Critical thinking is considered as one of the indispensable skills that must be possessed by the citizens of modern society, and its cultivation with blended learning has drawn much attention from ...researchers and practitioners. This study proposed the construction of a blended learning environment, where the pedagogical, social, and technical design was directed to fostering critical thinking. The purpose of the study was to find out students' perceptions of the learning environment concerning its design and its influence on their critical thinking. Adopting the mixed method, the study used questionnaire and interview as the instruments for data collection. The analysis of the data revealed that the students generally held positive perceptions of the environment, and they believed that the blended learning environment could help promote their critical thinking in different aspects.
The widespread expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) is regarded as a feature of gene expression in highly diverged eukaryotes. Recent studies have shown that circRNAs can act as a miRNA sponge to ...repress miRNA function, participate in splicing of target genes, translate genes into protein and interact with RNA binding proteins (RBPs). RBPs are a broad class of proteins involved in gene transcription and translation, and interaction with RBPs is considered an important part of circRNA function, which can serve as an essential element underlying the functions of circRNAs, including genesis, translation, transcriptional regulation of target genes, and extracellular transport. In this mini‐review, we attempt to explore in detail the relationship between circRNAs and RBPs, and the interactions between the two factors. The goal of this review is to investigate the emerging studies of RBPs and circRNAs to better understand how their interaction alters cellular function.
A novel dual-emission fluorescence ratiometric probe of luminol-Tb-GMP CPNPs for highly sensitive and selective detection of ALP and As(v) has been constructed based on the stimulus responsivity of ...luminol. The introduction of luminol as a ligand for Tb
, combined with GMP, leads to a sensor which is more robust, sensitive, and efficient.
Abstract
Background
Ferroptosis is a new type of nonapoptotic cell death model that was closely related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Seawater drowning-induced acute lung injury ...(ALI) which is caused by severe oxidative stress injury, has been a major cause of accidental death worldwide. The latest evidences indicate nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) suppress ferroptosis and maintain cellular redox balance. Here, we test the hypothesis that activation of Nrf2 pathway attenuates seawater drowning-induced ALI via inhibiting ferroptosis.
Methods
we performed studies using Nrf2-specific agonist (dimethyl fumarate), Nrf2 inhibitor (ML385), Nrf2-knockout mice and ferroptosis inhibitor (Ferrostatin-1) to investigate the potential roles of Nrf2 on seawater drowning-induced ALI and the underlying mechanisms.
Results
Our data shows that Nrf2 activator dimethyl fumarate could increase cell viability, reduced the levels of intracellular ROS and lipid ROS, prevented glutathione depletion and lipid peroxide accumulation, increased
FTH1
and
GPX4
mRNA expression, and maintained mitochondrial membrane potential in MLE-12 cells. However, ML385 promoted cell death and lipid ROS production in MLE-12 cells. Furthermore, the lung injury became more aggravated in the Nrf2-knockout mice than that in WT mice after seawater drowning.
Conclusions
These results suggested that Nrf2 can inhibit ferroptosis and therefore alleviate ALI induced by seawater drowning. The effectiveness of ferroptosis inhibition by Nrf2 provides a novel therapeutic target for seawater drowning-induced ALI.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Modern power grids are becoming more prone to cyberattacks. Even worse, an attacker without the full topology and parameter information of a power grid can still execute a false data injection attack ...without being detected by the state estimator. This paper proposes an efficient strategy for determining the optimal attacking region that requires reduced network information. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified through extensive simulations. This paper introduces a new front in the study of smart grid cyber security: determination of a feasible attacking region by obtaining less network information. This paper is also essential and significant for finding effective protection strategies against false data injection attacks based on the deep understanding of the mechanisms and strategies of the attacks.
The community structure plays an indispensable role in developing the deep structure of complex networks. In recent years, some researchers have realized the importance of leader nodes in the ...community detection process. However, most of the existing leader-based algorithms only use the topological information of networks or attribute information to supplement the topological information, resulting in a significant loss of information integrity. In this paper, we propose a leader-based method that combines topological and attribute information (TALB), uses attribute information among nodes in the network to construct an attribute similarity matrix, and then combines it with network topological information to establish dependency relationships among nodes. As a result, a dependency tree is formed, and the final result of the community division is obtained. Experiments on synthetic networks and real networks show that our proposed method is more effective and practical than the existing leader-based algorithms.
Schematic illustration for the mechanism of photo-generated charge carrier transfers in g-C3N4/Ti3+-TiO2 photocatalyst and its visible-light photocatalytic performance.
•g-C3N4/Ti3+-TiO2 composite ...co-exposed {001} and {101} facets of TiO2 was synthesized.•RhB and Cr(VI) aqueous solutions were used to evaluate the photocatalytic activities.•h+ and O2− are the critical reactive species in the degradation of RhB solution.•Surface heterojunction of co-exposed {101} and {001} facets improve the separation.
Novel g-C3N4/Ti3+-TiO2 photocatalyst co-exposed {001} and {101} facets of TiO2 was synthesized via a hydrothermal–sonication assisted strategy. The photocatalytic activities of the as-obtained photocatalyst were evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and the reduction of Cr(VI) under visible-light irradiation. It was found that the g-C3N4/Ti3+-TiO2 composites with 6wt% g-C3N4 exhibited the highest visible-light photocatalytic efficiency, which is also higher than the pure g-C3N4 and Ti3+-TiO2. A possible photocatalytic mechanism was discussed on the basis of the theoretical analyses and scavenger experiments. Results show that holes (h+) and superoxide anions (O2−) reactive species participated in the degradation of RhB solution over the g-C3N4/Ti3+-TiO2 composites. The enhanced photocatalytic activities of g-C3N4/Ti3+-TiO2 composites can be attributed to the wide optical adsorption of g-C3N4 and Ti3+ as well as the effectively separation and transportation of photo-generated electrons and holes pairs, which was resulted from the surface heterojunction between the g-C3N4 and Ti3+-TiO2 nanosheets co-exposed {101} and {001} facets of anatase TiO2.
Accurate detection and imaging of tumor-related mRNA in living cells hold great promise for early cancer detection. However, currently, most probes designed to image intracellular mRNA confront ...intrinsic interferences arising from complex biological matrices and resulting in inevitable false-positive signals. To circumvent this problem, an intracellular DNA nanoprobe, termed DNA tetrahedron nanotweezer (DTNT), was developed to reliably image tumor-related mRNA in living cells based on the FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) “off” to “on” signal readout mode. DTNT was self-assembled from four single-stranded DNAs. In the absence of target mRNA, the respectively labeled donor and acceptor fluorophores are separated, thus inducing low FRET efficiency. However, in the presence of target mRNA, DTNT alters its structure from the open to closed state, thus bringing the dual fluorophores into close proximity for high FRET efficiency. The DTNT exhibited high cellular permeability, fast response and excellent biocompatibility. Moreover, intracellular imaging experiments showed that DTNT could effectively distinguish cancer cells from normal cells and, moreover, distinguish among changes of mRNA expression levels in living cells. The DTNT nanoprobe also exhibits minimal effect of probe concentration, distribution and laser power as other ratiometric probe. More importantly, as a result of the FRET “off” to “on” signal readout mode, the DTNT nanoprobe almost entirely avoids false-positive signals due to intrinsic interferences, such as nuclease digestion, protein binding and thermodynamic fluctuations in complex biological matrices. This design blueprint can be applied to the development of powerful DNA nanomachines for biomedical research and clinical early diagnosis.
•Microbial fermentation is the key factor controlling the quality of dark tea.•Serial reactions modify the chemical constituents of tea leaves during fermentation.•Multi-omics approaches are used to ...reveal microbial impact on dark tea quality.
Dark tea is a unique fermented tea produced by solid-state fermentation of tea leaves (Camellia sinensis). It includes ripe Pu-erh tea, Fu brick tea, Liupao tea, and other teas. Microbial fermentation is considered to be the key factor controlling the quality of dark tea. It involves a series of reactions that modify the chemical constituents of tea leaves. These chemical conversions during microbial fermentation of dark tea are associated with a variety of functional core microorganisms. Further, Multi-omics approaches have been used to reveal the microbial impact on the conversion of the chemical components in dark tea. In the present review, we provide an overview of the most recent advances in the knowledge of the microbial bioconversion of the chemical components in dark tea, including the chemical composition of dark tea, microbial community composition and dynamics during the fermentation process, and the role of microorganisms in biotransformation of chemical constituents.
Composite membranes with asymmetric traits have gained attention in liquid separation, featuring gradient chemical and physical attributes that align or oppose mass transfer direction. Chemically ...asymmetric configurations harness internal driving forces to heighten separation efficiency, rendering them an appealing option for heightened separation efficiency and fouling prevention. Concurrently, the internal hierarchical structure differences within composite membranes—such as fiber‐based structural adjustments and the gradient density of functional layers—yield the dual benefits of effective liquid repelling and heightened transport efficiency. Unlike conventional phase‐change methods, electrospinning technology possesses advantages in constructing and governing composite fibrous membrane materials with asymmetric chemistry and hierarchical structures, driven by its adaptable stacking methodologies. Notably, the inherent pore structure of electrospun nanofibrous membranes emerges as a proven solution for minimizing transport resistance. In recent times, interest has surged in electrospun nanofibrous membranes endowed with internal asymmetric properties. However, the spotlight has predominantly graced Janus membranes, spotlighting opposite wettability on different sides, leaving other facets of asymmetric membrane enhancement somewhat underexplored. This comprehensive work unveils recent strides in design, fabrication, facilitated transport mechanisms, and real‐world liquid separation applications, all under the aegis of electrospun nanofiber membranes, each endowed with distinct asymmetric properties.
Compared to traditional membrane fabrication that relies on phase change behavior, electrospinning technology demonstrates advantages in constructing and controlling composite fibrous membrane materials with asymmetric chemical properties and hierarchical structures. This work focuses on the latest advancements in the design, creation, underlying transport mechanisms, and liquid separation use cases associated with electrospun nanofiber membranes showcasing varied asymmetric attributes.
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