Reference unification and reference linking: Concept, functionalities and inhibiting elements. A case study of Chinese Science Citation Database

In comparing reference unification to reference linking, the authors found that reference linking yield similar result as that of reference unification. An investigative study was conducted by these authors at Chinese Science Citation Database (CSCD) of National Science Library (NSL) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), it was found that there were three inhibiting elements in invoking a reference unification solution and the same is true for a reference linking solution. Firstly, it was difficult to define a minimum set of data elements for matching. Secondly, it had a problem of data inaccuracy and/or data incompleteness. Thirdly, it was hard to determine an appropriate linking result that produced the desired document for the user. Thus these authors suggest that getting Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for each journal article is a good way to bring about reference unification and also to improve metadata quality simultaneously at the same time. Therefore, DOI has a pivotal role to play in terms of bringing about reference unification and/or a reference linking.</p

Double Carbon Coated LiCoPO4 Nano Composite as High-Performance Cathode for Lithium Ion Batteries

Polyacene(PAS)/carbon and acetylene black(AB)/carbon coated lithium cobalt phosphate composites were synthesized via the solid state reaction method using co-precipitated Co3(PO4)2·8H2O and Li3PO4 mixture as its precursor. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) was performed to investigate the structure and phase of all the samples. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the double carbon layers coated on the surface of LiCoPO4 successfully. The LiCoPO4/C, LiCoPO4/PAS and LiCoPO4/AB delivered a capacity of T 120.92, 121.07 and 138.06 mAh×g-1 at 0.1C, respectively. The double carbon coated LiCoPO4 electrode delivered an initial discharge capacity of 147.12, 143.51 mAh×g-1 after AB/glucose, PAS/glucose coating, which maintained at 59.5% and 61.7% after 15 cycles at the 0.1C rate, respectively.Citiation: Yu, Y., Zhao, H., Chen, Y., Feng, Z.-k., Liu, X., and Yang, H. (2020). Double Carbon Coated LiCoPO4 Nano Composite as High-Performance Cathode for Lithium Ion Batteries. Trends in Renewable Energy, 6, 1-11. DOI: 10.17737/tre.2020.6.1.0010

An Integrated Clinical-mRNA-lncRNA-miRNA Signature for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Prognosis

An increasing number of evidence suggests that clinical variables alone are not enough to predict the survival of patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), and the expression of mRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) also plays an important role in the onset of MIBC. This study aims to establish a more accurate model for predicting the overall survival of MIBC based on clinical information and genetic characteristics. In this study, the RNAs profiles and clinical variable data of patients with MIBC were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Univariate Cox regression analysis, differential expression analysis and elastic net-regulated Cox regression analysis were used to identify the clinical variables and RNAs (mRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs) related to the prognosis of MIBC. Prognostic models of MIBC were established by multivariate Cox regression and ridge regression analysis using the identified prognostic clinical variables and RNAs. Three clinical variables, 25 mRNAs, 3 lncRNAs and 2 miRNAs related to the prognosis of MIBC were identified, and an integrated signature, a clinical variable signature, and an mRNA-lncRNA-miRNA signature were established based on the identified clinical variables and/or RNAs. Among the three models, the integrated signature had the highest predictive accuracy (5-year the area under the curve (AUC)=0.835, 95%CI:0.776-0.894) among the three models (P 0.05). The patients in the TCGA MIBC cohort were classified into high- or low-risk groups by the integrated signature, and it was found that the patients in the low-risk group had a significantly longer overall survival time compared with the patients in the high-risk group (P 0.001). Applying published gene signatures and TCGA data, a new and more accurate integrated clinical-mRNA-lncRNA-miRNA signature for MIBC prognostic was established

Natural polysaccharide-incorporated hydroxyapatite as size-changeable, nuclear-targeted nanocarrier for efficient cancer therapy

Targeted delivery of anticancer drugs is one of the most promising methods for cancer therapy. However, barriers including complicated procedures, costly preparation, and toxic side effects have restricted the development of nuclear-targeted nanocarriers. Natural polysaccharides as extracellular matrix constituents or analogs play an important role in biomineralization. Herein, a simple, polysaccharide-intervened preparation of hydroxyapatite (HA) hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) with low crystallinity was used as a bio-safe carrier for targeting the delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) for efficient anticancer therapy. The poorly crystallized hybrid HA NPs were specifically taken up by cancer cells (HeLa cells), and subsequently, the abrupt degradation of HA nanoparticles would cause a change in the osmotic pressure, leading to the explosive death of cancer cells. Furthermore, the hybrid HA NPs were size changeable and capable of directly delivering the anti-cancer drug into the nucleus of cancer cells, thereby efficiently killing cancer cells. In addition, the HA/ALG NPs reduce the toxicity of DOX to L929 cells and cause little negative effect on normal tissue cells. The in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that the size-changeable HA-ALG/DOX could be a promising nuclear-targeted delivery nanocarrier for efficient cancer therapy.</p

Tree ring δ18O reveals no long-term change of atmospheric water demand since 1800 in the northern Great Hinggan Mountains, China

Global warming will significantly increase transpirational water demand, which could dramatically affect plant physiology and carbon and water budgets. Tree ring δ18O is a potential index of the leaf-to-air vapor-pressure deficit (VPD) and therefore has great potential for long-term climatic reconstruction. Here we developed δ18O chronologies of two dominant native trees, Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii Rupr.) and Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica), from a permafrost region in the Great Hinggan Mountains of northeastern China. We found that the July–August VPD and relative humidity were the dominant factors that controlled tree ring δ18O in the study region, indicating strong regulation of stomatal conductance. Based on the larch and pine tree ring δ18O chronologies, we developed a reliable summer (July–August) VPD reconstruction since 1800. Warming growing season temperatures increase transpiration and enrich cellulose 18O, but precipitation seemed to be the most important influence on VPD changes in this cold region. Periods with stronger transpirational demand occurred around the 1850s, from 1914 to 1925, and from 2005 to 2010. However, we found no overall long-term increasing or decreasing trends for VPD since 1800, suggesting that despite the increasing temperatures and thawing permafrost throughout the region, forest transpirational demand has not increased significantly during the past two centuries. Under current climatic conditions, VPD did not limit growth of larch and pine, even during extremely drought years. Our findings will support more realistic evaluations and reliable predictions of the potential influences of ongoing climatic change on carbon and water cycles and on forest dynamics in permafrost regions

Functional SNPs in HSPA1A Gene Predict Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

Background: HSP70 plays crucial roles in endothelial cell apoptosis, which is involved in the early phase and progress of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the association between polymorphisms of HSP70 genes and the risk of CHD still remains unclear. Our aim was to determine whether genetic variants in the HSPA1A gene are associated with the risk of CHD. Methodology/Principal Findings: By resequencing and genotyping, the associations of 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) +190G/C (rs1043618) and −110A/C (rs1008438) in the HSPA1A gene with risk of CHD were determined in a 1,003 pairs case-control study. The SNP function was further analyzed using a luciferase reporter assay in two cell lines. The results indicated that +190CC genotype was associated with significantly higher risk of CHD when compared with +190GG genotype (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.10–2.20, P = 0.012), while association between −110A/C polymorphism and CHD was not statistically significant (P greater than 0.05). However, the −110C/+190C haplotype had a significantly higher risk of CHD when compared with the −110A/+190G haplotype (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01–1.34, P = 0.031). Luciferase reporter assays showed that the +190C allele resulted in 14%∼45% reduction in luciferase expression in endothelial and non-endothelial cells when compared with the +190G allele. Conclusions/Significance: The identified genetic variants in the HSPA1A gene combinatorially contribute towards the susceptibility to CHD likely by affecting the level of synthesis of HSP70. This study may provide useful markers for identification of subjects at risk for CHD

Genetic Variations in HSPA8 Gene Associated with Coronary Heart Disease Risk in a Chinese Population

Background: There is ample evidence that Hsp70 takes part in the progress of coronary heart disease (CHD). This implies that genetic variants of Hsp70 genes such as HSPA8 (HSC70) gene might contribute to the development of CHD. The present study aimed to investigate whether certain genetic variants of HSPA8 gene are associated with CHD in Han Chinese people. Methodology/Principal Findings: A total of 2006 subjects (1003 CHD cases and 1003 age- and sex- matched healthy controls) were recruited. Genetic variants in the HSPA8 gene were identified by sequencing of the gene in 60 unrelated Chinese. Four tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) (rs2236659, rs2276077, rs10892958, and rs1461496) were selected and genotyped. The function of the significant SNP was evaluated using luciferase reporter assays in two cell lines. By sequencing the promoter and all exons and introns of the HSPA8 gene, 23 genetic variants were identified. One promoter SNP rs2236659 was associated with susceptibility to CHD. Carriers of the “C” allele of rs2236659 had decreased CHD risk with odds ratio (OR) of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.98; P = 0.033) after adjustment for conventional risk factors. Haplotype analyses indicated that haplotype GCGC contributed to a lower CHD risk (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.93; P = 0.006) compared with the common haplotype AGGT. In a transfection assay, the C allele of rs2236659 showed a 37–40% increase in luciferase expression of the reporter gene luciferase in endothelial and non-endothelial cells compared with the T allele. Conclusions/Significance: These findings suggest that genetic variants in HSPA8 gene (especially promoter SNP rs2236659) contribute to the CHD susceptibility by affecting its expression level

Interactions between CNS and immune cells in tuberculous meningitis

The central nervous system (CNS) harbors its own special immune system composed of microglia in the parenchyma, CNS-associated macrophages (CAMs), dendritic cells, monocytes, and the barrier systems within the brain. Recently, advances in the immune cells in the CNS provided new insights to understand the development of tuberculous meningitis (TBM), which is the predominant form of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection in the CNS and accompanied with high mortality and disability. The development of the CNS requires the protection of immune cells, including macrophages and microglia, during embryogenesis to ensure the accurate development of the CNS and immune response following pathogenic invasion. In this review, we summarize the current understanding on the CNS immune cells during the initiation and development of the TBM. We also explore the interactions of immune cells with the CNS in TBM. In the future, the combination of modern techniques should be applied to explore the role of immune cells of CNS in TBM

The microbiota continuum along the female reproductive tract and its relation to uterine-related diseases

Reports on bacteria detected in maternal fluids during pregnancy are typically associated with adverse consequences, and whether the female reproductive tract harbours distinct microbial communities beyond the vagina has been a matter of debate. Here we systematically sample the microbiota within the female reproductive tract in 110 women of reproductive age, and examine the nature of colonisation by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and cultivation. We find distinct microbial communities in cervical canal, uterus, fallopian tubes and peritoneal fluid, differing from that of the vagina. The results reflect a microbiota continuum along the female reproductive tract, indicative of a non-sterile environment. We also identify microbial taxa and potential functions that correlate with the menstrual cycle or are over-represented in subjects with adenomyosis or infertility due to endometriosis. The study provides insight into the nature of the vagino-uterine microbiome, and suggests that surveying the vaginal or cervical microbiota might be useful for detection of common diseases in the upper reproductive tract.Shenzhen Municipal Government of China [JCYJ20160229172757249, JCYJ20150601090833370]; Danish Strategic Research Council [2106-07-0021]; Ole Romer grant from Danish Natural Science Research Council; Solexa project [272-07-0196]SCI(E)ARTICLE

Nitrogen rather than streamflow regulates the growth of riparian trees

In arid and semiarid regions, riparian forests are crucial for maintaining ecological biodiversity and sustainability, and supporting social and economic development. For the typical arid and semiarid ecosystem, streamflow variability is thought to be the dominant factor influencing the vulnerability and evolution of the riparian forests, which often leads to the neglect of other potentially important factors such as nutrient availability and transport. Here, we measured annual stable nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) and nitrogen concentrations (N%) in the tree rings of Populus euphratica Oliv. (Euphrates poplar) over a 90 year period (1920–2012), collected from the lower researches of the inland Heihe River, northwestern China. Coupling with our previous dual-isotope (δ13C and δ18O) chronologies and estimated intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), we examined the linkages between tree-ring δ15N and δ18O, iWUE, streamflow, and then explored the contributions of each to tree growth during the study period. Our results show that after 1975, a statistically significant correlation between tree-ring δ15N and river streamflow appears, indicating the river as a potential carrier of nitrogen from the upper and middle reaches to the lower research trees. In addition, the linkage between tree-ring δ15N and iWUE suggests substantial influence of carbon and nitrogen together on photosynthesis and transpiration of trees, although this connection become decoupled since AD 1986. The commonality analysis revealed that the nitrogen impacts indicated by tree-ring δ15N on tree growth cannot be ignored when evaluating riparian forest development. The fertilization effects caused by rising CO2 concentration complicate the nitrogen constraints on tree growth during the later part of the past century. Our results have potentially broad implications for identifying the limited factors for dryland forest ecosystems that are susceptible to natural water resource variations and human activities