 het-eropolyacid acid.An introduction of light was observed to enhance both the i-C4H10 conversion and the MAA selectivity,and consequently the MAA formate rate,particularly at low temperatures.Characterization re-sults show that oxidation of methacrolein(MAL)to MAA is the rate-limiting step while UV light illumination promotes the oxidation ofσ-bonded MAL with OH groups toσ-bonded MAA on the catalyst surface.These results demonstrate a synergistic effect of thermal cataly-sis and photocatalysis in selective oxidation of isobutane to MAA,which suggests photother-mal catalysis as a promising strategy to catalyze the selective oxidation of higher hydrocar-bons at relative mild reaction conditions.

加拿大Weyburn油田CO_2驱油时延地震波阻抗监测

利用地震记录数据、测井数据和地震处理得到的速度对加拿大萨斯萨省东南部Weyburn油田进行时延地震波阻抗(AI)反演。其监测目的是在CO_2注入期间控制流体运移,并通过监测提高原油采收率。阐述了时延地震波阻抗监测实现的3个步骤。虽然在CO_2注入初期就开始监测波阻抗,但波阻抗图像及其它时延图像均表明,CO_2具有扩散运移的特征。

Deep learning model improves radiologists'performance in detection and classification of breast lesions

Objective:Computer-aided diagnosis using deep learning algorithms has been initially applied in the field of mammography,but there is no large-scale clinical application.Methods:This study proposed to develop and verify an artificial intelligence model based on mammography.Firstly,mammograms retrospectively collected from six centers were randomized to a training dataset and a validation dataset for establishing the model.Secondly,the model was tested by comparing 12 radiologists’performance with and without it.Finally,prospectively enrolled women with mammograms from six centers were diagnosed by radiologists with the model.The detection and diagnostic capabilities were evaluated using the freeresponse receiver operating characteristic(FROC)curve and ROC curve.Results:The sensitivity of model for detecting lesions after matching was 0.908 for false positive rate of 0.25 in unilateral images.The area under ROC curve(AUC)to distinguish the benign lesions from malignant lesions was0.855[95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.830,0.880].The performance of 12 radiologists with the model was higher than that of radiologists alone(AUC:0.852 vs.0.805,P=0.005).The mean reading time of with the model was shorter than that of reading alone(80.18 s vs.62.28 s,P=0.032).In prospective application,the sensitivity of detection reached 0.887 at false positive rate of 0.25;the AUC of radiologists with the model was 0.983(95%CI:0.978,0.988),with sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV),and negative predictive value(NPV)of94.36%,98.07%,87.76%,and 99.09%,respectively.Conclusions:The artificial intelligence model exhibits high accuracy for detecting and diagnosing breast lesions,improves diagnostic accuracy and saves time.

Concentration of linoleic acid from cottonseed oil by starch complexation

The extraction of linoleic acid from fatty acids(FA) of the cottonseed oil using starch–FA complexes was developed for the first time. We showed that starch can form inclusion complexes of different strengths with FA and that the different strengths stem from the differences in chain length, degree of unsaturation, and position of double bonds of FA. The optimal separation conditions were determined as follows: The inclusion temperature is 69 °C, the inclusion time is 30 min, the starch/FA mass ratio is 10:1, and the ratio of the volume of methanol–water solution and the mass of FA is 18:1. Compared to urea inclusion complexation, starch complexation has milder reaction temperature and shorter reaction time. Under these conditions, linoleic acid can be concentrated from 38.9% to 70.04% by one-off extraction. Moreover, the experimental results demonstrate the almost perfect reusability of starch. These results show that starch complexation is a promising method that can be used to obtain highly concentrated linoleic acid from cottonseed oil.

Never Lost Keys:A Novel Key Generation Scheme Based on Motor Imagery EEG in End-Edge-Cloud System

Biometric key is generated from the user’s unique biometric features,and can effectively solve the security problems in cryptography.However,the current prevailing biometric key generation techniques such as fingerprint recognition and facial recognition are poor in randomness and can be forged easily.According to the characteristics of Electroencephalographic(EEG)signals such as the randomness,nonlinear and non-stationary etc.,it can significantly avoid these flaws.This paper proposes a novel method to generate keys based on EEG signals with end-edgecloud collaboration computing.Using sensors to measure motor imagery EEG data,the key is generated via pre-processing,feature extraction and classification.Experiments show the total time consumption of the key generation process is about 2.45s.Our scheme is practical and feasible,which provides a research route to generate biometric keys using EEG data.

Genetic landscape and clinical significance of cuproptosis-related genes in liver hepatocellular carcinoma

Recently,Peter et al reported a novel form of cell death(cuproptosis)that was different from other known death mechanisms.1 They found that accumulation of copper ions could induce destabilization of Fe-S cluster proteins and aggregation of mitochondrial lipoylated proteins,ultimately resulting in cuproptosis.1 of note,ten genes were identified as cuproptosis-related genes(CRGs)in copper ion-induced cell death,including PDHB,PDHA1,DLAT,DLD,LIPT1,LIAS,FDX1,CDKN2A,GLS,and MTF1.1 Since dysregulation of copper metabolism is involved in many cancers,cuproptosis and CRGs may play vital roles in cancer development and treatment.1.2 Herein,our pancancer analysis revealed the coordinated upregulation of 9 of 10 CRGs in human liver hepatocellular carcinoma(LIHC)across 33 solid tumors(Fig.S1A;Fig.1A),suggesting the distinct role of CRGs in LIHC.We then explored the genetic landscape,biological function,and clinical significance of CRGs in LIHC,and validated our bioinformatic findings by in vitro experiments and clinical cohorts.The detailed methods were described in the supplementary material.

To curve for survival:Apical hook development

Apical hook is a simple curved structure formed at the upper part of hypocotyls when dicot seeds germinate in darkness.The hook structure is transient but essential for seedlings’survival during soil emergence due to its efficient protection of the delicate shoot apex from mechanical injury.As a superb model system for studying plant differential growth,apical hook has fascinated botanists as early as the Darwin age,and significant advances have been achieved at both the morphological and molecular levels to understand how apical hook development is regulated.Here,we will mainly summarize the research progress at these two levels.We will also briefly compare the growth dynamics between apical hook and hypocotyl gravitropic bending at early seed germination phase,with the aim to deduce a certain consensus on their connections.Finally,we will outline the remaining questions and future research perspectives for apical hook development.

当代中国文化的传统重构之路

文化传统在当代生活中正扮演十分尊贵和显耀的角色,但当前对传统谈论颇多却又可能对其知之甚少。当代文化需要重新召唤传统之魂。但传统之魂并非永远如一而需依据当代生活价值建构的新需要予以激活,再加以创造性转化,进而形成传统的新形态。当前,需要通过儒、道、禅、法、墨诸家创新而探索当代文化的传统重构之路。

The RALF1-FERONIA Complex Phosphorylates eIF4E1 to Promote Protein Synthesis and Polar Root Hair Growth

The molecular links between extracellular signals and the regulation of localized protein synthesis in plant cells are poorly understood.Here,we show that in Arabidopsis thaliana,the extracellular peptide RALF1 and its receptor,the FERONIA receptor kinase,promote root hair(RH)tip growth by modulating protein synthesis.We found that RALF1 promotes FERONIA-mediated phosphorylation of elF4E1,a eukaryotic translation initiation factor that plays a crucial role in the control of mRNA translation rate.Phosphorylated elF4E1 increases mRNA affinity and modulates mRNA translation and,thus,protein synthesis.The mRNAs targeted by the RALF1-FERONIA-elF4E1 module include ROP2 and RSL4,which are important regulators of RH cell polarity and growth.RALF1 and FERONIA are expressed in a polar manner in RHs,which facilitate elF4E1 polar丨ocalization and thus may control local f?OP2 translation.Moreover,we demonstrated that high-level accumulation of RSL4 exerts negative-feedback regulation of RALF1 expression by directly binding the RALF1 gene promoter,determining the final RH size.Our study reveals that the link between RALF1-FERONIA signaling and protein synthesis constitutes a novel component regulating cell expansion in these polar growing cells.

Growth asymmetry precedes differential auxin response during apical hook initiation in Arabidopsis

The development of a hook-like structure at the apical part of the soil-emerging organs has fascinated botanists for centuries,but how it is initiated remains unclear.Here,we demonstrate with highthroughput infrared imaging and 2-D clinostat treatment that,when gravity-induced root bending is absent,apical hook formation still takes place.In such scenarios,hook formation begins with a de novo growth asymmetry at the apical part of a straightly elongating hypocotyl.Remarkably,suchde novo asymmetric growth,but not the following hook enlargement,precedes the establishment of a detectable auxin response asymmetry,and is largely independent of auxin biosynthesis,transport and signaling.Moreover,we found that functional cortical microtubule array is essential for the following enlargement of hook curvature.When microtubule array was disrupted by oryzalin,the polar localization of PIN proteins and the formation of an auxin maximum became impaired at the to-be-hook region.Taken together,we propose a more comprehensive model for apical hook initiation,in which the microtubuledependent polar localization of PINs may mediate the instruction of growth asymmetry that is either stochastically taking place,induced by gravitropic response,or both,to generate a significant auxin gradient that drives the full development of the apical hook.

Ethylene-induced microtubule reorientation is essential for fast inhibition of root elongation in Arabidopsis

Microtubule reorientation is a long-standing observation that has been implicated in regulating the inhibitory effect of ethylene on axial elongation of plant cells. However, the signaling mechanism underlying ethylene-induced microtubule reorientation has re- mained elusive. Here, we reveal, by live confocal imaging and kinetic root elongation assays, that the time courses of ethylene-induced microtubule reorientation and root elongation inhibition are highly correlated, and that microtubule reorientation is required for the full responsiveness of root elongation to ethylene treatment. Our genetic analysis demonstrated that the effect of ethylene on microtubule orientation and root elongation is mainly transduced through the canonical linear ethylene signaling pathway. By using pharmacological and genetic analyses, we demonstrate further that the TIR1/AFBs-Aux/IAAs-ARFs auxin signaling pathway, but not the ABP1-ROP6-RlC1 auxin signaling branch, is essential for ethylene-induced microtubule reorientation and root elongation inhibition. Together, these findings offer evidence for the functional significance and elucidate the signaling mechanism for ethylene-induced microtubule reorientation in fast root elongation inhibition in Arabidopsis.

Optofluidic Refractive Index Sensor Based on Partial Reflection

We demonstrate a novel optofluidic refractive index （RI） sensor with high sensitivity and wide dynamic range based on partial reflection. Benefited from the divergent incident light and the output fibers with different tilting angles, we have achieved highly sensitive RI sensing in a wide range from 1.33 to 1.37. To investigate the effectiveness of this sensor, we perform a measurement of RI with a resolution of ca. 5.0× 10^-5 refractive index unit （RIU） for ethylene glycol solutions. Also, we have measured a series of liquid solutions by using different output fibers, achieving a resolution of ca. 0.52mg/mL for cane surge. The optofluidic RI sensor takes advantage of the high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, small footprint, and low sample consumption, as well as the efficient fluidic sample delivery, making it useful for applications in the food industry.