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Abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons within PM10 fraction of ashes from two coke production plants, one iron smelt plant, one heating station and one power plant were analyzed with GC–MS technique in 2009. The sum of 17 selected PAHs varied from 290.20 to 7055.72 μg/g and the amounts of carcinogenic PAHs were between 140.33 and 3345.46 μg/g. The most toxic ash was from the coke production plants and then from the iron smelt plant, coal-fired power plant and heating station according to BaP-based toxic equivalent factor (BaPeq) and BaP-based equivalent carcinogenic power (BaPE). PAHs profile of the iron smelt ash was significantly different from others with coefficient of divergence value higher than 0.40. Indicatory PAHs for coke production plants, heating station and coal-fired power plant were mainly 3-ring species such as Acy, Fl and Ace. While for iron smelt plant, they were Chr and BbF. Diagnostic ratios including Ant/(Ant + Phe), Flu/(Flu + Pyr), BaA/Chr, BbF/BkF, Ind/BghiP, IND/(IND + BghiP), BaP/BghiP, BaP/COR, Pyr/BaP, BaA/(BaA + Chr), BaA/BaP and BaP/(BaP + Chr) were calculated which were mostly different from other stacks for the iron smelt plant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nanocomposite foam with a large expansion ratio and thin cell walls is promising for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials, due to the low electromagnetic (EM) reflection and high EM absorption. To overcome the dimensional limitation from two-dimension (2D) thin walls on the construction of conductive network, a strategy combining hybrid conductive nanofillers in semi-crystalline matrix together with supercritical CO2 (scCO2) foaming was applied: (1) one-dimension (1D) CNTs with moderate aspect ratio was used to minimize the dimensional confinement from 2D thin walls while constructing the main EM absorbing network; (2) zero-dimension (0D) carbon black (CB) with no dimensional confinement was used to connect the separated CNTs in thin walls and to expand the EM absorbing network; (3) scCO2 foaming was applied to obtain a cellular structure with multi-layer thin walls and a large amount of air cells to reduce the reflected EM; (4) semi-crystalline polymer was selected so that the rheological behavior could be adjusted by optimizing crystallization and filler content to regulate the cellular structure. Consequently, an advanced material featured as lightweight, high EM absorption and low EM reflection was obtained at 0.48 vol.% hybrid nanofillers and a density of 0.067 g/cm3, whose specific EMI shielding performance was 183 dB cm3/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: MgAl-Layered Double Hydroxide (LDH) films have been prepared by spin coating a nanodispersed MgAl-LDH sol on an AZ31 magnesium alloy substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the as-prepared films demonstrated their uniform and compact structure composed of LDH platelets stacked parallel to the substrate surface. The anti-corrosion properties of the LDH films were investigated by measuring dc polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). EIS results demonstrated that the densely packed oriented LDH platelets are effective in restricting penetration of aggressive ions and thus inhibit corrosion of the underlying metal surface. The corrosion resistance imparted by the LDH films increased with film thickness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Adoption of crop residue amendments has been increasingly recommended as an effective management practice for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing soil fertility, thereby increasing crop production. However, the effect of biochar and straw on nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions in soils of differing pH remains poorly understood. Three treatments (control (i.e., no amendment), maize straw, and biochar derived from maize straw) were therefore established separately in soils with different pH levels, classified as follows: acidic, neutral, and alkaline. N2O and CH4 were investigated using a static chamber–gas chromatography system during 57 days of a mesocosm study. The results showed that cumulative N2O emissions were significantly higher in acidic soils than in other experimental soils, with the values ranging from 7.48 to 11.3 kg N ha−1, while CH4 fluxes ranged from 0.060 to 0.089 kg C ha−1, with inconclusive results. However, a weak negative correlation was observed between log N2O and log NO3-N in acidic soil with either biochar or straw, while the same parameters with CH4 showed a moderate negative correlation, suggesting a likelihood that these amendments could mitigate GHGs as a result of the NO3-N increase in acidic soils. It is also possible, given the alkaline nature of the biochar, that incorporation had a significant buffer effect on soil acidity, effectively increasing soil pH by >0.5 pH units. Our findings suggest that for the rates of application for biochar and straw used in this study, the magnitude of reductions in the emissions of N2O and CH4 are dependent in part on initial soil pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline pretreatment can effectively remove lignin and significantly increase enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is the common alkali for treating lignocellulose. However, a large quantity of liquid waste (LW) generated in the NaOH pretreatment process is hard to be removed. In this context, this work employed KOH together with urea for treating corn stover (CS) and explored the feasibility of recovering LW for plant fertilization due to the existence of potassium (K) and nitrogen (N) elements in LW. With response surface methodology, an optimum pretreatment condition, which was 1:1 (2% w/v) Urea/KOH (UK) at 30 °C for 2 h was achieved. Enzymatic digestibility of UK-treated CS could attain 75.49%, which was 12.55% higher than that of KOH-treated CS under the same conditions. The glucose yield could be further increased to 83.1% with the addition of 1% Tween-80. Meanwhile, the LW showed significant enhancement in the length and biomass yield of two cereal and three vegetable crops. UK pretreatment is a promising greenway for cellulosic ethanol production by recycling LW as value-added fertilizer. Image 1 • The Urea/KOH (UK) pretreatment of Corn straw (CS) at 30 °C was achieved. • It increased Cellulose content and reduced Lignin level with limited water wash. • Liquid waste (LW) of the pretreatment were recovered as fertilizer to realize zero waste emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new photoelectrochemical material is fabricated by loading two-dimensional leaf-like Ti 3 C 2 MXene nanosheets into the TiO 2 nanorod array to form Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets/TiO 2 nanorod (Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 NR) composite photoanode materials. The unique two-dimensional/one-dimensional (2D/1D) composite photocatalytic materials enhance the photoelectrochemical water splitting performance under simulated solar light (100 mW cm−2) and yield a high photocurrent density of 1.41 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (V vs. RHE) and photoconversion efficiency of 0.46% at 0.78 V vs. RHE , which are almost 3.13 and 5.82 times higher, respectively, than those of the pure rutile TiO 2 NRs. The enhanced photoelectrochemical performances are attributed to the photogenerated electrons produced by TiO 2 NR which could be quickly transported by Ti 3 C 2 nanosheets due to their good electrical conductivity and increased specific surface area, which improve the separation efficiency of electrons and holes. These Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 NR, as new photocatalytic materials, have promising potential applications in the fields of photoelectrochemical water splitting, solar cells, and other photocatalytic devices. • Leaf-like Ti 3 C 2 MXene nanosheets/TiO 2 nanorod photoanode is fabricated. • The Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 NRs shows improved PEC performance under simulated solar light. • The photocurrent density of Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 NRs is 3.13 times than that of TiO 2 NRs. • The Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 NRs shows a good long-term stability under simulated solar light. • The enhanced PEC performances are due to good electrical conductivity of Ti 3 C 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the main atmospheric pollutants, the nitrogen oxides (NO x) and dust from industrial exhaust have caused a series of environmental problems. Catalytic membrane is one of the most important technologies for integrated denitration and dust removal, which can achieve the efficient treatment of multiple pollutants. In order to achieve the simultaneous removal of NO and dust in low-temperature exhaust, a novel MnO x /TiO 2 /SiC catalytic membrane was developed. The using of TiO 2 aerogel as the transition layer could increase the loading capacity of MnO x by more than twice, but has little effect on gas permeance of SiC ceramic membrane. The MnO x /TiO 2 /SiC catalytic membrane also exhibit excellent filtration performance with dust rejection rate exceeding 99.97% and thus preventing adverse effects of dust on the catalyst. In the NO and dust coexistence system, the obtained catalytic membrane exhibits good catalytic activity owing to its high loading capacity and outstanding filtration performance, which lead to the high NO conversion rate above 80% with the temperature range of 120–180 °C. Meanwhile, the catalytic membrane exhibits remarkable stability in simulation environment, and the NO conversion rate could maintain at 90% within 65 h. The novel MnO x /TiO 2 /SiC catalytic membrane showed great promise for low-temperature exhaust gas purification. • When using TiO 2 aerogel, the loading capacity of MnO x increased by more than twice. • TiO 2 and MnO x exhibit little effect on gas permeance of SiC ceramic membrane. • The catalytic membrane exhibits superior catalytic and filtration performance. • In the NO and dust coexistence system, dust has no effect on catalytic activity. • The catalytic membrane exhibits remarkable stability in simulation environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative molten-salt method is presented for the in-situ reactive preparation of surface-modified diamond particles. Surface-modified diamond particle reinforced metal-based (copper or magnesium) composites were prepared by spark plasma sintering. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the surface morphologies of the surface-modified diamond samples and the interfacial bonding of the diamond-metal composite materials. The elemental distributions of the surface-modified diamond particles were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction was used to analyze the phase compositions of the samples. By means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and laser Raman spectroscopy, the surface bonding and graphitization of the surface-modified diamond particles were further analyzed. The results showed that the thickness of the modification layer on the surface of diamond increased gradually with increasing holding time. The surface-modified diamond particle reinforced metal-based composite materials had high thermal conductivities. When the volume percentage of diamond was 35%, the thermal conductivities of the diamond–copper composites were as high as 602 W·m−1·K−1, and the thermal conductivity of the diamond–magnesium composites reached 286 W·m−1·K−1. Unlabelled Image • Surface-gradient-modified diamond particles were prepared using a molten-salt method. • The effects of holding time on the phase and microstructure of coating layers were investigated. • The thermal conductivities of the surface-modified diamond-reinforced metal (Cu or Mg) matrix composites were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a mild to moderate respiratory tract infection, however, a subset of patients progress to severe disease and respiratory failure. The mechanism of protective immunity in mild forms and the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 associated with increased neutrophil counts and dysregulated immune responses remain unclear. In a dual-center, two-cohort study, we combined single-cell RNA-sequencing and single-cell proteomics of whole-blood and peripheral-blood mononuclear cells to determine changes in immune cell composition and activation in mild versus severe COVID-19 (242 samples from 109 individuals) over time. HLA-DRhiCD11chi inflammatory monocytes with an interferon-stimulated gene signature were elevated in mild COVID-19. Severe COVID-19 was marked by occurrence of neutrophil precursors, as evidence of emergency myelopoiesis, dysfunctional mature neutrophils, and HLA-DR lo monocytes. Our study provides detailed insights into the systemic immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and reveals profound alterations in the myeloid cell compartment associated with severe COVID-19. • SARS-CoV-2 infection induces profound alterations of the myeloid compartment • Mild COVID-19 is marked by inflammatory HLA-DRhiCD11chi CD14+ monocytes • Dysfunctional HLA-DRloCD163hi and HLA-DRloS100Ahi CD14+ monocytes in severe COVID-19 • Emergency myelopoiesis with immature and dysfunctional neutrophils in severe COVID-19 Analysis of patients with mild and severe COVID-19 reveals the presence of dysfunctional neutrophils in the latter that is linked to emergency myelopoiesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of nonunion in patients with tibia fracture and the association between influencing factors and tibia fracture nonunion. Method: A database searches of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu database, and Wanfang database from inception until June 2019 was conducted. The pooled prevalence, odds ratio (OR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated with Stata software. Results: In this study, 111 studies involving 41,429 subjects were included. In the study of the relationship between influencing factors and tibia fracture nonunion, 15 factors significantly influenced the fracture union, including > 60 years old, male, tobacco smoker, body mass index > 40, diabetes, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) user, opioids user, fracture of middle and distal tibia, high-energy fracture, open fracture, Gustilo-Anderson grade IIIB or IIIC, Müller AO Classification of Fractures C, open reduction, fixation model, and infection. Conclusion: The prevalence of nonunion in patients with tibia fracture was 0.068 and 15 potential factors were associated with the prevalence. Closed reduction and minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis (MIPPO) have the low risks of nonunion for the treatment of tibial fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of interlayer materials on the damage of ceramics in the SiC/Al composite structure was analyzed through experiments and simulation. Using 0.25 mm thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as a reference, a 0.5 mm aramid fabric (AFRP) or a 0.5 mm carbon fiber reinforced epoxy matrix composite (CFRP) was added to the interlayer, respectively. Through the impact tests, it was discovered that the ceramic damaged area in the TPU composite structure was severe. With the addition of AFRP, the damaged area of the ceramic layer was reduced by 73% under the same impact conditions. The addition of CFRP also reduced the damage of ceramics. The evolution process of the tensile stress on the ceramic rear surface was presented by simulation. The tensile evolution process analysis can explain the experimental phenomenon well and can be used to predict the damage of the ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust bonding and thermal-stable sinter Ag joining on an Au finished substrate was first time achieved for use in SiC power modules. Five kinds of Ag paste, including different solvents and Ag fillers, and four kinds of Au plating processes (ENIG, ENIGEG, ENEPIG and ENEPIGEG) were used to optimize the initial shear strength of Ag–Au joints. Here, EN means electroless Ni plating, EP means electroless pure palladium plating, IG means immersion gold plating process and EG is the process of electroless gold plating. Micro-scaled Ag flake paste showed the best die shear strength at 33.9 MPa by in-suit formation of Ag nanoparticles, accomplished with a sintering temperature of 250 °C without pressure in air. With the use of Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis, the ENEPIG plating process exhibited an Au surface with greater Au (111) grain orientation and larger grain size, which both of that benefits bonding with Ag paste. The thermal-stable sinter Ag joining on ENEPIG was evaluated by aging at 250 °C up to 1000 h. The shear strength had slightly increased to 36.5 MPa after 1000 h. The mechanism of robust bonding and thermal-stable during high temperature aging were systematically analyzed via Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), which was attributed to the large Au grains size, the favorable surface condition of the ENEPIG, and the Pd barrier layer which prohibited Ni diffusion into the Au layer during sintering and aging. Image 1 • Shear strength of sinter Ag–Au joints achieved to 33.9 MPa at 250 °C without pressure sintering in air. • In-suit formation of Ag nanoparticles improved the necking growth of sintered Ag. • ENEPIG plating shows a larger ratio of Au (111) grain orientation and bigger Au grains size. • Shear strength of sinter Ag–Au joints increased at 250 °C aging for1000 h. • Robust bonding and thermal-stability were attributed to less grain boundary diffusion and the Pd barrier layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Confined silicon carbide (SiC) plates covered with aluminium alloy, mild steel, and copper alloy materials of different elastic impedances were subjected to normal impact by blunt tungsten-heavy-alloy projectile of 16 mm diameter and 40 mm length, at a nominal striking velocity of 1.25 km/s. Failure analysis of the armour modules and penetration weight calculated by the measured residual penetration were applied to characterize ballistic performance of the ceramic armour modules. A simulation calculation was employed to investigate the inner impact process and the results corresponded well with the experimental ones. The damage initiation and propagation in ceramic, and the stress field distribution in the projectile were presented and analysed. The results showed that the cover plate can effectively reduce the damage of the target due to the extension of a dwell period compared with a 'no cover' structure. Low- elastic impedance material covers promote the impact stress distribution in ceramic leading to great improvement in ceramic ballistic performance. Moreover, the effect of cover material properties and energy dissipation at different impact periods was discussed. Unlabelled Image • Targets with multiple covers respond differently and optimal for aluminium cover. • The benefits of cover plate are elaborated by promoted flow and distributed damage. • Materials impedance properties are introduced and correlated to ballistic resistance. • Hard steel cover can prolong dwell time by enhancing the shear strength of ceramic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improved spatial resolution of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from newly launched sensors has promoted a more frequent use of distributed scatterer (DS) interferometry (DSI) in urban monitoring, pursuing sufficient and detailed measurements. However, the commonly used statistical methods for homogeneous pixel clustering by exploring amplitude information are firstly, computationally intensive; furthermore, their necessity when applied to high-coherent built scenarios is little discussed in the literature. This paper explores the potential of using phase information for the detection of homogeneous pixels on built surfaces. We propose a simple phase-correlated pixel (PCP) clustering and introduce a coherence-weighted phase link (WPL), i.e., PCPWPL, to pursue a faster processing of interferogram phase denoising. Rather than relying on the statistical tests of amplitude characteristics, we exploit vector correlation in the complex domain to identify PCPs with similar phase observations, thus, avoiding the intensive hypothesis test. A coherence-weighted phase linking is applied for DS phase reconstruction. The estimation of geophysical parameters, e.g., deformation, is completed using an integrated network of persistent scatterers (PS) and DS. Efficiency of the proposed method is fairly illustrated by both synthetic and real data experiments. Pros and cons of the proposed PCPWPL were analyzed with the comparison to a conventional amplitude-based strategy using an X-band CosmoSkyMed dataset. It is demonstrated that the use of phase correlation is sufficient for DS monitoring in built scenarios, with equivalent measurement quantity and cheaper computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A numerical simulation model has been developed, and was consistent well with the experimental results. • The strength, modulus and energy absorption capacity of the Pyramidal Kagome lattice material were proportional to the square of its relative density. • The strain rate hardening effect of the base material plays a major role for the rate sensitivity of the Pyramidal Kagome lattice material. • Increasing the number of lateral units and reducing the number of layers contributed to the improvement on the mechanical properties of the Pyramidal Kagome lattice material. The present study aimed at understanding the influences of structural parameters on the mechanical properties of Pyramidal Kagome (PK) lattice material under impact loading. Seven different PK structures varying height-width ratio and rod diameter were manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM). In this study, both experiments and simulation were conducted to understand the influences of rod diameter, height-width ratio, number of unites and layers on the mechanical properties of PK lattice material. The failure characteristics and the deformation process were recorded by using the digital photography technique. All the specimens were observed to have a clear rupture along 45°in the quasi-static test, while broke along the direction of the vertical panel in the SHPB test with a strain rate of about 2000s−1.The results showed that the initial deformation zone of the PK switched from the intermediate layer to the lower and upper layer with the increase of rod diameter. Moreover, the strength, modulus and energy absorption capacity of the PK were proportional to the square of its relative density. As the height-width ratio increases, the modulus of the PK gradually increased. In addition, increasing the number of lateral units and reducing the number of layers contributed to the improvement on the mechanical properties of the PK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a detailed analysis of the incomplete coupling effect in omnidirectional wireless power transfer systems and a compensation method aiming to improve the transmission performance. Recently, omnidirectional wireless charging technologies have been gradually explored and studied. These charging technologies can transmit power to arbitrary directions in three-dimensional space. However, there are still specific regions where the transmitted power capability dramatically drops to an extremely low level due to the incomplete coupling effect. Accordingly, this paper provides a theoretical analysis and compensation of such an effect. The compensation effectiveness is validated by both a simulation and a 7 W experimental prototype. After the compensation, the transmitted power can be improved by 61% to drive the load in a full range of the space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Two novel diamond lattice structures (Dfcc and Dhex) and the typical face-centered cubic (FCC) and body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice structures are manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM), and the effects of cell topology and relative density on the dynamic behavior of these structures are studied through a combination of experimental tests and numerical simulation. It is observed that in Dfcc and Dhex, failure initiates at the connection points between rods in the middle of the structure, causing a sudden drop of the measured stress value. However in FCC and BCC, failure initiates in the face-truss junction. Generally, the FCC and BCC are dominated by stretching and bending of the rods respectively, whereas the Dfcc and Dhex are a mixture of the two deformation modes. The results show that the mechanical properties of the lattice structures with different relative density can be described by a power law function. Moreover, for the lattice structures with the same rod diameter of 0.8 mm, FCC out-performs other structures in terms of specific strength, specific modulus and energy absorption. This gives evidence that lattice structures with the stretching-dominated deformation mode are more likely to exhibit better mechanical properties under dynamic loading. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Two novel diamond lattice structures (Dfcc and Dhex) and the typical FCC and BCC lattice structures were designed. • A numerical simulation model has been developed, and was consistent well with the experimental results. • Using a power law function to relate different mechanical properties to rod diameter or relative density for each lattice type. • Stretching-dominated structures often exhibit better dynamic mechanical properties than bending-dominated structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cord blood (CB) is an attractive source of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for hematopoietic cell transplantation. However, its application remains limited due to the low number of HSCs/progenitors in a single CB unit and its notoriously difficulty in expanding ex vivo. Here, we demonstrated that the human fetal liver sinusoidal endothelial cells engineered to constitutively express the adenoviral E4orf1 gene (hFLSECs-E4orf1) is capable of efficient expansion ex vivo for human CB hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Coculture of CD34+ hCB cells with hFLSECs-E4orf1 resulted in generation of substantially more total nucleated cells, CD34+CD38− and CD34+ CD38−CD90+ HSPCs in comparison with that of cytokines alone after 14 days. The multilineage differentiation potential of the expanded hematopoietic cells in coculture condition, as assessed by in vitro colony formation, was also significantly heightened. The CD34+ hCB cells amplified on hFLSECs-E4orf1 were capable of engraftment in vivo. Furthermore, hFLSECs-E4orf1 highly expressed hematopoiesis related growth factor and Notch receptors. Accordingly, the CD34+ hCB cells amplified on hFLSECs-E4orf1 exhibited Notch signaling activation. Taken together, our findings indicated that FLSECs may potentially be the crucial component of the microenvironment to support recapitulation of embryonic HSC amplification in vitro and allow identification of new growth factors responsible for collective regulation of hematopoiesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gap junction-mediated cell-cell interactions are highly conserved and play essential roles in cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and patterning. We report that Connexin 32 (Cx32)-mediated gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is necessary for human embryonic stem cell-derived hepatocytes (hESC-Heps) during step-wise hepatic lineage restriction and maturation. Vitamin K2, previously shown to promote Cx32 expression in mature hepatocytes, up-regulated Cx32 expression and GJIC activation during hepatic differentiation and maturation, resulting in significant increases of hepatic markers expression and hepatocyte functions. In contrast, negative Cx32 regulator 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate blocked hESC-to-hepatocyte maturation and muted hepatocyte functions through disruption of GJIC activities. Dynamic gap junction organization and internalization are phosphorylation-dependent and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway (MAPK) can negatively regulate Cxs through phosphorylation-dependent degradation of Cxs. We found that p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 improved maturation of hESC-Heps correlating with up-regulation of Cx32; by contrast, the p38 MAPK activator, anisomycin, blocked hESC-Heps maturation correlating with down-regulation of Cx32. These results suggested that Cx32 is essential for cell-cell interactions that facilitate driving hESCs through hepatic-lineage maturation. Regulators of both Cx32 and other members of its pathways maybe used as a promising approach on regulating hepatic lineage restriction of pluripotent stem cells and optimizing their functional maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]