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Androgenetic alopecia is a common disease that occurs in both men and women. Several approved medications have been used to treat this condition, but they are associated with certain side effects. Therefore, use of extracts derived from natural products, such as Siberian sturgeon ( Acipenser baerii ), and the regulation of the gut microbiota have become important topics of research. Sturgeon is known for its high nutritional value and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its effects on androgenetic alopecia and gut microbiota remain uncharacterized. Here, we aimed to investigate whether solubilized sturgeon oil (SSO) promotes hair growth and regulates the gut microbiome. C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups. Three groups received topical applications of distilled water, SSO, or minoxidil, and one group was orally administered SSO. Each treatment was administered over 4 weeks. Histopathological analysis revealed a significant increase in follicle number ( p < 0.001) and follicle diameter ( p < 0.05). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed upregulation of β-catenin and ERK-1, markers involved in hair growth-promoting pathways. Furthermore, microbiome analysis revealed that the reduced gut microbiota was negatively correlated with these markers. Our findings indicate that oral administration of SSO promotes hair growth and regulates the abundance of hair growth-promoting gut microbiota.

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) of the H5 subtype rank among the most serious pathogens, leading to significant economic losses in the global poultry industry and posing risks to human health. Therefore, rapid and accurate virus detection is crucial for the prevention and control of H5 AIVs. In this study, we established a novel detection method for H5 viruses by utilizing the precision of CRISPR/Cas12a and the efficiency of RT-RPA technologies. This assay facilitates the direct visualization of detection results through blue light and lateral flow strips, accurately identifying H5 viruses with high specificity and without cross-reactivity against other AIV subtypes, NDV, IBV, and IBDV. With detection thresholds of 1.9 copies/μL (blue light) and 1.9 × 10 3 copies/μL (lateral flow strips), our method not only competes with but also slightly surpasses RT-qPCR, demonstrating an 80.70% positive detection rate across 81 clinical samples. The RT-RPA/CRISPR-based detection method is characterized by high sensitivity, specificity, and independence from specialized equipment. The immediate field applicability of the RT-RPA/CRISPR approach underscores its importance as an effective tool for the early detection and management of outbreaks caused by the H5 subtype of AIVs.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease that causes pathological changes in articular cartilage, synovial membrane, or subchondral bone. Conventional treatments for OA include surgical and non-surgical methods. Surgical treatment is suitable for patients in the terminal stage of OA. It is often the last choice because of the associated risks and high cost. Medication of OA mainly includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, hyaluronic acid, and cortico-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. However, these drugs often have severe side effects and cannot meet the needs of patients. Therefore, safe and clinically appropriate long-term treatments for OA are urgently needed. Apoptosis is programmed cell death, which is a kind of physiologic cell suicide determined by heredity and conserved by evolution. Inhibition of apoptosis-related pathways has been found to prevent and treat a variety of diseases. Excessive apoptosis can destroy cartilage homeostasis and aggravate the pathological process of OA. Therefore, inhibition of apoptosis-related factors or signaling pathways has become an effective means to treat OA. Phytochemicals are active ingredients from plants, and it has been found that phytochemicals can play an important role in the prevention and treatment of OA by inhibiting apoptosis. We summarize preclinical and clinical studies of phytochemicals for the treatment of OA by inhibiting apoptosis. The results show that phytochemicals can treat OA by targeting apoptosis-related pathways. On the basis of improving some phytochemicals with low bioavailability, poor water solubility, and high toxicity by nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, and at the same time undergoing strict clinical and pharmacological tests, phytochemicals can be used as a potential therapeutic drug for OA and may be applied in clinical settings.

Hydrochar is considered to be a good adsorbent for the separation of metal ions from aqueous solutions. However, the yield of hydrochar from raw straw is generally low, because the hydrothermal carbonization occurs via dehydration, polymerization, and carbonization. In this work, various hydrochar samples were prepared from rice straw with nitrogen and phosphorus salt; moreover, toilet sewage was used instead of nitrogen, and phosphorus salt and water were used to promote the polymerization and carbonization process. The modified carbon was characterized using XRD, XPS, SEM, and FTIR, and the adsorption capacity was investigated. A significant increase in hydrochar yield was observed when toilet sewage was used as the solvent in the hydrothermal carbonization process. The adsorption capacity of N/P-doped rice straw hydrochar for Cd 2+ and Zn 2+ metal ions was 1.1-1.4 times higher than that those using the rice straw hydrochar. The Langmuir models and pseudo-second-order models described the metal adsorption processes in both the single and binary-metal systems well. The characterization results showed the contribution of the surface complexation, the electrostatic interaction, the hydrogen bond, and the ion exchange to the extraction of Cd 2+ and Zn 2+ using N/P-doped rice straw hydrochar.

The H5 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses bearing the clade 2.3.4.4 HA gene have been pervasive among domestic poultry and wild birds worldwide since 2014, presenting substantial risks to human and animal health. Continued circulation of clade 2.3.4.4 viruses has resulted in the emergence of eight subclades (2.3.4.4a-h) and multiple distinct antigenic groups. However, the key antigenic substitutions responsible for the antigenic change of these viruses remain unknown. In this study, we analyzed the HA gene sequences of 5713 clade 2.3.4.4 viruses obtained from a public database and found that 23 amino acid residues were highly variable among these strains. We then generated a series of single-amino-acid mutants based on the H5-Re8 (a vaccine seed virus) background and tested their reactivity with a panel of eight monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Six mutants bearing amino acid substitutions at positions 120, 126, 141, 156, 185, or 189 (H5 numbering) led to reduced or lost reactivity to these mAbs. Further antigenic cartography analysis revealed that the amino acid residues at positions 126, 156, and 189 acted as immunodominant epitopes of H5 viruses. Collectively, our findings offer valuable guidance for the surveillance and early detection of emerging antigenic variants.

Orthogonal time-frequency space (OTFS) modulation outperforms orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing in high-mobility scenarios through better channel estimation. Current superimposed pilot (SP)-based channel estimation improves the spectral efficiency (SE) when compared to that of the traditional embedded pilot (EP) method. However, it requires an additional non-superimposed EP delay-Doppler frame to estimate the delay-Doppler taps for the following SP-aided frames. To handle this problem, we propose a channel estimation method with high SE, which superimposes the perfect binary array (PBA) on data symbols as the pilot. Utilizing the perfect autocorrelation of PBA, channel estimation is performed based on a linear search to find the correlation peaks, which include both delay-Doppler tap information and complex channel gain in the same superimposed PBA frame. Furthermore, the optimal power ratio of the PBA is then derived by maximizing the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) to optimize the SE of the proposed system. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve a similar channel estimation performance to the existing EP method while significantly improving the SE.

In this paper, the wind-induced responses of the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) under Super Typhoon Lekima are measured using the health monitoring system. Based on the measurements, the characteristics of vibration, including probability density distribution of accelerations, power spectra, and mode shapes are studied. The curve method and the standard deviation method are used to analyze the relationship of the first- and second-order natural frequencies and damping ratios with amplitudes and the mean wind speed. The results show the following: (1) The structural wind-induced responses in the X and Y directions have high consistencies, and the vibration signals exhibit a peak state; moreover, response amplitudes and acceleration signals disperse when the floor height increases. (2) The first- and second-order natural frequencies in the X and Y directions decrease with the increasing amplitudes and are negatively correlated with mean wind speed; the maximum decrease in natural frequency is 5.794%. The first- and second-order damping ratios in the X and Y directions increase with the increasing amplitudes and are positively correlated with the mean wind speed; the maximum increase in damping ratio is 95.7%. (3) The curve method and the standard deviation method are similar in identifying dynamic characteristic parameters, but the discreteness of the natural frequencies obtained by the curve method is lesser. (4) Under excitations of various typhoons, the mode shapes of SWFC are basically the same, and the mode shapes in the X and Y directions increase with the height and have nonlinearity.

This study aimed to elucidate the structural congeners of natural izenamides A, B, and C ( 1 - 3 ) responsible for cathepsin D (CTSD) inhibition. Structurally modified izenamides were synthesized and biologically evaluated, and their biologically important core structures were identified. We confirmed that the natural statine (Sta) unit (3 S ,4 S )-γ-amino-β-hydroxy acid is a requisite core structure of izenamides for inhibition of CTSD, which is closely related to the pathophysiological roles in numerous human diseases. Interestingly, the statine-incorporated izenamide C variant ( 7 ) and 18- epi -izenamide B variant ( 8 ) exhibited more potent CTSD-inhibitory activities than natural izenamides.

The expansion of urban construction areas can reduce the infiltration rate of rainwater in permeable land, and a large amount of runoff rainwater cannot penetrate the soil. In extreme rainstorm weather, it is easy to cause serious urban waterlogging problems. To improve the infiltration and decontamination ability of green space soil, two types of inorganic ameliorants (i.e., sand and grain shell) and structural ameliorants (i.e., desulfurization gypsum and polyacrylamide) were utilized as amendments in the soil. The influence of the selected ameliorants on the infiltration and decontamination ability was analyzed through a soil infiltration test, soil pore distribution determination and a soil decontamination test. Three parameters including the soil infiltration rate, pore distribution characteristics and pollutant removal rate were proposed. The results showed that sand, grain shells and desulfurization gypsum (FGD gypsum) all enhanced the infiltration capacity of soil, while PAM decreased the infiltration capacity. Meanwhile, mixed sand and grain shell with the FGD gypsum and polyacrylamide can effectively improve the decontamination capacity of the soil. Comprehensive analysis showed that the better improvement combination is 10% sand + 20% grain hull + 0.5 g/kg FGD gypsum + 0.1 g/kg PAM.

Gut microbes are closely associated with disease onset and improvement. However, the effects of gut microbes on the occurrence, prevention, and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are still unclear. We investigated the alteration of gut microbiota with implications for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of BPH and identified correlations among various indicators, including hormone indicators, apoptosis markers in BPH, and finasteride treatment models. BPH induction altered the abundance of Lactobacillus , Flavonifractor , Acetatifactor , Oscillibacter , Pseudoflavonifractor , Intestinimonas , and Butyricimonas genera, which are related to BPH indicators. Among these, the altered abundance of Lactobacillus and Acetatifactor was associated with the promotion and inhibition of prostate apoptosis, respectively. Finasteride treatment altered the abundance of Barnesiella , Acetatifactor , Butyricimonas , Desulfovibrio , Anaerobacterium , and Robinsoniella genera, which are related to BPH indicators. Among these, altered abundances of Desulfovibrio and Acetatifactor were associated with the promotion and inhibition of prostate apoptosis, respectively. In addition, the abundances of Lactobacillus and Acetatifactor were normalized after finasteride treatment. In conclusion, the association between apoptosis and altered abundances of Lactobacillus and Acetatifactor , among other gut microbes, suggests their potential utility in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of BPH.

Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) is a traditional Chinese medicine with a long history, but its active compounds have not been reported. In this study, novel carbon dots (CDs), PG-based CDs (PGC-CDs), were discovered and prepared from PG via calcinations and characterized by transmission electron microscopy; high-resolution transmission electron microscopy; X-ray diffraction, fluorescence, ultraviolet-visible, and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometers; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; and high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, the safety and antioxidant activity of PGC-CDs was evaluated by RAW264.7 cells and LO2 cells. The therapeutic effects of PGC-CDs on hyperbilirubinemia and liver protection were evaluated in a bilirubin-induced hyperbilirubinemia mice model. The experiment confirmed that the diameter range of PGC-CDs was from 1.2 to 3.6 nm. PGC-CDs had no toxicity to RAW264.7 cells and LO2 cells at a concentration of 3.91 to 1000 µg/mL and could reduce the oxidative damage of cells caused by H 2 O 2 . PGC-CDs could inhibit the increase levels of bilirubin and inflammation factors and increase the levels of antioxidants and survival rate, demonstrating that PGC-CDs possessed anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation activity. PGC-CDs may reduce the content of bilirubin, so as to reduce a series of pathological lesions caused by bilirubin, which has potential in treating hyperbilirubinemia and preventing liver damage induced by hyperbilirubinemia.

This study began with the increasing importance of ESG through sustainable management evaluation across all industries, predicting market demand through the ESG management paradigm and financial environment changes in the global industry, and establishing international strategies for the construction industry. Compared to other industries, the construction industry is in the early stages of ESG formation, and it is unclear how to expand its base by establishing evaluation system standards such as innovation of individual services, interaction of social capital, and definition of stakeholders. Currently, some large construction companies in the construction industry are publishing sustainability management reports at the group level, but given the recently strengthened global sustainability of ESG by GRI Standards, efficient analysis of global construction markets and strategic orders are needed. Therefore, this study focuses on assessing the sustainability strategies and directions of the construction industry from an ESG perspective. To this end, sustainability issues and insights, as well as global issues in Korea and the worldwide construction sector, were analyzed. The analysis showed that global construction companies were highly interested in business management approaches, such as safety and health, as critical issues regarding the construction industry's sustainability strategy. In contrast, South Korean construction companies prioritize business values such as value creation, fair trade, and win-win. Both global and South Korean construction companies have been working on greenhouse gas reduction and energy sustainability. Regarding other issues, cultivating construction specialists, enhancing the job training system, and limiting serious accidents and safety mishaps were all significant from a social standpoint among South Korean construction companies. Conversely, global construction companies appeared to focus on issues related to ethical and environmental management from an organizational standpoint.

With the extension of the human life span and the increasing pressure of women's work and life, menopause syndrome (MPS) refers to a problem that puzzles almost all women worldwide. Hormone replacement treatment (HRT) can effectively mitigate the symptoms but can also exert adverse effects to a certain extent. Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizome (GRR) is commonly made into a charcoal processed product, termed GRR Carbonisatas (GRRC), for use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). GRRC is widely used to treat MPS and other gynecological diseases. In this study, GRRC was prepared through pyrolysis. Subsequently, GRR-derived carbon dots (GRR-CDs) were purified through dialysis and characterized using transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, ultraviolet, fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron microscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography. The effects of GRR-CDs on MPS were examined and confirmed using ovariectomized female mice models. The GRR-CDs ranged from 1.0 to 3.0 nm in diameter and with multiple surface chemical groups, as indicated by the results. GRR-CDs can elevate the estradiol (E2) level of healthy female mice. Moreover, GRR-CDs can alleviate MPS using the typical ovariectomized mice model, as confirmed by elevating the estradiol (E2) level and reducing the degree of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) and raising the degree of uterine atrophy. The results of this study suggested that GRR-CDs may be a potential clinical candidate for the treatment of MPS, which also provides a possibility for nanodrugs to treat hormonal diseases.

In recent years, the incidence of depression among adolescents has been increasing yearly, and the severe damage of depression on adolescents' physical and mental health development has caused extensive concern worldwide. Previous research on adults has confirmed that meaning in life is a crucial buffer factor for depression, and developing meaning in life is an essential task in adolescence. Moreover, prior researchers also pointed out that frequent cognitive failures can induce negative emotions in individuals, whereas mindfulness can regulate individuals' depression levels. However, few studies have investigated the impact of meaning in life on depression in adolescents and the underlying psychological mechanisms. Accordingly, based on the theoretical framework of the Cognitive Vulnerability-Stress Theory of Depression, this study aimed to explore the relationship between meaning in life and depression in junior high school students, as well as the mediating effect of cognitive failures and the moderating effect of mindfulness. We collected data from 948 adolescents aged 11 to 17 in two junior high schools in Henan Province, China, and tested the theoretical model through the PROCESS macro for SPSS. The results showed that: (1) meaning in life had a significant negative predictive effect on depression ( β = -0.24, p < 0.001); (2) cognitive failures partially mediated the relationship between meaning in life and depression ( β = 0.31, p < 0.001); (3) the relationship between cognitive failures and depression was moderated by mindfulness ( β = -0.05, p < 0.05). This study implied that we could start by cultivating adolescents' meaning in life and improving their level of mindfulness to prevent and intervene in adolescent depression.

This study investigated the feasibility of remotely estimating the urinary flow velocity of a human subject with high accuracy using millimeter-wave radar. Uroflowmetry is a measurement that involves the speed and volume of voided urine to diagnose benign prostatic hyperplasia or bladder abnormalities. Traditionally, the urine velocity during urination has been determined indirectly by analyzing the urine weight during urination. The maximum velocity and urination pattern were then used as a reference to determine the health condition of the prostate and bladder. The traditional uroflowmetry comprises an indirect measurement related to the flow path to the reservoir that causes time delay and water waves that impact the weight. We proposed radar-based uroflowmetry to directly measure the velocity of urine flow, which is more accurate. We exploited Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar that provides a range-Doppler diagram, allowing extraction of the velocity of a target at a certain range. To verify the proposed method, first, we measured water speed from a water hose using radar and compared it to a calculated value. Next, to emulate the urination scenario, we used a squeezable dummy bladder to create a streamlined water flow in front of the millimeter-wave FMCW radar. We validated the result by concurrently employing the traditional uroflowmetry that is based on a weight sensor to compare the results with the proposed radar-based method. The comparison of the two results confirmed that radar velocity estimation can yield results, confirmed by the traditional method, while demonstrating more detailed features of urination.

In an asymmetric multi-core architecture, multiple heterogeneous cores share the last-level cache (LLC). Due to the different memory access requirements among heterogeneous cores, the LLC competition is more intense. In the current work, we propose a heterogeneity-aware replacement policy for the partitioned cache (HAPC), which reduces the mutual interference between cores through cache partitioning, and tracks the shared reuse state of each cache block within the partition at runtime to guide the replacement policy to keep cache blocks shared by multiple cores in multithreaded programs. In the process of updating the reuse state, considering the difference of memory accesses to LLC by heterogeneous cores, the cache replacement policy tends to keep cache blocks required by big cores, to better improve the LLC access efficiency of big cores. Compared with LRU and the SRCP, which are the state-of-the-art cache replacement algorithms, the performance of big cores can be significantly improved by HAPC when running multithreaded programs, while the impact on little cores is almost negligible, thus improving the overall performance of the system.

Along with the development of society and the deepening contradiction between economic growth and natural resources, green finance has attracted more and more attention. As an area of great strategic significance in China's modernization, the development of green finance can improve the quality of its ecological environment and find new economic growth points for it. Based on the index system of pressure state response and while considering the scientific nature and desirability of the indicators, this paper selects 12 indicators to construct an index system of eco-environmental quality. It uses the entropy method to calculate the level of eco-environmental quality. Then, three control variables are selected, and the difference-in-difference model is used for empirical analysis. It is found that green finance positively affects the ecological environment quality of the Yangtze River Delta. In addition, the level of opening to the outside world and the level of economic development also have a positive effect on the quality of the ecological environment to a certain extent. Still, the impact of industrial structure on it is negative. Therefore, this paper puts forward some suggestions for strengthening the disclosure of green financial information, paying attention to the concept of green development and strengthening regional cooperation and exchange to promote the development of green finance further and promote the coordination of economic development and ecological protection in the Yangtze River Delta.

The relationship and mechanism between agricultural low-carbon technology application and farm household returns are not yet clear, especially the lack of evidence from developing countries. This paper takes large-scale farming households in Jiangxi Province, China, from 2019 to 2020 as the research object, and obtains relevant data from field research to explore the intrinsic impact of agricultural low-carbon technology application on the returns of large-scale farming households. Based on the relevant theoretical analysis, the division dimensions of agricultural low-carbon technologies were proposed, and agricultural low-carbon technologies were subdivided into ten specific low-carbon technologies according to six dimensions: tillage system, breeding, fertilization, irrigation, medicine application, and waste treatment. Relevant questions were designed and researched to obtain data on the application status of low-carbon technologies in agriculture and the income cost status of large-scale farmers. Based on the theoretical analysis, the research hypotheses were proposed, and an empirical analysis was conducted based on the obtained data from large-scale farmers. The application of seven low-carbon technologies in agriculture: conservation tillage system, direct sowing technology, selection of compound fertilizer/organic fertilizer/controlled-release fertilizer, soil formula fertilization technology, deep fertilization/irrigation fertilization, sprinkler/drip irrigation/wet irrigation/intermittent irrigation, and straw resourceization significantly improved the income level of large-scale farmers. Furthermore, the application of biodegradable agricultural membranes, biopesticides, and new pesticide-controlled release technologies did not have significant effects on the income level of large-scale farmers, due to their low application and penetration rate. Based on the findings of the paper, the government should strengthen the promotion and subsidies of agricultural low-carbon technologies, especially those technologies that have no significant impact on large-scale farmers' income, such as biodegradable agricultural membranes, biopesticides, and new pesticide controlled-release technologies, so as to achieve a win-win situation of reducing carbon emissions and increasing farmers' income.

Several small animal models, including mice, Syrian hamsters, guinea pigs, and ferrets are used to study the pathogenicity, transmissibility, and antigenicity of seasonal and pandemic influenza viruses. Moreover, animal models are essential for vaccination and challenge studies to evaluate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of new vaccines. However, authentic human influenza viruses do not always replicate efficiently in these animal models. Previously, we developed a high-yield A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8-HY) vaccine virus backbone that conferred an increased virus yield to several seasonal influenza vaccines in eukaryotic cells and embryonated chicken eggs. Here, we show that this PR8-HY genetic backbone also increases the replication of several seasonal influenza viruses in Syrian hamsters compared to the authentic viruses. Therefore, the PR8-HY backbone is useful for animal studies to assess the biological properties of influenza viral HA and NA.

Increasing evidence suggests that the polymerase acidic (PA) protein of influenza A viruses plays an important role in viral replication and pathogenicity. However, information regarding the interaction(s) of host factors with PA is scarce. By using a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified a novel host factor, aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT), that interacts with the PA protein of the H5N1 virus. The interaction between PA and human ARNT was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence microscopy. Moreover, overexpression of ARNT downregulated the polymerase activity and inhibited virus propagation, whereas knockdown of ARNT significantly increased the polymerase activity and virus replication. Mechanistically, overexpression of ARNT resulted in the accumulation of PA protein in the nucleus and inhibited both the replication and transcription of the viral genome. Interaction domain mapping revealed that the bHLH/PAS domain of ARNT mainly interacted with the C-terminal domain of PA. Together, our results demonstrate that ARNT inhibits the replication of the H5N1 virus and could be a target for the development of therapeutic strategies against H5N1 influenza viruses.

Carbon nanofibers (CaNFs) exhibit promising applications in the fields of environmental science and nanotechnology, and self-assembled peptide nanofibers (PNFs) are useful for the biomimetic synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid nanomaterials and the fabrication of functional hybrid membranes for the removal of various pollutants from water. In this work, we report the biomimetic synthesis of hybrid nanomaterials by the interweaving of CaNFs and PNFs. Using the biomimetic mineralization properties of PNFs, ZrO 2 nanoparticles were synthesized along the nanofiber surface, and then functional nanohybrid porous membranes were prepared by the vacuum filtration technology. For the fabrication of membranes, the amount of PNFs and ZrO 2 precursors in the hybrid membrane were optimized. The designed organic-inorganic hybrid membranes exhibited high removal performance for fluorine ion (F - ) from water, and the removal efficiency of the fabricated membranes towards F - ion-containing aqueous solution with a concentration of 50-100 mg/L reached more than 80%. In addition, the nanofiltration membranes revealed good adsorption capacity for F - ions. It is expected that the strategies shown in this study will be beneficial for the design, biomimetic synthesis, and fabrication of nanoporous membranes for economic, rapid, and efficient water purification.

The Yangtze River economic belt is an inland river economic belt with international influence composed of 11 provinces and municipalities in the Yangtze River Basin. This paper uses the super-efficiency model to calculate the green total factor productivity of 11 provinces and municipalities in the Yangtze River economic belt (YREB). Then we establish a model to study the impact of industrial structure upgrading, industrial structure rationalization, and environmental regulation on green total factor productivity (GTFP). Empirical analysis shows that the industrial structure upgrading and environmental regulation have a significant impact on GTFP and show regional characteristics. The more developed the economy and the higher the industrial structure, the greater the impact of upgrading and environmental regulation on GTFP. Compared with other control variables, the urbanization rate impacts GTFP, followed by regional economic development.

The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is a major national strategic development area in China, and the development of the YREB will greatly promote the development of the entirety China, so research on its agricultural production efficiency is also of great significance. This paper is committed to studying the agricultural production efficiency of 11 provinces in the YREB and adopts a combination of the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model and the Malmquist index to make a dynamic and static analysis on the YREB's agricultural production efficiency from 2010 to 2019. Then, a three-stage DEA Malmquist model that eliminates the factors of random interference and management inefficiency is compared to a model without elimination. The results show that the adjusted technological efficiency changes, technological progress, and total factor productivity increased by -0.1%, 0.24%, and 0.22%, respectively. When comparing these values to the pre-adjustment values, the results indicate that the effect of environmental variables cannot be ignored when studying the agricultural production efficiency of the YREB. At the same time, the differences in the agricultural production efficiency in the YREB are reasonably explained, and feasible suggestions are put forward.

The aim of the study was to develop a new diagnostic biomarker for identifying serum exosomal miRNAs specific to epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and to find out target gene of the miRNA for exploring the molecular mechanisms in EOC. A total of 84 cases of ovarian masses and sera were enrolled, comprising EOC (n = 71), benign ovarian neoplasms (n = 13). We detected expression of candidate miRNAs in the serum and tissue of both benign ovarian neoplasm group and EOC group using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Immunohistochemistry were constructed using formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue to detect expression level of suppressor of cytokine signaling 4 (SOCS4). In the EOC group, miRNA-1290 was significantly overexpressed in serum exosomes and tissues as compared to benign ovarian neoplasm group (fold change ≥ 2, p < 0.05). We observed area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for miR-1290, using a cut-off of 0.73, the exosomal miR-1290 from serum had AUC, sensitivity, and specificity values of 0.794, 69.2 and 87.3, respectively. In immunohistochemical study, expression of SOCS4 in EOC was lower than that in benign ovarian neoplasm. Serum exosomal miR-1290 could be considered as a biomarker for differential diagnosis of EOC from benign ovarian neoplasm and SOCS4 might be potential target gene of miR-1290 in EOC.

Studying the interactions between biomolecules and material interfaces play a crucial role in the designing and synthesizing of functional bionanomaterials with tailored structure and function. Previously, a lot of studies were performed on the self-assembly of peptides in solution through internal and external stimulations, which mediated the creation of peptide nanostructures from zero-dimension to three-dimension. In this study, we demonstrate the self-assembly behavior of the GNNQQNY peptide on the surface of mica and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite through tailoring the self-assembly conditions. Various factors, such as the type of dissolvent, peptide concentration, pH value, and evaporation period on the formation of peptide nanofibers and nanoribbons with single- and bi-directional arrays are investigated. It is found that the creation of peptide nanoribbons on both mica and HOPG can be achieved effectively through adjusting and optimizing the experimental parameters. Based on the obtained results, the self-assembly and formation mechanisms of peptide nanoribbons on both material interfaces are discussed. It is expected that the findings obtained in this study will inspire the design of motif-specific peptides with high binding affinity towards materials and mediate the green synthesis of peptide-based bionanomaterials with unique function and application potential.

It is now more popular to use basalt fibers in the engineering programs to reinforce the crack resistance of asphalt mixtures. However, research concerning the impact of the basalt fiber diameter on the macro performance of AC-13 mixtures is very limited. Therefore, in this paper, basalt fibers with three diameters, including 7, 13 and 25 μm, were selected to research the influences of fiber diameter on the crack resistance of asphalt mixtures. Different types of crack tests, such as the low temperature trabecular bending test (LTTB), the indirect tensile asphalt cracking test (IDEAL-CT), and the semi-circular bend test (SCB), were conducted to reveal the crack resistance of AC-13 mixtures. The entire cracking process was recorded through the digital image correlation (DIC) technique, and the displacement cloud pictures, strain, average crack propagation rate (V) and fracture toughness (FT) indicators were used to evaluate the crack inhibition action of the fiber diameter on the mixture. The results showed that the incorporation of basalt fiber substantially improved the crack resistance, slowed down the increase of the displacement, and delayed the fracture time. Basalt fiber with a diameter of 7 μm presented the best enhancement capability on the crack resistance of the AC-13 mixture. The flexibility index (FI) of the SCB test showed a good correlation with V and FT values of DIC test results, respectively. These findings provide theoretical advice for the popularization and engineering application of basalt fibers in asphalt pavement.

Solar fuel generation from thermochemical H 2 O or CO 2 splitting is a promising and attractive approach for harvesting fuel without CO 2 emissions. Yet, low conversion and high reaction temperature restrict its application. One method of increasing conversion at a lower temperature is to implement oxygen permeable membranes (OPM) into a membrane reactor configuration. This allows for the selective separation of generated oxygen and causes a forward shift in the equilibrium of H 2 O or CO 2 splitting reactions. In this research, solar-driven fuel production via H 2 O or CO 2 splitting with an OPM reactor is modeled in isothermal operation, with an emphasis on the calculation of the theoretical thermodynamic efficiency of the system. In addition to the energy required for the high temperature of the reaction, the energy required for maintaining low oxygen permeate pressure for oxygen removal has a large influence on the overall thermodynamic efficiency. The theoretical first-law thermodynamic efficiency is calculated using separation exergy, an electrochemical O 2 pump, and a vacuum pump, which shows a maximum efficiency of 63.8%, 61.7%, and 8.00% for H 2 O splitting, respectively, and 63.6%, 61.5%, and 16.7% for CO 2 splitting, respectively, in a temperature range of 800 ° C to 2000 °C. The theoretical second-law thermodynamic efficiency is 55.7% and 65.7% for both H 2 O splitting and CO 2 splitting at 2000 °C. An efficient O 2 separation method is extremely crucial to achieve high thermodynamic efficiency, especially in the separation efficiency range of 0-20% and in relatively low reaction temperatures. This research is also applicable in other isothermal H 2 O or CO 2 splitting systems (e.g., chemical cycling) due to similar thermodynamics.

To efficiently convert and utilize intermittent solar energy, a novel solar-driven ethanol steam reforming (ESR) system integrated with a membrane reactor is proposed. It has the potential to convert low-grade solar thermal energy into high energy level chemical energy. Driven by chemical potential, hydrogen permeation membranes (HPM) can separate the generated hydrogen and shift the ESR equilibrium forward to increase conversion and thermodynamic efficiency. The thermodynamic and environmental performances are analyzed via numerical simulation under a reaction temperature range of 100-400 °C with permeate pressures of 0.01-0.75 bar. The highest theoretical conversion rate is 98.3% at 100 °C and 0.01 bar, while the highest first-law efficiency, solar-to-fuel efficiency, and exergy efficiency are 82.3%, 45.3%, and 70.4% at 215 °C and 0.20 bar. The standard coal saving rate (SCSR) and carbon dioxide reduction rate (CDRR) are maximums of 101 g·m -2 ·h -1 and 247 g·m -2 ·h -1 at 200 °C and 0.20 bar with a hydrogen generation rate of 22.4 mol·m -2 ·h -1 . This study illustrates the feasibility of solar-driven ESR integrated with a membrane reactor and distinguishes a novel approach for distributed hydrogen generation and solar energy utilization and upgradation.

We conducted a detailed investigation of the influence of the material properties of dynamic polymer network coatings on their self-healing and damage-reporting performance. A series of reversible polyacrylate urethane networks containing the damage-reporting diarylbibenzofuranone unit were synthesized, and their material properties (e.g., indentation modulus, hardness modulus, and glass-transition temperature) were measured conducting nanoindentation and differential scanning calorimetry experiments. The damage-reporting and self-healing performances of the dynamic polymer network coatings exhibited opposite tendencies with respect to the material properties of the polymer network coatings. Soft polymer network coatings with low glass-transition temperature (~10 °C) and indentation hardness (20 MPa) exhibited better self-healing performance (almost 100%) but two times worse damage-reporting properties than hard polymer network coatings with high glass-transition temperature (35~50 °C) and indentation hardness (150~200 MPa). These features of the dynamic polymer network coatings are unique; they are not observed in elastomers, films, and hydrogels, whereby the polymer networks are bound to the substrate surface. Evidence indicates that controlling the polymer's physical properties is a key factor in designing high-performance self-healing and damage-reporting polymer coatings based on mechanophores.

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (GRR) is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines in clinical practice, which has been applied to treat digestive system diseases for hundreds of years. GRR is preferred for anti-gastric ulcer, however, the main active compounds are still unknown. In this study, GRR was used as precursor to synthesize carbon dots (CDs) by a environment-friendly one-step pyrolysis process. GRR-CDs were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution TEM, fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, cellular toxicity of GRR-CDs was studied by using CCK-8 in RAW264.7 cells, and the anti-gastric ulcer activity was evaluated and confirmed using mice model of acute alcoholic gastric ulcer. The experiment confirmed that GRR-CDs were the spherical structure with a large number of active groups on the surface and their particle size ranged from 2 to 10 nm. GRR-CDs had no toxicity to RAW264.7 cells at concentration of 19.5 to 5000 μg/mL and could reduce the oxidative damage of gastric mucosa and tissues caused by alcohol, as demonstrated by restoring expression of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide in serum and tissue of mice. The results indicated the explicit anti-ulcer activity of GRR-CDs, which provided a new insights for the research on effective material basis of GRR.

MgO-doped LiNbO 3 (LN:Mg) is famous for its high resistance to optical damage, but this phenomenon only occurs in visible and infrared regions, and its photorefraction is not decreased but enhanced in ultraviolet region. Here we investigated a series of ZrO 2 co-doped LN:Mg (LN:Mg,Zr) regarding their ultraviolet photorefractive properties. The optical damage resistance experiment indicated that the resistance against ultraviolet damage of LN:Mg was significantly enhanced with increased ZrO 2 doping concentration. Moreover, first-principles calculations manifested that the enhancement of ultraviolet damage resistance for LN:Mg,Zr was mainly determined by both the increased band gap and the reduced ultraviolet photorefractive center O 2-/- . So, LN:Mg,Zr crystals would become an excellent candidate for ultraviolet nonlinear optical material.

Hypotheses regarding the association of increased species or genetic diversity with gradually warmer regions as a global pattern have been proposed, but no direct and solid experimental data are available to approve the association between plant genetic diversity and ambient temperatures. To test the diversity-temperature hypothesis, we studied genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of weedy rice ( Oryza sativa f. spontanea ) populations occurring naturally in early- and late-season rice fields that share nearly the same ecological conditions but with slightly different temperatures. Data collected from 10-year historical climatic records indicated a ~2 ℃ higher average air temperature in the late rice-cultivation seasons than in the early seasons. Results based on molecular fingerprints of 27 SSR (simple sequence repeat) loci showed a higher level of genetic diversity in the late-season weedy rice populations than in the early-season populations. In addition, a positive correlation was detected between the increased proportion of genetic diversity (Δ H e ) and genetic differentiation among the weedy rice populations, suggesting limited gene flow. Therefore, we conclude from this study that increased genetic diversity in the late-season weedy rice populations is probably caused by the higher ambient temperatures. This finding provides evidence for the possible association between genetic diversity and ambient temperatures.

A new type of sheet porous structures with functionally gradients based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) is proposed for designing bone scaffolds. The graded structures were generated by constructing branched features with different number of sheets. The design of the structure was formulated mathematically and five types of porous structure with different structural features were used for investigation. The relative density (RD) and surface area to volume (SA/V) ratio of the samples were analyzed using a slice-based approach to confirm their relationships with design parameters. All samples were additively manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM), and their physical morphologies were observed and compared with the designed models. Compression tests were adopted to study the mechanical properties of the proposed structure from the obtained stress-strain curves. The results reveal that the proposed branched-sheet structures could enhance and diversify the physical and mechanical properties, indicating that it is a potential method to tune the biomechanical properties of porous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering (TE).

High molecular weight poly ( p -phenylene-terephthalamide) (h-PPTA) was blended with the commercial PPTA in concentrated sulfuric acid to improve the spinnability of the polymer solutions and the mechanical properties of the as-spun fibers. h-PPTA in the solution has an influence on the temperature of the formation of liquid crystalline phenomenon. The temperature range with the existence of the liquid crystalline phase increases upon the contents of h-PPTA in the solution, and the extended temperature window is helpful for the preparation of PPTA fibers by the dry-jet wet-spinning technology. The long-chains of h-PPTA enhance the inter-macromolecular interactions and induce the orientation of short-chains for PPTA along the fiber axis under the shear stress in the spinneret and the stretching stress at the air gap. These effects also increase the maximum drawing ratio in the spinning process and improve the mechanical properties of the obtained fibers. The crystallinity and crystal orientation of the fibers are investigated by X-ray diffraction, and results from sonic velocity test further confirm ordering state of the macromolecular chains. The fibril morphologies of the fibers are also studied by a scanning electric microscope.

The aggregation structure of dye molecules has a great influence on the properties of dye solutions, especially in high concentration. Here, the dye molecular aggregation structures were investigated systemically in aqueous solutions with high concentration using three reactive dyes (O-13, R-24:1 and R-218). O-13 showed stronger aggregation than R-24:1 and R-218. This is because of the small non-conjugate side chain and its β-linked position on the naphthalene of O-13. Compared with R-218, R-24:1 showed relatively weaker aggregation due to the good solution of R-24:1. The change of different aggregate distributions in the solutions were also investigated by splitting the absorption curves. Moreover, it is found that the surface tension of solutions can be modified by the combined effect of both aggregation and the position of the hydrophilic group, which, however, also have an effect on viscosity. This exploration will provide guidance for the study of high concentration solutions., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

In this study, we have determined the anticancer activity of doxorubicin (Dox)-loaded DNA/gold nanoparticle (AuNP) nanocarrier (Dox-DNA-AuNP) for the treatment of ovarian cancer. The anticancer effect of Dox-DNA-AuNP was evaluated in vitro using the EZ-Cytox cell viability assay on three human ovarian cancer cell lines, SK-OV-3, HEY A8, and A2780. Dox-DNA-AuNP exhibited outstanding activity with good IC 50 values of 4.8, 7.4, and 7.6 nM for SK-OV-3, HEY A8, and A2780, respectively. In vivo evaluation further demonstrated the superior anticancer effects of Dox-DNA-AuNP by inhibiting tumor growth compared to free Dox in an established SK-OV-3 xenograft mice model. Dox-DNA-AuNP showed about a 2.5 times higher tumor growth inhibition rate than free Dox. Furthermore, the immunohistochemical analysis of Ki67 antigen expression showed the lowest number of proliferative cells in the ovarian tumor tissue treated with Dox-DNA-AuNP. These results suggest Dox-DNA-AuNP might be a potential effective agent in ovarian cancer chemotherapy., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Poor interfacial bonding between stainless steel wire and the inner and outer layer resin matrix significantly affects the mechanical performance of braid-reinforced composite hollow fiber tube, especially torsion control. In this work, a coating of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) deposited on the surface of stainless steel wire greatly enhanced the mechanical performance of braid-reinforced composite hollow fiber tube. This method takes advantage of the hydrogen bonding between polyether block amide (PEBA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) for surface modification of stainless steel wire, as well as the good compatibility between PEBA and TPU. The mechanical properties of composited tubes demonstrate that the interlaminar shear strength, modulus of elasticity, and torque transmission properties were enhanced by 27.8%, 42.1%, and 41.4%, respectively. The results indicating that the interfacial adhesion between the coated stainless steel wire and the inner and outer matrix was improved. In addition, the interfacial properties of composite hollow fiber tube before and after coating was characterized by the optical microscope, and results show that the interfacial adhesion properties of the modified stainless steel wire reinforced resin matrix composites were greatly improved.

High-temperature carbonisation is used to prepare many traditional Chinese medicine charcoal drugs, but the bioactive haemostatic substances of these medicines and their mechanisms are still unknown. This study developed and evaluated nanoparticles (NPs) derived from Selaginella pulvinate Carbonisata (STC) for the first time. The haemostatic effect of STC-NPs prepared at 300, 350, and 400 °C were investigated in mouse tail amputation and liver scratch experiments. STC-NPs obtained at 400 °C had the strongest haemostatic effect, and were accordingly characterised by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. STC-NPs averaged 1.4-2.8 nm and exhibited a quantum yield of 6.06% at a maximum excitation wavelength of 332 nm and emission at 432 nm. STC-NPs displayed low toxicity against mouse monocyte macrophage RAW 264.7 cells by CCK-8 assay, and STC-NP treatment significantly shortened bleeding time in rat and mouse models. Coagulation assays showed that the haemostatic effects of STC-NPs were related to improving the fibrinogen and platelet contents, as well as decreasing the prothrombin time that resulted from stimulating extrinsic blood coagulation and activating the fibrinogen system. The STC-NPs had remarkable haemostatic effects in the tail amputation and liver scratch models; these effects may be associated with the exogenous coagulation pathway and activation of the brinogen system, according to the evaluation of the mouse coagulation parameters. This novel evaluation supports the material basis of STC use in traditional Chinese medicine, and this article is worthy of study by authors of clinical pharmacy.

Aramid fibers with low density and high strength, modulus, and thermal resistance are widely used in applications such as bulletproof vests and cables. However, owing to their chemical structure, they are sensitive to ultraviolet light, which degrades the fibers' useful mechanical properties. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles were synthesized both on the aramid III fiber surface and in the interfacial space between the fibrils/microfibrils in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) to improve the UV resistance of aramid fibers. The effects of scCO 2 treatment pressure on the TiO 2 structure, morphology, surface composition, thermal stability, photostability, and mechanical properties were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and single-fiber test. The results show that amorphous TiO 2 formed on the fiber surface and the interface between fibrils/microfibrils, and decreased the photodegradation rate of the aramid III fiber. Moreover, this modification can also improve the tensile strength via treatment at low temperature and without the use of a solvent. The simple synthesis process in scCO 2 , which is scalable, is used for mild modifications with a green solvent, providing a promising technique for synthesizing metal dioxide on polymers.

Ti matrix composite with a polylaminate structure was successfully fabricated via spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. A temperature gradient field (TGF) was obtained during the sintering to form functionally graded material (FGM) in a vacuum under 40 MPa for 5 min. The actual volume fractions of TiB in the matrix were calculated based on the X-ray diffraction pattern. The target volume fractions of TiB were 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%. The calculated TiB volume fractions were slightly higher than the target volume fractions in layers 2-4 and lower than the target volume fractions in layers 5-6 and the deviations in layers 4 and 5 were less than 5% of the target volume. Based on the elastic axial symmetry model, the residual stress distributions in the Ti matrix composite with a polylaminate structure were simulated, indicating a relatively low thermal residual stress in the FGM.

Gout is a disease with a high incidence and causing great harm, and the current treatment drugs are not satisfactory. In this study, novel water-soluble carbon dots (CDs) with anti-gout effect, named Puerariae lobatae Radix CDs (PLR-CDs), are reported. PLR-CDs were synthesized with an improved pyrolysis method at 300 °C, and their characterization was performed with multifaceted approaches, such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In addition, the biocompatibility of PLR-CDs was studied using the cell counting kit (CCK)-8 in LO2 cells and RAW264.7 cells, and the anti-gout activity of PLR-CDs was examined on animal models of hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis. The characterization of PLR-CDs indicated that they were nearly spherical, with diameters ranging from 3.0 to 10.0 nm, and the lattice spacing was 0.283 nm. The toxicity experiment revealed that PLR-CDs were non-poisonous for LO2 cells and RAW264.7 cells at concentrations below 250 μg/mL. The results of pharmacodynamic experiments showed that PLR-CDs could lower the blood uric acid level in model rats by inhibiting the activity of xanthine oxidase and reduce the degree of swelling and pathological damage of gouty arthritis. Thus, PLR-CDs with anti-gout biological activity and good biocompatibility have the prospect of clinical application for the treatment of gout.

Aramid fibers (AFs) with their high Young's modulus and tenacity are easy to degrade seriously with ultraviolet (UV) radiation that leads to reduction in their performance, causing premature failure and limiting their outdoor end use. Herein, we report a method to synthesize nano-SiO 2 on AFs surfaces in supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO 2 ) to simultaneously improve their UV resistance, thermal stability, and interfacial shear strength (IFSS). The effects of different pressures (10, 12, 14, 16 MPa) on the growth of nanoparticles were investigated. The untreated and modified fibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the nano-SiO 2 -decorated fibers exhibited improvement of thermal stability and mechanical properties, and the IFSS of the nano-SiO 2 modified fibers increases by up to 64% compared with the untreated fibers. After exposure to 216 h of UV radiation, the AFs-UV shows a less decrease in tensile strength, elongation to break and tensile modulus, retaining only 73%, 91%, and 85% of the pristine AFs, respectively, while those of AFs-SiO 2 -14MPa-UV retain 91.5%, 98%, and 95.5%. In short, this study presents a green method for growing nano-SiO 2 on the surface of AFs by Sc-CO 2 to enhance the thermal stability, IFSS, and UV resistance.

As one of the most promising micro-machining methods, electrochemical micro-machining is widely used in the field of metal micro-structures. The electrochemical micro-milling on Nickel-base superalloy by using high-speed spiral electrode was studied in detail. Firstly, the electric field and flow field models of micro-electrochemical milling are established and analyzed by the finite element method. Then, the milling profile was predicted and the effect of high-speed rotation of electrodes on electrolyte promotion and secondary electrolysis prevention were analyzed. Secondly, the influence of the main machining parameters, such as rotating speed, electrical parameters, and feed rate on machining precision and efficiency was analyzed experimentally. Finally, by optimizing the machining parameters, a series of micro-graphic structures with a width of about 150 μm were obtained on Nickel-base superalloy 718 by using the spiral electrode with a diameter of 100 μm. The experimental and simulation results show that the high-speed rotation of electrodes can greatly improve the machining efficiency and stability. It was proved that micro-electrochemical milling with the high-speed rotating electrode technique is an effective method for machining micro-metal parts.

High modulus aramid fiber, such as Kevlar 49, is conventionally prepared by the heat annealing of high strength aramid fiber under a suitable tension at high temperature, especially higher than 500 °C. This enables the mobility of a rigid molecule chain to be rearranged into a more perfect crystalline or orientation structure under tension. However, annealing decreases the tensile strength, since the thermal degradation of the molecular chain at high temperature cannot be avoided. Kevlar 49 fibers treated in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) under tension could improve their mechanical properties at a low temperature. The effects of the tension on the mechanical properties and structure of the Kevlar 49 fibers were studied by mechanical testing, wide-angle and small-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS, SAXS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the mechanical properties, crystallinity and orientation of the fiber can be improved when the tension is less than 0.6 cN/dtex, which may be due to the increasing of the mobility of a rigid segment with the help of the plasticization of scCO 2 and re-arrangement of macromolecular chain into crystalline and orientation structure under tension. What's more, the amorphous region also was enhanced by crosslinking reaction of toluene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) with the chain end groups of the macromolecules in the amorphous regions. However, a decrease of tenacity was found when the tension was higher than 0.6 cN/dtex, which is because the tension was so high that the microfibril was broken. The results indicated that treating the Kevlar 49 fiber in scCO 2 under a suitable tension with TDI as a crosslink agent can simultaneously improve both the tenacity and modulus of the fiber.

In order to obtain F-III fibers with high mechanical properties, pristine F-III fibers were hot drawn at the temperature of 250 °C, pressure of 14 MPa, tension of 6 g·d -1 , and different times, which were 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, 60 min, 75 min, 90 min, and 105 min, respectively, in supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO 2 ) in this article. All the samples, including the pristine and treated F-III fibers, were characterized by a mechanical performance tester, wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that the thermal stability of F-III fibers was enhanced to some extent, and the tensile strength and modulus of F-III fibers had great changes as the extension of treatment time during hot drawing in Sc-CO 2 , although the treatment temperature was lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of F-III fibers. Accordingly, the phase fraction, orientation factor f c of the (110) crystal plane, fibril length l f , and misorientation angle B φ of all the samples were also investigated. Fortunately, the hot drawing in Sc-CO 2 was successfully applied to the preparation of F-III fibers with high mechanical properties.

High population density alters insect prophylactic immunity, with density-dependent prophylaxis (DDP) being reported in many polyphonic insects. However, the molecular mechanism for DDP remains unclear. In current study, the role of tyramine β-hydroxylase (Tβh) in the immune response of M. separata larvae that were subject to different rearing densities conditions was investigated. The tyramine β-hydroxylase activity of larvae from high density treatments (10 and 30 larvae per jar) was significantly higher than that of the larvae from low density treatments (one, two, and five larvae/jar). A tyramine β-hydroxylase (designated MsTβh ) containing a 1779 bp open reading frame was identified. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that MsTβh was orthologous to the Tβh that was found in other lepidopterans. Elevated MsTβh expression was observed in larvae under high density (10 larvae per jar). Silencing MsTβh expression by the injection of dsRNA in larvae from the high density treatment produced a 25.1% reduction in octopamine levels, while at the same time, there was a significant decrease in phenoloxidase (PO) and lysozyme activity, total haemocyte counts, and survival against Beauveria infection 56.6%, 88.5%, 82.0%, and 55.8%, respectively, when compared to control larvae. Our findings provide the first insights into how MsTβh mediates the octopamine level, which in turn modulates the immune response of larvae under different population densities.

Thermal pre-oxidation of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers is a time-consuming and energy-consuming step in the production of PAN-based carbon fibers. In this paper, the effect of temperature on the structures and properties of PAN fibers cyclized in the supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO₂) medium was studied. The thermal behaviors of the PAN fibers were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The cyclization reaction was sensitive to the heating temperature and gas atmosphere. The FT-IR results of the PAN fibers treated in the Sc-CO₂ confirmed that the degree of cyclization increased with the increase of the cyclization temperature. Compared with the PAN fibers treated in the air, the PAN fibers treated in the Sc-CO₂ showed a higher degree of cyclization even at the same temperature. These findings might be related to the osmotic action of Sc-CO₂ causing the fibers to be further arranged in a regular manner, which was favorable for the cyclization reaction. Moreover, as one kind of high diffusion and high heat transfer media, the heat release during the cyclization of PAN fibers could be quickly removed by Sc-CO₂, which achieved the progress of the rapid-entry cyclization reaction.

The hot-drawing process of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers is an important step during the production of PAN-based carbon fibers. In this study, supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO₂) was used as one kind of media for thermal stretching of PAN fibers to study the effect of different pressures of Sc-CO₂ on crystallinity, degree of orientation and mechanical property of PAN fibers during the hot-drawing process. The changes of microstructure and mechanical properties in the PAN fibers were investigated by wide-angle X-ray diffraction, small angle X-ray scattering and monofilament strength analysis. The results showed that as the pressure increased, the crystallinity and degree of orientation of PAN fibers increased. Furthermore, when the pressure was 10 MPa, the crystallinity increased from 69.78% to 79.99%, which was the maximum crystallinity among the different pressures. However, when the pressure was further increased, the crystallinity and degree of orientation of the fibers were reduced. The test results of the mechanical properties were consistent with the trends of crystallinity and degree of orientation, showing that when the pressure was 10 MPa, the tensile strength of the fibers increased from 4.59 cN·dtex -1 to 7.06 cN·dtex -1 and the modulus increased from 101.54 cN·dtex -1 to 129.55 cN·dtex -1 .

F-III fibers were treated at different pressures in supercritical carbon dioxide fluid and all samples including untreated and treated F-III fibers were characterized by a mechanical performance tester, wide-angle X-ray scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering. By studying the relationship between mechanical performance and microstructural changes of the samples, it was found that microstructural change was the main cause of variation in mechanical performance. Results revealed that the maximum tensile strength and modulus of F-III fibers were acquired at 14 MPa within the pressure range of 8 MPa to 16 MPa when the temperature, tension and time were 250 °C, 6 g·d -1 and 40 min, respectively. Correspondingly, the microstructures of the samples, including the phase fraction, crystal size, orientation factor, fibril radius, fibril length and misorientation angle, have been investigated. It was fortunate that the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid could be used as a medium during the hot-stretch process to improve the mechanical performance of F-III fibers, although the treatment temperature was lower than the glass transition temperature of the F-III fibers.

Micro electrochemical machining is becoming increasingly important in the microfabrication of metal parts. In this paper, the machining characteristics of micro electrochemical milling with nanosecond pulse were studied. Firstly, a mathematical model for the localization control of micro electrochemical milling with nanosecond pulse was established. Secondly, groups of experiments were conducted on nickel-based superalloy and the effects of parameters such as applied voltage, pulse on time, pulse period, electrolyte concentration and electrode diameter on machining localization and surface roughness were analyzed. Finally, by using the optimized machining parameters, some 2D complex shapes and 3D square cavity structures with good shape precision and good surface quality were successfully obtained. It was proved that the micro electrochemical milling with nanosecond pulse technique is an effective machining method to fabricate metal microstructures.