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Faradaic capacitive deionization (FCDI) with attractive ion‐capture capacity, outstanding durability, and potential compatibility in high‐salinity water has been recognized as the robust alternative to address the alarming freshwater scarcity. The further innovation of boosting electrode materials is the indispensable requisite for highly efficient FCDI application. Herein, a low‐crystalline nitrogen‐doped carbon quantum dots modified Mg2+‐pillar preintercalated V3O7 (i.e., NCQDs/Mg‐V3O7) heterostructure is assembled via an ingenious one‐spot hydrothermal avenue, and is investigated as the advanced FCDI electrode for desalination application. Taking advantages of the synergic effect of unique microstructure, improved electronic conductivity, and exceptional structural durability, the NCQDs/Mg‐V3O7 electrode delivers an admirable gravimetric adsorption capacity of 54.32 mg g−1 in a NaCl solution of 1500 mg L−1 and attractive cyclic durability. Further, density functional theory calculations verify the intense interface electron coupling interaction between tri‐components, enabling the significantly promoting Na+ capture capability. The synergy removal mechanism is clarified by ex‐situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and in‐situ Raman tests. Additionally, the average removal efficiency of hybrid electrode attains 93.75% in the simulated wastewater comprising the NaCl of 50 mg L−1 and diverse metal nitrates from 10 to 100 mg L−1 for each, certifying the great prospects for practical wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: HBV‐related acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (HBV‐ACLF) deteriorates rapidly in the short term, which necessitates accurate initial clinical decision making. Aims: To develop a novel prognostic score for patients with HBV‐ACLF and clarify the role of thyroid hormones in HBV‐ACLF. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 635 HBV‐ACLF patients was enrolled to develop and validate a novel prognostic score for HBV‐ACLF. Additionally, a cross‐sectional cohort (n = 199) and a prospective longitudinal HBV‐ACLF cohort (n = 56) were recruited to clarify the association between thyroid hormone status and the 30‐day mortality of HBV‐ACLF. Results: HINT, a novel prognostic score based on hepatic encephalopathy, INR, neutrophil count, and thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) using the deriving cohort (n = 426), was significantly higher in non‐survivors than survivors (1.17 ± 2.38 vs −1.87 ± 1.26, P < 0.0001). The AUROC of HINT for 30‐day mortality was 0.889, which was significantly higher than that of the Child‐Pugh, MELD, CLIF‐SOFA, CLIF‐C ACLF, and COSSH‐ACLF scores (all P < 0.05). These results were confirmed in the validation cohort (n = 209), except that the AUROC of HINT was comparable to that of COSSH‐ACLF (P = 0.357). Among thyroid hormones, only the TSH level on admission was significantly lower in non‐survivors than in survivors (P = 0.01). During the 14‐day longitudinal observation, TSH levels increased significantly in the improvement group (P < 0.001) but did not change in the deterioration or fluctuation groups, and gradually increased in survivors (P < 0.001) but not in non‐survivors. Conclusions: HINT, as a prognostic score for HBV‐ACLF, is simpler than and superior to the Child‐Pugh, MELD, CLIF‐SOFA, and CLIF‐C ACLF scores and at least comparable with the COSSH‐ACLF score. Sequential TSH measurements may facilitate prediction of the clinical course of ACLF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal expansion molding process (TEMP) is a sophisticated molding technique for creating complex sandwich composites. The core key of TEMP is a high‐performance, thermally expandable resin film. In this study, the epoxy resin is used to create a specific crosslinking network that can provide the support force required for the stable molding of the vesicles during the expansion process of the foaming agent. The curing process of the resin was determined by analyzing the change in the exothermic amount of the epoxy resin during the curing process and the flow behavior of the resin. The pore size distribution of the epoxy foam was investigated, and the expansion force of the thermally expandable resin was tested. The TEMP molding process was compared with the vacuum bag press molding (VBPM) process. The TEMP molding technique increased tensile and compressive strength by about 25%, flexural strength by 34.5%, and shear strength by 54.5%. Finally, the section on microanalysis of the comparative materials and the short beam bending experiments of the sandwich structure provides a theoretical foundation for developing complicated sandwich structures. Highlights: Preparation of thermally expandable epoxy prepregs with stabilized foaming by means of pre‐curing.The effects of curing temperature, foaming agent content and expansion multiplicity on the thermal expansion force of epoxy prepreg adhesives were investigated.Thermally expandable epoxy prepreg molding composites with different expansion multiplicities and analysis of the mechanical properties of the composites.Preparation of foam core sandwich composites by thermal expansion in‐mold monolithic molding process and their verification by bending experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O‐linked N‐acetylglucosamine (O‐GlcNAcylation) is a ubiquitous post‐translational modification of proteins that is essential for cell function. Perturbation of O‐GlcNAcylation leads to altered cell‐cycle progression and DNA damage response. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we develop a highly sensitive one‐step enzymatic strategy for capture and profiling O‐GlcNAcylated proteins in cells. Using this strategy, we discover that flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1), an essential enzyme in DNA synthesis, is a novel substrate for O‐GlcNAcylation. FEN1 O‐GlcNAcylation is dynamically regulated during the cell cycle. O‐GlcNAcylation at the serine 352 of FEN1 disrupts its interaction with Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) at the replication foci, and leads to altered cell cycle, defects in DNA replication, accumulation of DNA damage, and enhanced sensitivity to DNA damage agents. Thus, our study provides a sensitive method for profiling O‐GlcNAcylated proteins, and reveals an unknown mechanism of O‐GlcNAcylation in regulating cell cycle progression and DNA damage response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O‐linked N‐acetylglucosamine (O‐GlcNAcylation) is a ubiquitous post‐translational modification of proteins that is essential for cell function. Perturbation of O‐GlcNAcylation leads to altered cell‐cycle progression and DNA damage response. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we develop a highly sensitive one‐step enzymatic strategy for capture and profiling O‐GlcNAcylated proteins in cells. Using this strategy, we discover that flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1), an essential enzyme in DNA synthesis, is a novel substrate for O‐GlcNAcylation. FEN1 O‐GlcNAcylation is dynamically regulated during the cell cycle. O‐GlcNAcylation at the serine 352 of FEN1 disrupts its interaction with Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) at the replication foci, and leads to altered cell cycle, defects in DNA replication, accumulation of DNA damage, and enhanced sensitivity to DNA damage agents. Thus, our study provides a sensitive method for profiling O‐GlcNAcylated proteins, and reveals an unknown mechanism of O‐GlcNAcylation in regulating cell cycle progression and DNA damage response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar vapor generation is a facile and an efficient way for solar energy harvesting, which is applied to address the issue of fresh water extraction from sewage or brine. Several solar vapor generation devices have been developed in the past few years, but the low evaporation rate still remains as a challenge. In this work, a novel double‐layer solar vapor generation device, named as Ag‐PSS‐AG/AG device, is reported. This device is based on the hierarchical composition of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and poly (sodium‐p‐styrenesulfonate) (PSS) decorated agarose gel (AG). The device reveals a synergetic effect of the two layers with high light‐harvesting and water‐transfer performance, respectively, leading to an ultrahigh vapor generation rate of 2.10 kg m−2 h−1 with a solar thermal efficiency of 92.8% under 1 sun illumination. This high evaporation rate is mainly owing to the powerful light‐thermal conversion of Ag NPs as well as the outstanding water transfer capability of agarose hydrogel. Consequently, this device can be directly used for the purification of sewage and muddy water. It is also promising for applications in separation, humidity management, and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study investigated the proteomic characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with varicella zoster virus (VZV) meningitis to understanding the pathogenesis of central nervous system (CNS) infection by reactivated VZV. Method: We used data‐independent acquisition model to analyze the CSF proteomic differences of 28 patients with VZV meningitis and 11 herpes zoster (HZ) patients. According to the clinical manifestations at discharge, 28 VZV meningitis patients were divided into favorable outcome group and unfavorable outcome (UO) group and their differences in CSF proteome were also analyzed. Results: Compared with the HZ group, the proteins (CXCL10, ELANE, IL‐1RN, MPO, PRTN3, etc.) related to inflammation and immune cell activation were significantly upregulated in the VZV meningitis group (p <.01). The protein related to the nerve function and energy metabolism (CKMT1B, SLITRK3, Synaptotagmin‐3, KIF5B, etc.) were significantly downregulated (p <.05). The levels of a pro‐inflammatory factor, IL‐18, in CSF were significantly higher in patients in the UO group as compared to patients with favorable prognosis (p <.05). Conclusion: Inflammatory immune response is an important pathophysiological mechanism of CNS infection by VZV, and the CSF IL‐18 levels might be a potential prognostic indicator of the outcomes of VZV meningitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a dicyclopentadiene monomer/Grubbs 2 catalyst was added to a mixture of epoxy oligomers and methyl nadic anhydride to obtain a poly‐dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) modified epoxy cross‐linked network via sequential curing. The hybrid resin was used as a matrix for preparing carbon fiber composites. The results indicated that the addition of DCPD monomers significantly reduced the viscosity of the epoxy resin. The toughness and heat resistance of the co‐cured resin was improved without significant loss of strength, which was attributed to the high compatibility between epoxy and the modifier polymer. Regarding the composites, the flexural strength of the hybrid resin‐derived composite first increased and then diminished slightly. Meanwhile, the mode‐I interlaminar fracture toughness continued to increase with the increase of PDCPD content compared to the non‐modified composites. Generally, the change trend of the above properties in the composites was consistent with the change trend of the strength and toughness exhibited in the bulk resin with increasing PDCPD contents, while the change extent was inconsistent due to factors such as fiber volume content and interfacial bonding. Highlights: The epoxy/PDCPD hybrid resin system was obtained via sequential curing.The PDCPD as modifier can reduce the viscosity of the epoxy curing system.The toughness and heat resistance of the PDCPD modified epoxy resin was improved.The loss in flexural strength of the hybrid resin system was insignificant.The GIC of the epoxy composites modified with PDCPD improved appreciably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibacterial photodynamic therapy (APDT) has received considerable attention owing to its superiority. ZIF‐8 was used to address the poor stability of the photosensitizer Rose Bengal (RB) encapsulation to synthesize RB@ZIF‐8 NPs, which were doped into a composite film with poly (ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) and polyvinyl alcohol‐quaternary ammonium chitosan (PVA‐QCS) as substrates to form composite films (PQZ). The composite films exhibited excellent photodynamic sterilization and good resistance to bacterial adhesion. The tensile strength of the film increased to 43.4 MPa, which was approximately 1.8 times that of the PCL film. With the addition of SiO2 and RB@ZIF‐8 NPs, the film exhibited water repellency and UV‐blocking properties. RAW264.7 cells were selected using the MTT method to confirm that the composite films had excellent biocompatibility and had no significant inhibitory effect on cell growth and reproduction. PQZ multifunctional composite films show potential as novel APDT antimicrobial materials for food packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weak interfacial bonding properties between thermoplastic liners and carbon fiber‐reinforced composites (CFRP) can easily lead to debonding failure, which is a major challenge in development of type IV composite hydrogen storage vessels. We optimized Box–Behnken design atmospheric‐pressure plasma process parameters for maximizing interfacial bonding properties between thermoplastic liner (PA11 liner) and CFRP using Design‐Expert software. From various designs, plasma process parameters, including time (t), nozzle‐to‐specimen distance (d) and gas flow rate (r) of treatment were selected for optimization to assess the effects of their interactions on climbing drum peel (CDP), flatwise tensile (FWT) and asymmetric double cantilever beams (ADCB). The CDP strength, FWT strength and strain energy release rate (GADCB) of untreated samples were 4.2 N·mm/mm, 0.26 MPa and 87.2 J/m2, respectively. After the plasma treatment, optimum process parameters of t = 200 s, d = 12.5 mm, and r = 700 L/h were used to achieve 33.8 N·mm/mm, 2.97 MPa and 1008.4 J/m2, respectively, which were 8.0, 11.4 and 11.6 times that of untreated PA11 surface, respectively. This method has the potential for guiding thermoplastic liner surface treatment of type IV hydrogen storage vessels before winding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]