We still know very little about how the human immune system responds to SARS-CoV-2. Here we construct a SARS-CoV-2 proteome microarray containing 18 out of the 28 predicted proteins and apply it to ...the characterization of the IgG and IgM antibodies responses in the sera from 29 convalescent patients. We find that all these patients had IgG and IgM antibodies that specifically bind SARS-CoV-2 proteins, particularly the N protein and S1 protein. Besides these proteins, significant antibody responses to ORF9b and NSP5 are also identified. We show that the S1 specific IgG signal positively correlates with age and the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and negatively correlates with lymphocyte percentage. Overall, this study presents a systemic view of the SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and IgM responses and provides insights to aid the development of effective diagnostic, therapeutic and vaccination strategies.
A self-consistent three-dimensional (3D) mathematical model was developed to predict the crystal growth and microstructure formation in the laser powder deposition (LPD) of single-crystal (SX) ...superalloy. The effects of the governing processing parameters of LPD, i.e. laser power, scanning speed, powder feeding rate on the crystal growth and microstructure formation were studied systemically through the mathematical modeling and experimental approaches. Experiments with SX nickel-based superalloy Rene N5 were conducted to verify the computational results. The results indicate that the processing parameters have a profound influence on the molten pool shape and in turn the resulted epitaxial crystal growth patterns in the deposited bead. The height ratio (height of epitaxial columnar dendrite to total height of deposit) of the epitaxial columnar dendrite along the 001/〈100〉 crystallographic orientation increases up to 52% with the increase of the scanning speed, but decreases down to 42% with the increase of laser power. The simulation results and experimental results of the epitaxial height ratio agree reasonably well. With the optimized processing parameters, the laser deposited multi-layer SX sample with continuous growth columnar dendrite microstructure is demonstrated.
Elevated de novo lipogenesis is considered to be a crucial factor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Herein, we identify ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) as a key regulator for de ...novo fatty acid synthesis, which directly interacts with deubiquitinates and stabilizes peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) through K48-linked deubiquitination, and in turn, this stabilization increases acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) expressions. In addition, we find that USP22 promotes de novo fatty acid synthesis and contributes to HCC tumorigenesis, however, this tumorigenicity is suppressed by inhibiting the expression of PPARγ, ACLY, or ACC in in vivo tumorigenesis experiments. In HCC, high expression of USP22 positively correlates with PPARγ, ACLY or ACC expression, and associates with a poor prognosis. Taken together, we identify a USP22-regulated lipogenesis mechanism that involves the PPARγ-ACLY/ACC axis in HCC tumorigenesis and provide a rationale for therapeutic targeting of lipogenesis via USP22 inhibition.
•G-C3N4 had been applied to sample pretreatment with SPE, MSPE and SPME modes.•The in-built N-rich functional groups and electronic delocalization properties endow g-C3N4 with complex sorption ...mechanism.•The physicochemical properties and sorption behaviors of g-C3N4 can be influenced by the polymerization temperature, the type of precursors, and the solution pH and ion strength.•Numerous modification methods had been exploited to enhance the sorption ability of g-C3N4.
As a green and efficient sorbent, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with aromatic tri-s-triazine units has shown great potential for the enrichment or removal of metal ions and organic aromatic compounds, which makes it a promising candidate to complement graphenes in analytical chemistry. The in-built N-rich functional groups and electronic delocalization properties endow g-C3N4 with complex sorption mechanism, containing complexion, hydrogen bond, redox reaction, π – π conjugation, hydrophobic effect, acid-base reaction and electrostatic interaction. The structure and surface physicochemical properties related to the sorption behavior are mainly depended on the preparation and sorption conditions, such as polymerization temperature, polymerization precursors, the solution pH and ionic strength. As a new sorbent, g-C3N4 has been applied to the sample pretreatment in analytical chemistry with solid-phase extraction (SPE), magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE), and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) modes, recently. At the same time, a series of modification methods and technologies have been exploited to modify the structural and surface physicochemical properties of g-C3N4, facilitating more effective and selective sorption process. To raise awareness of the superior properties of g-C3N4 and facilitate its applications as a sorbent in analytical chemistry, the sorption properties (sorption mechanism, influence factors of sorption behavior), applications to the sample pretreatment and structural modifications of g-C3N4 are reviewed.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are composed of a large number of inexpensive power-constrained wireless sensor nodes, which detect and monitor physical parameters around them through ...self-organization. Utilizing clustering algorithms to form a hierarchical network topology is a common method of implementing network management and data aggregation in WSNs. Assuming that the residual energy of nodes follows the random distribution, we propose a load-balanced clustering algorithm for WSNs on the basis of their distance and density distribution, making it essentially different from the previous clustering algorithms. Simulated tests indicate that the new algorithm can build more balanceable clustering structure and enhance the network life cycle.
Retinal neovascularization occurs in various ocular disorders including proliferative diabetic retinopathy and secondary neovascular glaucoma, resulting in blindness. This paper aims to investigate ...the effect of microRNA‐141‐3p (miR‐141‐3p) on retinal neovascularization and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in glaucoma mice through the Docking protein 5 (DOK5)‐mediated mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Chip retrieval and difference analysis were used for the potential mechanism of miR‐141‐3p on glaucoma. All modeled mice were transfected with different expression of mimic or inhibitor. The expressions of miR‐141‐3p, DOK5, and related genes and proteins of the MAPK signaling pathway were detected by Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. Cell proliferation, lumen formation, and apoptosis in the retinal vascular epithelial cells and RGCs were detected using Matrigel angiogenesis and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling assays. Moreover, a total of 63 and 294 differentially expressed genes were obtained in GSE2378 and GSE9944 chips, and 4 genes were within the intersection of the chips. In addition, the results showed that miR‐141‐3p was found to inhibit the DOK5 gene and activate the MAPK pathway. The number of RGCs, the expression of p38, extracellular‐signal‐regulated kinases (ERK), Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK), IGF‐1, VEGF, HIF1‐α, Bax, caspase‐3, and the extent of p38, ERK, and JNK phosphorylated were decreased with miR‐141‐3p upregulation. Lastly, the results obtained showed that miR‐141‐3p inhibited the proliferation of retinal vascular epithelial cells and inhibited angiogenesis, as well as promoted apoptosis of RGCs. The study suggests that miR‐141‐3p inhibits retinal neovascularization in glaucoma mice by impeding the activation of the DOK5‐mediated MAPK signaling pathway.
The study suggests that microRNA‐141‐3p (miR‐141‐3p) inhibits the apoptosis of RGCs, as well as the retinal neovascularization in glaucoma mice by impeding the activation of the Docking protein 5 (DOK5)‐mediated mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway.
In the present study, the welding thermal cycle of magnesium-treated EH36 steel was simulated by a thermal simulation experiment machine. The effects of welding heat input on the microstructure and ...low temperature toughness of the welded joint were studied, and the mechanism of acicular ferrite nucleation induced by MgAl2O4 inclusion was revealed. The results showed that, when the welding heat input of 150 kJ/cm, 250 kJ/cm and 350 kJ/cm was utilized, the microstructure of heat affected zone in the experimental EH36 steel consisted of grain boundary ferrite, acicular ferrite, granular bainite, and a small amount of pearlite, but the volume fraction and grain size of each independent microstructure were different. With the increase of welding heat input, the content of acicular ferrite and granular bainite decreased, the content of grain boundary ferrite increased, and the average grain size increased, whereas the low temperature toughness of the experimental EH36 steel welded joint reduced from 174 to 67 J. Furthermore, MgAl2O4 inclusions can induce acicular ferrite nucleation, whereas the nucleation mechanism is a combination of low lattice mismatch and low interfacial energy.
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and the most common type is lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). LUAD is frequently diagnosed in people who never smoked, patients are always diagnosed ...at advanced inoperable stages, and the prognosis is ultimately poor. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of novel targeted therapeutics to suppress LUAD progression. In this study, we demonstrated that the expression of DNA replication and sister chromatid cohesion 1 (DSCC1) was higher in LUAD samples than normal tissues, and the overexpression of DSCC1 or its coexpressed genes were highly correlated with poor outcomes of LUAD patients, highlighting DSCC1 might be involved in LUAD progression. Furthermore, the expression of DSCC1 was positively correlated with multiple genetic mutations which drive cancer development, including TP53, TTN, CSMD, and etc. More importantly, DSCC1 could promote the cell proliferation, stemness, EMT, and metastatic potential of LUAD cells. In addition, DSCC1 interacted with HSP90AB1 and promoted the progression of LUAD via regulating ER stress. Meanwhile, DSCC1 expression negatively correlated with immune cell infiltration in lung cancer, and DSCC1 positively regulated the expression of PD-L1 in LUAD cells. Collectively, this study revealed that DSCC1 is a novel therapeutic target to treat LUAD and a biomarker for predicting the efficiency of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade treatment.
In this paper, the solid solution and precipitation behavior of inclusions on the surface and 1/2 thickness of the tested steel plate under the condition of welding heat input of 400 kJ/cm is ...investigated by using laser confocal experiments with hot-rolled state DH36 ship plate steel as the research object, and the mechanism of the effect of inclusions on the phase transformation of an acicular ferrite is revealed. The results show that the inclusions of the tested steel are mainly composed of Oxide-MnS, MnS, Oxide, TiN, Spinel, etc. The amount of inclusions on the surface of the tested steel plate is significantly higher than that at the 1/2 thickness position. During the heating stage, the small inclusions on the surface immediately disappeared, and the large inclusions gradually solidified in the matrix; atomic diffusion occurred at the bond between the inclusions and the matrix; while the small inclusions at the 1/2 thickness position gradually disappeared at the beginning of the heating stage, and the inclusions began to precipitate and grow when the temperature was increased to 990 °C. The acicular ferrite preferentially nucleates and grows near the boundary of the inclusions during the post-weld cooling stage, and its growth ends when two acicular ferrites cross.
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