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In this study, two types of composites, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and epoxy resin (ER), reinforced with 20% of glass fiber (GF) are used as the comparative research objects. Their mechanical properties after thermal aging at 85~145 °C are evaluated by tensile strength and fracture morphology analysis. The results show that the composites have similar aging laws. The tensile strength of GF/PBT and GF/ER decrease gradually with the increase of aging temperature, while their elastic moduli are independent of the thermal treatment temperature. Scanning electron microscopy study of the fracture surface shows that separation of glass fiber from PBT and ER matrix becomes more obvious at higher aging temperature. The fibers on the matrix surface appear clear and smooth, and the whole pulled out GFs can be observed. As a main mechanical strength degradation mechanism, the deterioration of interface adhesion between the matrix and GF is discussed. A large difference in coefficients of thermal expansion of the matrix and GF is a main factor of the mechanical degradation.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury following myocardial infarction is a major cause of cardiomyocyte death and impaired cardiac function. Although clinical data show that metformin is effective in repairing cardiac I/R injury, its efficacy is hindered by non-specific targeting during administration, a short half-life, frequent dosing, and potential adverse effects on the liver and kidneys. In recent years, injectable hydrogels have shown substantial potential in overcoming drug delivery challenges and treating myocardial infarction. To this end, we developed a natural polymer hydrogel system comprising methacryloylated chitosan and methacryloylated gelatin modified with polyaniline conductive derivatives. In vitro studies demonstrated that the optimized hydrogel exhibited excellent injectability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, suitable mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity. Incorporating metformin into this hydrogel significantly extended the administration cycle, mitigated mitochondrial damage, decreased abnormal ROS production, and enhanced cardiomyocyte function. Animal experiments indicated that the metformin/hydrogel system reduced arrhythmia incidence, infarct size, and improved cardiac mitochondrial and overall cardiac function, promoting myocardial repair in I/R injury. Overall, the metformin-loaded conductive hydrogel system effectively mitigates mitochondrial oxidative damage and improves cardiomyocyte function, thereby offering a theoretical foundation for the potential application of metformin in cardioprotection.

Eukaryotic genomes are organized into chromatin domains through long-range chromatin interactions which are mediated by the binding of architectural proteins, such as CTCF and cohesin, and histone modifications. Based on the published Hi-C and ChIP-seq datasets in human monocyte-derived macrophages, we identified 206 and 127 differential chromatin interactions (DCIs) that were not located within transcription readthrough regions in influenza A virus- and interferon β-treated cells, respectively, and found that the binding positions of CTCF and RAD21 within more than half of the DCI sites did not change. However, five histone modifications, H3K4me3, H3K27ac, H3K36me3, H3K9me3, and H3K27me3, showed significantly more dramatic changes than CTCF and RAD21 within the DCI sites. For H3K4me3, H3K27ac, H3K36me3, and H3K27me3, significantly more dramatic changes were observed outside than within the DCI sites. We further applied a motif scanning approach to discover proteins that might correlate with changes in histone modifications and chromatin interactions and found that PRDM9, ZNF384, and STAT2 frequently bound to DNA sequences corresponding to 1 kb genomic intervals with gains or losses of a histone modification within the DCI sites. This study explores the dynamic regulation of chromatin interactions and extends the current knowledge of the relationship between histone modifications and chromatin interactions.

Laser-based direct energy deposition (DED-LB/M) has been a promising option for the surface repair of structural aluminum alloys due to the advantages it offers, including a small heat-affected zone, high forming accuracy, and adjustable deposition materials. However, the unequal powder particle size during powder-based DED-LB/M can cause unstable flow and an uneven material flow rate per unit of time, resulting in defects such as pores, uneven deposition layers, and cracks. This paper presents a multiscale, multiphysics numerical model to investigate the underlying mechanism during the powder-based DED-LB/M surface repair process. First, the worn surfaces of aluminum alloy components with different flaw shapes and sizes were characterized and modeled. The fluid flow of the molten pool during material deposition on the worn surfaces was then investigated using a model that coupled the mesoscale discrete element method (DEM) and the finite volume method (FVM). The effect of flaw size and powder supply quantity on the evolution of the molten pool temperature, morphology, and dynamics was evaluated. The rapid heat transfer and variation in thermal stress during the multilayer DED-LB/M process were further illustrated using a macroscale thermomechanical model. The maximum stress was observed and compared with the yield stress of the adopted material, and no relative sliding was observed between deposited layers and substrate components.

The rapid evolution of computer technology and social networks has led to massive data generation through interpersonal communications, necessitating improved methods for information mining and relational analysis in areas such as criminal activity. This paper introduces a Social Network Forensic Analysis model that employs network representation learning to identify and analyze key figures within criminal networks, including leadership structures. The model incorporates traditional web forensics and community algorithms, utilizing concepts such as centrality and similarity measures and integrating the Deepwalk, Line, and Node2vec algorithms to map criminal networks into vector spaces. This maintains node features and structural information that are crucial for the relational analysis. The model refines node relationships through modified random walk sampling, using BFS and DFS, and employs a Continuous Bag-of-Words with Hierarchical Softmax for node vectorization, optimizing the value distribution via the Huffman tree. Hierarchical clustering and distance measures (cosine and Euclidean) were used to identify the key nodes and establish a hierarchy of influence. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the model in accurately vectorizing nodes, enhancing inter-node relationship precision, and optimizing clustering, thereby advancing the tools for combating complex criminal networks.

RNC1 , a plant-specific gene, is known for its involvement in splicing group II introns within maize chloroplast. However, its role in chloroplast development and global gene expression remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of RNC1 in chloroplast development and identify the genes that mediate its function in the development of entire tomato plants. Consistent with findings in maize, RNC1 silencing induced dwarfism and leaf whitening in tomato plants. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the RNC1 protein is localized to both the nucleus and cytoplasm, including the stress granule and chloroplasts. Electron microscopic examination of tomato leaf transverse sections exposed significant disruptions in the spatial arrangement of the thylakoid network upon RNC1 silencing, crucial for efficient light energy capture and conversion into chemical energy. Transcriptome analysis suggested that RNC1 silencing potentially impacts tomato plant development through genes associated with all three categories (biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions). Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding of the critical role of RNC1 in chloroplast development and its significance in plant physiology.

The anterior gradient protein 2 (AGR2) plays a crucial role in facilitating the formation of protein disulfide bonds within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Research suggests that AGR2 can function as an oncogene, with its heightened expression linked to the advancement of hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers through invasion and metastasis. Notably, AGR2 not only serves as a pro-oncogenic agent but also as a downstream targeting protein, indirectly fostering cancer progression. This comprehensive review delves into the established functions and expression patterns of AGR2, emphasizing its pivotal role in cancer progression, particularly in hepatobiliary and pancreatic malignancies. Furthermore, AGR2 emerges as a potential cancer prognostic marker and a promising target for immunotherapy, offering novel avenues for the treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancers and enhancing patient outcomes.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is characterized by a weakening of the small- and medium-sized cerebral arteries, as their smooth muscle cells are progressively replaced with acellular amyloid β, increasing vessel fragility and vulnerability to microhemorrhage. In this context, an aberrant overactivation of the complement system would further aggravate this process. The surface protein CD59 protects most cells from complement-induced cytotoxicity, but expression levels can fluctuate due to disease and varying cell types. The degree to which CD59 protects human cerebral vascular smooth muscle (HCSM) cells from complement-induced cytotoxicity has not yet been determined. To address this shortcoming, we selectively blocked the activity of HCSM-expressed CD59 with an antibody, and challenged the cells with complement, then measured cellular viability. Unblocked HCSM cells proved resistant to all tested concentrations of complement, and this resistance decreased progressively with increasing concentrations of anti-CD59 antibody. Complete CD59 blockage, however, did not result in a total loss of cellular viability, suggesting that additional factors may have some protective functions. Taken together, this implies that CD59 plays a predominant role in HCSM cellular protection against complement-induced cytotoxicity. The overexpression of CD59 could be an effective means of protecting these cells from excessive complement system activity, with consequent reductions in the incidence of microhemorrhage. The precise extent to which cellular repair mechanisms and other complement repair proteins contribute to this resistance has yet to be fully elucidated.

The increase in Cervical Spondylosis cases and the expansion of the affected demographic to younger patients have escalated the demand for X-ray screening. Challenges include variability in imaging technology, differences in equipment specifications, and the diverse experience levels of clinicians, which collectively hinder diagnostic accuracy. In response, a deep learning approach utilizing a ResNet-34 convolutional neural network has been developed. This model, trained on a comprehensive dataset of 1235 cervical spine X-ray images representing a wide range of projection angles, aims to mitigate these issues by providing a robust tool for diagnosis. Validation of the model was performed on an independent set of 136 X-ray images, also varied in projection angles, to ensure its efficacy across diverse clinical scenarios. The model achieved a classification accuracy of 89.7%, significantly outperforming the traditional manual diagnostic approach, which has an accuracy of 68.3%. This advancement demonstrates the viability of deep learning models to not only complement but enhance the diagnostic capabilities of clinicians in identifying Cervical Spondylosis, offering a promising avenue for improving diagnostic accuracy and efficiency in clinical settings.

The effect of hydrogen content on the deformation and fracture behavior of 27Cr-4Mo-2Ni super ferritic stainless steel (SFSS) was investigated in this study. It was shown that the plasticity and yield strength of SFSS were very susceptible to hydrogen content. The introduction of hydrogen led to a significant decrease in elongation and a concurrent increase in yield strength. Nevertheless, a critical threshold was identified in the elongation reduction, after which the elongation remained approximately constant even with more hydrogen introduced, while the yield strength exhibited a monotonic increase with increasing hydrogen content within the experimental range, attributed to the pinning effect of the hydrogen Cottrell atmosphere on dislocations. Furthermore, the hydrogen-charged SFSS shows an apparent drop in flow stress after upper yielding and a reduced work hardening rate during the subsequent plastic deformation. The more hydrogen is charged, the more the flow stress drops, and the lower the work hardening rate becomes.

Recent advancements in neural probe technology have become pivotal in both neuroscience research and the clinical management of neurological disorders. State-of-the-art developments have led to the advent of multichannel, high-density bidirectional neural interfaces that are adept at both recording and modulating neuronal activity within the central nervous system. Despite this progress, extant bidirectional probes designed for simultaneous recording and stimulation are beset with limitations, including elicitation of inflammatory responses and insufficient charge injection capacity. In this paper, we delineate the design and application of an innovative ultraflexible bidirectional neural probe engineered from polyimide. This probe is distinguished by its ability to facilitate high-resolution recordings and precise stimulation control in deep brain regions. Electrodes enhanced with a PEDOT:PSS/IrO x composite exhibit a substantial increase in charge storage capacity, escalating from 0.14 ± 0.01 mC/cm 2 to an impressive 24.75 ± 0.18 mC/cm 2 . This augmentation significantly bolsters the electrodes' charge transfer efficacy. In tandem, we observed a notable reduction in electrode impedance, from 3.47 ± 1.77 MΩ to a mere 41.88 ± 4.04 kΩ, while the phase angle exhibited a positive shift from -72.61 ± 1.84° to -34.17 ± 0.42°. To substantiate the electrodes' functional prowess, we conducted in vivo experiments, where the probes were surgically implanted into the bilateral motor cortex of mice. These experiments involved the synchronous recording and meticulous analysis of neural signal fluctuations during stimulation and an assessment of the probes' proficiency in modulating directional turning behaviors in the subjects. The empirical evidence corroborates that targeted stimulation within the bilateral motor cortex of mice can modulate the intensity of neural signals in the stimulated locale, enabling the directional control of the mice's turning behavior to the contralateral side of the stimulation site.

The microglia, displaying diverse phenotypes, play a significant regulatory role in the development, progression, and prognosis of Parkinson's disease. Research has established that glycolytic reprogramming serves as a critical regulator of inflammation initiation in pro-inflammatory macrophages. Furthermore, the modulation of glycolytic reprogramming has the potential to reverse the polarized state of these macrophages. Previous studies have shown that Levistilide A (LA), a phthalide component derived from Angelica sinensis, possesses a range of pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties. In our study, we have examined the impact of LA on inflammatory cytokines and glucose metabolism in microglia induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Furthermore, we explored the effects of LA on the AMPK/mTOR pathway and assessed its neuroprotective potential both in vitro and in vivo. The findings revealed that LA notably diminished the expression of M1 pro-inflammatory factors induced by LPS in microglia, while leaving M2 anti-inflammatory factor expression unaltered. Additionally, it reduced ROS production and suppressed IκB-α phosphorylation levels as well as NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation. Notably, LA exhibited the ability to reverse microglial glucose metabolism reprogramming and modulate the phosphorylation levels of AMPK/mTOR. In vivo experiments further corroborated these findings, demonstrating that LA mitigated the death of TH-positive dopaminergic neurons and reduced microglia activation in the ventral SNpc brain region of the midbrain and the striatum. In summary, LA exhibited neuroprotective benefits by modulating the polarization state of microglia and altering glucose metabolism, highlighting its therapeutic potential.

The function of RNAs is determined by their structure. However, studying the relationship between RNA structure and function often requires altering RNA sequences to modify the structures, which leads to the neglect of the importance of RNA sequences themselves. In our research, we utilized potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), a circular-form non-coding infectious RNA, as a model with which to investigate the role of a specific rod-like structure in RNA function. By generating linear RNA transcripts with different start sites, we established 12 PSTVd forms with different secondary structures while maintaining the same sequence. The RNA secondary structures were predicted using the mfold tool and validated through native PAGE gel electrophoresis after in vitro RNA folding. Analysis using plant infection assays revealed that the formation of a correct rod-like structure is crucial for the successful infection of PSTVd. Interestingly, the inability of PSTVd forms with non-rod-like structures to infect plants could be partially compensated by increasing the amount of linear viroid RNA transcripts, suggesting the existence of additional RNA secondary structures, such as the correct rod-like structure, alongside the dominant structure in the RNA inoculum of these forms. Our study demonstrates the critical role of RNA secondary structures in determining the function of infectious RNAs.

Electrical breakdown is an important physical phenomenon in power equipment and electronic devices. Recently, the mechanism of AC and DC breakdown has been preliminarily revealed as electrode-dielectric interface breakdown and bulk breakdown, respectively, based on space charge dynamics through numerical calculations. However, the AC breakdown mechanism still lacks enough direct experimental support, which restricts further understanding and the design and development of electrical structures. Here, in this study, LDPE films with various thicknesses ranging from 33 μm to 230 μm were surface modified with ozone for different durations to experimentally investigate DC and AC breakdown mechanism. The results indicate that carbonyl groups (C=O) were introduced onto the film surface, forming shallow surface traps and leading to a decreased average trap depth and an increased trap density. Such a surface oxidation modulated trap distribution led to enhanced space charge injection and bulk electrical field distortion, which decreased DC breakdown strength as the oxidation duration went longer, in all film thicknesses. However, such decreases in breakdown strength occurred only in films below 55 μm under AC stresses, as the enhanced electrical field distortion at the electrode-dielectric interface was more obvious and dominating in thin films. These experimental results further confirm the proposed electrode-dielectric interface breakdown of dielectric films and provide new understandings of space charge modulated electrical breakdown, which fulfills dielectric breakdown theory and benefits the miniaturization of power equipment and electronic devices.

The hoist cage is used to lift miners in a coal mine's auxiliary shaft. Monitoring miners' unsafe behaviors and their status in the hoist cage is crucial to production safety in coal mines. In this study, a visual detection model is proposed to estimate the number and categories of miners, and to identify whether the miners are wearing helmets and whether they have fallen in the hoist cage. A dataset with eight categories of miners' statuses in hoist cages was developed for training and validating the model. Using the dataset, the classical models were trained for comparison, from which the YOLOv5s model was selected to be the basic model. Due to small-sized targets, poor lighting conditions, and coal dust and shelter, the detection accuracy of the Yolov5s model was only 89.2%. To obtain better detection accuracy, k-means++ clustering algorithm, a BiFPN-based feature fusion network, the convolutional block attention module (CBAM), and a CIoU loss function were proposed to improve the YOLOv5s model, and an attentional multi-scale cascaded feature fusion-based YOLOv5s model (AMCFF-YOLOv5s) was subsequently developed. The training results on the self-built dataset indicate that its detection accuracy increased to 97.6%. Moreover, the AMCFF-YOLOv5s model was proven to be robust to noise and light.

In this paper, mechanical properties of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy resin (EP) reinforced with a 20% fiber glass (GF) with layered structure after high temperature aging are studied. Tensile and flexural stress-strain curves of the GF/EP composite after aging tests in the temperature range of 85-145 °C in air were measured. Tensile and flexural strength demonstrate gradual decrease with the increase in the aging temperature. The failure mechanism at the micro scale is studied by the scanning electron microscopy. A separation of the GFs and EP matrix and evident pullout of the GFs are observed. Degradation of the mechanical properties is explained by a cross-linking and chain scission of the initial molecular structure of the composite and decrease in the interfacial adhesion force between GFs and EP matrix caused by oxidation of the EP matrix and difference of the GF and EP coefficients of thermal expansion.

Nanomedicine 2.0 refers to the next generation of nanotechnology-based medical therapies and diagnostic tools. This field focuses on the development of more sophisticated and precise nanoparticles (NPs) for targeted drug delivery, imaging, and sensing. It has been established that the nuclear delivery of NP-loaded drugs can increase their therapeutic efficacy. To effectively direct the NPs to the nucleus, the attachment of nuclear localization signals (NLSs) to NPs has been employed in many applications. In this review, we will provide an overview of the structure of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and the classic nuclear import mechanism. Additionally, we will explore various nanoparticles, including their synthesis, functionalization, drug loading and release mechanisms, nuclear targeting strategies, and potential applications. Finally, we will highlight the challenges associated with developing nucleus-targeted nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems (NDDSs) and provide insights into the future of NDDSs.

Dichloromethane (DCM) is recognized as a very harmful air pollutant because of its strong volatility and difficulty to degrade. Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered as potential solvents for absorbing DCM, while it is still a challenge to develop ILs with high absorption performances. In this study, four carboxyl-functionalized ILs-trioctylmethylammonium acetate [N 1888 ][Ac], trioctylmethylammonium formate [N 1888 ][FA], trioctylmethylammonium glycinate [N 1888 ][Gly], and trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium glycinate [P 66614 ][Gly]-were synthesized for DCM capture. The absorption capacity follows the order of [P 66614 ][Gly] > [N 1888 ][Gly] > [N 1888 ][FA] > [N 1888 ][Ac], and [P 66614 ][Gly] showed the best absorption capacity, 130 mg DCM/g IL at 313.15 K and a DCM concentration of 6.1%, which was two times higher than the reported ILs [Beim][EtSO 4 ] and [Emim][Ac]. Moreover, the vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of the DCM + IL binary system was experimentally measured. The NRTL (non-random two-liquid) model was developed to predict the VLE data, and a relative root mean square deviation (rRMSD) of 0.8467 was obtained. The absorption mechanism was explored via FT-IR spectra, 1 H-NMR, and quantum chemistry calculations. It showed a nonpolar affinity between the cation and the DCM, while the interaction between the anion and the DCM was a hydrogen bond. Based on the results of the study of the interaction energy, it was found that the hydrogen bond between the anion and the DCM had the greatest influence on the absorption process.

Oily sludge, as a critical hazardous waste, requires appropriate treatment for resource recovery and harmfulness reduction. Here, fast microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) of oily sludge was conducted for oil removal and fuel production. The results indicated the priority of the fast MAP compared with the MAP under premixing mode, with the oil content in solid residues after pyrolysis reaching below 0.2%. The effects of pyrolysis temperature and time on product distribution and compositions were examined. In addition, pyrolysis kinetics can be well described using the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) methods, with the activation energy being 169.7-319.1 kJ/mol in the feedstock conversional fraction range of 0.2-0.7. Subsequently, the pyrolysis residues were further treated by thermal plasma vitrification to immobilize the existing heavy metals. The amorphous phase and the glassy matrix were formed in the molten slags, resulting in bonding and, hence, immobilization of heavy metals. Operating parameters, including working current and melting time, were optimized to reduce the leaching concentrations of heavy metals, as well as to decrease their volatilization during vitrification.

Fe (II)-and 2-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (Fe (II)/α-KG DOs) have been applied to catalyze hydroxylation of amino acids. However, the Fe (II)/α-KG DOs that have been developed and characterized are not sufficient. L-isoleucine dioxygenase (IDO) is an Fe (II)/α-KG DO that specifically catalyzes the formation of 4-hydroxyisoleucine (4-HIL) from L-isoleucine (L-Ile) and exhibits a substrate specificity toward L-aliphatic amino acids. To expand the substrate spectrum of IDO toward aromatic amino acids, in this study, we analyzed the regularity of the substrate spectrum of IDO using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and found that the distance between Fe 2+ , C2 of α-KG and amino acid chain's C4 may be critical for regulating the substrate specificity of the enzyme. The mutation sites (Y143, S153 and R227) were also subjected to single point saturation mutations based on polarity pockets and residue free energy contributions. It was found that Y143D, Y143I and S153A mutants exhibited catalytic L-phenylalanine activity, while Y143I, S153A, S153Q and S153Y exhibited catalytic L-homophenylalanine activity. Consequently, this study extended the substrate spectrum of IDO with aromatic amino acids and enhanced its application property.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, with shorter five-year survival than other breast cancer subtypes, and lacks targeted and hormonal treatment strategies. The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is up-regulated in various tumors, including TNBC, and plays a vital role in regulating the expression of multiple proliferation- and apoptosis-related genes., Results: By combining the unique structures of the natural compounds STA-21 and Aulosirazole with antitumor activities, we synthesized a class of novel isoxazoloquinone derivatives and showed that one of these compounds, ZSW, binds to the SH2 domain of STAT3, leading to decreased STAT3 expression and activation in TNBC cells. Furthermore, ZSW promotes STAT3 ubiquitination, inhibits the proliferation of TNBC cells in vitro, and attenuates tumor growth with manageable toxicities in vivo. ZSW also decreases the mammosphere formation of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) by inhibiting STAT3., Conclusions: We conclude that the novel isoxazoloquinone ZSW may be developed as a cancer therapeutic because it targets STAT3, thereby inhibiting the stemness of cancer cells.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), an important postoperative neurological complication, is very common and has an elevated incidence in elderly patients. Sevoflurane, an inhaled anesthetic, has been demonstrated to be associated with POCD in both clinical and animal studies. However, how to prevent POCD remains unclear. Minocycline, a commonly used antibiotic can cross the blood-brain barrier and exert an inhibitory effect on inflammation in the central nervous system. The present work aimed to examine the protective effect and mechanism of minocycline on sevoflurane-induced POCD in aged mice. We found that 3% sevoflurane administered 2 h a day for 3 consecutive days led to cognitive impairment in aged animals. Further investigation revealed that sevoflurane impaired synapse plasticity by causing apoptosis and neuroinflammation and thus induced cognitive dysfunction. However, minocycline pretreatment (50 mg/kg, i.p, 1 h prior to sevoflurane exposure) significantly attenuated learning and memory impairments associated with sevoflurane in aged animals by suppressing apoptosis and neuroinflammation. Moreover, a mechanistic analysis showed that minocycline suppressed sevoflurane-triggered neuroinflammation by inhibiting Notch signaling. Similar results were also obtained in vitro. Collectively, these findings suggested minocycline may be an effective drug for the prevention of sevoflurane-induced POCD in elderly patients.

The high-temperature solid-phase approach was used to synthesize Eu 3+ -doped SrMo 0.5 W 0.5 O 4 phosphors, whose morphological structure and luminescence properties were then characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, excitation spectra, emission spectra, and fluorescence decay curves. The results reveal that the best phosphor synthesis temperature was 900 °C and that the doping of Eu 3+ and charge compensators (K + , Li + , Na + , NH 4 + ) had no effect on the crystal phase change. SrMo 0.5 W 0.5 O 4 :Eu 3+ has major excitation peaks at 273 nm, 397 nm, and 464 nm, and a main emission peak at 615 nm, making it a potential red fluorescent material to be used as a down converter in UV LEDs (273 nm and 397 nm) and blue light LEDs (464 nm) to achieve Red emission. The emission spectra of Sr 1-y Mo 0.5 W 0.5 O 4 (y = 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.07) excited at 273 were depicted, with the Eu 3+ (y = 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.07) excited at 273 were depicted, with the Eu 3+ concentration increasing the luminescence intensity first increases and then decreases, the emission peak intensity of SrMo 0.5 W 0.5 O 4 :Eu 3+ achieves its maximum when the doping concentration of Eu 3+ is 1%, and the critical transfer distance is calculated as 25.57 Å. When various charge compensators such as K + , Li + , Na + , and NH 4 + are added to SrMo 0.5 W 0.5 O 4 :Eu 3+ , the NH 4 + shows the best effect with the optimal doping concentration of 3wt%. The SrMo 0.5 W 0.5 O 4 :Eu 3+ ,NH 4 + color coordinate is (0.656,0.343), which is close to that of the ideal red light (0.670,0.333).

The boundary delineation of the urban-rural fringe (URF) is the basic work of fine planning and governance of cities, which plays a positive role in promoting the process of global sustainable development and urban and rural integration. In the past, the delineation of URF had shortcomings such as a single selected data source, difficulty in obtaining data, and low spatial and temporal resolution. This study combines Point of Interest (POI) and Nighttime Light (NTL) data, proposes a new spatial recognition method of URF according to the characteristics of urban and rural spatial structure, and conducts empirical analysis with Wuhan as the research object, combining the information entropy of land use structure, NDVI, and population density data to verify and compare the delineation results and field verification was conducted for typical areas. The results show that (1) the fusion of POI and NTL can maximize the use of the characteristics of the differences in facility types, light intensity, and resolution between POI and NTL, compared with the urban-rural fringe boundary identified by POI, NTL or population density data alone, and it is more accurate and time-sensitive; (2) NPP and POI (fusion data of Suomi NPP-VIIRS and POI) can quantitatively identify potential central area and multi-layer structure of the city. It fluctuates between 0.2 and 0.6 in the urban core area of Wuhan and between 0.1 and 0.3 in the new town clusters, while in the URF and rural areas drops sharply to below 0.1; (3) the urban-rural fringe area of Wuhan covers a total area of 1482.35 km 2 , accounting for 17.30% of the total area of the city. Its land use types are mainly construction land, water area, and cultivated land, accounting for 40.75%, 30.03%, and 14.60% of the URF, respectively. Its NDVI and population density are at a medium level, with values of 1.630 and 2556.28 persons/km 2, respectively; (4) the double mutation law of NPP and POI in urban and rural space confirms that the URF exists objectively as a regional entity generated in the process of urban expansion, provides empirical support for the theory of urban and rural ternary structure, and has a positive reference value for the allocation of global infrastructure, industrial division, ecological function division, and other researches.

Developing new energy vehicles (NEVs) is necessary to grow the low-carbon vehicle industry. Many concentrated end-of-life (EoL) power batteries will cause large-scale environmental pollution and safety accidents when the time comes to replace the first generation of batteries if improper recycling and disposal methods are utilized. Significant negative externalities will result for the environment and other economic entities. When recycling EoL power batteries, some countries need to solve problems about lower recycling rates, unclear division of echelon utilization scenarios, and incomplete recycling systems. Therefore, this paper first analyzes representative countries' power battery recycling policies and finds out the reasons for the low recycling rate in some countries. It is also found that echelon utilization is the critical link to EoL power battery recycling. Secondly, this paper summarizes the existing recycling models and systems to form a complete closed-loop recycling process from the two stages of consumer recycling and corporate disposal of batteries. The policies and recycling technologies are highly concerned with echelon utilization, but few studies focus on analyzing application scenarios of echelon utilization. Therefore, this paper combines cases to delineate the echelon utilization scenarios clearly. Based on this, the 4R EoL power battery recycling system is proposed, which improves the existing recycling system and can recycle EoL power batteries efficiently. Finally, this paper analyzes the existing policy problems and existing technical challenges. Based on the actual situation and future development trends, we propose development suggestions from the government, enterprises, and consumers to achieve the maximum reused of EoL power batteries.

Phase relations of the Fe-Cr-Er system in the temperature range 973-1273 K were experimentally investigated using equilibrated alloys. The isothermal sections consisted of 9 single-phase regions, 16 two-phase regions, and 8 three-phase regions at 973 K and 1073 K. At 1273 K, the σ phase disappeared, and liquid appeared. All single phases had a solid solubility range that showed a downward trend with a decrease in temperature. The homogeneity range of the ErFe 12-x Cr x ternary compound was determined to be x = 1.8-4.5. The more accurate phase relations obtained in this work can better guide the preparation of Fe-Cr-Er alloys in actual production.

Mitochondrion is an important organelle of eukaryotic cells and a critical target of ionizing radiation (IR) outside the nucleus. The biological significance and mechanism of the non-target effect originating from mitochondria have received much attention in the field of radiation biology and protection. In this study, we investigated the effect, role, and radioprotective significance of cytosolic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and its associated cGAS signaling on hematopoietic injury induced by IR in vitro culture cells and in vivo total body irradiated mice in this study. The results demonstrated that γ-ray exposure increases the release of mtDNA into the cytosol to activate cGAS signaling pathway, and the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) may contribute to IR-induced mtDNA release. VDAC1 inhibitor DIDS and cGAS synthetase inhibitor can alleviate bone marrow injury and ameliorate hematopoietic suppression induced by IR via protecting hematopoietic stem cells and adjusting subtype distribution of bone marrow cells, such as attenuating the increase of the F4/80 + macrophage proportion in bone marrow cells. The present study provides a new mechanistic explanation for the radiation non-target effect and an alternative technical strategy for the prevention and treatment of hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome.

Pipecolic acid (Pip) and its derivative hydroxypipecolic acids, such as (2S,3R)-3-hydroxypipecolic acid ( cis -3-L-HyPip), are components of many natural and synthetic bioactive molecules. Fe(II)/α-ketoglutaric acid (Fe(II)/2-OG)-dependent dioxygenases can catalyze the hydroxylation of pipecolic acid. However, the available enzymes with desired activity and selectivity are limited. Herein, we compare the possible candidates in the Fe(II)/2-OG-dependent dioxygenase family, and cis -P3H is selected for potentially catalyzing selective hydroxylation of L-Pip. cis -P3H was further engineered to increase its catalytic efficiency toward L-Pip. By analyzing the structural confirmation and residue composition in substrate-binding pocket, a "handlebar" mode of molecular interactions is proposed. Using molecular docking, virtual mutation analysis, and dynamic simulations, R97, E112, L57, and G282 were identified as the key residues for subsequent site-directed saturation mutagenesis of cis -P3H. Consequently, the variant R97M showed an increased catalytic efficiency toward L-Pip. In this study, the k cat / K m value of the positive mutant R97M was about 1.83-fold that of the wild type. The mutation R97M would break the salt bridge between R97 and L-Pip and weaken the positive-positive interaction between R97 and R95. Therefore, the force on the amino and carboxyl groups of L-Pip was lightly balanced, allowing the molecule to be stabilized in the active pocket. These results provide a potential way of improving cis -P3H catalytic activity through rational protein engineering.

This paper examines potential performances of the Spread Spectrum-based random access technique and proposes an Improved Spread Spectrum Aloha (ISSA) protocol for the return channel in satellite Internet of Things (IoT) based on the beam-hopping technique. The key design driver and detailed solution of ISSA protocol are presented in this work and it is shown that the proposed protocol achieves high throughput and low collision probability. To match user/traffic distribution, delay requirement and channel condition with beam allocation better, a low-complexity heuristic beam scheduling algorithm and a more effective Maximum-Weighted Clique (MWC) algorithm have been proposed. The heuristic algorithm considers the user/traffic distribution, inter-beam interference, and fairness primarily. However, the MWC algorithm gives considerations not only on above factors, but also on delay requirement and channel condition (path loss and rain attenuation) to maximize system capacity. The beam angle and interference avoidance threshold are proposed to measure the inter-beam interference, and the link propagation loss and rain attenuation are considered meanwhile in the channel condition. In the MWC algorithm, we construct an auxiliary graph to find the maximum-weighted clique and derive the weighting approach to be applied in different application scenarios. The performance evaluation of our ISSA protocol compared with the SSA protocol is presented, which achieves a gain of 16.7%. The simulation of the ISSA protocol combined with round robin, heuristic, and MWC beam scheduling for the return link in beam-hopping satellite IoTs is also provided. The results indicate that the throughput in nonuniform user distribution is much lower than in the uniform case without the beam scheduling algorithm. Through the application of the scheduling algorithm, the throughput performance can approach the uniform distribution. Finally, the degree of user satisfaction with different scheduling approaches is presented, which validates the effectiveness of heuristic and MWC algorithms.

This study describes the development of a long-range hybrid autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for ocean turbulence measurement. It is a unique instrument, combining the characteristics of the conventional AUV and the buoyancy-driven glider, with a variety of flexible motion modes, such as cruise mode, glider mode, drift mode, and combination of multiple motion modes. The hybrid AUV was used for continuous turbulence measurement in the continental slope of the northern South China Sea in 2020. A total of ten continuous profiles were completed covering a horizontal span of 25 Km and a depth of 200 m. The hybrid AUV was operated in the combined glider and cruise mode. The hybrid AUV's flight performance was stable and satisfied the requirement for turbulence observation. The measured velocity shears from both probes were in good agreement, and the noise-reduced shear spectra were in excellent agreement with the Nasmyth spectrum. The water column in the study area was highly stratified, with a thick thermocline. The dissipation rate (ε) varied from 1.41 × 10 -10 to 4.18 × 10 -7 W·kg -1 . In the surface mixed layer, high values of ε (10 -9 ∼10 -8 W·kg -1 ) were observed toward the water surface. In the thermocline, ε was 10 -9.5 ∼10 -9 W·kg -1 , which was smaller than the level of the surface mixed layer. This result was mainly because of the strong "barrier"-like thermocline, which damped the transmission of wind and heat energy from the surface mixed layer to the deep layer. Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of hybrid AUVs for collecting oceanic turbulence measurements. They are a powerful addition to traditional turbulence instruments, as they make it possible to survey large areas to obtain high-quality and high-resolution data in both vertical and horizontal directions over long durations.

Background: Cyberaggression is an essential topic to focus on when it comes to adolescents' development. We focused on understanding the relationship between spirituality, self-control, school climate, and cyberaggression by examining the mediating and moderating effect of self-control and school climate., Methods: We examined 456 middle school students (M age = 13.45, SD = 1.07), 475 high school students (M age = 16.35, SD = 0.76), and 1117 college students (M age = 20.22, SD = 1.50)., Results: Results indicated that the mediating effect of self-control was significant for the college sample on both types of cyberaggression and marginally significant for the high school and middle school sample on reactive cyberaggression. The moderating effect varied across the three samples. School climate moderated the first half of the mediation model for all three samples, the second half for middle school and college student samples on reactive cyberaggression, the direct path for middle school samples on reactive cyberaggression, and the college student sample on both types of cyberaggression., Conclusion: Spirituality has varying degrees of association with cyberaggression through the mediating role of self-control and the moderating role of school climate.

Magnaporthe oryzae is the causal agent of rice blast, one of the most serious diseases of rice worldwide. Secreted proteins play essential roles during a M. oryzae -rice interaction. Although much progress has been made in recent decades, it is still necessary to systematically explore M. oryzae -secreted proteins and to analyze their functions. This study employs a shotgun-based proteomic analysis to investigate the in vitro secretome of M. oryzae by spraying fungus conidia onto the PVDF membrane to mimic the early stages of infection, during which 3315 non-redundant secreted proteins were identified. Among these proteins, 9.6% (319) and 24.7% (818) are classified as classically or non-classically secreted proteins, while the remaining 1988 proteins (60.0%) are secreted through currently unknown secretory pathway. Functional characteristics analysis show that 257 (7.8%) and 90 (2.7%) secreted proteins are annotated as CAZymes and candidate effectors, respectively. Eighteen candidate effectors are selected for further experimental validation. All 18 genes encoding candidate effectors are significantly up- or down-regulated during the early infection process. Sixteen of the eighteen candidate effectors cause the suppression of BAX-mediated cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana by using an Agrobacterium -mediated transient expression assay, suggesting their involvement in pathogenicity related to secretion effectors. Our results provide high-quality experimental secretome data of M. oryzae and will expand our knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of M. oryzae pathogenesis.

In recent years, low-orbit satellites have become an important development direction in satellite IoT systems. The number of terminals is large and data collisions occur frequently in the low-orbit satellite IoT scenario. How to design a reliable random access protocol to improve the tolerance of the system for collision is one of the research hotspots in this field. In this paper, the random access protocol, used in the Internet of Things (IoT), for low-orbit satellites is studied, and the access process of the IoT terminals in the scenario is constructed. The access performance of the SSA protocol is analyzed and an improved SSA random access strategy, called Retransmission-SSA (R-SSA), is proposed. The simulation results show that the designed R-SSA can effectively tolerate the signal conflicts between terminals in the beam-hopping LEO IoT scenario and improve the probability of the concurrent access of low-orbit sIoT terminals., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Immunotherapy has shown strong anti-tumor activity in a subset of patients. However, many patients do not benefit from the treatment, and there is no effective method to identify sensitive immunotherapy patients. Cuproptosis as a non-apoptotic programmed cell death caused by excess copper, whether it is related to tumor immunity has attracted our attention. In the study, we constructed the prognostic model of 9 cuproptosis-related LncRNAs (crLncRNAs) and assessed its predictive capability, preliminarily explored the potential mechanism causing treatment sensitivity difference between the high-/low-risk group. Our results revealed that the risk score was more effective than traditional clinical features in predicting the survival of HCC patients (AUC = 0.828). The low-risk group had more infiltration of immune cells (B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells), mainly with anti-tumor immune function (p < 0.05). It showed higher sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment (p < 0.001) which may exert the effect through the AL365361.1/hsa-miR-17-5p/NLRP3 axis. In addition, NLRP3 mutation-sensitive drugs (VNLG/124, sunitinib, linifanib) may have better clinical benefits in the high-risk group. All in all, the crLncRNAs model has excellent specificity and sensitivity, which can be used for classifying the therapy-sensitive population and predicting the prognosis of HCC patients.

Timely understanding and quantitative analysis of the changing trend in natural ecosystems in arid and semi-arid areas and their response to the ecological water supply process are of great significance for maintaining the health of oasis ecosystems. Taking the Eichmann Lake wetland of the Aksu River Basin in Xinjiang as the research area, the temporal-spatial distribution characteristics of the lake and the response of ecological water in recent years were studied based on remote sensing images and monitoring data. The results show that: (1) The water surface area of Eichmann Lake is shrinking, from 61.57 km 2 in 1996 to 27.76 km 2 in 2020. The changes in water surface area have experienced three stages: rapid decline, slow decline, and slow recovery. After the ecological water supply, the water surface area has obvious seasonal changes with hysteresis; (2) In areas with a low average water level, the ecological water supply has a significant impact on the groundwater level. The higher the water supply is, the higher the groundwater level will be. There is a significant lag effect between the change in the groundwater level and the response of the ecological water supply, which is 1-2 months; (3) The response characteristics of different natural vegetation to the ecological water supply were different in interannual, seasonal, and spatial contexts. The response of Populus euphratica to the ecological water supply is obvious, and its growth is the best within the range of 100-500 m from the water supply outlet. This research can provide the basis for the rational allocation of the Aksu River Basin's water resources, and also act as a valuable reference for the restoration and reconstruction of surrounding vegetation in the Aksu River irrigation area.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis is an opportunistic pathogen that widely exists in the human intestine and can cause severe infectious diseases. However, the mechanisms contributing to its pathogenesis remain of great interest. In this study, we aim to investigate the outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) secreted by D. fairfieldensis and their pathogenic effect. The OMVs separated by ultracentrifugation were spherical and displayed a characteristic bilayer lipid structure observed by transmission electron microscopy, with an average hydrodynamic diameter of 75 nm measurement using the particle size analyzer. We identified 1496 and 916 proteins from D. fairfieldensis and its OMVs using label-free non-target quantitative proteomics, respectively. The 560 co-expressed proteins could participate in bacterial life activities by function prediction. The translocation protein TolB, which participates in OMVs biogenesis and transporting toxins was highly expressed in OMVs. The OMVs inhibited the expression of tight junction proteins OCCLUDIN and ZO-1 in human colonic epithelial cells (Caco-2). The OMVs decreased the cell viability of monocyte macrophages (THP-1-Mφ) and activated various inflammatory factors secretion, including interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and many interleukins. Further, we found the OMVs induced the expression of cleaved-gasdermin D, caspase-1, and c-IL-1β and caused pyroptosis in THP-1-Mφ cells. Taken together, these data reveal that the D. fairfieldensis OMVs can damage the intestinal epithelial barrier and activate intrinsic inflammation.

Fc receptors (FcRs) are key players in antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) with their specific recognition of the Fc portion of an immunoglobulin. Despite reports of FcγR-mediated phagocytosis in mammals, little is known about the effects of soluble FcγRs on the immune response. In this study, FcγRIα was cloned from the largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) (MsFcγRIα). Without a transmembrane segment or a cytoplasmic tail, MsFcγRIα was identified as a soluble form protein and widely distributed in the spleen, head kidney, and intestine. The native MsFcγRIα was detected in the serum of Nocardia seriolae -infected largemouth bass and the supernatants of transfected HEK293 cells. Additionally, it was verified that the transfected cells' surface secreted MsFcRIα could bind to largemouth bass IgM. Moreover, the expression changes of MsFcγRIα , Syk , and Lyn indicated that MsFcγRIα was engaged in the acute phase response to bacteria, and the FcγR-mediated phagocytosis pathway was activated by Nocardia seriolae stimulation. Furthermore, recombinant MsFcγRIα could enhance both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phagocytosis to Nocardia seriolae of leukocytes, presumably through the interaction of MsFcγRIα with a complement receptor. In conclusion, these findings provided a better understanding of the function of soluble FcγRs in the immune response and further shed light on the mechanism of phagocytosis in teleosts.

Peer victimization has been considered a main source of risk-taking behavior among adolescents, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. Based on the social-cognitive theory and the person-environment interactions model, the current study built a moderated mediation model to explore whether self-control mediated the link between peer victimization and adolescent risk-taking behavior and whether positive parenting moderated this link. We used a 2-time longitudinal design (6 months apart) to investigate 488 adolescents ( M age = 15.63 years, SD = 1.64) from 3 middle schools in Guangzhou. The results were as follows: (1) There were significant correlations among peer victimization, adolescent risk-taking behavior, self-control, and positive parenting when controlling for demographic variables. (2) Peer victimization not only influenced risk-taking behavior directly, but also indirectly through self-control. (3) Positive parenting moderated the influence of self-control on risk-taking behavior. In other words, positive parenting could enhance the inhibitory effect of self-control on risk-taking behavior. The results help reveal the mechanism by which adolescent risk-taking behavior forms and may help inform interventions against adolescent risk-taking behavior.

In recent years, superinfections of avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) have been frequently observed in nature, which has led to the increasing virulence in infected chickens. However, the reason for the enhanced pathogenicity has remained unclear. In this study, we demonstrated an effective candidate model for studying the outcome of superinfections with ALV-J and IBDV in cells and specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chicks. Through in vitro experiments, we found that ALV-J and IBDV can establish the superinfection models and synergistically promote the expression of IL-6, IL-10, IFN-α, and IFN-γ in DF-1 and CEF cells. In vivo, the weight loss, survival rate, and histopathological observations showed that more severe pathogenicity was present in the superinfected chickens. In addition, we found that superinfections of ALV-J and IBDV synergistically increased the viral replication of the two viruses and inflammatory mediator secretions in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, by measuring the immune organ indexes and blood proportions of CD3 + , CD4 + , and CD8α + cells, our results showed that the more severe instances of immunosuppression were observed in the superinfected chickens. In the present study, we concluded that the more severe immunosuppression induced by the synergistic viral replication of ALV-J and IBDV is responsible for the enhanced pathogenicity.

Background: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are formed by the aggregation of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), which is driven by chemokines or cytokines in the tumour microenvironment. Studies have shown that TLSs are associated with good prognosis in patients with various solid tumours and can improve patient responses to immunotherapy. However, the role of TLSs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial, and the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear., Methods: According to haematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining results, HCC patients in Xijing Hospital data and TCGA data were divided into TLS+ and TLS- groups, and Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis was performed to assess overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Immunofluorescence (IF) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to identify TILs in the TLS+ group. Lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (LCK), a molecule involved in TLS formation, was explored in LinkedOmics. TILs were divided into two groups by drawing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to calculate cut-off values. Spearman correlation analysis was used to calculate the correlation between LCK and TILs, and the molecular pathways by which LCK regulates immunotherapy were clarified through enrichment analysis. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) distribution of sorafenib was observed in groups that varied in LCK expression., Results: According to the HE results, 61 cases in the Xijing Hospital cohort and 195 cases in the TCGA cohort had TLSs, while 89 cases and 136 cases did not. The KM results showed that TLSs had no effect on the OS of HCC patients but significantly affected RFS. The IF/IHC results showed that higher TIL numbers in TLSs were correlated with better prognosis in HCC patients. Spearman correlation analysis showed that LCK expression was positively correlated with TIL numbers. Enrichment analysis showed that upregulation of LCK expression mainly regulated the cytokine signalling pathway, the chemokine signalling pathway and T-cell activation. The IC50 scores of sorafenib in HCC patients with high LCK expression were lower, and the sensitivity was higher., Conclusion: TLSs mainly affected the early RFS of HCC patients but had no effect on OS. The high expression of the TLS formation-related gene LCK can increase the sensitivity of HCC patients to ICIs.

Neoantigen-based cancer vaccine therapy is a breakthrough in the field of immunotherapy. However, it is difficult for vaccines against neoantigens to overcome the immunosuppressive microenvironment, where tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a significant role. Herein, we report an iron oxide nanoparticle modified with hyaluronic acid and mannose to reshape the tumor microenvironment by targeting and repolarizing TAMs from protumor M2 to antitumor M1 phenotype. Mannose decoration could confer the nanoparticle-enhanced TAM targeting ability, while hyaluronic acid and iron oxide could repolarize M2-like macrophages both in vitro and in vivo. Combined with antigenic peptides, this nanovaccine could significantly increase the infiltration of CD8 + T cells into tumor tissue and strongly activate dendritic cells in sentinel lymph nodes. Finally, we used the dual-modified nanoparticles to first convert the tumor microenvironment and then the nanovaccine administration in a TC1 tumor model to further enhance efficacy. This strategy inhibited tumor growth and achieved a 40% cure rate in mice (two of five). In summary, this study provides a potent and rationally designed nanoadjuvant to enhance antitumor efficiency and facilitate delivery of neoantigen vaccines by repolarizing TAMs and harmonizing immune cells.

Previous studies on the number of births and the health of the elderly have been highly focused on physical health and used samples from developed countries. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect of the lifetime number of births on depression in Chinese older adults. We used panel data for men and women aged 50 and over from the 2013-2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Depressive symptoms were assessed through a short form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. We found that depression levels in women were significantly higher than in men, with a mean difference of 2.44 ( p < 0.001). The model estimation results indicated that the number of births affected depression in older adults, and its increase could exacerbate depression in older adults. The number of births significantly impacted depression among the elderly aged 50-69. Furthermore, there was a negative relationship between the proportion of sons and older adults' depression, which was significant in older males; the number of abortions may exacerbate depression in older adults, especially in females.

Gradually increasing power transmission voltage requires an improved high-voltage capability of polymeric insulating materials. Surface modification emerges as an easily accessible approach in enhancing breakdown and flashover performances due to the widely acknowledged modification of space-charge behaviors. However, as oxidation and fluorination essentially react within a limited depth of 2 μm underneath polymer surfaces, the nature of such bulk space-charge modulation remains a controversial issue, and further investigation is needed to realize enhancement of insulating performance. In this work, the surface oxidation-dependent space-charge accumulation in LDPE film was found to be dominated by an electrode/polymer interfacial barrier, but not by the generation of bulk charge traps. Through quantitative investigation of space-charge distributions along with induced electric field distortion, the functions of surface oxidation on the interfacial barrier of a typical dielectric polymer, LDPE, is discussed and linked to space-charge behaviors. As the mechanism of surface modification on space-charge behaviors is herein proposed, space-charge accumulation can be effectively modified by selecting an appropriate surface modification method, which consequentially benefits breakdown and flashover performances of polymeric insulating films for high-voltage applications.

In the last few decades, self-healing polymeric materials have been widely investigated because they can heal the damages spontaneously and thereby prolong their service lifetime. Many ingenious synthetic procedures have been developed for fabricating self-healing polymers with high performance. This mini review provides an impressive summary of the self-healing polymers with fast self-healing speed, which exhibits an irreplaceable role in many intriguing applications, such as flexible electronics. After a brief introduction to the development of self-healing polymers, we divide the development of self-healing polymers into five stages through the perspective of their research priorities at different periods. Subsequently, we elaborated the underlying healing mechanism of polymers, including the self-healing origins, the influencing factors, and direct evidence of healing at nanoscopic level. Following this, recent advance in realizing the fast self-healing speed of polymers through physical and chemical approaches is extensively overviewed. In particular, the methodology for balancing the mechanical strength and healing ability in fast self-healing elastomers is summarized. We hope that it could afford useful information for research people in promoting the further technical development of new strategies and technologies to prepare the high performance self-healing elastomers for advanced applications.

In this paper, two new iridium (III) complexes, [Ir(ppy)2(ipbp)](PF6) (Ir1) (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine, ipbp = 3-(1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthrolin-2yl)-4H-chromen-4-one) and [Ir(bzq)2(ipbp)](PF6) (Ir2) (bzq = benzo[h]quinolone), were synthesized and characterized. The cytotoxicity of the complexes against human colon cancer HCT116 and normal LO2 cells was evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. The complexes Ir1 and Ir2 show high cytotoxic efficacy toward HCT116 cells with a low IC50 value of 1.75 ± 0.10 and 6.12 ± 0.2 µM. Interestingly, Ir1 only kills cancer cells, not normal LO2 cells (IC50 > 200 µM). The inhibition of cell proliferation and migration were investigated by multiple tumor spheroid (3D) and wound healing experiments. The cellular uptake was explored under a fluorescence microscope. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), change of mitochondrial membrane potential, glutathione (GSH) and adenine nucleoside triphosphate (ATP) were studied. Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest were performed by flow cytometry. The results show that the complexes induce early apoptosis and inhibit the cell proliferation at the G0/G1 phase. Additionally, the apoptotic mechanism was researched by Western blot analysis. The results obtained demonstrate that the complexes cause apoptosis in HCT116 cells through ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and the inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

Liver fibrosis is an urgent public health problem which is difficult to resolve. However, various drugs for the treatment of liver fibrosis in clinical practice have their own problems during use. In this study, we used phloridzin to treat hepatic fibrosis in the CCl 4 -induced C57/BL6N mouse model, which was extracted from lychee core, a traditional Chinese medicine. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by biochemical index detections and ultrasound detection. Furthermore, in order to determine the mechanism of phloridzin in the treatment of liver fibrosis, we performed high-throughput sequencing of mRNA and lncRNA in different groups of liver tissues. The results showed that compared with the model group, the phloridzin-treated groups revealed a significant decrease in collagen deposition and decreased levels of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, laminin, and hyaluronic acid. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of the differential mRNAs was performed and revealed that phloridzin mainly affects cell ferroptosis. Gene co-expression analysis showed that the target genes of lncRNA were obvious in cell components such as focal adhesions, intercellular adhesion, and cell-substrate junctions and in metabolic pathways such as carbon metabolism. These results showed that phloridizin can effectively treat liver fibrosis, and the mechanism may involve ferroptosis, carbon metabolism, and related changes in biomechanics.

In this study, we report on the synthesis of new organoselenium derivatives, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) scaffolds and Se functionalities (isoselenocyanate and selenourea), which were evaluated against four types of cancer cell line: SW480 (human colon adenocarcinoma cells), HeLa (human cervical cancer cells), A549 (human lung carcinoma cells), MCF-7 (human breast adenocarcinoma cells). Among these compounds, most of the investigated compounds reduced the viability of different cancer cell lines. The most promising compound 6b showed IC 50 values under 10 μM against the four cancer cell lines, particularly to HeLa and MCF-7, with IC 50 values of 2.3 and 2.5 μM, respectively. Furthermore, two compounds, 6b and 6f, were selected to investigate their ability to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells via modulation of the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2) and proapoptotic caspase-3 protein. The redox properties of the NSAIDs-Se derivatives were conducted by 2, 2-didiphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), bleomycin-dependent DNA damage and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like assays. Finally, a molecular docking study revealed that an interaction with the active site of thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) predicted the antiproliferative activity of the synthesized candidates. Overall, these results could serve as a promising launch point for further designs of NSAIDs-Se derivatives as potential antiproliferative agents.

Waterfowl parvovirus (WPFs) has multiple effects on the intestinal tract, but the effects of recombinant Muscovy duck parvovirus (rMDPV) have not been elucidated. In this study, 48 one-day-old Muscovy ducklings were divided into an infected group and a control group. Plasma and ileal samples were collected from both groups at 2, 4, 6, and 8 days post-infection (dpi), both six ducklings at a time. Next, we analyzed the genomic sequence of the rMDPV strain. Results showed that the ileal villus structure was destroyed seriously at 4, 6, 8 dpi, and the expression of ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-1 decreased at 4, 6 dpi; 4, 6, 8 dpi; and 2, 6 dpi, respectively. Intestinal cytokines IFN-α, IL-1β and IL-6 increased at 6 dpi; 8 dpi; and 6, 8 dpi, respectively, whereas IL-2 decreased at 6, 8 dpi. The diversity of ileal flora increased significantly at 4 dpi and decreased at 8 dpi. The bacteria Ochrobactrum and Enterococcus increased and decreased at 4, 8 dpi; 2, 4 dpi, respectively. Plasma MDA increased at 2 dpi, SOD, CAT, and T-AOC decreased at 2, 4, 8 dpi; 4, 8 dpi; and 4, 6, 8 dpi, respectively. These results suggest that rMDPV infection led to early intestinal barrier dysfunction, inflammation, ileac microbiota disruption, and oxidative stress.

This article demonstrates a compact prism imaging spectrometer method. A catadioptric curved prism is located at the secondary mirror position of the spectrometer and used to balance the aberrations, enlarge the dispersion width, and decrease the volume. A mathematical model of the prism and spectrometer is derived, which provides an optimal initial structure for a non-coaxial spectrometer, simplifying the optical design process and reducing the system volume. Using this method, a compact shortwave infrared imaging spectrometer with a 16° field of view is designed with an F-number/3, and the measured spectrum ranges from 0.95 to 2.5 μm. The performance is analyzed and evaluated. Laboratory testing results prove the excellent optical performance, and under the same specifications, the spectrometer length decreases by 40%.

Laser cladding is a promising surface modification technology to fabricate high-performance parts. However, defects such as porosity, cracks and residual tensile stress are easily produced in laser cladding, leading to significant property reduction and poor reliability. In this study, laser cladding with multidimensional high-frequency vibration was investigated. The effects of multidimensional high-frequency vibration on the improvement of microstructure and mechanical properties were analyzed and discussed based on the vibration-assisted laser cladding experiments. In addition, a numerical model was conducted to help understand the significance of the vibration on flow field and temperature field. Results show that 3D vibration led to the primary dendrite spacing reduction from 11.1 to 6.8 μm, microhardness increase from 199 to 221 HV 0.2 , and a nearly 110% improvement in the elongations. The findings of this study confirmed the significant benefits of multidimensional high-frequency vibration applied in laser cladding and provided a basis to uncover the underlying mechanisms of multidimensional vibration on the rapid melting and solidification.