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Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a key mediator of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), a major cause of kidney dysfunction under various disease conditions and a risk factor of renal allograft rejection. In this study, we developed a nanotechnology-based therapy targeting TSP-1 to prevent renal IRI. A biocompatible nanoparticle (NP) capable of specific binding to TSP-1 was prepared by conjugating NPs with TSP-1-binding (LSKL) peptides. LSKL/NPs not only effectively adsorbed recombinant TSP-1 proteins in vitro, but also efficiently neutralized TSP-1 in mice undergoing renal IRI. IRI-induced elevation of TSP-1 in the kidney was significantly inhibited by post-IR treatment with LSKL/NPs, but not free LSKL or NPs. Furthermore, TSP-1 proteins adsorbed on LSKL/NPs were functionally inactive and unable to induce apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells. Importantly, LSKL/NPs induced strong protection against renal IRI, as shown by markedly diminished serum creatinine levels and improved histological lesions of the kidney. Thus, LSKL/NPs provide a useful means of depleting and inactivating TSP-1 and a potential therapy for renal IRI.

Rechargeable Li-CO2 batteries (LCBs) are considered as a promising candidate for the next generation energy storage system, but still be impeded by the lack of high-performance cathode catalyst and poor understanding for the complicated reaction mechanism. In the present work, we demonstrate that the catalytic capability of cathode catalyst of LCBs can be remarkably enhanced from the accelerated reaction kinetics using a p-type substrate as adsorption/desorption promoter for refined reaction route. A carbon-free atomic Ir-Te cathode catalyst with Ir atomic cluster is uniformly super-assembled on the surface of Te nanowires forming an amorphous surface layer (ca. 3 nm) to maximize the catalytic capability of active Ir sites and provide a refined reaction pathway due to synergistic effect of Ir active sites and Te substrate. The adsorption ability of Li2C2O4 during discharging and the desorption ability of CO2 species during charging of the p-type Te substrate could both promote the catalytic reaction kinetics and optimize the reaction pathways on Ir active sites. Finally, a large specific capacity of 13,247.1 mAh g−1 and an excellent high rate cyclability with stably over 350 and 200 cycles at the current density of 1000 and 2000 mA g−1 are achieved. This contribution provides a rational design strategy for high performance cathode catalyst, and intrinsic insight towards the understanding the reaction mechanisms of LCBs.

Vasohibin1 (VASH1) is a kind of vasopressor, produced by negative feedback from vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Anti-angiogenic therapy targeting VEGFA is currently the first-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer (OC), but there are still many adverse effects. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the main lymphocytes mediating immune escape function in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and have been reported to influence the function of VEGFA. However, whether Tregs are associated with VASH1 and angiogenesis in TME in OC is unclear. We aimed to explore the relationship between angiogenesis and immunosuppression in the TME of OC. We validated the relationship between VEGFA, VASH1, and angiogenesis in ovarian cancer and their prognostic implications. The infiltration level of Tregs and its marker forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) were explored in relation to angiogenesis-related molecules. The results showed that VEGFA and VASH1 were associated with clinicopathological stage, microvessel density and poor prognosis of ovarian cancer. Both VEGFA and VASH1 expression were associated with angiogenic pathways and there was a positive correlation between VEGFA and VASH1 expression. Tregs correlated with angiogenesis-related molecules and indicated that high FOXP3 expression is harmful to the prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) predicted that angiogenesis, IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, TGF-β signaling, and TNF-α signaling via NF-κB may be common pathways for VEGFA, VASH1, and Tregs to be involved in the development of OC. These findings suggest that Tregs may be involved in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis through VEGFA and VASH1, providing new ideas for synergistic anti-angiogenic therapy and immunotherapy in OC.

Lithium metal (Li) is regarded as the “holy grail” in the anode material of next-generation high-energy-density batteries. However, the Li dendrites and “dead Li” produced during cycling limit its commercialization process. A properly designed three-dimensional (3D) skeleton plays an important role in determining the performance of Li metal anodes (LMA). Herein, we develop a super-assembled surface-modified lipophilic thin ZnO layer by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and multi-level Cu nanofibers (MCN) on a Cu foam (ZnO-MCNCF) as an advanced Li metal anode host. During the Li plating process, lipophilic ZnO layer can induce uniform nucleation of Li. Meanwhile, the unique hierarchical structure provides a larger specific surface area to distribute the surface charge uniformly, adjust the current density, and ensure more uniform Li deposition. Consequently, the as-designed ZnO-MCNCF host enables dendrite-free deposition of Li, high coulombic efficiency, and remarkable cycling stability at various current densities. Compared with CF and MCNCF host, ZnO-MCNCF has significantly improved Li plating/stripping behavior, with high coulombic efficiency (CE) and excellent Li dendrite growth inhibition ability. The Li@ZnO-MCNCF electrode can be operated for 1400 h at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and large area specific capacity of 10 mAh cm−2 with an ultra-low overpotential (57.1 mV) without significant fluctuations. The LiFePO4-Li (LFP-Li) and LiCoO2-Li (LCO-Li) full cells also exhibit superior cycling and rate performance.

With the continuous development of economic strength and science and technology, the construction of Intelligent Transportation System(ITS) has become a new development direction in many cities. A complete and accurate traffic dataset can improve the accuracy of traffic prediction and promote the construction of ITS in cities. Most of the existing traffic datasets are collected on highways, and they are only one-way road data. There is little analysis of the impact of weather on traffic prediction, and more traffic auxiliary information is lacking at the same time. The use of such datasets for experiments can lead to inaccurate and unconvincing results, which is of little significance for the study of urban road prediction reference. In this paper, we are motivated to develop a new dataset for the evaluation of Metropolitan Traffic Prediction. Our dataset(XiAn Road Traffic) collected 308 urban road data and included two-way road data, weather data, driving angles, and congestion levels. XiAn Road Traffic can provide help for urban road state prediction and intelligent transportation city construction. We use the current more popular machine learning model for experiments. It is also proved by experiments that our dataset is more accurate and persuasive than the prediction results of other datasets.

The characterization and correction of lens distortion is an important part of optical measurement. This work analyzes the formation mechanism of color fringes and multiplication moire, and discusses modification of the color CCD moire method for correcting lens distortion. A demosaicing algorithm was used to simulate the color fringes in a CCD moire pattern. We then performed a detailed analysis of the carrier field, and adopted a universal polynomial distortion model to characterize lens distortion, which increased the accuracy of distortion correction. Comparison experiments verified the feasibility of the modified method and the correctness of the formation mechanism for color CCD moire. The modified method was then applied to lens distortion correction in the DIC measurement process, effectively reducing errors in displacement measurement.

Is there a Muslim disadvantage in economic integration to the Chinese economy? Do political mandates from the government help reduce disparities? To answer these questions, we conducted a large-scale audit study and submitted over 4000 resumes of fictitious male candidates to job advertisements for accounting and administrative positions posted by private firms, state-owned firms and foreign firms. We randomized the ethnic identities of job applicants, their academic merit, and requested salaries. Our results show that a Muslim job seeker is more than 50% less likely to receive a callback than a Han job seeker, and higher academic merit does not compensate for this bias. Importantly, we find that state-owned enterprises are equally likely to discriminate against Muslim job seekers, despite their political mandate to increase diversity. Interview evidence suggests that besides productivity concerns and outright hostility towards outgroups, bias is also driven by employer concerns over the operational costs of accommodating a diverse workforce.

Biomaterial surfaces tend to adhere only under dry conditions, preventing them from being used in underwater environments such as body fluids. Therefore, biomaterial surfaces with underwater adhesion ability have received increasing attention. In nature, some organisms can adapt to different environments by evolving appendages with underwater adhesion capability and unique functions. Most of these outstanding functions are derived from special micro/nanostructures and/or chemical compositions of these organisms. Thus, modification of biomaterials surfaces with similar microstructures and chemical groups would help promote underwater adhesion. In this review, we discuss (1) the mechanisms of underwater adhesion; (2) surface modification strategies for underwater adhesion, including mussel-inspired, interlocking, bio-structured surface, and specific adhesion strategies; and (3) the challenges and potential of developing surface-modified, multiscale biomaterials with underwater adhesion.

Renal fibrosis is a common pathway toward chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is the main pathological predecessor for end-stage renal disease; thus, preventing progressive CKD and renal fibrosis is essential to reducing their consequential morbidity and mortality. Emerging evidence has connected renal fibrosis to metabolic reprogramming; abnormalities in energy metabolism pathways, such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and lipid metabolism, are known to cause diseases of diverse etiologies. Cytokine interventions in affected metabolic pathways may significantly reduce the degree of fibrosis, highlighting therapeutic targets for drug development for renal fibrosis. Here, we discuss the relationship between glycolysis, lipid metabolism, mitochondrial and peroxisome dysfunction, and renal fibrosis in detail and propose that targeted therapies for specific metabolic pathways are expected to represent the next generation of treatments for renal fibrosis.

The cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) that mediate neutrophil-endothelium cell adhesion are deeply involved in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI). B-cell receptor associated protein 31 (BAP31) has been reported to engage in the expression of some CAMs. This study was undertaken to explore whether BAP31 in endotheliocyte affects the pathological process of ALI by regulating CAMs, and its possible mechanism.Our study used the shBAP31 endothelium cell lines and endothelial-specific BAP31 conditional knockdown mice constructed via Cre/loxP system. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the histopathological manifestations. The adhesion of neutrophils to vascular wall was examined by intravital microscopy. The nuclear translocation of NF-κB was observed by immunofluorescence staining assay. Flow cytometric, real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assay were performed to determine the expression of CAMs and key proteins in MyD88/NF-κB-related signaling pathway. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay were analyzed for transcriptional activity of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1.Mechanistic investigations indicated that endothelium-specific BAP31 depletion dramatically reduced the capacity of neutrophils adherence to endothelial cells (ECs), which was mainly attributed to the significant downregulation of ICAM-1 (p 0.05) and VCAM-1 (p 0.05) expression. Interestingly, BAP31 knockdown apparently deactivated MyD88/TRAF6-mediated TAK1/NF-κB and PI3K/Akt signaling cascades, resulting in the inhibition of NF-κB activation and nuclear translocation.Our data furnished convincing evidence that BAP31 deficiency performs a mitigative effect on ALI by decreasing neutrophils-ECs adhesion. These findings identified BAP31 as a promising protein for regulating the pathogenesis process of ALI.

Journal of traffic and transportation engineering : JTTE 8(6), 815-999 (2021). doi:10.1016/j.jtte.2021.10.001, Published by Periodical Offices of Chang��an University, [S.I.]

This is the first study to profile natural sesquiterpene coumarins (SCs) in Ferula bungeana, a medicinal plant of the genus Ferula in China. Eight undescribed sesquiterpene coumarins (1-8), along with six known ones (9-14) were obtained from the whole plant of F. bungeana. These unreported SCs (1-8) enriched the structural diversity of natural SCs, especially these with the hydroxy or carbonyl group at C-7' and a hydroperoxy group at C-7' or C-8'. Compounds (9-14) were reported for the first time from this plant. The in vitro anti-neuroinflammatory activity assay showed that compounds 2 and 9 showed stronger inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV-2 microglia, compared with positive control minocycline, and compounds 5 and 10 showed moderate inhibitory effects.

The illegal addition of melamine (MEL) into pet foods and infant milk powder has caused great concern among people. In this study, a point-of-care testing (POCT) method was developed by combining stimuli-responsive deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hydrogels with microfluidic chips to achieve portable and sensitive detection of MEL. With the MEL aptamer (MA) acting as a cross-linker, DNA hydrogel-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) served as a basis for colorimetric detection and quantitative analysis. In the presence of MEL, it competitively binds to the aptamer, causing disintegration of the DNA hydrogels and a release of the coated AuNPs, making it possible to visually detect and quantitatively measure the MEL. Under optimal conditions, the detection range of MEL using DNA hydrogels was 0.1-100 μM and the limit of detection (LOD) was 42 nM. This portable, sensitive, and user-friendly field test equipment was developed to avoid the use of non-portable laboratory instruments. Furthermore, we combined microfluidic chips with the properties of DNA hydrogels, making it possible to quantitatively detect MEL by taking photos and analyzing the gray value using software in accordance with the different colors of copolymerization solutions after the reaction. The detection range of MEL using the microfluidic chip-based method was 0.2-50 μM, and the LOD was 37 nM. Neither trained operators nor large-scale instruments are needed for using this method to conduct portable and sensitive field detection of the targets, which highlights the methods excellent potential in food security, clinical tests, environmental monitoring, and other aspects.

Four new lignanamides, hancamides A - D (1-4), together with four known analogs (5-8), were isolated from the stems of Piper hancei Maxim. Their structures were determined based on 1D and 2D NMR, IR, UV, and HR-ESIMS spectroscopic analysis as well as by comparison with the reported data. All the isolates exhibited potential inhibitory effects on NO production in LPS-induced BV-2 microglial cells, with IC

Catalytic steam reforming of methane with Ni-based catalysts is essential for industrial hydrogen production, but the high reforming temperature results in the catalyst deactivation by severe carbon deposition. In this work, a novel electro-catalytic protocol for steam reforming of methane was developed with aims of lowering the reforming temperature and prolonging the catalyst life. Three Ni-based catalysts, i.e., Ni/γ-Al2O3 (Ni/Al2O3), Ni/γ-Al2O3-MgO (Ni/AM) and Ni-CeO2/γ-Al2O3-MgO (Ni-CeO2/AM) were prepared for electro-catalysis to investigate the effects of current intensity, reforming temperature, and steam to carbon ratio on methane conversion, H2 yield and CO selectivity. Moreover, stability tests were performed on the three catalysts. The results indicated that the presence of electric current promoted the methane steam reforming at relatively low temperatures. Among the three catalysts, Ni-CeO2/AM showed the best performance on catalytic efficiency. Under conditions of 600 °C and current of 4.5A, CH4 conversion, H2 yield and CO selectivity achieved 96.4%, 75.3% and 40.1% respectively over Ni-CeO2/AM, which were comparable with those from conventional process at 700 °C. Moreover, after a 9-hour stability test, the CH4 conversion was maintained over 95% under Ni-CeO2/AM. Characterization results of the catalysts from the stability texts showed that the current could help generate more active centers for CH4 activation while inhibit the conversion of coke precursors into carbon on the catalyst surface.

Cobalt (Co) nanoparticles anchored porous N-doped carbon nanosheets (Co@PNCS) were fabricated using a facile one-pot pyrolysis route and tested as high-performance cathode catalysts for Li-O2 batteries. The hierarchical structure was made of cobalt nanoparticles distributed in the crumpled porous carbon nanosheets. Uniformly distributed and exposed cobalt nanoparticles in the PNCS exhibited a higher electrocatalytic activity compared to Co nanoparticles anchored nitrogen-carbon materials (Co-N-C). Density function theory (DFT) calculations based on the interfacial model demonstrated that the active Co sites exhibited a more stable binding ability to discharge Li2O2 products than that of the active N sites, and Li2O2 could be reversibly formed and decomposed during cycling. Owing to optimal loadings of Co nanoparticles (16.03 wt%), the Co@PNCS-2 cathode exhibited a high specific capacity of 11,329 mAh g−1 and extended cycling life of 120 cycles, highlighting the great potential as cathode catalysts for Li-O2 batteries.

Amorphous Gd65Fe20Al15 and Gd71Fe3Al26 alloys have ever been reported to exhibit giant refrigerant capacity around their magnetic ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition, which is desirable in magnetic refrigeration. In this paper, we have investigated the critical behavior of amorphous Gd65Fe20Al15 and Gd71Fe3Al26 alloys in order to better understand their magnetic phase transition. We compared the critical exponents estimated using modified Arrott plot and Kouvel-Fisher plot methods. The critical exponents obtained by Widom's law are in good agreement with those calculated from critical isotherm analysis. According to the obtained critical exponents, the magnetic properties of these two samples were re-scaled, indicating that the magnetic behavior of these alloys could be expressed by a universal and unified law. By analyzing the effective critical exponents and exchange interaction of the two alloys, we have determined that Gd65Fe20Al15 and Gd71Fe3Al26 exhibit isotropic short-range magnetic interaction and close to the 3D-Heisenberg model.

Irrigated agriculture consumes a large amount of groundwater resources with a huge energy requirement, and this has seriously restricted the development of green and efficient agriculture in China. However, recent studies on energy consumption for irrigation focus mainly on individual irrigation systems or single wells, and few spatial-temporal energy assessments have been carried out at regional scale. This is needed for effective management of regional energy consumption for groundwater utilization. Based on single-well pumping method, a distributed energy consumption model for groundwater irrigation (DPE_GI) was proposed in this study. The North China Plain (NCP) was selected as the research area, which is a typical groundwater irrigated area and has severe issues with aquifer depletion. The results showed that the average annual energy consumption for groundwater pumping was 13.67 billion kW h, and the energy consumption per area was 1122.4 kW h hm−2 under the winter wheat - summer maize rotation system in NCP. Current groundwater pumping energy consumption in the NCP is 2.9 times of the initial value in 1986, and the NCP has already become the world's largest energy consumer for groundwater irrigation. Due to the uncertainty of precipitation, energy consumption for irrigation fluctuates per growing season. Groundwater level also impacts energy consumption. Popularizing water-saving irrigation technology such as drip or sprinkler irrigation, changing cropping systems and habits can effectively reduce energy consumption for irrigation.

In this work, the synthesis and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties of a new molecular system are reported. This system composes of three positional isomers, which are fabricated by attaching a methoxy group in different locations. The isomeric effects on the AIE properties as well as the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) processes were studied. Additionally the new isomers exhibit mechanochromic fluorescence (MCF). Among the three isomers, (E)-2-(((6-chlorobenzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)imino)methyl)-5-methoxyphenol (CHM3) exhibits the most remarkable MCF performance with emission that decreases in intensity and red-shifts in wavelength under mechanical stimuli. The emission changes are caused by crystalline-amorphous transition as verified by Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis. The mechano-induced state can be easily recovered through a recrystallization process, which can be activated by solvent fumigation or solvent immersion. Furthermore, the switching between two emission states shows nice reversibility. Based on the MCF material with high fatigue resistance, a new type of rewritable optical data storage (ODS) is developed. Binary data, comprised of “0” and “1” state, can be matched well with the two emission states, respectively. The data could thus be written or erased on the ODS device, demonstrating feasibility and practicability.

Bacillus thuringiensis BMB181 (Bt BMB181), with high melanin production, is an ideal candidate for industrial scale production of light-stable insecticides. However, its melanogenic pathways remain unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that Bt BMB181 failed to produce melanin after treatment with mesotrione, an inhibitor of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase in the homogentisic acid pathway of melanin synthesis. Heterologous expression experiments suggested that homogentisate-1,2-dioxygenase (HmgA) in Bt BMB171 functions normally, yet HmgA in Bt BMB181 had lost its activity, at least partly. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 system, the hmgA gene in Bt BMB171 was knocked out and the mutant strain gained the ability to produce melanin. Furthermore, the complemented strain reverted to the wild-type phenotype. In addition, overexpression of its own hmgA gene in Bt BMB181 also resulted in failure to produce the pigment. BLAST results indicated that the amino acid alteration (G272E) in HmgA of Bt BMB181 was caused by a single point mutation (815G→ A). The enzyme activity of purified HmgA171 was more than 10-fold higher than that of HmgA181. Finally, we determined that the mutation in hmgA was responsible for melanin accumulation in Bt BMB181. Our results provided new insights into the synthesis and regulation of melanin production in B.thuringiensis and will promote its future industrial application.

In spite of the relatively high incidence rate, the etiology and pathogenesis of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are still unclear. Long-term drug treatments fail to achieve satisfying curative effects, which is reflected by rebound and augmentation of related symptoms. An electrophysiological endophenotype experiment was done to investigate the mechanism of somatosensory disorder among RLS patients. Together with 15 normal subjects as the control group, with comparable ages and genders to the RLS patients, 15 primitive RLS patients were scanned by Magnetoencephalography (MEG) under natural conditions; furthermore, the somatosensory evoked magnetic field (SEF) with single and paired stimuli, was also measured. Compared to the control group, the SEF intensities of RLS patients’ lower limbs were higher, and the paired-pulse depression (PPD) for SEF in RLS patients was attenuated. It was also revealed by time-frequency analysis of somatosensory induced oscillation (SIO) in RLS patients, that 93.3% of somatosensory induced Alpha (8–12 Hz) oscillations were successfully elicited, while 0% somatosensory induced Gamma (30–55 Hz) oscillations were elicited; which was significantly different from the control group. Additionally, in RLS patients exhibit increased excitability of the sensorimotor cortex, a remarkable abnormality existing in early somatosensory gating control (GC) and an attenuated inhibitory interneuron network, which consequently results in a compensatory mechanism through which RLS patients increase their attention-driven lower limb sensory gating control via somatosensory-induced Alpha (8–12 Hz) oscillation. This hyperexcitability, partially due to an electrocortical disinhibition, may have an important therapeutical implication, and become an important target of neuromodulatory interventions.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor with a high mortality rate. Immunotherapy has achieved promising clinical results in multiple cancers, but shows unsatisfactory outcome in GBM patients, and poor drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is believed to be one of the main limitations that hinder the therapeutic efficacy of drugs. Herein, a new cationic lipid nanoparticle (LNP) that can efficiently deliver siRNA across BBB and target mouse brain is prepared for modulating the tumor microenvironment for GBM immunotherapy. By designing and screening cationic LNPs with different ionizable amine headgroups, a lipid (named as BAMPA-O16B) is identified with an optimal acid dissociation constant (pKa) that significantly enhances the cellular uptake and endosomal escape of siRNA lipoplex in mouse GBM cells. Importantly, BAMPA-O16B/siRNA lipoplex is highly effective to deliver siRNA against CD47 and PD-L1 across the BBB into cranial GBM in mice, and downregulate target gene expression in the tumor, resulting in synergistically activating a T cell-dependent antitumor immunity in orthotopic GBM. Collectively, this study offers an effective strategy for brain targeted siRNA delivery and gene silencing by optimizing the physicochemical property of LNPs. The effectiveness of modulating immune environment of GBM could further be expanded for potential treatment of other brain tumors.

Estrogen deficiency leads to mitochondrial defects that precede Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated pathological changes in a postmenopausal mouse model. Biochanin A (BCA) is a phytoestrogen isolated from Trifolium pratense L. used to relieve postmenopausal problems in women. In previous work, we observed that oral BCA treatment led to neuroprotection in an ovariectomized rat model. The objective of this study was to investigate whether and how BCA protects against hippocampal mitochondrial damage in a postmenopausal model of AD.APP/PS1 mice underwent bilateral ovariectomy and then, seven days later, received oral BCA at 20 or 40 mg/kg, or oral estradiol at 0.5 mg/kg, daily for 90 days. Sham animals were not ovariectomized and received no additional treatments. Cognitive function was examined using the passive avoidance task, novel object recognition test, and Morris water maze test. The level of circulating estrogen in vivo was assessed indirectly by measuring the wet weight of the uterus. We detected Aβ deposition and PGC-1α in brain by immunohistochemistry; p62, by immunofluorescence; and ERα, ERβ, PGC-1α, NRF1, mtTFA, Drp1, OPA1, Mfn2, Beclin1, LC3B, Pink1, and Parkin by immunoblotting.BCA treatment rescued cognitive decline and reduced Aβ deposition and BACE1 expression in the hippocampus of ovariectomized APP/PS1 mice. BCA reversed the imbalance of mitochondrial dynamics caused by ovariectomy by increasing the expression of phospho-Drp1 (ser637), OPA1, and Mfn2. BCA reversed abnormal mitophagy induced by ovariectomy by increasing the expression of Beclin1, LC3B, Pink1, and Parkin, as well as by reducing the expression of p62.BCA treatment enhances learning and memory abilities and alleviates AD symptoms in a postmenopausal model of AD. A possible mechanism is that BCA rescues the reduction of mitochondrial biogenesis, imbalance of mitochondrial dynamics, and abnormal mitophagy caused by ovariectomy. This study supports further research on BCA to develop treatments for postmenopausal women with AD.

In this study, we reported the synthesis and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties of a new molecular system, comprised of six positional isomers. The presence of electron donor (D) and acceptor (A) units endows them with intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effects. We studied how changing the positions of the D/A units affects the AIE properties, ICT strength as well as the energy levels of the molecular orbitals. In addition, the self-assembly behaviors of them show distinct isomeric effect: With the D/A units repositioning, various self-assembly architectures with sizes ranging from microscale to nanoscale appear sequentially, including filaments, sheets, rods, irregular particles, needles, fibrous interlocking textures. It was verified that the D/A units on para-position that pose linear dipole-dipole interaction would favor the formation of well-defined structures, otherwise the resulting assembly would be underdeveloped or ill-shaped due to low degree of order in the molecular packing. This study probed the relationships between molecular structure and self-assembly behaviour, and further makes the self-assembly customizable.

We report the synthesis and photoluminescence (PL) behavior of a new molecular system, which is composed of three positional isomers. They exhibit isomeric effects on both aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) mechanisms. Furthermore, one of them, i.e., (E)-5-methoxy-2-(((6-methylbenzo [d]thiazol-2- yl)imino)methyl)phenol (MTP3), shows unique mechanochromic fluorescence (MCF) phenomenon. Unlike most MCF materials that would function immediately after applying mechanical force, the MCF character of this material is however recessive with mechanical force, but becomes visible upon fumigation treatment. Given that the MCF is activated under specific conditions, it is termed as conditional mechanochromic fluorescence (CMCF) in this study. In light of the CMCF property of MTP3, a new data encryption-decryption technique was developed. Binary data and complex patterns can be recorded by mechanical force and concealed on the tailor-made data storage. The encoded data cannot be read unless it is fumed by organic vapour, demonstrating a successful encryption-decryption technique. The CMCF offers great potential to be the alternative to encryption algorithms and may contribute greatly to data security and cybercrime prevention.