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The direct injection of natural gas (NG), which is an important research direction in the development of NG engines, has the potential to improve thermal efficiency and emissions. When NG engines operate in low-load conditions, combustion efficiency decreases and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions increase due to lean fuel mixtures and slow flame propagation speeds. The effect of two combustion modes (partially premixed compression ignition (PPCI) and high pressure direct injection (HPDI)) on combustion processes was investigated by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), with a focus on different injection strategies. In the PPCI combustion mode, NG was injected early in the compression stroke and premixed with air, and then the pilot diesel was injected to cause ignition near the top dead center. This combustion mode produced a faster heat release rate, but the HC emissions were higher, and the combustion efficiency was lower. In the HPDI combustion mode, the diesel was injected first and ignited, and then the NG was injected into the flame. This combustion mode resulted in higher emissions of NOx and soot, with a diffusion combustion in the cylinder. HC emissions significantly decreased. Compared with PPCI combustion, HPDI had a higher thermal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aero-engine pre-swirl system is an essential sub-system in favor of turbine rotor blade cooling and turbine thermal efficient enhancement. This study proposed a novel problem-solving method to promote the existing potential of low power consumption and temperature drop by structure improvement of pre-swirl system. Then, the flow and heat transfer mechanisms in the system are analyzed comprehensively to improve the system performance according to the theoretical evaluation and numerical simulation with experimental verification. Additionally, the multi-factor influencing characteristics is revealed to evaluate the temperature drop efficient of the new system based on the entropy analysis. Results shown that, the airflow angle of attack at the receiver hole inlet significantly affected the aerodynamic and thermodynamic performances of pre-swirl system with the lowest entropy increase of 19.06 J·kg−1·K−1 and the highest temperature drop efficiency of 0.57 occurred at an 0° angle of attack. The oblique runway-shaped receiver hole in the cover-plate cavity effectively outperformed the straight runway and long runway shaped types for promoting the system performance. After local structure improvement, the specific power consumption of pre-swirl system reduced by 1.01 kW/(kg/s) from −3.05 kW/(kg/s) to −4.06 kW/(kg/s), the entropy increase of pre-swirl system reduced by 9.69% from 61.90 J·kg−1·K−1 to 55.90 J·kg−1·K−1, and the temperature drop of pre-swirl system increased by 5.96% from 23.5 K to 24.9 K. Therefore, this study will provide a reference for the design of the pre-swirl system with improved performance to lift turbine efficient. Fig. 1 Analyzing the methodological approach in the study. [Display omitted] • Multiple factors affecting system performance are explored by entropy analysis. • Inclined runway receiver holes can improve pre-swirl system performance. • New pre-swirl system has temperature drop significantly improved by 5.69%. • New pre-swirl system has entropy increase reduced by 9.69%. • New pre-swirl system has specific power consumption reduced by 1.01 kW/(kg/s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) is a new and developing nucleic acid detection technology with high sensitivity that can realize the absolute quantitative analysis of samples. In order to improve the accuracy of quantitative results, real-time digital PCR emphasizes the kinetic information during amplification to identify prominent abnormal data. However, it is challenging to use a unified standard to accurately classify the amplification curve of each well as negative and positive, due to the interference caused by various factors in the experiment. In this work, a normal distribution–based cycle threshold value self-correcting model (NCSM) was established, which focused on the feature of the cycle threshold values in amplification curves and conducted continuous detection and correction on the whole. The cycle threshold value distribution was closer to the ideal normal distribution to avoid the influence of interference. Thus, the model achieves a more accurate classification between positive and negative results. The corrective process was applied to plasmid samples and resulted in an accuracy improvement from 92 to 99%. The coefficient of variation was below 5% when considering the quantitation of a range between 100 and 10,000 copies. At the same time, by utilizing this model, the distribution of cycle threshold values at the endpoint can be predicted with fewer thermal cycles, which can reduce the cycling time by around 25% while maintaining a consistency of more than 98%. Therefore, using the NCSM can effectively enhance the quantitative accuracy and increase the detection efficiency based on the real-time dPCR platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, wheat straw residue and pulping waste liquid were collected from pulping mill and mixed to prepare bio-based granular fuels by using compression molding technology, and to explore the comprehensive utilization of the industrial waste of pulping and papermaking. The effects of pulping waste liquid on granular fuel properties were analyzed systemically. Further study of the function of pulping waste liquid, cellulose and hemicellulose was used to replace wheat straw residue and avoid the interference factors. Therefore, the prediction models of granular fuels were established with influencing factors that included cellulose, hemicellulose and pulping waste liquid. The granular fuels had the best performance with 18.30% solid content of pulping waste liquid. The highest transverse compressive strength of granular fuel was 102.61 MPa, and the activation energy was 81.71 KJ·mol−1. A series of curve fitting prediction models were established to clarify the forming process of granular fuel, and it turned out that the pulping waste liquid could improve the adhesion between solid particles and increase their compression resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our study aimed to investigate the impact of urinary concentrations of personal care products (PCPs)-related phenols (PNs) and parabens (PBs), including Triclosan (TCS), Bisphenol A (BPA), Benzophenone-3 (BP-3), Butylparaben (BPB), Ethylparaben (EPB), Methylparaben (MPB), and Propylparaben (PPB), on urinary incontinence (UI) occurrence. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning the years 2007 to 2016. Regression analysis was employed to investigate the relationship between exposure to PCPs-related substances, various levels of exposure, and UI within both the general population and the female demographic. Additionally, the Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) model was used to assess the effects of mixtures on UI. Results: Our analysis comprised 7,690 participants who self-reported their diagnosis. Among them, 12.80% experienced stress urinary incontinence (SUI), 11.80% reported urge urinary incontinence (UUI), and 10.22% exhibited mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). In our fully adjusted multivariable models, BP-3 exposure exhibited a positive association with SUI (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02–1.14, p = 0.045). BPA exposure correlated with an increased risk of UUI (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.01–1.44, p = 0.046) and MUI (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.02–1.54, p = 0.029). TCS exposure displayed a negative correlation with the incidence of MUI (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.79–0.97, p = 0.009). No significant links were observed between parabens and urinary incontinence. Notably, among the female population, our investigation revealed that BPA exposure heightened the risk of MUI (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.01–1.63, p = 0.043). Participants in the highest tertile of BP-3 exposure demonstrated elevated likelihoods of SUI and MUI compared to those in the lowest tertile. In the BKMR analysis, negative trends were observed between the mixture and the risks of UUI and MUI when the mixture ranged from the 25th to the 40th and 35th to the 40th percentiles or above, respectively. Additionally, a positive trend was identified between the mixture and MUI when it was in the 40th to 55th percentile. Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings suggest that exposure to BPA, TCS, and BP-3 may contribute to the development of urinary incontinence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Female mosquitoes need a blood meal after mating for their eggs to develop, and this behavior leads to the spread of pathogens. Therefore, understanding the molecular regulation of reproduction in female mosquitoes is essential to control mosquito vector populations. In this study, we reported that microRNA-989 (miR-989), which targets 5-HTR1 (encoding secreted 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor1), is essential for mosquito reproduction. Methods: The spatiotemporal expression profile of miR-989 was detected using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). miR-989 antagomirs and antagomir-negative control (NC) were designed and synthesized to knock down the expression of endogenous miR-989 in female mosquitoes. RNA sequencing was used to analyze the ovarian response to miR-989 deletion. The targets of miR-989 were predicted and confirmed using RNAhybrid and dual-luciferase assays. Results: miR-989 is exclusively expressed in female mosquito ovaries and responds to blood feeding. Injection of the miR-989 antagomir resulted in smaller ovaries and reduced egg production. 5-HTR1 was demonstrated as a target of miR-989. The deletion of miR-989 contributed to the upregulation of 5-HTR1 expression. Knockdown of 5-HTR1 rescued the adverse egg production caused by miR-989 silencing. Thus, miR-989 might play an essential role in female reproduction by targeting 5-HTR1. Conclusions: We found that miR-989 targets 5-HTR1 and participates in the regulation of reproduction in female mosquitoes. These findings expand our understanding of reproduction-related miRNAs and promote new control strategies for mosquitoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nme2ABE8e has been constructed and characterized as a compact, accurate adenine base editor with a less restrictive dinucleotide protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM: N4CC) but low editing efficiency at challenging loci in human cells. Here, we engineered a subset of domain-inlaid Nme2Cas9 base editors to bring the deaminase domain closer to the nontarget strand to improve editing efficiency. Results: Our results demonstrated that Nme2ABE8e-797 with adenine deaminase inserted between amino acids 797 and 798 has a significantly increased editing efficiency with a wide editing window ranging from 4 to 18 bases in mammalian cells, especially at the sites that were difficult to edit by Nme2ABE8e. In addition, by swapping the PAM-interacting domain of Nme2ABE8e-797 with that of SmuCas9 or introducing point mutations of eNme2-C in Nme2ABE8e-797, we created Nme2ABE8e-797Smu and Nme2ABE8e-797−C, respectively, which exhibited robust activities at a wide range of sites with N4CN PAMs in human cells. Moreover, the modified domain-inlaid Nme2ABE8e can efficiently restore or install disease-related loci in Neuro-2a cells and mice. Conclusions: These novel Nme2ABE8es with increased on-target DNA editing and expanded PAM compatibility will expand the base editing toolset for efficient gene modification and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently developed prime-editing (PE) technique is more precise than previously available techniques and permits base-to-base conversion, replacement, and insertions and deletions in the genome. However, previous reports show that the efficiency of prime editing is insufficient to produce genome-edited animals. In fact, prime-guide RNA (pegRNA) designs have posed a challenge in achieving favorable editing efficiency. Here, we designed prime binding sites (PBS) with a melting temperature (Tm) of 42 °C, leading to optimal performance in cells, and we found that the optimal Tm was affected by the culture temperature. In addition, the ePE3max system was developed by updating the PE architecture to PEmax and expressing engineered pegRNA (epegRNA) based on the original PE3 system. The updated ePE3max system can efficiently induce gene editing in mouse and rabbit embryos. Furthermore, we successfully generated a Hoxd13 (c. 671 G > T) mutation in mice and a Tyr (c. 572 del) mutation in rabbits by ePE3max. Overall, the editing efficiency of modified ePE3max systems is superior to that of the original PE3 system in producing genome-edited animals, which can serve as an effective and versatile genome-editing tool for precise genome modification in animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Female mosquitoes need a blood meal after mating for their eggs to develop, and this behavior leads to the spread of pathogens. Therefore, understanding the molecular regulation of reproduction in female mosquitoes is essential to control mosquito vector populations. In this study, we reported that microRNA-989 (miR-989), which targets 5-HTR1 (encoding secreted 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor1), is essential for mosquito reproduction. Methods: The spatiotemporal expression profile of miR-989 was detected using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). miR-989 antagomirs and antagomir-negative control (NC) were designed and synthesized to knock down the expression of endogenous miR-989 in female mosquitoes. RNA sequencing was used to analyze the ovarian response to miR-989 deletion. The targets of miR-989 were predicted and confirmed using RNAhybrid and dual-luciferase assays. Results: miR-989 is exclusively expressed in female mosquito ovaries and responds to blood feeding. Injection of the miR-989 antagomir resulted in smaller ovaries and reduced egg production. 5-HTR1 was demonstrated as a target of miR-989. The deletion of miR-989 contributed to the upregulation of 5-HTR1 expression. Knockdown of 5-HTR1 rescued the adverse egg production caused by miR-989 silencing. Thus, miR-989 might play an essential role in female reproduction by targeting 5-HTR1. Conclusions: We found that miR-989 targets 5-HTR1 and participates in the regulation of reproduction in female mosquitoes. These findings expand our understanding of reproduction-related miRNAs and promote new control strategies for mosquitoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preinjury of peripheral nerves triggers dorsal root ganglia (DRG) axon regeneration, a biological change that is more pronounced in young mice than in old mice, but the complex mechanism has not been clearly explained. Here, we aim to gain insight into the mechanisms of axon regeneration after conditioning lesion in different age groups of mice, thereby providing effective therapeutic targets for central nervous system (CNS) injury. Methods: The microarray GSE58982 and GSE96051 were downloaded and analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, the miRNA-TF-target gene network, and the drug-hub gene network of conditioning lesion were constructed. The L4 and L5 DRGs, which were previously axotomized by the sciatic nerve conditioning lesions, were harvested for qRT-PCR. Furthermore, histological and behavioral tests were performed to assess the therapeutic effects of the candidate drug telmisartan in spinal cord injury (SCI). Results: A total of 693 and 885 DEGs were screened in the old and young mice, respectively. Functional enrichment indicates that shared DEGs are involved in the inflammatory response, innate immune response, and ion transport. QRT-PCR results showed that in DRGs with preinjury of peripheral nerve, Timp1, P2ry6, Nckap1l, Csf1, Ccl9, Anxa1, and C3 were upregulated, while Agtr1a was downregulated. Based on the bioinformatics analysis of DRG after conditioning lesion, Agtr1a was selected as a potential therapeutic target for the SCI treatment. In vivo experiments showed that telmisartan promoted axonal regeneration after SCI by downregulating AGTR1 expression. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive map of transcriptional changes that discriminate between young and old DRGs in response to injury. The hub genes and their related drugs that may affect the axonal regeneration program after conditioning lesion were identified. These findings revealed the speculative pathogenic mechanism involved in conditioning-dependent regenerative growth and may have translational significance for the development of CNS injury treatment in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adenine base editors (ABEs) are promising therapeutic gene editing tools that can efficiently convert targeted A•T to G•C base pairs in the genome. However, the large size of commonly used ABEs based on SpCas9 hinders its delivery in vivo using certain vectors such as adeno-associated virus (AAV) during preclinical applications. Despite a number of approaches having previously been attempted to overcome that challenge, including split Cas9-derived and numerous domain-deleted versions of editors, whether base editor (BE) and prime editor (PE) systems can also allow deletion of those domains remains to be proven. In this study, we present a new small ABE (sABE) with significantly reduced size. Results: We discovered that ABE8e can tolerate large single deletions in the REC2 (Δ174-296) and HNH (Δ786-855) domains of SpCas9, and these deletions can be stacked together to create a new sABE. The sABE showed higher precision than the original ABE8e, with proximally shifted protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) editing windows (A3- A15), and comparable editing efficiencies to 8e-SaCas9-KKH. The sABE system efficiently generated A-G mutations at disease-relevant loci (T1214C in GAA and A494G in MFN2) in HEK293T cells and several canonical Pcsk9 splice sites in N2a cells. Moreover, the sABE enabled in vivo delivery in a single adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector with slight efficiency. Furthermore, we also successfully edited the genome of mouse embryos by microinjecting mRNA and sgRNA of sABE system into zygotes. Conclusions: We have developed a substantially smaller sABE system that expands the targeting scope and offers higher precision of genome editing. Our findings suggest that the sABE system holds great therapeutic potential in preclinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory response is an essential part of secondary injury after spinal cord injury (SCI). During this period, the injury may be exacerbated through the release of a large number of inflammatory factors and the polarization of infiltrating macrophages and microglia towards M1. Ang-(1–7), mainly generated by Ang II via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), can specifically bind to the G protein-coupled receptor Mas (MasR) and plays an important role in regulating inflammation and alleviating oxidative stress. Methods: We aimed to investigate whether activating the Ang-(1–7)/MasR axis in rats after SCI can regulate local neuroinflammation to achieve functional recovery and obtain its potential mechanism. MasR expression of bone marrow-derived macrophages was determined by Western blot. Immunofluorescence, Western blot, Flow cytometry, and RT-qPCR were applied to evaluate the polarization of Ang-(1–7) on macrophages and the regulation of inflammatory cytokines. Previous evaluation of the spinal cord and bladder after SCI was conducted by hematoxylin–eosin staining, Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score, inclined plate test, electrophysiology, and catwalk were used to evaluate the functional recovery of rats. Results: MasR expression increased in macrophages under inflammatory conditions and further elevated after Ang-(1–7) treatment. Both in vivo and in vitro results confirmed that Ang-(1–7) could regulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines by down-regulating proinflammatory cytokines and up-regulating anti-inflammatory cytokines, and bias the polarization direction of microglia/macrophages to M2 phenotypic. After SCI, Ang-(1–7) administration in situ led to better histological and functional recovery in rats, and this recovery at least partly involved the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusion: As shown in our data, activating Ang-(1–7)/MasR axis can effectively improve the inflammatory microenvironment after spinal cord injury, promote the polarization of microglia/macrophages towards the M2 phenotype, and finally support the recovery of motor function. Therefore, we suggest using Ang-(1–7) as a feasible treatment strategy for spinal cord injury to minimize the negative consequences of the inflammatory microenvironment after spinal cord injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an in-depth understanding of immunotherapy continues to grow, current anticancer therapy research is increasingly focused on the tumor microenvironment (TME). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the regulation of genetic information and expression and mediate interactions between tumor cells and components in the TME, such as tumor-associated macrophages (macrophages). Macrophages are abundant in the TME, and their different polarization directions can promote or inhibit tumor growth and progression. By regulating biological behaviors, such as macrophage recruitment, infiltration, and polarization, miRNAs can affect various molecular pathways to regulate tumor progression and treatment response. In this review, we discuss in detail the effects of macrophages on tumors and the multifaceted effects of miRNAs on macrophages. We also discuss the potential clinical applications and prospects of targeted therapy based on miRNAs, novel clinical biomarkers, and drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of 12 years of the European Centre for Mesoscale Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis dataset, we statistically analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of lower atmospheric ducts over the seas around China, and we investigated the possible generation mechanisms. The results show that the ducts' occurrence had obvious seasonal and regional variations. Ducting events were more likely to occur in spring and summer, and the maximum occurrence rate reached 45.6%, which was closely related to the East Asian monsoon. The ducts' altitude in continental coastal areas was lower than that far from the coast due to the dominance of surface ducts. The ducts' thickness varied between 50 m and 450 m, and the thicker ducts were mainly concentrated in the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean on the east side of the East China Sea near the Philippines and Taiwan. Except for a few areas, the ducts' intensity was less than 10 M-units (an M-unit is the unit of atmospheric modified refractivity) and the diurnal variations were less pronounced. The duct formation in the lower atmosphere was related to factors such as monsoons, tropical cyclones, ocean currents, radiative cooling, and sea–land breezes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The T cell-dependent bispecific (TDB) antibody, anti-CD79b/CD3, targets CD79b and CD3 cell-surface receptors expressed on B cells and T cells, respectively. Since the anti-CD79b arm of this TDB binds only to human CD79b, a surrogate TDB that binds to cynomolgus monkey CD79b (cyCD79b) was used for preclinical characterization. To evaluate the impact of CD3 binding affinity on the TDB pharmacokinetics (PK), we utilized non-tumor-targeting bispecific anti-gD/CD3 antibodies composed of a low/high CD3 affinity arm along with a monospecific anti-gD arm as controls in monkeys and mice. An integrated PKPD model was developed to characterize PK and pharmacodynamics (PD). This study revealed the impact of CD3 binding affinity on anti-cyCD79b/CD3 PK. The surrogate anti-cyCD79b/CD3 TDB was highly effective in killing CD79b-expressing B cells and exhibited nonlinear PK in monkeys, consistent with target-mediated clearance. A dose-dependent decrease in B cell counts in peripheral blood was observed, as expected. Modeling indicated that anti-cyCD79b/CD3 TDB's rapid and target-mediated clearance may be attributed to faster internalization of CD79b, in addition to enhanced CD3 binding. The model yielded unbiased and precise curve fits. These findings highlight the complex interaction between TDBs and their targets and may be applicable to the development of other biotherapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To explore whether the "WSI Stitcher", a program we developed for reconstructing virtual large slide through whole slide imaging fragments stitching, can improve the efficiency and consistency of pathologists in evaluating the tumor bed after neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer compared with the conventional methods through stack splicing of physical slides. Methods: This study analyzed the advantages of using software-assisted methods to evaluate the tumor bed after neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer. This new method is to use "WSI Stitcher" to stitch all the WSI fragments together to reconstruct a virtual large slide and evaluate the tumor bed with the help of the built-in ruler and tumor proportion calculation functions. Results: Compared with the conventional method, the evaluation time of the software-assisted method was shortened by 35%(P < 0.001). In the process of tumor bed assessment after neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer, the software-assisted method has higher intraclass correlation coefficient when measuring the length (0.994 versus 0.934), width (0.992 versus 0.927), percentage of residual tumor cells (0.947 versus 0.878), percentage of carcinoma in situ (0.983 versus 0.881) and RCB index(0.997 versus 0.772). The software-assisted method has higher kappa values when evaluating tumor staging(0.901 versus 0.687) and RCB grading (0.963 versus 0.857). Conclusion: The "WSI Stitcher" is an effective tool to help pathologists with the assessment of breast cancer after neoadjuvant treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim. After routine fasting for patients with achalasia before POEM (peroral endoscopic myotomy) procedure, solid contents may still remain in the esophagus. We aimed to compare the efficacy and patient satisfaction in patients with and without drinking large amounts of carbonated beverages preoperatively. Methods. This retrospective study enrolled 65 achalasia patients who underwent POEM from June 2017 to October 2021. Based on the preoperative diet strategies, patients were divided into carbonated beverage group (n = 48) and control group (n = 17). Demographic and clinical data, duration of preoperative endoscopy, quality of esophagus cleansing, and patient satisfaction on preoperative procedure were collected and compared. In the current study, we established the quality of esophagus cleansing: Grade A, no remnants or only liquid or frothy discharge; Grade B, a little amount of solid content remained; and Grade C, a large amount of solid content remained. Results. There were 41 Grade A, 6 Grade B, and 1 Grade C patients in the carbonated beverage group, while there were 8 Grade A, 6 Grade B, and 3 Grade C patients in the control group (p value = 0.001). The esophagus cleansing degrees were significantly ameliorated after drinking carbonated beverages in all the three subtypes of achalasia according to the degree of dilatation. The mean duration of preoperative endoscopy was 6.54 ± 2.250 minutes in the carbonated beverage group and 10.27 ± 4.788 minutes in the control group (p value = 0.010). The score of patient satisfaction concerning the procedure before the POEM in the carbonated beverage group was 4.5 ± 0.652 , while the score in the control group was 4.35 ± 0.702 (p value = 0.436). In the multivariate analysis, patient satisfaction was significantly associated with male (odds ratio 0.296, 95% CI: 0.097-0.905, p value = 0.033). Conclusions. Drinking carbonated beverages reduce the duration of preoperative endoscopy and ameliorate the esophagus cleansing degrees without impairing patient satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An efficient and multifunctional Probe M based on ferrocenyl chalcone was synthesized by solid phase grinding. • Probe M could efficiently detect Trp-and AA in UV–vis absorption spectra, and probe M could efficiently detect Trp-in fluorescence spectra. • Probe M was shown to bind Trp-and AA by IR titration and NMR titration studies. A multifunctional probe based on ferrocenyl chalcone (Probe M) was designed and successfully synthesized and found to recognize tryptophan (Trp) and ascorbic acid (AA) in solution simultaneously. The minimum detection limit of Probe M for Trp-and AA was 1.3188 × 10−4 mol/L and 1.1545 × 10−4 mol/L, respectively. The binding ratios of Probe M to Trp-and AA were obtained by job plot as 1:1 and 2:1, respectively. According to the Benesi-Hildebrand equation, the complexation constants of Probe M for Trp-and AA were 3.0025 × 106 L/mol and 4.6606 × 106 L/mol, respectively. The binding mechanism was also investigated by IR and NMR titration. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common malignant tumor of urinary system, which can be divided into muscle-invasive BC (MIBC) and nonmuscle-invasive BC (NMIBC). The number of BC patients has been gradually increasing currently. At present, bladder tumours are diagnosed and followed-up using a combination of cystoscopic examination, cytology and histology. However, the detection of early grade tumors, which is much easier to treat effectively than advanced stage disease, is still insufficient. It frequently recurs and can progress when not expeditiously diagnosed and monitored following initial therapy for NMIBC. Treatment strategies are totally different for different stage diseases. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to study new biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. In this review, we summarize the current state of biomarker development in BC diagnosis and prognosis prediction. We retrospectively analyse eight diagnostic biomarkers and eight prognostic biomarkers, in which CK, P53, PPARγ, PTEN and ncRNA are emphasized for discussion. Eight molecular subtype systems are also identified. Clinical translation of biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and treatment will hopefully improve outcomes for patients. These potential biomarkers provide an opportunity to diagnose tumors earlier and with greater accuracy, and help identify those patients most at risk of disease recurrence. • Multiple molecular markers are combined to improve the accuracy of bladder cancer in diagnosis and prognosis. • Except for the diagnosis and prognosis, personalized treatments such as immune checkpoint inhibitors have also been added. • We summarize the molecular typing based therapies for muscle-invasive bladder cancer using a multi-layer pie charts. • We summarize the regulatory network of P53-PPARγ-PTEN in BC proliferation using concise illustrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • SA-FeCNS-800 catalyst (2D nanosheet) for high-performance Zn-air batteries. • Catalyst showed stability and power density comparable to that of Pt/C catalysts. • SLS@PVA-SSE electrolyte showed excellent dendrite-free Zn deposition. • Flexible Zn-air batteries showed cycling over 85 h at 2 mA cm−2. • Study paves way for flexible, durable, and environment friendly energy systems. High-efficiency and low-cost electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), as well as gel electrolytes with high water retention, mechanical adaptability and zinc dendrites inhibition are required for flexible Zn-air batteries. Herein, abundant cellulose extracted from wood was employed to prepare ORR catalysts consisting of single iron atoms and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles embedded within nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets (SA-FeCNS). The optimized SA-FeCNS-800 demonstrated remarkable ORR catalytic activity, showcasing a half-wave potential of 0.85 V vs. RHE and a diffusion-limiting current of 5.54 mA cm−2 at 0.3 V vs. RHE. Its efficacy was further demonstrated in Zn-air battery technology, where it exhibited superior discharging and charging capabilities, allowing for 618 h of continuous operation at 5 mA cm−2, along with enduring performance at high current densities (10 mA cm−2 and 20 % depth of discharge). Furthermore, a solid-state electrolyte named SLS@PVA-SSE was fabricated utilizing wood's sodium lignosulfonate-functionalized polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel. This innovation effectively curbed the formation of zinc dendrites and enhanced alkaline resistance, owing to the incorporation of positively charged sulfonate groups. The flexible Zn-air batteries assembled with SA-FeCNS-800 and SLS@PVA-SSE exhibit long cycling life of for 85 h at 2 mA cm−2 and 37 h at 5 mA cm−2. This study offers a sustainable and effective way to make high-performance catalysts and solid electrolytes for advanced flexible energy materials using renewable biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ki-67 standard reference card (SRC) and artificial intelligence (AI) software were used to evaluate breast cancer Ki-67LI. We established training and validation sets and studied the repeatability inter-observers. Methods: A total of 300 invasive breast cancer specimens were randomly divided into training and validation sets, with each set including 150 cases. Breast cancer Ki-67 standard reference card ranging from 5 to 90% were created. The training set was interpreted by nine pathologists of different ages through microscopic visual assessment (VA), SRC, microscopic manual counting (MC), and AI. The validation set was interpreted by three randomly selected pathologists using SRC and AI. The intra-group correlation coefficient (ICC) were used for consistency analysis. Results: In the homogeneous and heterogeneous groups of validation sets, the consistency among the pathologists that used SRC and AI was very good, with an ICC of>0.905. In the validation set, using SRC and AI, three pathologists obtained results that were very consistent with the gold standard, having an ICC above 0.95, and the inter-observer agreement was also very good, with an ICC of>0.9. Conclusions: AI has satisfactory inter-observer repeatability, and the true value was closer to the gold standard, which is the preferred method for Ki-67LI reproducibility; While AI software has not been popularized, SRC may be interpreted as breast cancer Ki-67LI's standard candidate method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Co–CeO 2 was used to activate the PMS for degrading PET plastics. • The degradation rate reached 91.61 % in 6 h after adding 1 mL H 2 O 2 and 5 mM PMS. • Several factors, such as pH and anions, were considered. • SO 4 − played a crucial role in the degradation, compared to OH, O 2 −, and 1O 2. • The possible mechanism of photocatalysis/PMS degradation of PET was proposed. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, widely used for packaging owing to its excellent properties, has become a major contributor to plastic waste, for which satisfactory recycling and upgrading treatment technologies are lacking. In this study, Co-doped CeO 2 was used as a photocatalyst to degrade PET plastics in water, and PET degradation was measured according to the weight loss rate. Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) addition to the photocatalytic system enabled the degradation of 53.82 ± 4.48 % of PET plastics, highlighting the excellent PET plastic degradation capability of the photocatalytic PMS system. The study investigated the effects of the catalyst-to-plastic ratio, PMS concentration, initial pH, inorganic anions, humic acid concentration, and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) addition on the catalytic oxidation system. Contrast experiments revealed that H 2 O 2 addition to the photocatalysis/PMS oxidation system further improved the PET plastic degradation efficiency (91.61 ± 1.50 %). Liquid product analysis, electron paramagnetic resonance, and free radical quenching experiments confirmed that SO 4 − played the most significant role in PET degradation. Finally, a possible mechanism for the degradation of PET plastics in water using the photocatalysis/PMS oxidation system was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the intelligent controllability of the photocatalyst to the surrounding environment is a very meaningful work. Here, the polyacrylic acid (PAA) modified Ag/AgCl-40/CN composite was constructed to achieve an intelligent response of pH value. PAA exhibits hydrophilic properties at high pH value, increasing the adsorption capacity to tetracycline (TC) molecules. The morphology of PAA from contracted state to diastolic state, releasing the Ag/AgCl-40/CN catalyst. In addition, PAA modified Ag/AgCl-40/CN can prevent the loss of AgCl. The g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (CN) as a carrier enhance the dispersibility of the AgCl particles. The LSPR effects of Ag nanoparticles produce more electrons acting on photocatalytic degradation. On the results of experiment, the degradation of TC by PAA@Ag/AgCl-40/CN shows an excellent degradation activity when the high pH value. Photoluminescence spectroscopy and photocurrent demonstrate that carrier separation efficiency of PAA@Ag/AgCl-40/CN is higher than CN and Ag/AgCl-40/CN. The detection of the main active substances •O 2 − and h+, revealing a reasonable mechanism for the PAA@Ag/AgCl-40/CN hybrid system. This work provides a procedure to obtain smart materials that can switch photocatalytic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteosarcoma is a highly malignant bone cancer which primarily occurs in children and young adults. Increasing evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which function as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) that sponge microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs), play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and progression of cancers. The regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA-mediated ceRNAs in osteosarcoma have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we identified differentially expressed lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in osteosarcoma based on RNA microarray profiles in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. A ceRNA network was constructed utilizing bioinformatic tools. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that lncR-C3orf35 and HMGB1 were associated with poor prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. Furthermore, results of Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) suggested that lncR-C3orf35 may be involved in cellular invasion, the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. Further analysis showed that patients with osteosarcoma metastasis expressed higher levels of lncR-C3orf35 and HMGB1 compared to metastasis-free patients. Moreover, the metastasis-free survival rate of the high lncR-C3orf35/HMGB1 expression group was significantly lower than that of the low expression group. The ESTIMATE algorithm was used to calculate the immune score and stromal scores for each sample. High lncR-C3orf35 and HMGB1 levels were correlated with low immune scores. ImmuCellAI analysis revealed that a low proportion of macrophage infiltration was associated with high lncR-C3orf35 and HMGB1 expression. The differential expression of lncR-C3orf35, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 was further verified by quantitative real-time PCR. This study indicates that lncR-C3orf35 could be considered as a novel potential biomarker and therapeutic target of osteosarcoma, which may contribute to a better understanding of ceRNA regulatory mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel intercalated Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 was prepared by simple chemical precipitation method. • The intercalated Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 as new electrode materials exhibited great electrochemical properties. • Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 products are ideal electrode materials for supercapacitors. Nickel pyrophosphate (Ni 2 P 2 O 7) is considered as a potential next-generation electrode material for supercapacitors. Here, we report a new type of cathode material for supercapacitors in, which consists of rhombic dodecahedron Co 3 O 4 -C growing on two-dimensional (2D) Ni 2 P 2 O 7 nanosheets. Surprisingly, Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 materials exhibit bright electrochemical properties with a relatively high specific capacitance of 2537.78 Fg−1 and remarkable cyclic stability (88.5% after 3000 cycles). Therefore, the prepared Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 electrode material is a significant candidate material for supercapacitors. The synthesis process is simple, low cost and environmentally friendly. Notably, Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 products have excellent electrochemical properties and are candidate electrode materials for supercapacitors. The Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 products have excellent electrochemical properties, which indicate the Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 materials imply their promising potential applications in the energy storage. Most importantly, this work provides a scalable strategy for morphology-controlled synthesis of metal oxides by recrystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical hydrogen production coupling upgrading of organic substances has been regarded as a promising approach to harvest both green energy and commodity products. However, the competition of oxygen evolution reaction always limits the transformation of organics and the research on this mutually restricted relationship was less focused. Herein, an amorphous layered double hydroxide (LDH) rich in active oxygen is well-constructed, which realizes the glycerol oxidation with nearly 100 % faradaic efficiency and high formic acid production yield at a current density > 200 mA cm−2. In-situ monitoring combined with electrochemical probe confirms that the active oxygen on the amorphous LDHs promotes the deprotonation of glycerol. To further reduce the energy input, an alkaline-acid hybrid flow cell is built to achieve constant hydrogen production coupling formic acid production at high current density (100 mA cm−1) under an ultra-low cell voltage of 0.90 V with high durability for over 500 h. Moreover, a novel waste oil recycle path is developed to transform waste oil into target value-added products (potassium diformate (KDF) and biodiesel) and hydrogen fuels using the amorphous LDHs electrocatalysts. [Display omitted] • An amorphous layered double hydroxide (A-NiFe-LDH) rich in active oxygen was prepared via electrochemical amorphization. • A-NiFe-LDH can boost electrochemical glycerol oxidation coupling hydrogen production. • The existence of multiple active oxygen species (AOS) and AOS involved oxidation mechanism is uncovered. • A new cycling path of waste oil into target value-added products is designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Supercapacitor is a new energy storage device between traditional capacitor and rechargeable battery. Not only has the characteristics of fast charging and discharging of capacitor, but also has the characteristics of energy storage of battery. The electrochemical tests indicate that the electrode in view of porous Ni 2 P 2 O 7 nanowires (NWs) has a specific capacitance of 772.5 Fg-1 at current density 1 Ag-1. Furthermore, porous Ni 2 P 2 O 7 NWs have been successfully applied to construct all-solid hybrid supercapacitors. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) and easily treated nickel pyrophosphate (Ni 2 P 2 O 7) are considered as electrode materials for supercapacitors under alkaline conditions. The equipment has a high energy density of 6.25 mWh cm−2 and good cycle stability of 94% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles, which identifies that porous Ni 2 P 2 O 7 nanowires are promising supercapacitor active materials. Highlights • A novel intercalated porous Ni 2 P 2 O 7 nanowires was prepared by simple chemical precipitation method. • The intercalated porous Ni 2 P 2 O 7 nanowires as new electrode materials exhibited great electrochemical properties. • Ni 2 P 2 O 7 //CNT ASC device is a promising material for fiber supercapacitors and electronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been proved to be beneficial in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important angiogenesis factor that MSC release. However, the precise role of VEGF-expressing character of MSC in the MSC treatment for ARDS remains obscure. Here, we firstly knocked down the gene VEGF in MSC (MSC-ShVEGF) with lentiviral transduction. Then we injected the MSC-ShVEGF to rats with lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury (ALI) via the tail vein. Data showed that MSC transplantation significantly increased VEGF levels in the lung, reduced lung permeability, protected lung endothelium from apoptosis, facilitated VE-cadherin recovery, controlled inflammation, and attenuated lung injury. However, VEGF gene knockdown in MSC led to relatively insufficient VEGF expression in the injured lung and significantly diminished the therapeutic effects of MSC on ALI, suggesting an important role of VEGF-expressing behavior of MSC in the maintenance of VEGF in the lung and the MSC treatment for ALI. Hence, we conclude that MSC restores the lung permeability and attenuates lung injury in rats with ALI in part by maintaining a “sufficient” VEGF level in the lung and the VEGF-expressing character of MSC plays a positive role in the therapeutic effects of MSC on ARDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cd x Zn 1− x S thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition in a solution containing cadmium chloride, zinc chloride, thiourea, sodium citrate and ammonia. It was found Cd x Zn 1− x S thin films could be successfully prepared at different CdCl 2 concentrations from 0.04 M to 0.01 M. The morphological, structural, optical properties of Cd x Zn 1− x S films fabricated by different Cd source concentrations were investigated by XRD, SEM and UV–vis-NIR spectroscopy, respectively. The Cd x Zn 1− x S films prepared at 0.03 M and 0.02 M CdCl 2 showed uniform, dense surface morphology and good crystallinity. With the concentration of CdCl 2 in solution decreasing from 0.04 M to 0.01 M, the zinc content increased. Accordingly, the optical band gap increased from 2.45 eV to 3.07 eV. The photo-current response properties were mainly discussed. All the films showed obvious photoconductive phenomenon. The Cd x Zn 1− x S film prepared at 0.02 M CdCl 2 showed a best photo-current response, which presented fastest raise-up and fall-down photo-current when the light was turned on and off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] An integrated bifunctional electrocatalyst composed of CoPt nanoparticles uniformly distributed on the carbon nanosheet array is successfully synthesized, which exhibits much enhanced activity for both pH-universal hydrogen evolution and glycerol oxidation. This work demonstrates a successful paradigm for the design and preparation of integrated bifunctional electrocatalyst with potential applications in hydrogen production. • An integrated bifunctional CNs@CoPt electrocatalyst is successfully synthesized. • The CNs@CoPt exhibits superior activity for pH-universal HER and GOR. • A quite high utilization degree of Pt (35.1%) is achieved on CNs@CoPt. • The GOR-HER system based on CNs@CoPt shows boosted hydrogen evolution performance. Exploiting highly effective and low-cost electrocatalyst for water splitting is an instant challenge for the development of sustainable hydrogen energy. In this work, we report an integrated bifunctional electrocatalyst composed of CoPt nanoparticles uniformly distributed on the carbon nanosheet array (CNs@CoPt), which exhibits excellent activity for both cathodic hydrogen evolution in a wide range of pH conditions and anodic glycerol oxidation reaction. Based on this novel electrocatalyst, a hydrogen evolution coupled with glycerol oxidation system was constructed, exhibiting dramatically enhanced hydrogen production rate (48 L h−1 m−2) in cathode, larger than traditional water splitting system (27 L h−1 m−2), and gaining high-valuable product (formate, 113 g h−1 m−2) in anode. Moreover, a quite high utilization degree of Pt (35.1%) is achieved on CNs@CoPt owing to this hierarchical and alloy structure, 3.3 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (10.6 %). We believe that the strategy demonstrated in this work can be extended to fabricate other multifunctional integrated electrocatalysts with high performance for hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR), data classification is always a crucial task. The dynamic real-time amplification process information of each partition is always ignored in typical digital PCR analysis, which can easily lead to inaccurate outcomes. In this work, an integrated device that offers real-time chip-based digital PCR analysis was established. In addition, an enhanced process-based classification model (PAM) was built and trained. And then the device and the analytical model were employed in classification tasks for different concentrations of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) plasmid quantification assays. The results indicated that the real-time analysis device achieved a linearity of 0.97, the classification method was able to distinguish the false-positive curves, and the recognition error of positive wells was decreased by 64.4% compared with typical static analysis techniques when low concentrations of samples were tested. With these advantages, it is supposed that the real-time digital PCR analysis apparatus and the improved classification method can be employed to enhance the performance of digital PCR technology. • An integrated device supporting real-time digital polymerase chain reaction (RT-dPCR) was established. • An improved data classification method for RT-dPCR was proposed based on the amplification process of each subsample. • The improved classification method would lead to a more accurate result than traditional static analysis methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anticoagulation therapy with heparin is an effective treatment against thrombosis. Heparin tends to cause spontaneous bleeding and requires regular monitoring during therapy. Most high-sensitivity heparin sensors have focused on the concentration detection in clarified buffer solution. However, the pharmacodynamics of heparin vary depending on individual patient or disease, while potency detection with high sensitivity and dynamic range outperforms concentration detection in clinical diagnosis. In this study, a novel heparinase-linked differential time (HLDT) method was established with a two-zone of Graphene modified Carbon (GR-C) sensor, which was utilized to evaluate heparin potency in whole blood. It was based on electrochemical measurement of clotting time shifting associated with presence or absence of heparinase. Heparinase inhibits the anticoagulant ability of heparin by forming a heparin–antithrombin–thrombin complex during coagulation. And the intensity and peak time of electrochemical current were associated with thrombin activity and clotting on the electrode. The results demonstrated that the sensor had high selectivity for heparin potency in 10 μL of whole blood with a detection limit of 0.1 U/mL, and the linear detection range was 0.1–5 U/mL. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the peak time was less than 5%, and linear correlation between the GR-C sensor and the TEG-5000 instrument was 0.987. Thus, the HLDT method has better clinical application due to its good repeatability, high sensitivity and wide range in heparin potency evaluation. • A novel assay, the heparinase-linked differential time (HLDT) method, was developed. • The HLDT method is based on heparinase preventing thrombin inhibition by heparin • Heparin potency in 10 μL whole blood was measured using the HLDT method. • The detection range was 0.1–5 U/mL and detection accuracy was 0.1 U/mL. • R2 = 0.987 between the GR-C heparin sensor and TEG-5000 for 15 patient groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work, sludge-based activated carbon (SAC) was prepared from paper mill sewage sludge by physical activation with steam. The adsorption efficiency of SAC to cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic reactive red 24 (RR 24) from aqueous solutions was investigated using fixed-bed adsorption column. The effects of influent dye concentration, particle size, adsorbent mass and flow rate on the breakthrough characteristics of the adsorption system were determined. Desorption of dyes on SAC was repeated for several cycles in HCl, NaOH and deionized water. The results showed that breakthrough time and exhaustion time increased with decreasing inlet dye concentration, particle size, flow rate and increasing adsorbent mass. The adsorption capacity of SAC in fixed-bed column was lower than that obtained from equilibrium study. However, the SAC adsorption performance was much better than commercial activated carbon, indicating the enormous potential of SAC for removing dyes. In addition, the lower desorption rate of MB than of RR 24 demonstrated that cationic dye was more stable on SAC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Responsive polymeric micelles have been widely studied because of their potential use in nanocontainers and nanocarriers. In this study, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) end-capped poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (POSS–PDMAEMA), a stimuli-responsive organic–inorganic hybrid polymer, was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using POSS–Br as a macroinitiator. The self-assembly behaviors of POSS–PDMAEMA in aqueous solution were studied by fluorescence probe, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results revealed two self-assembly processes of POSS–PDMAEMA. First they self-assembled into a single micelle with the POSS molecules forming a crystal core and the PDMAEMA chains stretching as a corona. Then the single micelles, as building blocks, were able to reversibly form a hierarchical micelle-on-micelle structure (complex micelle) under external stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have received extensive attention due to their high theoretical specific capacity and theoretical energy density. However, their commercialization is hindered by the shuttle effect caused by the dissolution of lithium polysulfide. To solve this problem, a method is proposed to improve the performance of Li-S batteries using Ti2N(Ti2NS2) with S-functional groups as the sulfur cathode host material. The calculation results show that due to the mutual attraction between Li and S atoms, Ti2NS2 has the moderate adsorption energies for Li2Sx species, which is more advantageous than Ti2NO2 and can effectively inhibit the shuttle effect. Therefore, Ti2NS2 is a potential cathode host material, which is helpful to improve the performance of Li-S batteries. This work provides a reference for the design of high-performance sulfur cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungus, causes dental caries and contributes to mucosal bacterial dysbiosis leading to a second infection. Furthermore, C.albicans forms biofilms that are resistant to medicinal treatment. To make matters worse, antifungal resistance has spread (albeit slowly) in this species. Thus, it has been imperative to develop novel, antifungal drug compounds. Herein, a peptide was engineered with the sequence of RRFSFWFSFRR-NH2; this was named P19. This novel peptide has been observed to exert disruptive effects on fungal cell membrane physiology. Our results showed that P19 displayed high binding affinity to lipopolysaccharides (LPS), lipoteichoic acids (LTA) and the plasma membrane phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylserine (PS), cardiolipin, and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), further indicating that the molecular mechanism of P19 was not associated with the receptor recognition, but rather related to competitive interaction with the plasma membrane. In addition, compared with fluconazole and amphotericin B, P19 has been shown to have a lower potential for resistance selection than established antifungal agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of aerosol optical depth (AOD) on cloud droplet effective radius (CER) is closely related to the liquid water path (LWP) and the total water vapor (WV) in the atmosphere. From a spatial distribution, the interaction between AOD and CER coincided with the anti-Twomey effect in Shanghai. The high-value locations of both the AOD and CER were consistent, both found in central Shanghai. Based on a linear regression analysis of the AOD–CER relationship on a log-log scale, the results showed that the effect of AOD on CER in Shanghai followed not only the Twomey effect but also the anti-Twomey effect. This was mainly due to differing LWPs. When the LWP was less than 50 g/m2, CER decreased with increasing AOD at moderate aerosol loading (AOD < 0.6), and then followed by an increase in CER with increasing AOD. Note that, the role of AOD on CER may be overestimated under this situation. Conversely, when LWP ranged from 50 g/m2 to 150 g/m2, CER decreased with the increase in AOD, agreeing with the Twomey effect. The effect of WV on the interaction between AOD and CER was also investigated and the results indicated that the influence of AOD on CER became larger as WV decreased. • The effect of AOD on CER in Shanghai followed the Twomey effect but also the anti-Twomey effect according to the different LWPs. • The role of AOD on CER might be overestimated when the LWP was less than 50 g/m2. • The influence of AOD on CER became larger as WV decreased when the LWP was less than 50 g/m2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy band location and charge separation mechanism of SnS 2 /Au/g-C 3 N 4 system during photoreduction under sunlight irradiation. • The catalyst is prepared by facile thermal treatment and chemical deposition method. • The SnS 2 /Au/g-C 3 N 4 composites show a superior optical adsorption under UV–vis light. • The Au nanoparticle and the Z-type scheme jointly improve the separation of carrier. • The SnS 2 /3ml-Au/g-C 3 N 4 displays the best photoreduction activity and durability. The use of semiconductor photocatalytic reduction technology has higher efficiency and lower energy consumption for CO 2 reduction, but its existence of some mismatched energy band positions and relatively slow charge-hole separation greatly limits its practical application. In this paper, a SnS 2 /Au/g-C 3 N 4 embedded structure model with carbon and nitrogen hybridization is proposed to gain an in-depth understanding of the role of hybridization and precious metal modification in photocatalysis. Carriers were investigated from the perspective of kinetics through photocurrent, LSV curve, and FL spectroscopy. After modification of Au nanoparticles, the photo-excited electrons showed a slower decay process, indicating that the separation of carriers was enhanced, which was further confirmed by impedance and PL spectroscopy. SEM, AFM and TEM analysis confirmed that the 2D face-to-face SnS 2 /Au/g-C 3 N 4 embedded structure was successfully prepared and the Au nanoparticles were evenly distributed. Au nanoparticles not only act as a bridge for electron transport in 2D semiconductor materials to accelerate electron transport, but generate more excited electrons by themselves under the radiation of sunlight, which effectively improves the separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs and enhances the photocatalyst activity. DFT calculations show that the Z-type mechanism and the intercalated energy level of the SnS 2 /Au/g-C 3 N 4 embedded structure expand the light absorption and improve the carrier separation efficiency. As expected, the photocatalyst activity with CO and CH 4 the evolution rate of up 93.81 µmol·g−1·h−1 and 74.98 µmol·g−1·h−1 under visible light irradiation, respectively, while the photocatalytic activity is negligible loss after 30 h photoreduction. This work reveals the role of embedded structure and precious metal modification in the separation and transmission of electron-hole, opening up new perspective for achieving high-efficiency solar CO 2 reduction performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique three-dimensional (3D) porous structure of graphite carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) and vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5) was prepared by an environmentally friendly one-step solvothermal method, and its electrochemical performance was assessed. Importantly, g-C 3 N 4 is a low cost material with excellent chemical stability, and it supports the vertical charge transfer during the charge-discharge process, which promotes electronic transmission along this direction. In addition, V 2 O 5 has good theoretical capacitance and is deemed as a potential electrode material for next-generation supercapacitors. Field emission scanning electron microscopy of the nanocomposite revealed a 3D porous morphology for g-C 3 N 4 (3D PCN) and a spherical morphology for V 2 O 5. This study estimated the viability of the graphite carbon nitride-based nanocomposite PCN@V 2 O 5 as a new catalyst in the supercapacitor (SC) anodes. A series of SC anodes with different catalyst loadings were produced. The electrochemical behavior of the SC anodes was calculated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), charge-discharge and cycling test. When test in electrochemical performance, the ratio of PCN:V 2 O 5 is lower than 1:1 and 3D PCN@V 2 O 5 exhibits a lower specific capacity, the ratio of PCN:V 2 O 5 is higher than 1:1 that most of the pores in 3D porous g-C 3 N 4 are covered that reduces the electron transport rate and results in a lower specific capacity. Overall, 3D PCN@V 2 O 5 has higher specific capacity (457 Fg-1 at 0.5 Ag-1) and better cycling performance (approximately 84% after 500 cycles). This attractive performance indicates that 3D PCN@V 2 O 5 could be used as potential electrode materials for supercapacitors. • A novel 3D porous PCN@V 2 O 5 was prepared by simple chemical precipitation method. • The 3D porous PCN@V 2 O 5 as new electrode materials exhibited great electrochemical properties. • The 3D porous PCN@V 2 O 5 products are potential supercapacitor electrode materials for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a silicon nanopillar array was created with nanosphere lithography. SnO2 film was deposited on this nanostructure by magnetron sputtering to form an SnO2/silicon nanopillar array sensor. The humidity sensitivity, response time, and recovery time were all measured at room temperature (25 °C) with UV or without UV irradiation. As a result, the humidity sensitivity properties were improved by enlarging the specific surface area with ordered nanopillars and irradiating with UV light. These results indicate that nanostructure sensors have potential applications in the field of sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]