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Epithelial‒mesenchymal transition (EMT) in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells is believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). The ability of Hirudo to promote blood flow and dispel blood stasis may be related to its anti-EMT effects. Through the use of a network pharmacology method, the mechanism by which Hirudo treats PVR was investigated in this study, and the findings were confirmed through in vitro cellular tests. The targets and pathways of the active compounds of Hirudo against PVR were predicted via a network pharmacology technique. ARPE-19 cells were treated with several doses of Hirudo extract, that did or did not contain TGF-β2 (10 ng/mL). CCK-8, wound healing, and Transwell assays were performed to detect the viability, migration, and invasion of the cells. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect F-actin expression. Autophagy was observed via transmission electron microscopy. The mRNA expression of MMP9, N-cadherin, vimentin, THBS2, PI3K, and Akt was measured via RT‒qPCR. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of MMP9, N-cadherin, vimentin, LC3B, THBS2, PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, and p-Akt. The prediction yielded a total of 546 potential targets, 875 PVR-associated disease targets, and 22 Hirudo-PVR cross-targets involving VWF, THBS2, TP53, and IGF1R, and it was inferred that the mechanism might be related to the PI3K‒Akt signaling pathway. After APRE-19 cells were treated with TGF-β2, cell migration, invasion, and viability increased. Additionally, the expression of F-actin, MMP9, N-cadherin, vimentin, THBS2, PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, and p-Akt was upregulated. Hirudo extract counteracted the effects of TGF-β2 among APRE-19 cells. The promotion of autophagy in APRE-19 cells by TGF-β2 is highlighted, as evidenced by an increase in the LC3II/LC3I ratio. The autophagy-promoting effect of TGF-β2 on APRE-19 cells was further enhanced by Hirudo extract. Hirudo extract improved PVR by promoting autophagy and inhibiting the EMT process, and the mechanism may be related to the regulation of the THBS2/PI3K/Akt pathway.

Smart windows with light management and indoor solar heating modulation capacities are of paramount importance for building energy conservation. Thermochromic poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) hydrogel smart windows exhibit advantages of the relatively suitable transition temperature of 32 °C, high cost‐effective and automatic passive sunlight regulation, but sustain slow response rate and unsatisfactory solar modulation efficiency. Herein, a strategy of one‐step copolymerization of NIPAm and different olefine acids (OA) using reverse atom transfer radical polymerization method is developed to fabricate various chain/microparticle hybrids (CMH) for liquid energy‐saving windows. Synergetic mechanisms of thermal‐induced dissolution and aggregation of linear polymer chains integrated with water capture and release of microgel particles contribute to tunable light‐scattering behaviors and adaptive solar modulation. Without any post‐treatment, the as‐prepared poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylic acid) (P(NIPAm‐co‐AA))‐based CMH suspension is injected into sandwich glass to construct energy‐saving windows, which exhibits appreciated near‐room‐temperature transition (26.7 °C), rapid response (5 s), extraordinary luminous transmittance (91.5%), and solar modulation efficiency (85.8%), resulting in a substantial decline of indoor temperature of 24.5 °C in simulation experiment. Combining the versatile strategy with flexible adjustment on transition temperature, multifarious P(NIPAm‐co‐OA)‐based CMH windows with eminent light management capacity are obtained. This work will powerfully promote the development and renovation of energy‐efficient windows. Diversified liquid hybrid smart windows based on synergetic mechanisms of thermal‐induced dissolution and aggregation of linear chains and water capture and release of microgel particles are developed via facile copolymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide and various olefine acids. The windows possess easy large‐scale production, near‐room‐temperature transition, extraordinary light management, and indoor temperature regulation capacity, holding promises in commercial energy‐saving building materials.

Although enormous efforts have been made to prepare tasty and soluble steviol glycosides (SGs), the structure–property relationship of SGs still remains unclear, neither in experiment fact nor in the mechanism, such as the influence of linkage type and position of substituted glucosyl on physiochemical properties and sensory features of SGs. The favorable SGs, rebaudioside D (RD) and rebaudioside A (RA), possess good edulcorant quality, poor solubility, and other significantly different physical properties. This research chose two pairs of isomeric SGs, RA and its isomer rebaudioside E (RE) and RD and its isomer RA1G (a synthetic SG, α-1,6-mono-glucosylated RA), to conduct a comparative study, aiming to reveal the structure–property relevance on their solubility, sweetness, stability, and crystal structure. The RA1G presents an aqueous solubility 13 times that of RA and 137 times that of RD and exhibits better edulcorant quality than that of RA, similar to RD. The results indicate that the glucosyl linkage type and position have a stronger impact on the properties of the SGs than the number of glucosyl moieties. The underlying mechanism of their structure–property relevance was elucidated by analyzing the interaction energies between the SGs with solvent and human receptor proteins, respectively.

Realizing efficient energy utilization from the heat source of the sun and the cold source of outer space is of great significance for addressing the global energy and environmental crisis. Materials with ideal full‐spectrum solar absorption and infrared emission are highly desirable for adapting to the continuous weather dynamic throughout the day, nonetheless, their development remains challenging. Here, a polymer nanocomposite with full‐spectrum strong solar (280–2500 nm) absorption ranging from 88.8% to 94.8% with an average value of 93.2% and full‐spectrum high infrared (8–13 µm) emission ranging from 81.3% to 90.0% with an average value of 84.2%, is reported by melt‐processing polypropylene and uniformly dispersed low‐loading MXene nanosheets (1.9 vol%). The nanocomposite can achieve daytime photothermal enhancement of ≈50 °C and nighttime radiative cooling of 8 °C. The temperature difference throughout the day ensures all‐day uninterrupted thermoelectric generation, yielding a power density output of 1.5 W m−2 (daytime) and 7.9 mW m−2 (nighttime) in real outdoor environment without any additional energy consumption. This work provides an impressive polymer nanocomposite with ideal full‐spectrum solar absorption and infrared emission for all‐day uninterrupted thermal energy management and conversion. A polymer nanocomposite with full‐spectrum strong solar/infrared absorption is prepared by large‐scale melt blending with MXene, which integrates photothermal and radiative cooling together and can be further utilized for all‐day uninterrupted electrical energy output. This polymer nanocomposite holds great promise for all‐day effective thermal energy management and conversion from the heat/cold source.

Switchable radiative cooling/heating holds great promise for mitigating the global energy and environmental crisis. Here, we reported a cost‐effective, high‐strength Janus film through surface optical engineering waste paper with one side decorated by a hydrophobic polymeric cooling coating consisting of micro/nanopore/particle hierarchical structure and the other side coated with hydrophilic MXene nanosheets for heating. The cooling surface demonstrates high solar reflectivity (96.3%) and infrared emissivity (95.5%), resulting in daytime/nighttime sub‐ambient radiative cooling of 6°C/8°C with the theoretical cooling power of 100.6 and 138.5 W m−2, respectively. The heating surface exhibits high solar absorptivity (83.7%) and low infrared emissivity (15.2%), resulting in excellent radiative heating capacity for vehicle charging pile (~6.2°C) and solar heating performance. Impressively, the mechanical strength of Janus film increased greatly by 563% compared with that of pristine waste paper, which is helpful for its practical applications in various scenarios for switchable radiative thermal management through mechanical flipping. Energy‐saving simulation results reveal that significant total energy savings of up to 32.4 MJ m−2 can be achieved annually (corresponding to the 12.4% saving ratio), showing the immense importance of reducing carbon footprint and promoting carbon neutrality. Cost‐effective, high‐strength Janus film was fabricated via surface nanoengineering of waste paper with altered optical characteristics on both sides of the waste paper for all‐day dynamic radiative cooling/heating, showing the immense importance of reducing carbon footprint and mitigating energy crisis.

The interaction between groundwater (GW) and surface water (SW) not only sustains runoff in dry seasons but also plays an important role in river floods. Lateral inflow is the recharge of groundwater to surface water during a river flood; this recharge is part of the GW-SW exchange. Hydrological engineers proposed the idea of modelling flood routing using the Muskingum-Cunge method, in which the GW-SW exchange is not fully considered. This study proposes an improved nonlinear Muskingum-Cunge flood routing model that considers lateral inflow; the new method is denoted as NMCL1 and NMCL2 and can simulate flood routing and calculate the GW-SW exchange. In addition, both the linear and nonlinear lateral inflows (with the channel inflows) are discussed, and the stable lateral inflows that occur due to the GW-SW exchange are considered for the first time. A sensitivity analysis shows that different parameters have different effects on the simulation results. Three different flood cases documented in the literature are selected to compare the four classical and two updated Muskingum-Cunge methods. Two different floods of the River Wye are selected to verify the accuracy of the calibrated model. The simulation results of the improved Muskingum-Cunge method are compared with the temperature inversion results measured from the Zhongtian River, China, to indicate the feasibility and reliability of the improved method. A comparison shows that, for several cases, the proposed method is capable of obtaining optimal simulation results. The proposed method inherits the ability of the Maskingum-Cunge method to simulate flood routing. Moreover, it can quantify the GW-SW exchange, and the reliability of the estimations is owed to the nonlinearity and sign flexibility of the calculated exchange process.

High oxygen levels and root exudates together provide a resource-enriched habitat for rhizosphere microbes that, in turn, foster plant growth and perform key ecological functions. Plant genotype is a main factor shaping rhizosphere bacterial communities; however, the influence of plant genotype on the rhizosphere bacterial community of aquatic macrophytes remains unknown. Here we collected samples of the rhizosphere and bulk sediments of two genotypes of the macrophyte Phragmites australis from the littoral areas of freshwater lakes in China. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used to characterize the rhizosphere bacterial community. We found that the rhizosphere recruited a distinct bacterial community relative to that of the bulk sediment. The rhizosphere microbial community was characterized by distinct community composition and core OTUs comprising a few dominant taxa involved in the regulation of plant fitness and nutrient cycling. These taxa included Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Trichococcus, and Ramlibacter. Network analysis showed distinct co-occurrence patterns and a genotype-specific preference for hub taxa within the rhizosphere bacterial communities of each genotype. Functional analysis revealed difference between the relative abundance of functional groups participating in C, N, and S cycling. Our results improve our understanding of the composition of the rhizosphere bacterial community of aquatic macrophytes and highlight the importance of a comprehensive consideration of plant genotype in plant bioremediation in aquatic ecosystems.

We consider a clustering problem where we observe feature vectors Xi ϵ Rp, i = 1,2,..., n, from K possible classes. The class labels are unknown and the main interest is to estimate them. We are primarily interested in the modern regime of p ≫ n, where classical clustering methods face challenges. We propose Influential Features PCA (IF-PCA) as a new clustering procedure. In IF-PCA, we select a small fraction of features with the largest Kolmogorov-Smimov (KS) scores, obtain the first (K — 1) left singular vectors of the post-selection normalized data matrix, and then estimate the labels by applying the classical k-means procedure to these singular vectors. In this procedure, the only tuning parameter is the threshold in the feature selection step. We set the threshold in a data-driven fashion by adapting the recent notion of Higher Criticism. As a result, IF-PCA is a tuning-free clustering method. We apply IF-PCA to 10 gene microarray data sets. The method has competitive performance in clustering. Especially, in three of the data sets, the error rates of IF-PCA are only 29% or less of the error rates by other methods. We have also rediscovered a phenomenon on empirical null by Efron [J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 99 (2004) 96-104] on microarray data. With delicate analysis, especially post-selection eigen-analysis, we derive tight probability bounds on the KolmogorovS–mirnov statistics and show that IF-PCA yields clustering consistency in a broad context. The clustering problem is connected to the problems of sparse PCA and low-rank matrix recovery, but it is different in important ways. We reveal an interesting phase transition phenomenon associated with these problems and identify the range of interest for each.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to systematically review the relationship between dry eye disease (DED) and asthma based on published population-based studies.Data sourcesPubMed, EMBASE and ISI Web of Science from their inception were searched up to October 2019.Study selectionObservational studies addressing the association between asthma and DED will be eligible.Data extraction and synthesisTwo reviewers independently conducted the data extraction and quality assessment. We used a random-effects model for all analyses. Subgroup analysis according to ethnicity was performed to test the influence of ethnicity on the association.Main outcomes and measuresSix independent studies (a total of 45 215 patients with asthma and 232 864 control subjects) were included in this review and had an average of seven stars by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Our current findings suggest that the prevalence of DED was higher in the asthma group than in the control group (Z=7.42, p<0.00001; OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.38). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, Australian, Caucasian and Asian patients with asthma showed an increased risk of DED.

To establish a high-glucose (HG) stressed cell model and study the expression of main components of the Dll4/Notch-VEGF signaling pathway under high-glucose stimulation. A model of HG-conditioned cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVECs) was first established, and then the expression of Dll4, Notch1, Notch4 and VEGF in HG-stressed cells with or without Notch pathway blockage was analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot. To observe cell migration, we also evaluated the Transwell assay. HUVECs stimulated with 30mmol/L HG was selected as a cell model. RT-PCR and Western blot results showed that HG stimulation induced the expression of Dll4, Notch1 and VEGF and downregulated Notch4. The expressions were reversed after Notch pathway blockage; meanwhile, the blockage of Notch pathway inhibited cell migration under HG condition. The function of Notch4 in responses to HG stimulation deserves further researching. Combination therapy by blocking Dll4/Notch and VEGF pathways may provide us with a new way for anti-neovascularization.