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Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is considered an ideal sample type for genotyping patients with advanced unresectable cancer to inform treatment decision. It may better capture tumor heterogeneity, especially in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). However, there exists little evidence regarding genomic profiling of Chinese advanced GAC patients from ctDNA. Blood samples were obtained from 200 advanced GAC patients. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on ctDNA using a validated 150-gene panel. Blood tumor mutation burden (bTMB) was calculated according to the NGS results. Blood microsatellite instability (bMSI) status was determined by targeted sequencing of 100 microsatellite loci. One hundred sixty-nine (84.5%) patients carried at least one genomic alteration and 138 (69%) patients had at least one deleterious or likely deleterious alteration (del-alteration). The clonal fraction of del-alterations was higher than that of non-del-alterations (80.1% vs 54.5%, P < 0.0001). The most frequently altered genes were TP53 (38%), LRP1B (20%), MYC (13.5%), ERBB2 (12.5%), and KRAS (11.5%). The alterations were most enriched in the TP53/cell cycle (52%) and the RTK-Ras-MAPK pathway (51.5%). The median bTMB was two (range 0 to 42). Eight patients were identified to be high bMSI, with higher median bTMB than the blood microsatellite stable (bMSS) patients (15 vs 2, P = 0.0062). Patients harboring del-alterations of the DDR pathway had significantly higher percentages of high bTMB and bMSI-H patients than the wild-type subgroup (61.1% vs 6.5%, P < 0.0001; 33.3% vs 1.7%, P = 0.0002). A total of 45.5% cases harbored at least one potentially actionable alteration and one patient achieved complete response after receiving matched targeted therapy. Our study uncovered the molecular characterization of Chinese patients with advanced GAC from ctDNA, including genomic alteration, bTMB, and bMSI status. The findings suggested that targeted NGS-based ctDNA analysis may help inform the clinical decision in advanced GAC. KEY MESSAGES: We report the molecular profiling of the largest Chinese advance stage GACs cohort using a CLIA-certified ctDNA assay. Potentially actionable genomic alterations were identified in 45.5% of patients, suggesting clinical utility for ctDNA NGS in advance stage GACs. There was evidence of clinical benefit in one GAC patient with MET amplification treated with MET inhibitor.

Lignocellulosic biomass is mainly composed of polysaccharides and lignin. The complexity and diversity of the plant cell wall polymers makes it difficult to isolate the components in pure form for characterization. Many current approaches to analyzing the structure of lignocellulose, which involve sequential extraction and characterization of the resulting fractions, are time-consuming and labor-intensive. The present study describes a new and facile system for rationally derivatizing and dissolving coarsely ground plant cell wall materials. Using ionic liquids (EmimAc) and dichloroacetyl chloride as a solvent/reagent produced mildly acetylated whole cell walls without significant degradation. The acetylated products were soluble in DMSO

Objectives. To observe and analyze the parameters of the sacral reflex and pudendal nerve somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) with respect to factors such as age, disease course, and subtype and provide evidence for the clinical diagnosis of MSA. Materials and Methods. A total of 51 MSA patients and 30 healthy controls were selected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from May 2013 to November 2015. Electrophysiological sacral reflex detection and SSEP detection were performed using the Keypoint EMG/EP system. The extraction rate, latency, and amplitude of the sacral reflex and SSEP in the MSA group and control group were compared. Results. The sacral reflex latency and amplitude in patients with MSA were statistically different from those of the healthy controls. The latency of sacral reflex increases with the prolongation of the disease course, and the amplitude and initiation rate decrease with the prolongation of the disease course. There was no significant difference in sacral reflex latency and amplitude between MSA patients of different ages and subtypes. There was no significant difference in the latency or amplitude of SSEP between the MSA group and healthy control group. Conclusions. The latency of sacral reflex increases with the prolongation of the disease course, and the amplitude and extraction rate decrease with the prolongation of the disease course. There was no significant difference in the parameters of sacral reflex between young MSA patients and elderly patients. And there was no statistically significant difference between MSA-P subtypes and MSA-C subtypes. This trial is registered with ISRCTNCR2009041.

In this paper, a novel way for high value-added application of lignosulfonate is presented. In this study, we use lignosulfonate nanosheets to fabricate a free-standing, binder-free, ultrathin and light-weight conductive film electrode via vacuum filtration method. The results show that LS is a promising candidate material for the preparation of electrochemical capacitor film electrode. It is worth mentioning that we use non-toxic, pollution-free aqueous solution (water) over organic solvents as the dispersion during the reductive graphene oxide (RGO) preparation process. The electrochemical measurements exhibit that the resistivity of lignosulfonate nanosheets/RGO (LNRGO) film electrode is 0.66 × 10−3 kΩ cm−1. The specific capacitance of the LNRGO film electrode is calculated to be 120 mF cm−2 at the current density of 0.2 mA cm−2, which is approximately 6.67 times larger than that of RGO-water film electrode.

Identification of the specific biomarkers is of great importance to enrich and expand the gonocytes or spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) in livestock. The glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family receptor alpha-1 (GFRα-1) is a conserved marker of the gonocytes/SSCs in multiple species including rodents, primates and human; however, its expression in bovine gonocytes/SSCs is debated. Recently, we and other teams clearly demonstrated the expression of GFRα-1 in bovine gonocytes/SSCs. This is useful for bovine gonocytes/SSCs-related research or application. Nonetheless, new methods still need to be developed to identify the undifferentiated spermatogonial subsets in large livestock and elucidate their spermatogenic potency.

When the primary reference signal obtained by the existing Active noise control (ANC) system is not accurate, the control effect of interior noise will be reduced or even fail. Considering the fault-tolerate and robustness of the system, the study proposes an adaptive nonlinear ANC system for interior noise, which contains noise signal decomposition, multi-network reconstruction model and Variable step-size LMS (VSS-LMS) algorithm. The noise signal decomposition method is used to address the non-stationary of the interior noise; Based on the signal components, the multi-network model for the noise signal reconstruction of passenger ear-sides is designed, which is pre-trained by a restricted Boltzmann machine for improved reconstruction accuracy and realize the adaptive extraction of signal features; And then based on the reconstruction signal components, the controller weights of corresponding components are adaptively updated by the VSS-LMS algorithm to control the passenger ear-sides noise. The effectiveness of the proposed adaptive nonlinear ANC system is validated using noise signal sources collected from a vehicle. Compared with the different ANC systems, the proposed system is superior in terms of fault-tolerant and robustness, which can guarantee stable work of the interior noise control.

The lignin-first biorefinery approach was desirable to produce lignin-derived products by protecting the linkages of lignin and reducing condensation reaction. However, so far lignin-first strategy studies were mainly carried out under harsh conditions, causing serious destruction of lignin structure and reduction of chemically labile linkages, which was not conducive to enhance value of lignin adequately. In this work, mild fractionation of poplar via lignin-first strategy using dioxane/methanol at 80 °C was developed for purposely extracting reactive lignin with a relatively higher yield (>50%), purity (>99%), β-O-4′ linkages and p-hydroxybenzoate group as compared with controlled sample. In addition, glucose yield of cellulose-rich residue under lignin-first strategy was significantly enhanced to 98.57% due to the superior cellulase adsorption abilities, which was obviously higher than the controlled group (53.88%). Overall, this mild lignin-first strategy was promising to fractionate lignocellulose into reactive lignin and fermentable glucose, thereby achieving full utilization of lignocellulose biomass.

Bovine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (bBMSC) are potential stem cell source which can be used for multipurpose. However, their application is limited because the in vitro maintenance of these cells is usually accompanied by aging and multipotency losing. Considering transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) pathway inhibitor Repsox is beneficial for cell reprogramming, here we investigated its impacts on the maintenance and differentiation of bBMSC. The bBMSC were enriched and characterized by morphology, immunofluorescent staining, flow cytometry, and multilineage differentiation. The impacts of Repsox on their proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, multipotency, and differentiation were examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), real-time polymerase chain reaction, induced differentiation and specific staining. The results showed that highly purified cluster of diffrentiation 73+ (CD73 + )/CD90 + /CD105 + /CD34 - /CD45 - bBMSC with adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation capacities were enriched. Repsox treatments (5 μM, 48 hr) enhanced the messenger RNA mRNA levels of the proliferation gene (telomerase reverse transcriptase [ TERT]; basic fibroblast growth factor [ bFGF]), apoptosis-related gene ( bax and Bcl2), antiapoptosis ratio ( Bcl2/bax), and pluripotency marker gene ( Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog), instead of changing the cell cycle, in bBMSC. Repsox treatments also enhanced the osteogenic differentiation but attenuated the chondrogenic differentiation of bBMSC, concomitant with decreased Smad2 and increased Smad3/4 expressions in TGF-β pathway. Collectively, inhibiting TGF-β/Smad signaling by Repsox regulates the in vitro maintenance and differentiation of bBMSC.

Wilms' tumour 1 gene (WT1) is essential for the development of mammalian urogenital system. However, the expression pattern of WT1 in the development of porcine urogenital organs is still unclear. Here, we examined the expression of WT1 mRNA and protein in porcine kidneys, ovaries and testes from embryonic days 35 and 60 (E35d, E60d, n = 3) to the newborn (0d, n = 4) and adult (210d, n = 3) stages, using real-time PCR and immunofluorescent staining. Real-time PCR analysis showed that porcine kidneys, ovaries and testes all expressed high level of WT1 mRNAs, especially in adult testes (p < 0.05 or 0.01 vs. kidney and ovary, respectively). Morphologically, characteristic microstructures of the kidneys, ovaries and testes were observed and discerned at all four stages. Immunofluorescently, WT1 expression was detected in a dynamic and context-specific pattern during the development of these organs. Taken together, porcine urogenital organs express relatively high levels of WT1 mRNA. Dynamical and context-specific expression profile of WT1 in these organs occurs during their development, implying its close association with the development and function of porcine kidney, ovary and testis.

The applications of cellulose are increasing rapidly attributing to their biodegradability and renewability. However, most of these cellulose-based materials possess poor mechanical performance, which restrict their advanced applications. In this study, a facile method was applied to fabricate composite paper with excellent mechanical and barrier properties via simple coating dissolved cellulose in ionic liquid. Subsequently, the surface wettability, oxygen permeability and mechanical properties of the resulting composites were investigated. Remarkable, both the dry and wet tensile strength of the composite papers was dramatically increased up to 101 and 14.17 MPa, which was greater than controlled paper (63.98 and 1.15 MPa). Moreover, with only 2% weight loading of regenerated cellulose, million times decline of oxygen permeability coefficient was obtained. Though the composite papers showed enhanced hydrophilicity, it exhibited strong water-resistant and shape-retaining properties in water. Therefore, the resultant composite papers showed great potential in packaging application with higher humidity.

The carbon materials with diverse morphologies and structures have attracted much interest for various applications. In this work, by introducing lignosulfonate with PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer P123 as soft templates, unique yolk–shell structure with pollen-like surface of carbon microspheres were innovatively synthesized using xylose as the carbon precursor under hydrothermal carbonization. A mechanism for the yolk–shell carbon microspheres formation was proposed. The associations between lignosulfonate and P123 led to the formation of mixed micelles. Owing to the highly branched structure and steric hindrance effect of lignosulfonate, lignosulfonate preferentially assembled at the outer position of double layers of micelles, while linear structure P123 located at the inner position. The xylose assembly process depended on the hydrogen bond interactions between xylose and P123/lignosulfonate soft templates, which do provide appropriate nucleation and growth sites for the assembled particles and affect...

In this study, a novel biomass pretreatment process using three kinds of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was developed to improve saccharification efficiency and lignin valorization. The major components of xylose residue including cellulose and lignin fractions were released, recovered and utilized. Pretreatment with betaine/lactic acid system at 120 °C for 2 h was found to be the optimal conditions with prominently increased enzymatic digestibility (from 55.3% to 96.8%). The efficient conversion was mainly ascribed to the significant delignification efficiency of 81.6% after betaine/lactic acid pretreatment, which caused incompact structure and corrosive surface of treated xylose residue. The recoverable lignin had high purity, low molecular weight (630–2040 g/mol) and polydispersity (1.07–1.76). Based on the comprehensive analysis, the one-pot DESs system provides us a facile and effective approach for whole components valorization of lignocellulosic materials.

Objective. To investigate the prevalence and prognosis of portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) in liver transplant recipients. Methods. Patients with advanced liver disease who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) were included in this retrospective study from January 2012 to June 2015. According to the 2015 European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) guidelines for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH), patients with tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) >3.4 m/s or 2.9 m/s ≤ TRV ≤ 3.4 m/s coexisting with other echocardiographic PH signs were judged as PH. PH patients with portal hypertension and without other known causes of PH were diagnosed as PoPH. Results. A total of 223 (170 males and 53 females) middle-aged (50.9 ± 9 years old) liver transplant recipients were included in this study. Fourteen patients (6.3%) were diagnosed with PoPH, and none of the patients were treated with vasodilators before or after OLT. After OLT, patients were followed up for 26 ± 13.5 months. In total, 8 of 14 (57%) PoPH patients died, and the main cause of death was pulmonary infection. Kaplan–Meier survival curves revealed a significant difference in survival between PoPH and non-PoPH patients (p<0.001), and the median survival time after OLT of PoPH was 11.4 months. Conclusions. The prevalence of PoPH was 6.3% in OLT recipients. The survival of untreated PoPH patients was dismal after OLT.

Microwave-assisted degradation of alkaline lignin in methanol/formic acid media was investigated, concerning the effect of formic acid (FA) amount, reaction temperature, and reaction time on lignin depolymerization. The highest bio-oil yield of 72.0 wt% including 6.7 wt% monomers was achieved at 160 °C and a FA-to-lignin mass ratio of 4 after a reaction time of 30 min. Among the monomers, the yield of 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran was the highest (3.00 wt%), followed by p-coumaric acid (1.59 wt%). Formic acid acted mainly through acid-catalyzed cleavage of the linkages in lignin. Oligomers in bio-oil were mainly composed of dimers (molecular weight: 253–378) and trimers (molecular weight: 379–510) according to the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. A possible mechanism about microwave-assisted depolymerization of lignin in methanol/formic acid media was proposed. This study will provide an efficient approach for lignin depolymerization.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common digestive disorder with high morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of early growth response protein 1 (Egr1), and the effect of competing endogenous (ce)RNA network on trypsinogen activation. Pancreatic acinar intracellular trypsinogen activation (PAITA) is an important event in the early stage of AP; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present study used taurolithocholic acid 3‑sulfate (TLC‑S)‑treated AR42J cells (pancreatic cell line) to establish a PAITA model. A gene microarray and bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify the potential key targets in PAITA. The results demonstrated that Egr1, an important transcription factor, was significantly overexpressed in PAITA. In Egr1 small interfering (si)RNA‑transfected cells, Egr1 expression was decreased and trypsinogen activation was significantly decreased compared with negative control siRNA‑transfected cells, indicating that in TLC‑S‑induced PAITA, overexpression of Egr1 enhanced trypsinogen activation. A ceRNA network [mRNA‑microRNA (miRNA/miR)‑long non‑coding (lnc)RNA] generated using the PAITA model revealed that the effects of Egr1 on PAITA may be regulated by multiple ceRNA pairs, and the lncRNAs (including NONRATT022624 and NONRATT031002) and miRNAs [including Rattus norvegicus (rno)‑miR‑214‑3p and rno‑miR‑764‑5p] included in the ceRNA pairs may serve roles in PAITA by regulating the expression of Egr1. The results of the present study may provide novel targets for researching the underlying mechanisms of, and developing treatments for AP.

Here, we reported a facile strategy to create superhydrophobic aerogels via freeze-drying of silylated cellulose nanofibers and silica nanoparticles mixed suspensions. The as-prepared aerogels possessed a hierarchical porous structure with high roughness and low surface energy. The hierarchical rough structure and low surface energy endowed the resultant aerogels with superhydrophobicity (water contact angle up to 168.4°). Importantly, the composite aerogels could separate surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions without external pressure, with high separation efficiency (>99%) and high flux (1910 ± 60 L m–2 h–1). The aerogels were easily recyclable and showed great antifouling performance, which could meet the requirements for long-term use. We also assembled a simple device to collect oil directly from water-in-oil emulsions with the obtained aerogel and a self-priming pump. The fabrication of the composite aerogels in our work provides a versatile way to fabricate cellulose composite materials for ...

The possibility and feasibility of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) for dispersing hydrophobic graphene in aqueous solutions were studied in the present work. The dispersion properties of graphene particles in aqueous media as a function of various amounts of NCC were investigated. The rheological behavior of NCC-dispersed graphene suspensions was studied, and a polynomial model was proposed and employed to simulate the obtained shear flow of graphene suspensions. The results of UV–Vis analysis and sedimentation test suggested that the increased NCC addition significantly led to the improved dispersion properties of graphene suspensions. Rheological behavior measurements demonstrated that graphene suspensions exhibited a reduction trend in the shear viscosity, shear stress, and viscoelasticity with the increased amount of NCC addition. Meanwhile, the shear viscosity and shear stress of graphene suspensions were found to show a dependency on the process temperature. The above results supported the conclusion that NCC is a promising candidate for improving the dispersion and flowability of graphene in aqueous media.

Pulmonary vascular remodeling due to excessive proliferation and resistance to apoptosis of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) is the hallmark feature of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Recent evidence suggests that miR-125a-5p plays a role in a rat model of monocrotaline-induced PAH (MCT-PAH); however, the underlying mechanism is currently unknown. Here, we examined the expression profile of miR-125a-5p in MCT-PAH rats and investigated the putative therapeutic effect of miR-125a-5p using the miR-125a-5p agomir. In addition, the miR-125a-5p agomir or antagomir was transfected into rat PASMCs, and proliferation and apoptosis were measured. Activity of the miR-125a-5p target STAT3 was measured using a luciferase reporter assay, and the expression of downstream molecules was measured using RT–qPCR and/or western blot analysis. Importantly, inducing miR-125a-5p expression in vivo slowed the progression of MCT-PAH by reducing systolic pulmonary arterial pressure, the Fulton index, and pulmonary vascular remodeling. Moreover, overexpressing miR-125a-5p inhibited the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of PASMCs. In addition, stimulating PASMCs with TGF-β1 or IL-6 upregulated miR-125a-5p expression, whereas overexpressing miR-125a-5p reduced TGF-β1 and IL-6 production, as well as the expression of their downstream targets STAT3 and Smad2/3; in contrast, downregulating miR-125a-5p increased TGF-β1 and IL-6 production. Finally, a dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-125a-5p targets the 3′-UTR of STAT3, suppressing the downstream molecules PCNA, Bcl-2, and Survivin. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-125a-5p ameliorates MCT-PAH in rats, has a negative feedback regulation with TGF-β1 and IL-6, and regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of PASMCs by directly targeting STAT3., Pulmonary hypertension: Alleviating the pressure A study in rats suggests that the small RNA molecule miR-125a-5p is a promising therapeutic target for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This type of high blood pressure is due to the narrowing of arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs and at present has no cure. Jieyan Shen at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and colleagues found that PAH lowers the levels of miR-125a-5p in rat pulmonary arteries and that administration of miR-125a-5p as an early preventative treatment reduced disease progression. miR-125a-5p slowed the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and triggered cell death by directly interacting with a gene expression regulator and reducing the production of certain pro-inflammatory signaling molecules. Targeting miR-125a-5p’s mechanism of action could represent a new treatment approach for this chronic, life-changing disease.

The economically viable synthesis of levulinic acid (LA), a promising and valuable renewable biomass-derived platform for bioproducts, with high carbon efficiency is a challenge. A direct and highly effective catalytic system for conversion of xylose residues (XRs) into LA under mild conditions by using FeCl3 as catalyst and cheaply available NaCl as promoter has been developed. The NaCl solution exhibits high carbon efficiency in LA (68.0 mol %) when compared with the non-NaCl systems (48.5 mol %) due to the moderate increase of the acidity and the higher viscosity of the NaCl system than water. The experimental results demonstrated that the presence of NaCl caused no distinctive changes on reaction pathways but increased the dissolution rate and the hydrolysis rate of XRs cellulose. Moreover, further integration of our degradation process with a reactive extraction step makes energy-efficient separation of LA. The NaCl solutions easily and efficiently extracted LA into LA-derived solvent 2-methyltetrahy...

An efficient and mild integration process for the extraction of lignin and preparation of lignopolyol from agricultural waste corn stalk was presented in this study. Firstly, the conditions of the hydrothermal coupled with dilute alkali treatment were optimized to obtain lignin fractions, the structures of which were investigated by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and 2D HSQC NMR spectroscopy. Results showed that the optimal condition was hydrothermal reaction at 150 °C for 1 h, and coupled with alkali extraction with 1 M NaOH at 70 °C for 2 h in this study, under which the lignin component with higher yield, better purity and intact lignin structure could be extracted. Subsequently, the obtained high-quality lignin was modified with propylene oxide in the presence of sodium hydroxide under mild conditions, which was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), FT-IR, 31P NMR and thermogravimetric analysis. From the optimization results, it was concluded that when the ratio of lignin to propylene oxide was 2:1 mg/mL, the lignopolyol with the largest molecular weight, the most secondary hydroxyl and the best thermal stability could be prepared. This integration process including the isolation of lignin and preparation of lignopolyol from agricultural wastes was conducive to the synthesis of polyurethane materials, and promoted the development of lignin application technology.

The pyrolysis behavior of lignin fractions fractionated by gradient acid precipitation from poplar kraft pulping black liquor was investigated by pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py–GC/MS). The results revealed that the molecular weight of lignin had no distinct effect on the categories of pyrolysis products, while had an obvious effect on the relative content of products. At 500 °C, pyrolysis of LpH6 produced the highest relative contents of guaiacol-type (G-type) and syringol-type (S-type) compounds (44.41 % and 36.12 %, respectively), and high molecular weight lignin favored the generation of syringol and guaiacol. As pyrolysis temperature rose to 650 °C, relative contents of phenol-type (H-type) and catechol-type (C-type) compounds (20.92 % and 10.76 %, respectively) derived from LpH4 pyrolysis were the highest. Demethoxylation and dehydroxylation were promoted at high temperature, resulting in an increase in the relative content of aromatic hydrocarbons. Pyrolysis of kraft lignin (KL) produced the highest relative content of H-type compounds (43.24 %) at 800 °C. The research could give some contribution to the design of pyrolytic parameters for production of specific aromatic compounds from fractionated lignin.

The adaptation to changes in flow direction is the premise to harness the bidirectional flow energy for a tidal stream turbine. Present studies usually aim at active variable-pitch or steering with dynamic sealing to carry out this task. In this paper, a 300 kW horizontal-axis tidal stream energy conversion system with an adaptive variable-pitch turbine and an outer-rotor type PMSG is developed. Based on the BEMT, the principle of the turbine with symmetrical airfoils and backward swept blades to follow the bidirectional flow is presented, and the hydrodynamic performances, such as pitching, starting, power and thrust, are discussed. The encapsulated windings and magnets of the PMSG can expose to the seawater, and the output characteristics are analyzed at different conditions in the factory. Both the turbine and generator are characterized by no dynamic sealing. The experiment results in the field show that the bidirectional flow energy can be extracted effectively, and the generator can work well to output electric power steadily. The hydrodynamic performances predicted by the modified BEMT meet the design requirements of the 300 kW prototype. The successful field trial of this novel device lays solid support for the utilization of the bidirectional tidal stream energy.

The pyrolysis behavior of different lignin samples fractionated by ultrafiltration membrane technology was investigated by pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py–GC/MS). Results indicated that the predominant products derived from pyrolysis of lignin fractions with different molecular weights changed in the relative content, but not in the compound species. At 500 °C, high molecular weight lignin favored the generation of guaiacol-type compounds (57.33%), and low molecular weight lignin produced more syringol-type compounds (34.33%). As temperature increased to 650 °C, methoxy groups in S and G units were easier to cleave from the benzene ring of the high molecular weight lignin leading to an increase in the relative content of phenol-type compounds. High molecular weight lignin was found to produce the highest amounts of phenol-type compounds (46.22%) and aromatic hydrocarbons (17.25%) at 800 °C, while low molecular weight lignin favored the generation of guaiacol-type and syingol-type compounds. The reveal of relevance between specific lignin fractions and pyrolysis behaviour is meaningful for the efficient transformation of lignin to specific aromatic compounds.

Ionic liquid (IL)-acid pretreatment is known to not only enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of lignocellulose but also to generate deposits on the surface of fiber by conventional water regeneration, which retard the increment. In this study, ethanol aqueous solution regeneration was developed as a new method to change the substrates characteristics for IL-acid pretreatment and their effects on the enzymatic hydrolysis were evaluated. Following the IL-acid reaction, the biomass slurry was subjected to ethanol aqueous solution at various concentration. Results indicated that anti-solvent choice significantly influenced the reconstruction of both hemicelluloses and lignin as a result of the competition between water and ethanol. The partial removal of hemicelluloses and suitable lignin re-localization contributed to a more porous structure. Consequently, the cellulose digestibility of aqueous ethanol regenerated samples was dramatically enhanced to ∼100% and approximately 11- and 2-fold higher than that of untreated and conventional water regenerated pretreated samples, respectively. A giant leap in the initial rate of enzymatic hydrolysis was also detected in 50% ethanol aqueous solution regenerated samples and only about 10 hr was needed to convert 80% of cellulose to glucose due to the appearance of cellulose II hydrate-like and more porous structure.

A series of shaking table tests were conducted on a soil site model and tunnel (Zhoutouzui immersed tunnel of Guangzhou in China) model under uniform seismic excitation. Details of experimental setup are presented with particular focuses on: shaking table array of the four in-dependent sub-shaking tables; a continuous rigid body model consisting of prefabricated box; tunnel joints model used for tests; dynamic similitude design between scale model of soil and tunnel structure and prototype model; design and fabrication of the scaled model tunnel and model soil; and seismic input. A series of testing cases of the shaking tables were carried out on the model soil site and tunnel using input motions with different earthquake acceleration records and seismic amplitudes. Dynamic responses measured from the tests include acceleration of soil stratum and model tunnel, as well as the internal force and displacement of immersion joints. The results demonstrate that the designed model box did not impose significant boundary effect. The simplified model design method not only met the main similarity relation of the small scale underground structure for the shaking table test, but also achieved good experimental results. The location of the bearing force and deformation of the joints can guide the design and strengthen the corresponding measurements through the results. The results can provide a theoretical basis to establish an analysis theory and design method, and help us understand the possible damage mechanism of the immersed tunnel underwater.

Ionic liquid (IL) is one of the pretreatment processes gaining considerable interests to remove the native recalcitrance of lignocellulose. But the cellulose crystalline transformation during the pretreatment and their correlations with enzymatic digestibility have not been fully elucidated. Microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and holocellulose, which have differential sources and original crystallinity, were respectively pretreated with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4min]Cl). Cellulose crystalline variations as well as chemical and morphological changes were determined. Crystallinity of different materials was proved to influence the effects of pretreatment and following enzymatic digestibility. Recrystallized cellulose Iβ was revealed from slight initial cellulose Iα of Avicel, which was accomplished via formation of intermediate paracrystalline phases. The conversion yield of IL pretreated Avicel displayed no obvious changes, mainly resulted from initial high crystalline order and the recrystallization behavior. Recalcitrance of holocellulose was destroyed during cellulose allomorph transformation and hemicelluloses extraction, contributing to significant increase of glucose yield up to 92.20%. Explicit comprehension on cellulose supramolecular structure may help provide more efficient process for bioconversion after IL pretreatment.

Wind power generation is one of the most effective ways to solve the electric power supply on islands. This paper presents a simple, reliable, and effective power regulating device for a small-scale island wind turbine, especially for the turbine’s protection against strong winds. The regulator consists of a rigid tail with an electrical control rotating the aerodynamic vane to yaw the rotor edgewise toward the wind direction in high wind speeds, an electric linear actuator, and a controller. Compared with the conventional mechanical vane applied in small-scale wind turbines, such a device possesses several advantages of a simple structure, which is easy to be manufactured and installed, high controllability, and increased reliability. The implementation of rotating the vane actively only depends on the generator speed by measuring AC electrical frequency and the output power by measuring two DC electrical quantities (i.e., voltage and current), and no mechanical sensors are needed. The regulator has been applied to a 15 kW wind turbine prototype operating on an island for more than 3 years. Field test results indicate that the regulator can effectively yaw the rotor out of the wind direction and its behavior agrees well with simulations. Such means of power regulating for small-scale wind turbines can be advantageously utilized compared to other mechanical or electromechanical methods.

Hemicellulose-based composites have become promising candidates for eco-friendly packaging applications because of their biodegradability and cost-effectiveness. However, the inherently poor mechanical properties of hemicellulose-based composites largely hinder their potential for targeted application. Fortunately, nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), an eye-catching nanomaterial, may offer opportunities for addressing the above issue due to its outstanding mechanical properties and environmental friendliness. Herein, a comparative study was conducted on the effect of unmodified and cationically modified nanocrystalline cellulose (CNCC) on the overall properties of the as-prepared hemicelluloses (HC)/sorbitol (SB) films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image shows that the addition of CNCC imparted a relatively smooth surface to the obtained HC/SB films in comparison to NCC. Furthermore, CNCC reinforced HC/SB films exhibited improved thermal stability as compared to that with NCC. From rheological behavior evaluation, the presence of NCC, particularly CNCC, had an important effect on thickening HC/SB suspensions. The tensile stress of the composite films with 9% NCC and 9% CNCC was 9.18 and 10.44 MPa, respectively, which was increased by 14 and 30% in comparison to that of pure HC/SB film (8.05 MPa). The marked increase in elastic modulus as a function of the added NCC or CNCC was also identified. This result strongly supports the conclusion that the addition of NCC or CNCC was effective in improving the mechanical properties of HC/SB films.

In this article, a simple strategy was employed to fabricate bioinspired hybrid composite with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), graphene oxide, and reduced graphene oxide/alumina (rGO/Al) by a facile solution casting method. The tensile strength and toughness of rGO/Al-CMC-GO can reach 586.6 ± 12 MPa, 12.1 ± 0.44 MJm–3, respectively, due to the interface strengthening of alumina, which is 1.43 and 12 times higher than steel and about 4.3 and 6.7 times that of nature nacre. The artificial nacre hybrid composite is conductive due to the introduction of rGO/Al on the surface. Interestingly this structure can also be coated on the surface of cotton thread to give the thread good mechanical performance and conductivity. Additionally, the artificial nacre has better fire shielding and gas barrier properties. The oxygen permeability (OP) for 1% rGO/Al-CMC decreased from 0.0265 to 0.003 mLμm m–2 day–1 kpa–1, the water vapor permeability (WVP) decreased from 0.363 to 0.205 gmmm–2 day–1 kpa–1 when the concentration i...

Nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) is a novel non-thermal tumor ablation technique. However, how nsPEF affect cell physiology at different environmental temperature is still kept unknown. But this issue is of critical clinical practice relevance. This work aim to investigate how nsPEF treated cancer cells react to different environmental temperatures (0, 4, 25, and 37°C). Their cell viability, apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were examined. Lower temperature resulted in higher apoptosis rate, decreased mitochondria membrane potential, and increased ROS levels. Sucrose and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) pre-incubation inhibit ROS generation and increase cell survival, protecting nsPEF-treated cells from low temperature-caused cell death. This work provides an experimental basis for hypothermia and fluid transfusion during nsPEF ablation with anesthesia.

A silver-catalyzed tandem reaction of TosMIC with 2-methyleneindene-1,3-diones was developed for the direct synthesis of benzo[ f ]indole-4,9-diones. In this reaction, a domino [3+2]-cycloaddition/imidoyl anion cyclization/ring opening of cyclopropanolate/aromatization is proposed and three C C bonds are formed successively.

Sertoli cells (SC) have important functions in spermatogenesis by regulating development of spermatogenic cells. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) are produced by SC. Although the effects of GDNF on spermatogenesis have been well studied, the understanding of how GDNF is synthesized is still limited, especially in food animal producing species. Because protein kinase (PK) has varied functions in multiple cellular processes and the PK pathway modulates SC functions, the objective of the present study was to determine whether PK modulates the abundance of GDNF protein in SC of cattle. To conduct this study, immature SC were enriched from cryopreserved testicular tissues of 1-day-old bulls. These cells had a marked proliferation capacity. Results from immunostaining analysis indicated that there was a sustained abundance of SC mRNA marker protein transcripts and marker proteins: androgen bind protein (ABP), GATA4 and VIMENTIN. There was subsequent characterization of SC treated with the PK inhibitor staurosporine for 0, 1 or 2 h. Results from real-time-PCR and Western blot analyses indicated the treatment (2 h) resulted in a decrease in Gdnf mRNA transcript and GDNF protein. Additionally, the staurosporine treatment resulted in an increase in the abundance of anti-apoptosis Bcl2 and decrease in pro-apoptosis Bax mRNA transcripts. Furthermore, results of the TUNEL assay indicated there was a decrease in apoptosis in the staurosprine-treated SC. Collectively, results indicate the PK signaling is involved in regulation of GDNF protein abundance in the immature SC and the survival of these cells in cattle.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of miR-155 in regulating autophagy in a caerulein-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) cellular model. GFP-LC3 immunofluorescence assay was performed to detect autophagy vesicle formation in pancreatic acinar cell line AR42J. AR42J cells were transfected with miR-155 mimic, inhibitor, and corresponding controls to explore the effect of miR-155 on autophagy. The protein levels of LC3-I, LC3-II, Beclin-1, and p62 were analyzed by western blot analysis. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to verify the interaction between miR-155 and Rictor (RPTOR independent companion of MTOR complex 2). The results showed that caerulein treatment induced impaired autophagy as evidenced by an increase in the accumulation of p62 together with LC3-II in AR42J cells, accompanied by miR-155 upregulation. Furthermore, miR-155 overexpression aggravated, whereas miR-155 silencing reduced the caerulein-induced impairment of autophagy. Mechanistically, Rictor was confirmed to be a direct target of miR-155, which could rescue the miR-155 overexpression-mediated aggravation of impaired autophagy. Collectively, these findings indicate that miR-155 aggravates impaired autophagy in caerulein-treated pancreatic acinar cells by targeting Rictor.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) exhibits high morbidity and mortality rates. The onset of AP is characterized by early trypsinogen activation. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of microRNA (miR)-92a-3p and early growth response protein 1 (Egr1), and the effect of miR-92a-3p on trypsinogen activation in the pancreatic exocrine cell line AR42J. mRNA and miRNA microarrays were used to identify differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs in AR42J cells. A miRNA-mRNA network was constructed using bioinformatics software, and Egr1 and its regulated miRNA subnetworks were identified by reviewing previous literature. The results suggested that miR-92a-3p could bind to Egr1 3′untranslated region sequence. Subsequently, miR-92a-3p mimic and inhibitor were used to transfect AR42J cells. Following transfection, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting were performed to detect Egr1 expression. Furthermore, AR42J cells were cotransfected with miR-92a-3p inhibitor and small interfering (si)-Egr1. The trypsinogen activation rate of AR42J cells was measured by flow cytometry. Microarrays and bioinformatics results indicated that Egr1 may be a target gene of miR-92a-3p. In addition, the present study suggested that miR-92a-3p downregulated Egr1 in vitro and that miR-92a-3p and Egr1 expression was associated with trypsinogen activation. Furthermore, miR-92a-3p inhibitor reversed the effect of si-Egr1 on trypsinogen activation. In conclusion, miR-92a-3p may negatively regulate the activation of trypsinogen in AR42J cells via Egr1.

A simple, rapid, and reliable method based on dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for quantitating polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in vegetable samples. Parameters affecting both the extraction yields and cleanup efficiency, including the type and volume of extraction solvent, extraction time, type and volume of cleanup sorbent, and cleanup time, were optimized. Matrix effects were evaluated, and matrix-matched calibration was recommended. Under the optimized conditions, carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH), which exhibit excellent adsorption capabilities due to large surface area and unique structure, were employed as d-SPE sorbent to remove interfering substances, rather than the analytes, from vegetable samples. Satisfactory linear relationship was observed for all PCBs across a concentration range of 5–500 μg/kg with correlation coefficients no less than 0.9993. Four representative vegetables (cucumber, tomato, lettuce, and cabbage) were selected as matrices for method validation. Each matrix was spiked at concentrations of 5, 10, and 100 μg/kg to evaluate recoveries, which ranged from 84.5% to 116.5% with relative standard deviations (n=6) between 0.6% and 17.6%. The limits of detection and the limits of quantification ranged from 0.3 to 1.4 μg/kg and 0.8 to 4.5 μg/kg, respectively. Twelve real vegetable samples were analyzed using the proposed method. Three of the target PCBs were detected in one lettuce sample with the total concentration of 17.9 μg/kg.

Facile synthesis of carbon quantum dots with high fluorescence and excellent biocompatibility from plentiful and biocompatible materials still attracts much attention because of their great potential value in sensors and imaging. In this study, a highly fluorescent and super biocompatible N-doped carbon quantum dots derived from green precursor of aminated alkali lignin has been synthesized for cellular imaging. The amine-rich lignin carbon quantum dots (AL-CQDs) was firstly synthesized by introduction of secondary amine groups into lignin backbones via both Mannich and Machael addition reaction. The resulted AL-CQDs within the range of 4–10 nm exhibited excitation-dependent and pH-stable fluorescence properties and was employed for the detection of irons with a wide range from 100 nM to 1 mM and a low detection limit of 8 nM, in which the Fe3+ ions could be captured by the amine groups of the AL-CQDs to form an absorbent complex, resulting in a significant fluorescence quenching. Meanwhile, the AL-CQDs were successfully applied to cell imaging and intracellular irons detection benefited from low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. This work would shed much light on converting agricultural waste into bio-based nanomaterials and their potential applications.

To solve the contradiction between the trafficability and the power of traditional heavy trucks, the study proposes a coordinated control of hydraulic hub-motor auxiliary system for heavy truck to make full use of the coefficient of ground aadhesion and engine power. With hydraulic hub-motor auxiliary system (HHMAS) in the non-drive front wheels, the front wheels drive the truck on bad roads to ensure the trucks tractive capacity and exit on good roads to achieve better transmission efficiency. Based on the HHMAS, a wheel speed coordinated control strategy that considers slip efficiency to make system work effectively is designed. The pump displacement composite control method in the real vehicle is tested, the steady-state error is basically within 0.03. Experimental results show that HHMAS has a good effect on the control strategy presented. Hence, the study on HHMAS is a valuable to hydraulic hybrid application.

In the shaking table tests of underground structures, the scale ratios of the soil and structure are inconsistent. To this end, a scaled model soil was developed in this study. Through a series of tests, the dynamic response of the model soil was investigated. A clay mixed with sawdust was designed for shaking table tests based on the predominant period similarity relationship between the structure and the foundation soil. The sawdust-mixed clay was subjected to a series of shaking table tests at Beijing University of Technology using a rigid prefabricated continuous model box (dimensions: 7.7 m × 3.2 m × 1.2 m). Through the tests, the performance of the model box and the nonlinear seismic behavior of the model soil were studied. The results are as follows: (i) The boundary effect of the model box was negligible during the test. (ii) The predominant frequencies of the model soil shifted toward lower values with increasing shaking intensity. This indicated that the model soil became increasingly softer and that the nonlinear effect of the soil was more evident. (iii) With the increase in the shaking intensity, the peak acceleration of the model soil at the same measured points increased, whereas their amplification factors decreased. In addition, the amplification factors first decreased and then increased from the bottom to the top of the soil. This might have been due to the increase in the shear strain and decrease in the shear modulus of the soil with increasing shaking intensity. (iv) The shear modulus of the soil was closely related to the confining pressure. At the same shaking intensity, the shear stress increased, and the shear strain decreased from top to bottom of the model soil.

Two-dimensional transition metal carbides (MXenes) have shown extraordinary potential in energy storage device, especially in supercapacitors. However, the major drawbacks of these eletrode materials are the re-stacking problem and the narrow operating potential range, which limit them to reach high energy density. The P-π conjugate structure of lignosulfonate (LS) endows α and β carbon a strong chemical reactivity and local positive potential, which can modify the surface of MXene and avoid the re-stacking problem. Herein, for the first time, the LS modified-MXene (Ti3C2Tx)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) 3D porous (MLSG) aerogel is synthesized. The MLSG-6 aerogel exhibits more excellent electrochemical performance when compared to pure MXene even with the high mass-loading of 5.1 mg cm−2. As a supercapacitor electrode, the MLSG-6 aerogel exhibits high specific capacitance of 386F g−1 and 1967 mF cm−2 at scan of 2 mV s−1, and excellent rate performance with the capacitance of 241F g−1 at scan of 100 mV s−1. Moreover, utilizing redox pseudocapacitive characteristics of LS under positive potential, the 3D porous LS-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (LSG) aerogel is reported to match with MLSG aerogel to construct an all-pseudocapacitive asymmetric supercapacitor with potential range of 1.45 V. Consequently, the asymmetric supercapacitor can deliver an energy density of 142 µW h cm−2 at power density of 4900 μW cm−2, with 96.3% capacitance retention after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles. This work realizes the dual utilization of high chemical reactivity and pseudocapacitance characteristics of LS to the negative and positive electrodes of the asymmetric supercapacitor.

Objective: Sertoli cells (SCs) are important sustentacular cells in the seminiferous tubules of the testis. Isolation and identification of SCs are the premise for studying their functions. Since New Zealand rabbit is a stable strain which is widely used for biomedical research and animal farming, this study aimed to develop a simple and effective protocol for SC isolation in New Zealand rabbits. Materials and Methods: The SCs of three 30-day-old New Zealand rabbits were isolated by incu¬bation with enzymatic digestion I (Dulbeccos modified Eagle medium supplemented with 1 mg/ ml collagenase IV and 50 μg/ml DNase I) and digestion II (digestion I + 1 mg/ml hyaluronidase + 1 mg/ml trypsin), as well as differential plating. The cells were enriched and identified by using immunocytochemical staining and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. Results: Homogeneous cells were obtained. They presented the typical large cell body and an irregular pyramidal shape after differential plating and passaging. These cells expressed mRNA of the SC marker sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9) instead of the Leydig cell marker StAR. Immunocytochemically, they are positive of SOX9, GATA binding protein 4, and androgen-binding protein. Conclusion: The SCs were enriched from the testicular tissues of prepubertal New Zealand rabbits by a simple and effective protocol, which provides a basis for further theoretical researches and practical applications. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2021; 8(2.000): 218-223]

Lignin, a byproduct of the wood-pulping industry, is mostly treated as a noncommercialized waste product. Therefore, it is significant to study its potential for the conversion of this renewable and sustainable resource into high-valued chemicals and materials. In this study, a renewable lignin-based material with high performance in wastewater treatment has been explored on account of its satisfactory properties and being environmentally friendly. Herein, lignin hollow microspheres (LHM) were facilely prepared from esterified organosolv lignin with maleic anhydride (MA) via self-assembly in the mixed tetrahydrofuran–Fe3O4 nanoparticles aqueous media. Moreover, the magnetic lignin spheres (MLS) were also successfully fabricated by introducing Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The structural changes of esterified lignin polymers were identified and morphology and property of obtained LHM and MLS were characterized by means of TEM, SEM, VSM and FT-IR. In addition, the adsorption capacities of MLS for methylene blue and ...

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have multilineage differentiation abilities toward adipocytes and osteoblasts. Recently, numerous studies have focused on the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the process of adipogenic differentiation of human and mouse cells. However, the role of miRNAs in adipogenic differentiation process of porcine BMSCs (pBMSCs) remains unclear. In this study, pBMSCs were induced to differentiate into adipocytes using a chemical approach, and the roles of miR-17, miR-21, and miR-143 in this process were investigated. Our results showed that pBMSCs could be chemically induced to differentiate into adipocytes and that the expression of miR-17, miR-21, and miR-143 increased during differentiation. Then, overexpression of mimics of miR-17, miR-21, and miR-143 increased the number of oil red O-positive cells of adipocyte differentiation. The expression levels of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) mRNA showed increases of 1.8-, 1.5-, and 1.2-fold in the groups expressing mimics of miR-21, miR-17, and miR-143, respectively, at day 20. These results demonstrate that miR-17, miR-21, and miR-143 are involved in and promote the adipogenic differentiation of pBMSCs. This study provides an experimental basis for establishing a stable and efficient adipogenic differentiation model for applications in cell therapy and tissue engineering.

Average collusion attack is a very effective attack for digital fingerprinting system. Moreover, the commercial value of the colluded content is often time-sensitive. The more profit the colluder will make from it when the colluded copy is distributed earlier. This paper presents a new collusion-resilience approach with recursive chaotic desynchronization and social network. It has processed chaotic transformations due to random image grid based on chaos. The experimental results show that collusion even with only two copies results in degradation of the image metric, even if those traitors try to resynchronization using image registration technology. However, it will take expensive computational cost to do that, and the visual quality is degraded expensively with the increase of the number of fingerprinted copies.

Summary Enrichment and propagation of gonocytes or spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) from cryopreserved testicular tissue is essential to apply SSCs-related techniques in large domestic animals. We previously reported the cryopreservation of adult bovine testicular tissue. Here, we conducted the enrichment and culture of putative gonocytes from cryopreserved testicular tissues of post-natal 1-day-old bulls. The testicular structure was well maintained after freezing and thawing. Higher mRNA levels of gonocyte/SSCs markers (PLZF, GFRα1, and UCHL-1) than those of pluripotency genes (Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog) were detected in the frozen–thawed sex cords. GFRα1 was specifically detected in the membrane and cytoplasm of gonocytes by immunostaining. Differential plating provided 40–50% enrichment of putative gonocytes. They were single, paired-, aligned-cells, or grape cluster-like colonies in minimum essential medium (MEM) containing 2.5% FBS + 2 mM glutamine + 100 IU/mL penicillin-streptomycin + 40 μg/mL gentamycin + 15 mM HEPES + 10 mM β-mercaptoethanol + 0.1 mM non-essential amino acids + 1 mM sodium pyruvate. On day 3, gonocyte progeny increased and the contaminated somatic cells spread and concurrently divided slowly. On day 5, gonocyte progeny proliferated continuously and typical intercellular bridges formed by incomplete cytokinesis in paired-cells or aligned-cysts were observed. Immunochemically, they were still GFRα1 and PLZF positive. These cells expressed significantly higher gonocyte/SSCs marker mRNAs than pluripotency gene mRNAs, concomitant with a higher level of differentiated spermatogonia marker c-kit. With time, gonocyte progeny colonies appeared in varied sizes and expanded dramatically on day 7. After cultured for 9–10 days, however, large colonies collapsed and dispersed as some single cells and small syncytial cysts. Together, MEM containing 10% dimethyl sulfoxide + 2.5% newborn calf serum provides efficient cryoprotection for the testicular tissue from 1-day-old neonatal bulls. Putative gonocytes enriched from these nascent tissues present robust proliferation capacity, conserved gonocyte/SSCs markers, and SSCs-like in vitro features.

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels were developed by engineering ionic bridges between carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and amine-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) into a covalent poly(acrylamide) architecture network, and the role of precoordinated CNF–PEG dynamic complexes in the IPN hydrogels viscoelastic dynamics was explored. The results shown that the ionic complexes significantly improved the IPN hydrogels energy dissipation and elastic recovery properties, leading to strain-rate dependent mechanics and notable enhancement in tensile toughness. The uniaxial deformation over a range of strain rates demonstrated that fracture energy peaked at 0.05 s–1 before decreased with further increasing strain rate, consistent with the crack propagation rate result. This straightforward sacrificial bonding strategy validates the hypothesis that elastomers with high toughness and excellent recovery can be achieved by incorporating precoordinated supramolecular associating motifs, which...

This paper presents a scheme of double-plane shear testing to investigate the shear transmission mechanism of strain-hardening cementitious composite (SHCC) after crack opening; the focus is on the shear stress transfer behaviour on the crack surface of the SHCC, contributed by both the contact effect of the matrix and the fibre bridging effect on the crack surface. The experimental results demonstrate that the transferred shear stress on the crack surface of the SHCC is contributed by both the contact effect of the matrix and the fibre bridging effect on the crack surface until peak shear stress, whereas after the separation of the crack surfaces, it is influenced solely by the fibre bridging effect. It is confirmed that the fibre bridging effect on the crack surface of SHCC has considerable influence in the shear fracture behaviour of SHCC.