Search

Lespedeza davurica Laxm is a valuable forage because of the strong cold and drought tolerance, and its high nutritional value. This crop production is limited by seed supply. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of fertilization and plant density on seed yield. "JinNong 1" was drill-seeded in 2016 at 15 kg ha−1 at the Forage Research Station of Shanxi Agricultural University. The seedlings were manually thinned in May 2016 to two different densities, 6 and 12 plants m−2 in the main plots. Within each main plot, a factorial combination of N, P, and K fertilization levels were applied once a year from 2016 to 2018. The N levels were 0, 75, 125, and 175 kg ha−1. The P levels were 22 and 44 kg ha−1. The K levels were 62 and 124 kg ha−1. Maximum seed yield was achieved at the density of 12 plants m−2, 75 kg ha−1 of N, 22 kg ha−1 of P, and 124 kg ha−1 of K. The seed yields were 750 and 644 kg ha−1 during 2017 and 2018, respectively. High plant density showed a tradeoff with the number of primary and secondary branches, the number of raceme per branch, and 1000-seed weight. The number of pods per raceme and the number of flowers per raceme did not show a tradeoff at high density. Therefore, selecting for higher numbers of seed pods per raceme or fertile flowers may be a practical objective for breeders attempting to increase seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that can lead to blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and cognitive decline. However, the mechanisms of BBB breakdown in diabetes are still unclear. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an enzyme that degrades epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which have multiple protective effects on vascular structure and functions. In the current study, we showed increased vascular permeability of the BBB, which was accompanied by upregulation of sEH and downregulation of 14,15-EET. Moreover, the sEH inhibitor t-AUCB restored diabetic BBB integrity in vivo , and 14,15-EET prevented ROS accumulation and MEC injury in vitro. t-AUCB or 14,15-EET treatment provoked AMPK/HO-1 activation under diabetic conditions in vivo and in vitro. Thus, we suggest that decreased EET degradation by sEH inhibition might be a potential therapeutic approach to attenuate the progression of BBB injury in diabetic mice via AMPK/HO-1 pathway activation. • Diabetes can lead to BBB disruption which has been considered an early hallmark of cognitive decline. • sEH might be a crucial enzyme that contributes to the BBB injury possibly by degrading 14,15-EET. • sEH inhibitor/14,15-EET might protect against BBB/MEC injury resulting from ROS insults via AMPK/HO-1 activation. • Inhibition of sEH might be a potential therapeutic approach for attenuating the BBB injury in diabetic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing denoising algorithms often need to meet some premise assumptions and applicable conditions, such as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) cannot be too low, and the noise needs to obey a specific distribution (such as Gaussian distribution) and to satisfy some properties (such as stationarity). For the desert noise that shares the same frequency band with the effective signal and has complex characteristics (nonlinear, nonstationary, and non-Gaussian), it is difficult to find a universally applicable method. In response to this problem, a multiscale geometric analysis (MGA) convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed in this article. One of the most important features of the CNN is that it can extract data-rich intrinsic information from the training set without relying on a priori assumption. By introducing the CNN into the MGA, a new kind of denoising method can be created, which can achieve good results even under a low SNR. This article takes the nonsubsampled contourlet transform as an example to create a denoising network named NC-CNN for high-efficiency and intelligent denoising of desert seismic data. The processing results of synthetic seismic records and field seismic records prove that NC-CNN can effectively suppress the low-frequency noise (random noise and surface wave), and the effective signal almost has no energy loss. In addition, the reconstruction ability of the missing signals is also an advantage of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-associated oxidative stress contributes to cognitive deficiencies and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sulforaphane (SFN) is a pharmacological activator of Nrf2 that provokes Nrf2-mediated intracellular defenses, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses, under oxidative stress (OS) conditions. This study investigated the effects of SFN on DM-related cognitive decline and its potential mechanisms. Morris water maze (MWM) tests showed that SFN (1 mg/kg i.p. for 28 days) mitigated the cognitive decline of db/db mice, a transgenic mouse model of T2DM. Accordingly, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry analyses showed that SFN decreased the levels of amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers and Aβ 1–42 plaques as well as phospho-tau at Ser396 and Thr231 in the DM mouse hippocampus. This protective effect of SFN might be due to the activation of Nrf2-regulated antioxidant defense deficiencies in the DM mice, as SFN increased the Nrf2 nuclear accumulation and the downstream expression of the antioxidases HO-1 and NQO1 and reduced the levels of the reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in DM mouse brains. Our results confirm that SFN has potential as a therapeutic agent to protect T2DM patients from cognitive deficiencies and AD-like pathological lesions related to the upregulation of Nrf2-regulated antioxidant defenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes, characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, is known to induce synaptic degeneration in the brain, thereby resulting in cognitive dysfunction. Thrombospondin-1(TSP-1), the secreted protein produced by astrocytes, plays a crucial role in promoting synapse formation. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) has been widely known to initiate the innate immune response. We recently reported TLR9 activation in neurons results in tau hyperphosphorylation induced by HG in vitro. Its activation has been also considered to mediate oxidative stress and astrocytic dysfunction under pathological circumstance. However, whether astrocytic TSP-1 alteration plays a role in synaptic protein loss under high glucose condition and whether TLR9 activation is involved in this process have not been reported. In this study, we found that primary mouse astrocytes incubated in high glucose (30 mM) induced a significant decreased TSP-1 secretion and increased intracellular contents of TSP-1 without affecting transcription level. Addition of conditioned medium from high glucose (30 mM) treated astrocytes to the primary neurons exhibited reduced synaptic proteins expression, which was attenuated by treatment with exogenous rTSP-1. In addition, we demonstrated that TLR9 activation along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in astrocytes was induced by high glucose (30 mM). Furthermore, we explored the relationship between TLR9 activation and TSP-1 production. Both TLR9 deficiency and the antioxidant N-acetyl- L -cysteine treatment improved altered intra- and extracellular TSP-1 levels under high glucose condition. Together, our findings suggest that high glucose (30 mM) impairs TSP-1 secretion from astrocytes, which depends on astrocytic dysfunction associated with TLR9 activation mediated ROS signaling, ultimately contributing to the synaptic proteins loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic encephalopathy is characterized by cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation, deficient neurotrophic support, and neuronal and synaptic loss. Ghrelin, a 28 amino acid peptide, is associated with neuromodulation and cognitive improvement, which has been considered as a potential protective agent for several neurodegenerative diseases. Here we sought to investigate the role of ghrelin in preventing diabetic-related neuropathology. We found that ghrelin attenuated astrocytic activation and reduced levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. In addition, ghrelin inhibited p38 mitogen-associated protein kinase activation. The upregulation of nerve growth factor (NGF) precursor and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and downregulation of mature NGF and MMP-7 in the diabetic brain were reversed by ghrelin. Treatment with ghrelin elevated synaptophysin expression and synaptic density in diabetic rats. Taken together, our results demonstrate that ghrelin ameliorates diabetes-related neurodegeneration by preventing NGF dysmetabolism and synaptic degeneration through regulating MMP levels as well as inhibiting neuroinflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the original published article: A wrong GFAP immunohistochemistry staining image was inadvertently chosen to present as Control group image (the published Fig.1B). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines Pr3+-doped fluoride fiber upconversion lasers at the blue, green and red wavelengths based on both numerical and analytical models. Aspects of the blue laser system; Population inversion; Pump absorption; Signal mode determination; Optimization of laser design; Presentation of experimental results for verification of the theoretical models.

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a new exploration technology widely used to acquire vertical seismic profiles (VSPs). DAS can achieve low-cost and high-density observations, but the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the VSP data collected by DAS is low compared with traditional electrical geophones. Moreover, DAS VSP data cover many types of noise, including random noise, fading noise, checkerboard noise, and long-period noise. These noises bring many difficulties to the imaging and interpretation of DAS VSP data. To solve this problem, we proposed a multistage denoising network (MSDN) to denoise DAS VSP data. MSDN is a progressive denoising network consisting of four stages. MSDN can recover the signal details better than a single-stage denoising network, which is beneficial when processing deep reflection signals. In addition, MSDN combines residual structure and an attention mechanism. The residual structure can prevent the degradation of the deep neural network, while the attention mechanism can make the network focus on effective signals, making network learning more accurate and efficient. Both synthetic data and field data denoising results showed that MSDN could effectively remove various complex noises and restore signals covered by noise. Compared with other denoising methods, our method has improved signal amplitude preservation ability and noise suppression ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that can lead to cognitive dysfunction. The hippocampus plays an important role in the cognitive function. Research has identified correlations between hippocampal impairment and diabetes, yet their intermediate remains unclear. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an enzyme that degrades epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which have multiple protective effects by suppressing inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress. In this study, under diabetic conditions both hippocampal injury and cognitive decline are accompanied by upregulation of sEH. Moreover, the sEH inhibitor trans‐4‐[4‐(3‐adamantan‐1‐y1‐ureido)‐cyclohexyloxy]‐benzoic acid (t‐AUCB) prevents cognitive dysfunction and decreased ROS accumulation and apoptosis in the diabetic hippocampus. t‐AUCB treatment restored neuronal synaptic plasticity by restoring the expression of the postsynaptic proteins Postsynaptic density protein‐95 (PSD95) and N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor subunit 2B (NR2B), the levels of which were positively correlated with Proline‐rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) levels under diabetic conditions. Thus, we suggest that hippocampal protection via sEH inhibition might be a potential therapeutic approach to attenuate the progression of cognitive decline in diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic exploration is an important means of oil and gas detection, but affected by complex surface and near-surface conditions, and the seismic records are polluted by noise seriously. Particularly in the desert areas, due to the influence of wind and human activities, the complex desert noise with low-frequency, nonstationary and non-Gaussian characteristics is produced. It is difficult to extract effective signals from strong noise using existing denoising methods. To address this issue, the paper proposes a new denoising method, called multimodal residual convolutional neural network (MRCNN). MRCNN combines convolutional neural network (CNN) with variational modal decomposition (VMD) and adopts residual learning method to suppress desert noise. Since CNN-based denoisers can extract data features based on massive training set, the impact of noise types and intensity on the denoised results can be ignored. In addition, VMD algorithm can sparsely decompose signal, which will facilitate the feature extraction of CNN. Therefore, using VMD algorithm to optimize the input data will conducive to the performance of the network denoising. Moreover, MRCNN adopts reversible downsampling operator to improve running speed, achieving a good trade-off between denoising results and efficiency. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real noisy records are conducted to evaluate MRCNN in comparison with existing denoisers. The extensive experiments demonstrate that the MRCNN can exhibit good effectiveness in seismic denoising tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar (BC) and plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPR) have been widely applied to improve the qualities of heavy metal contaminated soil, while the synergy effect of BC and PGPR on the bioremediation of cadmium (Cd) contaminated soil was less studied. In this study, a novel PGPR strain SNB6 was isolated and then immobilized on BC as the multiple biochemical material (BCM) as well as combined with vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.) to form BC-PGPR-accumulator system. The promoting effects of BCM on bioremediation and soil micro-biology were comprehensively investigated. SEM and FTIR analysis indicated that the strain SNB6 was successfully fixed on BC and the functional groups between BC and SNB6 surface contributed to the immobilization effect. The BCM significantly enhanced the Cd content and bioaccumulation factor (BCF) of accumulator, about 412.35% and 403.41% higher than that of control, respectively. Meanwhile, the biomass of fresh and dry accumulator in the BCM treatment was 227.27% and 178.33% higher than that of control. In addition, the system significantly increased the proportion of HOAc-extractable Cd and soil micro-ecology. Microbial counts and soil enzyme activities in rhizosphere were both significantly improved by the interaction of BCM and C. zizanioides. Furthermore, the strain SNB6 in the rhizosphere interface was successfully colonized, and soil microbial community was evaluated to understand the microbial diversity after bioremediation. Our study indicated that the BCM could significantly enhance the bioremediation efficiency and drive the soil micro-ecology, and the BC-PGPR-accumulator system provided a feasible pathway to remediate heavy metal contaminated sites. Unlabelled Image • The multiple biochemical material was prepared using SNB6 with biochar. • The HOAc-extractable Cd significantly increased by biochemical material. • Bioremediation efficiency was significantly enhanced by the biochemical material. • Soil micro-ecology was improved by biochemical material and accumulator. • The SNB6 was successfully colonized in rhizosphere interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polysulfide (PS) dissolution and low conductivity of lithium sulfides (Li2S) are generally considered the main reasons for limiting the reversible capacity of the lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) system. However, as the inevitable intermediate between PSs and Li2S, lithium disulfide (Li2S2) evolutions are always overlooked. Herein, Li2S2 evolutions are monitored from the operando measurements on the pouch cell level. Results indicate that Li2S2 undergoes slow electrochemical reduction and chemical disproportionation simultaneously during the discharging process, leading to further PS dissolution and Li2S generation without capacity contribution. Compared with the fully oxidized Li2S, Li2S2 still residues at the end of the charging state. Therefore, instead of the considered Li2S and PSs, slow electrochemical conversions and side chemical reactions of Li2S2 are the determining factors in limiting the sulfur utilization, corresponding to the poor reversible capacity of Li‐S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polysulfide (PS) dissolution and low conductivity of lithium sulfides (Li2S) are generally considered the main reasons for limiting the reversible capacity of the lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) system. However, as the inevitable intermediate between PSs and Li2S, lithium disulfide (Li2S2) evolutions are always overlooked. Herein, Li2S2 evolutions are monitored from the operando measurements on the pouch cell level. Results indicate that Li2S2 undergoes slow electrochemical reduction and chemical disproportionation simultaneously during the discharging process, leading to further PS dissolution and Li2S generation without capacity contribution. Compared with the fully oxidized Li2S, Li2S2 still residues at the end of the charging state. Therefore, instead of the considered Li2S and PSs, slow electrochemical conversions and side chemical reactions of Li2S2 are the determining factors in limiting the sulfur utilization, corresponding to the poor reversible capacity of Li‐S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging‐related sarcopenia is currently the most common sarcopenia. The main manifestations are skeletal muscle atrophy, replacement of muscle fibers with fat and fibrous tissue. Excessive fibrosis can impair muscle regeneration and function. Lysyl oxidase‐like 2 (LOXL2) has previously been reported to be involved in the development of various tissue fibrosis. Here, we investigated the effects of LOXL2 inhibitor on D‐galactose (D‐gal)‐induced skeletal muscle fibroblast cells and mice. Our molecular and physiological studies show that treatment with LOXL2 inhibitor can alleviate senescence, fibrosis, and increased production of reactive oxygen species in fibroblasts caused by D‐gal. These effects are related to the inhibition of the TGF‐β1/p38 MAPK pathway. Furthermore, in vivo, mice treatment with LOXL2 inhibitor reduced D‐gal‐induced skeletal muscle fibrosis, partially enhanced skeletal muscle mass and strength and reduced redox balance disorder. Taken together, these data indicate the possibility of using LOXL2 inhibitors to prevent aging‐related sarcopenia, especially with significant fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work was to explore the correlation between thyroid hormones and coronary atherosclerotic severity. This cross-sectional study included 340 euthyroid patients who underwent diagnostic coronary artery angiography (CAG). Gensini Score (GS) was applied to assess the severity of coronary atherosclerosis. Thyroid hormones and routine biochemical parameters were measured. The associations between thyroid hormones and coronary atherosclerosis severity were analyzed. Thyroid hormones levels or parameters were taken as both continuous variables and tertiles into analysis, and the lowest tertile was usually used as the reference (OR=1) for medium and highest tertiles. Free triiodothyronine (FT3) level was associated with GS≥22 (Median GS) in Model I adjusted for age and sex [Continuous: OR=0.46, 95% CI (0.23, 0.92), p=0.029; Tertile 3: OR=0.54, 95% CI (0.30, 0.97), p=0.038], and Model II adjusted for all known risk factors of coronary artery disease (CAD) [Continuous: OR=0.44, 95% CI (0.20, 0.95), p=0.036; Tertile 3: OR=0.49, 95% CI (0.25, 0.96), p=0.039]. Subjects with highest tertile of FT3 to free thyroxine (FT4) ratio (FT3/FT4 ratio) appeared to have the remarkably decreased risk of CAD in both Non-adjusted Model [OR=0.49, 95% CI (0.24, 0.98), p=0.044] and Model I [OR=0.45, 95% CI (0.22, 0.93), p=0.031]. Higher FT3 level within normal range was independently and negatively associated with severity of coronary atherosclerosis. Besides, FT3/FT4 ratio was remarkably correlated with the prevalence of CAD in euthyroid population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD8+ T cells kill pancreatic β-cells in a cell-cell contact-dependent mechanism in the non-obese diabetic mouse. CD4+ T lymphocytes are also able to kill pancreatic β-cells, but they do not directly contact β-cells and may use another cell type as the actual cytotoxic cell. Natural killer (NK) cells could have this role but it is uncertain whether they are cytotoxic towards β-cells. Therefore, the requirement for NK cells in β-cell destruction in the CD4-dependent T-cell antigen receptor transgenic NOD4.1 mice was examined. NK cells failed to kill β-cells in vitro, even in the absence of major histocompatibility complex class I. We observed only 9.7±1.1% of islet infiltrating NK cells from NOD4.1 mice expressing the degranulation marker CD107a. Diabetogenic CD4+ T cells transferred disease to NODscid.IL2Rγ−/− mice lacking NK cells, indicating that NK cells do not contribute to β-cell death in vitro or in vivo. However, depletion of NK cells reduced diabetes incidence in NOD4.1 mice, suggesting that NK cells may help to maintain the right environment for cytotoxicity of effector cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—Increasing the quality of seismic data is the basis for subsequent seismic data processing and interpretation. In the acquisition of seismic records, the introduction of noise is the main factor that affects the quality of seismic data. Especially in the desert areas, the complex desert noise has the characteristics of high energy, nonstationary, nonlinear, low frequency, non-Gaussian, which brings great difficulties to the conventional denoising methods. Due to the powerful learning ability, we have been devoted to use convolutional neural networks (CNN) to suppress the desert noise of seismic data. However, as the depth increases, network might be faced with the problem that the influence of shallow layers on deep layers is reduced, which is not conducive to the suppression of complex desert noise. This paper raises a new network named a feature enhancement denoising network (FEDnet). First, the proposed model increase the width of the network and fuse the feature information of several different layers to fully utilize the influence of the whole network. It is beneficial to capture more desert noise features concealed in the complicated background. Second, we integrate the hybrid dilated convolution design into our model to improve the receptive field, which plays an important role for getting more context information in the denoising task. Finally, we also adopt residual learning to facilitate the network training. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed network can obtain superior performance for the denoising task of seismic data compared with existing denoisers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] As an important advanced functional material, the memory effect of nitinol shape memory alloy (SMA) is the focus of research. According to the current research, the memory function of the alloy decreases after welding, and there is no sufficient explanation for the phenomenon. For the problem, this research is to explore the underlying causes of the decrease of shape memory function after welding by analyzing the microstructure and micro defects. The vacuum electron beam welding tests of 1 mm thick Ni 50 Ti 50 alloy plate was carried out to determine the appropriate welding process parameter. And the shape memory function of the welded joint was compared with that of the base metal to analyze the change of memory function. It was found that the shape memory function of the welded joint decreased significantly under different strain variables. And the phase transition temperature also changed. This was due to the micro stress field produced by non-equilibrium solidification in molten pool promoted the formation and propagation of dislocations, increasing the dislocation density in the martensite. Dislocations entangled with each other in the martensite, showing a grid-like distribution, which destroyed the integrity of martensite substructure. At the same time, the twin substructure of martensite was often accompanied by vacancies, dislocations, stacking faults, and a consequently large stress field formed between twin planes due to lattice distortion. Secondary twin was identified inside martensite under micro shear stress, where the martensite showed the bending state. The habitual relationship between martensite phase and parent phase was destroyed, resulting in the decrease of shape memory function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although employing solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) in all‐solid‐state lithium/sulfur (ASSLS) batteries is a promising approach to obtain a power source with both high energy density and safety, the actual performance of SPE‐ASSLS batteries still lag behind conventional lithium/sulfur batteries with liquid ether electrolyte. In this work, combining characterization methods of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in situ optical microscopy, and three‐electrode measurement, a direct comparison between these two battery systems is made to reveal the mechanism behind their performance differences. In addition to polysulfides, it is found that the initial elemental sulfur can also dissolve into and diffuse through the SPE to reach the anode. Different from the shuttle effect that causes uniform corrosion on the anode in a liquid electrolyte, dissolved sulfur species in SPE unevenly passivate the anode surface and lead to the inhomogeneous Li+ plating/stripping at the anode/SPE solid‐solid interface. Such inhomogeneity eventually causes void formation at the interface, which leads to the failure of SPE‐ASSLS batteries. Based on this understanding, a protection interlayer is designed to inhibit the shuttling of sulfur species, and the modified SPE‐ASSLS batteries show much‐improved performance in cycle life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, most of the seismic data denoising methods based on deep learning attempt to establish a synthetic seismic data set as the network training set to train network parameters. However, the synthetic data set cannot completely reflect the structural characteristics of the field seismic data, resulting in some false seismic reflections in field denoised results. For this reason, this article proposes an attribute-based denoising algorithm for seismic data called attribute-based double constraint denoising network (Att-DCDN). This method applies encoder–decoder and attribute classifier to constitute the generative adversarial network (GAN) and attenuates seismic noise by controlling with/without target attributes (noise attribute and signal attribute). Compared with the noise-free field seismic data, attribute vectors of the field data are easier to obtain. Therefore, our training set includes not only the synthetic seismic data but also the field seismic data, so as to reduce accuracy requirement of the synthetic noise-free data. In addition, we propose a double-constraint training way to reduce the losses of effective reflections during the denoising process. Specifically, we consider both noise attenuation and signal retention, i.e., reconstruction loss and residual loss are introduced to constrain recovery of effective reflections, and attribute classification loss and adversarial loss are applied to constrain the attenuation of seismic noise. Both the experimental results of synthetic and field seismic records show that our algorithm can effectively suppress the seismic noise and recover the effective reflections almost completely, even the weak signal areas that are seriously polluted by the seismic noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal muscle diseases have become to be the most common complication in patients with type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM). However, the effective therapies against skeletal muscle diseases are not yet available. Sulforaphane (SFN) is an organic isothiocyanate found in cruciferous plants. Our aim was to explore whether SFN could attenuate the skeletal muscle diseases in spontaneous type 2 diabetic db/db mice. The db/m and littermate db/db mice were treated with SFN or dimethyl sulfoxide. The grip strength of mice was measured by a grasping forcing machine. The electron transmission microscopy was used to perform the skeletal muscle. The western blot was used to detect the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase 1 (Nrf2/HO-1) signal pathway related proteins, and inflammatory and apoptotic associated proteins. The mRNA levels of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative relative genes were detected by RT-QPCR. We found that SFN could significantly increase the grip strength of the db/db mice. The lean mass and gastrocnemius mass were increased in the db/db mice after administration with SFN. Additionally, the db/db mice restored the skeletal muscle fiber organization after SFN treatment. Mechanistically, SFN could activate the Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway, and downregulate the expression of inflammatory and apoptotic associated proteins. Furthermore, SFN could also regulate the mRNA levels of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative related genes. Our results demonstrated that SFN can protect against skeletal muscle diseases in db/db type 2 diabetic mice and provide a potential drug to prevent skeletal muscle dysfunction in T2DM patients. SFN could protect against skeletal muscle diseases in db/db type 2 diabetic mice. Mechanistically, SFN can activate the Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway and inhibit the expression of inflammatory and apoptotic associated genes. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐nucleophilic electrolytes that can reversibly plate/strip Mg are essential for realizing high‐performance rechargeable Mg/S batteries. In contrast to organometallic electrolytes, all‐inorganic electrolytes based on MgCl2‐AlCl3 complexes are more cost‐effective and hold better stability to air and moisture. A recently developed electrolyte that contains tetrahydrofuran solvated divalent Mg cation, [Mg·6THF][AlCl4]2, has exhibited decent compatibility with the sulfur cathode. However, it suffers a large overpotential and short cycle life, which hinders its applications in Mg/S batteries. Here, an efficient plating/stripping of Mg is realized successfully by using LiCl to dissolve MgCl2 from the electrolyte/electrode interface. As a result, the overpotential of Mg plating/stripping is remarkably reduced to 140/140 mV at a current density of 500 µA cm−2. Both experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the LiCl‐assisted solubilization of MgCl2 facilitates the exposure of fresh surface on the Mg anode. Utilizing such an LiCl‐activation strategy, Mg/S full batteries with a significantly extended cycle life of over 500 cycles, as well as coulombic efficiency close to 100%, are achieved successfully. This work demonstrates the role of LiCl‐assisted interface activation on extending the cycle‐life Mg/S batteries with all‐inorganic electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Developing hybrid supercapacitor-battery energy storage devices for applications in electric vehicles is attractive because of their high energy density and short charge/discharge time. In this study, flexible MnO 2 nanoparticle-coated air-oxidized carbon nanotube (MnO 2 /aCNT) electrodes are fabricated by the in situ redox reaction of KMnO 4 and aCNTs at room temperature. The MnO 2 nanoparticles have diameters of ∼10 nm. There is a strong chemical interaction between the MnO 2 active material and aCNTs as a result of the Mn–O–C linkage. The flexible aCNT network can alleviate the strain from the MnO 2 volume change and maintain the electrode integrity during rapid charge/discharge. The aCNT framework also provides a continuous and rapid electron pathway and ensures uniform dispersion of the MnO 2 nanoparticles. The presence of MnO 2 nanoparticles provides short pathways for Li-ion diffusion and allows interfacial capacitive lithium storage for ultrafast and reversible lithium storage. We report the best high-current performance to date for MnO 2 /C electrodes, of 395.8 mA h g−1 at 10 A g−1, and 630.2 mA h g−1 after 150 cycles at 2 A g−1. The excellent electrochemical performance, combined with the capacitive dominating process of the electrode, will further the design of high-performance hybrid supercapacitor-battery energy storage devices. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of high-performance cathodes with high sulfur content is essential for the practical realization of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) systems. The preparation of high-sulfur-content electrodes is currently hindered by poor dispersion of the conductive agents; nonuniformly distributed conductive agents cannot provide sufficient sulfur-loading sites, thereby resulting in aggregation of sulfur/Li 2 S and severe polarization. To deal with this issue, we prepare CO 2 modified carbon nanotube (CNT)-based cathodes for Li–S batteries. CNTs are exposed to CO 2 at 900 °C, resulting in uniformly distributed negative charges on the external surface of the tubes; the electrostatic repulsion facilitated the dispersion of CNTs. Compared with the previous work on CNTs prepared by air oxidation (denoted as air-CNTs), the dispersions of the CO 2 -treated CNTs (denoted as CO 2 -CNTs) are more stable, which allows higher sulfur loading and improves sulfur utilization. A free-standing CO 2 -CNT&S electrode with a sulfur content of 80 wt% is fabricated through a sonication-assisted method. The excellent dispersion of the CO 2 -CNT&S network results in little kinetic barriers, low polarization, and fast charge transport at the interface of the electrode and electrolyte. The CO 2 -CNT&S electrode delivers a lower capacity fading rate and superior rate performance compared with the air-CNT&S electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic encephalopathy (DE) is one of the most common complications of diabetes. The major pathological variations include neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are caused by tau hyperphosphorylation, and senile plaques (SPs) consisting of amyloid β- protein(Aβ) deposits. In recent years, DE research studies have focused on exploring the activation of the inflammatory signaling pathway in immune cells. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is well known to regulate the inflammatory reactions in immune processes. During the tau hyperphosphorylation process, TLR9 in microglia plays bidirectional roles. However, no studies have clearly demonstrated the relationship between TLR9 and tau hyperphosphorylation in neurons. Based on our experiments, we found significant increase in TLR9 expression in neurons and an increase in tau hyperphosphorylation in high-glucose media. However, these alterations can be reversed by TLR9 inhibitor. Furthermore, we specifically inhibited the activation of P38mitogenactivated protein kinase(P38MAPK) and found an effective decrease in tau hyperphosphorylation. This effect is likely related to Unc93b1. Meanwhile, High glucose levels can induce neuronal apoptosis via the TLR9 signaling pathway. Our studies are the first to reveal that high glucose can regulate tau hyperphosphorylation and neuronal apoptosis via TLR9-P38MAPK signaling pathway. These findings provide a new method for studying the mechanism underlying DE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia and obese sarcopenia are increasingly prevalent chronic diseases with multifactorial pathogenesis, and no approved therapeutic drug to date. In the established sarcopenic mice models, muscle weakness, ectopic lipid deposition, and inflammatory responses in both serum and gastrocnemius muscle were observed, which were even deteriorated in obese sarcopenic models. With metformin intervention for 5 months, metformin exhibited benefits and restoring effects on gastrocnemius muscle of sarcopenic mice, but less effective on that of obese sarcopenic mice, as reflected in the increased percentage of muscle mass and enlarged fiber cross-sectional area, enhanced grip strength and exercise capacities, as well as the ameliorated ectopic lipid deposition and partially restored level of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, MCP-1 and IL-1α, which may be via the activation of phospho-AMPKα (Thr172). The significant up-regulated mRNA and protein level of lipolysis related proteins like hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) may contribute to the ameliorated ectopic lipid deposition with metformin intervention. The uptake of free fatty acid may be also inhibited in obese sarcopenic mice with metformin administration, as reflected in down-regulated mRNA and protein level of fatty acid transporter CD36. Furthermore, NF-κB signaling pathway was involved in the anti-inflammatory effect of metformin. These findings suggest that metformin treatment may be conducive to the prevention of age-related sarcopenia by regulating lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle, i.e. enhanced lipolysis and attenuated hyper-inflammatory responses, which may be AMPK-dependent processes. Moreover, high-fat diet would aggravate the damage to ageing in skeletal muscles and reduced their reactivity to metformin. • PPI network indicates strong associations between sarcopenia and obese sarcopenia. • Metformin exhibits protective effect from sarcopenia and obese sarcopenia. • Metformin reduces ectopic lipid deposition and ameliorates systemic inflammation. • AMPK plays a key role in metformin's ameliorating effects on (obese) sarcopenia. • High-fat diet aggravates the damage to sarcopenia and dampens metformin's effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcopenia seriously affects the quality of life of the elderly, but its molecular mechanism is still unclear. Degeneration in muscle innervation is related to age-related movement disorders and muscle atrophy. The expression of CHRNA1 is increased in the skeletal muscle of the elderly, and in aging rodents. Therefore, we investigated whether CHRNA1 induces the occurrence and development of sarcopenia. Compared with the control group, local injection of AAV9-CHRNA1 into the hindlimb muscles decreased the percentage of muscle innervation. At the same time, the skeletal muscle mass decreased, as manifested by a decrease in the gastrocnemius mass index and the cross-sectional area of the muscle fibers. The function of skeletal muscle also decreased, which was manifested by decreases of compound muscle action potential and muscle contractility. Therefore, we concluded that upregulation of CHRNA1 can induce and aggravate sarcopenia. • CHRNA1 expression levels are increased in sarcopenic mice. • Over expression of CHRNA1 is related to the loss of muscle mass and function in sarcopenic mice. • Over expression of CHRNA1 induces neuromuscular synaptic elimination and sarcopenia by activating calpain1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A brittle reaction interface in molybdenum/Kovar joint acquired by electron beam welding-brazing, which consisted of three zones, was concretely analyzed with respect to microstructure evolution. Zone A was composed of α-Mo and σ (FeMo) intermetallic that was the origin of brittleness. The eutectoid structure in zone B was identified as α-Fe + μ (Fe 3 Mo 2), indicating a decent ability of plastic deformation. The columnar phase of α-Fe extending into eutectoid structure showed a great tenacity considering quantities of gliding dislocations. Phase transformation in the reaction interface during solidification process was concretely analyzed, suggesting an amorphous area near α-Fe due to the blocking effect for eutectoid R (Fe 5 Mo 3) on further eutectoid reaction between liquid metal and σ (FeMo), and, the subsequently excessive cooling rate. Thermodynamic calculation was conducted to explain the existence of μ (Fe 3 Mo 2) with the absence of δ (MoNi) in zone B. The novel stacking faults and their overlapping were found within the body-centered cubic α-Mo due to the decrease in stacking fault energy of Mo with the addition of Fe atoms. Contrast change in diffraction fringes of twinning structure and new stacking fault caused by overlapping was explained. Unlabelled Image • Phase in Mo/Kovar electron beam welded-brazed reaction interface was studied. • Microstructure evolution in the reaction interface was completely studied. • Amorphous areas in reaction interface and the formation process were studied. • Thermodynamics analysis was conducted to explain precipitation of potential phases. • Stacking faults and their overlapping were found in body-centered cubic α-Mo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable magnesium/sulfur (Mg/S) batteries are widely regarded as one of the alternatives to lithium‐ion batteries. However, a key factor restricting their application is the lack of suitable electrolyte. Herein, an electrolyte additive that can reduce the polarization voltage is developed and 98.7% coulombic efficiency is realized. The as‐prepared Mg‐ion electrolyte exhibits excellent Mg plating/stripping performance with a low overpotential of 0.11 V for plating process, and high anodic stability up to 3.0 V (vs Mg/Mg2+). When it is coupled with magnesium polysulfide, which has high reactivity and is homogeneously distributed on carbon matrix, the Mg/S cells deliver a good cycling stability with a high discharge capacity over 1000 mAh g−1 for more than 50 cycles. A Y‐based Mg‐ion electrolyte that can greatly improve the performance of the Mg/S cells is reported. The new Y‐based electrolyte exhibits unprecedented properties in comparison with conventional Al‐based electrolytes. When it is coupled with the magnesium polysulfide cathode, a Mg/S cell with an ultrahigh capacity of 1000 mA h g−1 with an excellent cycling performance over 50 cycles is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]