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In current work, the interaction between representative CFAS deposit (33CaO-10FeO 1.5 -13AlO 1.5 -44SiO 2) and Yb 4 Hf 3 O 12 ceramics at 1400 °C was investigated. Results indicated that the Yb 4 Hf 3 O 12 ceramics are of high resistance to infiltration of CFAS melt. Microstructure characterization revealed that Yb 4 Hf 3 O 12 reacted with CFAS to form a continuous reaction layer mainly composed of Yb-Ca-Si apatite, which inhibits CFAS further infiltration. Before the formation of the reaction layer, CFAS melts underwent a crystallization process at high temperatures, precipitating CaYbFeAlSi-garnet, which raised the viscosity of CFAS and thus inhibited the fluidity of CFAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, Yb 4 Hf 3 O 12 ceramic, a typical rare-earth hafnate, was exposed to water vapor with Al(OH) 3 impurities at 1400 ℃, and microstructural evolution and corrosion mechanisms were investigated. The long-term corrosion can be divided into initial hydration and gasification of Hf4+ and steady-state corrosion after the formation of Al 5 Yb 3 O 12. In the initial stage, Hf4+ and the surrounding O2- tend to be hydrated and then volatilized in the form of Hf(OH) 4 , causing a metastable state of Yb 4 Hf 3 O 12 on the surface. Besides, the preferential corrosion of small grains, grain boundary, and specific crystal plane on the surface and sintered and densified grains result in varied corrosion behavior from the early linear law to the later parabolic law. In the steady-state corrosion stage, due to the consumption of Hf4+, more vacancies promote bonding and diffusion of Al3+ to form corrosion product (Al 5 Yb 3 O 12), and during this stage, regrowth and shedding of the corrosion layer reach a dynamic balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after cardiac surgery. This study aims to develop and validate a risk model for predicting AKI after cardiac valve replacement surgery. Data from patients undergoing surgical valve replacement between January 2015 and December 2018 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The subjects were randomly divided into a derivation cohort and a validation cohort at a ratio of 7:3. The primary outcome was defined as AKI within 7 days after surgery. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to select risk predictors for developing the prediction model. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC), calibration plot and clinical decision curve analysis (DCA) will be used to evaluate the discrimination, precision and clinical benefit of the prediction model. A total of 1159 patients were involved in this study. The prevalence of AKI following surgery was 37.0% (429/1159). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, hemoglobin, fibrinogen, serum uric acid, cystatin C, bicarbonate, and cardiopulmonary bypass time were independent risk factors associated with AKI after surgical valve replacement (all P < 0.05). The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) in the derivation cohort and the validation cohort were 0.777 (95% CI 0.744–0.810) and 0.760 (95% CI 0.706–0.813), respectively. The calibration plots indicated excellent consistency between the prediction probability and actual probability. DCA demonstrated great clinical benefit of the prediction model. We developed a prediction model for predicting AKI after cardiac valve replacement surgery that was internally validated to have good discrimination, calibration, and clinical practicability. • Few studies have focused on the prediction of AKI following surgical valve replacement. • This study aimed to develop and validate a risk model for the early prediction of AKI after cardiac valve replacement surgery. • Age, hemoglobin, fibrinogen, serum uric acid, cystatin C, bicarbonate, and cardiopulmonary bypass time are independent risk factors associated with AKI after surgical valve replacement. • We developed a prediction model for predicting AKI after cardiac valve replacement surgery based on 7 risk factors that were internally validated to have good discrimination, calibration, and clinical practicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tribological properties of polyaromatic organics (x P y E) as lubricating grease additives are studied by simulations and experiments. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations are used to simulate the mechanical properties of four kinds of polyaromatic organics (2P1E, 3P2E, 4P3E, and 5P4E) with different aromatic ring numbers and a mass fraction under 300 MPa and 5 m/s relative shear velocity of the two solid walls. The friction force, positive pressure, stress, and adsorption energy are calculated quantitatively. Meantime, the friction coefficient of lubricating grease and the wear morphology of the sample are measured by Multifunctional Friction and Wear Testing Machine. The results show that the organic additives adsorbed on the wall form a protective film during the shearing process, improving the bearing capacity and reducing friction and wear. Among them, the 3P2E organic additive has an appropriate number of aromatic rings. Its single molecular adsorption energy and unit adsorption energy are higher than other organic additives and can uniformly lay on the wall to form a stable, protective film. This demonstrates the best friction performance and improves the load-bearing capacity of the lubricating film, reducing maximum wall stress by 53.4 %. • The effect of polyaromatic organics (x P y E) as grease additives is studied. • Molecular length and aromatic ring number of x P y E affect tribological properties. • Mass fraction of x P y E affects the grease friction performance. • The lubrication system containing 2.5 wt% 3P2E shows the best friction performance. • 3P2E can reduce maximum wall stress by 53.4 % and improve load-bearing capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A molecular dynamics approach is used to simulate the dynamic behaviour of SiO 2 -containing droplets impacting a solid surface. • The presence of SiO 2 particles in droplet promotes the spreading of droplets, which are more easily fragmented. • The rough surface has a stronger ability to capture droplets than the smooth surface. • The minimum value of the droplet's centre-of-mass height on the smooth solid surface is linearly related to the volume fraction of SiO 2 contained in the droplet. The dynamic behaviour of droplets impacting solid surfaces exists in nature, production, and life. In this paper, for the first time, the molecular dynamics method is used to simulate capturing the behaviour of nanodroplets containing SiO 2 on solid surfaces. The dynamic behaviour of nanodroplets impacting solid surfaces is analysed when the initial falling velocity v 0 of the droplet is 0.3–1.5 nm·ps−1 and for different particle size d s , mass fraction φ s of SiO 2 , and solid surfaces with various wettability. The contact angles of droplets containing SiO 2 nanoparticles on the solid surface were measured, and the simulated values closely matched experimental results. The results show that the droplets on the smooth solid surface are completely captured after impact when v 0 = 0.3–1.1 nm·ps−1. When v 0 = 1.2–1.5 nm·ps−1, the droplet is fragmented, and the fragmentation ratio n s increases with the mass fraction φ s. The droplet fragments when v 0 = 1.4–1.5 nm·ps−1 on the rough solid surface when the ratio of the side length of the square column to the droplet diameter is 0.07, while the pure water droplet directly bounces and does not fragment. There is a linear relationship between the minimum height of the centre of mass and the mass fraction in the process of droplet impact. The maximum droplet's spreading factor value in the spreading stage β max increases with mass fraction φ s and v 0. When the spreading factor of droplets increases to β c ≈ 3.02, the droplet fragments. The droplet spreading presents the Wenzel state on the rough solid surface. Moreover, the pinning effect affects the droplet falling into the square column gap surface, hindering droplet spreading. Therefore, the rough surface has better catching ability for the droplet than the smooth surface, while the speed range that can be caught is larger. These results provide a theoretical basis for related engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foods and beverages with excessive tannins acid (TA) content taste astringent and bitter. The overconsumption of TA could result in nutritional and digestive problems. In this study, the cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)/fish swim bladder gelatin (FG) composite sponge was prepared with glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent. The TA adsorption performance of the sponge was discussed. The freeze-dried CNC/FG composite sponge had a porous network structure. CNC was combined into the FG matrix as a reinforcing phase. The mechanical strength, thermal stability, and swelling properties of the composite sponge were improved with the addition of an appropriate amount of CNC. Although CNC decreased the porosity of composite sponge, the increase in active adsorption sites resulted in an overall positive effect on its TA adsorption properties. Under the optimal adsorption conditions, the TA removal rate of 1.0 % CNC composites reached 80.4 %. Furthermore, the sponge retained a TA removal rate of 54 % after five cycles of adsorption and desorption using 50 % ethanol. The results demonstrated that CNC/FG composite sponge has application potential in the field of adsorption materials for TA. [Display omitted] • Porous fish gelatin sponge is capable of removing tannic acid. • Cellulose nanocrystals additives bonded with fish gelatin through hydrogen bonds. • Additives improved mechanical strength, thermal stability, and swelling property. • 1 % cellulose nanocrystals addition achieved best tannic acid removal (80.4 %). • Composite sponge's adsorption follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Yb 2 Si 2 O 7 /SiC bilayer anti-oxidation coating was fabricated on the surface of C/SiC composites by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and the combination of sol-gel and air spraying method to enhance the oxidation resistance of C/SiC composites. Results indicated that the bilayer coating can efficiently prevent the oxidation of C/SiC composites in ambient air at 1773 K for more than 100 h with slight weight loss rate of 8.12 × 10-5 g cm-2 h-1 and retained compression strength of 96.78%. Microstructure characterization revealed that the gradual densification of Yb 2 Si 2 O 7 outer coating exposed to 1773 K reduced the oxygen diffusion pathes within the Yb 2 Si 2 O 7 /SiC bilayer coating, therefore, the weight loss rate of specimens decreased as oxidation proceeded. The oxidation activation energy of bilayer coating coated C/SiC specimen was 107.73 kJ/mol during long time oxidation within the temperature range from 1573 K to 1773 K. Based on the microstructure analysis and oxidation behavior of the specimens with different exposure time of oxidation, the oxygen diffusion rate in the bilayer coating was the controlling link during the long time oxidation course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wood plastic composites (WPCs) have emerged as environmentally benign filaments for fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing. Using WPCs filaments to print light weight and strong cellular structures could create new application potentials for WPCs and provide sustainable feedstock for cellular materials. In this research, the compression performance of FDM printed circle, square, and voronoi WPCs cellular structures were investigated using finite element simulations and compression experiments. Simulated results did not agree with experimental results due to the presence of cavities in the prints. Cavities were formed in the cellular structures with arcs and curvature. The results showed that the circle cellular structure demonstrated great fluctuations between the simulations and experimental results. The cavity porosity was also found to increase with the increase of the print line width. Further, to improve the accuracy of simulations, the cavity porosity exists in the cellular structures was considered while revising the models. After modification, square cellular models compressed the least, followed by the circle and voronoi ones, which was consistent with the experimental results. Minimizing the print line width could reduce cavity porosity. Nonetheless, thinner print line width and smaller wood fiber size in filaments will likely increase manufacturing cost and difficulty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A short multi-wavelength fiber Bragg grating (MW-FBG) fabrication method is proposed and demonstrated. The MW-FBG fabrication method includes making expanded core in the photosensitive single mode fiber (P-SMF) by the discharge-based thermal diffusion technique and writing FBGs on the pre-processed P-SMF through ultraviolet exposure technique. The effect of the arc discharge is to make the dopant in the core of the P-SMF diffuse to the cladding, which can reduce the refractive index of the core at the discharged region. As a result, a single exposure through one phase mask can produce a FBG with multiple resonant wavelengths. The strain and temperature responses of a two-wavelength FBG are experimentally investigated. Results show that the multiple wavelengths of the FBG have almost the same responses to the strain or temperature. The strain sensitivities of the two wavelengths of the FBG are 0.9025 pm/ μ ε and 0.9101 pm/ μ ε , respectively, and the temperature sensitivities are 10.55 pm/°C and 10.33 pm/°C, respectively. Such MW-FBGs have potential applications in the case of small size and high spatial resolution measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the coenzyme B 12 -dependent enzymes, methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MMCM) catalyzes the carbon-skeleton rearrangement reaction between R -methylmalonyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA. Diethyl 2-bromomethyl-2-phenylmalonate, an alkyl bromide substrate having two different migrating groups (phenyl and carboxylic ester groups) on the β -carbon, was applied to the electrolysis mediated by a hydrophobic vitamin B 12 model complex, heptamethyl cobyrinate perchlorate in this study. The electrolysis of the substrate at − 1.0 V vs. Ag-AgCl by light irradiation afforded the simple reduced product (diethyl 2-methyl-2-phenylmalonate) and the phenyl migrated product (diethyl 2-benzyl-2-phenylmalonate), as well as the electrolysis of the substrate at − 1.5 V vs. Ag-AgCl in the dark. The electrolysis of the substrate at − 2.0 V vs. Ag-AgCl afforded the carboxylic ester migrated product (diethyl phenylsuccinate) as the major product. The selectivity for the migrating group was successfully tuned by controlling the electrolysis potential. We clarified that the cathodic chemistry of the Co(III) alkylated heptamethyl cobyrinate is critical for the selectivity of the migrating group through mechanistic investigations and comparisons to the simple vitamin B 12 model complex, an imine/oxime-type cobalt complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the coenzyme B 12 -dependent enzymes, methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MMCM) catalyzes the carbon-skeleton rearrangement reaction between R -methylmalonyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA. Diethyl 2-bromomethyl-2-phenylmalonate, an alkyl bromide substrate having two different migrating groups (phenyl and carboxylic ester groups) on the β -carbon, was applied to the electrolysis mediated by a hydrophobic vitamin B 12 model complex, heptamethyl cobyrinate perchlorate in this study. The electrolysis of the substrate at − 1.0 V vs. Ag-AgCl by light irradiation afforded the simple reduced product (diethyl 2-methyl-2-phenylmalonate) and the phenyl migrated product (diethyl 2-benzyl-2-phenylmalonate), as well as the electrolysis of the substrate at − 1.5 V vs. Ag-AgCl in the dark. The electrolysis of the substrate at − 2.0 V vs. Ag-AgCl afforded the carboxylic ester migrated product (diethyl phenylsuccinate) as the major product. The selectivity for the migrating group was successfully tuned by controlling the electrolysis potential. We clarified that the cathodic chemistry of the Co(III) alkylated heptamethyl cobyrinate is critical for the selectivity of the migrating group through mechanistic investigations and comparisons to the simple vitamin B 12 model complex, an imine/oxime-type cobalt complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the corrosion behavior of Yb 4 Hf 3 O 12 ceramics under CFAS coupled with water vapor environment at 1400 °C for 2–50 h was investigated. Results show that the CFAS were rapidly dissolved into ceramics under test environment, and then the Yb-Ca-Si apatite and Hf-rich fluorite phases were re-precipitated. Simultaneously, the water vapor corrosion mainly induced grain surface corrosion, resulting in the formation of corrosion pits and ridge-like structures. Moreover, the pores and microcracks caused by water vapor corrosion offer additional penetration path for CFAS melt. • The corrosion behavior of Yb 4 Hf 3 O 12 in a CFAS coupled with water vapor environment was investigated for the first time. • The reaction layer containing apatite and fluorite is an important factor for Yb 4 Hf 3 O 12 to resist CFAS corrosion. • Microholes caused by water vapor corrosion accelerate the CFAS infiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction and wear reduction are widely sought to promote energy savings and reliability of moving machine components. Here, a combination of MST2 experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations unveils the detailed lubrication mechanisms and presents quantitative wear descriptions of Cu and Fe nanoparticle (NP). The MD simulations results indicate that average value of friction force is reduced approximately 57.15% after the addition of Cu NP and these results is similar to the experimental results. In addition, bimetallic CuFe NP (Cu–Fe or Cu@Fe NP) shows superior performance than pure Cu NP, and the tribological properties of bimetallic CuFe NP change with structures. Bimetallic CuFe NP can be prepared and investigated by experimental methods, but the effects of different structures of bimetallic CuFe NP on lubrication are not sufficiently studied. The superior structure of bimetallic CuFe NP with higher load-carrying capacity and better tribological properties is predicted by MD simulations. Results from simulations suggest that there is an optimal NP structure and size that will minimize friction and wear for a given surface roughness. • The tribological properties of the bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) are superior to those of the pure NPs. • MD simulations reveal the synergistic lubrication mechanism of the different structures of bimetallic NPs. • The bimetallic NPs of structures and sizes together affect the performance of lubricants. The best performance in terms of tribological properties and carrying capacity is achieved when the ratio of the NP diameter to surface roughness is 1.54. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qingyihuaji decoction (QYHJ) is composed of seven herbs: Scutellaria barbata D.Don (Banzhilian, HSB), Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino (Jiaogulan, GP), Oldenlandia diffusa (Willd.) Roxb. (Baihuasheshecao, HDH), Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. (Lingzhi, GL), Myristica fragrans Houtt. (Doukou, AK), and Amorphophallus kiusianus (Makino) Makino (Sheliugu, RA), and Coix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen (Rom.Caill.) Stapf (Yiyiren, CL). QYHJ has been reported to exhibit clinical efficacy in the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). However, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. This study explores the therapeutic mechanism of QYHJ in the treatment of PAAD using network pharmacology to identify related targets and pathways in vivo and in vitro. The bioactive compounds of QYHJ were retrieved and screened using the ADME network pharmacology approach, followed by compound-target prediction and overlapping genes between PAAD oncogenes and QYHJ target genes. The compound-target-pathway network was established using The KEGG pathway, GO analysis, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis to identify potential action pathways. The effects of QYHJ on PAAD were evaluated in vivo and in vitro , and the predicted targets and potential pathways related to QYHJ in PAAD treatment were evaluated using qRT-PCR and immunoblotting. A total of 68 bioactive compounds of QYHJ fulfilled the ADME screening criterion, and their respective 242 target genes were retrieved. The compound-target-disease network identified 11 possible target genes. The KEGG pathway analysis showed significant enrichment of pathways in cancers, involving regulating cancer-related pathways of inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Furthermore, QYHJ inhibited PAAD growth in vivo ; suppressed cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of PAAD; and induced cellular apoptosis in vitro. The qRT-PCR results showed that QYHJ suppressed the mRNA expression of ICAM1, VCAM1, and Bcl2, and increased that of HMOX1 and NQO1. Immunoblotting revealed changes in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1/NQO1, and Bcl2/Bax pathways upon QYHJ treatment. QYHJ can suppress PAAD growth and progression through various mechanisms, including anti-inflammation and apoptosis-induction. [Display omitted] • The Qingyihuaji decoction can suppress the development and progression of pancreatic cancer in vivo and in vitro. • The Qingyihuaji decoction may affect inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer. • The Qingyihuaji decoction regulated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1/NQO1, and Bcl2/Bax pathways in pancreatic cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To analyze the prevalence, awareness, treatment, control and epidemiological characteristics of dyslipidemia in Chinese adults. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we adopted a multi-stage, stratified sampling method to obtain representative samples of the general population aged >18 years from different urban and rural regions in China. All subjects completed a lifestyle and medical history questionnaire and were examined for risk factors. Dyslipidemia was defined according to criteria of the 2007 Chinese Guidelines on Prevention and Treatment of Dyslipidemia in Adults. Continuous variables were compared using variance analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the risk factors of dyslipidemia. Results The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 34.0% overall, and 35.1%, and 26.3% in urban and rural areas, respectively. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was significantly higher in men than women (41.9% vs 32.5%; P < 0.001). Rates of awareness, treatment, and control were 31.0%, 19.5%, and 8.9%, respectively. Increasing age (OR = 1.012; 95% CI:1.010, 1.014), male sex (OR = 1.411; 95% CI:1.318, 1.510), obesity (OR = 1.424; 95% CI:1.345, 1.507), cardiovascular disease (OR = 1.343; 95% CI:1.125, 1.603), diabetes (OR = 1.955; 95% CI:1.751, 2.182), hypertension (OR = 1.481; 95% CI:1.391, 1.577) and hyperuricemia (OR = 2.223; 95% CI:2.060, 2.399) were independent risk factors of dyslipidemia. Conclusion The prevalence of dyslipidemia among Chinese adults was high but awareness, treatment, and control of dyslipidemia were low. Urban high income earners and rural medium income earners show higher prevalence. Low income earners in urban and rural population have the worst awareness treatment, and control rate. There is an increased need for closely monitoring and controlling high risk factors in the populations including postmenopausal women, unhealthy lifestyle peoples and patients with chronic non-communicable diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous nucleation is a frequently encountered phenomenon in the crystallization of inorganic nanoparticle/polymer systems, and has a great influence on the morphology and properties (such as optical, mechanical and degradable properties) of the nanocomposites. In this study, a solution casting method was adopted to fabricate CdSe–ZnS quantum dots (QDs)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposites films of various QDs concentrations by using chloroform as the solvent. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) were used to characterize the crystallization behavior of the nanocomposites films that had been thermally treated differently from the as-cast state. The FT-IR and POM results showed that the nucleation density and the crystallization ability of PLA are greatly enhanced with addition of the QDs in the processes of isothermal crystallization at 403 K. The results of DSC revealed that the glass transition temperature of PLA has no obvious change with the addition of QDs. For the QDs/PLA samples which were isothermally annealed at 403 K for 30 min, the degree of (melt) crystallinity increased with increase of QD concentrations in the PLA matrix. All the results obtained from FT-IR spectroscopy, POM, DSC, and XRD were consistent, suggesting that the CdSe–ZnS QDs can serve as an efficient heterogeneous nucleating agent for the acceleration and enhancement of the melt crystallization of PLA at the optimized condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of tide gate on heavy metal mobility in Haihe River sediments was studied in a laboratory leaching simulation experiment. The results indicated that seawater promoted a higher release of Cd and Cu than deionized water and river water, and river water extracts high amounts of Zn. This release may be a result of both the formation of chloride complexes and ion exchange. However, the salinity induced by seawater did not significantly enhance the mobility of Pb. This implied that the mobility of Cd and Cu can be reduced by the insufficiency of the salinity when constructing tide gates in the brackish zones of an estuary. In the acidification processes, Cd and Zn were not, but Cu and Pb were, affected by an increase of salinity and ionic strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims One-lung ventilation (OLV) is a standard practice in thoracic surgery. However, OLV can give rise to arterial hypoxemia. Hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and aquaporin-1 (AQP-1) may be involved in arterial hypoxemia and contribute to cellular injury. Therefore, in the present study, these moieties were investigated in an OLV rat model. Main methods Forty Sprague–Dawley (S–D) rats were randomly divided into four groups: right lung mechanical ventilation for 0.5 h (Group A); 1 h (Group B); 2 h (Group C) and mechanical ventilation of both lungs (control group). Rat lung tissue was examined using electron microscopy. Serum and lung tissue levels of VEGF were measured by ELISA, Western blot analyses were used to detect the protein expression of HIF-1α and immunohistochemical staining and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed to examine protein expression and gene levels, respectively, of VEGF and AQP-1 after hypoxia. Key findings Electron microscopy revealed that increased duration of OLV was correlated with greater destruction of the non-ventilated lung. The protein expression of HIF-1α was significantly increased in the non-ventilated lungs of the experimental hypoxia groups (A–C) compared to the control group, whereas VEGF and AQP-1 protein expression and gene levels were decreased in the non-ventilated lungs of the hypoxia groups (A–C) compared to the control group. Significance The OLV caused hypoxia in the non-ventilated lung and subsequent injury. The altered expression of HIF-1α, VEGF, and AQP-1 may be involved in the pathological process of lung injury caused by hypoxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular and density distributions of the lubricant, pentaerythritol tetraheptanoate (PEC7), confined to a nanogap were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at various temperatures, initial film thicknesses and pressures. All of the simulated film thicknesses were less than 10 nm. The PEC7 molecular orientation and density profiles were analyzed, and the simulated densities were compared with empirical bulk fluid densities. The results show that the PEC7 atoms tend to form two or three layers near every confining wall, but the PEC7 molecules orient randomly throughout the film. The lubricant density profiles are found to fluctuate frequently, and the distances between the layers of lubricant atoms are irregular. Furthermore, the equivalent density is lower for films with a thinner initial film at the same pressure and temperature, but the compressibility is similar for films with different initial film thicknesses. The simulated densities with an initial film thickness of 9.32 nm are in agreement with the values obtained from the Tammann–Tait equation, with deviations less than 5%. The MD simulation can not only predict the bulk compressibility of the lubricant but also provide information on the density and molecular distribution within a thin film, which cannot be obtained from experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Comparison of chelating agent and surfactant as surface impregnation agents. [•] Mechanisms of EDTA and SDS impregnation proposed. [•] Batch and column tests for lead adsorption and chemical regeneration were studied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Matrine injection is a complex mixture of plant bioactive substances extracted from Sophora flavescens Aiton and Smilax glabra Roxb. Since its approval by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) in 1995, Matrine injection has been clinically used as a complementary and alternative treatment for various cancers; however, the underlying mechanism of pancreatic cancer treatment is yet to be elucidated. The present study explores the potential mechanism of matrine injection on pancreatic cancer through network pharmacology technique and in vitro experimental validation. Genes differentially expressed in pancreatic cancer were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GSE101448). The potential active components of matrine injection were selected following a literature search, and target prediction was performed by the SwissTarget Prediction database. Overlapping genes associated with survival were screened by the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. In vitro experimental validation was performed with cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, apoptosis detection, cell cycle analysis, immunoblotting, and co-immunoprecipitation of the identified proteins. One thousand seven hundred genes differentially expressed among pancreatic tumor and non-tumor tissues were screened out. Sixteen active components and 226 predicted target genes were identified in matrine injection. A total of 25 potential target genes of matrine injection for the treatment of pancreatic cancer were obtained. Among them, the prognostic target genes carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) and carbonic anhydrase 12 (CA12) based on the GEPIA database are differently expressed in tumors compared to adjacent normal tissue. In vitro experiments, the results of CCK-8 assay, apoptosis and cell cycle analysis, immunoblotting, and co-immunoprecipitation showed that matrine injection inhibited Capan-1 and Mia paca-2 proliferation, arrested the cell cycle at the S phase, and induced apoptosis through up-regulated CA12 and down-regulated CA9. In this study, bioinformatics and network pharmacology were applied to explore the treatment mechanism on pancreatic cancer with matrine injection. This study demonstrated that matrine injection inhibited proliferation, arrested the cell cycle, and induced apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. The mechanism may be related to the induction of CA12 over-expression, and CA9 reduced expression. As novel targets for pancreatic cancer treatment, Carbonic anhydrases require further study. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cutting fluid may be considered an accessory which is frequently applied in order to increase material remove rate especially in cutting aerospace alloys where cutting temperature is very high. However the use of cutting fluids is nowadays limited due to the adverse effects such as health of the operator, environmental and economic reasons. In order to overcome these negative effects and meet the demand for environment-friendly cutting techniques, in this work, dry cutting is associated to compare the machinability of the two types of tools such as variable and uniform pitch tools in milling aeronautical thin-wall material Ti6Al4V. The experimental results have shown that the tool vibration is decreased obviously with variable pitch tool compared with uniform pitch tool during milling process of titanium alloy thin-part components. The vibration minimizing characteristics of variable pitch tool is analyzed using fast Fourier transform and wavelet analysis in the whole milling process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Image classification is an important topic in computer vision, which becomes more and more challenging due to the rapid increase of the amounts and categories of images, as well as the different geometric deformations and illumination variations existing in image objects. “Bag-of-Features” model, also known as “Bag-of-Words” model, plays a fundamental and crucial role in generating efficient and discriminative image content representations by using local descriptors such as visual words, making it widely used in solving image classification problems. However, because of the weak discriminative power and strong ambiguity of the low-level visual features, the visual codebook, i.e., a set of visual words, generated in this model is usually over-completed and inconsistent for capturing image semantics. To address this issue, we propose a novel visual word coding algorithm in this paper based on difference maximization technique to improve the generated codebook model. Instead of mapping an image feature vector to one or multiple nearest visual words, the proposed approach utilizes a group of the nearest and the farthest visual words together in the coding process. Consequently, the representative variations of different image features are well kept and strengthened, which can then improve the discriminative power of the visual word descriptor significantly. We examine the performance of our visual word coding model extensively on four standard real-world image datasets, demonstrating that it captures image semantic content more accurately and achieves superior classification performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Urchin-like CdS microspheres were successfully prepared via a facile hydrothermal route. The CdS microspheres were self-assembled from CdS nanorods with average diameters of about 30 nm and lengths of about 200 nm. The volume ratio of water/ethylenediamine (water/en) played a key role in morphology of products including assembled nanorods and dispersed nanorods. In addition, we characterized the photocatalytic property of the urchin-like CdS microspheres under visible light, which showed good photocatalytic activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The catalytic methyl-transfer reaction from methyl tosylate to 1-octanethiol was carried out in the presence of a simple vitamin B12 model complex, [Co(III){(C2C3)(DO)(DOH)pn}Br2], with zinc powder as the reducing reagent at 50°C. Such a catalytic reaction proceeded via the formation and dissociation of a cobalt–carbon bond in the simple vitamin B12 model complex under non-enzymatic conditions. The mechanism for the methyl-transfer reaction was investigated by electronic and mass spectroscopies. The Co(I) species, which is generated from the reduction of the catalyst by the zinc powder, and its methylated CH3–Co complex were found to be indispensable intermediates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

High-temperature molten silicate deposit corrosion has become a critical factor for the failure of thermal barrier coatings. In this work, promising ytterbium hafnate ceramics with different HfO 2 content were prepared by solid-phase reaction, and the effect of HfO 2 content on Fe-containing silicate corrosion behavior of ytterbium hafnate ceramics was investigated. The evolution of HfO 2 content showed negligible influences on reaction products and corrosion mechanism. The attack of Fe-containing silicate melts on the ceramic led to the formation of a reaction layer consisting of apatite, fluorite, and garnet. This layer plays a critical role in preventing further penetration of the melts. However, ytterbium hafnate ceramics with lower HfO 2 content showed better resistance to melt attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent neuroimaging studies demonstrate that remembering the past and imagining the future rely on the same core brain network. However, findings of common core network activity during remembering and imagining events and increased activity during future event simulation could reflect the recasting of past events as future events. We experimentally recombined event details from participants’ own past experiences, thus preventing the recasting of past events as imagined events. Moreover, we instructed participants to imagine both future and past events in order to disambiguate whether future-event-specific activity found in previous studies is related specifically to prospection or a general demand of imagining episodic events. Using spatiotemporal partial-least-squares (PLS), a conjunction contrast confirmed that even when subjects are required to recombine details into imagined events (and prevented from recasting events), significant neural overlap between remembering and imagining events is evident throughout the core network. However, the PLS analysis identified two subsystems within the core network. One extensive subsystem was preferentially associated with imagining both future and past events. This finding suggests that regions previously associated with future events, such as anterior hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus, support processes general to imagining events rather than specific to prospection. This PLS analysis also identified a subsystem, including hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and extensive regions of posterior visual cortex that was preferentially engaged when remembering past events rich in contextual and visuospatial detail. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background and purpose: Ovarian cancer is the commonest tumor in female patients with a propensity for recurrence even after primary chemotherapy in early stage. The accuracy of CA 125, PET alone, PET–CT, CT and MRI in diagnosing the recurrent ovarian carcinoma has never been systematically assessed, and present systematic review was aimed at this issue. Methods: We searched for articles published from January 1995 to November 2007, inclusion criteria including: articles were reported in English or Chinese; CA 125, PET whether interpreted with or without the use of CT, CT or MRI was used to detect recurrent ovarian carcinoma; Histopathologic analysis and/or close clinical and imaging follow-up for at least 6 months. We extracted data to calculate sensitivity, specificity, SROC curves and AUC and to test for heterogeneity. Result: In 34 included studies, CA 125 had the highest pooled specificity, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.89–0.95); PET–CT had highest pooled sensitivity, 0.91 (95% CI: 0.88–0.94). The AUC of CA 125, PET alone, PET–CT, CT and MRI were 0.9219, 0.9297, 0.9555, 0.8845 and 0.7955, respectively. Results of pairwise comparison between each modality demonstrated AUC of PET, whether interpreted with or without the use of CT, was higher than that of CT or MR, p <0.05. The pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity and AUC showed no statistical significance between PET alone and PET–CT. There was heterogeneity among studies and evidence of publication bias. Conclusion: PET–CT might be a useful supplement to current surveillance techniques, particularly for those patients with an increasing CA 125 level and negative CT or MR imaging. However, regarding to diagnostic accuracy, interpreted CT images may have limited additional value on PET in detecting recurrent ovarian cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The 1-amino-2-phenylethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (APhEDPH4) is easily assembled to form two-dimensional (2D) supramolecular layer. It crystallizes from water solution to form hydrated compound APhEDPH4·3H2O (1). By introducing a base bridging ligand 4,4′-bipyridyl (4,4′-bipy), another supramolecular compound (APhEDPH3)2·(4,4′-bipyH2) (2) is obtained. Both of them were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis (EA), infrared spectrometry (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and single crystal X-ray diffraction. In compound 1, APhEDPH4 molecules form 2D supramolecular layers and extend to 2D sandwich type supramolecular architecture with the existence of water molecules. Whereas, compound 2 contains 2D supramolecular layers constructed by anions, and shows a three-dimensional (3D) tessellate-type supramolecular structure via the bridging effect of . Compound 2 shows intense blue photoluminescence with when excited by ultraviolet ray. The effect of bridged ligand on the dimensions of the final product is also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sub-10 nm single gold nanopore was fabricated at the tip of a glass nanopipette. SERS spectrum of R6G and ionic current blockage of lambda-DNA through the plasmonic nanopore were observed. [Display omitted] • The chemically synthesized single gold nanopore with high SERS activity. • Both ionic current and dynamic SERS spectrum were obtained on a plasmonic nanopore. • The present study proved that single molecule transport is quite possibly be detected using the sub-10 nm gold nanopore. Gold nanopore is promising to be used in single molecule sequencing by measuring surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrum. To achieve this goal, fabrication of small and size-controllable single gold nanopore is in urgent need. We synthesized gold nanoplates with a sub-10 nm single nanopore at the center, which was then successfully attached at the tip of a glass nanopipette using sulfhydryl silane. The transport of about 1.4 × 103 rhodamine 6G molecules was detected using SERS. The current blockage caused by single lambda DNA passing through the nanopore was also observed. The translocation time of lambda DNA through the gold nanopore was much longer than that of lambda DNA through the bare glass nanopipette, revealing the strong DNA-gold nanopore interaction affected the transport behavior of lambda DNA. The observed result further shows that the time resolution of SERS (~ms) may match the transport time of DNA through plasmonic nanopore. The sub-10 nm gold nanopore is possible to be used in single molecule transport detection with the improvement of the nanopore attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The vertebrate inner ear, a complex sensory organ with vestibular and auditory functions, is derived from a single ectoderm structure called the otic placode. Currently, the molecular mechanisms governing the differentiation and specification of the otic epithelium are poorly understood. We present here a detailed expression study of LMO1–4 in the developing mouse inner ear using a combination of in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. LMO1 is specifically expressed in the vestibular and cochlear hair cells as well as the vestibular ganglia of the developing inner ear. LMO2 expression is detected in the periotic mesenchyme of the developing mouse cochlea from E12.5 to E14.5. The expression of LMO3 expression is first observed in the cochlea at E13.5 and becomes confined to the lesser epithelial ridge (LER) from E14.5 to E17.5. LMO3 is also expressed in some of the vestibular ganglion cells. LMO4 is initially expressed in the dorsolateral portion of the otic vesicle and its expression persists in the semicircular canals, macula, crista, and the spiral ganglia throughout embryogenesis. Thus, the regionalized expression patterns of LMO1–4 are closely associated with the morphogenesis of the inner ear. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Interdiffusion in multi-phase diffusion couples of polycrystalline Ti and polysynthetically twinned (PST) Ti–49.3at.% Al, with the diffusion direction parallel to the lamellar planes, is investigated in the temperature range 973–1173K. A reaction zone (RZ) of the α2-Ti3Al phase forms between the end materials and exhibits deeper penetration in the α2 lamellae than in the primary γ lamellae. Direct measurements of the RZ thickness reveal a parabolic growth of the RZ, indicating a diffusion-controlled growth macroscopically. Concentration profiles from the Ti, through the RZ, into the PST γ and α2 lamellae are measured by X-ray spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope. Deviations from a diffusion-controlled composition profile indicate some extent of interface-controlled growth. The interdiffusion coefficients are found to be largely independent of composition with a temperature dependence that obeys the Arrhenius relationship with a pre-exponential factor of and an activation enthalpy of . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The microstructural evolution in multi-phase diffusion couples of polycrystalline Ti and polysynthetically twinned (PST) Ti–49.3at.% Al is studied, with the diffusion direction parallel to the lamellar planes. A reaction layer or reaction zone (RZ) of polycrystalline α2-Ti3Al phase, having a wavy interface with the PST Ti–Al crystal, forms along the PST/Ti bonding interface and exhibits a deeper penetration in the α2 lamellae, consisting of fine α2 and secondary γ laths, than in the primary γ lamellae. Furthermore, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy observations reveal that the RZ/PST interface at the fine α2 and secondary γ lathes is microscopically flat. The lamellar thickness and the mass balance across the RZ/PST interface are believed to be the major factors that lead to these different behaviors in the penetration depth of the RZ. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Boron-doped silicon (Si) nanowires, with nominal diameters of 80nm, were grown via the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism using gold (Au) as a catalyst and silane (SiH4) and diborane (B2H6) as precursors. The microstructure of the nanowires was studied by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy. At lower B2H6 partial pressure and thus lower doping levels (⩽1×1018 cm−3), most of the boron-doped Si nanowires exhibited high crystallinity. At higher B2H6 partial pressure (∼2×1019 cm−3 doping level), the majority of the wires exhibited a core–shell structure with an amorphous Si shell (20–30nm thick) surrounding a crystalline Si core. Au nanoparticles on the outer surface of the nanowires were also observed in structures grown with high B/Si gas ratios. The structural changes are believed to result from an increase in the rate of Si thin-film deposition on the outer surface of the nanowire at high B2H6 partial pressure, which produces the amorphous coating and also causes an instability at the liquid/solid interface resulting in a loss of Au during nanowire growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The surface of TC11 titanium alloy was polished and strengthened using ultrasonic rolling process (USRP) technology. The effects of USRP on the surface quality, friction and wear properties, corrosion resistance, and wear mechanisms of TC11 titanium alloy at room temperature, low temperature (−60 °C), high temperature (400 °C), and in corrosive environments were investigated by using optical microscope, microhardness tester, electrochemical workstation, multifunctional friction and wear tester, SEM, EDS, XRD, and XPS. The results indicate that USRP can effectively refine the surface grains of titanium alloy, reducing its surface roughness parameter by 80.4 % and increasing surface hardness and residual compressive stress by 21.7 % and 97.1 %, respectively. USRP is advantageous for producing a layer of TiO 2 on the surface of titanium alloys, effectively enhancing the corrosion resistance of titanium alloy surfaces. USRP technology can improve the stability of surface hardness values of titanium alloys in harsh environments. The results of dry friction and wear tests using GCr15 steel balls as the counter material show that the USRP technology can effectively reduce the friction coefficient and wear loss at room, high and low temperatures. The results of corrosion and wear tests using Si 3 N 4 as the counter material indicate that the USRP technology can effectively reduce the friction coefficient and wear volume in seawater corrosion environments. The USRP technology is most effective in reducing the high-temperature friction coefficient of titanium alloys and improving their wear resistance in low-temperature and corrosive environments. The primary wear form of TC11 titanium alloy after USRP has shifted from adhesive wear to abrasive wear. [Display omitted] • The surface of TC11 was polished and strengthened using USRP technology. • The friction-wear and corrosion-wear behaviors of TC11 under extreme conditions were investigated. • USRP can effectively reduce the friction coefficient and wear under extreme conditions. • The corrosion and wear mechanisms of surface strengthened TC11 were revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic hybrid Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskite materials have attracted considerable attention due to their unique performance and enhanced stability for photovoltaic and photoluminescent devices. However, the optoelectronic properties of 2D all-inorganic RP perovskites remains unclear because of hard-to-experiment synthesis. Therefore, the two-dimensionality how to affect the photoelectric properties of all-inorganic perovskites remains unclear. In this study, we investigate the electrical and optical properties, including the band structures, carrier mobility, optical absorption spectra, and exciton-binding energies for newly synthesized all-inorganic 2D-layered RP perovskite Cs 2 PbI 2 Cl 2 using density functional theory. The results demonstrate the thickness-dependence of photoelectric properties in 2D-layered RP perovskite Cs 2 PbI 2 Cl 2. The carrier mobilities and absorption coefficients in the visible spectrum of Cs 2 PbI 2 Cl 2 are smaller than those of MAPbI 3 and Si crystal photovoltaic materials, whereas the exciton-binding energies increase with the decrease in the number of layers, which are obviously higher than those of MAPbI 3 and Si crystal. The results show that Cs 2 PbI 2 Cl 2 is a good material for luminescent devices rather than for photovoltaic cells. This study provides a theoretical basis for other ultra-thin two-dimensional perovskite materials with potential applications in photoluminescent devices. • Thickness-dependence photoelectric properties for 2D RP perovskite Cs 2 PbI 2 Cl 2. • 2D RP perovskite Cs 2 PbI 2 Cl 2 is a good material for luminescent. • Two-dimensional perovskite with potential applications in photoluminescent devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A feasible and controllable method for the fabrication of p- and n-type SnO films is provided. • The p-type SnO films are obtained after annealing in vacuum. • The p-type SnO film with mobility of 3.28 cm2·V−1·s−1 and (0 0 1) preferential orientation is obtained. • The n-type SnO film is prepared after annealing in air. • Pure n-type SnO films with mobility of 6.63 cm2·V−1·s−1 is obtained after annealing at 300 °C. The SnO thin films have been deposited on quartz glass substrates using an e-beam evaporation system at room temperature and different post-deposition thermal treatments have been carried out. In case of annealing in air, n-type polycrystalline SnO films are obtained after annealing at 300 °C and 400 °C, respectively. For the 500 °C annealed film, SnO 2 phase is generated due to the strong oxidation. However, when annealed in vacuum, pure p-type polycrystalline SnO films are produced. The feasible and controllable methods of p- and n-type SnO films contributes to the development of high performance devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamboge, a dried resin secreted by Garcinia hanburyi Hook. f. (Guttiferae), possesses remarkable anticancer activity. However, due to toxicity, it must be processed before use in clinics. Xanthones are the main bioactive ingredients in gamboge. In order to elucidate the influence of processing technology on pharmacological properties of gamboge, an efficient, sensitive, and selective ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadruple mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method of five critical xanthones, including β-morellic acid (β-MA), isogambogenic acid (IGNA), gambogenic acid (GNA), R -gambogic acid (GA), and S -GA in rat plasma was established for a comparative pharmacokinetics study of these xanthones after oral administration of crude and processed G. hanburyi extracts. The chromatographic separation of these five xanthones along with an internal standard (I.S.) was carried out on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C8 column with a gradient elution method using acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid-water as mobile phases. The eluate was detected by multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) scanning with an electrospray ionization source operating in the positive ionization mode. Sample preparation involved a liquid-liquid extraction of the five analytes with ethyl acetate. Deoxyschizandrin was employed as an internal standard. This assay method was validated for selectivity, linearity, intra-day and inter-day precision, accuracy, recovery, matrix effect, and stability. The results revealed that the calibration curves displayed good linear regression (r > 0.995), and the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was <5.52 ng/mL for each analyte. The intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD) of the five xanthones at low, medium, and high levels was <10.58%, and the bias of the accuracy ranged from −8.54 to 10.2%. All other parameters fulfilled the FDA criteria for bioanalytical validation. In addition, the assay was successfully applied to the determination and pharmacokinetic study of these five xanthones after oral administration of crude and processed gamboge. Furthermore, C max of GNA and AUC 0 − t of IGNA were increased significantly (P < 0.05) after processing, while AUC 0 − t of β-MA, R -GA, and S -GA decreased remarkably (P < 0.05), which suggested that processing exerted different effects on the absorption of xanthones. The results might be valuable for the clinical reasonable application and understanding the processing mechanism of gamboge. • UPLC-MS/MS method was developed to quantify five xanthones in rat plasma. • Two pairs of isomers in gamboge were determined in vivo for the first time. • First report for pharmacokinetic comparison between crude and processed gamboge • Significant differences were found in pharmacokinetic behavior between two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the challenges posed by the intricate synthesis process and low conductivity of nickel-based hydroxides, a straightforward and environmentally friendly method was proposed for the preparation of B-doped α-Ni(OH) 2 (α-Ni(OH) 2 –B). Additionally, B-doped NiS 2 @NC composites with sulfur vacancies (B-Sv-NiS 2 @NC) were prepared through nitrogen-doped carbon coating and vulcanization process. The resulting B-Sv-NiS 2 @NC electrode materials exhibited a specific capacity of 659C g−1 under a high specific potential (ΔV) of 1.0 V vs. Hg/HgO. Asymmetric supercapacitors α-Ni(OH) 2 –B//YP-80 and B-Sv-NiS 2 @NC//YP-80 were constructed and obtain 128.45C g−1 and 199.5C g−1 specific capacity at 0.5 A g−1 and 0.7 A g−1, respectively. Meanwhile, the α-Ni(OH) 2 –B//YP-80 and B-Sv-NiS 2 @NC//YP-80 demonstrated energy densities of 30.33 Wh kg−1 and 47.1 Wh kg−1 under 1.7 V working voltage window, respectively. The cycle capacity retention rates of the two devices reached 96% (8000 cycles) and 116% (10,000 cycles). The surface pseudocapacitance mechanism and charge transfer mechanism of α-Ni(OH) 2 –B and B-Sv-NiS 2 @NC were revealed by first principles DFT. The findings of the study demonstrate that the introduction of B doping significantly augmented the adsorption of OH− and facilitated the surface redox reaction. The OH− adsorption energy increased to −1.43 eV upon the incorporation of B and Sv, indicating that the adsorption of OH− on the B-Sv-NiS 2 @NC surface was more stable, thereby promoting a swift electrochemical reaction. The improved electronic structure of the material, coupled with the increased number of electrochemical active sites, resulted in enhanced OH− adsorption, accelerated redox reaction, and improved charge transfer, ultimately leading to improved electrochemical performance. In situ boron-doped flower-like NiS 2 @NC with sulfur vacancy composites were prepared through a straightforward, and environmentally-friendly method. The composites exhibit abundant active sites, enhancing storage of charge, obtained excellent electrochemical performance in 3 M KOH electrolyte. Asymmetrical devices maintain high capacity under 1.7V wide voltage window, enhancing energy density. [Display omitted] • Simple, environmentally-friendly method to synthesize stable α-Ni(OH) 2 –B. • In situ B-doped NiS 2 @NC with sulfur vacancy (Sv) composites were prepared. • No β-Ni(OH) 2 phase was formed during the electrochemical reaction. • Asymmetric device exhibits 47.2 Wh kg−1 high energy density. • B-Sv-NiS 2 @NC electrode materials obtained 659C g−1under high specific potential (ΔV) 1.0 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delirium is a common and disturbing postoperative complication that might be ameliorated by propofol-based anaesthesia. We therefore tested the primary hypothesis that there is less delirium after propofol-based than after sevoflurane-based anaesthesia within 7 days of major cancer surgery. This multicentre randomised trial was conducted in 14 tertiary care hospitals in China. Patients aged 65–90 yr undergoing major cancer surgery were randomised to either propofol-based anaesthesia or to sevoflurane-based anaesthesia. The primary endpoint was the incidence of delirium within 7 postoperative days. A total of 1228 subjects were enrolled and randomised, with 1195 subjects included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis (mean age 71 yr; 422 [35%] women); one subject died before delirium assessment. Delirium occurred in 8.4% (50/597) of subjects given propofol-based anaesthesia vs 12.4% (74/597) of subjects given sevoflurane-based anaesthesia (relative risk 0.68 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.48–0.95]; P =0.023; adjusted relative risk 0.59 [95% CI: 0.39–0.90]; P =0.014). Delirium reduction mainly occurred on the first day after surgery, with a prevalence of 5.4% (32/597) with propofol anaesthesia vs 10.7% (64/597) with sevoflurane anaesthesia (relative risk 0.50 [95% CI: 0.33–0.75]; P =0.001). Secondary endpoints, including ICU admission, postoperative duration of hospitalisation, major complications within 30 days, cognitive function at 30 days and 3 yr, and safety outcomes, did not differ significantly between groups. Delirium was a third less common after propofol than sevoflurane anaesthesia in older patients having major cancer surgery. Clinicians might therefore reasonably select propofol-based anaesthesia in patients at high risk of postoperative delirium. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IPR-15006209) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02662257). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental evidence indicates that i.v. anaesthesia might reduce cancer recurrence compared with volatile anaesthesia, but clinical information is observational only. We therefore tested the primary hypothesis that propofol-based anaesthesia improves survival over 3 or more years after potentially curative major cancer surgery. This was a long-term follow-up of a multicentre randomised trial in 14 tertiary hospitals in China. We enrolled 1228 patients aged 65–90 yr who were scheduled for major cancer surgery. They were randomised to either propofol-based i.v. anaesthesia or to sevoflurane-based inhalational anaesthesia. The primary endpoint was overall survival after surgery. Secondary endpoints included recurrence-free and event-free survival. Amongst subjects randomised, 1195 (mean age 72 yr; 773 [65%] male) were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. At the end of follow-up (median 43 months), there were 188 deaths amongst 598 patients (31%) assigned to propofol-based anaesthesia compared with 175 deaths amongst 597 patients (29%) assigned to sevoflurane-based anaesthesia; adjusted hazard ratio 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.83–1.26; P =0.834. Recurrence-free survival was 223/598 (37%) in patients given propofol anaesthesia vs 206/597 (35%) given sevoflurane anaesthesia; adjusted hazard ratio 1.07; 95% CI: 0.89–1.30; P =0.465. Event-free survival was 294/598 (49%) in patients given propofol anaesthesia vs 274/597 (46%) given sevoflurane anaesthesia; adjusted hazard ratio 1.09; 95% CI 0.93 to 1.29; P =0.298. Long-term survival after major cancer surgery was similar with i.v. and volatile anaesthesia. Propofol-based iv. anaesthesia should not be used for cancer surgery with the expectation that it will improve overall or cancer-specific survival. ChiCTR-IPR-15006209; NCT02660411. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Complete biodegradation of 4-BP could be achieved under activated nitrate-reducing condition. • Simultaneous 4-BP biodegradation and nitrate reduction was technically feasible. • Hydrolysis debromination and mineralization of 4-BP were accelerated under activated nitrate-reducing condition. • Key genes/enzymes dominating 4-BP biodegradation and mineralization were elucidated. • Synergetic microbial metabolic mechanism involved in bacterial response system was revealed. Due to the recalcitrant nature of halogenated phenol, conventional anaerobic bioprocess is often limited by low removal efficiency and poor process stability. At the presence of electron acceptors such as nitrate, 4-bromophenol (4-BP) removal efficiency is significantly higher than that in the anaerobic control system, but the mechanism involved is still unclear. Therefore, an up-flow nitrate-reducing bioreactor (NRBR) was designed and consecutively performed for 215 days to explore the synergistic mechanism for BPs biodegradation and nitrate reduction. Complete 4-BP biodegradation could be obtained in NRBR at HRT and 4-BP loading rate of 24 h and 0.29 mol m −3 d −1, while the TOC removal and nitrate reduction efficiencies were as high as 91.33±2.11% and 98.31±1.33%, respectively. Population evolution analyses revealed that the microorganisms involved in 4-BP debromination and biodegradation (Candidatus Peregrinibacteria, Denitratisoma, Anaerolineaceae and Ignavibacterium) as well as nitrate reduction (Denitratisoma, Anaerolineaceae, Limnobacter and Ignavibacterium) were significantly enriched in NRBR. Major intermediates during 4-BP biodegradation, including 4-bromocatechol, 4‑bromo-6-oxo-hexanoic acid and succinic acid were identified, while a distinct 4-BP biodegradation pathway via hydration, aromatic-ring cleavage, hydrolysis debromination and oxidation was expounded. Metagenomic analysis indicated that oxidation (had, pht4, boh, butA), hydrolysis debromination ((S)-2-haloacid dehalogenase) and bio-mineralization (gabD, sdhA) of 4-BP were largely enhanced in NRBR. Moreover, carbon, nitrogen, energy and amino acid metabolisms were significantly facilitated with the injection of nitrate in order to provide energy and electron, thus enhanced microbial activities and enzymatic reactions in NRBR. The proposed mechanism provides new insights into our mechanistic understanding of halogenated phenol biodegradation and the development of sustainable bioremediation strategies. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In current work, h-BN powders were introduced into carbon fiber needle felt via powder addition in order to prepare chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) based C/C-BN composites. The microstructures and mechanical properties of as-prepared carbon/carbon (C/C) with 9 vol% of h-BN (C/C-BN9) were investigated in comparison to the pure C/C composites with same fiber architecture. The results indicated that the pyrolytic carbon (PyC) with higher degree of texture caused by h-BN in C/C-BN9 composites enhanced the interfacial bonding of PyC/fiber. Moreover, compared to C/C composites, the addition of h-BN resulted in smaller-sized PyC, leading to less and narrower microcracks in matrix. After introduction of h-BN into matrix, the flexural strength remained almost the same, while decreased impact toughness and more brittle fracture behavior were achieved in C/C-BN9 composites. However, the h-BN powders as addition could result in significantly enhanced compressive strength with higher isotropic stress-strain response in both vertical and parallel directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chicken surfactant protein A (cSP-A) is a collectin believed to play an important role in antiviral immunity. However, cSP-A expression in the respiratory tract of chickens after viral co-infection remains unclear. The aim of this study was the detection and characterization of cSP-A in co-infected chickens. For this purpose, four-week-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were divided into five groups and inoculated intranasally with H9N2 subtype avian influenza virus (AIV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), or Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Chickens were sacrificed at three days post inoculation, and the lung, trachea, and air sac samples were taken to determine histological changes and expression levels of cSP-A mRNA and cSP-A protein. The cSP-A mRNA and its protein were detected separately using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (S-ELISA), and an immunohistochemistry assay (IHC). In comparison, for the PBS group as the negative group and the NDV-infected group as the positive group, the histological changes showed that the lesions of the AIV+ IBV co-infected group were more serious compared to the AIV-infected group and the IBV-infected group. Consequently, the expression level of cSP-A in the AIV + IBV co-infected group significantly decreased when compared to the AIV-infected group and the IBV-infected group by qRT-PCR, ELISA, and IHC analysis. The mechanism of the downregulation of SP-A expression level will be addressed in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the refractory of 1 H-1,2,4-triazole (TZ), conventional anaerobic biological treatment technology is usually restricted by low removal efficiency and poor system stability. In this study, TZ biodegradation and nitrate reduction was coupled to improve the removal efficiency of TZ from polluted wastewater. Batch assay was performed with pure culture strain Raoultella sp. NJUST42, which was reported to have the capability to degrade TZ in our previous study. Based on batch assay result, complete removal of TZ could be achieved in the presence of nitrate, whereas only 50% of TZ could be removed in the control system. Long-term stability experiment indicated that the relative abundance of microorganisms (Bacteroidetes_vadinHA17 , Georgenia , Anaerolinea , etc) was obviously enhanced under nitrate reduction condition. During long-term period, major intermediates for TZ biodegradation such as [1,2,4]Triazolidine-3,5-diol, hydrazine dibasic carboxylic acid and carbamic acid were detected. A novel TZ biotransformation approach via hydration, TZ-ring cleavage, deamination and oxidation was speculated. PICRUSt1 and KEGG pathway analyses indicated that hydration (dch), oxidation (adhD , oah , pucG , fdhA) of TZ and nitrate reduction (Nar , napA , nrfA , nirBK , norB , nosZ) were significantly enhanced in the presence of nitrate. Moreover, the significant enrichment of TCA cycle (gab , sdh , fum , etc.) indicated that carbon and energy metabolism were facilitated with the addition of nitrate, thus improved TZ catabolism. The proposed mechanism demonstrated that TZ biodegradation coupled with nitrate reduction would be a promising approach for efficient treatment of wastewater contaminated by TZ. TZ is widely used in pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, and also is an important environmental pollution. Microbial metabolic mechanism is considered as an important indicator for removing contaminants from contaminated environment. However, information about metabolic mechanism involved in TZ biodegradation under nitrate reduction is still unclear. In this study, TZ hydration and oxidation and nitrate reduction were significantly enhanced, carbon and energy metabolism were significantly facilitated with the addition of nitrate, and thus improved TZ catabolism. The proposed mechanism demonstrated that TZ biodegradation coupled with nitrate reduction would be a promising approach for efficient treatment of wastewater contaminated by TZ. [Display omitted] • Complete biodegradation of TZ could be achieved under nitrate-reducing condition. • Simultaneous TZ biodegradation and nitrate reduction was technically feasible. • Hydration and oxidation of TZ were facilitated under nitrate reduction condition. • Functional genes involved in TZ biodegradation and nitrate reduction were elucidated. • Microbial metabolic mechanism dominating TZ biodegradation and nitrate reduction was revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A one-pot method was used to prepare poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/ZnO quantum dots (QDs) nanocomposites. In this method, separation and purification of ZnO QDs is not required. The optical properties of the ZnO QDs and PVA/ZnO QDs nanocomposites were characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometry and photoluminescence (PL). X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and FT-IR spectrophotometry were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the nanocomposites. TEM imaging confirmed that QDs of around 4nm diameter were uniformly dispersed in the PVA matrix. The PL spectra of the PVA/ZnO QDs nanocomposites showed a blue shift as compared with the ZnO QDs solution, while the thermal stability of the PVA was sharply enhanced after the addition of the ZnO QDs. The results confirmed that PVA/ZnO QDs nanocomposites with strong fluorescence emission can be easily prepared by the one-pot method, with good potential for applications in the fields of photoelectricity and display. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) quantum dots (QDs) were introduced into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) for fabrication of photoluminescent PLA/QDs scaffolds. TEM images revealed that the QDs were uniformly dispersed in the PLA. Compressive modulus and thermal stability of the PLA/QDs scaffolds are higher than those of the unfilled PLA scaffold. Cytotoxicity test results confirmed the non-cytotoxicity of the PLA/QDs scaffolds. During the process of in vitro degradation, the degradation rate of the PLA was accelerated by the presence of the QDs, and the molecular weight distributions of the PLA/QDs scaffolds were much broader when compared with the unfilled PLA ones. During the first 84weeks of the degradation process, the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the PLA/QDs scaffolds decreased with almost the same degradation ratio. The results suggested that the CdSe/ZnS QDs have potential applications for monitoring in vivo degradation of tissue engineering scaffolds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There are different degrees of similarity among vertebrate invariant chains (Ii). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between quail and other vertebrate Ii MHC class II molecules. The two quail Ii isoforms (qIi-1, qIi-2) were cloned by RACE, and qRT-PCR analysis of different organs showed that their expression levels were positively correlated with MHC II gene (B-LB) transcription levels. Confocal microscopy indicated that quail full-length Ii co-localized with MHC II of quail, chicken or mouse in 293FT cells co-transfected with both genes. Immunoprecipitation and western blotting further indicated that these aggregates corresponded to polymers of Ii and MHC class II molecules. This cross-species molecular association of quail Ii with chicken and mouse MHC II suggests that Ii molecules have a high structural and functional similarity and may thereby be used as potential immune carriers across species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Monodisperse Fe3O4@silica core–shell microspheres have been successfully prepared by using a two step method. Due to their exceptional properties, these composite microspheres can be removed conveniently from water via an external magnet. These composite microspheres can be applied to remove heavy metal ions from industrial wastewater because the surface of the microspheres is covered with SiO2, and the SiO2 is inactive and can adsorb heavy metal ions (such as Hg2+, Pb2+). Furthermore, the interaction between SiO2 and heavy metal ions is reversible, which means that the adsorbed ions can be removed from SiO2 in weak acidic deionized water with the assistance of ultrasound radiation. It is noteworthy that the adsorption ability of the composite microspheres is so strong that any further modification of the composite microspheres is unnecessary. On the basis of the above points, we consider that the synthesized Fe3O4@silica composite microspheres can be used as a useful recyclable tool for heavy metal ion removal. This work provides a potential and unique technique for heavy metal ion removal from industrial wastewater. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]