The nearly circular (mean eccentricity ē ≈ 0.06) and coplanar (mean mutual inclination ī ≈ 3°) orbits of the solar system planets motivated Kant and Laplace to hypothesize that planets are formed in ...disks, which has developed into the widely accepted theory of planet formation. The first several hundred extrasolar planets (mostly Jovian) discovered using the radial velocity (RV) technique are commonly on eccentric orbits (ē ≈ 0.3). This raises a fundamental question: Are the solar system and its formation special? The Kepler mission has found thousands of transiting planets dominated by sub-Neptunes, but most of their orbital eccentricities remain unknown. By using the precise spectroscopic host star parameters from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) observations, we measure the eccentricity distributions for a large (698) and homogeneous Kepler planet sample with transit duration statistics. Nearly half of the planets are in systems with single transiting planets (singles), whereas the other half are multiple transiting planets (multiples). We find an eccentricity dichotomy: on average, Kepler singles are on eccentric orbits with ē ≈ 0.3, whereas the multiples are on nearly circular (
e
¯
=
0.04
−
0.04
+
0.03
) and coplanar (
i
¯
=
1.4
−
1.1
+
0.8
degree) orbits similar to those of the solar system planets. Our results are consistent with previous studies of smaller samples and individual systems. We also show that Kepler multiples and solar system objects follow a common relation ē ≈ (1–2)×ī between mean eccentricities and mutual inclinations. The prevalence of circular orbits and the common relation may imply that the solar system is not so atypical in the galaxy after all.
Significance Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating disease that results in the progressive cognitive deficits of elderly and has become one of major social and economic burdens worldwide. There ...is no effective drug or therapy to prevent or halt the progressive cognitive dysfunctions due to the complex mechanisms such as accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ), increase in oxidative stress, and formation of neurofibrillary tangle that drive the development of the disease. We found here that Edaravone, a drug that has been used for ischemic stroke, is able to prevent and treat AD by targeting multiple pathways of AD pathogenesis and rescuing the cognitive deficits of a mouse model of AD. Our study suggests Edaravone is a promising drug candidate for AD.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of most devastating diseases affecting elderly people. Amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and the downstream pathological events such as oxidative stress play critical roles in pathogenesis of AD. Lessons from failures of current clinical trials suggest that targeting multiple key pathways of the AD pathogenesis is necessary to halt the disease progression. Here we show that Edaravone, a free radical scavenger that is marketed for acute ischemic stroke, has a potent capacity of inhibiting Aβ aggregation and attenuating Aβ-induced oxidation in vitro. When given before or after the onset of Aβ deposition via i.p. injection, Edaravone substantially reduces Aβ deposition, alleviates oxidative stress, attenuates the downstream pathologies including Tau hyperphosphorylation, glial activation, neuroinflammation, neuronal loss, synaptic dysfunction, and rescues the behavioral deficits of APPswe/PS1 mice. Oral administration of Edaravone also ameliorates the AD-like pathologies and memory deficits of the mice. These findings suggest that Edaravone holds a promise as a therapeutic agent for AD by targeting multiple key pathways of the disease pathogenesis.
Abstract
Iron phthalocyanine (FePc) is a promising non-precious catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Unfortunately, FePc with plane-symmetric FeN
4
site usually exhibits an ...unsatisfactory ORR activity due to its poor O
2
adsorption and activation. Here, we report an axial Fe–O coordination induced electronic localization strategy to improve its O
2
adsorption, activation and thus the ORR performance. Theoretical calculations indicate that the Fe–O coordination evokes the electronic localization among the axial direction of O–FeN
4
sites to enhance O
2
adsorption and activation. To realize this speculation, FePc is coordinated with an oxidized carbon. Synchrotron X-ray absorption and Mössbauer spectra validate Fe–O coordination between FePc and carbon. The obtained catalyst exhibits fast kinetics for O
2
adsorption and activation with an ultralow Tafel slope of 27.5 mV dec
−1
and a remarkable half-wave potential of 0.90 V. This work offers a new strategy to regulate catalytic sites for better performance.
The growing world population and shrinkage of arable land demand yield improvement of rice, one of the most important staple crops. To elucidate the genetic basis of yield and uncover its associated ...loci in rice, we resequenced the core recombinant inbred lines of Liang–You–Pei–Jiu , the widely cultivated super hybrid rice, and constructed a high-resolution linkage map. We detected 43 yield-associated quantitative trait loci, of which 20 are unique. Based on the high-density physical map, the genome sequences of paternal variety 93–11 and maternal cultivar PA64s of Liang–You–Pei–Jiu were significantly improved. The large recombinant inbred line population combined with plentiful high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions/deletions between parental genomes allowed us to fine-map two quantitative trait loci, qSN8 and qSPB1 , and to identify days to heading8 and lax panicle1 as candidate genes, respectively. The quantitative trait locus qSN8 was further confirmed to be days to heading8 by a complementation test. Our study provided an ideal platform for molecular breeding by targeting and dissecting yield-associated loci in rice.
Understanding protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is quite important to elucidate crucial biological processes and even design compounds that interfere with PPIs with pharmaceutical significance. ...Protein-protein docking can afford the atomic structural details of protein-protein complexes, but the accurate prediction of the three-dimensional structures for protein-protein systems is still notoriously difficult due in part to the lack of an ideal scoring function for protein-protein docking. Compared with most scoring functions used in protein-protein docking, the Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MM/GBSA) and Molecular Mechanics/Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM/PBSA) methodologies are more theoretically rigorous, but their overall performance for the predictions of binding affinities and binding poses for protein-protein systems has not been systematically evaluated. In this study, we first evaluated the performance of MM/PBSA and MM/GBSA to predict the binding affinities for 46 protein-protein complexes. On the whole, different force fields, solvation models, and interior dielectric constants have obvious impacts on the prediction accuracy of MM/GBSA and MM/PBSA. The MM/GBSA calculations based on the ff02 force field, the GB model developed by Onufriev et al. and a low interior dielectric constant (εin = 1) yield the best correlation between the predicted binding affinities and the experimental data (rp = -0.647), which is better than MM/PBSA (rp = -0.523) and a number of empirical scoring functions used in protein-protein docking (rp = -0.141 to -0.529). Then, we examined the capability of MM/GBSA to identify the possible near-native binding structures from the decoys generated by ZDOCK for 43 protein-protein systems. The results illustrate that the MM/GBSA rescoring has better capability to distinguish the correct binding structures from the decoys than the ZDOCK scoring. Besides, the optimal interior dielectric constant of MM/GBSA for re-ranking docking poses may be determined by analyzing the characteristics of protein-protein binding interfaces. Considering the relatively high prediction accuracy and low computational cost, MM/GBSA may be a good choice for predicting the binding affinities and identifying correct binding structures for protein-protein systems.
•Meta-mafic rocks in the central Liaodong Peninsula was emplaced at 2154Ma, and metamorphosed at 1897Ma.•These rocks were derived from a depleted mantle source with extremely minimal crustal ...contamination.•These rocks formed in a back-arc basin.
The central Liaodong Peninsula is located in the northwestern part of the Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt in the Eastern Block of the North China Craton. Surface rocks in this region are voluminous meta-mafic rocks, which mainly comprise amphibolite and metamorphic gabbro or diabase. We present zircon cathodoluminescence images, U–Pb dates, and Lu–Hf isotope data, as well as whole-rock geochemical data for these rocks, in order to constrain the tectonic nature and evolution of the Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt. Zircons from these meta-mafic rocks can be divided into two groups, with one having a typical magmatic origin and the other a metamorphic origin. Zircon U–Pb dating and Lu–Hf isotopic results show that the magmatic zircons have two peak ages at 2503 and 2154Ma, with the former have ɛHf=+7.1 to +8.1 and single-stage model ages (THf)=2.50–2.55Ga, indicating that these captured or inherited zircons formed at ca. 2.50Ga by partial melting of coeval juvenile crust. The younger magmatic zircons have ɛHf=+3.2 to +9.6, mainly varying from +7.4 to +9.6 (average=+8.7), and THf=2.15–2.34Ga (peak at 2.19Ga), suggesting that the meta-mafic rocks were emplaced at ca. 2.15Ga and derived by partial melting of depleted mantle. The metamorphic zircons yield a peak age of 1897Ma and have ɛHf=−4.5 to +6.8. These zircons can be further divided into three groups on the basis of Hf isotope data (i.e., ɛHf=−4.5 to −2.3, −0.6 to +1.0, and +3.1 to +6.8; THf=2.39–2.54, 2.26–2.39, and 2.03–2.11Ga, respectively), indicating they were derived by reworking of Neoarchean–Paleoproterozoic ancient crust and some Paleoproterozoic juvenile crust. Thus there existed two crustal growth events at 2.50 and 2.15Ga and one reworking event at ca. 1.90Ga in the Eastern Block. Geochemical data show that these meta-mafic rocks are characterized by: SiO2=47.3–49.8wt.%; TiO2=0.97–1.59wt.%;K2O=0.39–1.95wt.%; Na2O/K2O=1.03–4.85; Mg#=39–52; Cr=29–247ppm; and Ni=24.4–73.4ppm. These features, combined with low total rare earth element concentrations (ΣREE), relative enrichment in light REE, significant positive Rb, Ba, K, and P anomalies, and depletions in high-field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti), indicate derivation by partial melting of depleted lithospheric mantle that had been metasomatized by subduction-derived fluids, with little or no crustal contamination during magma ascent. Given our dating results and the regional geological framework, we propose that the subduction in the eastern Longgang Block took place at least in age of 2.15Ga, and that the meta-mafic rocks in the central Liaodong Peninsula may have formed in a back-arc basin. However, the tectonic location of this magmatic arc and its relationship with the Nangrim Block need to be further studied to confirm this hypothesis.
In this research, the antifungal role of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on the postharvest pathogens Aspergillus niger and Penicillium italicum growing on fruits and under culture conditions on defined media ...was investigated. Our results show that H2S, released by sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) effectively reduced the postharvest decay of fruits induced by A. niger and P. italicum. Furthermore, H2S inhibited spore germination, germ tube elongation, mycelial growth, and produced abnormal mycelial contractions when the fungi were grown on defined media in Petri plates. Further studies showed that H2S could cause an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in A. niger. In accordance with this observation we show that enzyme activities and the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) genes in A. niger treated with H2S were lower than those in control. Moreover, H2S also significantly inhibited the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rhizopus oryzae, the human pathogen Candida albicans, and several food-borne bacteria. We also found that short time exposure of H2S showed a microbicidal role rather than just inhibiting the growth of microbes. Taken together, this study suggests the potential value of H2S in reducing postharvest loss and food spoilage caused by microbe propagation.
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•HP mafic granulite discovered from the Pingdu–Anqiu area, the Jiaobei terrane.•U–Pb age data reveal 1950–1900Ma peak and 1900–1800Ma retrogressive metamorphism.•HP mafic granulite ...defined a clockwise P–T–t path involving near-isothermal decompression and near-isobaric cooling.
High-pressure (HP) mafic granulites in the Pingdu–Anqiu area of the Jiaobei Terrane, in the southwestern segment of the Jiao–Liao–Ji Belt of the North China Craton, occur as irregular lenses or deformed dike swarms within the Paleoproterozoic graphite-bearing paragneisses and marbles. Petrographic examination has revealed three distinct metamorphic mineral assemblages: a peak HP granulite-facies assemblage (M1) that consists of garnet+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+quartz±amphibole±Fe–Ti oxides, a post-peak decompression assemblage (M2) that is characterized by symplectites of orthopyroxene+clinopyroxene+plagioclase±amphibole±Fe–Ti oxides, and a late cooling assemblage (M3) represented by symplectites of amphibole+plagioclase+Fe–Ti oxides. Pseudosection modeling using THERMOCALC in the NCFMASHTO system and conventional thermobarometers constrained the P–T conditions of the M1, M2 and M3 assemblages to P=1.28–1.44GPa and T=757–805°C, P=0.50–0.80GPa and T=780–840°C, and P=0.55–0.73GPa and T=665–730°C, respectively. An integrated study involving laser Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope analysis of mineral inclusions, cathodoluminescence imaging, and in-situ U–Pb dating of zircons showed that the protolith ages of the HP mafic granulites are mainly 2200–2000Ma and that the timing of the peak HP granulite-facies metamorphism ranges from 1950 to 1900Ma, as recorded by the cores of metamorphic zircons. The medium- to low-pressure amphibolite- to granulite-facies retrogression occurred mainly at 1900–1800Ma, as recorded by the rims of some zircon grains as well as zircon grains that contain inclusions of clinopyroxene+orthopyroxene+plagioclase+amphibole+sphene. Comprehensive petrographic, mineralogical, and geochronological investigations of the HP mafic granulites defined a clockwise P–T–t path involving near-isothermal decompression and near-isobaric cooling, which further suggests that the Jiaobei Terrane had underwent initial crustal thickening during 1950–1900Ma, followed by relatively rapid exhumation, cooling, and retrogression in the period 1900–1800Ma. This P–T–t path was probably generated by the Paleoproterozoic collisional orogenesis of the North China Craton.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been applied in cancer treatment by utilizing reactive oxygen species to kill cancer cells. However, a high concentration of glutathione (GSH) is present in cancer ...cells and can consume reactive oxygen species. To address this problem, we report the development of a photosensitizer–MnO2 nanosystem for highly efficient PDT. In our design, MnO2 nanosheets adsorb photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6), protect it from self‐destruction upon light irradiation, and efficiently deliver it into cells. The nanosystem also inhibits extracellular singlet oxygen generation by Ce6, leading to fewer side effects. Once endocytosed, the MnO2 nanosheets are reduced by intracellular GSH. As a result, the nanosystem is disintegrated, simultaneously releasing Ce6 and decreasing the level of GSH for highly efficient PDT. Moreover, fluorescence recovery, accompanied by the dissolution of MnO2 nanosheets, can provide a fluorescence signal for monitoring the efficacy of delivery.
A photosensitizer–MnO2 nanosystem has been designed for highly efficient photodynamic therapy. The nanosystem can react with intracellular glutathione (GSH), decreasing the level of GSH, releasing the photosensitizer completely, and thus improving the therapeutic efficiency.
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