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Evidence has indicated that lysine methyltransferase 2B (KMT2B), a major H3K4 tri-methyltransferase (H3K4me3), contributes to the development of various cancers; however, its role in cervical cancer (CC) is unclear. In this study, increased KMT2B expression was observed in human CC specimens and significantly associated with poor prognosis. The condition medium of KMT2B-overexpressing cells facilitated angiogenesis

Uncontrolled hemorrhage from wounds with deep and irregular cavities is short of efficient hemostats. Here we report a citric acid-cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose nanofiber (CA-CMCNF) aerogel for the control of bleeding from penetrating wounds. The compressed CA-CMCNF aerogel could quickly swell into its original shape in water in seconds. The maximum mass and volume expansion ratios were over 6800 and 3000%, respectively. The water-swellable property allows the aerogel to self-expand and fill in the cavities of wounds. The in situ-generated expansion pressure resisted the systolic blood pressure, and the plentiful carboxyl groups triggered the active coagulation pathway, both contributing to the hemostatic capability of the aerogel. Additionally, the aerogel had good biocompatibility and excellent antibacterial capability. The animal experiments revealed that the aerogels significantly reduced both the hemostasis time and the amount of bleeding in a liver penetrating model. Therefore, this study provides a safe and robust hemostatic aerogel for controlling bleeding from penetrating wounds.

Training of applied talents under the background of new engineering adapts to the requirements of scientific and technological revolution and industrial revolution under the new situation. The application-oriented major should start with the concept of OBE education and based on the results-oriented teaching mode to cultivate a group of technical innovation, technological innovation and thinking innovation of the new era of applied talents. The education and teaching reform of basic chemistry course under the background of new engineering will promote the development of the training and construction of applied talents. This paper reviews the research and development of foreign universities under the background of new engineering, and prospects the construction of basic chemistry courses for applied undergraduate majors under the background of new engineering.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant tumor in the brain, accounting for 51.4% of all primary brain tumors. GBM has a highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and, as such, responses to immunotherapeutic strategies are poor. Vaccinia virus (VV) is an oncolytic virus that has shown tremendous therapeutic effect in various tumor types. In addition to its directly lytic effect on tumor cells, it has an ability to enhance immune cell infiltration into the TME allowing for improved immune control over the tumor. Here, we used a new generation of VV expressing the therapeutic payload interleukin-21 to treat murine GL261 glioma models. After both intratumoral and intravenous delivery, virus treatment induced remodeling of the TME to promote a robust anti-tumor immune response that resulted in control over tumor growth and long-term survival in both subcutaneous and orthotopic mouse models. Treatment efficacy was significantly improved in combination with systemic α-PD1 therapy, which is ineffective as a standalone treatment but synergizes with oncolytic VV to enhance therapeutic outcomes. Importantly, this study also revealed the upregulation of stem cell memory T cell populations after the virus treatment that exert strong and durable anti-tumor activity.

Dynamic analysis of a functionally-graded (FG) cylindrical micro shell is investigated in this work. Effect of small parameter in micro scale is included in fundamental relations based on modified couple stress theory (MCST). For more precise analyzing the structure, third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) is employed as kinematic relations. The shell is made from FG materials, using power function law. A solution procedure based on an analytical method is developed for special boundary condition. The numerical results are computed in graphical form to seek how changes of main parameters of the study such as micro parameter, in-homogeneity index and some geometric values change the free vibration responses. As an important output of this paper, it is concluded that an increase in micro parameter leads to increase of natural frequency. Furthermore, increase of in-homogeneous index yields more soft structure and then decrease of natural frequency.

Mounting evidence indicates the involvement of the innate immune system in Parkinson's disease (PD). Nevertheless, the implications of peripheral monocytes have not been fully elucidated. Although alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein) has been described as a pathological hallmark of PD, the proinflammatory effect of α-synuclein on monocytes is understudied. This study aimed to comprehensively characterize peripheral monocytes in PD patients and to investigate the proinflammatory magnitude of fibrillar α-synuclein.Using flow cytometry, we explored the distribution of monocytic subpopulations. We also investigated the actions of peripheral monocytes in response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and to fibrillar α-synuclein stimuli by measuring inflammatory molecule levels in post-culture supernatants.Classical monocytes were enriched, in parallel with lower proportions of intermediate and nonclassical monocytes in patients with PD than in controls. Lower levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were spontaneously produced by unstimulated monocytes in patients with PD. LPS and fibrillar α-synuclein stimuli induced high levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and sCD163 in the PD and control groups. Strikingly, the fold induction of TNF-α and IL-6 was lower in patients with PD than that in normal controls under the same stimulation.Our results revealed a strong dysregulation of peripheral monocytes in PD patients, including subpopulation shifts and impaired response to specific stimuli, and the proinflammatory effect of α-synuclein on monocytes. Further studies are needed to clarify the specific mechanisms by which these immunological abnormalities are present in PD to open the possibility of immunoregulatory therapy.

Epilepsy is a severe neurological condition affecting 50–65 million individuals worldwide that can lead to brain damage. Nevertheless, the etiology of epilepsy remains poorly understood. Meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies involving 15,212 epilepsy cases and 29,677 controls of the ILAE Consortium cohort were used to conduct transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) and protein-wide association studies (PWAS). Furthermore, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated using the STRING database, and significant epilepsy-susceptible genes were verified using chip data. Chemical-related gene set enrichment analysis (CGSEA) was performed to determine novel drug targets for epilepsy. TWAS analysis identified 21,170 genes, of which 58 were significant (TWASfdr < 0.05) in ten brain regions, and 16 differentially expressed genes were verified based on mRNA expression profiles. The PWAS identified 2249 genes, of which 2 were significant (PWASfdr < 0.05). Through chemical-gene set enrichment analysis, 287 environmental chemicals associated with epilepsy were identified. We identified five significant genes (WIPF1, IQSEC1, JAM2, ICAM3, and ZNF143) that had causal relationships with epilepsy. CGSEA identified 159 chemicals that were significantly correlated with epilepsy (Pcgsea < 0.05), such as pentobarbital, ketone bodies, and polychlorinated biphenyl. In summary, we performed TWAS, PWAS (for genetic factors), and CGSEA (for environmental factors) analyses and identified several epilepsy-associated genes and chemicals. The results of this study will contribute to our understanding of genetic and environmental factors for epilepsy and may predict novel drug targets.

Potential zoonotic pathogens may be transmitted from wildlife to humans through the illegal wild meat trade, which has become a pressing issue. However, research on the antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) of Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) intestinal bacteria is limited. Here, multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli M172-1 (ST354) isolated from Malayan pangolin feces in 2019 was found to be resistant to 13 antibiotics. BGWAS analysis revealed 4 plasmids, namely, pM172-1.1, pM172-1.2, pM172-1.3, and pM172-1.4, in the isolate. The pM172-1.2, pM172-1.3, and pM172-1.4 plasmids carried ARGs, namely, IncHI2-HI2A, IncX1-X1, and IncX1, respectively. pM172-1.3 and pM172-1.4 contained intact IntI1 integrons (Is26/IntI1/arr2/cmlA5/bla

The modified polydopamine derivative (MPDA-350) is first synthesized by template-assisted and low-temperature annealing methods, and is utilized as a promising anode for potassium-ion batteries with high electrochemical performance.

20% of the aged giant pandas in captivity have developed cataracts that impair their quality of life. Hardness and curvature of the panda's lens make it difficult to replicate in vitro. Therefore, early prediction will be the most effective way to prevent the occurrence of cataract in giant pandas. We carried out a quantitative proteomics analysis of 10 giant pandas to identify proteins differing in abundance between healthy and cataract-bearing animals. We identified almost 150 proteins exceeding our threshold for differential expression, most of which were associated with GO categories suggesting extracellular localization. The most significant differential abundance was associated with components of the proteasome and other proteins with a role in proteolysis or its regulation, most of which were depleted in pandas with cataracts. Other modulated proteins included components of the extracellular matrix or cytoskeleton, as well as associated signaling proteins and regulators, but we did not find any differentially expressed transcription factors. These results indicate that the formation of cataracts involves a complex network of signaling inside and outside lens cells to drive a stress response mainly at the protein level as a means to address the accumulation of protein aggregates triggered by oxidative damage. The modulated proteins also suggests that it should be possible to predict the onset of cataracts in captive pandas by taking blood samples and testing them for the presence or absence of particular protein markers.

Blood vessels play a role in osteogenesis and osteoporosis; however, the role of vascular metabolism is unclear. The present study found that ovariectomized mice exhibit reductions in bone blood vessel density and expression of endothelial glycolytic regulator pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). Additional data showed that endothelial cell (EC)-specific deletion of Pkm2 impair osteogenesis and worsen osteoporosis in mice. This was attributed to the impaired differentiation ability toward osteoblast of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Mechanistically, EC-specific deletion of Pkm2 reduce serum lactate levels secreted by ECs, which affect histone lactylation of BMSCs. We identified collagen type I alpha 2 chain, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1, and transcription factor 7 like 2 as histone H3K18 lactylation-regulated osteogenic genes using joint CUT&Tag and RNA-sequencing analyses. The overexpression of PKM2 in ECs, addition of lactate, and exercise were observed to restore the phenotype of endothelial Pkm2-deficient mice. Furthermore, metabolomics of the serum indicated that osteoporosis patients showed a relatively low lactate level. The histone lactylation and related osteogenic genes of BMSCs in osteoporosis patients also decreased. In conclusion, the glycolysis of ECs fuels the differentiation of BMSCs into osteoblasts through histone lactylation, and exercise partially ameliorates osteoporosis through increased serum lactate.

This paper takes the training objective of applied talents under the background of new engineering as the guidance, the concept of OBE as the guidance, the knowledge system and practical ability as the training direction, and the focus of each course of basic chemistry. The investigation was carried out from the five aspects of teaching syllabus, course content, teaching model, application ability and assessment method. It is committed to cultivating a group of high quality composite new engineering talents with strong practical ability, innovation ability and international competitiveness

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) as a new electrochemical energy storage system have been considered as a desirable candidate in the post-lithium-ion battery era. Nevertheless, the study on this real...

As an important working fluid in tight shale reservoir, supercritical CO2 has been proven to improve oil recovery efficiently. However, the high filtration caused by the low viscosity of pure supercritical CO2 hinders its development. The research objective of this investigation is to explore the filtration of supercritical CO2 with a branched siloxane (BTMT) as a CO2 thickener and filtration-reducing agent, and analyze the influence level of some parameters about rock core and chemicals on the CO2 filtration in the tight shale reservoir by using response surface method (RSM). The results demonstrate that the rising temperature causes a gradually increasing filtration, but filtration coefficient (f) decreases with increasing the pressure difference P, injection speed, and thickener concentration. The thickener concentration is the factor that causes the greatest change in filtration coefficient according to the response surface method, and the injection speed has the smallest effect on the filtration. The viscosity of fracturing fluid is the main characterization parameter leading to change of filtration coefficient, all factors that contribute to increasing the viscosity of the fracturing fluid will lead to a reduction in the filtration coefficient and an enhanced oil recovery. In addition, the adsorption and reservoir residue of BTMT on low-permeability shale were subordinated to a Langmuir monolayer theory, and a low residual of BTMT in shale can prevent thickeners and fracturing fluids from damaging shale reservoirs. The improvement of thickener and CO2 fracturing technology provided a basic reference for shale exploitation, greenhouse effect, and reservoir protection.

In this paper, the modified h-BN coating was coated on the prepreg sheets; then, the carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates were prepared by compression molding. The through-thickness thermal conductivity, mechanical and thermomechanical properties of the laminates were studied, respectively. The results show that h-BN particles, which are flaky shape with a diameter of about 0.6 μm and thickness of about 70 nm, have been evenly incorporated into the composites, and the thermal stability, through-thickness thermal conductivity, impact strength and glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composites are improved accordingly. When the BN content is 10 m%, the initial thermal degradation temperature (Tinitial) of the prepreg is 370 ℃, which is 10 ℃ higher than that of unmodified prepreg. When the BN content is 7 m%, the thermal conductivity of the laminates reaches 0.9 and 1.0 W·m−1·K−1 at 25 and 100 ℃, respectively, which are 114% and 111% higher than that of pure laminate. When the content of BN is 5 m%, the impact strength of the laminate reaches the highest value of 225 kJ·m−2, which is 15.4% higher than that of pure laminate. BN particles form a dense heat conduction network, thus delaying the thermal degradation of the resin and improving the thermal conductivity. This study provides a facile path to fabricate composite laminates with the integrated structure and function.

Many organisms produce stunning optical displays based on structural color instead of pigmentation. This structural or photonic color is achieved through the interaction of light with intricate micro-/nano-structures, which are “grown” from strong, sustainable biological materials such as chitin, keratin, and cellulose. In contrast, current synthetic structural colored materials are usually brittle, inert, and produced via energy-intensive processes, posing significant challenges to their practical uses. Inspired by the brilliantly colored peacock feathers which selectively grow keratin-based photonic structures with different photonic bandgaps, we develop a self-growing photonic composite system in which the photonic bandgaps and hence the coloration can be easily tuned. This is achieved via the selective growth of the polymer matrix with polymerizable compounds as feeding materials in a silica nanosphere-polymer composite system, thus effectively modulating the photonic bandgaps without compromising nanostructural order. Such strategy not only allows the material system to continuously vary its colors and patterns in an on-demand manner, but also endows it with many appealing properties, including flexibility, toughness, self-healing ability, and reshaping capability. As this innovative self-growing method is simple, inexpensive, versatile, and scalable, we foresee its significant potential in meeting many emerging requirements for various applications of structural color materials.

The term “modification” often appears in physics, chemistry, biology, etc., but rarely in structural mechanics, this study proposes the concept of mechanically modified metastructures, which aims to modify conventional mechanical structures so that they can exhibit super-properties never possessed. In this study, we first introduce the coplanarly tension–torsion coupling (TTC) element into ligaments, and then analytically express the effect of the TTC component on the deformation of the general ligamentous model. Then, it is demonstrated that the TTC component can greatly tailor the mechanical properties of the prototypical structure via numerical and experimental results. The positive Poisson’s ratio can be transformed into the negative Poisson’s ratio by the mechanical modification. Moreover, it is found that the introduced TTC component can assist structures to open new bandgaps, and the location, width, and number of bandgaps can be further tuned by changing the mass and stiffness of the TTC component. This study provides a guideline for altering the mechanical properties of the structures not by changing the main geometric characteristics of the prototypical structure but only by introducing a small structural component.

Self-management of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is characterized by complexity and diversity of content. Inadequate self-management exposes patients to the risk for complications such as stroke and bleeding. To assess the status and predictors of self-management in NVAF patients, a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The self-management scales for atrial fibrillation were used to assess the status of self-management of patients who received Warfarin, NOAC, Aspirin, or No anticoagulant therapy. The general situation questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical data from patients. A total of 555 participants completed the survey, with self-management score of 71.21 ± 12.33, 69.59 ± 13.37, 69.03 ± 12.20 and 66.12 ± 11.36 in Warfarin group, NOAC group, Aspirin group and No anticoagulant group, respectively. In Warfarin group lower educational status was associated with poor self-management; in Aspirin group, comorbidities and age 65 years (P = .001) were associated with poor self-management; in No anticoagulant group, age 65 years, single, poor sleep quality, and permanent AF were associated with poor self-management. Self-management was inadequate in patients with NVAF. Poor self-management might be related with the occurrence of cerebral embolism. For NVAF patients receiving anti-thrombotic therapy, relatively young age, comorbidities, and age can have a substantial impact on self-management performance; while age, type of AF, quality of sleep, married status are associated with self-management in patients with no anticoagulants.

In this study, the nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was carried out to evaluate the curing reaction of fiber/epoxy laminates. The optimal curing process of the prepreg was obtained by T-β extrapolation method and nth-order reaction curing kinetic equation. The bending strength, impact strength and thermodynamic properties of the composite laminates with different ply orientations were investigated, respectively. The results show that the apparent activation energy and the reaction order of the prepregs are 82.89 kJ/mol and 0.92, respectively. The curing process of carbon fiber/epoxy resin prepreg is 130 ℃ /60min + 160 ℃/30 min. The bending strength of [0]10 laminate is 1948.3 MPa, which is 11.8 times higher than that of [+ 45/-45]5s laminate, and 96.4% higher than that of [0/90]5s laminate. The impact strength of [0]10 laminate is higher than that of [+ 45/-45]5s and [0/90]5s laminates. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the laminates is 142 ~ 146 ℃, and the loss factor of [0]10 laminate is significantly higher than that of [+ 45/-45]5s and [0/90]5s laminates. This research provides a theoretical basis for the further application of prepregs to fiber composite materials.

BiOIO3/GO composite photocatalyst was successfully prepared by hydrothermal method and magnetic stirring method. The prepared photocatalyst was characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, UV–Vis DRS, FT-IR and XPS. Fluorocarbon resin coating (PEVE) was modified with composite photocatalyst, the antibacterial properties of the composite coatings with different doping ratios of GO were evaluated. Among them, the composite coating BiOIO3/6 wt% GO has the highest sterilization rate, which is nearly doubled compared to the pure BiOIO3 coating. Hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) can be demonstrated as the main active species in the photocatalytic reaction. The mechanism of improving the photocatalytic efficiency was proposed. This paper provides some new insights on the development of marine antifouling coatings, and has certain reference significance for the treatment of ship's ballast water.

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) have been considered as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their merits of high safety and low cost. Two-dimensional transition-metal chalcogenides (2D TMCs) with high theoretical specific capacities and unique layered structures have been proven to be amenable materials for PIB anodes. However, some intrinsic properties including severe stacking and unsatisfactory conductivity restrict their electrochemical performance, especially rate capability. Herein, we prepared a heterostructure of high-crystallized ultrathin MoSe2 nanosheet-coated multiwall carbon nanotubes and investigated its electrochemical properties with a view to demonstrating the enhancement of a collective strategy for K storage of 2D TMCs. In such a heterostructure, the constructive contribution of CNTs not only suppresses the restacking of MoSe2 nanosheets but also accelerates electron transport. Meanwhile, the MoSe2 nanosheets loaded on CNTs exhibit an ultrathin feature, which can expose abundant active sites for the electrochemical reaction and shorten K+ diffusion length. Therefore, the synergistic effect between ultrathin MoSe2 and CNTs endows the resulting nanocomposite with superior structural and electrochemical properties. Additionally, the high crystallinity of the MoSe2 nanosheets further leads to the improvement of electrochemical performance. The composite electrode delivers high-rate capacities of 209.7 and 186.1 mAh g-1 at high current densities of 5.0 and 10.0 A g-1, respectively.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of different water velocities on the growth performance, blood physiology, and digestive capacity of coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) in a Recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). One hundred and twenty healthy, uniformly sized coral trout (body mass (92.01 ± 8.04) g; body length (15.40 ± 0.65) cm) were randomly assigned to three flow velocity groups (1 bl/s, 2 bl/s, and 2.5 bl/s) and one control group (0 bl/s). The results show that the weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) of coral trout in the 2.5 bl/s water flow velocity group were significantly lower than those in the control group and 1 bl/s water flow velocity group (p < 0.05), while their feed coefficient (FC) values were significantly higher than those of the control group and 1 bl/s water flow velocity group (p < 0.05). The blood glucose (GLU) concentration of coral trout in the 2 bl/s water flow velocity group and the 2.5 bl/s water flow velocity group significantly decreased compared to those in the control group (p < 0.05), while the lactic acid (LD) concentration increased. As the cortisol (COR) concentration and lipase (LPS) enzyme activity of coral trout did not significantly change (p > 0.05), the α- AMS enzyme activity significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Under 2.5 bl/s water flow velocity, the intestinal structure of coral trout changed, and the number of goblet cells decreased. High-water flow velocities affect the physiological homeostasis and intestinal digestion of coral trout, resulting in a decrease in their growth performance, indicating that coral trout is more sensitive to high-water flow velocities. In actual RAS aquaculture, the flow rate should be controlled within 1 bl/s.

In next-generation rechargeable batteries, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) have been considered as attractive alternatives to lithium-ion batteries due to their cost competitiveness. Anodes with complicated electrochemical mechanisms determine the performance and safety of battery systems to a large degree. Among a wide range of anode materials for SIBs and PIBs, ferromagnetic metal (Fe, Co, and Ni) sulfides and selenides have captured prominent attention by virtue of their high theoretical capacities, suitable potentials, and relatively low price. Although some breakthrough results have been achieved, a few intrinsic issues stemming from the materials themselves need to be further explored and studied, especially in the field of PIBs, an emerging research interest. Herein, in this review, we highlight the pioneering investigation of typical ferromagnetic metal sulfides and selenides for application as anodes in SIBs and PIBs and overview their recent research progress. Meanwhile, the preparation methods, structural characteristics, charge storage mechanisms, and electrochemical properties are outlined. Finally, the present challenges and research perspectives are discussed.

Metal selenides as promising anode materials for potassium ion batteries (PIBs) have attracted great research attention. However, it is still a challenge to promote its practical application due to the unsatisfactory cyclability resulting from large volume variation and sluggish kinetics. Herein, we tackle this issue by focusing on a promising but undemonstrated anode, bismuth selenide for PIBs which possesses a high theoretical capacity and good electronic conductivity. Benefitting from the carbon layer coating, Bi2Se3@C has the capability to inhibit self-aggregation and buffer the volume expansion, leading to outstanding potassium-ion storage capability. It exhibits a very high reversible capacity of 526 mA h g−1 at 50 mA g−1, as well as superior cyclability and rate capability while maintaining a high capacity of 214 mA h g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 after 1000 cycles. Furthermore, its fast and reversible ion storage mechanism was verified, which first involves conversion and subsequent alloying redox reactions. This work enriches the understanding and development of stable conversion/alloying-based anodes for high-performance potassium-ion batteries.

Previous studies have shown that mfat-1 transgenic mice have protective effects against some central nervous system (CNS) disorders, owing to the high docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content enriched in their brains. However, whether this protective effect is connected to the blood–brain barrier (BBB) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of the protective effect against hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) of mfat-1 transgenic mice. mfat-1 mice not only demonstrated a significant amelioration of neurological dysfunction and neuronal damage but also partly maintained the physiological permeability of the BBB after HIBD. We initially showed this was associated with elevated major facilitator superfamily domain-containing 2a (Mfsd2a) expression on the BBB, resulting from more lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)-DHA entering the brain. Wild-type (WT) mice showed a similar Mfsd2a expression trend after long-term feeding with an LPC-DHA-rich diet. Knockdown of Mfsd2a by siRNA intra-cerebroventricular (ICV) injection neutralized the protective effect against HIBD-induced BBB disruption in mfat-1 mice, further validating the protective function of Mfsd2a on BBB. HIBD-induced BBB high permeability was attenuated by Mfsd2a, primarily through a transcellular pathway to decrease caveolae-like vesicle-mediated transcytosis. Taken together, these findings not only reveal that mfat-1 transgenic mice have higher expression of Mfsd2a on the BBB, which partly sustains BBB permeability via vesicular transcytosis to alleviate the severity of HIBD, but also suggest that dietary intake of LPC-DHA may upregulate Mfsd2a expression as a novel therapeutic strategy for BBB dysfunction and survival in HIBD patients.

Many organisms produce stunning optical displays based on structural color instead of pigmentation. This structural or photonic color is achieved through the interaction of light with intricate micro-/nano-structures, which are “grown” from strong, sustainable biological materials such as chitin, keratin, and cellulose. In contrast, current synthetic structural colored materials are usually brittle, inert, and produced via energy-intensive processes, posing significant challenges to their practical uses. Inspired by the brilliantly colored peacock feathers which selectively grow keratin-based photonic structures with different photonic bandgaps, we develop a self-growing photonic crystal system in which the photonic bandgaps and hence the coloration can be easily tuned. This is achieved via the selective growth of the polymer matrix with polymerizable compounds as feeding materials in a silica nanosphere-polymer composite system, thus effectively modulating the photonic bandgaps without compromising nanostructural order. Such strategy not only allows the material system to continuously vary its colors and patterns in an on-demand manner, but also endows it with many appealing properties including flexibility, toughness, self-healing ability, and reshaping capability. As this novel self-growing method is simple, inexpensive, versatile, and scalable, we foresee its significant potential in meeting many emerging requirements for various applications of structural color materials.

Widely distributed in the alpine sandy grassland in east Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP)

Flexible manipulators are widely used in aerospace industry and precision instrument manufacturing industry. However, due to the mechanism flexibility, the system dynamics have high nonlinearity and complexity, which make controller design pretty challenging. Moreover, in real production, electromechanical systems, including flexible manipulators, usually suffer from nonlinear input dead-zones and unknown system parameters/structures. Considering the above problems, an adaptive fuzzy control method is proposed, which can make the flexible link reach a desired rotation angle within finite time and simultaneously suppress the vibration of the manipulator. In the meantime, the system uncertainties are compensated, and the effect of input dead-zones is eliminated. In addition, the stability of the equilibrium point for the single-link flexible manipulator system is proven by rigorous theoretical analysis. Finally, the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control method are verified by numerical simulations.

Biofilm-associated infections are difficult to treat in the clinics because the bacteria embedded in biofilm are ten to thousand times more resistant to traditional antibiotics than planktonic ones. Here, a smart hydrogel comprised of aminoglycoside antibiotics, pectinase, and oxidized dextran was developed to treat local biofilm-associated infections. The primary amines on aminoglycosides and pectinase were reacted with aldehyde groups on oxidized dextran via a pH-sensitive Schiff base linkage to form the hydrogel. Upon bacterial infection, the increased acidity triggers the release of both pectinase and aminoglycoside antibiotics. The released pectinase efficiently degrades extracellular polysaccharides surrounding the bacteria in biofilm, and thus greatly sensitizes the bacteria to aminoglycosides. The smart hydrogel efficiently eradicated biofilms and killed the embedded bacteria both n tvitro and in vivo. This study provides a promising strategy for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections.

Background and aims Increased intake of whole/coarse grains was associated with improved blood pressure control, but concurrent metabolism alterations are less clear. We sought to identify metabolomic profiles of blood pressure, and to explore their mediation effects on the coarse grain intake-blood pressure association among young adults free of hypertension. Methods and results Plasma metabolome of 86 participants from the Carbohydrate Alternatives and Metabolic Phenotypes study was characterized by untargeted lipidomics and metabolomics using liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry. We identified 24 and 117 metabolites associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), respectively, using random forest modeling and partial correlation analysis. Moreover, metabolite panels for highly specific prediction of blood pressure (8 metabolites for SBP and 11 metabolites for DBP) were determined using ten-fold cross-validated ridge regression (R2 ≥ 0.70). We also observed an inverse association between metabolite panel of SBP (β ± SE = −0.02 ± 0.01, P = 0.04) or DBP (β ± SE = −0.03 ± 0.01, P = 0.02) and coarse grain intake. Furthermore, we observed significant mediating effects of metabolites, in particular, sphingolipid ceramides, on the association between coarse grain exposure and blood pressure using both bias-corrected bootstrap tests and high-dimensional mediation analysis adapted for large-scale and high-throughput omics data. Conclusions We identified metabolomic profiles specifically associated with blood pressure in young Chinese adults without diagnosed hypertension. The inverse association between coarse grain intake and blood pressure may be mediated by sphingolipid metabolites.

Polymer microspheres with uniform size, composition, and surface property have gained extensive researches in past decades. Conventional bottom-up approaches are using monomers or oligomers to build up desired polymer microspheres. However, directly shaping high-molecular-weight polymers into well-ordered polymer microspheres remains a great challenge. Herein, we reported a facile and efficient top-down approach to fabricate microspheres with high-molecular-weight polymer microfibers. By harnessing interfacial engineering-control during the polymer microspheres formation, uniformly sized microspheres could be produced with widely ranged diameters (from 10 µm to the capillary length of each polymer melt). The size limitation of this approach could be further extended by a controllable Plateau-Rayleigh instability phenomenon. Principally, the top-down approach allows fabrication of microspheres by various polymer melts with surface energy higher than 25 mN/m. Our work paves a way for green, cost-effective, and customizable production of a variety of functional polymer microspheres without any chemical reaction assistant.

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), which can be produced by enzymatic transgalactosylation of lactose with β-galactosidases, have attracted much attention in recent years because of their prebiotic functions and wide uses in infant formula, infant foods, livestock feed, and pet food industries. In this study, a novel β-galactosidase-producing Klebsiella oxytoca ZJUH1705, identified by its 16S rRNA sequence (GenBank accession no. MH981243), was isolated. Two β-galactosidase genes, bga 1 encoding a 2058-bp fragment (GenBank accession no. MH986613) and bga 2 encoding a 3108-bp fragment (GenBank accession no. MN182756), were cloned from K. oxytoca ZJUH1705 and expressed in E. coli. The purified β-gal 1 and β-gal 2 had the specific activity of 217.56 U mg−1 and 57.9 U mg−1, respectively, at the optimal pH of 7.0. The reaction kinetic parameters Km, Vmax, and Kcat with oNPG as the substrate at 40 °C were 5.62 mM, 167.1 μmol mg−1 min−1, and 218.1 s−1, respectively, for β-gal 1 and 3.91 mM, 14.6 μmol mg−1 min−1, and 28.9 s−1, respectively, for β-gal 2. Although β-gal 1 had a higher enzyme activity for lactose hydrolysis, only β-gal 2 had a high transgalactosylation capacity. Using β-gal 2 with the addition ratio of ~ 2.5 U g−1 lactose, a high GOS yield of 45.5 ± 2.3% (w/w−1) was obtained from lactose (40% w/w−1 or 480 g L−1) in a phosphate buffer (100 mM, pH 7.0) at 40 °C in 48 h. Thus, the β-gal 2 from K. oxytoca ZJUH1705 would be a promising biocatalyst for GOS production from lactose.