Bis(4-acetyl-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-olato-κO,O')bis-(N,N-dimethyl-formamide-κO)nickel(II)

The title complex, [Ni(C₁₂H₁₁N₂O₂)₂(C₃H₇NO)₂], lies on on an inversion center. The Ni^II ion is coordinated in a slightly distorted octa­hedral coordination enviroment by four O atoms from two bis-chelating 4-acety-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-olate ligands in the equatorial plane and two O atoms from two N,N-dimethyl­formamide ligands in the axial sites. In the crystal structure, weak inter­molecular π–π stacking inter­actions with centroid–centroid distances of 3.7467 (13) Å link mol­ecules into chains extending alongthe b axis.

Potential role of nanobubbles in dynamically modulating the structure and stability of anammox granular sludge within biological nitrogen removal process

The generation of visible macrobubbles considerably affects the structure and function of anammox granules in the anammox granular sludge (AnGS) system. However, the existence of nanobubbles (NBs) and their role in maintaining the AnGS structure and stability are unclear because of the complexity of the system and lack of effective analytical methods. In this study, methods for NB analysis and assessment of their effects were developed to investigate the formation and characteristics of NBs in an AnGS system and the effects of NBs on the properties and function of AnGS. The results indicated that dissolved gas supersaturation caused by AnGS generated NBs of 2.75 × 10⁸ bubbles/mL inside an AnGS reactor after running for 300 min at 30 °C. The increasing absolute value of the zeta potential of NBs with time indicated that the NBs in the AnGS system were gradually stable. The size of the stable NBs ranged from 150 nm to 400 nm. NB formation also increased the space and pressure between cells, leading to the breakage of the cell cluster and causing structural changes in granules. Changes in the local granular microstructure caused by NBs were favorable for the porous structure of granules to avoid granular disintegration and flotation caused by the excessive secretion of extracellular polymeric substances blocking gas channels. The formation and stability of NBs penetrating the cell clusters played a crucial role in the formation and stability of nanopores around or inside the cell clusters, further providing a basis for the formation of high-porosity structures and efficient mass transfer of AnGS.

An advanced three-way factor analysis model (SDABB model) for size-resolved PM source apportionment constrained by size distribution of chemical species in source profiles

Source samples including crustal dust, cement dust, coal combustion were sampled and ambient samples of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were synchronously collected in Hefei from April to December 2014. The size distributions of the markers in the measured source profiles were incorporated into ME-2 solution to develop a new method, called the SDABB model (an advanced ABB three-way factor analysis model incorporating size distribution information). The performance of this model was investigated using three-way synthetic and ambient dataset. For the synthetic tests, the size distributions of markers estimated by the SDABB model were more consistent with true condition. The AAEs between estimated and observed contributions of the SDABB ranged from 15.2% to 29.0% for PM₁₀ and 19.9%-31.6% for PM_2.5, which is lower than those of PMF2. For the ambient PM, six source categories were identified by SDABB for both sizes, although the profiles were different. The source contributions were sulphate (33.33% and 24.53%), nitrate and SOC (22.33% and 18.16%), coal combustion (19.01% and 18.23%), vehicular exhaust (12.99% and 12.07%), crustal dust (10.69% and 19.40%) and cement dust (1.65% and 5.39%) for PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ respectively. In addition, the estimated ratios of Al, Si, Ti and Fe in CRD were 0.76, 0.84, 1.10 and 0.85; those of Al and Si in CC were 0.42 and 0.66; Ca and Si in CD were 0.95 and 1.10; NO₃^- and NH₄⁺ in nitrate were 1.11 and 1.01; and SO₄^2- and NH₄⁺ in sulphate were 0.96 and 1.16. These modeled ratios were consistent with the measured ratios. The size distribution of contributions also came close to reality. Thus, the advanced SDABB three-way model can better capture the characteristics of sources between sizes by effectively incorporating the size distributions of the markers as physical constraints.

Imbalance in obesity and mental health among "little emperors" in China

INTRODUCTION

Previous research has indicated that only children (i.e., those living with no siblings) have higher odds of obesity during childhood and young adulthood, compared with those living with siblings. However, little is known about whether the developing difference in overweight/obesity is accompanied by a difference in mental health (i.e., internalizing symptoms of depression and anxiety).

METHODS

The subjects for this prospective study were a randomly generated cohort of 1348 high-school students in Guangzhou, China. Participants completed assessments of anthropometric indices, lipid profiles, family-based factors, lifestyle, and internalization of symptoms (including those of depression and anxiety).

RESULTS

Compared to their peers with siblings, only children (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.06, 2.65]) had significantly higher risk for obesity. However, only children with overweight/obesity had lower OR for depression at follow-up (aOR = 0.19, 95% CI [0.34, 0.86]), compared to individuals who were overweight/obese with siblings. This relationship was not significant for non-overweight individuals. No significant relationship between the number of siblings and anxiety at follow-up was observed, regardless of body mass index (BMI).

CONCLUSIONS

Although being an only child was significantly associated with overweight and obesity among adolescents in China, participants with history of overweight/obesity are less likely to experience symptoms of depression associated with being an only child.

250 kV 6 mA compact Cockcroft-Walton high-voltage power supply

A compact power supply system for a compact neutron generator has been developed. A 4-stage symmetrical Cockcroft-Walton circuit is adopted to produce 250 kV direct current high-voltage. A 2-stage 280 kV isolation transformer system is used to drive the ion source power supply. For a compact structure, safety, and reliability during the operation, the Cockcroft-Walton circuit and the isolation transformer system are enclosed in an epoxy vessel containing the transformer oil whose size is about ∅350 mm × 766 mm. Test results indicate that the maximum output voltage of the power supply is 282 kV, and the stability of the output voltage is better than 0.63% when the high voltage power supply is operated at 250 kV, 6.9 mA with the input voltage varying ±10%.

A spinel ferrite catalyst for efficient electroreduction of dinitrogen to ammonia

Ambient electrocatalytic N2 reduction reaction (NRR) provides an eco-friendly way for artificial NH3 production, while an efficient NRR process requires active and stable electrocatalysts. In this communication, we exploit the spinel ferrite NiFe2O4 as a promising NRR catalyst. The developed NiFe2O4 nanocubes/reduced graphene oxide (NiFe2O4/RGO) exhibited an appealing NRR performance with an NH3 yield of 32.2 μg h-1 mg-1 and a faradaic efficiency (FE) of 9.8% at -0.5 V (RHE), as well as a high catalytic durability. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the surface Fe atoms serve as key NRR active sites for favorable N2 adsorption and H+ suppression. These findings may facilitate the understanding and exploration of Earth-abundant spinel ferrite catalysts for electrochemical dinitrogen fixation.

Porphyra yezoensis Sauces Fermented With Lactic Acid Bacteria: Fermentation Properties, Flavor Profile, and Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacity in vitro

The demand for roasted seaweed sandwich (Porphyra yezoensis) product has risen in recent years. The product slicing process has created a huge number of scraps that are not utilized effectively. Three lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were used to ferment P. yezoensis sauces in this study, including Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus thermophilus, and the mixed strains (1:1:1, v/v). The fermentation characteristics, antioxidant capacity in vitro, sensory properties, and flavoring substances of fermented P. yezoensis sauces were analyzed. After 21 days of fermentation, all LAB strains grew well in the P. yezoensis sauces, with protease activity increased to 6.6, 9.24, 5.06, and 5.5 U/mL, respectively. Also, the flavors of P. yezoensis sauces fermented with L. casei and L. fermentum were satisfactory. On this premise, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to investigate the changes in gustatory compounds in P. yezoensis sauces fermented with L. casei and L. fermentum. In general, 42 and 41 volatile flavor chemicals were identified after the fermentation of L. casei and L. fermentum. Furthermore, the fermented P. yezoensis sauce possessed greater DPPH scavenging activity and ferric-reducing ability power than the unfermented P. yezoensis. Overall, the flavor and taste of P. yezoensis sauce fermented by L. casei was superior.

Effects of specific expression of iaaL gene in tobacco tapetum on pollen embryogenesis

The indoleacetic-acid-lysine synthetase (iaaL) gene from Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi was fused to tobacco tapetum-specific expression promoter TA29, and introduced into tobacco. The expression pattern of this chimeric gene was studied, and the endogenous indoleacetic acid (IAA) levels in different organs were assayed. The results demonstrated that TA29 promoter was only able to direct the specific expression of iaaL gene in transgenic tobacco anther, and resulted in the decrease of endogenous IAA levels in transgenic tobacco anther. No significant phenotype variation was observed among the transgenic plants at the whole plant level. However, the percentage of pollen embryogenesis was reduced to 11% when anthers of the transgenic plants were cultured on the modified hormone-free Nistch H (NH) medium, while those of both CK1 and CK2 (see sec. 1.2.2) were more than 50%; when the anthers were cultured on NH medium supplemented with 0. 2 mg/L IAA, the percentage of pollen embryogenesis restored to the same level of that of the wild type (up to 55.7%). This study demonstrates that the IAA metabolism in anther tapetum cells is of significant importance to the androgenic development in anther culture.

[Using the Tabu-search-algorithm-based Bayesian network to analyze the risk factors of coronary heart diseases]

Under the available data gathered from a coronary study questionnaires with 10 792 cases, this article constructs a Bayesian network model based on the tabu search algorithm and calculates the conditional probability of each node, using the Maximum-likelihood. Pros and cons of the Bayesian network model are evaluated to compare against the logistic regression model in the analysis of coronary factors. Applicability of this network model in clinical study is also investigated. Results show that Bayesian network model can reveal the complex correlations among influencing factors on the coronary and the relationship with coronary heart diseases. Bayesian network model seems promising and more practical than the logistic regression model in analyzing the influencing factors of coronary heart disease.

Dysfunction of the Auditory Brainstem as a Neurophysiology Subtype of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is very heterogeneous, particularly in language. Studies have suggested that language impairment is linked to auditory-brainstem dysfunction in ASD. However, not all ASD children have these deficits, which suggests potential subtypes of ASD. We classified ASD children into two subtypes according to their speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR) and explored the neural substrates for possible subtypes. Twenty-nine children with ASD and 25 typically developing (TD) peers were enrolled to undergo speech-ABR testing and structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI). There were significant differences between the ASD group and TD group in surface area, cortical volume and cortical thickness. According to speech-ABR results, ASD participants were divided into the ASD-typical (ASD-T) group and ASD-atypical (ASD-A) group. Compared with the ASD-T group, the ASD-A group had a lower score in language of the Gesell Developmental Diagnosis Scale (GDDS), increased left rostral middle frontal gyrus (lRMFG) area and decreased local gyrification index of the right superior temporal gyrus. GDDS-language and surface area of lRMFG were correlated to the wave-A amplitude in ASD. Surface area of lRMFG had an indirect effect on language performance via alteration of the wave-V amplitude. Thus, cortical deficits may impair language ability in children with ASD by causing subcortical dysfunction at preschool age. These evidences support dysfunction of the auditory brainstem as a potential subtype of ASD. Besides, this subtype-based method may be useful for various clinical applications.

Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of Swertia L. (Gentianaceae) medicinal plants (from Qinghai, China) based on complete chloroplast genomes

Swertia L. is a large genus in Swertiinae (Gentianaceae). In China, many Swertia species are used as traditional Tibetan medicines, known as "Zangyinchen" or "Dida". However, the phylogenetic relationships among Swertia medicinal plants and their wild relatives have remained unclear. In this study, we sequenced and assembled 16 complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of 10 Swertia species, mainly distributed in Qinghai Province, China. The results showed that these species have typical structures and characteristics of plant cp genomes. The sizes of Swertia cp genomes are ranging from 149,488 bp to 154,097 bp. Most Swertia cp genomes presented 134 genes, including 85 protein coding genes, eight rRNA genes, 37 tRNA genes, and four pseudogenes. Furthermore, the GC contents and boundaries of cp genomes are similar among Swertia species. The phylogenetic analyses indicated that Swertia is a complex polyphyletic group. In addition, positive selection was found in psaI and petL genes, indicating the possible adaptation of Qinghai Swertia species to the light environment of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. These new cp genome data could be further investigated to develop DNA barcodes for Swertia medicinal plants and for additional systematic studies of Swertia and Swertiinae species.

Experimental Study on the Optimization of Coal-Based Solid Waste Filling Slurry Ratio Based on the Response Surface Method

The large production and low comprehensive utilization rate of solid waste from coal power base affects the efficient and coordinated development of regional resources and the ecological environment. In order to promote utilization of solid waste from coal power base, coal gangue, fly ash, and gasification slag are mixed as raw materials to prepare filling materials, and a study on the evolution law of the mechanical properties of coal-based solid waste filling body is systematically carried out. After clarifying the physical and chemical properties of the filling materials, the Box–Behnken experimental design method was used to study the effects of slurry mass fraction, coal gangue, fly ash, and gasification slag on the strength of the filling body based on the response surface-satisfaction function coupling theory. Furthermore, a multivariate nonlinear regression model was constructed for the strength of the filling body at different maintenance ages. Based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the response surface function, the impact mechanism of influencing factors and their interaction on the strength of filler were revealed. The results show that the strength of the filler is affected by single factors and interactions between factors. The interaction of slurry mass fraction and gangue dosing has a significant effect on the strength of the filler in the early stage; the interaction of fly ash and gangue dosing has a significant effect on the strength of the filler in the middle stage; the interaction of slurry mass fraction and gasification slag dosing has a significant effect on the strength of the filler in the final stage. The mixed filling materials significantly affect the strength of the filler as the maintenance time is extended. The mixed filling materials are extensively interlaced with the hydration products, calcium alumina, and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel, forming a stable three-dimensional spatial support system as the maintenance time increases. The best ratio to meet the requirements of mine filling slurry pipeline transportation and filling body strength was selected using the regression model and the proposed economic function of filling material.

Publisher Correction: Deacetylation of serine hydroxymethyl-transferase 2 by SIRT3 promotes colorectal carcinogenesis

The original version of this Article contained an error in the Data Availability Statement. The accession code indicated '53V' and should have read '5X3V'. This has been corrected in both PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Tumorigenic potential is restored during differentiation in fusion-reprogrammed cancer cells

Detailed understanding of the mechanistic steps underlying tumor initiation and malignant progression is critical for insights of potentially novel therapeutic modalities. Cellular reprogramming is an approach of particular interest because it can provide a means to reset the differentiation state of the cancer cells and to revert these cells to a state of non-malignancy. Here, we investigated the relationship between cellular differentiation and malignant progression by the fusion of four independent mouse cancer cell lines from different tissues, each with differing developmental potentials, to pluripotent mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Fusion was accompanied by loss of differentiated properties of the four parental cancer cell lines and concomitant emergence of pluripotency, demonstrating the feasibility to reprogram the malignant and differentiative properties of cancer cells. However, the original malignant and differentiative phenotypes re-emerge upon withdrawal of the fused cells from the embryonic environment in which they were maintained. cDNA array analysis of the malignant hepatoma progression implicated a role for Foxa1, and silencing Foxa1 prevented the re-emergence of malignant and differentiation-associated gene expression. Our findings support the hypothesis that tumor progression results from deregulation of stem cells, and our approach provides a strategy to analyze possible mechanisms in the cancer initiation.

Strategies for improving the stability of perovskite for photocatalysis: A review of recent progress

Photocatalysis is currently a hot research field, which provides promising processes to produce green energy sources and other useful products, thus eventually benefiting carbon emission reduction and leading to a low-carbon future. The development and application of stable and efficient photocatalytic materials is one of the main technical bottlenecks in the field of photocatalysis. Perovskite has excellent performance in the fields of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), organic synthesis and pollutant degradation due to its unique structure, flexibility and resulting excellent photoelectric and catalytic properties. The stability problems caused by perovskite's susceptibility to environmental influences hinder its further application in the field of photocatalysis. Therefore, this paper innovatively summarizes and analyzes the existing methods and strategies to improve the stability of perovskite in the field of photocatalysis. Specifically, (i) component engineering, (ii) morphological control, (iii) hybridization and encapsulation are thought to improve the stability of perovskites while improving photocatalytic efficiency. Finally, the challenges and prospects of perovskite photocatalysts are discussed, which provides constructive thinking for the potential application of perovskite photocatalysts.

Engineered living materials grown from programmable Aspergillus niger mycelial pellets

The development of engineered living materials (ELMs) has recently attracted significant attention from researchers across multiple disciplines. Fungi-derived ELMs represent a new type of macroscale, cost-effective, environmentally sustainable materials. However, current fungi-based ELMs either have to undergo a final process to heat-kill the living cells or rely on the co-culture with a model organism for functional modification, which hinders the engineerability and versatility of these materials. In this study, we report a new type of ELMs - grown from programmable Aspergillus niger mycelial pellets - by a simple filtration step under ambient conditions. We demonstrate that A. Niger pellets can provide sufficient cohesion to maintain large-area self-supporting structures even under low pH conditions. Subsequently, by tuning the inducible expression of genes involved in melanin biosynthesis, we verified the fabrication of self-supporting living membrane materials with tunable colors in response to xylose concentration in the surroundings, which can be further explored as a potential biosensor for detecting xylose level in industrial wastewater. Notably, the living materials remain alive, self-regenerative, and functional even after 3-month storage. Thus, beyond reporting a new engineerable fungi chassis for constructing ELMs, our study provides new opportunities for developing bulk living materials for real-world applications such as the production of fabrics, packaging materials, and biosensors.