Information was the basis for decision-making in all dynasties, and even more so in national political affairs. For the collection, processing, control, and dissemination of information, the rulers ...never took it lightly. Combing through the sources throughout the dynasties, we have noted institutionalized initiatives and several long-running "hot topics" between rulers and ministers. Among them, the topics of how to prevent congestion, ensure unimpeded report, and construct channels of delivery were always in the center of attention. The focus of this article is on: (1) the construction of the Song dynasty's "paths for speech" as an important channel of information flow, (2) the activities and obstacles on the "paths for speech," and (3) the intrinsic relationship between the paths for speech and the institutional culture.
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a target for over 34% of current drugs. The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), a family C GPCR, regulates systemic calcium (Ca
) homeostasis that is critical for ...many physiological, calciotropical, and noncalciotropical outcomes in multiple organs. However, the mechanisms by which extracellular Ca
(Ca
) and the CaSR mediate networks of intracellular Ca
-signaling and players involved throughout the life cycle of CaSR are largely unknown. Here we report the first CaSR protein-protein interactome with 94 novel putative and 8 previously published interactors using proteomics. Ca
promotes enrichment of 66% of the identified CaSR interactors, pertaining to Ca
dynamics, endocytosis, degradation, trafficking, and primarily to protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). These enhanced ER-related processes are governed by Ca
-activated CaSR which directly modulates ER-Ca
(Ca
), as monitored by a novel ER targeted Ca
-sensor. Moreover, we validated the Ca
dependent colocalizations and interactions of CaSR with ER-protein processing chaperone, 78-kDa glucose regulated protein (GRP78), and with trafficking-related protein. Live cell imaging results indicated that CaSR and vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated A (VAPA) are inter-dependent during Ca
induced enhancement of near-cell membrane expression. This study significantly extends the repertoire of the CaSR interactome and reveals likely novel players and pathways of CaSR participating in Ca
dynamics, agonist mediated ER-protein processing and surface expression.
Calcium controls numerous biological processes by interacting with different classes of calcium binding proteins (CaBP's), with different affinities, metal selectivities, kinetics, and calcium ...dependent conformational changes. Due to the diverse coordination chemistry of calcium, and complexity associated with protein folding and binding cooperativity, the rational design of CaBP's was anticipated to present multiple challenges. In this paper we will first discuss applications of statistical analysis of calcium binding sites in proteins and subsequent development of algorithms to predict and identify calcium binding proteins. Next, we report efforts to identify key determinants for calcium binding affinity, cooperativity and calcium dependent conformational changes using grafting and protein design. Finally, we report recent advances in designing protein calcium sensors to capture calcium dynamics in various cellular environments.
Bimetallic catalysts have been widely used for CO methanation because of their superior activity and stability. Herein, Ni–Co bimetallic catalysts supported on SiO2, xNi–yCo/SiO2 (x and y refer to ...the loading of Ni and Co), are fabricated for CO methanation. For 6Ni–9Co/SiO2, CO conversion is higher than other catalysts with only Ni and Co or both Ni and Co of different ratios. The stability of the 6Ni–9Co/SiO2 is much better in comparison with the 15Ni/SiO2 and 15Co/SiO2. The diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy study shows that for both 6Ni–9Co/SiO2 and 15Ni/SiO2, CHO is generated first. However, the bimetallic Ni–Co catalyst follows a distinctive reaction pathway subsequently: the C–O bond of CHO breaks first and then CH hydrogenates to form CH4. However, for 15Ni/SiO2, the CHO intermediate first reacts with *H to form CHOH, then C–O breaks, and CH4 is formed. This work well reveals the relationship between the performance of bimetallic catalysts and their reaction mechanism for CO methanation and sheds light on the further development of other bimetallic catalysts for various applications in catalysis.
Cotton fibers with ultra-high purity cellulose are ideal raw materials for producing nanocellulose. However, the strong hydrogen bond and high crystallinity of cotton fibers affect the dissociation ...of cotton fibers to prepare nanocellulose. The structures of two kinds of cotton fibers (CM and XM) in different growth stages from 10 to 50 days post-anthesis (dpa) were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In the process of cotton fiber growth, the deposition rate of cellulose macromolecules firstly increased and then stabilized. Then, the surface morphology, the chemical composition, and the crystal structure of the nanocellulose prepared from cotton fibers with different growth stages by deep eutectic solvent, a green solvent, were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, XRD, and Thermo Gravimetry (TG). The growth time of cotton fibers affected the properties of prepared nanocellulose, and nanocellulose obtained from cotton fibers at about 30 dpa had less energy consumption, higher yield, and milder reaction conditions.
The increasing production and prevalence of antimony (Sb)-related products raise concerns regarding its potential hazards to reproductive health. Upon environmental exposure, Sb reportedly induces ...testicular toxicity during spermatogenesis; moreover, it is known to affect various testicular cell populations, particularly germline stem cell populations. However, the cell-cell communication resulting from Sb exposure within the testicular niche remains poorly understood. To address this gap, herein we analyzed testicular single-cell RNA sequencing data from Sb-exposed Drosophila. Our findings revealed that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and WNT signaling pathways were associated with the stem cell niche in Drosophila testes, which may disrupt the homeostasis of the testicular niche in Drosophila. Furthermore, we identified several ligand-receptor pairs, facilitating the elucidation of intercellular crosstalk involved in Sb-mediated reproductive toxicology. We employed scRNA-seq analysis and conducted functional verification to investigate the expression patterns of core downstream factors associated with EGFR and WNT signatures in the testes under the influence of Sb exposure. Altogether, our results shed light on the potential mechanisms of Sb exposure-mediated testicular cell-lineage communications.
Abstract
Background
This study aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of one-stage posterior surgery combined with anti-Brucella therapy in the treatment of lumbosacral brucellosis spondylitis (LBS).
...Methods
From June 2010 to June 2020, the clinical and radiographic data of patients with LBS treated by one-stage posterior surgery combined with anti-Brucella therapy were retrospectively analyzed. The visual analogue scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and Oswestry Disability Index scores (ODI) were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes. Frankel’s classification system was employed to access the initial and final neurologic function. Fusion of the bone grafting was classified by Bridwell’s grading system.
Results
A total of 55 patients were included in this study with a mean postoperative follow-up time of 2.6 ± 0.8 years (range, 2 to 5). There were 40 males and 15 females with a mean age of 39.8 ± 14.7 years (range, 27 to 57). The Brucella agglutination test was ≥ 1:160 in all patients, but the blood culture was positive in 43 patients (78.1%). A statistical difference was observed in ESR, CRP, VAS, ODI, and JOA between preoperative and final follow-up (
P
< 0.05). Neurological function was significantly improved in 20 patients with preoperative neurological dysfunction after surgery. According to Bridwell’s grading system, the fusion of bone grafting in 48 cases (87.2%) was defined as grade I, and grade II in 7 cases (12.7%). None of the infestation recurrences was observed.
Conclusion
One-stage posterior surgery combined with anti-Brucella therapy was a practical method in the treatment of LBS with severe neurological compression and spinal sagittal imbalance.
Cotton fiber is favored by people because of its good moisture absorption, heat preservation, soft feel, comfortable wearing and other excellent performance. In recent years, due to the destruction ...of the ozone layer, the intensity of ultraviolet radiation at ground level has increased. Cotton fiber will degrade under long time ultraviolet irradiation, which limits the outdoor application of cotton fiber. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles were prepared on the surface of cotton fibers with the help of supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) to improve the UV resistance of cotton fibers. The effects of SCCO2 treatment on the morphology, surface composition, thermal stability, photostability and mechanical properties of TiO2 were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, UV-VIS spectroscopy, and single fiber test. The results showed that TiO2 particles were generated on the fiber surface, which reduced the photo-degradation rate of cotton fiber. This is because TiO2 can absorb UV rays and reduce the absorption of UV rays by the cotton fiber itself. The synthesis process of SCCO2 is simple and environmentally friendly, which provides a promising technology for the synthesis of metal nitrogen dioxide on natural plant fibers.
Abstract Terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy (TES) has emerged as a highly effective and versatile technique for investigating the photoelectric properties of diverse materials and nonlinear ...physical processes in the past few decades. Concurrently, research on two-dimensional (2D) materials has experienced substantial growth due to their atomically thin structures, exceptional mechanical and optoelectronic properties, and the potential for applications in flexible electronics, sensing, and nanoelectronics. Specifically, these materials offer advantages such as tunable bandgap, high carrier mobility, wideband optical absorption, and relatively short carrier lifetime. By applying TES to investigate the 2D materials, their interfaces and heterostructures, rich information about the interplay among photons, charges, phonons and spins can be unfolded, which provides fundamental understanding for future applications. Thus it is timely to review the nonlinear processes underlying THz emission in 2D materials including optical rectification, photon-drag, high-order harmonic generation and spin-to-charge conversion, showcasing the rich diversity of the TES employed to unravel the complex nature of these materials. Typical applications based on THz emissions, such as THz lasers, ultrafast imaging and biosensors, are also discussed. Step further, we analyzed the unique advantages of spintronic terahertz emitters and the future technological advancements in the development of new THz generation mechanisms leading to advanced THz sources characterized by wide bandwidth, high power and integration, suitable for industrial and commercial applications. The continuous advancement and integration of TES with the study of 2D materials and heterostructures promise to revolutionize research in different areas, including basic materials physics, novel optoelectronic devices, and chips for post-Moore’s era.
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