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Plastic/ductile inorganic van der Waals (vdW) thermoelectric semiconductors offer transformative advantages for high‐performance flexible thermoelectric devices, which can displace the self‐charge system of wearable electronics. However, the chemical origin of their plasticity remains unclear. Here, it is reported that the exceptionally large plastic strain of the bulk SnSe2 crystal results from its polytype conversion under an external force. The SnSe2 single crystal consists of a large‐period polytype with 18R low‐symmetry structure rather than the trigonal and hexagonal‐phase that are frequently observed in the polycrystalline specimen. In situ applied pressure to the specimen drives a phase transition from low to high‐symmetry, that is, from 18R to 4H, and finally to 2H‐SnSe2. First principle calculations corroborate that the dynamic phase transition is a pressure‐activated process and only 15 MPa pressure erases their energy gaps, consistent with experimentally measured strain–stress curves. This dynamic phase transition results in superior and near isotropic plasticity along the direction parallel and perpendicular to the cleavage plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core task for Mott insulators includes how rigid distributions of electrons evolve and how these induce exotic physical phenomena. However, it is highly challenging to chemically dope Mott insulators to tune properties. Herein, we report how to tailor electronic structures of the honeycomb Mott insulator RuCl3 employing a facile and reversible single‐crystal to single‐crystal intercalation process. The resulting product (NH4)0.5RuCl3⋅1.5 H2O forms a new hybrid superlattice of alternating RuCl3 monolayers with NH4+ and H2O molecules. Its manipulated electronic structure markedly shrinks the Mott–Hubbard gap from 1.2 to 0.7 eV. Its electrical conductivity increases by more than 103 folds. This arises from concurrently enhanced carrier concentration and mobility in contrary to the general physics rule of their inverse proportionality. We show topotactic and topochemical intercalation chemistry to control Mott insulators, escalating the prospect of discovering exotic physical phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial players in tumour progression. Herein, this work was designated to decipher the clinical significance, function and molecular mechanism of a lncRNA, differentiation antagonizing non-coding RNA (DANCR) in colorectal cancer (CRC). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was adopted to examine DANCR, miR-185-5p and HMGA2 mRNA expressions in CRC tissues and cells. Both gain-of-function and loss-of-function cell models for DANCR were established, and then MTT, wound healing and Transwell, flow cytometry assays were carried out to detect the proliferation, migration, invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis of CRC cells. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and RIP assay were utilized to validate the targeting relationships between DANCR and miR-185-5p. Western blot was employed for detecting high mobility group A2 (HMGA2) expressions in CRC cells. In this study, we demonstrated that the expression of DANCR was elevated in CRC tissues and cell lines, and its high expression was significantly associated with increased TNM stage and positive lymph node metastasis. DANCR overexpression promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cell cycle progression, but inhibited apoptosis; while knocking down DANCR caused the opposite effects. DANCR was further identified as a molecular sponge for miR-185-5p, and DANCR could indirectly increase the expression of HMGA2 via repressing miR-185-5p. In conclusion, DANCR/miR-185-5p/HMGA2 axis participated in the progression of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual differences in behaviour and reactions to various environmental stress stimulus could reflect substantial differences in coping patterns among animals, including immune–endocrine responses. However, few studies have been conducted in this domain. In this study, two types of flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) (bold individuals (BI) and shy individuals (SI)) were screened out and the expression of genes related to the immune–endocrine was in their head kidneys under temperature stress. BI and SI had the long‐term and stable differential expression of IRAF6 (tumour necrosis factor receptor‐associated factor 6), IL10 (Interleukin 10) and UII (urotensin Ⅱ) genes in the head kidney at optimum temperature (18℃). During acute hypothermal stress, the SI inflammatory gene TNFα (tumour necrosis factor‐α) was significantly downregulated, and IL6 (interleukin 6) and IL10 (interleukin10) were significantly upregulated. In acute hyperthermal stress, the SI inflammatory genes TNFα and IL6 were significantly downregulated, while IL10 continued to be significantly upregulated. Immune genes in BI showed no significant changes under acute temperature stress. We found that endocrine genes CRH (corticotropin‐releasing hormone), UI (Urotensin I) and UII showed opposite expression patterns in the head kidney of BI and SI after temperature stress. Meanwhile, gene expression of Hsp70 (heat shock protein 70) responded to hypothermal stress only in SI but not in BI, indicating that Hsp70 is involved in resistance to hypothermal stress only in SI. Through the correlation analysis of the genes discovered in this study, there is an opposite correlation between the part of endocrine–immune genes of BI and SI. It indicates differences in the regulatory mechanisms of the immune and endocrine systems in the head kidney of BI and SI under temperature stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical Trial Registration Stress strongly influences the physiology and behavior of animals, and leads into a pathological condition and disease. NMDA receptors (NMDARs) play a crucial role in the modulation of neural activity. To understand the role of NMDARs in fish stress response, we used NMDARs agonist aspartate to test the functional role of its input on the Dahlgren cell population in the caudal neurosecretory system (CNSS) of the olive flounder. In addition, the effect of the NMDARs antagonist D‐AP5 on the expression of genes of the main secretory products of the CNSS after stress was investigated by using qPCR technology and the effect of the NMDARs antagonist D‐AP5 on post‐stress behavior was explored by behavioral methods. Ex vivo electrophysiological experiments showed that the NMDARs agonist aspartate enhanced the firing frequency of Dahlgren cells. Additionally, aspartate treatment increased the incidence of cells exhibiting bursting firing pattern, this result is corroborated by the observed upregulation in the expression of ion channels and major hormone genes in the CNSS. Furthermore, the excitatory influence of aspartate was effectively counteracted by NMDARs antagonist D‐AP5. Interestingly, NMDARs antagonist D‐AP5 treatment also significantly decreased the plasma cortisol levels and the expression of CRH, UI, and UII in CNSS after acute stress. Treatment with D‐AP5 effectively attenuated the stress response, as evidenced by alterations in respiratory metabolism, sand‐burying behavior, swimming distance, simulated capture, and escape response. In conclusion, modulation of Dahlgren cell excitability in the CNSS by NMDARs contributes to the regulation of the stress response, NMDARs antagonist D‐AP5 can effectively suppress stress response in flounder by regulating the stress hormone expression and secretion.Project code SHOU‐DW‐2022‐032. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core task for Mott insulators includes how rigid distributions of electrons evolve and how these induce exotic physical phenomena. However, it is highly challenging to chemically dope Mott insulators to tune properties. Herein, we report how to tailor electronic structures of the honeycomb Mott insulator RuCl 3 employing a facile and reversible single-crystal to single-crystal intercalation process. The resulting product (NH 4 ) 0.5 RuCl 3 ⋅1.5 H 2 O forms a new hybrid superlattice of alternating RuCl 3 monolayers with NH 4 + and H 2 O molecules. Its manipulated electronic structure markedly shrinks the Mott-Hubbard gap from 1.2 to 0.7 eV. Its electrical conductivity increases by more than 10 3 folds. This arises from concurrently enhanced carrier concentration and mobility in contrary to the general physics rule of their inverse proportionality. We show topotactic and topochemical intercalation chemistry to control Mott insulators, escalating the prospect of discovering exotic physical phenomena., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)