Genome instability is a hallmark of cancer cells and can be accelerated by defects in cellular responses to DNA damage. This feature of malignant cells opens new avenues for tumor targeted therapy. ...MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 complex plays a crucial role in sensing and repair of DNA damage. Through interacting with other important players of DNA damage response, MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 complex is engaged in various DNA damage repair pathways. Mutations in any member of this complex may lead to hypersensitivity to genotoxic agents and predisposition to malignancy. It is assumed that the defects in the complex may contribute to tumorigenesis and that treatments targeting the defect may be beneficial to cancer patients. Here, we summarized the recent research findings of the role of MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 complex in tumorigenesis, cancer treatment and discussed the potential approaches of targeting this complex to treat cancer.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Accelerating the planning and development of a new power system that is more renewable energy-based is a strategic priority of achieving “dual carbon” goals (peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and ...becoming carbon neutral before 2060) in China. The large-scale development of energy storage technologies will address China’s flexibility challenge in the power grid, enabling the high penetration of renewable sources. This article intends to fill the existing research gap in energy storage technologies through the lens of policy and finance. Results indicate that policy uncertainties in renewable energy might undermine domestic investor confidence in energy storage technologies, while insufficient economic incentives may crowd out private sector participation. Drawing on international best practices, blended concessional finance, supported by development partners, can play a significant role in closing energy storage financing gaps in China and in countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). To deliver on China’s domestic and international climate commitments, this article makes three policy recommendations: (1) moving forward with a carbon pricing agenda that incentivizes energy storage investments in China; (2) tapping the potential of the domestic capital market to close financing gaps for novel energy storage technologies; (3) scaling up energy storage supply chains in BRI countries through multilateral cooperation.
In the processing of porous ceramics, shrinkage from green body to sintered compact during drying and sintering is one of the key concerns which affect microstructure and properties of porous ...ceramics. Through releasing gases from the burning of the pore forming agents, and volume expansion from the formation of low density resultants during sintering, the sintering shrinkage can be effectively compensated and near net size preparation can be achieved. Herein, near net size porous alumina‐calcium aluminate ceramics with controllable shrinkage have been prepared using a combination of gelcasting and pore‐forming agent process by adjusting the amount of CaCO3 and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres added. Al2O3 and CaCO3 were used as raw materials, PMMA microspheres were used as pore‐forming agent, isobutylene/maleic anhydride copolymer (Isobam104) was used as gelling agent and dispersing agent. The effects of the addition amounts of CaCO3 and PMMA in the slurry on the phase composition, shrinkage, porosity, and strength of porous alumina‐calcium aluminate ceramics were investigated. The results show that as the CaCO3 addition amount increases from 0 to 20 wt%, the shrinkage of the samples gradually decreases from 7.3% to −1.4%, and the consequent porosity increases from 58% to 66%, while the compressive strength increases from 5.9 to 15.5 MPa. When PMMA content increases from 10 to 50 wt%, the shrinkage of the samples decreases first and then increases, the porosity increases from 51% to 74%, and the compressive strength decreases from 12.5 to 5.3 MPa. The mechanisms for controlling shrinkages during preparation of porous alumina‐calcium aluminate ceramics can be attributed to the following aspects: on one hand, gas release from burning of PMMA and decomposition of CaCO3 during sintering; on the other hand, volume expansion due to the formation of lower density calcium aluminates which come from the reactions between CaO and Al2O3. The near net size preparation technique is of great significance for the manufacture of porous ceramics since the subsequent machining cost can be effectively reduced.
With COVID-19 spreading around the world, many countries are exposed to the imported case risk from inbound international flights. Several governments issued restrictions on inbound flights to ...mitigate such risk. But with the pandemic controlled in many countries, some decide to reopen the economy by relaxing the international air travel bans. As the virus has still been prevailing in many regions, this relaxation raises the alarm to import overseas cases and results in the revival of local pandemic. This study proposes a risk index to measure one country's imported case risk from inbound international flights. The index combines both daily dynamic international air connectivity data and the updated global COVID-19 data. It can measure the risk at the country, province and even specific route level. The proposed index was applied to China, which is the first country to experience and control COVID-19 pandemic while later becoming exposed to high imported case risk after the epidemic centers switched to Europe and the US afterward. The calculated risk indexes for each Chinese province or region show both spatial and temporal patterns from January to April 2020. It is found that China's strict restriction on inbound flights since March 26 was very effective to cut the imported case risk by half than doing nothing. But the overall index level kept rising because of the deteriorating pandemic conditions around the world. Hong Kong and Taiwan are the regions facing the highest imported case risk due to their superior international air connectivity and looser restriction on inbound flights. Shandong Province had the highest risk in February and early March due to its well-developed air connectivity with South Korea and Japan when the pandemic peaked in these two countries. Since mid-March, the imported case risk from Europe and the US dramatically increased. Last, we discuss policy implications for the relevant stakeholders to use our index to dynamically adjust the international air travel restrictions. This risk index can also be applied to other contexts and countries to relax restrictions on particular low-risk routes while still restricting the high-risk ones. This would balance the essential air travels need and the requirement to minimize the imported case risk.
•A method is proposed to calculate the imported case risk of COVID-19 by international air transport.•We calculated the imported case risk imposed by foreign countries on Chinese provinces.•The imported case risk index accounts for both foreign country's pandemic condition and the air connectivity with China.•The results of imported case risk index are discussed with policy implication suggested.
Hollow, spherical nitrogen-rich porous carbon shells were prepared as supercapacitor electrode materials through the carbonization of structure-controlled porous organic frameworks at high ...temperature. The structure and electrochemical properties of the resulting carbonized materials were systematically characterized. Experimental results revealed that the nitrogen-rich hollow carbon spheres obtained at 800 °C were a kind of amorphous carbon with micropores on the shell frame and with specific surface areas as high as 525 m2 g–1. The prepared porous carbon possessed a specific capacitance of 230 F g–1 at a current density of 0.5 A g–1 and could retain ∼98% of the initial capacitance after 1500 successive charge–discharge cycles. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated that the material has a small equivalent series resistance (0.62 Ω). All of these values demonstrated that the prepared porous carbon is a promising supercapacitor material. The proposed method represents a simple approach towards the preparation of unique structures of nitrogen-containing porous carbon that exhibit the advantages of having a simple preparation process, a wide availability of precursors, flexible control of the structure, and an easier adjustment of the amount of heteroatoms.
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) suffers heavily from a harmful piercing pest, the tea green leafhopper (TLH) Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda. In the present study, we studied the effect of ...an efficient elicitor of plant disease resistance, the β-1,3-glucan laminarin, on the induced defense against TLH in tea plants. Defense responses elicited by laminarin in tea include the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and WRKY, the burst of H
O
, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid, and the accumulation of direct-defense chemicals (including chitinase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, callose, polyphenol oxidase, and flavonol synthase), as well as the production of volatile compounds. The laminarin-treated tea plants reduced the performance of TLH and enhanced the attractiveness to the egg parasitoid wasp of TLH, Stethynium empoascae Subba Rao. In the field experiment, laminarin application effectively reduced the number of TLH by attracting parasitoids. These results suggest that laminarin can induce protection against TLH by regulating signaling pathways in tea plant. Our study also proposes an environment friendly strategy for the integrated management of an economically important piercing pest.
Abstract
Plants release large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in response to attackers. Several VOCs can serve as volatile signals to elicit defense responses in undamaged tissues and ...neighboring plants, but many questions about the ecological functions of VOCs remain unanswered. Tea plants are impacted by two harmful invaders, the piercing herbivore
Empoasca
(
Matsumurasca
)
onukii
Matsuda and the pathogen
Colletotrichum fructicola
. To determine the VOC signals in tea, we confirmed CsOPR3 as a marker gene and set up a rapid screening method based on a 1.51 kb
CsOPR3
promoter fused with a β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter construct (
OPR3p::GUS
) in
Arabidopsis
. Using this screening system, a terpenoid volatile (
E
)-nerolidol was identified as a potent signal that elicits plant defenses. The early responses triggered by (
E
)-nerolidol included the activation of a mitogen-activated protein kinase and WRKY, an H
2
O
2
burst, and the induction of jasmonic acid and abscisic acid signaling. The induced plants accumulated high levels of defense-related chemicals, which possessed broad-spectrum anti-herbivore or anti-pathogen properties, and ultimately triggered resistance against
Empoasca onukii
and
Colletotrichum fructicola
in tea. We propose that these findings can supply an environmentally friendly management strategy for controlling an insect pest and a disease of tea plants.
Abstract Whether the anesthesia technique, inhalational general anesthesia (IGA) or propofol-based anesthesia (PBA), influences the long-term survival of non-metastatic breast cancer (eBC) remain ...unclear and controversial. We carried out a literature search on 16thJuly, 2022 for studies comparing IGA and PBA in eBC undergoing standard surgery, according to PRISMA 2020. The major endpoint in our study was overall survival (OS). Seventeen studies including four randomized clinical trials and thirteen retrospective cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. Ten studies provided data for crude OS in unweighted eBC patients (imbalance in baseline characteristics). The summarized estimate HRs of the PBA group versus the IGA group (ten studies, N = 127,774, IGA group: 92,592, PBA group: 35,182.) was 0.83 (95%CI: 0.78–0.89). Compared with IGA, PBA was associated with both better 1-year OS (two studies, N = 104,083, IGA group: 84,074, PBA group: 20,009. Pooled HR = 0.80, 0.73–0.89) and 5-year OS (six studies, N = 121,580, IGA group: 89,472, PBA group: 32,108. HR = 0.80, 0.74–0.87). Ten studies applied PSM method to balance the baseline characteristics. In these weighted patients, PBA still showed a better OS (ten studies, N = 105,459, IGA group: 79,095, PBA group: 26,364. HR = 0.93, 0.87–1.00), a better 1-year OS (two studies, N = 83,007, IGA group: 67,609, PBA group: 15,398. HR = 0.88, 0.78–0.98) and a trend towards a better 5-year OS (nine studies, N = 121,580, IGA group: 76,797, PBA group: 24,066. HR = 0.95, 0.88–1.03). Loco-regional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) was also better in PBA group (HR = 0.73, 0.61–0.86). The present study is the first comprehensive meta-analysis to demonstrate that propofol-based anesthesia could significantly improve OS and LRRFS in non-metastatic breast cancer patients, compared with inhalational anesthesia.
For plant volatiles to mediate interactions in tritrophic systems, they must convey accurate and reliable information to insects. However, it is unknown whether the ratio of compounds in plant ...volatile blends remains stable during wind transmission. In this study, volatiles released from an odor source were collected at different points in a wind tunnel and analyzed. The variation in the amounts of volatiles collected at different points formed a rough cone shape. The amounts of volatiles collected tended to decrease with increasing distance from the odor source. Principal component analyses showed that the volatile profiles were dissimilar among different collection points. The profiles of volatiles collected nearest the odor source were the most similar to the released odor. Higher wind speed resulted in a clearer spatial distribution of volatile compounds. Thus, variations in the ratios of compounds in odor plumes exist even during transport over short distances.
A wideband circularly polarized (CP) annular-ring patch antenna with two proximity-coupled L-probe feeds orientated to have phases of 0 deg and 90 deg , using a broadband 90 deg hybrid feed, is ...proposed. It is found that the current distribution for CP operation can be improved by cutting a smaller concentric circular slot on the original larger circular patch to form an annular-ring patch. With such an arrangement, the proposed antenna delivers a wider axial ratio (AR) bandwidth than that of the conventional circular patch with the identical feeding technique. Considering the common overlapped bandwidth limited by the impedance, AR and gain, the proposed annular-ring patch antenna exhibits an effective bandwidth of 38% from 1.5 to 2.2 GHz, which is wider than the corresponding bandwidth of 29.7% from 1.35 to 1.82 GHz for the conventional circular patch. Moreover, the effective bandwidth of 38% for the proposed annular-ring antenna is also much wider than those for the other annular-ring patch antennas in the literature.
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