Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2), as a member of the sirtuin family, has representative features of evolutionarily highly conserved nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacetylase activity. In addition, SIRT2, as the only sirtuin protein colocalized with tubulin in the cytoplasm, has its own functions and characteristics. In recent years, studies have increasingly shown that SIRT2 can participate in the regulation of gene expression and regulate signal transduction in the metabolic pathway mainly through its post-translational modification of target genes; thus, SIRT2 has become a key centre in the metabolic pathway and participates in the pathological process of metabolic disorder-related diseases. In this paper, it is discussed that SIRT2 can regulate all aspects of gene expression, including epigenetic modification, replication, transcription and translation, and post-translational modification, which enables SIRT2 to participate in energy metabolism in life activities, and it is clarified that SIRT2 is involved in metabolic process-specific signal transduction mechanisms. Therefore, SIRT2 can be involved in metabolic disorder-related inflammation and oxidative stress, thereby triggering the occurrence of metabolic disorder-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, tumours, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, although the role of SIRT2 in some diseases is still controversial, given the multiple roles of SIRT2 in regulating physiological and pathological signal transduction, SIRT2 has become a key target for disease treatment. It is believed that with increasing research, the clinical application of SIRT2 will be promoted.

The mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) differs between countries and regions. This study aimed to clarify the clinical characteristics of imported and second-generation cases in Shaanxi. This study included 134 COVID-19 cases in Shaanxi outside Wuhan. Clinical data were compared between severe and non-severe cases. We further profiled the dynamic laboratory findings of some patients. In total, 34.3% of the 134 patients were severe cases, 11.2% had complications. As of 7 March 2020, 91.8% patients were discharged and one patient (0.7%) died. Age, lymphocyte count, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, direct bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase and hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase showed difference between severe and no-severe cases (all P < 0.05). Baseline lymphocyte count was higher in survived patients than in non-survivor case, and it increased as the condition improved, but declined sharply when death occurred. The interleukin-6 (IL-6) level displayed a downtrend in survivors, but rose very high in the death case. Pulmonary fibrosis was found on later chest computed tomography images in 51.5% of the pneumonia cases. Imported and second-generation cases outside Wuhan had a better prognosis than initial cases in Wuhan. Lymphocyte count and IL-6 level could be used for evaluating prognosis. Pulmonary fibrosis as the sequelae of COVID-19 should be taken into account.

Aquafeeds for carnivorous species face a nutritional–technological conundrum: containing sufficient starch to meet specific manufacturing requirements for binding, extrusion and expansion, but ideally containing as little starch as possible owing to their limited ability to utilise carbohydrates. The present study evaluated the effects of dietary starch with different amylose to amylopectin ratios and resistant starch contents on growth performance, hepatic glycogen accumulation and glucose metabolism of an important cultured carnivorous finfish, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). A common starch source (α-cassava starch (CS)) was tested as is or after being enzymatically de-branched at three different inclusion levels in diets for largemouth bass. Results showed that the increased dietary starch levels compromised performance and high dietary α-CS content led to obvious liver damage. However, the growth performances of fish fed the diets with de-branched starch (DS) were improved, and no manifest liver damages were observed even at the higher inclusion level. The increasing dietary starch contents significantly increased hepatic glycogen accumulation, but not when DS was used. High dietary starch content, without regard to starch sources, had no effect on the expression of glucose metabolism-related genes, except for down-regulation of insulin receptor expression. However, the use of dietary DS promoted the expression of genes involved in the insulin pathway and glycolysis. In conclusion, this study showed that the use of starch sources with a high amylose to amylopectin ratio and resistant starch in the feed for cultured carnivorous finfish could alleviate the hepatic glycogen deposition through regulating the insulin pathway and glycolysis.

As for the efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), one of the important goals is to increase the light harvesting efficiency to further improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE). The excellent photoanode materials should possess a uniform porous structure, a large surface area, high crystallinity, and good stability. Herein, the porous TiO2 electrode (named as S-1.5) with the above merits had been prepared by the simple template-assisted method with camphene as the pore-forming reagent. The surface area of the porous TiO2 electrode can be tailored by introducing the amount of camphene. The porous TiO2 layer with the optimal surface area directly adhered on the top of the ultra-thin P25 dense layer had been constructed and this unique electrode with a “double layers structure”, which named as S-1.5/P25. When DSSCs assembled with this photoanode, a desirable PCE of 8.31% had been achieved, which was obviously higher than that of the commercial P25 (7.62%) in parallel. The improved PCE can be attributed to the improved utilization of sunlight, the facilitated photo-generated electron transfer, and the reduced interface resistance. Meanwhile, the related characterization including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, intensity-modulated photovoltage spectroscopy, and intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy was characterized to explore the possible mechanism.

This research communication describes a genome-wide association study for Italian buffalo mammary gland morphology. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (AX-85117983, AX-8509475 and AX-85117518) were identified to be significantly associated with buffalo anterior teat length, posterior teat length and distance between anterior and posterior teat, respectively. Two significant signals for buffalo mammary gland morphology were observed in two genomic regions on the chromosome 10, and chromosome 20. One of the regions located on the chromosome 10 has the most likely candidate genes ACTC1 and GJD2, both of which have putative roles in the regulation of mammary gland development. This study provides new insights into the genetic variants of buffalo mammary gland morphology and may be beneficial for understanding of the genetic regulation of mammary growth.

A novel solid-clad-by-liquid method was developed to form a 10-m long by 10-mm wide by 80-μm thick Ni–5 at.% W/Ni–9.3 at.% W/Ni–5 at.% W composite tape. Three deformation routes (cold rolling, cold rolling with intermediate annealing, and cold rolling combined with warm rolling) have been investigated in short Ni–5 at.% W/Ni–9.3 at.% W/Ni–5 at.% W composite substrate. To optimize the dynamic continuous annealing parameters for the long composite substrates, air-cooled and furnace-cooled annealing procedures were compared in short Ni–5 at.% W/Ni–9.3 at.% W/Ni–5 at.% W composite substrates. Improved cube texture of 98.7% in a 10-m long by 10-mm wide by 80-μm thick Ni–5 at.% W/Ni–9.3 at.% W/Ni–5 at.% W composite substrate was achieved via warm rolling deformation at 550 °C and two-step dynamic continuous annealing (750 °C for 1 h followed by 1200 °C for 1 h). The yield strength, Curie temperature, and saturation magnetization of 176 MPa, 324 K, and 18 emu/g, respectively, were obtained.

Effective suppression of transverse stimulated Raman scattering (TSRS) in a large-aperture potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal is an important scientific and technical problem in high-intensity laser research and applications. In this work, a method to suppress TSRS using pulse stacking is proposed. The method suppresses TSRS significantly, with greater numbers of subpulses producing more obvious suppression effects, and the threshold intensity growth rate of the 3ω laser in the KDP crystal reaches up to about 1.9 when the stacked pulse contains four subpulses. This suppression effect is attributed to the fact that the polarization directions of adjacent subpulses are perpendicular to each other. The method can be used to suppress other nonlinear effects, including transverse stimulated Brillouin scattering in large-aperture optical devices and stimulated rotational Raman scattering in long air paths.

Transverse stimulated Raman scattering (TSRS) is strongly generated in the third-harmonic-generation crystal potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) and can even damage the KDP crystal in inertial confinement fusion drivers. In this work, a method to suppress TSRS is proposed in which the polarization control plate (PCP) is moved to a new position in the existing optical path. The proposed method can suppress TSRS significantly and doubles the laser threshold intensity in KDP crystal when the order of the PCP is 16. This result is attributed to the reduction of the gain length for the Stokes radiation. The proposed method may also be used to suppress other nonlinear effects, including transverse stimulated Brillouin scattering in large-aperture optical components.

The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and diabetes mellitus (DM) has reportedly increased significantly among Chinese children and adolescents. We aimed to examine the prevalence of IFG and DM, the disparities in sex and region and related risk factors among Chinese children and adolescents. A total of 16 434 Chinese children aged 6–17 years were selected from a national cross-sectional survey, and fasting glucose was measured for all participants. Overall, mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentration was (4·64 (sd 0·51)) mmol/l, and the prevalence of DM and IFG was 0·10 and 1·89 %, respectively. Compared with girls, boys had higher FPG concentration (4·69 v. 4·58 mmol/l, r 0·107, P<0·001) and IFG prevalence (2·67 v. 1·07 %, rφ 0·059, P<0·001). Compared with rural children and adolescents, urban children and adolescent had higher FPG concentration (4·65 v. 4·62 mmol/l, r 0·029, P<0·001) and DM prevalence (0·15 v. 0·05 %, rφ 0·016, P<0·01). In addition, self-reported fried foods intake and overweight/obesity were positively associated with IFG, and the proportion of consuming fried foods more than or equal to once per week and overweight/obesity prevalence in boys and urban children and adolescents were significantly higher than girls and rural children and adolescents, respectively (P<0·05). Although the prevalence of IFG and DM was relatively low in Chinese children and adolescents, sex and region disparities were observed, which may be associated with differences in overweight/obesity prevalence and dietary factors.

The effects of high magnetic fields on the solidification structures of ternary Al–Fe–Zr alloy were investigated. The results showed that the primary Al3Fe crystals mainly show bar-like form, whereas the unmelted Al3Zr crystals reveal tabular and the newly crystallized primary Al3Zr crystals have fine/coarse needle-like forms. When a 12 T magnetic field is applied, the primary Al3Fe crystals are distributed homogenously and the fine needle-like primary Al3Zr levitated. Moreover, the primary Al3Fe crystals align horizontally in the upper but vertically in the lower part of the specimen. The needle-like primary Al3Zr crystals align vertically, whereas the tabular ones have their two opposite corners on the large surfaces toward the positive and negative magnetic field direction. Crystallographic analysis indicates that 〈100〉 and 〈110〉 are the preferred axes of the primary Al3Fe and the Al3Zr crystals with respect to the magnetic field, respectively. The redistribution and realignments of the crystals are discussed.

Intermetallic composite has been expected to be one kind of high-performance wear material at elevated temperature due to its inherent high hardness and strong atomic bonds. This paper presents the wear behaviors under elevated temperature conditions of NiMo/Mo2Ni3Si intermetallic “in situ” composite. Metallographic observations were carried out with optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. Elevated-temperature wear tests were performed under pin-on-disc mode dry sliding conditions. Results shown that the relative wear resistant property of NiMo/Mo2Ni3Si alloys at 500 °C is over 7 times, and become higher at 550 °C compared with austenitic 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel. The effect of temperature and applied load on elevated-temperature wear resistance of alloy was evaluated. The corresponding wear mechanism is also reported through examining the worn surface, subsurface, and wear debris of the NiMo/Mo2Ni3Si intermetallic alloys which is found to be soft abrasive wear.

The sediments of organic-rich oil shales in the Bilong Co. area can be correlated with those of the early Toarcian anoxic black-shale events in Europe. The Bilong Co. sediments are rich in trace elements Se, Mo, Cd, As and Ni, and, to a lesser extent, Li, F, V, Co, Cu, Cs, Hg and Bi, in comparison to the upper continental crust. Thirty-two oil shale samples were collected from the Bilong Co. oil shale to evaluate the controlling factors of trace-element enrichment in the lower Toarcian anoxic sediments. Minerals identified in the Bilong Co. oil shale include calcite, quartz, illite, feldspar and dolomite, and trace amounts of siderite, magnesite, halite, haematite, zeolite, amphibole, gypsum, anhydrite, apatite, pyrite, sphalerite, barite and mixed-layer illite/smectite. Mineralogical and geochemical data show that seawater and hydrothermal activities are the dominant influences on the mineralogical composition and elevated trace-element concentrations in the oil shale. The clay minerals, quartz and feldspar in the Bilong Co. oil shale were derived from the Nadi Kangri volcanic rocks. Input of sediment from this source may have led to enrichment of trace elements Li, Cr and Cs in the oil shale. Carbonate minerals and nodular- and framboidal-pyrite are authigenic phases formed from seawater. The enrichment of V, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, As, Se, Bi and U in the oil shale was owing to marine influence. Barite, sphalerite and fracture-filling pyrites were derived from hydrothermal solutions. High concentrations of F, Zn and Cd were probably derived from hydrothermal fluids.

To possess the merits of both building blocks, i.e., the rapid interfacial electron transport of ZnO nanoneedles (NNs) and the high surface area of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), the ZnO NN and TiO2 NP composite photoelectrodes were prepared with controllable weight ratio. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) prototypes were fabricated based on this composite photoelectrodes, and the photoelectrical properties have been systematically studied. The results indicate that the composite cells achieve higher power conversion efficiency compared to pure TiO2 NP cells by rational tuning the weight ratio of ZnO NNs and TiO2NPs. The DSSC with 1 wt% ZnO NNs yields the highest η of 5.16%. It is elucidated by the interfacial electron transfer of DSSC with different weight of ZnO NNs using the electrochemical impedance spectra. And it is found that the DSSC with 1 wt% ZnO NNs displays the fastest interfacial electron transfer.

The different effects of ethanol on insulin sensitivity may be due to complex reasons. Here, we focus on the various daily ethanol consumption frequencies in rats fed a high-fat (HF) diet and explore the possible mechanism mediated by adiponectin and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). A total of thirty-six male Wistar rats were fed a HF diet and were randomly divided into three groups: those that received tap water (C); those that received ethanol via a gastric tube twice per d (E1); those that received free access to ethanol for drinking (E2). The total daily ethanol dosage in groups E1 and E2 were the same (5 g/kg per d). At the end of 18 weeks, insulin sensitivity was evaluated. Adiponectin AMPK and GLUT4 levels were determined. We found that the different administration frequencies led to markedly different plasma ethanol concentrations and there were intimate relationships between plasma ethanol concentration and insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance was markedly improved in group E1, whereas only a slight improvement was observed in group E2. Accordingly, adiponectin, phosphorylated AMPK and GLUT4 levels were significantly increased in group E1. Based on these findings, we propose that ethanol concentration might be the major influencing factor mediating the effect of ethanol on insulin sensitivity. At a total daily dosage of 5 g/kg per d, twice daily administration of ethanol was more beneficial than continuous drinking. The protective effect of ethanol might be mediated by increased adiponectin levels, which subsequently improve the activation of AMPKα and GLUT4 expression in adipose tissue.

Minor Fe additions are necessary to enhance the corrosion resistance of commercial Cu-Ni alloys. The present paper aims at optimizing the Fe content in three alloy series Cu90(Ni,Fe)10, Cu80(Ni,Fe)20, and Cu70(Ni,Fe)30 (at.%) from the viewpoint of their corrosion performance in a 3.5% NaCl solution. An Fe/Ni = 1/12 solid solubility limit line was revealed in the Cu-Ni-Fe phase diagram. Three Fe/Ni = 1/12 alloys, Cu90Ni9.23Fe0.77 (at.%) = Cu-8.6Ni-0.7Fe (wt.%), Cu80Ni18.46Fe1.54 = Cu-17.3Ni-1.4Fe, and Cu70Ni27.7Fe2.3 = Cu-26.2Ni-2.1Fe, show the best corrosion performances in their respective alloy series. The Fe/Ni = 1/12 solubility limit is explained by assuming isolated Fe-centered FeNi12 cuboctahedral clusters embedded in a Cu matrix. The three Fe/Ni = 1/12 alloys can be respectively described by cluster formulas [Fe1Ni12]Cu117, [Fe1Ni12]Cu52, and [Fe1Ni12]Cu30.3. The Fe/Ni = 1/12 rule may serve an important guideline in the industrial Cu-Ni alloy selection because above this limit, easy precipitation would negate the corrosion properties of the Cu-Ni-based alloys.

We have applied sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, a submonolayer surface sensitive analytical technique, to study interfacial structures of poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly (propylene glycol) (PPG), their solutions, their copolymers, and copolymer solutions while contacting different media including air, fused silica, and various polymers.

For the first time, conformations of polyether materials at various interfaces have been shown at the molecular level in situ. Depending on the hydrophobicity of the solid contacting media, the liquid polymers PEG and PPG show different conformations at different interfaces, which can be correlated to molecular interactions at these interfaces. The favorable interaction between hydrophobic media and the hydrophobic segments, methylene or methyl groups, of polyethers causes an ordered conformation with these groups standing up at the interface. The unfavorable interaction between hydrophilic media and hydrophobic segments of the polyethers induces interfacial methylene or methyl groups to have a random structure or to lie down at the interfaces, indicated by the weakening or even absence of SFG signals. For comparison, interfaces between aqueous PEG or PPG solutions and air, polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and fused silica have also been investigated. In addition, we have studied conformations of pluronics at various interfaces, showing that different blocks have different interface activities. The interfaces are always dominated by the PPG segments. The studies on molecular level interfacial structures of PEG, PPG and pluronics will help us to understand and control the interfacial behavior of liquids at interfaces.