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Femtosecond laser processing technology is an advanced sub-micro-processing technique that enables the non-contact processing of various materials. This technology can be used to apply sub-micro structures for purposes such as hydrophilicity enhancement, optical transmittance improvement, and photonics detection. However, when it comes to processing micro/nanostructures on highly brittle materials using femtosecond lasers, there are challenges such as low processing efficiency, generation of debris, and microcracking. In this paper, we propose a method called the out-of-focus femtosecond laser direct writing technique combined with wet etching. This method offers simplicity, speed, and flexibility in preparing dense, large-area sub-microstructured surfaces on the brittle material sapphire. Our detailed investigation focuses on the impact of laser processing parameters (direct writing period, distance of focusing, direct writing speed, etc.) on the sub-microstructures of Al2O3 surfaces. The results demonstrate that this method successfully creates embedded sub-microstructures on the sapphire surface. The microholes, with a diameter of approximately 2.0 μm, contain sub-micro structures with a minimum width of 250 ± 20 nm. Additionally, we conducted experiments to assess the optical transmittance of sapphire nanostructures in the range of 350–1200 nm, which exhibited an average transmittance of approximately 77.0%. The water contact angle (CA) test yielded a result of 52 ± 2°, indicating an enhancement in the hydrophilicity of the sapphire nanostructures with only a slight reduction in optical transmittance. Our efficient fabrication of sub-microstructures on the sapphire surface of highly brittle materials offers a promising method for the production and application of brittle materials in the field of micro-optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of SSD-free fused silica optics is a crucial objective for high-power laser applications. To treat the surface of polished fused silica, a combination of RIE/RIBE and deep-controlled etch (DCE) techniques are typically employed. Currently, it is important to consider and study the ideal etching depth and precision while using combined etching techniques to remove the identified SSD. Herein, we present a novel approach to identify the distribution of SSD in fused silica, which corresponds to a specific grinding/polishing process condition. Our method involves using a mobile RIBE to perform cone cutting and remove material from the polished fused silica surface. Afterward, we etch the optical element's surface with HF to visualize the subsurface cracks and understand their relationship with the RIBE depth. Through a systematic investigation of the combined etching technique, we establish a correlation between the depth of RIBE and DCE and the performance of laser damage. The combined etching technique can be implemented as a dependable approach to treat the surface/subsurface defects in fused silica and has the potential to improve laser damage resistance significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal and chronic interstitial lung disease. Intricate pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and only two approved medications with side effects and high cost bring us the challenge of fully understanding this lethal disease and urgency to find more safe and low-cost therapeutic alternatives. Purpose: Demethyleneberberine (DMB) has been demonstrated to have various anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifibrosis and anti-cancer bioactivities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of DMB on pulmonary fibrosis and investigate the mechanism. Methods: Bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis was established in mice to evaluate the antifibrotic effect of DMB in vivo. A549 and MRC5 cells were used to evaluate the effect of DMB on epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibroblast–myofibroblast transition (FMT) in vitro. High throughput sequencing, biotin–avidin system and site-directed mutagenesis were applied to explore the mechanism of DMB in alleviating pulmonary fibrosis. Results: DMB alleviated BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo by improving the survival state of mice, significantly reducing pulmonary collagen deposition and oxidative stress and improving lung tissue morphology. Meanwhile, DMB was demonstrated to inhibit epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibroblast–myofibroblast transition (FMT) in vitro. High throughput sequencing analysis indicated that GREM1, a highly upregulated profibrotic mediator in IPF and BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis, was significantly downregulated by DMB. Furthermore, USP11 was revealed to be involved in the deubiquitination of GREM1 in this study and DMB promoted the ubiquitination and degradation of GREM1 by inhibiting USP11. Remarkably, DMB was demonstrated to selectively bind to the Met776 residue of USP11, leading to disruption of USP11 deubiquitinating GREM1. In addition, DMB presented an equivalent antifibrotic effect at a lower dose compared with pirfenidone and showed no obvious toxicity or side effects. Conclusions: This study revealed that USP11/GREM1 could be a potential target for IPF management and identified that DMB could promote GREM1 degradation by inhibiting USP11, thereby alleviating pulmonary fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A femtosecond laser raster-type in situ repetitive direct writing technique was used for the fabrication of anti-reflective microhole structures in Germanium (Ge) in the visible near-infrared range (300–1800 nm). This technique builds a layer of microstructured arrays on the surface of Ge, enabling Ge to exhibit excellent anti-reflective properties. The large-area micro-nanostructures of Ge were fabricated using femtosecond laser raster-type in situ repetitive direct writing. Ge microstructures are characterized by their structural regularity, high processing efficiency, high reproducibility, and excellent anti-reflective properties. Experimental test results showed that the average reflectance of the Ge microporous structure surface in the range of 300–1800 nm was 2.25% (the average reflectance of flat Ge was 41.5%), and the lowest reflectance was ~1.6%. This microstructure fabrication drastically reduced the optical loss of Ge, thus enhancing the photothermal utilization of Ge. The many nanoburrs and voids in the Ge microporous structure provided excellent hydrophobicity, with a hydrophobicity angle of up to 133 ± 2° (the hydrophobicity angle of flat Ge was 70 ± 2°). The high hydrophobicity angle allows for strong and effective self-cleaning performance. The femtosecond laser raster-type in situ repeatable direct writing technology has many desirable properties, including simplicity, high accuracy, flexibility, and repeatability, that make it one of the preferred choices for advanced manufacturing. The Ge micro-nanostructured arrays with excellent optical anti-reflective properties and hydrophobicity have become an attractive alternative to the current photo-thermal absorbers. It is expected to be used in many applications such as solar panels, photovoltaic sensors, and other optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the plasma etching of quartz crystal, the crystal lattice underwent changes in response to the length of plasma etching time. The lattice arrangement of quartz crystal was the most orderly after plasma etching for 1000 nm, and with the increase in etching time, the lattice arrangement became less orderly again. The weak absorption value of quartz crystal was also consistent with this conclusion. In this paper, we investigated the effect of lattice changes on the damage threshold of quartz crystals by characterizing the quartz crystals using Reactive Ion Etching (RIE). We also examined the effect of lattice variation on roughness and surface topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-power laser systems, the loading capacity of fused silica components under 351 nm irradiation is an important factor limiting their ability to increase output power, and in the current study, the damage threshold enhancement of fused silica components after RIE and AMP treatments has been investigated. Sub-surface defects in fused silica components after RIE treatment have also been investigated, but the reason for the high damage threshold could never be explained. Since quartz crystals and fused silica belong to the same silica system, and quartz crystals have more characterisation means than fused silica, we can extrapolate to fused silica by studying quartz crystals. We can extrapolate to fused silica by studying quartz crystals, which are characterised by more means than fused silica, and prove that the extrapolation is correct by characterising fused silica. In this study, the relationship between the etching process and the damage threshold is concluded by studying different RIE etching processes, and the damage threshold of the samples is optimal when the etching depth is 1 um. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem that the parameters of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) irrigation system are difficult to control accurately, an on-demand irrigation control experimental device was developed. The main input parameters of the device are the opening degree of the main pipe valve, the opening frequency of and the pump station, the opening degree of the branch pipeline valve with the different combinations of different opening degrees. Based on these input parameters, four types of experimental methods were designed, and a total of 1695 groups of experiments were designed. The results show that the different opening degree combinations of the branch electric valve cannot significantly affect the flow of the branch pipeline but also significantly affect the pressure of the main pipeline. The prediction error of the operating frequency of the pump station and the opening degree of the branch valve were regarded as the objective function. Six intelligent prediction models were constructed, which are Back Propagation (BP), support vector regression (SVR) Linear, SVR-RBF, SVR-Poly, random forest (RF) and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), respectively. The results show that the XGBoost is the best model among the six models. For the opening degree of three branch valves, the mean absolute error (MAE) between the predicted value and actual value is less than 3.3%, the mean square deviation (RMSE) between the predicted values and actual values is less than 4.5%, and the R2 of between the predicted values and actual values is greater than 0.990. The control models and system can meet the needs of an on-demand irrigation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) plasmonic metamaterials have become a trend in the application of nanophotonic devices. In this paper, a convenient and inexpensive method for the design of 3D multilayer plasmonic metamaterials is constructed using a one-step self-shielded reactive-ion-etching process (OSRP) and a thermal evaporation system, which provides an efficient and low-cost method for the preparation of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates. The near-field enhancement of the 3D plasmonic metamaterials provides highly efficient electromagnetic resonance, and highly sensitive and uniform SERS sensing capabilities. The SERS detection results of rhodamine B (Rh. B) and rhodamine 6G (R6G) on this substrate show that the detection limit could reach 10–13 mol/L, and the signal could give expression to excellent uniform stability. The results show that high sensitivity and high robustness SERS substrates can be prepared with high efficiency and low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an enhanced transport layer protocol for precise flow control in data centers, referred to as PFDCT, combining explicit rate control (priority scheduling) and implicit rate control (marking algorithm with dynamic threshold) innovatively, while satisfying the transmission requirements of each data flow. It enables multiple data flows to share the bandwidth fairly, which is rarely achieved by previous data transmission protocols. Our design stems from the observation that different packets in a data center network need to be processed differentially and that the accuracy of the feedback of the indication information to the link state will directly affect the effectiveness of the congestion control mechanism. Our tests show that PFDCT has lower network jitter, better fairness, and significant performance gains over existing proposals (DCTCP, ICTCP, and L2DCT) in terms of Flow Completion Time (FCT) and throughput on average. Furthermore, we discussed the impact of the marking algorithm with dynamic thresholds on the performance of PFDCT, and the results of the experiments show that the addition of the marking algorithm will further improve the performance of PFDCT in terms of packet loss rate, latency, and FCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channels (OSCA) are characterized as an osmosensor in plants; they are able to recognize and respond to exogenous and endogenous osmotic changes, and play a vital role in plant growth and adaptability to environmental stress. To explore the potential biological functions of OSCAs in maize, we performed a bioinformatics and expression analysis of the ZmOSCA gene family. Using bioinformatics methods, we identified twelve OSCA genes from the genome database of maize. According to their sequence composition and phylogenetic relationship, the maize OSCA family was classified into four groups (Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ). Multiple sequence alignment analysis revealed a conserved DUF221 domain in these members. We modeled the calcium binding sites of four OSCA families using the autodocking technique. The expression profiles of ZmOSCA genes were analyzed in different tissues and under diverse abiotic stresses such as drought, salt, high temperature, and chilling using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We found that the expression of twelve ZmOSCA genes is variant in different tissues of maize. Furthermore, abiotic stresses such as drought, salt, high temperature, and chilling differentially induced the expression of twelve ZmOSCA genes. We chose ZmOSCA2.2 and ZmOSCA2.3, which responded most strongly to temperature stress, for prediction of protein interactions. We modeled the calcium binding sites of four OSCA families using autodocking tools, obtaining a number of new results. These results are helpful in understanding the function of the plant OSCA gene family for study of the molecular mechanism of plant osmotic stress and response, as well as exploration of the interaction between osmotic stress, high-temperature stress, and low-temperature stress signal transduction mechanisms. As such, they can provide a theoretical basis for crop breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybrid interferometric synthetic aperture radar system is a combination of an along-track configuration and cross-track configuration. Based on linear ocean wave theory, an ocean wave inversion algorithm for a hybrid interferometric synthetic aperture radar system is proposed in this work. Using the interferometric synthetic aperture radar images acquired by the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites and the interferometric synthetic aperture radar images acquired by an airborne interferometric radar altimeter with a certain degree of squint, the profile of ocean waves and the corresponding orbital velocities were retrieved by combining the new inversion algorithm with the cross-spectra. Meanwhile, key parameters of ocean waves, such as the significant wave height, significant wave orbital velocity, propagation direction, and wavelength of the dominant waves, were also extracted from the ocean wave spectra retrieved in this study. In order to evaluate the reliability of the new inversion algorithm, the retrieved significant wave heights were compared with those provided by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and measured by a Global Navigation Satellite System buoy. The results showed that for the ocean waves retrieved from the spaceborne hybrid interferometric synthetic aperture radar images, the differences between the retrieved significant wave heights of the four subareas selected in this paper and those provided by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts were approximately 0.01, –0.17, –0.55, and –0.37 m, respectively, and for the ocean waves retrieved from the airborne interferometric radar altimeter images, the differences between the retrieved significant wave heights corresponding to the M920 and M3120 images used in this paper and those measured by the Global Navigation Satellite System buoy were approximately –0.05 and –0.09, respectively. Therefore, the method proposed in this work could retrieve the ocean wave spectra well when the velocity bunching had a small influence; however, as the nonlinear influence of the velocity bunching increased, the difference between the significant wave heights retrieved using this method and provided by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts also increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reformation and development of the education system in China have led to environmental upgrades in a great number of universities. Amid this improvement, plant landscapes hold an important role in improving the environment and highlighting the campus culture. However, due to the lack of in-depth exploration of the relationship between plant landscape characteristics and the spatiotemporal aggregation of the population in current research, the design methods of campus plant landscapes are not thoroughly studied. Therefore, the mutual improvement between landscaping and population activity has not been maximized. In this study, we collected 52 plant landscape units from Northwest A&F University as the research objects. We investigated the patterns of population aggregation on campus plant landscapes through quantitative analysis of the characteristics of plant landscapes and the temporal and spatial aggregation of people. Multiple regression analysis was used to explore the complex relationship between the characteristics of each landscape and the spatial-temporal agglomeration of people. Traditional survey questionnaires and field surveys, kernel density analysis, Python crawler technology, raincloud plots analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and other methods were used to further measure and analyze plant landscape characteristics under the influence of population density from the two levels of various characteristic elements and different landscape units, and explain the mechanism affecting population aggregation, striving to provide a theoretical basis and practical support for the sustainable development of the campus environment and landscape design methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a sub-wavelength range-based dual-band tunable ideal terahertz metamaterial perfect absorber. The absorber structure consists of three main layers, with the absorber layer consisting of a metal I-shaped structure. By simulating the incident wave absorbance of the structure, we found that the structure has more than 99% absorption peaks in both bands. In addition, we have investigated the relationship between structural absorbance and the structural geometrical parameters. We have studied the relationship between the thickness of the metal absorber layer h b and the absorbance of the metamaterial structure in the 4–14 THz band. Secondly, we have studied the relationship between the thickness of the SiO2 dielectric layer and structural absorbance. Afterwards, we have studied the relationship between the incident angle of the incident electromagnetic wave and structural absorbance. Finally, we have studied the relationship between the length of the metal structure and structural absorbance. The structure can be effectively used for detectors, thermal emitters, terahertz imaging and detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of cleaning and etching experiments utilizing organic solvent or weak alkali solutions were performed on single-crystal silicon optics polished with different processes. Polishing-introduced fractured defects in the subsurface layer were systematically characterized using laser-induced scattering imaging and photothermal weak absorption imaging techniques. A white-light interferometer also measured the surface morphology and roughness of the samples to evaluate the surface quality of the optics. The results show that the organic solvent cleaning process can eliminate the surface contamination resulting from the environment and the near-surface polishing-introduced impurities but can not remove the fractured defects in the subsurface layer of the optics. By contrast, weak alkali solution can effectively expose the subsurface defects and decrease the concentration of the embedded absorbing impurities to some extent. The results also imply that the polishing process has a crucial effect on the surface quality (e.g., surface roughness and error) and optical performance (e.g., surface absorption) after the subsequent treatments such as cleaning or etching. The corresponding methodology of cleaning and characterization can serve as a predictive tool for evaluating the polishing level and laser damage resistance of the single-crystal silicon optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated functional anti-reflective surface is of great significance for optical and optoelectronic devices. Hence, its preparation has attracted great attention from many researchers. This study combined wet alkaline etching approaches and reactive ion etching (RIE) techniques to create a dual-scale hierarchical anti-reflective surface on silicon substrates. The effect of RIE time on surface morphology and optical performance was investigated using multiple characterization forms. The optimal parameters for the fabrication of dual-scale structures by the composite etching process were explored. The silicon surface with a dual-scale structure indicated excellent anti-reflective properties (minimum reflectivity of 0.9%) in the 300 to 1100 nm wavelength range. In addition, the ultra-low reflection characteristic of the surface remained prominent at incident light angles up to 60°. The simulated spectra using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method agreed with the experimental results. Superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning were also attractive properties of the surface. The functionally integrated surface enables silicon devices to have broad application prospects in solar cells, light emitting diodes (LEDs), photoelectric detectors, and outdoor equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic mercury (Hg2+) is a highly toxic heavy metal. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Hg2+ on the development of erythrocytes and megakaryocytes. B10.S mice (H-2s) and DBA/2 mice (H-2d) were administrated with 10 μM HgCl2 or 50 μM HgCl2 via drinking water for four weeks, and erythro-megakaryopoiesis was evaluated thereafter. The administration of 50 μM HgCl2 increased the number of erythrocytes and platelets in B10.S mice, which was not due to a reduced clearance for mature erythrocytes. The administration of 50 μM HgCl2, but not 10 μM HgCl2, increased the number of progenitors for erythrocytes and megakaryocytes in the bone marrow (BM) of B10.S mice, including erythroid-megakaryocyte progenitors (EMPs), burst-forming unit-erythroid progenitors (BFU-Es), colony-forming unit-erythroid progenitors (CFU-Es), and megakaryocyte progenitors (MkPs). Moreover, 50 μM HgCl2 caused EMPs to be more proliferative and possess an increased potential for differentiation into committed progenies in B10.S mice. Mechanistically, 50 μM HgCl2 increased the expression of the erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) in EMPs, thus enhancing the Jak2/STAT5 signaling pathway to promote erythro-megakaryopoiesis in B10.S mice. Conversely, 50 μM HgCl2 did not impact erythro-megakaryopoiesis in DBA/2 mice. This study may extend our current understanding for hematopoietic toxicology of Hg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibiting hydrate decomposition due to the friction heat generated by the drilling tools is one of the key factors for drilling hydrate formation. Since the existing method based on chemical inhibition technology can only delay the hydrate decomposition rate, a phase-change microcapsule was introduced in this paper to inhibit, by the intelligent control of the drilling fluid temperature, the decomposition of the formation hydrate, which was microencapsulated by modified n-alkane as the core material, and nano-silica was taken as the shell material. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), size distribution, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) were utilized to characterize the structural properties of microcapsules. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) spectra displayed that the latent heat was 136.8 J/g in the case of melting enthalpy and 136.4 J/g in the case of solidification enthalpy, with an encapsulation efficiency of 62.6%. In addition, the prepared microcapsules also showed good thermal conductivity and reliability. By comparison, it was also proved that the microcapsules had good compatibility with drilling fluid, which can effectively control the temperature of drilling fluid for the inhibition of hydrate decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transient three-dimensional (3D) numerical model was established to illustrate the heat transfer, fluid flow and particle migration behaviors in the molten pool during TIG-assisted droplet deposition manufacturing (DDM) of SiC particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composites (AMCs). The effect of temperature-dependent physical properties and the interaction between the SiC reinforcement and the liquid metal matrix were considered. A double-ellipsoidal volumetric heat source model was adopted to simulate the energy interactions between the pulse square-wave variable polarity TIG welding arc and the moving substrate. Free surface fluctuations of molten pool due to arc force and sequential droplet impact are calculated with volume of fluid (VOF) method in a fixed Eulerian structured mesh. The numerical model, capable of capturing the impact, simultaneous spread, and phase change of the droplets as well as the motion trajectory and terminate distribution state of the reinforcement particles, is key tool to understand the formation mechanism of the TIG-assisted DDM of SiC particle-reinforced AMCs. The numerical model was validated by the metallographic observations, and the calculated particle distribution and solidification morphology of deposited layer agree well with the experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatially resolved elastic strains in the bulk interior of a laminated Ti-Al metal composite were studied during in situ tensile loading at strains up to 1.66% by a synchrotron-based micro-diffraction technique, namely differential aperture X-ray microscopy (DAXM). For both Al and Ti grains, deviatoric elastic strains were estimated based on polychromatic X-ray microbeam diffraction, while lattice strains along the normal direction of the tensile sample were directly measured using monochromatic X-ray microbeam diffraction. The estimated deviatoric strains show large spatial variations, and the mean values are consistent with the external loading conditions, i.e., increasing tensile strain along the tensile direction and increasing compressive strain along the sample normal with increasing loading. The directly measured lattice strains also show large spatial variations, although the magnitude of this variation is smaller than that for the estimated deviatoric strain. The directly measured lattice strains in Ti grains are largely consistent with the external loading, whereas those in Al grains are in contradiction with the external loading. The causes of the experimental results are discussed and related to both the laminated microstructure of the composite material and the limitations of the techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light is a crucial environmental signal and photosynthetic energy for plant growth, development, and primary and secondary metabolism. To explore the effects of light quality on the growth and root exudates of hydroponic lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), white LED (W, control) and four the mixtures of red (R) and blue (B) LED with different R/B light intensity ratios (R/B = 2, 2R1B; R/B = 3, 3R1B; R/B = 4, 4R1B; and R/B = 8, 8R1B) were designed. The results showed that the biomass of lettuce under 8R1B and W treatments was higher than that under other light quality treatments. The photosynthetic rate (Pn) under red and blue light was significantly higher than that of white light. Total root length, root surface area, and root volume were the highest under 8R1B. 4R1B treatment significant increased root activity by 68.6% compared with W. In addition, total organic carbon (TOC) content, TOC content/shoot dry weight, TOC content/root dry weight, and TOC content/root surface area were the highest under 4R1B. Moreover, 8R1B treatment reduced the concentration of benzoic acid and salicylic acid, and the secretion ability of benzoic acid and salicylic acid by per unit root surface area and accumulation by per unit shoot dry weight. In addition, 2R1B and 3R1B reduced the secretion ability of gallic acid and tannic acid by per unit root surface area and accumulation by per unit shoot dry weight. In conclusion, this study showed that the secretion of autotoxins could be reduced through the mediation of red and blue light composition of LEDs in a plant factory. In terms of autotoxin secretion reduction efficiency and yield performance of lettuce, 8R1B light regime is recommended for practical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LED red (R) and blue (B) continuous light (CL) is a potential efficient way to increase plant productivity of plant factory with artificial light (PFAL), but limited information was explored about their effects on plant mineral nutrition. In an environmentally controlled plant factory with artificial light (PFAL), the effects of CL of different intensities and spectral qualities, emitted by R and B LEDs on growth and nutrient element content and accumulation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), were conducted in three hydroponic experiments. Two treatments, normal light (12 h/12 h) and CL (24 h/0 h) in experiment 1, three CL intensities (100, 200 and 300 μmol·m−2·s−1) in experiment 2, and three CL light qualities (1R:3B, 1R:1B and 3R:1B) in experiment 3 were designed. The results showed that CL significantly increased the fresh and dry lettuce shoot biomass compared with normal light, and shoot fresh and dry biomass increased with the intensity increment of CL. In experiment 3, shoot fresh biomass was great under high R light proportion CL treatment, while dry shoot biomass remained unchanged. Both CL and CL with increased intensities promoted shoot C content and accumulation in lettuce. CL reduced N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu and Zn contents in lettuce shoot, while Fe and Mn contents did not change compared to NL. Moreover, CL increased Ca, Fe and Mn accumulation. 100–200 μmol·m−2·s−1 CL facilitated N, P, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn contents in shoot, but K content was not influenced compared with 300 μmol·m−2·s−1. The data showed that high B light ratio (75%) facilitated C content comparison with low B ratios (50% and 25%). However, lettuce grown under 3R1B treatment had the higher C accumulation. Shoot N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and Zn contents were higher under 1R1B treatment, and Cu content did not affected by light quality. Moreover, accumulation of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in shoot was higher under 1R1B treatment, while P, Ca, Mg, Mn accumulation under 3R1B treatment was the lowest. In conclusion, CL tends to reduce shoot mineral element contents due to dilution effect as shoot dry weight increases compared to NL. However, long-term (12 days) CL composed of 1R1B, 100–200 μmol·m−2·s−1 tends to obtain relative higher K, Ca, Fe and Zn contents in the greater dry lettuce shoot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the reactive wetting and infiltration behaviors of a newly designed Sn-V binary alloy were comprehensively explored on porous graphite for the first time. It was discovered that 0.5 wt.% addition of V can obviously improve the wettability of liquid Sn on porous graphite and the nominal V contents in Sn-V binary alloys has minor effects on the apparent contact angles wetted at 950 °C. Moreover, the V-containing Sn-V alloys were initiated to spread on porous graphite at ~650 °C and reached a quasi-equilibrium state at ~900 °C. Spreading kinetics of Sn-3V alloy on porous graphite well fitted in the classic product reaction controlled (PRC) model. However, our microstructural characterization demonstrated that, besides vanadium carbide formation, the adsorption of V element at the wetting three-phase contact line spontaneously contributed to the reactive spreading and infiltrating of Sn-V alloys on porous graphite. Meanwhile, the formation of continuous vanadium carbides could completely block the infiltration of Sn-V active solder alloy in porous graphite. Affected by the growth kinetics of vanadium carbides, the infiltration depth of Sn-V alloys in porous graphite decreased at increased isothermal wetting temperatures. This work is believed to provide implicative notions on the fabrication of graphite related materials and devices using novel V-containing bonding alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is implicated in multiple biological functions including immunity, neural development, and haematopoiesis. Recently, mounting evidence indicates that IL-6 plays a key role in metabolism, especially lipid metabolic homeostasis. A working heart requires a high and constant energy input which is largely generated by fatty acid (FA) β-oxidation. Under pathological conditions, the precise balance between cardiac FA uptake and metabolism is perturbed so that excessive FA is accumulated, thereby predisposing to myocardial dysfunction (cardiac lipotoxicity). In this review, we summarize the current evidence that suggests the involvement of IL-6 in lipid metabolism. Cardiac metabolic features and consequences of myocardial lipotoxicity are also briefly analyzed. Finally, the roles of IL-6 in cardiac FA uptake (i.e., serum lipid profile and myocardial FA transporters) and FA metabolism (namely, β-oxidation, mitochondrial function, biogenesis, and FA de novo synthesis) are discussed. Overall, understanding how IL-6 transmits signals to affect lipid metabolism in the heart might allow for development of better clinical therapies for obesity-associated cardiac lipotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AKT (protein kinase B, PKB) family has been shown to participate in diverse cellular processes, including apoptosis. Previous studies demonstrated that protein kinase B2 (AKT2 -/- ) mice heart was sensitized to apoptosis in response to ischemic injury. However, little is known about the mechanism and apoptotic signaling pathway. Here, we show that AKT2 inhibition does not affect the development of cardiomyocytes but increases cell death during cardiomyocyte ischemia. Caspase-dependent apoptosis of both the extrinsic and intrinsic pathway was inactivated in cardiomyocytes with AKT2 inhibition during ischemia, while significant mitochondrial disruption was observed as well as intracytosolic translocation of cytochrome C (Cyto C) together with apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G (EndoG), both of which are proven to conduct DNA degradation in a range of cell death stimuli. Therefore, mitochondria-dependent cell death was investigated and the results suggested that AIF and EndoG nucleus translocation causes cardiomyocyte DNA degradation during ischemia when AKT2 is blocked. These data are the first to show a previous unrecognized function and mechanism of AKT2 in regulating cardiomyocyte survival during ischemia by inducing a unique mitochondrial-dependent DNA degradation pathway when it is inhibited.

Demethyleneberberine (DMB) is an essential metabolite of Berberine (BBR) in vivo. Recent reports have revealed multiple novel therapeutic applications of BBR. However, the pharmacological activities of DMB remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to demonstrate the hepatoprotective and anti-fibrotic effects of DMB both in vitro and in vivo. Here we showed that DMB protects against thioacetamide (TAA)-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice and exhibits a higher safety profile as compared to BBR. Flow cytometry and Western blotting analysis showed that DMB is able to suppress the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and induce cell apoptosis through the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) cascade. Immunohistochemical (IHC) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis indicated that DMB also has inhibitory effects on collagen synthesis and is able to increase collagen degradation by blocking the transforming growth factor β 1 (TGF-β1)-Smad signaling and reducing the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of MMP (TIMPs). These findings indicate that DMB has the potential to attenuate hepatic fibrosis via suppressing HSC activation.