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Erectile dysfunction (ED) is closely associated with smooth muscle dysfunction, but its underlying mechanisms remains incompletely understood. We here reported that the reduced expression of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1), the main regulatory unit of myosin light chain phosphatase, was critical for the development of vasculogenic ED. Male MYPT1 knockout mice had reduced fertility and the penises displayed impaired erections as evidenced by reduced intracavernous pressure (ICP). The penile smooth muscles of the knockout mice displayed enhanced response to G-Protein Couple Receptor agonism and depolarization contractility and resistant relaxation. We further identified a natural compound lotusine that increased the MYPT1 expression by inhibiting SIAH1/2 E3 ligases-mediated protein degradation. This compound sufficiently restored the ICP and improved histological characters of the penile artery of Mypt1 haploinsufficiency mice. In diabetic ED mice (db/db), the decreased expression of MYPT1 was measured, and ICP was improved by lotusine treatment. We conclude that the reduction of MYPT1 is the major pathogenic factor of vasculogenic ED. The restoration of MYPT1 by lotusine improved the function of injured penile smooth muscles, and could be a novel strategy for ED therapy. Reduced expression of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) is critical for the development of vasculogenic erectile dysfunction and a natural compound, lotusine, is found to increase MYPT1 expression and rescue penile smooth muscle function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Except for various properties, accurate and intuitive 3D representations of building elements and spaces are embedded in Building Information Models (BIMs). Thus, better understanding of spatial features of building elements and spaces is possible, which brings new opportunity in code compliance checking, indoor navigation, visualization, etc. With large amount of fine-grained 3D spatial data collected quickly and continuously, there is an urgent need for new methods to overcome problems like improper spatial expression, insufficient mining and utilization of information that exist in traditional methods. This research reviews state-of-the-art of related research and provides a summary of achievements and challenges in this area. Then, a framework consists of management, analysis, and application of 3D spatial data of BIM and a detailed discussion of each part are proposed, which would give the readers an overview of relevant methods, technologies, and tools. Moreover, potential research directions and open issues for future work are also discussed. The paper enables researchers to get a comprehensive understanding of 3D spatial data analytics of BIM as well as suggestions for future work, and thus makes a solid contribution in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile chemical precipitation approach is presented to fabricate flower-like zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod clusters by using spherical cellulose nanocrystals (SCNs, with cellulose II crystal structure) as growth substrate. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy results showed that nanohybrids (A-100/11) with flower-like ZnO nanorod clusters could be formed under strongly alkaline (pH 11) conditions using suitable reaction time of 2 h and temperature of 100 °C, while rod-like nanohybrids could be obtained under weakly alkaline (pH 9.3 and 10.5) conditions or low temperature of 90 °C. A possible growth mechanism for flower-like ZnO on SCNs is discussed. Moreover, compared with commercial ZnO and rod-like nanohybrids, the flower-like A-100/11 nanohybrids showed better antibacterial activity against Streptococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and excellent photocatalytic activity in presence of methylene blue as model dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a widely used biodegradable material, but its inadequate fire protection properties have the quest for developing environmentally friendly, effective, and multifunctional flame retardants to enhance PLA’s flame retardancy. Here, designed and synthesized bio-based double-shell nickel–cobalt-based flame retardant (NiCo-BH@BPA@CS) as a green flame retardant through layer-by-layer assembly using NiCo-based bimetallic hydroxide (NiCo-BH), benzenephosphonic acid (BPA) and chitosan (CS). Subsequently, this multifunctional flame retardant (NiCo-BH@BPA@CS) was melted into the PLA matrix as flame retardant additions to prepare PLA/NiCo-BH@BPA@CS composites. Benefiting from the organic modification, NiCo-BH@BPA@CS presented excellent dispersion in the PLA matrix. The incorporation of NiCo-BH@BPA@CS simultaneously enhanced the fire safety, thermal stability and charring capability of the PLA composites. With the addition of 20 wt% NiCo-BH@BPA@CS, the LOI value of NiCo-BH@BPA@CS composite reached 32.5% and passed the UL-94 V-0 class. After cone calorimetric testing, it was found that the PHRR, THR and FGI values of PLA/NiCo-BH@BPA@CS composites were reduced by 19.9%, 23.9% and 22.4%, respectively, compared to PLA/NiCo-BH. More importantly, the residual char of PLA/NiCo-BH@BPA@CS exhibited a significantly reduced presence of large cracks compared to that of PLA/NiCo-BH and indicated a more densely formed residual char. This was mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of transition metal nickel cobalt, P in benzenephosphonic acid and N in chitosan, which can promote the compactness of char layers with fine microstructure formed in the decomposition process of PLA/NiCo-BH@BPA@CS composites. This work provides an environment-friendly layer-by-layer assembly modification strategy for enhancing the dispersion of and flame retardant efficiency of NiCo-based flame retardant which opens a door for broad applications of PLA.Graphical abstract: Polylactic acid (PLA) is a widely used biodegradable material, but its inadequate fire protection properties have the quest for developing environmentally friendly, effective, and multifunctional flame retardants to enhance PLA’s flame retardancy. Here, designed and synthesized bio-based double-shell nickel–cobalt-based flame retardant (NiCo-BH@BPA@CS) as a green flame retardant through layer-by-layer assembly using NiCo-based bimetallic hydroxide (NiCo-BH), benzenephosphonic acid (BPA) and chitosan (CS). Subsequently, this multifunctional flame retardant (NiCo-BH@BPA@CS) was melted into the PLA matrix as flame retardant additions to prepare PLA/NiCo-BH@BPA@CS composites. Benefiting from the organic modification, NiCo-BH@BPA@CS presented excellent dispersion in the PLA matrix. The incorporation of NiCo-BH@BPA@CS simultaneously enhanced the fire safety, thermal stability and charring capability of the PLA composites. With the addition of 20 wt% NiCo-BH@BPA@CS, the LOI value of NiCo-BH@BPA@CS composite reached 32.5% and passed the UL-94 V-0 class. After cone calorimetric testing, it was found that the PHRR, THR and FGI values of PLA/NiCo-BH@BPA@CS composites were reduced by 19.9%, 23.9% and 22.4%, respectively, compared to PLA/NiCo-BH. More importantly, the residual char of PLA/NiCo-BH@BPA@CS exhibited a significantly reduced presence of large cracks compared to that of PLA/NiCo-BH and indicated a more densely formed residual char. This was mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of transition metal nickel cobalt, P in benzenephosphonic acid and N in chitosan, which can promote the compactness of char layers with fine microstructure formed in the decomposition process of PLA/NiCo-BH@BPA@CS composites. This work provides an environment-friendly layer-by-layer assembly modification strategy for enhancing the dispersion of and flame retardant efficiency of NiCo-based flame retardant which opens a door for broad applications of PLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarization imaging detection has its unique advantage in discriminating the man-made objects from natural objects. Grating integrated super pixel for polarization imaging detection can simultaneously obtain the first three elements of the Stokes vector, which is the trend of infrared polarization imaging detection in recent years. Here, we demonstrate the first super pixel for long wavelength infrared polarization imaging detection with the extinction ratio of its four polarization directions more than 100. The measured highest polarization extinction ratio is as high as 136, which is the highest reported value of long wavelength infrared polarization imaging detection super pixel. The mechanism is attributed to the excellent mode selectivity of plasmonic microcavity according to the results of three-dimensional theoretical simulation. The experimental responses of the super pixel with four polarization directions are in good agreement with the Malus’ Law. In addition, the super pixel can accurately resolve the Stokes parameters at the same time. It is expected to develop the super pixel into a new generation of practical high-polarization-discriminating long wavelength infrared focal plane array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]