4.4 kW Nd:YAG slab amplifier with a high repetition frequency and high beam quality.

Using the self-developed fused indium wetting technology and planar waveguide, the uniform heat dissipation of the slab crystal and uniform pumping of the pump light were achieved, respectively. Based on the master oscillator power amplification (MOPA) scheme, the power was then amplified when the seed light source passed through the Nd:YAG slab crystal three times. Additionally, the image transfer system that we added to the amplified optical path achieved high beam quality. Finally, we obtained a rectangular pulsed laser with an output average power of 4461 W, a repetition frequency of 20 kHz, a pulse width of 62 ns, an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 26.8%, and a beam quality of ß x=7.0 and ß y=7.7.

Transcriptome analysis revealed the function of five tandemly duplicated nAChRs in the transplantation immunity in pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii.

nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that play an important role in the homeostatic regulation of physiological functions. Our previous studies showed that nAChRs in the genome of pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii (PmnAChRs) were expanded through tandem duplication. This study aimed to analyze the function of five tandemly duplicated PmnAChRs in the transplantation immunity in P. f. martensii. Transcriptome analysis reveals that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) shared between PmnAChR-RNAi and the control group were functionally involved in Signal transduction, Immune system et al., and most of the related genes were down-regulated in the PmnAChR-RNAi group. The different copies of PmnAChR may regulate transplantation immunity through various pathways, such as Wnt, protein digestion and absorption, Hippo, and gap junction pathway. The inflammation factor interleukin-17 (IL-17) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were down-regulated in PmnAChR-1, 4, 5-RNAi group, and the serum from the pearl oysters in the PmnAChR-1-4-RNAi group could promote the proliferation of the Vibrio harveyi, indicating the immunosuppressive function after down-regulation of PmnAChRs. The different responses of antioxidant enzymes and diverse signal pathways after down-regulation of PmnAChRs suggested that the five tandemly duplicated PmnAChRs may cooperate with different α type PmnAChRs and constitute the functional ion channel in the membrane. Results of this study not only provide insight for the effective regulation of the transplantation immunity, but also provide a theoretical reference for the study of the adaptive evolutionary mechanism of repeating genes.

The safety and efficacy between remimazolam and propofol in intravenous anesthesia of endoscopy operation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Propofol is the most widely used intravenous anesthetic in endoscopic surgery, but is associated with several adverse reactions. Public research has shown that remimazolam, a safe general anesthetic, is increasingly being used as a substitute for propofol in clinical operations. Our meta-analysis aimed to analyze whether the adverse reaction rate of remimazolam in endoscopic surgery is acceptable and whether the surgical success rate is not lower than that of propofol. AIM: This meta-analysis examined the adverse events and efficacy of remimazolam vs. propofol during endoscopic surgery. METHOD: MEDLINE, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar were comprehensively searched. Seven studies comparing remimazolam and propofol were included in our meta-analysis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and Cochrane manual were used to assess the quality of the results published in all included studies to ensure that our meta-analysis results are reliable and worthwhile. RESULTS: Compared to propofol, the use of remimazolam reduced postoperative injection pain [relative risk (RR)=0.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03-0.12, P <0.00001], postoperative hypotension (RR=0.45, 95% CI: 0.28-0.73, P =0.001), and postoperative respiratory depression (RR=0.20, 95% CI: 0.08-0.47, P =0.0002); however, it also slightly reduced the success rate of the operation [risk difference (RD)=-0.02, 95% CI: -0.04 to -0.01, P =0.0007]. There were no significant differences in the occurrence of bradycardia symptoms after the operation (RD=-0.01, 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.01, P =0.35), recovery time after the operation [standardized mean difference (SMD)=0.68, 95% CI: -0.43 to 1.80, P =0.23] or discharge time (SMD=0.17, 95% CI: -0.58 to 0.23, P =0.41). We also performed a subgroup analysis of each corresponding outcome. CONCLUSION: Our analysis showed that remimazolam may be a safer shock option than propofol for endoscopic surgery. However, further research is required to determine their utility.

Lactate Decreases Bortezomib Sensitivity and Predicts Poor Clinical Outcomes of Multiple Myeloma.

OBJECTIVE: Metabolic disorders are regarded as hallmarks of multiple myeloma (MM) and are responsible for rapid cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth. However, the exact biological roles of metabolites in MM cells have not been fully explored. This study aimed to explore the feasibility and clinical significance of lactate for MM and investigate the molecular mechanism of lactic acid (Lac) in the proliferation of myeloma cells and cell sensitivity to bortezomib (BTZ). METHODS: Metabolomic analysis of the serum was carried out to obtain metabolites expression and clinical characteristics in MM patients. The CCK8 assay and flow cytometry were used to detect cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle changes. Western blotting was used to detect the potential mechanism and apoptosis- and cycle-related protein changes. RESULTS: Lactate was highly expressed in both the peripheral blood and bone marrow of MM patients. It was significantly correlated with Durie-Salmon Staging (DS Staging) and the International Staging System (ISS Staging) and the serum and urinary involved/uninvolved free light chain ratios. Patients with relatively high lactate levels had a poor treatment response. Moreover, in vitro experiments showed that Lac could promote the proliferation of tumor cells and decrease the proportion of G0/G1-phase cells, which was accompanied by an increased proportion of S-phase cells. In addition, Lac could decrease tumor sensitivity to BTZ by disrupting the expression of nuclear factor kappa B subunit 2 (NFkB2) and RelB. CONCLUSION: Metabolic changes are important in MM cell proliferation and treatment response; lactate could be used as a biomarker in MM and as a therapeutic target to overcome cell resistance to BTZ.

miR-10a-3p Participates in Nacre Formation in the Pearl Oyster Pinctada fucata martensii by Targeting NPY.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression via the recognition of their target messenger RNAs. MiR-10a-3p plays an important role in the process of ossification. In this study, we obtained the precursor sequence of miR-10a-3p in the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii (Pm-miR-10a-3p) and verified its sequence by miR-RACE technology, and detected its expression level in the mantle tissues of the pearl oyster P. f. martensii. Pm-nAChRsα and Pm-NPY were identified as the potential target genes of Pm-miR-10a-3p. After the over-expression of Pm-miR-10a-3p, the target genes Pm-nAChRsα and Pm-NPY were downregulated, and the nacre microstructure became disordered. The Pm-miR-10a-3p mimic obviously inhibited the luciferase activity of the 3' untranslated region of the Pm-NPY gene. When the interaction site was mutated, the inhibitory effect disappeared. Our results suggested that Pm-miR-10a-3p participates in nacre formation in P. f. martensii by targeting Pm-NPY. This study can expand our understanding of the mechanism of biomineralization in pearl oysters.

Dual Recycling of Depolymerization Catalyst and Biodegradable Polyester that Markedly Outperforms Polyolefins.

Chemically recyclable, circular polymers continue to attract increasing attention, but rendering both catalysts for depolymerization and high-performance polymers recyclable is a more sustainable yet challenging goal. Here we introduce a dual catalyst/polymer recycling system in that recyclable inorganic phosphomolybdic acid catalyzes selective depolymerization of high-ceiling-temperature biodegradable poly(δ-valerolactone) in bulk phase, which, upon reaching suitable molecular weight, exhibits outstanding mechanical performance with a high tensile strength of ≈66.6 MPa, fracture strain of ≈904 %, and toughness of ≈308 MJ m-3 , and thus markedly outperforms commodity polyolefins, recovering its monomer in pure state and quantitative yield at only 100 °C. In sharp contrast, the uncatalyzed depolymerization not only requires a high temperature of >310 °C but is also low yielding and non-selective. Importantly, the recovered monomer can be repolymerized as is to reproduce the same polymer, thereby closing the circular loop, and the recycled catalyst can be reused repeatedly for depolymerization runs without loss of its catalytic activity and efficiency.

Advances in the Synthesis of Chemically Recyclable Polymers.

The development of modern society is closely related to polymer materials. However, the accumulation of polymer materials and their evolution in the environment causes not only serious environmental problems, but also waste of resources. Although physical processing can be used to reuse polymers, the properties of the resulting polymers are significantly degraded. Chemically recyclable polymers, a type of polymer that degrades into monomers, can be an effective solution to the degradation of polymer properties caused by physical recycling of polymers. The ideal chemical recycling of polymers, i. e., quantitative conversion of the polymer to monomers at low energy consumption and repolymerization of the formed monomers into polymers with comparable properties to the original, is an attractive research goal. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the design of recyclable polymers, enabling the regulation of the "polymerization-depolymerization" equilibrium and closed-loop recycling under mild conditions. This review will focus on the following aspects of closed-loop recycling of poly(sulfur) esters, polycarbonates, polyacetals, polyolefins, and poly(disulfide) polymer, illustrate the challenges in this area, and provide an outlook on future directions.

Molecular and physiological mechanisms of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) leaf and root in response to nitrogen deficiency.

BACKGROUND: As an economically important crop, tea is strongly nitrogen (N)-dependent. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the response of N deficiency in tea are not fully understood. Tea cultivar "Chunlv2" [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] were cultured with a nutrient solution with 0 mM [N-deficiency] or 3 mM (Control) NH4NO3 in 6 L pottery pots containing clean river sands. RESULTS: N deficiency significantly decreased N content, dry weight, chlorophyll (Chl) content, L-theanine and the activities of N metabolism-related enzymes, but increased the content of total flavonoids and polyphenols in tea leaves. N deficiency delayed the sprouting time of tea buds. By using the RNA-seq technique and subsequent bioinformatics analysis, 3050 up-regulated and 2688 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were isolated in tea leaves in response to N deficiency. However, only 1025 genes were up-regulated and 744 down-regulated in roots. Gene ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis showed that 205 DEGs in tea leaves were enriched in seven GO terms and 152 DEGs in tea roots were enriched in 11 GO items based on P < 0.05. In tea leaves, most GO-enriched DEGs were involved in chlorophyll a/b binding activities, photosynthetic performance, and transport activities. But most of the DEGs in tea roots were involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates and plant hormones with regard to the GO terms of biological processes. N deficiency significantly increased the expression level of phosphate transporter genes, which indicated that N deficiency might impair phosphorus metabolism in tea leaves. Furthermore, some DEGs, such as probable anion transporter 3 and high-affinity nitrate transporter 2.7, might be of great potential in improving the tolerance of N deficiency in tea plants and further study could work on this area in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated N deficiency inhibited the growth of tea plant, which might be due to altered N metabolism and expression levels of DEGs involved in the photosynthetic performance, transport activity and oxidation-reduction processes.

A circular polyester platform based on simple gem-disubstituted valerolactones.

Geminal disubstitution of cyclic monomers is an effective strategy to enhance the chemical recyclability of their polymers, but it is utilized for that purpose alone and often at the expense of performance properties. Here we present synergistic use of gem-α,α-disubstitution of available at-scale, bio-based δ-valerolactones to yield gem-dialkyl-substituted valerolactones ([Formula: see text]), which generate polymers that solve not only the poor chemical recyclability but also the low melting temperature and mechanical performance of the parent poly(δ-valerolactone); the gem-disubstituted polyesters ([Formula: see text]) therefore not only exhibit complete chemical recyclability but also thermal, mechanical and transport properties that rival or exceed those of polyethylene. Through a fundamental structure-property study that reveals intriguing impacts of the alkyl chain length on materials performance of [Formula: see text], this work establishes a simple circular, high-performance polyester platform based on [Formula: see text] and highlights the importance of synergistic utilization of gem-disubstitution for enhancing both chemical recyclability and materials performance of sustainable polyesters.

The complete chloroplast genome of Camellia confuse Craib 1914, an economically valuable oil crop.

Camellia confuse Craib 1914 is an industrially valuable oil crop from southern China for which little genetic information is available. Here, we found that its complete chloroplast genome is a circular sequence (156,905 bp) with a large single-copy region (LSC) of 67,724 bp, a small single copy region (SSC) of 18,400 bp, and two inverted repeats (IRs). In total, 130 genes were identified, including 86 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNAs, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. confusa is close to C. meiocarpa. These results provide valuable information for accelerating research on the evolution of camellias.

The GC-TOF/MS-based Metabolomic analysis reveals altered metabolic profiles in nitrogen-deficient leaves and roots of tea plants (Camellia sinensis).

BACKGROUND: Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is commonly considered as one of the most important limiting factors in the agricultural production. As a result, a large amount of N fertilizer is used to improve the yield in modern tea production. Unfortunately, the large amount of N fertilizer input has led to increased plant nitrogen-tolerance and decreased amplitude of yield improvement, which results in significant N loss, energy waste and environment pollution. However, the effects of N-deficiency on the metabolic profiles of tea leaves and roots are not well understood. RESULTS: In this study, seedlings of Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze Chunlv 2 were treated with 3 mM NH4NO3 (Control) or without NH4NO3 (N-deficiency) for 4 months by sandy culture. The results suggested that N-deficiency induced tea leaf chlorosis, impaired biomass accumulation, decreased the leaf chlorophyll content and N absorption when they were compared to the Control samples. The untargeted metabolomics based on GC-TOF/MS approach revealed a discrimination of the metabolic profiles between N-deficient tea leaves and roots. The identification and classification of the altered metabolites indicated that N deficiency upregulated the relative abundances of most phenylpropanoids and organic acids, while downregulated the relative abundances of most amino acids in tea leaves. Differentially, N-deficiency induced the accumulation of most carbohydrates, organic acids and amino acids in tea roots. The potential biomarkers screened in N-deficient leaves compared to Control implied that N deficiency might reduce the tea quality. Unlike the N-deficient leaves, the potential biomarkers in N-deficient roots indicated an improved stress response might occur in tea roots. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated N deficiency had different effects on the primary and secondary metabolism in tea leaves and roots. The findings of this study will facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the N-deficient tea plants and provide a valuable reference for the optimized N nutrient management and the sustainable development in the tea plantations.

Stepwise Achievement of Circularly Polarized Luminescence on Atomically Precise Silver Clusters.

The weakly coordinated anionic nitrate ligands in a centrosymmetric Ag20 cluster are replaced in a stepwise manner by chiral amino acids and two achiral luminescent sulfonic-group-containing ligands while nearly maintaining the original silver(I) cage structure. This surface engineering enables the atomically precise Ag20 clusters to exhibit the high-efficiency synergetic effects of chirality and fluorescence, producing rare circularly polarized luminescence among the metal clusters with a large dissymmetry factor of (|glum|) ≈ 5 × 10-3. This rational approach using joint functional ligands further opens a new avenue to diverse multifunctional metal clusters for promising applications.

Dual-Function Mixed-Lanthanide Metal-Organic Framework for Ratiometric Water Detection in Bioethanol and Temperature Sensing.

In order to accurately and conveniently measure temperature and water content in bioethanol, a dual-function ratiometric luminescence sensor has been fabricated successfully based on mixed lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) Eu0.02Dy0.18-MOF. In this MOF, the two lanthanides and ligand (H4L) form three luminescence centers, and they have different sensitivity toward water and temperature. Using the ratio of luminescence intensity at 416 and 614 nm, the MOF could quantitatively determine the concentration of water in dry ethanol and in bioethanol with recoveries of 91% -107%, and a detection limit of 0.1%, which is much lower than that in hydrated ethyl alcohol fuel (AEHC), 0.8% in China, 1.0% in the United States, and 4.9% in Brazil. Using the luminescence intensity ratio of Eu3+5D0 → 7F2 (614 nm) transition to Dy3+4F9/2 → 6H13/2 (573 nm) transition, the MOF could also sense temperature in range of 293 to 373 K, and 150 to 290 K with high accuracy, excellent linear relationship, reversibility, and recyclability.

Self-cross-linked melamine-formaldehyde-pectin aerogel with excellent water resistance and flame retardancy.

Self-cross-linked aerogel based on pectin and melamine-formaldehyde resin (MF) was fabricated via freeze-drying method using water as solvent, where pectin is structural material meanwhile acting as acid to catalyse the cross-linking of MF. The cross-linking reaction easily occurs without additional additives, which can be significantly accelerated at elevated temperatures, with a critical value of about 55 °C. The obtained aerogel shows network microstructures as observed with SEM. With increasing pectin content, the aerogel shows significantly increased compressive modulus. The compressive modulus of M10Pe5 arrives 23.2 MPa, the specific modulus of which arrives 188 MPa cm3/g, while pure MF aerogel are too fragile to keep intact after freeze-dried. The resulting aerogel has good thermal stability, excellent water resistance (can be second dried with limited strength loss) and low flammability. This partially bio-based novel aerogel with impressive properties is promising in many applications.

Inhibiting expression of HSP60 and TLR4 attenuates paraquat-induced microglial inflammation.

Accumulating evidences suggest that heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) are involved in triggering inflammatory response in microglia. Paraquat (PQ) evokes microglial inflammation by up-regulating expression of HSP60-TLR4-myeloid differentiation factor 88 (Myd88)-nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in vitro. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential modulatory roles of HSP60 and TLR4 in PQ-induced inflammation. Before treated with PQ, microglia BV2 cells were pretreated using siRNA to knockdown HSP60 or with specific inhibitor to inhibit TLR4 expression. Expression of TLR4 and MyD88, and nuclear translocation of NF-κB subunit p65 were studied with immunoblotting and immunofluorescence, respectively. Expression of pro-inflammatory factors was assessed with quantitative real-time PCR. Knockdown of HSP60 or inhibition of TLR4 significantly reduced the expression of TLR4 and MyD88 and decreased the accumulation of NF-κB p65 in the nucleus. Gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were also significantly decreased in response to PQ. These results suggest that HSP60 and TLR4 can modulate intracellular signaling of PQ-induced inflammation. Inhibiting HSP60 or TLR4 reduces significantly the intensity of inflammation in PQ-activated microglia.

Epigenetic dysregulation of Oxtr in Tet1-deficient mice has implications for neuropsychiatric disorders.

OXTR modulates a variety of behaviors in mammals, including social memory and recognition. Genetic and epigenetic dysregulation of OXTR has been suggested to be implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While the involvement of DNA methylation is suggested, the mechanism underlying epigenetic regulation of OXTR is largely unknown. This has hampered the experimental design and interpretation of the results of epigenetic studies of OXTR in neuropsychiatric disorders. From the generation and characterization of a new line of Tet1 mutant mice - by deleting the largest coding exon 4 (Tet1Δe4) - we discovered for the first time to our knowledge that Oxtr has an array of mRNA isoforms and a complex transcriptional regulation. Select isoforms of Oxtr are significantly reduced in the brain of Tet1Δe4-/- mice. Accordingly, CpG islands of Oxtr are hypermethylated during early development and persist into adulthood. Consistent with the reduced express of OXTR, Tet1Δe4-/- mice display impaired maternal care, social behavior, and synaptic responses to oxytocin stimulation. Our findings elucidate a mechanism mediated by TET1 protein in regulating Oxtr expression by preventing DNA hypermethylation of Oxtr. The discovery of epigenetic dysregulation of Oxtr in TET1-deficient mouse brain supports the necessity of a reassessment of existing findings and a value of future studies of OXTR in neuropsychiatric disorders.

The association of semaphorin 5A with lymph node metastasis and adverse prognosis in cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Semaphorin 5A has been linked to tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. However, the role of semaphorin 5A in cervical cancer is not known. Our aim is to investigate the prognostic value of semaphorin 5A and its potential role in lymphangiogenesis and invasion in cervical cancer. METHODS: In this study, pathological features and clinical data of 232 cervical cancer patients were retrospectively reviewed. Semaphorin 5A protein and mRNA expression was detected by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. In vitro, we determined the role and mechanistic pathways of semaphorin 5A in tumor progression in cervical carcinoma cell lines. RESULTS: Semaphorin 5A expression was significantly higher in stage IIb tumors than in stage Ia, Ib, and IIa tumors. High semaphorin 5A expression was significantly associated with pelvic lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular permeation, and poor survival. Semaphorin 5A induced lymphangiogenesis through a plexin-B/Met/vascular endothelial growth factor-C pathway. Semaphorin 5A also increased cervical cancer cell invasion by stimulating the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 via PI3K/AKT and plexin-B3. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that semaphorin 5A may represent a poor prognostic biomarker and anti-metastasis therapeutic target in cervical cancer.

Fringe discretization and manufacturing analysis of a computer-generated hologram in a null test of the freeform surface.

A computer-generated hologram (CGH) is the core component for an aspheric surface test. According to fabrication demands, it is necessary to convert the designed CGH phase compensation function into the processed pattern, that is, the fringe discretization process. In this paper, we propose a new discretization method for a CGH in a test of the freeform surface, and realized the encoding of processed fringes by MATLAB software. Furthermore, we designed the experiment to verify the accuracy of the new discretization method and compared the calculation efficiency between the new algorithm and the reported algorithm. Finally, based on the testing requirement of a freeform mirror in a camera optical system, we completed the design, encoding, and fabrication of the CGH sample, and analyzed the influence of various errors on wavefront accuracy of the CGH.

Ice age unfrozen: severe effect of the last interglacial, not glacial, climate change on East Asian avifauna.

BACKGROUND: The glacial-interglacial cycles in the Pleistocene caused repeated range expansion and contraction of species in several regions in the world. However, it remains uncertain whether such climate oscillations had similar impact on East Asian biota, despite its widely recognized importance in global biodiversity. Here we use both molecular and ecological niche profiles on 11 East Asian avian species with various elevational ranges to reveal their response to the late Pleistocene climate changes. RESULTS: The ecological niche models (ENM) consistently showed that these avian species might substantially contract their ranges to the south during the Last Interglacial period (LIG) and expanded their northern range margins through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), leading to the LGM ranges observed for all 11 species. Consistently, coalescent simulations based on 25-30 nuclear genes retrieved signatures of significant population growth through the last glacial period across all species studied. Climate statistics suggested that high climatic variability during the LIG and a relatively mild climate at the LGM potentially explained the historical population dynamics of these birds. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study based on multiple species and both lines of ecological niche profiles and genetic data to characterize the unique response of East Asian biota to late Pleistocene climate. The present study highlights regional differences in the evolutionary consequence of climate change during the last glacial cycle and implies that global warming might pose a great risk to species in this region given potentially higher climatic variation in the future analogous to that during the LIG.