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This study investigated the tensile behavior of some prevalent synthetic fiber ropes made of polyester, polypropylene, and nylon polymeric fibers. The aim was to generate well-documented experimental statistics and develop simplified stress–strain constitutive laws that can describe the ropes' tensile response. The methodology involved analyzing the thermal history of the fibers using the DSC technique, tensile testing of fibers and yarn components of the rope, and conducting 196 rope tensile tests with optimum testing conditions. Based on the test results, an experimental database of the ropes' tensile characteristics was established, containing different parameters of material properties, rope construction, fiber processing, fiber tensile properties, and rope tensile responses. Subsequently, ANN models were developed and optimized using MATLAB based on the generated dataset's inputs and outputs to predict the studied ropes' tri-linear stress–strain profiles. The results showed that the ANN models accurately predicted the stress–strain properties of ropes represented by the tri-linear approximation with an error of about 5% for the failure strength and strain. The study provides insight into the process-structure–property relationship of synthetic fiber ropes and contributes to minimizing the cost and effort in designing and predicting their tensile properties while contributing to the practical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial substitution of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with manure (organic substitution) is highly recommended to minimize environmental risks without compromising crop productivity in intensive agricultural systems. However, our understanding of the effect of organic substitution on soil organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN) in deep soil and its impact on crop productivity remains limited. Here we investigated OC and TN changes in soil profile down to 100 cm, crop yield, and sustainable yield index under synthetic nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium fertilizers (NPK), NPK plus straw (NPKS), and organic substitution (NPKM) treatments over two decades in four upland fields across different climate zones. Compared with the initial values, two decades of NPKM treatment significantly (p < 0.05) increased OC and TN stocks in either topsoil (by 25.6–103.8 and 15.8–89.8%) or deep soil (by 2.9–71.3 and 5.7–36.9%), respectively, across all sites. The increases in OC and TN stocks in 0–100 cm soil receiving NPKM were significantly higher than those receiving NPK at all sites and NPKS at three high-evaporation sites. Compared with NPKS and NPK treatments, crop yield and N uptake were significantly increased under NPKM treatment only at the Qiyang site. Furthermore, OC sequestration in the entire soil profile down to 100 cm and TN accumulation in topsoil exhibited significant positive correlations with crop N uptake, relative crop yield, and sustainable yield index. In conclusion, long-term partial substitution of synthetic N fertilizer with manure facilitates soil OC and TN sequestration in the entire 100 cm profile and thus maintains high crop productivity in upland areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wind tunnel balance signal detection system is widely employed in aerospace applications for the accurate and automated measurement of aerodynamic forces and moments. However, measurement errors arise under different environmental temperature. This paper addresses the issue of measurement accuracy under different temperature conditions by proposing a temperature compensation method based on an improved gray wolf optimization (IGWO) algorithm and optimized extreme learning machine (ELM). The IGWO algorithm is enhanced by improving the initial population position, convergence factor, and iteration weights of the gray wolf optimization algorithm. Subsequently, the IGWO algorithm is employed to determine the optimal network parameters for the ELM. The calibration decoupling experiment and high-low temperature experiment are designed and carried out. On this basis, ELM, GWO-ELM, PSO-ELM, GWO-RBFNN and IGWO-ELM are used for temperature compensation experiments. The experimental results show that IGWO-ELM has a good temperature compensation effect, reducing the measurement error from 20 % F S to within 0.04 % F S . Consequently, the accuracy and stability of the wind tunnel balance signal detection system under different temperature environments are enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the effects of iron tailings content on the mechanical properties and durability of concrete under dry–wet cycling and negative temperature conditions (−10 °C), where iron tailings replace river sand at rates of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%. A variety of tests were conducted on the iron tailings concrete, including compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, mass loss, and relative dynamic modulus, and its pore characteristics were analyzed using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. The results reveal that when 20% of the river sand was replaced with iron tailings, the concrete achieved optimal splitting strength, compressive strength, and flexural strength at 28 days, improving by 0.46 MPa, 3.14 MPa, and 0.41 MPa, respectively, compared to conventional concrete. Furthermore, the concrete containing this proportion of iron tailings demonstrated superior mechanical properties and durability in both negative temperature conditions and dry–wet cycling experiments. Due to the excellent physical and chemical properties of iron tailings, they enhance the performance of concrete when incorporated in appropriate quantities. The fine granularity of iron tailings helps to compensate for the granularity defects in concrete aggregates by filling internal voids, optimizing the pore structure, and improving the concrete's density and integrity. This enhances the concrete's mechanical properties and its resistance to external solutions and harmful ion penetration. Additionally, the active substances in iron tailings promote the hydration reaction of cement, leading to the formation of an increased amount of C-S-H gel and other hydration products in the cement system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the high incidence of PRRSV mutation and recombination, PRRSV infection is difficult to prevent and control in China and worldwide. Two species of PRRSV, Betaarterivirus suid 1 (PRRSV-1) and Betaarterivirus suid 2 (PRRSV-2), exist in China, and PRRSV-1 has always received less attention in China. However, the number of PRRSV-1 strains detected in China has increased recently. To date, PRRSV-1 has spread to more than 23 regions in China. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of ORF5 and the whole genome of PRRSV-1, Chinese PRRSV-1 can be divided into at least seven independent subgroups. Among them, BJEU06-1-like has become the mainstream subgroup in some regions of China. This subgroup of strains has a 5-aa (4 + 1) characteristic discontinuous deletion pattern at aa 357~aa 360 and aa 411 in Nsp2. Previous studies have indicated that the pathogenicity of PRRSV-1 in China is mild, but recent studies found that the pathogenicity of PRRSV-1 was enhanced in China. Therefore, the emergence of PRRSV-1 deserves attention, and the prevention and control of PRRSV-1 infection in China should be strengthened. PRRSV infection is usually prevented and controlled by a combination of virus monitoring, biosafety restrictions, herd management measures and vaccination. However, the use of PRRSV-1 vaccines is currently banned in China. Thus, we should strengthen the monitoring of PRRSV-1 and the biosafety management of pig herds in China. In this review, we summarize the prevalence of PRRSV-1 in China and clarify the genomic characteristics, pathogenicity, vaccine status, and prevention and control management system of PRRSV-1 in China. Consequently, the purpose of this review is to provide a basis for further development of prevention and control measures for PRRSV-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) in cropland soils is an essential strategy that serves the dual purpose of enhancing soil fertility and mitigating climate change. However, how the stability of stored carbon is altered under long-term fertilization has not been well understood, especially in the double rice cropping system in Chinese paddy soils. In this study, we explored the SOC storage and consequent stability of SOC under long-term fertilization. The soil samples were fractionated chemically to isolate various fractions and constituent pools of SOC (i.e., very labile C/VLC, labile C/LC, less labile C/LLC, and non-labile C/NLC). The following treatments were tested: control (CK), recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer (NPK), double the amount of recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer (2NPK), and NPK combined with manure (NPKM). The results showed that, relative to the initial level, the application of NPKM significantly improved the SOC storage as compared to the control. The long-term NPKM increased the total SOC in the paddy soil and this increased SOC was mainly stored in LLC, as revealed by the highest increase (142%) over the control. Furthermore, the highest proportion of labile pool was associated with unfertilized CK, while the reverse was true for the recalcitrant pool, which was highest under NPKM. This supports the role of combining manure with NPK to improve the stability of SOC, further verified by the high recalcitrance index under NPKM (56.75% for 0–20 cm and 57.69% for 20–40 cm) as compared to the control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an important metabolite of arachidonic acid which plays a crucial role in vascular physiology and pathophysiology via its four receptors (EP1-4). However, the role of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) EP4 in neointimal hyperplasia is largely unknown. Here we showed that VSMC-specific deletion of EP4 (VSMC-EP4) ameliorated, while VSMC-specific overexpression of human EP4 promoted, neointimal hyperplasia in mice subjected to femoral artery wire injury or carotid artery ligation. In vitro studies revealed that pharmacological activation of EP4 promoted, whereas inhibition of EP4 suppressed, proliferation and migration of primary-cultured VSMCs. Mechanically, EP4 significantly increased the protein expression of tenascin C (TN-C), a pro-proliferative and pro-migratory extracellular matrix protein, at the translational level. Knockdown of TN-C markedly suppressed EP4 agonist-induced VSMC proliferation and migration. Further studies uncovered that EP4 upregulated TN-C protein expression via the PKA/mTORC1/Ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) pathway. Together, our findings demonstrate that VSMC EP4 increases TN-C protein expression to promote neointimal hyperplasia via the PKA-mTORC1-rpS6 pathway. Therefore, VSMC EP4 may represent a potential therapeutic target for vascular restenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers have an excellent effect in terms of moderating fast neutrons with rich hydrogen and carbon, which plays an indispensable role in shielding devices. As the shielding of neutrons is typically accompanied by the generation of γ-rays, shielding materials are developed from monomers to multi-component composites, multi-layer structures, and even complex structures. In this paper, based on the typical multilayer structure, the integrated design of the shield component structure and the preparation and performance evaluation of the materials is carried out based on the design sample of the heat-resistant lightweight polymer-based interlayer. Through calculation, the component structure of the polymer-based materials and the three-layer thickness of the shield are obtained. The mass fraction of boron carbide accounts for 11% of the polymer-based material. Since the polymer-based material is the weak link of heat resistance of the multilayer shield, in terms of material selection and modification, the B4C/TiO2/polyimide molded plate was prepared by the hot-pressing method, and characterization analysis was conducted for its structure and properties. The results show that the ball milling method can mix the materials well and realize the uniform dispersion of B4C and TiO2 in the polyimide matrices. Boron carbide particles are evenly distributed in the material. Except for Ti, the other elemental content of the selected areas for mapping is in good agreement with the theoretical values of the elemental content of the system. The prepared B4C/TiO2/polyimide molded plate presents excellent thermal properties, and its glass transition temperature and initial thermal decomposition temperature are as high as 363.6 °C and 572.8 °C, respectively. In addition, the molded plate has good toughness performs well in compression resistance, shock resistance, and thermal aging resistance, which allows it to be used for a long time under 300 °C. Finally, the prepared materials are tested experimentally on an americium beryllium neutron source. The experimental results match the simulation results well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the number of nuclear plants injecting zinc is increasing worldwide because zinc injection can reduce the corrosion rate of structural materials in the primary coolant circuit. However, at the initial stage of zinc injection, zinc can introduce a large amount of corrosion products entering into the coolant circuit by displacing other divalent species in oxide. These corrosion products will be carried into the core by the coolant and cause unevenness of the crud on fuel cladding surfaces, which can increase the probability of crud induced power shift (CIPS) and damage to fuel claddings. In this paper, the structural material corrosion model with or without zinc injection is built based on a mixed conduction model. The migration model of corrosion products in the primary circuit is established, and the relationship of crud amount with the time is obtained. The mechanism of interactions between zinc and formed oxide layers is analyzed. The extra amount of corrosion products due to zinc injection is calculated according to the different starting times. It is used to revise the crud mass. The influences of zinc injection on the crud amount are achieved, which can be the foundation of further research on the relationship between zinc injection and CIPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New complete light curves in B, V, R C, and I C bands for the short-period eclipsing binary V0627 Hya (period shorter than 0.22 d) are presented. From the longer wavelength to the shorter one, the amplitudes of the light variation become larger. The different height of the successive maxima in each band's light curve could be seen clearly. We analyzed those multi-wavelength light curves using the Wilson–Devinney code and derived the photometric solutions of V0627 Hya for the first time. It is found that V0627 Hya is a W-type shallow-contact binary. Combined with the GAIA parallax, the absolute parameters of this system are obtained: M 1 = 0.31  M ⊙, M 2 = 0.64  M ⊙, R 1 = 0.50  R ⊙, R 2 = 0.69  R ⊙, L 1 = 0.06  L ⊙, L 2 = 0.08  L ⊙. Thus, V0627 Hya is a new member of the red dwarf contact binary class. The asymmetry in the light curves could be explained by the spot model due to the magnetic activity of its late-type component. The amplitude differences in the different bands' light curves imply the existence of a cool third body, which is supported by the third light contribution in the photometric solutions. The third body in this system may play an important role in its formation and evolution by removing the angular momentum. More red dwarf contact binaries need to be found and studied, since they are rare and not enough is known to reveal their mysteries at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal shielding structure design plays a guiding role in the implementation of radiation protection engineering. The achievement of the optimal arrangement and thickness ratio for the layers of materials is the key to attaining a light-weight and small-volume shield but with the best shielding effect. In this research, the optimization design method is established by the genetic algorithm combined with the Monte Carlo N-particle code, and a four-layer neutron shield composed of iron (Fe), boron carbon (B4C), lead (Pb), and polyethylene (PE) is designed. When setting the total thickness of the shield to 20 cm, different arrangements and thickness combinations of these four layers are calculated. It is shown that the arrangement Fe-PE–B4C–Pb is the most radiological optimizing arrangement, and the optimal thickness combination is also obtained. Besides, it seems that the thicker the shield, the higher the requirement for the thickness ratio of Fe and Pb. In order to prove this, an optimal 80 cm thick shield is then designed, and the optimal thickness ratio is also obtained. It is found that the thickness ratio of Fe and Pb should also be increased in order to achieve the best shielding effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oligodendrocytes are vulnerable to genetic and environmental insults and its injury leads to demyelinating diseases. The roles of ErbB receptors in maintaining the CNS myelin integrity are largely unknown. Here, we overactivate ErbB receptors that mediate signaling of either neuregulin (NRG) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) family growth factors and found their synergistic activation caused deleterious outcomes in white matter. Sustained ErbB activation induced by the tetracycline-dependent mouse tool Plp-tTA resulted in demyelination, axonal degeneration, oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) proliferation, astrogliosis, and microgliosis in white matter. Moreover, there was hypermyelination before these inflammatory pathologic events. In contrast, sustained ErbB activation induced by another tetracycline-dependent mouse tool Sox10+/rtTA caused hypomyelination in the corpus callosum and optic nerve, which appeared to be a developmental deficit and did not associate with OPC regeneration, astrogliosis, or microgliosis. By tracing the differentiation states of cells expressing tetracycline-controlled transcriptional activator (tTA)/reverse tTA (rtTA)-dependent transgene or pulse-labeled reporter proteins in vitro and in vivo, we found that Plp-tTA targeted mainly mature oligodendrocytes (MOs), whereas Sox10+/rtTA targeted OPCs and newly-formed oligodendrocytes (NFOs). The distinct phenotypes of mice with ErbB overactivation induced by Plp-tTA and Sox10+/rtTA consolidated their nonoverlapping targeting preferences in the oligodendrocyte lineage, and enabled us to demonstrate that ErbB overactivation in MOs induced necroptosis that caused inflammatory demyelination, whereas in OPCs induced apoptosis that caused noninflammatory hypomyelination. Early interference with aberrant ErbB activation ceased oligodendrocyte deaths and restored myelin development in both mice. This study suggests that aberrant ErbB activation is an upstream pathogenetic mechanism of demyelinating diseases, providing a potential therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formononetin, an isoflavone compound, has been extensively researched due to its various biological activities, including a potent protective effect on the cardiovascular system. However, the impact of formononetin on cardiac fibrosis has not been investigated. In this study, C57BL/6 mice were used to establish cardiac fibrosis animal models by subcutaneous injecting of isoproterenol (ISO) and formononetin was orally administrated. The results showed that formononetin reversed ISO-induced heart stiffness revealed by early-to-atrial wave ratio (E/A ratio). Masson staining, western blot, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR exhibited that the cardiac fibrosis and fibrosis-related proteins (collage III, fibronectin, TGF-β1, α-SMA, and vimentin) and genes (Col1a1 , Col3a1 , Acta2 and Tgfb1) induced by ISO were significantly suppressed by formononetin. Furthermore, by combining metabolomics and network pharmacology, we found three important targets (ALDH2 , HADH , and MAOB), which are associated with mitochondrial function, were involved in the beneficial effect of formononetin. Further validation revealed that these three genes were more abundance in cardiomyocyte than in cardiac fibroblast. The mRNA expression of ALDH2 and HADH were decreased, while MOAB was increased in cardiomyocyte upon ISO treatment and these phenomena were reversed by formononetin. In addition, we investigated mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS production in cardiomyocytes, the results showed that formononetin effectively improved mitochondrial dysfunction induced by ISO. In summary, we demonstrated that formononetin via regulating the expressions of ALDH2 , HADH, and MAOB in cardiomyocyte to improve mitochondrial dysfunction and alleviate β-adrenergic activation cardiac fibrosis. [Display omitted] • Formononetin ameliorates cardiac fibrosis induced by ISO. • New mechanisms were discovered by combining metabolomics and network pharmacology. • Formononetin regulates the expressions of ALDH2, HADH, and MAOB in cardiomyocytes. • Formononetin regulates mitochondrial function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As sessile organisms, plants rely on their roots for anchorage and uptake of water and nutrients. Plant root is an organ showing extensive morphological and metabolic plasticity in response to diverse environmental stimuli including nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) nutrition/stresses. N and P are two essential macronutrients serving as not only cell structural components but also local and systemic signals triggering root acclimatory responses. Here, we mainly focused on the current advances on root responses to N and P nutrition/stresses regarding transporters as well as long-distance mobile proteins and peptides, which largely represent local and systemic regulators, respectively. Moreover, we exemplified some of the potential pitfalls in experimental design, which has been routinely adopted for decades. These commonly accepted methods may help researchers gain fundamental mechanistic insights into plant intrinsic responses, yet the output might lack strong relevance to the real situation in the context of natural and agricultural ecosystems. On this basis, we further discuss the established--and yet to be validated--improvements in experimental design, aiming at interpreting the data obtained under laboratory conditions in a more practical view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we reported two novel polyoxovanadate-based metal−organic frameworks, formulated as {[Co(CH 3 OH) 2 (bbbm)][H 6 VIV 12 VV 6 O 42 (SO 4)]}·3CH 3 OH·3H 2 O (V 18 -Co), {[Mn(CH 3 OH) 2 (bbbm)][H 6 VIV 12 VV 6 O 42 (SO 4)]}·5CH 3 OH·2H 2 O (V 18 -Mn). Both V 18 -Co and V 18 -Mn featuring a ball-shaped octadecanuclear vanadium cluster as a node are discovered to be badly rare, which is different from those normally reported POV-based derivatives. More importantly, V 18 -Co displays CO generation rate of 10371 μmol g−1 h−1 with a high selectivity of 93.1 % for CO 2 photoreduction by virtue of the synergistic combination of the POV and MOF, which outperforms most of the reported MOF-based and POM-based catalysts in the field of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. [Display omitted] • Synthesize two rare mixed valence POV-based MOFs featuring V 18 cluster as a node. • V 18 -Co exhibits remarkable catalytic activity for CO 2 photoreduction. • Synergistic effect of {VIV 12 VV 6 } and {Co(bbbm) 2 } for enhanced CO 2 photoreduction. The design of efficient catalysts for photocatalytic CO 2 conversion is extremely significant to alleviate greenhouse effect and energy crisis. In this study, two novel structurally clear polyoxovanadates (POVs)-based metal–organic frameworks, that is, {[Co(CH 3 OH) 2 (bbbm)][H 6 VIV 12 VV 6 O 42 (SO 4)]}·3CH 3 OH·3H 2 O [ abbr. V 18 -Co , bbbm = 1,1′-(1,4-butanediyl)-bis-1H-benzimidazole], {[Mn(CH 3 OH) 2 (bbbm)][H 6 VIV 12 VV 6 O 42 (SO 4)]}·5CH 3 OH·2H 2 O (V 18 -Mn), were successfully synthesized under solvothermal conditions. It is noticed that the ball-shaped octadecanuclear vanadium cluster is quite rare as a building block in POV-based hybrids. The structural characterizations and the photocatalytic CO 2 conversion, are explored systematically. It can be confirmed that the cobalt-containing POV-based metal–organic frameworks can photoreduce CO 2 under visible light, and V 18 -Co has higher photocatalytic performance. In the heterogeneous catalytic system, V 18 -Co exhibited a robust CO formation rate up to 10371 μmol g−1h−1 with high CO selectivity of ca. 93.1%, which outperforms most reported polyoxometalate-based MOF systems. Moreover, cycling tests confirmed that V 18 -Co was a high-efficient and stable photocatalyst for CO 2 reduction, which could be repeatedly applied multiple cycles without losing its catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The xylanase can be detected as a soluble form when fused with MBP and Nus tags. • Small ratio of cells expressing HRV3C protease removed the tags of the fusion proteins efficiently with co-fermentation and post-fermentation methods. • The ratio of co-fermentation is smaller. • The tags were cleaved precisely and endogenous protease of E. coli had no obvious non-specific degradation to the target protein. Abstract Human rhinovirus 3C protease (HRV 3C protease) is commonly used as a tool to remove fusion tags from recombinant proteins in gene engineering due to its distinguished specificity and high activity at low temperature. This paper is aimed to simplify the strategy of removing epitope tags from target proteins with HRV 3C protease. Fusion proteins composed of a xylanase from Bacillus sp. HBP8 (xylHB) and double tags (MBP/Nus and 6×His, with an HRV 3C protease recognition site between them) were applied as substrates. To perform the cleavage and purification, strains expressing HRV 3C protease and the substrates were mixed before (co-fermentation method) or after (post-fermentation method) inducing with IPTG, followed by cell disruption and incubation at 4℃, overnight for cleavage. The soluble cytoplasmic fraction was added to Ni-NTA resin to recover the cleaved target protein. Because the process was carried out in the cell lysate, it was named as cell lysate purification system based on HRV 3C protease (CLP3C). Our data indicated small number of cells expressing HRV 3C protease was enough to remove the fusion tags efficiently with both co-fermentation and post-fermentation methods. More importantly, the tags were cleaved precisely with no obvious non-specific degradation to the target protein. Hence, active xylanase was recovered easily with this strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an effective design approach for quickly determining the specification, size and amount of components of a flexible rockfall protection barrier structure. The approach is based on a reliable numerical modelling validated by several experimental tests that include both component tests and full-scale impact tests. The interception structure made up of a steel wire-ring net is accurately investigated through a series of in-plane and out-of-plane quasi-static tests carried out on net specimens, to define the ring constitutive model and failure criterion. The accuracy of the numerical strategy for an overall barrier structure with nominal energy level of 1500 kJ is validated by a full-scale in-situ test including service energy level (SEL) and maximum energy level (MEL) impacts, according to the European guidelines. From the numerical models, it is inferred that the total energy of the impact is simultaneously dissipated in different ways, where the internal energy of the structure plays a significant role. The distribution of the absorbed energy among the different barrier components is explored and defined by means of the developed finite element model. Besides, the design values of the internal force in the ropes are derived with an adequate safety margin. The proposed design procedure, applied to a barrier structure with nominal energy level of 3500 kJ, is assessed by a full-scale impact test, proving that the design approach is reliable and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expression of estrogen receptors is correlated with breast cancer risk, but inconsistent results have been reported. To clarify potential estrogen receptor (ESR)-related breast cancer risk, we analyzed genetic variants of ESR1 in association with breast cancer susceptibility. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between rs2234693, rs1801132, and rs2046210 (single nucleotide polymorphisms of ESR1), and breast cancer risk. Our analysis included 44 case-control studies. For rs2234693, the CC genotype had a higher risk of breast cancer compared to the TT or CT genotype. For rs2046210, the AA, GA, or GA + GG genotype had a much higher risk compared to the GG genotype. No significant association was found for the rs1801132 polymorphism with breast cancer risk. This meta-analysis demonstrates association between the rs2234693 and rs2046210 polymorphisms of ESR1 and breast cancer risk. The correlation strength between rs2234693 and breast cancer susceptibility differs in subgroup assessment by ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expression of microRNA-181b (miR-181b) has been investigated in various human cancers. However, the expression and functions of miR-181b in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are yet to be studied. In the present study, miR-181b expression in NSCLC tissues and cell lines was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and was shown to be recurrently downregulated. Following transfection of the H23 and H522 NSCLC cells lines with miR-181b, cell migration and cell invasion assays were performed to evaluate the effect of miR-181b overexpression on the cell motility. It was demonstrated that overexpression of miR-181b inhibited the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. Subsequently, bioinformatics analysis, western blotting and luciferase reporter assays were conducted to investigate the mechanism underlying the miR-181b-mediated inhibition of NSCLC cell motility. It was found that miR-181b directly targeted high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in NSCLC cells. These results reveal a novel therapeutic target, the miR-181b/HMGB1 axis, in NSCLC. Treatment approaches targeting this axis will be beneficial to prevent NSCLC from becoming invasive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of nine enmein-type ent-kaurane diterpenoid and furoxan-based nitric oxide (NO) donor hybrids (10a-i) were designed and synthesized from commercially available oridonin (1). These hybrids were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against Bel-7402, K562, MGC-803, and CaEs-17 human cancer cell lines and L-02 normal liver cells. The antiproliferative activity against tumor cells was stronger than the lead compound 1 and parent molecule 9 in most cases. Especially, compound 10f showed the strongest activity against human hepatocarcinoma Bel-7402 cell line with an IC50 of 0.81 μM and could also release 33.7 μmol/L NO at the time point of 60 min. Compounds 10a-i also showed cytotoxic selectivity between tumor and normal liver cells with IC50 ranging from 22.1 to 33.9 μM. Furthermore, the apoptotic properties on Bel-7402 cells revealed that 10f could induce S phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis at low micromolar concentrations. The effects of 10f on apoptosis-related proteins were also investigated. The potent antiproliferative activities and mechanistic studies warrant further preclinical investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Target detection in side-scan sonar images plays a significant role in ocean engineering. However, the target images are usually severely interfered by the complex background and strong environmental noise, which makes it difficult to extract robust features from small targets and makes the target detection task quite challenging. In this paper, a novel small target detection method in sonar images is proposed based on the low-rank sparse matrix factorization. Initially, the side-scan sonar images are preprocessed so as to highlight the individual differences of the target. Then, the problems of target feature extraction and noise removal are characterized as the problem of matrix decomposition. An improved Robust Principal Component Analysis algorithm is used to extract target information, and the fast proximal gradient method is used to optimize the solution. The original sonar image is reconstructed into the low-rank background matrix, the sparse target matrix, and the noise matrix. Eventually, a morphological operation is used to filter out the noise and refine the target edges in the target matrix for improving the accuracy of target detection. Experimental results show that the proposed method not only achieves better detection performance in comparison to the conventional baseline algorithms but also performs robustly in various signal-to-clutter ratio conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we reported on a series of synthetic nitric oxide-releasing enmein-type diterpenoid hybrids (9a-i). All the target compounds showed potent antibacterial activity against selected Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus and B. subtilis. The antiproliferative activity against human tumor K562, MGC-803, CaEs-17 and Bel-7402 cells, and human normal liver cells L-02 was tested and the structure activity relationships (SARs) were also concluded. Compounds 9b and 9d showed the best activity against S. aureus and B. subtilis with the same minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 4 and 2 μg/mL, respectively. The derivative 9f displayed IC50 values of 1.68, 1.11, 3.60 and 0.72 μM against the four cancer cell lines above and 18.80 μM against normal liver cells L-02; meanwhile, 9f also released a high level of NO at the time point of 60 min of 22.24 μmol/L. Furthermore, it was also found that 9f induced apoptosis via the mitochondria-related pathway and arrested cell cycle of Bel-7402 cells at S phase. These findings might be important to explore new chemical entities for the main causes of in-hospital mortality of S. aureus infection, combined with a solid tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiomyocytes are long-lived post-mitotic cells with limited regenerative capacity. Proper cardiomyocyte function depends critically on the maintenance of a healthy homeostasis of protein expression, folding, assembly, trafficking, function, and degradation, together commonly referred to as proteostasis. Impairment of proteostasis has a prominent role in the pathophysiology of ageing-related neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease. Emerging evidence reveals also a role for impaired proteostasis in the pathophysiology of common human cardiac diseases such as cardiac hypertrophy, dilated and ischaemic cardiomyopathies, and atrial fibrillation (AF). Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have recently been recognized as key modulators which control cardiac proteostasis by deacetylating various proteins. By deacetylating chromatin proteins, including histones, HDACs modulate epigenetic regulation of pathological gene expression. Also, HDACs exert a broad range of functions outside the nucleus by deacetylating structural and contractile proteins. The cytosolic actions of HDACs result in changed protein function through post-translational modifications and/or modulation of their degradation. This review describes the mechanisms underlying the derailment of proteostasis in AF and subsequently focuses on the role of HDACs herein. In addition, the therapeutic potential of HDAC inhibition to maintain a healthy proteostasis resulting in a delay in AF onset and progression is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term manure application is recognized as an efficient management practice to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation and nitrogen (N) mineralization capacity. A field study was established in 1979 to understand the impact of long-term manure and/or chemical fertilizer application on soil fertility in a continuous maize cropping system. Soil samples were collected from field plots in 2012 from 9 fertilization treatments (M0CK, M0N, M0NPK, M30CK, M30N, M30NPK, M60CK, M60N, and M60NPK) where M0, M30, and M60 refer to manure applied at rates of 0, 30, and 60 t ha−1 yr−1, respectively; CK indicates no fertilizer; N and NPK refer to chemical fertilizer in the forms of either N or N plus phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Soils were separated into three particle-size fractions (2000–250, 250–53, and <53 μm) by dry- and wet-sieving. A laboratory incubation study of these separated particle-size fractions was used to evaluate the effect of long-term manure, in combination with/without chemical fertilization application, on the accumulation and mineralization of SOC and total N in each fraction. Results showed that long-term manure application significantly increased SOC and total N content and enhanced C and N mineralization in the three particle-size fractions. The content of SOC and total N followed the order 2000–250 μm > 250–53μm > 53 μm fraction, whereas the amount of C and N mineralization followed the reverse order. In the <53 μm fraction, the M60NPK treatment significantly increased the amount of C and N mineralized (7.0 and 10.1 times, respectively) compared to the M0CK treatment. Long-term manure application, especially when combined with chemical fertilizers, resulted in increased soil microbial biomass C and N, and a decreased microbial metabolic quotient. Consequently, long-term manure fertilization was beneficial to both soil C and N turnover and microbial activity, and had significant effect on the microbial metabolic quotient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine whether the combined blockade of IL-1β and TNF-α can alleviate the pathological allergic inflammatory reaction in the nasal mucosa and lung tissues in allergic rhinitis (AR) guinea pigs. Healthy guinea pigs treated with saline were used as the healthy controls. The AR guinea pigs were randomly divided into (1) the AR model group treated with intranasal saline; (2) the 0.1% nonspecific IgY treatment group; (3) the 0.1% anti-TNF-α IgY treatment group; (4) the 0.1% anti-IL-1β IgY treatment group; (5) the 0.1% combined anti-IL-1β and TNF-α IgY treatment group; and (6) the fluticasone propionate treatment group. The inflammatory cells were evaluated using Wright’s staining. Histopathology was examined using hematoxylin-eosin staining. The results showed that the number of eosinophils was significantly decreased in the peripheral blood, nasal lavage fluid, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (P<0.05), and eosinophil, neutrophil, and lymphocyte infiltration and edema were significantly reduced or absent in the nasal mucosa and lung tissues (P<0.05) in the combined 0.1% anti-IL-1β- and TNF-α IgY-treated guinea pigs. The data suggest that topical blockade of IL-1β and TNF-α could reduce pathological allergic inflammation in the nasal mucosa and lung tissues in AR guinea pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A popular application of propellant containing of aluminum powder is as fuel for solid rocket motors (SRMs). The combustion gas contains large amounts of alumina particles, which will worsen the SRM thermal protection system by inducing severe mechanical erosion on the surface of the insulation material exposed directly to the high-temperature and high-velocity gas and solid two-phase flow. To protect the structures of SRMs from being damaged, a thermal protection system is required, and it must be optimally designed to be as thin as possible, but thick enough to survive the SRM operating time. To optimize the thickness of insulation material, the particle erosion model should be set up. But most existing particle erosion models are the empirical expressions obtained by experiment or direct reference to pipeline particle erosion models, which limit the application of the model. The ablation process and the flow are coupled with one another. So, to optimize thickness, numerical calculation of dynamic ablation of the insulation material in SRMs should be carried out. In this work, the ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) ablative composite used as heat shield was analyzed. The physical, chemical, and mechanical processes of ablation were expounded. Models for insulation thermal decomposition and thermochemical ablation were constructed, in which pyrolysis and carbonization temperature, pyrolysis rate, latent heat and pyrolysis products, and the main reaction chemical equation of the thermal chemical ablation were researched and confirmed. The coupling of physics, chemistry, and mechanics is through the charring layer in the process of ablation of the insulation material. The charring layer was treated as a porous medium. The ablation models and its numerical method were applied to calculate the ablation of insulation material in an experimental SRM. The computed result is in good agreement with that of the experiment, which shows that the model and numerical method have good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reported the catalytic hydrodechlorination (HDC) of trichlorobenzenes by an organometallic compound Pd(Phen)Cl2 as a catalyst precursor. The catalyst precursor was prepared by chemical coordination reaction and characterized by FTIR and 1H NMR techniques. The HDC performance of Pd(Phen)Cl2 as catalyst precursor was evaluated on 1,2,3-, 1,2,4-, and 1,3,5-trichlorobenzenes (TCBs). All TCBs could be converted to dechlorination products with high conversion. Products distribution was closely related with the substrate structures and C-Cl bond energies. A reasonable reaction mechanism was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Accurate mass measurements of exotic nuclei. [•] Isochronous mass spectrometry in a heavy-ion storage ring. [•] rp-Process of nucleosynthesis. [•] Test of isobaric-multiplet-mass-equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigated that the graphite felt anodized by NaOH, NH 4 HCO 3 , or H 2 SO 4 aqueous, and then as the cathode materials for in-situ hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) production and its employed for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation via Electro-Fenton (EF) process. At −0.60 V (vs. SCE), after 120 min electrolysis, the H 2 O 2 yield by graphite felt which anodized by 0.2 M H 2 SO 4 achieved up 110.5 mg L−1 in 0.05 M Na 2 SO 4 electrolyte. Compared with the raw graphite felt used for cathode, the H 2 O 2 yield increased by 15.85 times under the same conditions. The results of Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that graphite felt anodized by H 2 SO 4 solution can be achieved the highest defect degree. For the degradation of RhB, the cathode which anodized by H 2 SO 4 solution has the highest removal rate. For the degradation rate of RhB, the effect of applied current density, Fe2+ ions concentration, pH value were investigated. In addition, suggested that the efficient Fe3+ reduction reaction on the cathode surface was an important reason of the high efficiency of RhB degradation. 5-times continuous runs indicated that the modified cathode has remarkable stability and reusability during the EF process. [Display omitted] • Graphite felt modified by anodic oxidation used for the cathode of Electro-Fenton technology. • Modification significantly improved the yield of H 2 O 2 and the degradation rate of RhB. • The effect of solution types of electrolyte on graphite felt modification was studied. • Investigated the effect factors of current density, Fe2+ concentration, pH for RhB removal rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elevated serum cholesterol level is generally considered to be a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases which seriously threaten human health. The cholesterol-lowering effects of lactic acid bacteria have recently become an area of great interest and controversy for many researchers. In this study, we investigated the effects of two NS lactobacillus strains, Lactobacillus plantarum NS5 and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus NS12, on lipid metabolism of rats fed a high cholesterol diet. Methods: Thirty-two SD rats were assigned to four groups and fed either a normal or a high-cholesterol diet. The NS lactobacillus treated groups received the high-cholesterol diet supplemented with Lactobacillus plantarum NS5 or Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus NS12 in drinking water. The rats were sacrificed after a 6-week feeding period. Body weights, visceral organ and fat weights, serum and liver cholesterol and lipid levels, intestinal microbiota and liver mRNA expression levels related to cholesterol metabolism were analyzed. Liver lipid deposition and adipocyte size were evaluated histologically. Results: Compared with rats fed a high cholesterol diet, serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein B and free fatty acids levels were decreased and apolipoprotein A-I level was increased in NS5 or NS12 strain treated rats, and with no significant change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. Liver cholesterol and triglyceride levels were also significantly decreased in NS lactobacillus strains treated groups. Meanwhile, the NS lactobacillus strains obviously alleviated hepatic injuries, decreased liver lipid deposition and reduced adipocyte size of high cholesterol diet fed rats. NS lactobacillus strains restored the changes in intestinal microbiota compositions, such as the increase in Bacteroides and the decrease in Clostridium. NS lactobacillus strains also regulated the mRNA expression levels of liver enzymes related to cholesterol metabolism, including the down regulation of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) and the upregulation of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1). Conclusion: This study suggested that the two NS lactobacillus strains may affect lipid metabolism and have cholesterol-lowering effects in rats fed a high cholesterol diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the chemical constituents of the fruits of noni (Morinda citrifolia L.), and find novel compounds, an n-butanol extract of the ethanol soluble fraction was subjected to repeated silica gel and ODS column chromatography and HPLC. Two new glycosides were isolated and their structures elucidated by NMR and HRFAB-MS spectrometry as (2E,4E,7Z)-deca-2,4,7-trienoate-2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and amyl-1-O-β-D-apio-furanosyl-1,6-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N termini of auxiliary β subunits that produce inactivation of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels reach their pore-blocking position by first passing through side portals into an antechamber separating the BK pore module and the large C-terminal cytosolic domain. Previous work indicated that the β2 subunit inactivation domain is protected from digestion by trypsin when bound in the inactivated conformation. Other results suggest that, even when channels are closed, an inactivation domain can also be protected from digestion by trypsin when bound within the antechamber. Here, we provide additional tests of this model and examine its applicability to other β subunit N termini. First, we show that specific mutations in the β2 inactivation segment can speed up digestion by trypsin under closed-channel conditions, supporting the idea that the β2 N terminus is protected by binding within the antechamber. Second, we show that cytosolic channel blockers distinguish between protection mediated by inactivation and protection under closed-channel conditions, implicating two distinct sites of protection. Together, these results confirm the idea that β2 N termini can occupy the BK channel antechamber by interaction at some site distinct from the BK central cavity. In contrast, the β3a N terminus is digested over 10-fold more quickly than the β2 N terminus. Analysis of factors that contribute to differences in digestion rates suggests that binding of an N terminus within the antechamber constrains the trypsin accessibility of digestible basic residues, even when such residues are positioned outside the antechamber. Our analysis indicates that up to two N termini may simultaneously be protected from digestion. These results indicate that inactivation domains have sites of binding in addition to those directly involved in inactivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle-reinforced composites are widely applied as nuclear radiation shielding materials for their excellent comprehensive properties. The work aimed to calculate the influence of the functional reinforced particles spatial arrangement on the neutron shielding performance of composites and attempted to explain the influence mechanism by investigating the neutron flux distribution in the materials. Firstly, four suitable physical models were established based on the Monte Carlo Particle Transport Program (MCNP) and mathematical software MATLAB, namely the RSA (Random Sequential Adsorption) Model with particles random arrangement and FCC Model, BCC Model and Staggered Arrangement Model (SA Model) with particle periodic arrangements. Later, based on these four physical models, the neutron transmittance of two kinds of typical B4C reinforced composites, 316 stainless steel matrix composite and polyethylene matrix composite, were calculated under different energy neutrons sources (0.0253 eV, 50 eV, 50 keV, fission spectrum, 241Am-Be spectrum and 14.1 MeV) and the neutron flux distribution in the 316 stainless steel composite was also analyzed under 0.0253 eV neutron and fission neutron sources. The results indicated that the spatial arrangement of B4C has an impact on the neutrons shielding performance of the composite and the influence changes with neutron energy and B4C content. It can be concluded that the RSA model and the periodic arrangement models can be used in different calculation cases in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxalate oxidase (OXO) converts oxalic acid (OA) and O[sub 2] to CO[sub 2] and hydrogen peroxide (H[sub 2]O[sub 2]), and acts as a source of H[sub 2]O[sub 2] in certain plant-pathogen interactions. To determine if the H[sub 2]O[sub 2] produced by OXO can function as a messenger for activation of defense genes and if OXO can confer resistance against an OA-producing pathogen, we analyzed transgenic sunflower (Helianthus annuus cv SMF3) plants constitutively expressing a wheat (Triticum aestivum) OXO gene. The transgenic leaf tissues could degrade exogenous OA and generate H[sub 2]O[sub 2]. Hypersensitive response-like lesion mimicry was observed in the transgenic leaves expressing a high level of OXO, and lesion development was closely associated with elevated levels of H[sub 2]O[sub 2], salicylic acid, and defense gene expression. Activation of defense genes was also observed in the transgenic leaves that had a low level of OXO expression and had no visible lesions, indicating that defense gene activation may not be dependent on hypersensitive response-like cell death. To further understand the pathways that were associated with defense activation, we used GeneCalling, an RNA-profiling technology, to analyze the alteration of gene expression in the transgenic plants. Among the differentially expressed genes, full-length cDNAs encoding homologs of a PR5, a sunflower carbohydrate oxidase, and a defensin were isolated. RNA-blot analysis confirmed that expression of these three genes was significantly induced in the OXO transgenic sunflower leaves. Furthermore, treatment of untransformed sunflower leaves with jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, or H[sub 2]O[sub 2] increased the steady-state levels of these mRNAs. Notably, the transgenic sunflower plants exhibited enhanced resistance against the OA-generating fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The porous-medium approximation (PM) approach is extensively employed in large-quantity grid simulations of heat exchangers, providing a time-saving approach in engineering applications. To further investigate the influence of different geometries on the implementation of the PM approach, we reviewed existing experimental conditions and performed numerical simulations on both straight fins and serrated fins. Equivalent flow and heat-transfer factors were obtained from the actual model, and computational errors in flow and heat transfer were compared between the actual model and its PM model counterpart. This exploration involved parameters such as aspect ratio (a*), specific surface area (Asf), and porosity (γ) to evaluate the influence of various geometric structures on the PM approach. Whether in laminar or turbulent-flow regimes, when the aspect ratio a* of straight fins is 0.98, the flow error ( δ f ) utilizing the PM approach exceeds 45%, while the error remains within 5% when a* is 0.05. Similarly, for serrated fins, the flow error peaks ( δ f   > 25%) at higher aspect ratios (a* = 0.61) with the PM method and reaches a minimum ( δ f   < 5%) at lower aspect ratios (a* = 0.19). Under the same Reynolds numbers (Re), employing the PM approach results in an increased heat-transfer error ( δ h )with rising porosity (γ) and decreasing specific surface area (Asf), both of which remained under 10% within the range of this study. At lower aspect ratios (a*), the fin structure becomes more compact, resulting in a larger specific surface area (Asf) and smaller porosity (γ). This promotes more uniform flow and heat transfer within the model, which is closer to the characteristics of PM. In summary, for straight fins at 0 < a* < 0.17 in the laminar regime (200 < Re < 1000) and in the turbulent regime (1200 < Re < 5000) and for serrated fins at 0 < a* < 0.28 in the laminar regime (400 < Re < 1000) or 0 < a* < 0.32, in the turbulent regime (2000 < Re < 5000), the flow and heat-transfer errors are less than 15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term time series forecasting has received a lot of popularity because of its great practicality. It is also an extremely challenging task since it requires using limited observations to predict values in the long future accurately. Recent works have demonstrated that Transformer has strong potential for this task. However, the permutation-invariant property of the Transformer and some other prominent shortcomings in the current Transformer-based models, such as missing multi-scale local features and information from the frequency domain, significantly limit their performance. To improve the accuracy of the long-term time series forecasting, we propose a Transformer-based model called Hidformer. This model can either learn temporal dynamics from the time domain or discover particular patterns from the frequency domain. We also design a segment-and-merge architecture to provide semantic meanings for the inputs and help the model capture multi-scale local features. Besides, we replace Transformer's multi-head attention with highly-efficient recurrence and linear attention, which gives our model an advantage over other Transformer-based models in terms of computational efficiency. Extensive experiments are conducted on seven real-world benchmarks to verify the effectiveness of Hidformer. The experimental results show that Hidformer achieves 72 top-1 and 69 top-2 scores out of 88 configurations. It dramatically improves the prediction accuracy and outperforms the previous state-of-the-art, proving the superiority of our proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use of antibiotics poses significant risks to both human health and the environment. Among various approaches, photocatalysis has emerged as a promising method for addressing the issue of antibiotic residues. BiOCl, a semiconductor photocatalyst, has attracted attention due to its distinctive structure. However, the limited light utilization efficiency of its ultraviolet light responsiveness remains a challenge. In this study, we developed a heterojunction by decorating BiOCl with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) MIL-100(Cr), referred to MIL-100(Cr)/BiOCl (MB), to efficiently treat the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) under visible light irradiation. Various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, were used to verify the formation of the MB heterojunction. The interaction between MIL-100(Cr) and BiOCl in the MB heterojunction substantially enhances the responsiveness to visible light, increases the specific surface area, facilitates the separation and transfer of charged carriers, and ultimately results in a significant enhancement in visible light-driven photocatalytic performance for OTC degradation. This study explores the application of narrow/wide band gap nanomaterials-based nanocomposites in environmental remediation by constructing heterojunctions. [Display omitted] • A chrome-based metal organic frameworks fabricated BiOCl heterojunction was facilely constructed. • This heterojunction demonstrates efficacy in the photocatalytic degradation of oxytetracycline. • This heterojunction greatly enhances the responsibility to visible light. • This heterojunction effectively promotes the charged carriers separation and transfer. • A reasonable mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, most Mo2FeB2-based cermets are prepared by vacuum sintering. However, vacuum sintering is only suitable for ordinary cylinder and cuboid workpieces, and it is difficult to apply to large curved surface and large size workpieces. Therefore, in order to improve the flexibility of preparing Mo2FeB2 cermet, a flux cored wire with 70% filling rate, 304 stainless steel, 60 wt% Mo powder and 40 wt% FeB powder was prepared. Mo2FeB2 cermet was prepared by an arc cladding welding metallurgy method with flux cored wire. In this paper, the microstructure, phase evolution, hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of Mo2FeB2 cermets prepared by the vacuum sintering (VM-Mo2FeB2) and arc cladding welding metallurgy method (WM-Mo2FeB2) were systematically studied. The results show that VM-Mo2FeB2 is composed of Mo2FeB2 and γ-CrFeNi.WM-Mo2FeB2 is composed of Mo2FeB2, NiCrFe, MoCrFe and Cr2B3. The volume fraction of hard phase in WM-Mo2FeB2 is lower than that of VM-Mo2FeB2, and its hardness and corrosion resistance are also slightly lower than that of VM-Mo2FeB2, but there are obvious pores in the microstructure of VM-Mo2FeB2, which affects its properties. The results show that WM-Mo2FeB2 has good diffusion and metallurgical bonding with the matrix and has no obvious pores. The microstructure is compact and the wear resistance is better than that of VM-Mo2FeB2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric ceramic-polymer composites have attracted substantial interest owing to their distinct piezoelectric performance. This paper investigates the dependence of their output voltage on the volume fraction and structure of the ceramic component, together with the type of stimulus, using finite element analysis. When ceramic parts of piezocomposites are shaped into structures with a topology of triply periodic minimum surface such as Schwarz Primitive surface, Gyroid surface, and Neovius surface, they exhibit much better piezoelectric performance than existing piezocomposites under both the compressive strain and the shear strain. Compared to a piezocomposite with three intersecting ceramic cuboids, Schwarz piezocomposite with the same volume fraction of 50% can increase output voltage by approximately 50% under compressive strains 2%–8%. With 16% ceramic material and under a compressive strain of 8%, Neovius piezocomposite demonstrates ~17-fold and ~6,000-fold enhancement of output voltage than that of the piezocomposite in the 3-3 mode (connected and irregularly-shaped ceramic component) and in the 0–3 mode (disconnected ceramic particles), respectively. Under simple shear, performance superiority of Neovius piezocomposite to that of the 3-3 mode piezocomposite becomes more significant as output voltage can be enhanced up to approximately 30-fold. Computational analysis shows that high von Mises stress helps to enlarge the difference between positive and negative electrical potential, and therefore enhance output voltage. The findings in this work also reveal output voltage is inversely proportional to strain energy stored in piezocomposites. Because Schwarz piezocomposite has the largest bulk modulus with minimum strain energy under compression, it has the maximum output voltage. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrinsic gain is a vital figure of merit in transistors, closely related to signal amplification, operation voltage, power consumption, and circuit simplification. However, organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) targeted at high gain have suffered from challenges such as narrow subthreshold operating voltage, low-quality interface, and uncontrollable barrier. Here, we report a van der Waals metal-barrier interlayer-semiconductor junction-based OTFT, which shows ultrahigh performance including ultrahigh gain of ~104, low saturation voltage, negligible hysteresis, and good stability. The high-quality van der Waals-contacted junctions are mainly attributed to patterning EGaIn liquid metal electrodes by low-energy microfluidic processes. The wide-bandgap semiconductor Ga2O3 as barrier interlayer is achieved by in situ surface oxidation of EGaIn electrodes, allowing for an adjustable barrier height and expected thermionic emission properties. The organic inverters with a high gain of 5130 and a simplified current stabilizer are further demonstrated, paving a way for high-gain and low-power organic electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altered gene expression related to Parkinson's Disease (PD) has not been described in the living brain, yet this information may support novel discovery pertinent to disease pathophysiology and treatment. This study compared the transcriptome in brain biopsies obtained from living PD and Control patients. To evaluate the novelty of this data, a comprehensive literature review also compared differentially expressed gene (DEGs) identified in the current study with those reported in PD cadaveric brain and peripheral tissues. RNA was extracted from rapidly cryopreserved frontal lobe specimens collected from PD and Control patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed and validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. DEG data was assessed using bioinformatics and subsequently included within a comparative analysis of PD RNA-Seq studies. 370 DEGs identified in living brain specimens reflected diverse gene groups and included key members of trophic signaling, apoptosis, inflammation and cell metabolism pathways. The comprehensive literature review yielded 7 RNA-Seq datasets generated from blood, skin and cadaveric brain but none from a living brain source. From the current dataset, 123 DEGs were identified only within the living brain and 267 DEGs were either newly found or had distinct directional change in living brain relative to other tissues. This is the first known study to analyze the transcriptome in brain tissue from living PD and Control patients. The data produced using these methods offer a unique, unexplored resource with potential to advance insight into the genetic associations of PD. • The living frontal lobe offers a safe, previously unexplored source of genetic material in select patients with Parkinson's Disease • 370 genes in living brain samples showed significant differential expression associated with Parkinson's Disease • 123 of the differentially expressed genes identified were unique to this study and not reported in other tissue types • Significant changes in expression were detected in key genes mediating trophic signaling, apoptosis and inflammation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and construction of appropriate photocatalysts in heterojunction mode is an effective way to improve photocatalytic performance. Herein, a metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) fabricated heterojunction constructed by MOF-902(Ti) and BiOCl (noted as TB) was developed to treat efficiently antibiotic tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation. TB exhibits a higher photodegradation ability than MOF-902(Ti) and BiOCl. Various characterization including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM), etc. verify the formation of TB heterojunction, which improves significantly the visible light response, increases the specific surface area/pore volume, promotes effectively charged carriers separation and transfer, and ultimately enhances greatly the photocatalytic performance. Reactive species trapping demonstrates that·O 2 -, e-, and h+ participate cooperatively in the photodegradation of TC. A possible mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of TB heterojunction is proposed. [Display omitted] • A metal organic frameworks fabricated BiOCl heterojunction is facilely constructed. • This heterojunction is suitable for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. • This heterojunction improves significantly the visible light response. • This heterojunction promotes effectively charged carriers separation and transfer. • A possible mechanism for enhanced photocatalytic activity is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, we investigated the effects of palmitic acid (PA) on multiple human gastric cancer cell lines and combined them with the results from clinical gastric cancer and paracancerous tissue samples. Our findings demonstrated that PA exerted anti-gastric cancer effects by regulating key molecules in the signal transduction and activation of a transcription 3 (STAT3) protein inhibitor of the activated STAT 3 (PIAS3) signaling pathway. Our results serve as a foundation for further research on the correlation between the anti-gastric cancer activity of PA and the STAT3-PIAS3 signaling pathway. Our results also represent a critical step toward understanding gastric cancer prevention and prognosis and promoting PA supplementation as a gastric cancer treatment. Lipidomic analyses have suggested that palmitic acid (PA) is linked to gastric cancer. However, its effects and action mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of PA on cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis in human gastric cancer, as well as the role of p-STAT3 in mediating its effects. The results of the MTT and colony formation assays revealed that PA blocked gastric cancer cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. The EdU-DNA assay indicated that 50 μM of PA could block gastric cell proliferation by 30.6–80.0%. The Transwell assay also confirmed the concentration dependence of PA-induced inhibitory effect on cell invasion. The flow cytometry analysis indicated that PA treatment for 18 h could induce gastric cancer cell apoptosis. The immunohistochemical staining revealed that p-STAT3 levels were higher in the gastric cancer tissues than in the control tissues. We demonstrated that PA treatment for 12 h decreased the expressions of p-STAT3, p-JAK2, N-cadherin, and vimentin, and inhibited the nuclear expression of p-STAT3 in gastric cancer cells. Finally, PA treatment (50 mg/kg) decreased gastric cancer growth (54.3%) in the xenograft models. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that PA inhibits cell proliferation and invasion and induces human gastric cancer cell apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present a high-power, high-repetition-rate, all-fiber femtosecond laser system operating at 1.5 µm. This all-fiber laser system can deliver femtosecond pulses at a fundamental repetition rate of 10.6 GHz with an average output power of 106.4 W -- the highest average power reported so far from an all-fiber femtosecond laser at 1.5 µm, to the best of our knowledge. By utilizing the soliton-effect-based pulse compression effect with optimized pre-chirping dispersion, the amplified pulses are compressed to 239 fs in an all-fiber configuration. Empowered by such a high-power ultrafast fiber laser system, we further explore the nonlinear interaction among transverse modes LP01, LP11 and LP21 that are expected to potentially exist in fiber laser systems using large-mode-area fibers. The intermodal modulational instability is theoretically investigated and subsequently identified in our experiments. Such a high-power all-fiber ultrafast laser without bulky free-space optics is anticipated to be a promising laser source for applications that specifically require compact and robust operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulations were carried out for moist, porous media, intermittent microwave convective drying (IMCD) using a multiphase flow model in porous media subdomains coupled with a forced-convection heat-transfer model in an external hot air subdomain. The models were solved by using COMSOL Multiphysics was applied at the pulse ratio (PR) of 3. Based on drying characteristics of porous media and the distribution of the evaporation interface, IMCD was compared with convection drying (CD). Drying uniformity K, velocity difference, temperature difference, and humidity difference were introduced to evaluate the performance of three models with different inlets and outlet wall curvature. The numerical results show that as the moisture content of slices was reduced to 3 kg/kg, the drying rate in IMCD was 0.0166–0.02 m/s higher than that in CD, and the total drying time of the former was 81.35% shorter than that of the latter. In the late drying stage of IMCD, the core of the sample still had a high vapor concentration and temperature, which led to the evaporation interface remaining on the surface. The vapor evaporated from the slices can diffuse rapidly to the outside, which is why IMCD is superior to traditional convection drying. Through the comprehensive analysis of the models with different inlet and outlet wall curvatures, the drying uniformity K of the type III was the highest, reaching 89.28%. Optimizing flow-field distribution can improve uniform of airflow distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient catalytic activity and strong durability possibility of carbon-based three-dimensional fiber materials remains an important challenge in Electro-Fenton advanced oxidation technology. Graphite felt (GF) is a promising electrode material for 2-electron oxygen reduction reaction but with higher catalytic inertia. Anodizing modification of GF has been proved to enhance it electro-catalytic property, but the disadvantages of excessive or insufficient oxidation of GF need further improved. Herein, the surface reconstituted graphite felt by anodizing and HNO 3 ultrasonic integrated treatment was used as cathode to degrade norfloxacin (NOR) and the substantial role of different modification processes was essentially investigated. Compared with the single modification process, the synergistic interaction between these two methods can generate more defective active sites (DASs) on GF surface and greatly improved 2-electron ORR activity. The H 2 O 2 can be further co-activated by Fe2+ and DASs into •OH (ads and free) and •O 2 − to efficiently degrade NOR. The treated GF with 20 min anodizing and 1 h HNO 3 ultrasound had the highest electrocatalytic activity in a wide electric potential (−0.4 V to −0.8 V) and pH range (3–9) in system and the efficient removal rate of NOR was basically maintained after 5 cycles. Under optimal reaction conditions, 50 mg L−1 NOR achieved 93% degradation and almost 63% of NOR was completely mineralized within 120 min. The possible NOR degradation pathways and ecotoxicity of intermediates were analyzed by LC-MS and T.E.S.T. theoretical calculation. This paper provided the underlying insights into designing a high-efficiency carbon-based cathode materials for commercial antibiotic wastewater treatment. Mechanism of Electro-Fenton removal NOR by surface co-activation reconstruction graphite felt cathode. [Display omitted] • The edge and isomerism DASs were introduced on GF surface. • The co-activated GF enhanced NOR degradation with excellent reusability. • The EH-GF electrode had a wide electric potential and pH range for NOR removal. • The Fe2+ and DASs cooperatively transform H 2 O 2 into.•OH. • The removal mechanism, pathways, and ecotoxicity of NOR were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few-layered MoSe 2 nanosheets were grown vertically on TiO 2 nanorods (TNr) to synthesis a direct Z-scheme heterojunction, exhibiting efficient piezocatalytic and piezo-photocatalytic performance. Moreover, a piezo-photoelectric synergistic effect of nanocomposites was also observed by current outputs. Our results highlight significance in the design of heterojunction for capturing fluid mechanical energy and improving piezo-photocatalytic synergistic effect. [Display omitted] Nano-semiconductor materials coupled with piezoelectric effect have received extensive attention due to their wide application in catalysis. In this work, few-layered MoSe 2 nanosheets were grown vertically on TiO 2 nanorods (TNr) to synthesize a direct Z-scheme heterojunction, exhibiting efficient piezocatalytic and piezo-photocatalytic performance. The MoSe 2 /TNr heterostructure exhibited superior piezoelectric degradation efficiency, successfully removing over 98% of RhB within 360 s under continuous magnetic stirring in dark. Compared with piezocatalysis, the piezo-photocatalytic system possessed higher degradation efficiency and cycle stability. Furthermore, a piezo-photoelectric synergistic effect of nanocomposites was observed by current outputs. Under stirring conditions, the current density of depleted MoSe 2 /TNr and MoSe 2 nanosheets were respectively 6.3 μA/cm2 and 5.5 μA/cm2. When light and stirring were applied, the MoSe 2 /TNr current density increased twice to 13.2 μA/cm2, while the MoSe 2 nanosheets didn't exhibit improvement. Through the direct Z-scheme heterojunction of MoSe 2 /TNr, photoexcitation and piezoelectric polarization work together to effectively replenish carriers under light irradiation, and then rapidly separate free charges through piezopotential. This work broadens the application prospects of piezocatalysis and piezo-photocatalysis in renewable energy harvesting and water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the impact of substituting sand with graphite tailings (GT) on the chloride ion erosion resistance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). The role of GT is to significantly inhibit the penetration of chloride ions into the interior and slow down the corrosion process. However, the durability of graphite tailings recycled aggregate concrete (GTRAC) still depends on the replacement rate of recycled aggregate. At the same time, a multi-scale dynamic model of physical adsorption-chemical binding-free transport and erosion of chloride ions in GTRAC were established based on unsteady viscous fluid force and molecular dynamics. • The purpose of improve the sulfate attack performance of concrete by GT was proved. • The Proportioning design was optimized for improving the performance. • The mechanism of action of GT was discussed. • A multi-scale dynamic model was established in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]