Optimal allocation of agricultural water and land resources integrated with virtual water trade: A perspective on spatial virtual water coordination.

Agricultural production consumes the majority of global freshwater resources. The worsening water scarcity has imposed significant stress on agricultural production when regions seek food self-sufficiency. To seek optimal allocation of spatial agricultural water and land resources in each water function zone of the objective region, a multi-objective optimization model was developed to tackle the trade-offs between the water-saving objective and the economic benefit objective considering virtual water trade (VWT). The cultivated area of each crop in each water function zone was taken into account as the decision variable, while a set of strong constraints were used to restrict land resources and water availability. Then, a decomposition-simplex method aggregation algorithm (DSMA) was proposed to solve this nonlinear, bounding-constrained, and multi-objective optimization model. Based on the quantitative analysis of the spatial blue and green virtual water in each agricultural product, the proposed methodology was applied to a real-world, provincial-scale region in China (i.e., Jiangsu Province). The optimized results provided 18 Pareto solutions to reallocate the land resources in the 21 IV-level water function zones of Jiangsu Province, considering four major rainy-season crops and two dry-season crops. Compared to the actual scenario, the superior scheme increased by 7.95% (5.6 × 109 RMB) for economic trade and decreased by 1.77% (2.0 × 109 m3) for agricultural water consumption. It was mainly because the potential of spatial blue and green virtual water in Jiangsu was fully exploited by improving spatial land resource allocation. The food security of Jiangsu could be guaranteed by achieving self-sufficiency in the superior scheme, and the total VWT in the optimal scheme was 2.2 times more than the actual scenario. The results provided a systematic decision-support methodology from the perspective of spatial virtual water coordination, yet, the methodology is widely applicable.

Identification and analysis of differentially expressed microRNAs in endometrium to explore the regulation of sheep fecundity.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important regulatory role in mammalian reproduction. Currently, most studies are primarily concentrated on ovarian miRNAs, ignoring the influence of endometrial miRNAs on the fecundity of female sheep. To uncover potential regulators of sheep fecundity, RNA-seq was used to comparatively analyze miRNA expression profiles of endometrium between high prolificacy sheep (HP, litter size = 3) and low prolificacy sheep (LP, litter size = 1) with FecB genotype. RESULTS: Firstly, genomic features of miRNAs from endometrium were analyzed. Furthermore, 58 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were found in the endometrium of Hu sheep with different litter size. A co-expression network of DE miRNAs and target genes has been constructed, and hub genes related litter size are included, such as DE miRNA unconservative_NC_019472.2_1229533 and unconservative_NC_019481.2_1637827 target to estrogen receptor α (ESR1) and unconservative_NC_019481.2_1637827 targets to transcription factor 7 (TCF7). Moreover, functional annotation analysis showed that the target genes (NRCAM and NEGR1) of the DE miRNAs were significantly enriched in cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) signaling pathway, which was related to uterine receptivity. CONCLUSION: Taken together, this study provides a new valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Hu sheep prolificacy.

A Miniature Biomedical Sensor for Rapid Detection of Schistosoma japonicum Antibodies.

Schistosomiasis, typically characterized by chronic infection in endemic regions, has the potential to affect liver tissue and pose a serious threat to human health. Detecting and screening for this disease early on is crucial for its prevention and control. However, existing methods encounter challenges such as low sensitivity, time-consuming processes, and complex sample handling. To address these challenges, we report a soluble egg antigen (SEA)-based functionalized gridless and meander-type AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) sensor for the highly sensitive detection of antibodies to Schistosoma japonicum. Immobilization of the self-assembled membrane on the gate surface was verified using a semiconductor parameter analyzer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The developed biosensor demonstrates remarkable performance in detecting anti-SEA, exhibiting a linear concentration range of 10 ng/mL to 100 µg/mL and a sensitivity of 0.058 mA/log (ng/mL). It also exhibits similar excellent performance in serum systems. With advantages such as rapid detection, high sensitivity, miniaturization, and label-free operation, this biosensor can fulfill the requirements for blood defense.

A highly sensitive sensor for carcinoembryonic antigen based on AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a well-known biomarker and validated serum biomarker for lung cancer. We introduce a simple label-free method for CEA detection. Specific recognition of CEA was made possible by immobilizing CEA antibodies in the sensing region of AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors. The biosensors have a detection limit of 1 fg ml-1in phosphate buffer solution. This approach has advantages of integration, miniaturization, low cost, and rapid detection compared to other testing methods for lung cancer and could be used in future medical diagnostics.

Quantum transport of short-gate MOSFETs based on monolayer MoSi2N4.

The high carrier mobility, appropriate band gap and good environmental stability of two-dimensional (2D) MoSi2N4 enable it to be an appropriate channel material for transistors with excellent performance. Therefore, we predict the performance of double-gate (DG) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) based on monolayer (ML) MoSi2N4 by ab initio quantum-transport calculations. The results show that the on-state current of the p-type device is remarkable when the gate length is greater than 4 nm, which can meet the high performance requirements of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), 2013 version. Moreover, the gate length can be reduced to 3 nm when an underlap (UL) structure is employed in the MOSFET, and the sub-threshold swing, intrinsic delay time and power consumption also perform well. The calculation results reveal that ML MoSi2N4 will be a promising alternative for transistor channel materials in the post-silicon era.

Potential-Resolved Multicolor Electrochemiluminescence for Multiplex Immunoassay in a Single Sample.

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a highly successful technique used in commercial immunoassays for clinical diagnosis. Developing an ECL-based multiplex immunoassay, with the potential to enable high-throughput detection of multiple biomarkers simultaneously, remains a current research interest yet is limited by a narrow choice of ECL luminophores. Herein we report the synthesis, photophysics, electrochemistry, and ECL of several new ruthenium(II) and iridium(III) complexes, three of which are eventually used as signal reporters for multiplex immunoassay. The ECL behaviors of individual luminophores and their mixtures were investigated in multiple modes, including light intensity, spectrum, and image measurements. The spectral peak separation between Ru(bpy)2(dvbpy)2+ (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, dvbpy = 4,4'-bis(4-vinylphenyl)-2,2'-bipyridine), and Ir(dFCF3ppy)2(dtbbpy)+ (dFCF3ppy = 3,5-difluoro-2-[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridinyl]phenyl, dtbbpy = 4,4'-bis( tert-butyl)-2,2'-bipyridine) was up to 145 nm, thus providing the spectrum-resolved possibility of identifying light signals. The potential-resolved ECL signals were achieved for the mixtures of Ir(ppy)3 (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine) with either Ru(bpy)2(dvbpy)2+ or Ir(dFCF3ppy)2(dtbbpy)+, due to the self-annihilation ECL of Ir(ppy)3 at higher potentials, as confirmed by electrochemistry-coupled mass spectrometry. A multiplex immunoassay free of spatial spotting antibodies on plates or substrates was ultimately devised by combining luminophore-loaded polymer beads with the homogeneous sandwich immunoreaction. Using potential and spectrum dual-resolved ECL as the readout signal, simultaneous recognition of three antigens, namely, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-HCG), was demonstrated in a single run for a sample volume of 300 µL. These results contribute to the understanding of ECL generation by multiple luminophores and devising spot-free multiplex immunoassays with less sample consumption.

Imaging of protein-specific glycosylation by glycan metabolic tagging and in situ proximity ligation.

Glycosylation is an important posttranslational modification, which regulates a number of critical biological processes including cell-cell recognition, signal transduction and disease progression. Probing the glycosylation status on a specific protein of interest enables an in-depth understanding of the role of glycosylation on protein structure and function. However, methods for monitoring protein-specific glycosylation are largely lacking. Here we describe a highly sensitive fluorescence imaging strategy to visualize the protein-specific glycosylation by combining glycan metabolic tagging and in situ proximity ligation (termed GPLA). We demonstrate the visualization of sialylation, fucosylation and GalNAcylation on several important membrane proteins. Notably, the high spatial resolution of this method allows subcellular localization of the glycosylated fraction of the proteins. We further show that our strategy can be applied to image the dimerization of endogenous epidermal growth factor receptor. Thus, our study provides a unique tool to monitor the protein-specific glycosylation in a dynamic cellular context.

N-Butyl-2-cyanoacrylate-based injectable and in situ-forming implants for efficient intratumoral chemotherapy.

The local delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to tumor sites is an effective approach for achieving therapeutic drug concentrations in solid tumors. Injectable implants with the ability to form in situ represent one of the most promising technologies for intratumoral chemotherapy. However, many issues must be resolved before these implants can be applied in clinical practice. Herein, we report a novel injectable in situ-forming implant system composed of n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) and ethyl oleate, and the sol-gel phase transition is activated by anions in body fluids or blood. This newly developed injectable NBCA ethyl oleate implant (INEI) is biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic. INEI solidifies in several seconds after exposure to body fluids or blood, and the implant's in vivo degradation time can be controlled. In addition, the pore sizes formed by the polymerization of NBCA can be decreased by increasing the NBCA concentration in the implants. Therefore, the drug retention/release time can be adjusted from a few weeks to several months by changing the concentration of NBCA in the implant formulation. Anti-tumor experiments in animal models showed that the average growth inhibition rate of xenografted human breast cancer cells by the paclitaxel-loaded INEI (40% NBCA) was 80%, and they also indicated that tumors in some of the mice were completely eliminated by just a single dosage injection. For the epirubicin-loaded INEI (50% NBCA), the average growth inhibition rate of xenografted human liver cancer cells was 58%. Thus, the chemotherapeutic drug-loaded INEIs exhibited excellent therapeutic efficacy for local chemotherapy.

A novel method for the sensitive detection of mutant proteins using a covalent-bonding tube-based proximity ligation assay.

Tumorigenesis is the cumulative result of multiple gene mutations. The mutant proteins that are expressed by mutant genes in cancer cells are secreted into the blood and are useful biomarkers for the early diagnosis of cancer. However, some difficulties exist; for example, the same gene will express different protein mutants in different patients, and early tumors secrete only small amounts of mutant protein. Thus, the presence of mutant proteins in plasma has not previously been exploited for the early diagnosis of cancer. Proximity ligation assay is a protein-detection method that has been developed in recent years and has been widely used because of its high sensitivity. However, this approach still suffers from some shortcomings that should be addressed. In this paper, we develop a covalent-bonding tube-based proximity ligation assay (TB-PLA). The limit of detection of TB-PLA for 0.001pM, and the method exhibited a broad dynamic range of up to seven orders of magnitude. Furthermore, we coupled the conformation-specific antibody PAb240 of p53 mutants to PCR tubes for TB-PLA. The assay was capable of detecting an approximately 500-fold lower concentration of mutant p53 in serum compared with sandwich ELISA. Thus, we demonstrate TB-PLA to be a highly sensitive and effective approach that is suitable for the early clinical diagnosis of cancer using the conformation-specific antibodies of protein mutants.

The development of an indirect competitive immunomagnetic-proximity ligation assay for small-molecule detection.

The development of an indirect competitive immunomagnetic-proximity ligation assay (ICIPLA), which is a novel method for detecting small molecules, is described in this report. Free small molecules in samples can be detected using a proximity ligation assay (PLA); the detection is based on the proximity effect caused by a high concentration of small molecule-BSA conjugates bound to streptavidin magnetic beads. As an indirect format competitive immunoassay, the ICIPLA method has the advantage in that the quantity of monoclonal antibody (mAb) used for small-molecule detection is 8-fold lower than that required for the competitive immunomagnetic-proximity ligation assay (CIPLA) described in our previous work. Small molecules can be detected using a single monoclonal antibody, and the PLA method can be used to amplify high-performance signals. In this work, the small molecular compound ractopamine (RAC) was selected as a target for ICIPLA. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.01 ng ml(-1), and the method exhibited a broad dynamic range of up to six orders of magnitude. We also employed the ICIPLA method to detect RAC in serum, urine, and muscle extracts; the results indicated that the LOD and dynamic range were not altered. The cross-reactivity studies showed that the cross-reactivity values for all RAC analogs were below 0.01%. These results suggest that ICIPLA is a sensitive, specific and practical method for small-molecule detection. This is the first report of the improved PLA technology for small-molecule detection by indirect competitive formats in the biological samples.

Sensitive detection of small molecules by competitive immunomagnetic-proximity ligation assay.

A novel detection method of small molecules, competitive immunomagnetic-proximity ligation assay (CIPLA), was developed and described in this report. Through the proximity effect caused by special proximity probes we prepared, small molecules can be detected using only one monoclonal antibody. CIPLA overcomes the obstacle that the proximity ligation assay (PLA) cannot be used in small molecular detection, as two antibodies are unable to combine to one small molecule due to its small molecular structure. Two small molecular compounds, clenbuterol (CLE) and ractopamine (RAC), were selected as targets for CIPLA. The limit of detection (LOD) reached 0.01 ng mL(-1), which was 10-50-fold lower than ELISA. With 5 orders of magnitude of the dynamic range achieved, the excellent sensitivity and broad dynamic range of CIPLA are noted. It can be applied widely in the sensitive detection of many other small molecular materials such as pesticides, additives in food, drugs, and biological samples, which have great significance in both theoretical and practical aspects.

Comparison of oligonucleotide-labeled antibody probe assays for prostate-specific antigen detection.

As a specific tumor marker, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer. Sensitive and specific methods are required to improve the diagnostic accuracy of PSA detection. In the current study, we compared the immuno-polymerase chain reaction (immuno-PCR) method with the solid-phase proximity ligation assay (SP-PLA) with respect to the detection of PSA. Using oligonucleotide-labeled antibody probes, we used both immuno-PCR and SP-PLA to detect trace levels of PSA. The nucleic acid sequences can be monitored using real-time PCR. SP-PLA, however, was found to be superior in terms of both the detection limit and the dynamic range. To detect even lower levels of PSA, we used the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method to measure the levels of reporter DNA molecules in SP-PLA. The sensitivity of the LAMP method is 0.001 pM, which is approximately 100-fold higher than the sensitivities of the other assays. The results suggest that an SP-PLA- and LAMP-based protocol with oligonucleotide-labeled antibody probes may have great application in detecting PSA or other proteins present at trace levels.

[Relationship between trauma score and complications and interventions of traumatic patients in department of emergency medicine].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between trauma score (TS) and complications and interventional strategies in trauma patients in the Emergency Department. METHODS: The injury severity was assessed with TS, and complications were recorded in 1 826 trauma patients in Emergency Department. The interventions, monitoring and imaging examinations were initiated promptly. RESULTS: The TS ranged from 1 to 16 points, and the lower the TS the poorer the patient's condition. The patients with score of 10 or above accounted for 73.06% of patients, those with score of 10 or below accounted for 26.94%. When they left Emergency Department in 91.84% of the patients TS was above 10, while 8.16% of them TS was 10 or below (both P<0.001). The patients with score of 10 or below had a higher rate of severe complications including hypotension, shock, abnormal respiration, and cardiac arrest. The lower the TS, the larger the amount of fluid resuscitation required. CONCLUSION: TS provides an objective value to indicate the seriousness of the patient's condition, and it is valuable to the attending to plan the strategies of intervention, monitoring and necessary instrumental examinations.