Lighting-Up Tumor for Assisting Resection via Spraying NIR Fluorescent Probe of γ-Glutamyltranspeptidas

For the precision resection, development of near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe based on specificity identification tumor-associated enzyme for lighting-up the tumor area, is urgent in the field of diagnosis and treatment. Overexpression of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, one of the cell-membrane enzymes, known as a biomarker is concerned with the growth and progression of ovarian, liver, colon and breast cancer compared to normal tissue. In this work, a remarkable enzyme-activated NIR fluorescent probe NIR-SN-GGT was proposed and synthesized including two moieties: a NIR dicyanoisophorone core as signal reporter unit; γ-glutamyl group as the specificity identification site. In the presence of γ-GGT, probe NIR-SN-GGT was transformed into NIR-SN-NH2, the recovery of Intramolecular Charge Transfer (ICT), liberating the NIR fluorescence signal, which was firstly employed to distinguish tumor tissue and normal tissues via simple “spraying” manner, greatly promoting the possibility of precise excision. Furthermore, combined with magnetic resonance imaging by T2 weight mode, tumor transplanted BABL/c mice could be also lit up for first time by NIR fluorescence probe having a large stokes, which demonstrated that probe NIR-SN-GGT would be a useful tool for assisting surgeon to diagnose and remove tumor in clinical practice

The Thermoanaerobacter Glycobiome Reveals Mechanisms of Pentose and Hexose Co-Utilization in Bacteria

Author Summary Renewable liquid fuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass could alleviate global energy shortage and climate change. Cellulose and hemicellulose are the main components of lignocellulosic biomass. Therefore, the ability to simultaneously utilize pentose and hexose (i.e., co-utilization) has been a crucial challenge for industrial microbes producing lignocellulosic biofuels. Certain thermoanaerobic bacteria demonstrate this unusual talent, but the genetic foundation and molecular mechanism of this process remain unknown. In this study, we reconstructed the structure and dynamics of the first genome-wide carbon utilization network of thermoanaerobes. This transcriptome-based co-expression network reveals that glucose, xylose, fructose, and cellobiose catabolism are each featured on distinct functional modules. Furthermore, the dynamics of the network suggests a distinct yet collaborative nature between glucose and xylose catabolism. In addition, we experimentally demonstrated that these novel network-derived features can be rationally exploited for product-yield enhancement via optimized timing and balanced loading of the carbon supply in a substrate-specific manner. Thus, the newly discovered modular and precisely regulated network elucidates unique features of thermoanaerobic glycobiomes and reveals novel perturbation strategies and targets for the enhanced thermophilic production of lignocellulosic biofuels.Yeshttp://www.plosgenetics.org/static/editorial#pee

Glazing Sizing in Large Atrium Buildings: A Perspective of Balancing Daylight Quantity and Visual Comfort

Due to the multiple benefits on energy, well-being, comfort, and the economy, the utilization of daylight remains an imperative topic of architectural design. With the remarkable ability of drawing and increasing daylight deep into the core of buildings, atriums with a large proportion of glazing have become one of the most preferred design forms. The concomitant and unexpected visual discomfort in modern buildings, however, has drawn increasing concerns. Therefore, this study investigated the relation between glazing proportion and daylight performance, as well as the impact of building height and atrium types on daylight performance in atrium buildings by using an annual dynamic simulation method and metrics. It was found that extending glazing proportion had prominent effectiveness in the enhancement of daylighting; building height had a negative influence; round and square types of buildings performed much better than rectangular ones. Moreover, to inform a practical design, we analyzed the link between increasing daylight and visual comfort from the perspective of balancing them, and then proposed a design guide for atrium roof-glazing sizing

Seasonal succession of phytoplankton functional groups in Lake Fuxian and its driving factors

The concept of phytoplankton functional groups was proposed based on data from numerous European lakes and has been widely used in lakes, reservoirs, rivers worldwide. However, the application of this concept to subtropical plateau lakes has rarely been reported. In this study, 16 sampling sites were selected across the entirety of Lake Fuxian, Yunnan, China. Eighteen phytoplankton functional groups (F, G, J, X2, X1,T, P, MP, D, C, H1, LO, S1, M, Y, E, W1 and W2) were classified according to the investigation of surface water and gradient depth samples. Nine of these groups, namely LO, H1, C, MP, P, T, X1, J and F, were identified as dominant species (>5% total biomass). Furthermore, LO, H1 and T were considered predominant (accounting for the maximum percentage of biomass in each month). The sampling showed that the seasonal succession of predominant assemblages in surface water was T (October) to H1 (January) to H1 (April) to Lo (July) and T+Lo (October) to T (January) to H1 (April) to Lo (July) in the gradient depth water. Redundancy analysis (RDA) combined with the indicator function of the phytoplankton groups suggested that WT and TN/TP were important factors in driving the succession of predominant assemblages all year around.The concept of phytoplankton functional groups was well applicable in our study of Lake Fuxian and it was suggested that predominant assemblages succession were acting as T (October) to H1 (January) to H1 (April) to Lo (July). Furthermore, according to RDA analysis, it was indicated that WT and TN/TP might be key driving factors in the phytoplankton changes of Lake Fuxian

Assessing the Fire-Modified Meteorology of the Grassland and Forest Intersection Zone in Mongolia Using the WRF-Fire Model

Climate change is already significantly affecting the frequency of wildfires in most regions of the world, and the risk of wildfires is expected to amplify further with global warming. Accordingly, there is growing concern about the mechanisms and impacts of extreme fires. In this study, a coupling of the Weather Research and Forecasting model and the Rothermel Fire model (WRF-Fire) is employed to reproduce the spread of fire within the national boundary of inner Mongolia from 21 to 27 May 2009. Simulations were run with or without feedback from fire-to-atmosphere models, and the study focused on how the energy flux of simulated fires changes the local meteorological environment. The coupled simulation could reproduce the burned area well, and the wind speed was the dominant factor in the fire spread, with a maximum value no more than 6.4 m/s, when the terrain height changes little and the proportion of grassland is low. After the feedback, the propagation speed of the fire accelerated, accompanying the release of latent and sensible heat, and local circulation formed near the front of the fire, leading to a convergence and divergence zone in the downwind area. It is worth noting that during a period of more than 140 h of simulation, the area of the fire field increased by 17% from ignition time. Therefore, considering the fire–atmosphere interaction is necessary for accurately predicting fire behavior

Strong winds drive grassland fires in China

Accounting for 41.7% of China’s total land area, grasslands are linked to the livelihoods of over 20 million people. Although grassland fires cause severe damage in China every year, their spatiotemporal patterns and climate drivers are not well understood. In this study, we used grassland fire record forms provided by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and grassland fire location data from the Wildfire Atlas of China to examine the spatiotemporal patterns and and seasonality of fires in China for the period from 2008 to 2020. We found that most grassland fires occurred in Inner Mongolia in northern China, specifically in the Hulun Buir and Xilingol grasslands. We found distinct differences in fire seasonality in northern China, which has a major fire season in April, versus southwestern China, where the major fire season occurs in February, March and April. April grassland fires in northern China are the result of strong winds, typically from the west, and spring drought. A secondary fire season in northern China occurs in October and is also driven by strong winds. The fire season in southwestern China seems to be less shaped by climatic factors such as wind speed, precipitation, and drought. This study provides support for decision-making by fire prevention and fire management authorities in China

How well do multi-fire danger rating indices represent China forest fire variations across multi-time scales?

To better support wildfire predictions and risk assessment, multiple fire danger rating indices (FDRIs) have been developed but their credibility in China remains obscure. Compared with the satellite fire observations, 13 FDRIs are evaluated for the historical (2003–2021) forest fire frequency in China from four different time scales: active seasons, trends, interannual variations (IAVs) and discrimination of fire/non-fire days (DFDs). Most FDRIs effectively capture the double active seasons over Southwest China and the dominant active season over Northeast and South China but fail over the other regions. FDRIs with cloud cover perform better in capturing climatological fire seasonality. All FDRIs fail to reproduce the significant decreasing trend of forest fires speculatively due to local fire management and discordant changes in meteorological elements. Most FDRIs have the advantages of the IAVs and DFDs over Southwest China but exhibit deficiencies over the other regions. FDRIs incorporating wind speed perform best in representing both IAVs and DFDs, indicating the indispensable effect of surface wind on the interannual/daily variation of fire danger. This study provides a credible reference for utilizing FDRIs in China, as well as offers insights for developing better regional FDRIs to represent different time-scale variations

Structural insights into FSP1 catalysis and ferroptosis inhibition

Abstract Ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1, also known as AIMF2, AMID or PRG3) is a recently identified glutathione-independent ferroptosis suppressor1–3, but its underlying structural mechanism remains unknown. Here we report the crystal structures of Gallus gallus FSP1 in its substrate-free and ubiquinone-bound forms. The structures reveal a FAD-binding domain and a NAD(P)H-binding domain, both of which are shared with AIF and NADH oxidoreductases4–9, and a characteristic carboxy-terminal domain as well. We demonstrate that the carboxy-terminal domain is crucial for the catalytic activity and ferroptosis inhibition of FSP1 by mediating the functional dimerization of FSP1, and the formation of two active sites located on two sides of FAD, which are responsible for ubiquinone reduction and a unique FAD hydroxylation respectively. We also identify that FSP1 can catalyze the production of H2O2 and the conversion of FAD to 6-hydroxy-FAD in the presence of oxygen and NAD(P)H in vitro, and 6-hydroxy-FAD directly inhibits ferroptosis in cells. Together, these findings further our understanding on the catalytic and ferroptosis suppression mechanisms of FSP1 and establish 6-hydroxy-FAD as an active cofactor in FSP1 and a potent radical-trapping antioxidant in ferroptosis inhibition