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The solvent stimuli-responsive off-on fluorescence induced by synergistic effect of doping and phase transformation for Te4+ doped indium halide perovskite provides a new strategy for advance information encryption and decryption. [Display omitted] Since traditional fluorescent materials are too easily observed by the eyes just under the UV light, off-on fluorescent materials are explored as the new generation of fluorescent labels. In the "off" state, such off-on fluorescent labels cannot be observed by naked eyes under either natural light or UV light. Only after a specific decryption treatment to make the fluorescent materials turning into the "on" state, the fluorescent labels can be observed under the UV light. Up to now, it is still a challenge to prepare fluorescent inks with aforementioned ideal properties by using halide perovskite materials. Herein, we reported the first example of Te4+ doped indium halide perovskite inks with both off-on fluorescence under solvent stimuli and invisible ink color by the naked eyes. The synergistic effect of doping/undoping of Te4+ together with the reversible phase transformation between Cs 2 InCl 5 (H 2 O) and Cs 3 InCl 6 under solvent stimuli is key for the off-on fluorescence of crystals. Under acid solvent, the substitutional doping of Te4+ during the process of phase transformation from Cs 3 InCl 6 to Cs 2 InCl 5 (H 2 O):Te4+ gives rise to "turning-on" orange emission from Te-induced self-trap emission (STE). Under the stimuli of methanol, the dissolution of Te4+ from the crystals destroys the structure of Te4+ in ligand-field and results in "turning-off" Te-induced emission during the process of phase transformation from Cs 2 InCl 5 (H 2 O):Te4+ to Cs 3 InCl 6. On the basis of the Te4+ doped indium halide perovskite, printable and colorless ink can be prepared for the confidential information encryption and decryption. Since the mixture of Cs 3 InCl 6 crystals and TeCl 4 have no absorption in visible light scope, the printed encrypted information by such off-state fluorescent ink is colorless and invisible by the naked eyes under either ambient light or UV light. After decryption by acid solvent stimuli, the resulted Cs 2 InCl 5 (H 2 O):Te4+ doping crystals have a large Stokes shift with absorption below 450 nm from the excitation of Te4+ in ligand-field and emission around 570 nm from Te-induced STE. It makes the decryption information still colorless and invisible by the naked eyes under the ambient light but visible and readable under the UV light. In comparison to traditional undoped CsPbBr 3 /CsPb 2 Br 5 perovskites with small Stokes shift and eye-visible ink color, the current colorless Te4+doped indium halide perovskites are no doubt providing better security level for both encrypted and decrypted information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The specific identification and elimination of cancer cells has been a great challenge in the past few decades. In this study, the circular dichroism (CD) of cells was measured by a self-designed special system through the folate-conjugated chiral nano-sensor. A novel method was established to recognize cancer cells from normal cells according to the chirality of cells based on their CD signals. After a period of interaction between the nano-sensor and cells, the sharp weakening of CD signals was induced in cancer cells but normal cells remained unchanged. The biocompatibility of the nano-sensor was evaluated and the result showed that it exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against cancer cells while no obvious damage on normal cells. Notably, the research indicated that the nano-sensor may selectively cause apoptosis in cancer cells, and thus, have the potential to act as an antitumor agent. • The chirality of cells can be measured through Folate-Conjugated CdTe/CdS Quantum Dots. • The special system can discriminate cancer cells from normal cells. • The Nano-Sensor can induce strong cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cancer cells and may act as an antitumor agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Denote by P + (n) the largest prime factor of an integer n. In this paper, we show that the Elliott-Halberstam conjecture for friable integers (or smooth integers) implies three conjectures concerning the largest prime factors of consecutive integers, formulated by Erdős-Turán in the 1930s, by Erdős-Pomerance in 1978, and by Erdős in 1979 respectively. More precisely, assuming the Elliott-Halberstam conjecture for friable integers, we deduce that the three sets E 1 = { n ⩽ x : P + (n) ⩽ x s , P + (n + 1) ⩽ x t } , E 2 = { n ⩽ x : P + (n) < P + (n + 1) x α } , E 3 = { n ⩽ x : P + (n) < P + (n + 1) } have an asymptotic density ρ (1 / s) ρ (1 / t) , ∫ T α u (y) u (z) d y d z , 1/2 respectively for s , t ∈ (0 , 1) , where ρ (⋅) is the Dickman function, and T α , u (⋅) are defined in Theorem 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The coefficient of friction of the braking friction block is analyzed. • A model with time-varying coefficient of friction is established. • Cross-scale analysis from interface tribology to braking system dynamics. • Braking system dynamic response considering time-varying coefficient of friction. Coefficient of friction (COF) is a key parameter that reflects the interface tribological behavior and influences the system dynamic response. In this research, the tribological properties of the train braking system friction blocks with different perforation diameters are experimentally explored using a block-on-disc apparatus. And the distribution law of the interface COF is revealed by statistical analysis. It is found that the histogram of the COF approximately follows a normal distribution. Considering the time-varying of the COF, a time-varying COF model is then established based on the normal distribution parameters. Further, the time-varying COF model is integrated into a proposed train braking system numerical model to construct the association between the disc–block friction properties and the braking system dynamic response. Based on this, the dynamic behavior of the braking system subject to interface time-varying COF excitations and block perforation structure is analyzed. The results show the time-varying COF excitations should be considered to accurately reveal the dynamic response of the braking system. Moreover, the friction block processed a perforation diameter of 2 mm obviously reduces disc–block friction vibration and improves the stability of the train braking system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As highly expressed in several human cancers, Casein Kinase 2 (CK2) is involved in chemotherapy-induced resistance. As a new potent CK2 inhibitor, DN701 is used to overcome chemoresistance through its synergistic antitumor effect with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) has drawn our attention because it is associated with the development of chemo-resistance and tumor recurrence. The in vitro biological properties of 5-FU-resistant colon cancer cells revealed that DN701 combined with 5-FU could overcome chemo-resistance via blocking CK2-mediated aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and TLS-induced DNA damage repair (DDR). Moreover, pharmacologic and genetic inhibitions of AhR potently reduced TLS-promoted genomic instability. The mechanistic studies showed that combined DN701 with 5-FU was investigated to inhibit CK2 expression level and AhR-TLS-REV1 pathway. Meanwhile, DN701 combined with 5-FU could reduce CK2-AhR-TLS genomic instability, thus leading to superior in vivo antitumor effect. The insights provide a rationale for combining DN701 with 5-FU as a therapeutic strategy for patients with colon cancer. [Display omitted] • DN701 combined with 5-FU displayed superior anti-proliferative activity. • DN701 combined with 5-FU reduced activation of the CK2-AhR-REV1 axis. • DN701 combined with 5-FU inhibited TLS to overcome resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway induces endothelial cell proliferation, promotes cell migration, and inhibits apoptosis. Although three VEGF and two VEGF receptor genes have been identified in Litopenaeus vannamei and demonstrated their roles in WSSV infection, another two novel VEGF genes (LvVEGF4 , LvVEGF5) were isolated and their involvements in the WSSV infection of shrimp were studied in the present study. The deduced amino acid sequences of both LvVEGF4 and LvVEGF5 contained a signal peptide, a typical PDGF/VEGF domain and a cysteine knot motif (CXCXCX). Tissue distribution analysis showed that LvVEGF4 was predominantly expressed in gill and hemocytes, while LvVEGF5 was mainly detected in hemocytes and intestine. WSSV infection could cause up-regulation of the transcriptional levels of LvVEGF4 and LvVEGF5. Their functions were studied by double-strand RNA interference. The results showed that knock-down of LvVEGF4 and LvVEGF5 led to a decrease of the viral copy number in WSSV infected shrimp. Yeast two-hybrid analysis showed that both LvVEGF4 and LvVEGF5 could interact with LvVEGFR1 rather than LvVEGFR2. In addition, knock-down of LvVEGF4 and LvVEGF5 could reduce the expressional levels of downstream genes FAK and PI3K. The present study provides new clues in demonstrating that the VEGF signaling pathway is involved in the process of WSSV infection in shrimp. Highlights • Two VEGF genes (LvVEGF4 , LvVEGF5) from Litopenaeus vannamei were apparently regulated by WSSV infection. • Knock-down of LvVEGF4 and LvVEGF5 led to a decrease of the viral copy number in WSSV infected shrimp. • LvVEGF4 and LvVEGF5 could interact with LvVEGFR1 rather than LvVEGFR2. • Knock-down of LvVEGF4 and LvVEGF5 could reduce the expressional levels of downstream genes FAK and PI3K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analyze the stick–slip properties of the perforated friction block by experiments. • Identify the Stribeck model parameters of the disc–block friction interface. • Build a train braking system model considering disc–block interface properties. • A cross-scale analysis method from interface tribology to braking system dynamics. Disc–block interface properties have prominent influence on the dynamic behaviors of train braking systems. In this study, the tribological characteristics of small-scale train friction blocks with different perforation diameters at the centre of the block surface were investigated using a disc–block test rig. And the Stribeck model parameters of the disc–block friction interface were identified to intuitively characterize the evolution law of stick–slip characteristics with the variation of block perforation diameters. Then, a trailer bogie braking system model of a high-speed train considering the coupling effects between the essential brake unit, wheelset and bogie frame was established. And the identified Stribeck parameters were introduced into the proposed braking system dynamics model to establish a relationship between the friction characteristics of the disc–block interface and the dynamic behaviors of the train braking system. Based on this, the cross-scale analysis was performed to evaluate the dynamic performance of a train braking system affected by the perforated friction block via classical stability theory and numerical simulation. The results show that the friction block with a perforation diameter of 3 mm can effectively suppress the stick–slip vibration of the disc–block friction interface, then reducing the oscillation of system components and enhancing the stability of the entire trailer bogie system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attribute-based encryption (ABE) is recommended by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) as one of the possible cryptographic tools for access control in big data applications. In ABE, the shared file can be encrypted with the specific policy only once, and it can be decrypted by any receiver whose attributes are satisfied. When ABE is deployed in some open network scenarios, it is inevitably attacked by side channel attacks, because the big data are coming from diverse end-points. In this paper, we propose leakage resilient CP-ABE and KP-ABE schemes in the improved auxiliary input model, which allows the attacker query more leakage information regarding the encryption randomness after seeing the challenge ciphertext. Moreover, we construct an improved strong extractor from the modified Goldreich–Levin theorem for the security proof and prove that our scheme security relies on the Wang et al. construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A rigid-flexible coupled vehicle system dynamics model is established, which considers the flexible deformation of the brake disc and wheelset as well as wheel polygonal wear. • A thermo-mechanical coupled finite element model of a high-speed train braking system is established, which takes into account nonlinear friction, wheel-rail excitation and thermo-mechanical coupled characteristics. • The accuracies of the dynamics model and finite element model are verified by line and bench tests, respectively. • The effects of measured wheel polygonal wear and wheel polygonal wear order on the temperature and vibration characteristics of braking system are analyzed. To study the effect of wheel polygonal wear (WPW) on temperature and vibration behaviours of a high-speed train braking system, a rigid-flexible coupled vehicle system dynamics model and a thermo-mechanical coupled finite element (FE) model of a braking system are developed in this study. The accuracy of the vehicle dynamics model and FE model are verified by line and bench tests, respectively. The dynamic interactions between different vehicle components, and the nonlinear factors such as wheel − rail interactions, non-linear damper and disc − block frictions are comprehensively considered in the model, which is able to more realistically reflect the service environment of a vehicle system and accurately capture the vibration, temperature and disc − block contact status of a braking system during braking process. Based on the established models, the dynamic behaviours of the braking system excited by WPW is systematically investigated. The results indicate that the standard deviation (SD) of contact area, the root mean square (RMS) values of vibration and the temperature of friction block interface with WPW are much higher compared to those without WPW. Besides, the braking system experiences more intense vibration with the increment of WPW order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulation of autophagy in endothelial cells plays a vital role in cardiovascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Accumulating evidence shows that miRNAs regulate autophagy in various cell types by targeting autophagy-related genes. In the present study, we found that a co-culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with human aortic smooth muscle cells (HAoSMCs) inhibited autophagy activity in HUVECs. Furthermore, we isolated exosomes secreted by HAoSMCs, and confirmed that the exosomes contain miR-221/222. We investigated the role of miR-221/222 transferred by HAoSMC-derived exosomes in HUVECs. These exosomes induced an increase of miR-221/222 expression and a down-regulation of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) in HUVECs. Dual luciferase reporter assays revealed that miR-221/222 could bind to the 3′UTR of PTEN, which implied that PTEN was a direct target of miR-221/222. The expression of PTEN could be down-regulated by miR-221/222 over-expression. Then, we detected the expression of PTEN, LC3, ATG5, SQSTM1/p62, Beclin-1, Akt, and phospho-Akt in HUVECs transfected with miR-221/222 mimics and inhibitors. Our results demonstrated that miR-221/222 overexpression inhibited the expression of PTEN and subsequently activated Akt signaling, and eventually down-regulated the expression of LC3II, ATG5 and Beclin-1, and elevated the expression of SQSTM1/p62. This phenomenon can be reversed by the transfection of miR-221/222 inhibitors. These data suggested that miR-221/222 from HAoSMC-derived exosomes inhibited autophagy in HUVECs by modulating PTEN/Akt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aortic dissection (AD) is a macrovascular disease which is pathologically characterized by aortic media degeneration (AMD). Our team's previous research found that iron deficiency (ID) promoted the formation of AMD through presentative research. In this study, we aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism of ID promoting AMD formation. The human aortic tissues were harvested from AD patients and organ donors. ApoE-/- mice were simultaneously given AngII infusion and low-iron feed to investigate the relationship between ID and AD. The IRE1-XBP1-CHOP signal axis of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was selectively inhibited with 4μ8C. Iron contents were detected by Perls staining. The expression of iron metabolism and ER stress-relative proteins were analyzed by IF and western blotting. Apoptosis rates of aortic tissue and ASMCs were detected by TUNEL staining and flow cytometry, and ROS content was also measured by the flow cytometry. ID was accompanied by ER stress in patients with AD. Among the three signaling pathways of ER stress in ID-induced AMD, proteins of IRE1, PERK and ATF6 signaling pathways were up-regulated by 2.65 times, 1.14 times and 1.24 times, respectively. ID was positively related to ER stress, mitochondrial oxidative stress and aortic media apoptosis in vivo and in vitro assays, while 4μ8C reversed the severity of ER stress and AMD. ID could activate ER stress by eliciting mitochondrial oxidative stress to activate the IRE1-XBP1-CHOP signaling pathway in the ER, which accelerated the apoptosis of ASMCs in aortic media, thus promoting the formation of AMD. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) are important signaling proteins in VEGF signaling pathway which play key roles in inducing endothelial cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, vascular permeability, inhibition of apoptosis and virus infection. In the present study, we isolated and characterized two VEGF genes, LvVEGF1 and LvVEGF2 from Litopenaeus vannamei . The deduced amino acid sequences of both LvVEGF1 and LvVEGF2 contained a signal peptide, a typical PDGF/VEGF domain and a cysteine knot motif (CXCXC). Tissue distribution analysis showed that LvVEGF1 was predominantly expressed in lymphoid organ (Oka) while LvVEGF2 was mainly detected in gill and hemocytes. The transcriptional levels of LvVEGF1 in Oka and LvVEGF2 in gill or hemocytes were apparently up-regulated during WSSV infection. Double-stranded RNA interference was used for further functional studies. The data showed that silencing of LvVEGF1 and LvVEGF2 caused a decrease of the copy numbers of the virus in WSSV infected shrimp and a reduction of the cumulative mortality rate of shrimp during WSSV infection. The present study indicated that LvVEGF1 and LvVEGF2 might facilitate WSSV infection, which provided new evidence to understand the function of VEGF signaling pathway during WSSV infection in shrimp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endive (Cichorium endivia L.) is a leafy vegetable in the Asteraceae family. Sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) in endive leaves bring a bitter taste that varies between varieties. Despite their importance in breeding varieties with unique flavours, sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis pathways in endive are poorly understood. We assembled a chromosome-scale endive genome of 641 Mb with a contig N50 of 5.16 Mb and annotated 46,711 protein-coding genes. Several gene families, especially terpene synthases (TPS) genes, expanded significantly in the C. endivia genome. STLs biosynthesis-related genes and TPS genes in more bitter varieties have shown a higher level of expression, which could be attributed to genomic variations. Our results penetrate the origin and diversity of bitter taste and facilitate the molecular breeding of endive varieties with unique bitter tastes. The high-quality endive assembly would provide a reference genome for studying the evolution and diversity of Asteraceae. • First high-quality chromosome-scale genome assembly of Cichorium genus (Asteraceae family). • Endive (Cichorium endivia) genome encodes 46,711 protein-coding genes and 60.26% repetitive elements. • Endive genome harbors higher collinearity with the lettuce (Lactuca sativa) genome. • Key genes involved in the sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis pathways were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel ten-DOF dynamics model of a trailer bogie brake system is established. • Mechanism of abnormal vibrations of the system at low vehicle speeds is revealed. • The equilibrium points of the system components are discussed. • Effects of suspension parameters on the brake system stability are investigated. The dynamic performance of the trailer bogie brake system is essential for the safe operation of a high-speed train during the braking process. In this work, we developed a novel ten-degree-of-freedom (ten-DOF) dynamics model of a trailer bogie brake system based on dynamic and tribological theories. The non-linear factors including disc-pad non-linear friction and wheel-rail non-linear interactions were considered. The field test results demonstrated that more intense vibrations occur at low vehicle speeds, which is also supported by numerical simulations based on the novel dynamics model. The abnormal vibration is caused by the limit cycle oscillation of the brake unit, and it leads to the instability of the whole system. To further understand the instability of the trailer bogie brake system, the equilibrium points and the linear stability of the system under different braking conditions and suspension parameters were investigated based on the Lyapunov theory. Then, the non-linear vibration response and stability of the trailer bogie brake system affected by the suspension parameters were further calculated by numerical integration methods. The results demonstrated that the mounting stiffness of the brake unit approached 3.4 × 10 7 N / m and the primary suspension stiffness approached 6.0 × 10 5 N / m or remained within the range of 10 × 10 5 - 14 × 10 5 N/m , causing more violent vibrations and increased system instability. A primary suspension damping exceeding 2.4 × 10 4 N · s/m was conducive to improving system stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let Λ ( n ) be the von Mangoldt function, x real and 2 ≤ y ≤ x . This paper improves the estimate on the exponential sum over primes in short intervals S k ( x , y ; α ) = ∑ x < n ≤ x + y Λ ( n ) e ( n k α ) when k ≥ 4 for all α ∈ [ 0 , 1 ] . And then combined with the Hardy–Littlewood method, this enables us to give some short interval variants of Hua's theorems in additive prime number theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we define a new homomorphic signature for identity management in mobile cloud computing. A mobile user firstly computes a full signature on all his sensitive personal information (SPI), and stores it in a trusted third party (TTP). During the valid period of his full signature, if the user wants to call a cloud service, he should authenticate him to the cloud service provider (CSP) through TTP. In our scheme, the mobile user only needs to send a vector to the access controlling server (TTP). The access controlling server who doesnʼt know the secret key can compute a partial signature on a small part of userʼs SPI, and then sends it to the CSP. We give a formal secure definition of this homomorphic signature, and construct a scheme from GHR signature. We prove that our scheme is secure under GHR signature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spin-state regulation of the Mo center from high-spin to medium-spin assisted by the neighboring Fe center relieves the strong overlapping between Mo 4 d orbital and the key intermediates, realizing enhanced NRR activity. [Display omitted] • Spin-state regulation of Mo from high-spin to medium-spin by the neighboring Fe. • The medium-spin of Mo promotes the protonation of *NH2. • The decreasing of spin state leads to moderate binding strength of·NH3. • Fe/Mo N C is a novel NRR catalyst with low limiting potentials and high selectivity. Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (eNRR) is a promising method for the sustainable production of ammonia as an alternative to the traditional energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. In this work, an efficient strategy by atomic spin regulation to promote NRR through Fe-transition metal (TM) hybrid heteronuclear dual-atom catalysts has been studied. By means of DFT computations, the stability, activity, and selectivity of 30 kinds of Fe-based dual-atoms anchored on N -doped porous graphene are systematically investigated to evaluate their catalytic performance. Fe/Mo N C is screened as an excellent NRR catalyst with the limiting potentials of 0.63 V, and also suppresses HER. In the Fe/Mo N C, the neighboring Fe atom regulates the spin state of the Mo center in MoN 4 from high-spin state (2.63 μ B) to medium-spin state (0.74 μ B), which can effectively relieve the strong overlapping between Mo 4 d orbital with the N x H y intermediates, promote the desorption of reaction product, and eventually achieve a lower limiting potential. Interestingly, the archetype of the active center of nitrogenase is also a FeMo-cofactor, which is consistent with our screening results. The work may provide new insight into the mechanism of nitrogenase, and promote the rational design of efficient NRR catalysts by atomic spin regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent ICTV taxonomy updates significantly changed phage taxonomy, yet a thorough phage classification workflow doesn't exist. This study compares six categorization tools and establishes a novel multi-method approach, combining genome similarity and specialized protein analysis. Applying the method to APEC phage P151 showed consistent categorization across platforms. A possible workflow for phage classification is proposed; offering a versatile tool for phage research and development. • Six phage classification tools classified Phage P151, leading to a new classification process proposal. • This process generally relies on two factors: genome-wide similarities and unique functional proteins. • Successfully determining phage P151's precise virological classification validated the consistent and accurate of process. • Our method boosts both accuracy and efficiency, benefiting researchers by offering a crucial tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the high-speed railway industry, the pantograph-catenary system is responsible to provide continuous electric energy for the high-speed train. The pantograph-catenary system suffers multiple impacts from the complex work environment. The vehicle-track excitation is one of the normal disturbances to the pantograph-catenary interaction. Previous studies only consider the vertical effect of the vehicle-track vibration on the pantograph-catenary interaction. To address this deficiency, both of the pantograph-catenary and vehicle-track models are constructed in this paper. The validations of both models are verified by the experimental test and the world benchmark, respectively. The pantograph base follows the translations and rotations of the car-body caused by random rail irregularities. In combination with a spatial contact model between the contact wire and the pantograph strip, the spatial vibration of the carbody can be fully considered in the pantograph-catenary interaction. The statistical analysis, stochastic analysis and frequency analysis are performed to make sense of the effect of the random track irregularities on the pantograph-catenary interaction. The deviation of the contact point away from the strip centre caused by the carbody vibration is also analysed. The results show that the reliability of the pantograph-catenary system shows a continuous decrease in the degradation of rail quality. The carbody vibration may cause the de-wirement of the pantograph in extreme conditions. Finally, an application example is given to evaluate the dynamic performance of the pantograph-catenary system running on the China high-speed network with realistic rail irregularities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Soybean-oil-based polymer is a promising bio-based water barrier coating on paper packaging but the application is challenged due to its poor water dispersibility. In this present study, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) modified nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) was used to implement a stable dispersion of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) in water and thus synergistically improved the water vapor barrier properties after coating on paper. APTES-NCC was successfully prepared, and displayed a better interface compatibility with AESO through the Michael addition reaction. Compared with NCC, APTES-NCC displayed an improved hydrophobicity and wettability with AESO, with an increase of contact angle from 38.0° to 76.4°, and a decrease of interfacial tension from 91.5 ± 3.5 mN/m to 82.9 ± 1.8 mN/m. As an emulsifier, APTES-NCC can be more effectively adsorbed on the oil–water interface to form a more stable emulsion than NCC, with a decrease of AESO droplets size from 4.8 µm to 3.1 µm, and a remarkable improvement in static and centrifugal stability. In rheological measurement, the APTES-NCC/AESO emulsion showed a wider linear viscoelastic region (3.4%), better viscoelasticity and thermal curing properties than that of NCC/AESO emulsion, which further explained that the stability of APTES-NCC/AESO emulsion were improved. Therefore, APTES-NCC/AESO emulsion as a coating on paper cured into a continuous barrier film can effectively improve the water vapor barrier properties of paper, and the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of paper can be reduced from 1392.8 g/m2•24 h (NCC/AESO emulsion-coated) to 1286.3 g/m2 24 h (APTES-NCC/AESO emulsion-coated), both are significantly lower than that of base paper (1926.7 g/m2•24 h). CLSM testing showed that APTES-NCC could interact effectively with AESO to forming a tight barrier on paper surface and at the same time, sealing the pores inside the paper to resist water vapor penetration. The high-stable AESO emulsion prepared by APTES-NCC is expected to facilitate the utilization of NCC and AESO as a value-added material in making sustainable barrier packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MSC-Exos was extracted from pre-differentiated hBMSCs by ultracentrifugation. • MSC-Exos encapsulated hydrogel effectively promotes osteogenesis and angiogenesis. • The miR-18a-5p in MSC-Exos regulates macrophage polarization by the p53 pathway. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) have emerged as promising candidates for cell-free therapy in tissue regeneration. However, the native osteogenic and angiogenic capacities of MSC-Exos are often insufficient to repair critical-sized bone defects, and the underlying immune mechanisms remain elusive. Furthermore, achieving sustained delivery and stable activity of MSC-Exos at the defect site is essential for optimal therapeutic outcomes. Here, we extracted exosomes from osteogenically pre-differentiated human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) by ultracentrifugation and encapsulated them in gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel to construct a composite scaffold. The resulting exosome-encapsulated hydrogel exhibited excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility, facilitating sustained delivery of MSC-Exos. Osteogenic pre-differentiation significantly enhanced the osteogenic and angiogenic properties of MSC-Exos, promoting osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs and angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Furthermore, MSC-Exos induced polarization of Raw264.7 cells from a pro-inflammatory phenotype to an anti-inflammatory phenotype under simulated inflammatory conditions, thereby creating an immune microenvironment conducive to osteogenesis. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis revealed that MSC-Exos activate the p53 pathway through targeted delivery of internal microRNAs and regulate macrophage polarization by reducing DNA oxidative damage. Our study highlights the potential of osteogenic exosome-encapsulated composite hydrogels for the development of cell-free scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a bounded domain D and a real number p > 0 , denote by A p (D) the linear space of L p integrable holomorphic functions on D , equipped with the L p -pseudonorm. We prove that two bounded hyperconvex domains D 1 ⊂ C n and D 2 ⊂ C m are biholomorphic (in particular n = m) if there is a linear isometry between A p (D 1) and A p (D 2) for some 0 < p < 2. The same result holds for p > 2 , p ≠ 2 , 4 , ⋯ , provided that the p -Bergman kernels on D 1 and D 2 are exhaustive. With this as a motivation, we show that, for all p > 0 , the p -Bergman kernel on a strongly pseudoconvex domain with C 2 boundary or a simply connected homogeneous regular domain is exhaustive. These results show that spaces of pluricanonical sections of complex manifolds equipped with canonical pseudonorms are important linear invariants of complex manifolds. The second part of the present work devotes to studying variations of these invariants. We show that the direct image sheaf of the twisted relative pluricanonical bundle associated to a holomorphic family of Stein manifolds or compact Kähler manifolds is positively curved, with respect to the canonical singular Finsler metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) is a new generation metal-free polymer semiconductor photocatalyst for solar water splitting. In this work, we report a gaseous treatment in wet nitrogen ambience, which can realize carbon deposition and nanosheets stripping in one step. The free carbon functions as electron trapping and the bridge of g-C 3 N 4 and co-catalyst Pt, producing a high charge separation efficiency. The carbon content in the C/g-C 3 N 4 hybrid nanosheets can be adjusted by changing ethanol content in the treating ambience. The optimized C/g-C 3 N 4 (5%) nanosheets achieve the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 10482.62 μmol h−1 g−1, which is 2.3 times that of g-C 3 N 4 (0%) nanosheets, even 13.9 times that of bulk g-C 3 N 4. Optical properties, charges transfer and specific surface area of the C/g-C 3 N 4 hybrid nanosheets are measured to discuss the mechanism of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The combination of high optical absorption in visible region and high charge separation efficiency contribute to the enhanced hydrogen evolution performance. C/g-C 3 N 4 hybrid nanosheets, obtained by gaseous stripping method, possess excellent hydrogen evolution performances due to the high optical absorption, high specific surface area and low recombination rate. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of novel adsorbents with high adsorption capacity and easy recovery property is imperative in the field of wastewater treatment. In this study, a hard template-induced assembly strategy was developed to fabricate the magnetic hollow poly(cyclotriphosphazene- co -4,4′-sulfonyldiphenol)-Fe 3 O 4 (PZS-Fe 3 O 4) hybrid nanocapsules, in which Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were well embedded in the cross-linked PZS shell. The resulting samples were well characterized using SEM, TEM, EDS, FT-IR, VSM, XPS, XRD and N 2 sorption. Then, using Safranine T (ST) as model dye, the adsorption behavior of as-prepared hollow PZS-Fe 3 O 4 nanocapsules including adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms, adsorption mechanism, and recyclability were systematically evaluated and discussed. The results revealed that the magnetic hollow PZS-Fe 3 O 4 nanocapsules own high adsorption capacity towards ST dye and outstanding magnetic separation functionality. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir model can well describe the experimental data, and the adsorption process is controlled by more than one diffusion step. The interaction between ST dye and hollow PZS-Fe 3 O 4 nanocapsules is ascribed to π-π interaction and electrostatic interaction. The thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the adsorption processes were physical, endothermic, and spontaneous. Additionally, the magnetic hollow PZS-Fe 3 O 4 nanocapsules also shows excellent peroxidase-like catalytic activity in the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine with H 2 O 2 , indirectly confirming the adsorption kinetic results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Organic dye pollution in the water environment is a problem of global concern. Adsorption is demonstrated as a promising technology to remove organic dyes from wastewater, in which the development of highly-efficient adsorbents is still the challenging task. Herein, we reported the facile fabrication of polyamine-based cyclophosphazene hybrid (PCP-NH 2) hollow microcapsules with cross-linked structure, generated by one-step precipitation polymerization between hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and branched polyethyleneimine, and subsequent acetone treatment. Their morphology, composition and structure were confirmed by SEM, TEM, FTIR, TGA, and XPS. The endowment of hollow PCP-NH 2 microcapsules as potential adsorbents were thoroughly evaluated using eight organic dyes with different surface charges. The adsorption action of hollow PCP-NH 2 microcapsules highly depends on the surfaces charges, exhibiting highly-efficient and selective adsorption behavior towards anionic dyes. Especially, The adsorption capacity of the hollow PCP-NH 2 microcapsules towards anionic dyes of EY, ACBK, MO and EB reaches up to 1196.36, 1190.65, 1142.77 and 1040.92 mg/g at 25 °C, respectively. The adsorption kinetics shows a better fit to pseudo second-order kinetic model, compared to pseudo-first-order kinetic and Weber's intraparticle diffusion models. The adsorption equilibrium data followed the Langmuir isotherm well. The adsorption thermodynamic experiments demonstrated that adsorption was a physisorption process with endothermic and spontaneous characteristic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influences of fractal dimension ( D f ) of membrane surface on interfacial interactions related to membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor were investigated based on thermodynamic methods. It was found that membrane surface had significant fractal features, and its fractal dimension could be characterized by the power spectrum method. The modified Weierstrass-Mandelbrot (WM) function was found to be effective to model the fractal membrane surface, and higher D f corresponded to higher number of fine asperities in the modeled surface. Moreover, the modeled surface roughness exponentially decreased with D f . Interaction calculations according to a novel method showed that the interactions for fractal membrane surface were elongated and weakened as compared with smooth membrane surface. It was interestingly found that the absolute value of total interaction monotonically decreased with D f of membrane surface. As D f is a measure of substance stiffness, this result indicates that softer surface is more susceptible to adhesion by sludge foulant. The results offered new insights into membrane fouling mechanisms and alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let P + (n) denote the largest prime factor of an integer n. In this paper, we study the asymptotics of sums ∑ p ⩽ x P + (p + h) ⩽ y 1 and ∑ n ⩽ x , P + (n) ⩽ y 1 P + (n + h) ⩽ y 2 1 for x ε ⩽ y , y 1 , y 2 ⩽ x. Our results imply that two conjectures concerning the asymptotics for the above two sums, which were considered by Erdős and Pomerance, hold on average. As an application of the first sum above, we can deduce that there are infinitely many primes p ⩽ x such that P + (p + h) > p 1 − ε for all but o ((log ⁡ x) c 0 ) values of shifts h , where c 0 is a small computable constant. As applications of the second sum above, we consider the averaged version of Erdős–Turán's conjecture and the equation a + b = c. In particular, we show that there exists at least a positive density (>17.505%) of triples of integers { a , b , c } such that a + b = c and c ≪ P + (a) P + (c). This upper bound is stronger than c ≪ (∏ p | a b c p) 1 + ε in the abc -conjecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Thermochromic VO2 was directly synthesized using hydrothermal techniques. The effects of formation conditions on the structure and morphology of the final product were studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Unique hollow sphere morphology was observed for the synthesized VO2 powders. Ex-situ XRD studies after heat treatment confirmed the thermal stability of the VO2 structure. Thermochromic properties, as a consequence of the reversible structural transformation between monoclinic VO2 and tetragonal phases, were observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bayberry juice has high potential value both for both health and the economy in China. However, great challenges arise in retaining the original flavor of bayberry juice. Using headspace solid-phase microextraction with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, this work investigated flavor differences between bayberry juice and bayberry fruit. Additionally, the relative odor activity value (ROAV) was used to determine the aroma contribution of the flavor compounds to the overall flavor. Aroma compounds, such as (E)− 2-decenal (orange, sweet, green), linalool (floral), and (E)-β-ocimene (sweet, herbal), were absent from bayberry juice. Moreover, compounds such as β-caryophyllene (woody, spice), nonanal (orange, green), and (E)− 2-nonenal (citrus, green) exhibited significantly greater ROAVs in bayberry juice than in bayberry fruit. The above differences led to a deviation in the flavor of bayberry juice from that of bayberry fruit. Bayberry thinning fruit, an agricultural waste, is rich in aroma compounds, including key bayberry flavor compounds such as (E)− 2-decenal, linalool, and (E)-β-ocimene. Using bayberry thinning fruit as one of the raw materials for bayberry juice could not only supplement the missing flavor characteristic compounds in bayberry juice but also achieve sustainable utilization of bayberry thinning fruit. ● Absent key flavor compounds in bayberry juice have been found when compared with bayberry fruit. ● ROAV method was applied for evaluating flavor contribution of volatile components. ● The possibility of utilizing thinning fruit as raw materials for bayberry juice was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3) is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor in the bombesin receptor family that still awaits identification of its natural ligand. BRS-3 deficient mice develop a mild late-onset obesity with metabolic defects, implicating BRS-3 plays a role in feeding and metabolism. We describe here the pharmacological characterization of a synthetic compound, 16a, which serves as a potent agonist for BRS-3. This compound is selective for BRS-3 as it does not activate neuromedin B or gastrin-releasing peptide receptors, two most closely related bombesin receptors, as well as a series of other GPCRs. We assessed the receptor trafficking of BRS-3 and found that compound 16a promoted β-arrestin translocation to the cell membrane. Neither central nor peripheral administration of compound 16a affects locomotor activity in mice. Therefore compound 16a is a potential tool to study the function of the BRS-3 system in vitro and possibly in vivo. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• CASC2 is downregulated in sepsis patients' serums and LPS-stimulated HK2 and HEK293 cells. • CASC2 overexpression promotes cell viability and suppresses cell apoptosis, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and oxidative stress in LPS-treated HK2 and HEK293 cells. • CASC2 positively regulates PPARA expression by targeting miR-545-3p. • CASC2 overexpression relieves LPS-induced injury of HK2 and HEK293 cells by reducing miR-545-3p and elevating PPARA. : Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to be involved in the progression of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). In this study, we aimed to explore the functions of lncRNA cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2) in sepsis-induced AKI. : The sepsis cell models were established by exposing HK2 and HEK293 cells into lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was conducted to determine the expression of CASC2, miR-545-3p and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARA) mRNA. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, flow cytometry analysis and wound healing assay were employed for cell viability, apoptosis and migration, respectively. Western blot assay was conducted for the protein levels of E-cadherin, α-SMA and PPARA. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured by specific kits. The relationship between miR-545-3p and CASC2 or PPARA was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. : CASC2 level was decreased in sepsis patients' serums and LPS-treated HK2 and HEK293 cells. CASC2 overexpression facilitated cell viability and restrained cell apoptosis, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and oxidative stress in LPS-triggered HK2 and HEK293 cells. CASC2 was identified as a sponge for miR-545-3p to regulate PPARA expression. MiR-545-3p overexpression restored the impact of CASC2 on LPS-induced injury in HK2 and HEK293 cells. Moreover, miR-545-3p overexpression aggravated LPS-induced cell injury in HK2 and HEK293 cells by targeting PPARA. : CASC2 overexpression relieved the damage of HK2 and HEK293 cells mediated by LPS treatment through regulating miR-545-3p/PPARA axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycosylation modification serves as a pivotal quality attribute in glycoprotein-based therapeutics, emphasizing its role in drug safety and efficacy. Prior studies have underscored the potential immunogenic risks posed by the presence of galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc) in glycoprotein formulations. This accentuates the imperative for developing robust qualitative and quantitative analytical methods to monitor these immunogenic epitopes, thereby ensuring drug safety. In the present investigation, α-Gal and NeuGc were accurately quantified using UPLC-FLR-MS/MS at the oligosaccharide level. Remarkably, α-Gal could be identified when the ion intensity ratio or the mass-to-charge ratio (m / z) of 528.19 to 366.14 exceeded 1. Concurrently, NeuGc and N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc) could be unambiguously identified through their respective fragment ions at m / z 673.23 and m / z 657.23. Furthermore, relative quantification of α-Gal and NeuGc was achieved using fluorescence signals. This study introduces a sensitive and reliable analytical approach for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of α-Gal and NeuGc in glycoprotein pharmaceuticals. The methodology offers significant potential for application in process control and optimization of glycoprotein production, aimed at minimizing immunogenicity and enhancing product quality. [Display omitted] • This method deternine precisly α-Gal, NeuGc, and NeuAc based on characteristic fragments detected by MS. • This method can quantify α-Gal, NeuGc, and NeuAc based on fluorescence. • The method can complete the analysis of all free N-glycans of a biological drug in a single detection. • This process is easy to use, negates the need for complex enzymatic hydrolysis, and is cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional stirring method cannot be employed for chip-on-lab reactions such as microfluidic and microdroplet reactions as well as nanoscale reactions. Therefore, it is necessary to design a nanoscale magnetic stirrer with a high magnetic response towards the external magnetic field. In this work, one dimentional core@shell structured Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @poly(cyclotriphosphazene- co -4,4′-sulfonyldiphenol) magnetic nanochains modified by nickel hydroxide (denoted as Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PZS@Ni(OH) 2 NCs) as nanoscale magnetic stirrer and recyclable self-mixing nanocatalysts are successfully prepared through three steps: synthesis of Fe-Fe 2 O 3 nanochains (NCs) with high saturation magnetization, coating with poly (cyclotriphosphazene- co -4,4′-sulfonyldiphenol) (PZS), and nickel hydroxide’s anchoring on the surface of Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PZS NCs. The cross-linked polymer PZS is used to protect Fe-Fe 2 O 3 NCs from chemical corrosion and as a platform for subsequent immobilization of nickel hydroxide. Characterization results show that the Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PZS@Ni(OH) 2 NCs own chainlike structure and high saturation magnetization of 103 emu g −1 at room temperature, exhibiting high magnetic response to the external rotating magnetic field. In the macro-reaction system for 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction, the as-prepared Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PZS@Ni(OH) 2 NCs show an apparent rate constant of about 0.60 min −1 . Furthermore, the Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PZS@Ni(OH) 2 catalyst is reused ten times while no obvious loss of catalytic activity was observed. In the micro-reaction system, the Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PZS@Ni(OH) 2 NCs also display good magnetic response and favorable catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of methylene blue. These results indicate that the bifunctional Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PZS@Ni(OH) 2 NCs with high saturation magnetization have great potential as excellent nanocatalysts and as promising nanoscale magnetic stirrers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of facile and cost-effective routes to achieve hierarchical porous and heteroatoms-doped carbon architectures is urgently needed for high-performance supercapacitor application. In our study, ternary-doped (nitrogen, phosphorus and oxygen) hollow carbon microspheres (NPO-HCSs) are fabricated by one-step pyrolysis of single poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-phloroglucinol) (PCPP) microsphere, which is generated through a facile polymerization between hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and phloroglucinol at mild conditions. The whole preparation process is not used any additional template or activating agent. The obtained NPO-HCS-950 with average diameter of 580 nm and shell thickness of about 80 nm have a high specific surface area (2390 m 2  g −1 ), a large pore volume (1.35 cm 3  g −1 ), hierarchically interconnected pore texture, and uniform ternary heteroatom doping (O: 3.04 at%; N: 1.33 at% and P: 0.67 at%). As an electrode material for supercapacitors, the specific capacitance of the NPO-HCS-950 reaches 253 F g −1 of 1 A g − 1 and 176 F g −1 at 20 A g −1 , revealing superior rate performance. The capacity retention after 10,000 consecutive charge-discharge cycles at 20 A g −1 is up to 98.9%, demonstrating excellent cycling stability. Moreover, the assembled symmetric supercapacitor using NPO-HCS-950 exhibits a relatively high energy density of 17.6 W h kg −1 at a power density of 800 W kg −1 . Thus, a promising electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors is obtained through a facile, green and scalable synthesis route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The flexible bevel gear model showing accurate predicted modal frequency. • A gear-rotor-bearing-SFD vibration reduction dynamics model. • The impact of squirrel cage elastic support flexibility on gear system critical speed. • The bevel gear test platform with SFD. Squeeze film damper (SFD) effectively reduces rotor motion amplitude while crossing critical speeds for vibration and noise reduction in a wide application of aero-engine rotor system. The squirrel cage elastic support (SCES) as an essential component of SFD, accurate modelling of SCES using component modal synthesis (CMS) to account for its flexibility, and calculation of nonlinear oil film forces for SFD using the finite difference method. The CMS method is also used to model the bevel gear wheel body and to establish a finite element nodal dynamics model of the gear-rotor-bearing-SFD system considering time-varying mesh stiffness, tooth clearance, gyroscopic effects, transmission error excitation and SFD oil film forces. The modal frequency of the gear shaft in aero-engine power transmission is exercised to verify the established bevel gear model. Moreover, a bevel gear test platform with SFD is established to study the vibration reduction effect of SFD. It is found that SFD can effectively improve the transmission of the bevel gear system, and the flexibility of the SCES makes the critical speed shift. Actually, the smaller the stiffness of SCES, the more the critical speed is moved to the left. By using CMS to determine the flexibility of bevel gear and SCES, it can show the complete phenomenon of the dynamic behaviors of the bevel gear system with SFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is widely used for host cell proteins (HCP) identification in antibody drug development because of its sensitivity, selectivity, and adaptability. However, LC-MS based identification of HCP in biotherapeutics produced from the prokaryotic Escherichia coli -derived growth hormone (GH) has rarely been reported. Herein, we developed a universal and powerful workflow by combining optimized sample preparation with one-dimension ultra-high performance LC-MS based shotgun proteomics to support HCP profiling in GH samples from downstream pools and the final product, which would be beneficial to direct the purification process development and compare the difference of impurity of different products for guiding the development of the biosimilar. A standard-spiking strategy was also developed to increase the depth of HCP identification. Spiking with standards enables additional identification of HCP species, which is promising for trace-level HCP analysis. Our universal and standard-spiking protocols would open an avenue for profiling HCP in biotherapeutics derived from prokaryotic host cells. [Display omitted] • A universal and powerful workflow to support HCP profiling in GH samples from upstream pools and final product. • The standard-spiking strategy increases the identification depth of HCP. • Applicable for profiling the HCP in biotherapeutics derived from procaryote host cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minimum entropy deconvolution is a widely-used tool in machinery fault diagnosis, because it enhances the impulse component of the signal. The filter coefficients that greatly influence the performance of the minimum entropy deconvolution are calculated by an iterative procedure. This paper proposes an improved deconvolution method for the fault detection of rolling element bearings. The proposed method solves the filter coefficients by the standard particle swarm optimization algorithm, assisted by a generalized spherical coordinate transformation. When optimizing the filters performance for enhancing the impulses in fault diagnosis (namely, faulty rolling element bearings), the proposed method outperformed the classical minimum entropy deconvolution method. The proposed method was validated in simulation and experimental signals from railway bearings. In both simulation and experimental studies, the proposed method delivered better deconvolution performance than the classical minimum entropy deconvolution method, especially in the case of low signal-to-noise ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High adsorption ability and good separation functionality are necessary to an excellent adsorbent for organic dye removal from wastewater. In this study, core@shell nanostructured magnetic Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @polydopamine (PDA) nanochains (defined as Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PDA NCs) were facilely synthesized through self-polymerization of dopamine on the surface of Fe-Fe 2 O 3 NCs. The dye adsorption performance, recyclability and magnetic separability of the Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PDA NCs were investigated through selecting malachite green (MG) as a model organic dye. The effects of initial MG concentration, initial solution pH, temperature, and contact time on dye adsorption were systematically studied. Results show that the adsorption capacity of the Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PDA NCs for MG was 61.22 mg/g at 25 °C. Both π-π stacking and electrostatic interactions might be responsible for the adsorption of MG on Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PDA NCs. The adsorption kinetic follows both pseudo-second-order kinetic and Weber’s intraparticle diffusion models. And the adsorption isothermal models fit Langmuir well. Besides, the Fe-Fe 2 O 3 @PDA NCs exhibit good recyclable adsorption property towards MG dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers. The vast majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced, unresectable disease because of early invasive growth and metastatic spread. The aim of this study was to examine YB-1 expression in pancreatic cancer and determine its effects on cell invasion. YB-1 is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer cell lines and patient tissue samples. In patient tissues, high YB-1 levels correlated with perineural invasion. Silencing of YB-1 significantly reduced cell invasion with decreased expression of MMPs in vitro. Furthermore, we found that the expression of YB-1 was suppressed by miR-216a via direct binding to the YB-1 3’-untranslated region. MiR-216a and YB-1 expression levels were inversely correlated in pancreatic cancer cell lines. In addition, ectopic expression of miR-216a inhibited cell invasion in vitro. Taken together, our findings suggest that YB-1 may play an important role in mediating metastatic behaviour and that repression of YB-1 by miR-216a could have a promising therapeutic potential to inhibit tumor metastasis in pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A polygonal approximation method for holes is developed to calculate the mesh stiffness with weight reduction holes. • The deflection decomposition method for the fast calculation of the mesh stiffness of lightweight gears with modifications. • Tooth modification reduces the vibration fluctuation caused by holes. Though the special gear foundation structure and tooth modification are effectively applied to weight optimization and vibration control, the lack of an effective mathematical model limits the investigation of their effects. The present work develops a general polygonal approximation method for weight reduction holes, which is introduced into an analytical-finite element (AFE) method along with the decomposition method to calculate the time-varying mesh stiffness (TVMS) of modified spur gear pairs with complex foundation (thin webs and weight reduction holes). The comparisons with the traditional finite element (FE) method show the superiority of the model in calculation accuracy and efficiency. Furthermore, the actual TVMS is introduced into the dynamics model of a high-speed gear-rotor-bearing system to analyze the dynamic responses, and the effectiveness of the model is verified by experiments. The results indicate that the thin web has a greater influence on the reduction of average amplitude in stiffness than holes. The thin web significantly controls the system vibration, while the tooth modification reduces the vibration fluctuation caused by holes at medium and high speeds. The analysis and experimental results provide an important reference for gear weight optimization and vibration reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gear foundation is commonly assumed to be a rigid body in analyzing the dynamic characteristics of the gear system. This modeling approach may not be appropriate for building the gear model with lightweight features. Therefore, this paper proposes a gear dynamic model considering the flexible gear. The shell element with gyroscopic effect is employed to establish the gear finite element model, retaining the gear foundation and teeth structure. The fixed interface modal synthesis method is used to improve computational efficiency. The proposed model is verified by comparing it with the results calculated by Ansys. Based on the proposed model, the effects of gear flexibility on the dynamic characteristics of the spur and helical gear system are investigated. Numerical results show that the developed model can degenerate into the classical gear dynamic model. Due to the assumption of the gear as rigid discs, the predicted resonance speed by the conventional gear dynamic model is larger than the proposed model. Gear flexibility affects the dynamic characteristics of the spur and helical gear system differently. It's worth noting that the dynamic axial meshing force can excite the nodal diameter vibration in the helical gear system. The proposed model provides the theoretical basis and optimization tools for the high-performance design and vibration and noise reduction of high-speed lightweight gear transmission systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombomodulin (TM) is an endothelial cell membrane protein and plays critical roles in anti-thrombosis, anti-inflammation, vascular endothelial protection, and is traditionally regarded as a “vascular protection god”. In recent years, although TM has been reported to be down-regulated in a variety of malignant tumors including lung cancer, the role and mechanism of TM in lung cancer are enigmatic. In this study, we found that induction of TM overexpression by cholesterol-reducing drug atorvastatin significantly diminished the tumorigenic capability of the lung cancer cells. Moreover, we demonstrated that TM overexpression caused G0/G1 phase arrest and markedly reduced the colony forming capability of the cells. Furthermore, overexpression of TM inhibited cell migration and invasion. Consistently, depletion of TM promoted cell growth, reduced the cell population at the G0/G1 phase, and enhanced cell migratory ability. Mechanistic study revealed that TM up-regulated E-cadherin but down-regulated N-cadherin expression, resulting in reversal of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the lung cancer cells. Moreover, silencing TM expression led to decreased E-cadherin and increased N-cadherin. Taken together, our study suggests that TM functions as a tumor suppressive protein, providing a conceptual framework for inducing TM overexpression as a sensible strategy and approach for novel anti-lung cancer drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that arsenic trioxide (ATO) exhibits its anti-cancer activities in a variety of human malignancies. Recent studies have revealed that ATO regulated multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) in human cancers. However, the exact mechanism of ATO-mediated tumor suppressive function has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we explore whether ATO governed oncogenic miR-27a in breast cancer cells by multiple methods such as MTT assay, RT-PCR, Wound healing assay, Western blotting analysis, migration, Transwell invasion assay, and transfection. Our results showed that ATO inhibited cell growth, migration, invasion, and induced cell apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Further molecular analysis dissected that ATO inhibited miR-27a expression in breast cancer cells. Moreover, inhibition of miR-27a suppressed cell growth, migration, invasion, and trigged cell apoptosis, whereas overexpression of miR-27a enhanced cell growth, motility, and inhibited apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Notably, we found that miR-27a inhibitor treatment potentiates ATO-induced breast cancer cell growth inhibition, apoptosis and motility inhibition. However, overexpression of miR-27a partly abrogated ATO-mediated anti-tumor activity. Our findings provide a novel anti-tumor mechanism of ATO involved in miR-27a for the treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess the effects of intrahepatic autotransplantation of bone-derived Beagle canine mesenchymal stem cells (BcMSCs) containing human insulin and EGFP in diabetic Beagle dogs. Materials and Methods: BcMSCs were isolated from Beagle canine bone marrow, expanded, and transfected with a recombinant retrovirus MSCV carrying human insulin and EGFP. Animals were made diabetic by an intravenous administration of streptozotocin (STZ, 30mg/kg) and alloxan (50mg/kg), followed by intrahepatic autotransplantation of transfected BcMSCs. The variations of body weight, blood glucose, serum insulin levels, and plasma C-peptide were determined after autotransplantation. BcMSCs'' survival and human insulin expression in liver and serum were examined by fluorescent microscopy, radioimmunoassay (RIA), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: The body weight of diabetic Beagle dogs received BcMSCs transplantation increased by 11.09% within 16 wk after treatment, and the average blood glucose levels were 19.80±3.13mmol/L (d 7) and 9.78±3.11mmol/L (d 112), while in untreated animals, the average values were 21.20±3.26mmol/L (d 7) and 22.5±3.22mmol/L (d 112), showing a significant difference (P <0.05). The detection of C-peptide excluded the possible function of regenerative β cells. However, glucose tolerance test revealed BcMSCs group response was not as efficient as that of normal islets, although they could respond to the glucose challenge. Conclusion: Experimental diabetes could be relieved effectively for up to 16 wk by intrahepatic autotransplantation of BcMSCs expressing human insulin, which implies a novel approach of gene therapy for type I diabetes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A data-driven method is proposed to diagnose the faults in railway vehicle suspensions. • The method is used to identify the suspension faults based on a vehicle simulation model. • The method is validated by simulations and practical tests. Online health monitoring of railway vehicle suspension systems is of critical importance to guarantee train running safety. The currently reported works on vehicle suspension health monitoring mainly adopt model-based approaches. However, detailed parameters of the vehicle suspension systems, usually, are complicated to be acquired. Moreover, an accurate model cannot be easily obtained due to the nonlinearities of vehicle components and the complexity of suspension systems. Considering the limitations of the model-based approaches, a data-driven method, which combines multiscale permutation entropy and linear local tangent space alignment (MPE-LLTSA), is proposed to diagnose the faults of vehicle suspension systems. To demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of this method, an MBS model of the China CRH3 train is built to generate the bogie frame's lateral acceleration containing various secondary suspension faults, and the simulated signals are then introduced to evaluate the MPE-LLTSA method. The evaluation results show that the proposed data-driven approach can accurately identify different types of suspension faults. Finally, the MPE-LLTSA method is further validated using the tracking data of the CRH3 train running on a high-speed railway line in China, and the test results show that the proposed method has the potential to be applied to the field of railway engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrochemical dynamic membrane filtration (EDMF) system for simultaneous solid-liquid separation (also protecting electrodes against fouling) and sewage disinfection was developed. At a low voltage of 2.5 V, efficient disinfection performance was achieved in the EDMF, with ~100% log removal efficiency (no detectable bacteria in the effluent). Results also demonstrated that the EDMF system, operated at membrane flux of 100 L/(m2 h), could maintain long-lasting bacterial disinfection efficiency of real wastewater (~100% log removal) in continuous flow tests. Transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased from 0.8 kPa to 22 kPa within 80 d (one operation cycle), and cleaning of EDMF could effectively restore TMP and biocidal behaviors for subsequent filtration cycles. In contrast, without dynamic membrane, the disinfection efficiency was decreased from initial ~100% log removal (with no detectable live bacteria) to ~44.4% log removal within 7 d. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidation was responsible for bacteria disinfection in the EDMF, and HO• and H 2 O 2 generated in this system played a dominant role, causing damage to cell membranes and K+ leakage from cytosol. Moreover, catalase and superoxide dismutase for intracellular ROS attenuation were inhibited, resulting in the increase of intracellular oxidative stress and thus high-efficient disinfection. These results highlight the potential of EDMF system to be used for wastewater treatment and disinfection. • An electrochemical dynamic membrane for separation and disinfection was developed. • Efficient disinfection (~100% log removal) was achieved at voltage of 2.5 V. • Reactive oxygen species (ROS) oxidation was responsible for bacteria disinfection. • Catalase and superoxide dismutase for intracellular ROS attenuation were inhibited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blind deconvolution is a method for enhancing the fault feature of rolling element bearings. Based on different maximization criteria, including kurtosis, correlated kurtosis, D-norm, multi-D-norm, and cyclostationarity indicator, different blind deconvolution algorithms have been proposed as powerful tools for fault feature extraction. However, kurtosis and D-norm are susceptible to extreme values, while the other three criteria strongly rely on prior knowledge of the fault period. To overcome the shortcomings of the existing criteria, this study proposes a new criterion called impulse-norm. It is a time-domain parameter defined as the ratio of the average amplitude of the first several maximum energy points to the energy of the entire signal. As opposed to kurtosis and D-norm, the impulse-norm is not affected by strong random impulses. Unlike correlation kurtosis, multi-D-norm and cyclostationarity indicator, it is also independent from the fault period. Based on impulse-norm, we also propose a new deconvolution algorithm called particle swarm optimization-based maximum impulse-norm deconvolution. This blind deconvolution algorithm employs generalized sphere coordinate transformation and adopts the PSO algorithm to optimally solve the filter coefficients by maximizing the impulse-norm of the signal being filtered. The proposed method was validated using simulated signals and high-speed train axle-box bearing experimental signals. The simulation and experimental results indicated that the proposed PSO-MIND method can effectively identify the weak impulse fault feature of rolling element bearings. • This paper proposes a new criterion called impulse-norm for deconvolution problem. • This paper proposes a novel deconvolution algorithm based on impulse-norm. • The proposed PSO-MIND can effectively identify the weak fault of bearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]