Magnet bioreporter device for ecological toxicity assessment on heavy metal contamination of coal cinder sites

A novel magnet bioreporter device was developed in this research for soil toxicity assessment, via magnetic nanoparticles functionalized whole-cell bioreporters. The whole-cell bioreporter ADPWH-recA kept response capability to DNA damage after magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) functionalization, and could be harvested from soil samples by permanent magnet to reduce the soil particle disturbance. Compared to conventional treatments applying bioreporter directly in soil-water mixture (SW-M treatment) or supernatant (SW-S treatment), MNPs functionalized bioreporter via the magnet device (MFB) treatment achieved high sensitivity to evaluate the toxicity and bioavailability of chromium contamination in soils from 10 mg/kg to 5000 mg/kg soil dry weight. The MNPs functionalized bioreporter also achieved high reproducibility with pH value from 5.0 to 9.0, salinity from 0% to 3% and temperature from 20 °C to 37 °C. A case study was carried out on the ecological toxicity assessment of heavy metal contamination at the coal cinder site via the magnet bioreporter device. The heavy metal toxicity declined with the increasing distance to the coal cinder point, and a significant accumulation of heavy metal toxicity was observed along the vertical distribution. No direct link was found between the pollution load index (PLI) and heavy metal toxicity, and the results suggested the bioreporter test monitored the toxicity of heavy metals in soils and was an important approach for ecological risk assessment. Magnet bioreporter device also offered the high throughput biological measurement and was feasible for in situ monitoring

LZAP Inhibits p38 MAPK (p38) Phosphorylation and Activity by Facilitating p38 Association with the Wild-Type p53 Induced Phosphatase 1 (WIP1)

LZAP (Cdk5rap3, C53) is a putative tumor suppressor that inhibits RelA, Chk1 and Chk2 and activates p53. LZAP is lost in a portion of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and experimental loss of LZAP expression is associated with enhanced invasion, xenograft tumor growth and angiogenesis. p38 MAPK can increase or decrease proliferation and cell death depending on cellular context. LZAP has no known enzymatic activity, implying that its biological functions are likely mediated by its protein-protein interactions. To gain further insight into LZAP activities, we searched for LZAP-associated proteins (LAPs). Here we show that the LZAP binds p38, alters p38 cellular localization, and inhibits basal and cytokine-stimulated p38 activity. Expression of LZAP inhibits p38 phosphorylation in a dose-dependent fashion while loss of LZAP enhances phosphorylation and activation with resultant phosphorylation of p38 downstream targets. Mechanistically, the ability of LZAP to alter p38 phosphorylation depended, at least partially, on the p38 phosphatase, Wip1. Expression of LZAP increased both LZAP and Wip1 binding to p38. Taken together, these data suggest that LZAP activity includes inhibition of p38 phosphorylation and activation

Patchouli Alcohol Modulates the Pregnancy X Receptor/Toll-like Receptor 4/Nuclear Factor Kappa B Axis to Suppress Osteoclastogenesis

The incidence of osteoporosis, which is primarily characterized by plethoric osteoclast (OC) formation and severe bone loss, has increased in recent years. Millions of people worldwide, especially postmenopausal women, suffer from osteoporosis. The drugs commonly used to treat osteoporosis still exist many disadvantages, but natural extracts provide options for the treatment of osteoporosis. Therefore, the identification of cost-effective natural compounds is important. Patchouli alcohol (PA), a natural compound extracted from Pogostemon cablin that exerts anti-inflammatory effects, is used as a treatment for gastroenteritis. However, no research on the use of Patchouli alcohol in osteoporosis has been reported. We found that PA dose-dependently inhibited the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-induced formation and function of OCs without cytotoxicity. Furthermore, these inhibitory effects were reflected in the significant effect of PA on the NF-κB signaling pathway, as PA suppressed the transcription factors NFATc1 and c-Fos. We also determined that PA activated expression of the nuclear receptor pregnane X receptor (PXR) and promoted the PXR/Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) axis to inhibit the nuclear import of NF-κB (p50 and p65). Additionally, PA exerted therapeutic effects against osteoporosis in ovariectomized (OVX) mice, supporting the use of PA as a treatment for osteoporosis in the future

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Numerical Research on the Resistance Reduction of Air Intake

In order to investigate the drag-reducing effect of air intake, forward motion of planing trimaran models in calm water were simulated for Froude numbers ranging from 3.14–5.87. The hull body motion is implemented by coupling the fluid solver with motion solver. Numerical results were compared with the experimental data and showed good agreement. Contrastive calculations of models with and without air intake show that the air intake presents evident drag-reducing effect when Froude number is above 4.49, the cambered configuration of air intake could amplify air cavity and thus decrease fractional resistance. CFD incremental studies were subsequently carried out for the camber of air intake, it is found that the model with chamber-shortened air intake shows the worst resistance performance, while enlarging air intake chamber could reduce resistance at Froude numbers between 4.06 and 4.97

Motion Prediction of Catamaran with a Semisubmersible Bow in Wave

Compared with standard vessels, a slender catamaran with a semi-submerged bow (SSB) demonstrates superior seakeeping performance. To predict the motion of an SSB catamaran, computational fluid dynamics methods are adopted in this study and results are validated through small-scale model tests. The pitch, heave, and vertical acceleration are calculated at various wavelengths and speeds. Based on the overset grid and motion region methods, this study obtains the motion responses of an SSB catamaran in regular head waves. The results of the numerical studies are validated with the experimental data and show that the overset grid method is more accurate in predicting the motion of an SSB catamaran; the errors can be controlled within 20%. The movement data in regular waves shows that at a constant speed, the motion response initially increases and then decreases with increasing wavelength. This motion response peak is due to the encountering frequency being close to the natural frequency. Under identical sea conditions, the motion response increases with the increasing Froude number. The motion prediction results, that derive from a short-term irregular sea state, show that there is an optimal speed range that can effectively reduce the amplitude of motion

Starved lubrication analysis of angular contact ball bearing based on a multi-degree-of-freedom tribo-dynamic model

Abstract When the oil supply is not adequate to maintain the ideal lubrication, angular contact ball bearing will enter into the starved lubrication regime resulting in the potential performance degradation and consequently the severe failures. To study the effects of starved lubrication on the performance of angular contact ball bearing, this paper first proposes a multi-degree-of-freedom (DOF) tribo-dynamic model by introducing five-DOF inner ring, six-DOF balls, and six-DOF cage. The model considers the starved lubrication in the ball-raceway contact and the full multi-body interactions between the bearing components. With different ball-raceway starvation degrees being analyzed, the effects of starved lubrication on the bearing tribo-dynamic performance are first revealed. By comparison, it is found that the oil film thickness, the skidding performance, and the traction forces in the ball-raceway contact are significantly influenced by the starvation degrees. It is also found that the starvation-induced change of the ball-pocket contact force is dramatical under combined loads, and the maximum contact force under this load condition increases with the increasing starvation degrees

Dynamic changes in leaf wax n-alkanes and delta C-13 during leaf development in winter wheat under varied irrigation experiments

Leaf wax n-alkanes serve as biomarkers that record environmental information with their carbon isotopic composition (delta C-13(alk)) recording water availability. Agricultural and paleoclimate applications would benefit from a greater understanding of how water shortages are recorded in delta C-13(alk) across the growing season, and controlled experiments can contribute to understanding as they constrain cause and effect, although they represent highly simplified versions of natural ecosystems. In this study, we use fieldgrown winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under three water treatments (full irrigation, deficit irrigation and dry/rain-fed) to investigate the changes of flag (top) leaf traits including leaf mass per area, wax nalkanes and carbon composition of bulk leaf and n-alkanes (delta C-13(alk)) during leaf development. We find that leaf wax n-alkane synthesis ceases when the leaf reaches its maximum area (fully expanded) under dry conditions. However, fully expanded leaves can still increase their n-alkane concentrations by 42% and 70% under deficit and full irrigation, respectively. Total leaf wax n-alkane concentrations and delta C-13(alk) show no difference at leaf flush between rain-fed (dry) and deficit irrigation treatments, but delta C-13(alk) under full irrigation is more depleted as expected, with more pronounced offsets between the experiments developing during the growing season. delta C-13(alk) decreases logarithmically during leaf development perhaps indicating a shift from stored carbohydrate to fresh photosynthate and shoot growth related responses. Our results indicate that the water information at leaf flush is not `locked-in' to the delta C-13(alk) signal carried by the leaf wax n-alkanes. Instead, the first flush likely reflects the signal of stored carbohydrate more so than ambient environmental conditions. Total leaf wax n-alkane concentrations and delta C-13(alk) at the mature stage carry a more complete record of differences in water use efficiency experienced during the growing season. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved