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Titanium sesquioxide (Ti2O3) nanopowders have been successfully synthesized using TiCl4 assisted hydrogen reduction method from P25 (TiO2) powders at 970 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveal its high purity. The temperature dependent XRD, resistance, and infrared absorption investigations exhibit Z-shaped curves (cell parameter a, resistance, and infrared transmittance) indicating the semiconductor-metal transition (SMT) in the range of 135-220 °C. With prolonging the annealing time, the starting temperature of SMT is found to move toward the low-temperature side, and this was also discussed. The c/a ratio alteration is considered to result in the modulation of property. Besides, the results are verified comparing with the theoretical calculation of band structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NLRC3, a member of the NLR family, has been reported as a negative regulator of inflammatory signaling pathways in innate immune cells. However, the direct role of NLRC3 in modulation of CD4+ T-cell responses in infectious diseases has not been studied. In the present study, we showed that NLRC3 plays an intrinsic role by suppressing the CD4+ T cell phenotype in lung and spleen, including differentiation, activation, and proliferation. NLRC3 deficiency in CD4+ T cells enhanced the protective immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Finally, we demonstrated that NLRC3 deficiency promoted the activation, proliferation, and cytokine production of CD4+ T cells via negatively regulating the NF-κB and MEK-ERK signaling pathways. This study reveals a critical role of NLRC3 as a direct regulator of the adaptive immune response and its protective effects on immunity during M. tuberculosis infection. Our findings also suggested that NLRC3 serves as a potential target for therapeutic intervention against tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophages, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression considerably increases to defend the body against mycobacteria by regulating adaptive immunity and restoring the mitochondrial inner membrane. Moreover, in cancer cells, COX-2 enhances the autophagy machinery, an important bactericidal mechanism. However, the association between M. tuberculosis-induced COX-2 and autophagy-mediated antimycobacterial response has not been explored. Here, COX-2 expression silencing reduced the autophagy and bactericidal activity against intracellular M. tuberculosis, while COX-2 overexpression reversed the above effects. In addition, enhancement of bactericidal activity was suppressed by inhibiting autophagy in COX-2-overexpressing cells, indicating that COX-2 accelerated mycobacterial elimination by promoting autophagy. Furthermore, the regulatory effects of COX-2 on autophagy were mediated by its catalytic products, which functioned through inhibiting the protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. Thus, COX-2 contributes to host defense against mycobacterial infection by promoting autophagy, establishing the basis for development of novel therapeutic agents against tuberculosis by targeting COX-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chalcogenide thin films are exciting candidates for electronic applications such as spintronic devices, non-volatile memories and thermoelectric materials. To achieve such applications the understanding of their thin film growth is of paramount importance. In this work the epitaxy of exemplary chalcogenides Sb2Te3 and GeTe on different surfaces of Si(111) with atomically sharp interfaces is presented and compared using plan-view transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. It is shown that depending on the monolayer surface termination the resulting films present drastic differences in terms of film morphology and crystallinity. In particular, a profound difference is found between the films grown on H-passivated and Sb-passivated surfaces. In both cases, the out-of-plane texture is strongly c-axis oriented, but the case of Si(111)–H shows the frequent occurrence of random in-plane twist for both films, while for Si(111)–Sb this is strongly suppressed. The role of the substrate-film interface for the epitaxy is discussed and the consequences for the properties of the films are highlighted. In general, the insights of these results shed light on chalcogenide thin film growth for topological insulator, ferroelectric, thermoelectric and phase-change materials research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, GeTe and Sb2Te3 van der Waals bonded superlattices epitaxially grown by molecular beam epitaxy are investigated. These structures are grown on passivated Si substrates, resulting in one single epitaxial domain and its twinned domain, both sharing the same out-of-plane orientation. Supported by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, attention is called to the thermodynamically driven tendency of GeTe and Sb2Te3 to intermix into a Ge-Sb-Te (GST) alloy at the interfaces. A growth model is proposed to explain how these GST structures are formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel α-Fe2O3/graphene composite is prepared by a simple in situ wet chemistry approach. The α-Fe2O3 particles with diameter around 130 nm are homogeneously anchored on graphene nanosheets to form a 3D quasi-laminated architecture. Such a well-organized flexible structure can offer sufficient void space to facilitate the electrolyte penetration, alleviate the effect of the volume change of α-Fe2O3 particles and avoid particle–particle aggregation during lithium insertion/desertion. In addition, graphene not only improves the electric conductivity of the composite electrode but also maintains the structural integrity of the composite electrode during long-term cycling. As anode material for Li-ion batteries, the α-Fe2O3/graphene composite electrode exhibits a stable capacity of 742 mAh g−1 up to 50 cycles. The synthesis technique is suitable for practical large-scale production of graphene-based metal oxide composites as advanced electrode materials for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasingly profound understanding of battery materials, strategies designed for interface protection have become more sophisticated. However, it is inherent that different materials used in electrodes and electrolytes tend to react with each other. To address this issue, this study proposes an "Electrode‐Electrolyte‐In‐One" (EEIO) concept, where a single energy storage material can serve as both electrode and solid‐state electrolyte (SSE) during its different ion storage stages. The EEIO materials of chloride ion batteries and fluorine ion batteries are preliminarily studied, establishing reasonable screening procedures and predicting their operational mechanisms. The analysis of Cl− and F− affinity indicates that the EEIO system in the anion storage batteries comprises the anode and SSE. Through comprehensive evaluation of ion binding capacity, phase transformation mechanism, electrical conductivity, and ion diffusion kinetic properties, several potential EEIO materials are identified. In the EEIO system, the material interface and the conductive‐insulation interface are separated, which solves the material compatibility problem between the anode and SSE. Furthermore, the EEIO system has an inherent correlation between the anode electrochemical reaction and the SSE decomposition reaction, ensuring that the electrochemical voltage of EEIO batteries never exceeds the decomposition voltage of SSE. Therefore, SSE in the EEIO battery has absolute electrochemical stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nested skyrmion bags, as magnetic solitons with arbitrary integer topological charges (Q), hold potential for applications in data encoding. A crucial issue is the local manipulation of skyrmions within nested skyrmion bags to control the total Q. In this study, we explore different possible ground states and resonant excitation spectra of nested skyrmion bags through micromagnetic simulations. More importantly, we demonstrate that the manipulation of the Q of nested skyrmion bags can be achieved by using microwave magnetic fields, i.e., the inner, middle, and outer skyrmions within the nested skyrmion bags are selectively excited by using the diverse out-of-plane excitation modes. By calculating the energy of skyrmions, we further analyze the relationship between the annihilation of skyrmions at different positions and the out-of-plane microwave magnetic fields. Our findings present a promising approach for manipulating the Q of nested skyrmion bags, potentially advancing their application in storage and logic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigated the relationship between COVID-19 prevention burnout and emotional symptoms (depression and anxiety) among 1,837 Chinese college students and the underlying mechanisms. Results from moderated mediation analysis revealed that the association between COVID-19 prevention burnout and emotional symptoms was mediated by psychological inflexibility (β = 0.20, 95%CI = [0.10, 0.19]). Also, COVID-19 prevention burnout's direct and indirect effects on emotional symptoms were more substantial for students with high susceptibility to emotional contagion than those with low susceptibility. These findings contribute to understanding how COVID-19 prevention burnout relates to emotional symptoms and provide a new perspective for interventions promoting students' psychological flexibility, particularly those with higher susceptibility to emotional contagion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the recently discovered superconductivity in Sr-doped nickelate oxides NdNiO2 reduced from NdNiO3 in experiments, we predict a Mott multiferroic BiNiO2 that may be obtained from BiNiO3. There is a ferroelectric structural transition for BiNiO2 from the nonpolar phase to the polar phase with the P4mm space group, which is driven by the lone pair on Bi. The lowest energy ground-state for polar BiNiO2 is a Hubbard Mott insulator with the G-type antiferromagnetic spin configurations. The replacement of Nd by Bi serves as a connecting link between a parent compound of high-temperature superconductor and a Mott multiferroic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a highly contagious and virulent infectious disease caused by the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), which has substantial economic losses in the pig industry worldwide, and PRRSV attenuated vaccines and inactivated vaccines do have limitations in immune protection. The discovery of new antiviral targets has become a new research field. The proteomic studies have shown that the PRRSV NSP2 protein interacts with tripartite motif protein 4 (TRIM4), but it was still unknown whether TRIM4 regulates PRRSV infections. In this study, the TRIM4 gene from Marc-145 cells was cloned, and it was proved that TRIM4 overexpression inhibits PRRSV replication, whereas TRIM4 small-interfering-RNA knockdown resulted in increased virus titers. Mechanism investigation indicated that TRIM4 inhibits PRRSV replication through ubiquitination and degradation of the NSP2 protein. Protease inhibitor MG132 (carbobenzoxy-Leu-Leu-leucinal) attenuated the TRIM4-driven degradation of NSP2. Taken together, TRIM4 impairs PRRSV proliferation via ubiquitination and degradation of NSP2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What bacteria cause membrane biofouling in engineering practice? This is the fundamental question in the research on biofouling, which is the Achilles' heel of the reverse osmosis (RO) system. If this question is not addressed clearly, the subsequent research on mechanism interpretation and possible control technologies is questionable due to the lack of appropriate research objects. However, a uniform conclusion has not yet been given, as it varied considerably in different studies. Here, to better cope with RO membrane biofouling introduced by microbiomes, 46 genera of residual microorganisms that tend to adhere to the surface of RO membranes were summarized. Interestingly, disinfection-resistant bacteria (DRB) accounted for 75 % of those reported with high and medium frequency. From the perspective of frequency of occurrence, phylogenetic relationship, and co-occurrence network analysis of membrane-attached residual microorganisms, the fundamental characteristics were identified to recognize the priority bacteria in common. Further, a series of undesirable risks posed by DRB on the level of harmful genes transfer were highlighted. Correspondingly, feasible control strategies to effectively alleviate biofouling and their application in RO systems were discussed. This work identified priority species and their detrimental effects on RO membrane biofouling and provided new insights to solve the inevitable issue. [Display omitted] • Priority bacteria causing biofouling of RO membranes were identified at genera level. • The contribution and potential risks of DRB to biofouling were emphasized. • The enhanced transfer of harmful genes by DRB was discussed. • Corresponding control strategies against priority bacteria were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pharmacological inhibition of Lck/Fyn kinase promotes iTreg differentiation independent of cell proliferation. • Inhibition of Lck/Fyn promotes the expression of Foxp3 and its target genes and inhibits expression of proinflammatory genes. • Srci1 treatment inhibits AKT/mTOR pathway, through which to promote iTreg differentiation. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are indispensable in maintaining the immune homeostasis and preventing autoimmune diseases. Regulatory T (Treg) cells include thymus derived Treg cells (tTregs) and peripherally induced Treg cells (iTreg), which are differentiated from antigen stimulated CD4+ naïve T cells in presence of TGFβ. tTregs are quite stable, and more immune suppressive, while iTreg cells are less stable, and are prone to differentiate into inflammatory T cells. Therefore, identification of small molecules that could promote the differentiation of iTreg cells is an attractive strategy for autoimmune diseases. Inhibition of AKT/mTOR pathway promotes their differentiation. Whether inhibition of Lck/Fyn kinase activity (upstream of AKT/mTOR pathway) can be used to promote the differentiation of iTreg cells has not been determined. Here, we showed that Srci1, a small molecular inhibitor of Lck/Fyn, promoted the differentiation of FOXP3+ iTreg cells. Srci1 treatment resulted in inhibition of phosphorylation of key components of AKT/mTOR pathway, including mTOR, p70 S6K, 4EBP1, and promoted the expression of Foxp3 and its target genes, thereby promoted differentiation of in vitro iTreg cells. Srci1 treated iTreg cells showed more similar gene expression profile to that of tTreg cells. Our results thus suggest that inhibition of Lck/Fyn kinase activity can promote the differentiation of iTreg cells, and may have implication in autoimmune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is a member of the genus Pestivirus, which causes serious economic losses. The re-emergence of the disease in Japan in 2018 has increased awareness of CSFV. In this study, Balb/c mice were immunized with plant-derived E2 protein, and four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) 4B11, 7B3, 11A5 and 6F3 were generated. Two of these mAbs, 4B11 and 7B3, effectively blocked CSFV infection of PK-15 cells. Both mAbs recognized a novel linear epitope, 256CLIGNTTVKVHASDER271. The neutralizing ability of anti-CSFV serum decreased 63%, when pre-incubated with the linear peptide at 200 μg/mL. Structural analysis showed that this linear epitope is present at the border of Domain C and Domain D on the surface of the E2 protein. Alignment of amino acid sequences showed that the epitope was conserved in different subgroups of CSFV but not in other members of the Pestivirus genus. Consistently with the analysis above, this epitope distinguished antibodies against CSFV from those against bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). Our study provides an ideal candidate peptide for new vaccine design and differential diagnosis of CSFV. These findings will contribute to the control and eradication of classical swine fever. • Four mAbs against CSFV E2 were generated. Two of them presented neutralizing reactivity against CSFV. • A novel linear neutralizing epitope P33 located at the border of Domain C and Domain D of the E2 protein was identified. • Epitope P33 distinguished antibodies to CSFV from those to BVDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time semantic segmentation in traffic scenes plays an essential part in autonomous driving. The encoder–decoder-based network architecture can well combine the context information and detailed information required for the semantic segmentation task. Achieving a good balance between inference speed and accuracy is a crucial challenge, as considerable real-time semantic segmentation models process information in real-time at the expense of accuracy degradation. This paper presents an encoder–decoder network model based on Cross Stage Partial (CSP) block for real-time semantic segmentation in traffic scenes. Integrating the CSP block can not only lessen the computational overhead but also enhance the feature extraction ability of the network. In addition, we append the Fast Spatial Pyramid Pooling module to the backbone of the network, which can aggregate global information at a low computational cost. On NVIDIA RTX 3090, the middle model of our method can achieve a mean intersection over union (mIOU) of 80.8% at 64.3 frames per second (FPS) on the Cityscapes test set and an mIOU of 81.3% at 105.3 FPS on the CamVid Test Set. The large model of our method can realize an mIOU of 81.5% at 48.4 FPS on the test set of Cityscapes. Our source code is available at https://github.com/zhouliguo/cspsg. • Our method achieves real-time inference with relatively high precision. • Multi-scale models are flexible to implement in various scenarios. • The integration of the CSP block enhances the representation ability of the feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]