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As demand for energy increases, the number of "three-high" (high-pressure, high-yield, high-sulfur) gas Wells has doubled, the severe stress fluctuation of pipe string caused by downhole high-pressure environment leads to the failure of rope fracture is particularly prominent. It is easy to cause pipeline blockage and large amount of high-pressure toxic gas leakage caused by tool string accidental falling. Therefore, based on the theory of Love and elastoplastic contact theory, and considering the influence of Poisson's ratio effect, this article establishes a calculation model for tensile fatigue of interaction between rope strands to study the influence of key structural parameters and breaking wire position on stress distribution and fatigue life of rope. The results show that: the core strand of the rope is the main force position, the overall stress shows the trend of decreasing with the increase of winding radius; when the rope is stretched, the axial deformation near the core of the rope is smaller than the deformation far from the core; under the same number of broken wires, the fatigue life of different ropes is related to the location of broken wires, the farther the location of broken wires from the core of the rope, the higher the fatigue life. The research work in this article provides theoretical guidance for the safe operation of ropes in "three-high" gas wells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an acute inflammatory lung disease associated with both innate and adaptive immune responses. Hexokinase 2 (HK2) is specifically highly expressed in numerous types of inflammation-related diseases and models. In the present study in vitro and in vivo effects of targeted degradation of HK2 on ALI were explored. The degradation of HK2 by the targeting peptide TAT (transactivator of transcription protein of HIV-1)-ataxin 1 (ATXN1)-chaperone-mediated autophagy-targeting motif (CTM) was demonstrated by ELISA and western blotting in vitro and in vivo. The inhibitory effects of TAT-ATXN1-CTM on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses were examined using ELISAs. The therapeutic effects of TAT-ATXN1-CTM on LPS-induced ALI were examined via histological examination and ELISAs in mice. 10 µM TAT-ATXN1-CTM administration decreased HK2 protein expression and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β) without altering HK2 mRNA expression in LPS-treated both in vitro and in vivo, while pathological lung tissue damage and the accumulation of leukocytes, neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes in ALI were also significantly suppressed by 10 µM TAT-ATXN1-CTM treatment. TAT-ATXN1-CTM exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and decreased the severity of ALI in vivo. HK2 degradation may represent a novel therapeutic approach for ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PEBA2533/F127-Tpy-M mixed matrix membranes were prepared for CO 2 /H 2 separation. • F127-Tpy-M can enhance CO 2 separation performance and interfacial adhesion of MMMs. • The MMMs showed better CO 2 /H 2 separation performance than PEBA2533 membrane. Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) are an effective method for overcoming the trade-off limitations of conventional polymeric membranes and are attractive for CO 2 /H 2 separation. However, major challenges remain in achieving high gas separation performance and long-term stability owing to undesirable polymer/filler interfaces. In this study, a novel metallo-supramolecular polymer (F127-Tpy-M) was designed and selected to engineer a polymer/filler interface. Benefiting from strong intermolecular interactions, F127-Tpy-M dispersed well in the PEBA2533 matrix with a defect-free interface. By synergistically combining the dipole–quadrupole effect of the ethylene oxide groups in F127 and gas–metal interactions, MMMs could significantly improve the gas separation performance. In comparison with the pristine membrane, the MMM with 60% F127-Tpy-M loading exhibited 175–194% and 215–259% increases in CO 2 /H 2 selectivity and CO 2 permeability, respectively, which far surpass the 2008 Robeson upper bound. The molecular dynamics simulations supported the experimental data, confirming that F127-Tpy-M is a promising candidate for designing next-generation high-performance MMMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-diameter thread is widely used in the connection of aeroengine, nuclear equipment, and petrochemical equipment parts due to its advantages of high connection strength, simple structure, and convenient loading and unloading. Manual tapping is its main production method. But, the stability of product quality is poor; the qualified rate of one-time machining is less than 20%, resulting in a large number of repeated machining and scrap. The existing thread milling method is difficult to adapt to the small-diameter internal thread processing of Waspaloy high-temperature alloy. The deformation of the tool during the processing and the difficulty in heat dissipation from the unreasonable processing technology are the main reasons for the processing accuracy not meeting the standard. In this paper, a 3-D numerical simulation model of small-diameter internal thread milling is established based on the flow stress control theory. The influence of structure parameters and milling machining parameters on milling force and milling temperature is studied by orthogonal experiment, and the range analysis is carried out. The mathematical model of milling force and temperature is calculated by nonlinear regression analysis. Based on Pareto genetic algorithm, multiple objective optimization method, the cutter structure, and machining parameters are optimized. The better machining parameters and cutting cutter parameters are obtained; the deformation of thread milling cutter in X, Y, and Z direction is obtained, and a new structure of thread milling cutter is designed; the feasibility of the new type of thread milling cutter and the machining scheme is verified by the trial cutting experiment of the thread milling cutter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the features of Waspaloy, such as high-temperature resistance, easy to hardening, low thermal diffusivity, and low thermal conductivity, the milling cutter for internal threads suffers from serious wear. Particularly, the milling cutter for internal thread with a small diameter restricts the application of milling technology to Waspaloy threads. Based on the cutting flow stress control theory and the cutter wear control theory, a three-dimensional wear calculation model for milling cutter with small diameter internal thread was established. SEM was used to obtain the surface morphology and wear of the machined thread milling cutter, compared with the calculated results; the accuracy of the calculated results is verified. It employed the calculation model to study the variation law of tool wear under different milling parameters and front angle. The better milling parameters and front angles were obtained. In combination of the calculation results and the actual processing requirements, it is recommended: rotation speed, 600–900 r/min; revolution speed, 5–10 r/min; milling depth, 1/2–3/4 of the height of thread teeth; front angle, 5°–10°. And it is significant for the reduction of cutter wear and reasonable design and application of milling cutter for internal thread with a small diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a smart polymer membrane whose pore can be switched between the “closed” and “open” state just by passing CO2 and Ar in solution respectively. Compared with other stimuli, such as pH or temperature change, gas is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective stimulus for reversibly tuning the pore size and imparting the size selectivity of the membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were fabricated by incorporating ZIF-8@GO into Pebax matrix to improve CO 2 separation performance. The ZIF-8@GO played multiple roles in enhancing membrane performance. First, the high-aspect ratio GO nanosheets in polymer matrix increased the length of the tortuous path of gas diffusion, restricting the diffusion of larger molecules and favoring the diffusion of small molecules with less resistance, which enhanced the diffusivity selectivity. Second, the inherent high permeability of ZIF-8 with ultra-microporosity was anticipated to optimize fractional free volume and enhance the gas permeability and solubility selectivity of MMMs. The MMMs doped with ZIG-8@GO had better gas separation performance than those doped with only ZIF-8 or GO. The membrane containing 6 wt% of ZIF-8@GO (Peabx/ZIF-8@GO-6) exhibited the optimum performance with a CO 2 permeability of 249 Barrer and a CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 47.6. Compared with the pure Pebax membrane, the CO 2 permeability and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of the Pebax/ZIF-8@GO-6 MMMs were increased by 191% and 174%, respectively. The strategy of growing ZIFs on GO may provide an effective method to further develop MMMs performance through the modification of ZIFs on existing fillers which had larger adsorption differences to specific gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by marine mussel's adhesive system and facilitated transport membranes, we proposed a novel strategy to simultaneously improve the MOF–polymer interface and CO2 separation performance by coating polydopamine (PDA) on the surface of ZIF-8. PDA@ZIF-8 played multiple roles in enhancing the membrane performance. First, the inherent high permeability of ZIF-8 with ultra-microporosity was anticipated to optimize the fractional free volume and enhance the gas permeability of MMMs. Second, the PDA coating can mitigate the interfacial defects and improve the adhesion between ZIF-8 and the polymer matrix. Finally, the abundant –OH and amino groups in PDA have strong interaction with CO2 molecules, which can effectively facilitate CO2 transport. The membrane separation performance for pure gases (CO2 and N2) of the PDA@ZIF-8 incorporated Pebax membrane was investigated and compared with that of the ZIF-8-incorporated membrane without the PDA coating. An anti-tradeoff effect was obtained by addition of PDA@ZIF-8. In particular, the Pebax/PDA@ZIF-8-15 MMM showed the best gas separation performance with a CO2 permeability of 267.74 Barrer and a CO2/N2 selectivity of 62.65, surpassing Robeson's upper bound from 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A robust and efficient nanocatalyst for the cascade oxidation of HMF to FDCA. • Latent activity of AAO on FFCA was activated by the designed nanozyme. • Novel oxidizability of HP-7@Fe 3 (PO 4) 2 nanozyme on FFCA was discovered. • A complete conversion of HMF with excellent (100%) selectivity toward FDCA. 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a well-known biobased platform chemical to produce sustainable polyethylene furanoate (PEF) and other valuable furanic chemicals. The eco-friendly enzyme cascade reactions have been adopted to synthesize FDCA using the multistep oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) based on different oxidoreductases. However, the coordination of natural oxidoreductases in cascade reactions presents challenges because of their different adaptabilities and catalytic environments. A robust and efficient catalyst herein was developed by the hybridization of a designed hemin–peptide (HP-7) complex and natural aryl-alcohol oxidase (AAO) in iron phosphate solution to achieve the cascade oxidation of HMF to FDCA. HMF is first transformed in 5-formylfurancarboxylic acid (FFCA) based on the oxidizability of AAO toward benzylic alcohol, and then the latent activity of AAO on FFCA was activated by the catalase activity of the HP-7@Fe 3 (PO 4) 2 nanozyme with the in situ consumption of H 2 O 2 initially produced by AAO. Moreover, closer inspection demonstrated the oxidizability of the HP-7@Fe 3 (PO 4) 2 nanozyme on FFCA in both the presence and absence of H 2 O 2 for the first time. Consequently, the hybrid catalyst AAO/HP-7@Fe 3 (PO 4) 2 enabled the self-activated and efficient oxidation of HMF by integrating multiple reaction processes. A complete conversion of HMF with excellent selectivity (100%) toward FDCA was finally observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tubing corrosion is becoming more and more serious due to the harsh operating environment and corrosive medium transportation. It results in frequent seal failure of plugs used for tubing lift-off in snubbing operations. This paper develops a finite element model of a plug rubber cylinder sealing a defected tubing. The sealing performance of the rubber cylinder under the defected tubing is studied. The accuracy of model is tested experimentally. The related structural parameters affecting the sealing performance of rubber cylinder are pointed out by numerical derivation. The results show that when selecting the equivalent defected tubing size, smaller depth and radius and larger axial height can be selected. The expression of sealing performance of rubber cylinder in defected tubing environment is obtained. The influence of the key parameters on the sealing performance of the rubber cylinder is the axial height, depth and radius from high to low. The research work in this paper can provide theoretical guidance for the behavior of rubber cylinder seal corroding tubing in snubbing operation. • Performed a finite element analysis of a plug rubber cylinder sealing a defected tubing. • Got the prediction formula of sealing performance of rubber cylinder in the defected tubing. • The influence weights of the axial height, depth and radius of the defected area on the sealing performance of the rubber cylinder were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A method for calculating the fatigue life of threaded joint with multi-axis fatigue. • A method for optimizing threaded joint. • Simulated the fatigue life analysis of a threaded joint subjected to 140MPa ultra-high pressure. • Vibration fatigue is the key factor affecting fatigue fracture of the union joint thread. Ultra-high pressure fracturing technology has become more and more important in China's deep Shale Gas extraction. In recent years, fracturing manifold failure accidents have happened frequently and service life has shortened drastically. There are more than 94% of failure accidents that are caused by vibration fatigue of the union joint. In this paper, it was established as a 3d finite element model of the union joint based on finite element theory and fatigue theory. The author proposed a safety evaluation method based on fatigue life, and compared it with that based on strength. The results show that vibration is the key factor affecting fatigue life, and the fatigue life-based safety evaluation method is more suitable to describe the union joint safety. Therefore, set fatigue life as optimization goal and the key parameters of the union joint thread are optimized by orthogonal optimization method. The optimal results are obtained from the study range, namely that the thread turns 8, the pitch is 10.47 mm, the bearing surface angle is 24.5°, and the guide surface angle is 24.5°. In comparison to the initial union joint, the fatigue life of the optimized union joint is increased by two orders of magnitude. These studies improve the fatigue performance of the union joint and have important guiding significance for improving the safety evaluation level of the fracturing manifold system in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(ether-b-amide) (PEBA)/Tween20 gel membranes containing from 0 wt% to 65 wt% of Tween20 in PEBA2533, PEBA3533, and PEBA4033 were prepared by solvent casting method for CO2/N2separation. The gas separation properties of the polymeric gel membranes were tested for single gases of CO2and N2at 25°C with the feed pressure of 0.6 atm. For all pure PEBA membranes, CO2and N2permeability decreased as the amount of polyamide block increased, but CO2/N2selectivity increased. For PEBA/Tween20 gel membranes, both the CO2permeability and CO2/N2selectivity were greatly enhanced with the increase of Tween20 content. For the membrane of PEBA4033/Tween20-65, CO2/N2selectivity, and CO2permeability reached 54 and 146 Barrer, respectively, which is very interesting for potential application in CO2removal from flue gas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) with different sizes and morphologies were successfully synthesized using a membrane dispersion reactor (MDR). The MDR synthesis applied in this paper was expected to be an efficient and economical way to synthesize ZIF materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a novel therapeutic strategy to suppress tumour growth and metastasis by regulating the interaction between bioactivity ions and the biological process of tumour cells. This study synthesised a mesoporous hydroxyapatite (MHAP)-based nanocarrier for targeted delivery of the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). To further strengthen the targeting of DOX-loaded nanocarrier to tumour, HA that could specifically identify receptor on the surface of tumours was functionally modified. The drug release properties curve showed that the MHAP-HA@DOX complex showed pH-sensitive and sustained release properties. Also, the MHAP-HA@DOX complex represented high toxicity against lung cancer A549 cells. Besides, it displayed a significant inhibitory effect on tumour growth rate in tumour-bearing mice, while no evident toxicity for mice was observed. This nano-material is hoped to be an effective and novel nano-drug for lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZIF-8-filled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes, PDMS/ZIF-8, were prepared by a two-step polymerization process and were used to recovern-butanol from an aqueous solution by pervaporation (PV). Compared with pure PDMS membrane, PDMS/ZIF-8 membranes demonstrated an obviously highern-butanol permselectivity. As an increase of ZIF-8 content,n-butanol/water selectivity increased initially and then decreased, while then-butanol and water permeability decreased monotonously. PDMS/ZIF-8 membrane containing 2 wt% ZIF-8, that is, PDMS/ZIF-8-2 showed the highest selectivity. On the other hand, selectivity and permeability forn-butanol and water of PDMS/ZIF-8-2 membrane decreased with the increase of operating temperature. The selectivity and permeability forn-butanol reached 7.1 and 3.28 × 105barrer, respectively, at 30°C when the feed concentration ofn-butanol was 0.96 wt%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Revealed that bending moment is the cause of thread gluing at the HDD exit side. [•] A 3D drill pipe thread FEM model was established which could load combining loads. [•] Put forward some improvement measures and successfully used in HDD. [•] Proposed the beveled shoulder thread which could strongly withstand bending load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effects of tea polyphenols (TP) dip treatment on the physical and chemical characteristics of dried-seasoned squid (Dosidicus gigas) during storage at 25 °C were assessed. After the storage, the b* value increased significantly, while the free amino acids (FAA) including Ser, Gly, Arg, Tyr and Lys, and the dominant reducing sugar (RS), lactose, decreased remarkably, which revealed the occurrence of browning reaction in dried-seasoned squid. The progressive conversion of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) and production of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) were found during the entire period of storage. Furthermore, the advantages of reducing moisture loss, inhibiting oxidation of lipids, depressing TMAO breakdown and TVB-N accumulation were observed, while the browning reaction exhibited no significant decrease for the TP samples. These results indicated that the addition of TP could maintain quality of dried-seasoned squid. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Membranes are important in the pharmaceutical industry for the separation of antibiotics and salts. However, its widespread adoption has been hindered by limited control of the membrane microstructure (pore architecture and free‐volume elements), separation threshold, scalability, and operational stability. In this study, 4,4′,4′′,4′′′‐methanetetrayltetrakis(benzene‐1,2‐diamine) (MTLB) as prepared as a molecular building block for fabricating thin‐film composite membranes (TFCMs) via interfacial polymerization. The relatively large molecular size and rigid molecular structure of MTLB, along with its non‐coplanar and distorted conformation, produced thin and defect‐free selective layers (~27 nm) with ideal microporosities for antibiotic desalination. These structural advantages yielded an unprecedented high performance with a water permeance of 45.2 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and efficient antibiotic desalination (NaCl/adriamycin selectivity of 422). We demonstrated the feasibility of the industrial scaling of the membrane into a spiral‐wound module (with an effective area of 2.0 m2). This module exhibited long‐term stability and performance that surpassed those of state‐of‐the‐art membranes used for antibiotic desalination. This study provides a scientific reference for the development of high‐performance TFCMs for water purification and desalination in the pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membranes are important in the pharmaceutical industry for the separation of antibiotics and salts. However, its widespread adoption has been hindered by limited control of the membrane microstructure (pore architecture and free‐volume elements), separation threshold, scalability, and operational stability. In this study, 4,4′,4′′,4′′′‐methanetetrayltetrakis(benzene‐1,2‐diamine) (MTLB) as prepared as a molecular building block for fabricating thin‐film composite membranes (TFCMs) via interfacial polymerization. The relatively large molecular size and rigid molecular structure of MTLB, along with its non‐coplanar and distorted conformation, produced thin and defect‐free selective layers (~27 nm) with ideal microporosities for antibiotic desalination. These structural advantages yielded an unprecedented high performance with a water permeance of 45.2 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and efficient antibiotic desalination (NaCl/adriamycin selectivity of 422). We demonstrated the feasibility of the industrial scaling of the membrane into a spiral‐wound module (with an effective area of 2.0 m2). This module exhibited long‐term stability and performance that surpassed those of state‐of‐the‐art membranes used for antibiotic desalination. This study provides a scientific reference for the development of high‐performance TFCMs for water purification and desalination in the pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystalline porous materials (CPMs), including covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), are promising materials for advanced separation technologies. However, the challenge of transforming nanoscale CPMs into large‐area functional membranes hinders their application in the membrane separation process. Herein, a self‐standing pure COF (TpPa‐1) nanofiber membrane with high crystallinity, good flexibility, excellent mechanical properties, and scalability is prepared using an electrospinning process and polymer sacrificial template strategy. Subsequently, the COF nanofiber membrane is innovatively used to replace traditional inorganic discs, metal meshes, and polymer membranes as porous supports, and the COF–MOF composite CPM membrane is prepared through the tailorable and confined growth of zeolite imidazolium salt frame‐8 (ZIF‐8) on the surface of the COF membrane and in the gaps of the COF nanofibers. The COF–MOF composite membrane exhibits excellent permeability and significantly enhances separation selectivity for organic dyes. Moreover, MOF and COF form an interpenetrating network structure, and their similar chemical properties improve the interfacial stability between the two phases, giving the COF–MOF composite membrane good long‐term separation performance. This is the first self‐standing composite CPM membrane with excellent molecular sieving performance, which provides new insights into the design of high‐performance and robust composite membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Proposes a kind of high-pressure sealed preventing shoulder protruding (HPS-PSP) structure packer. • The comparison between theory and experiment verifies the accuracy of the model calculation results. • The optimization analysis of the structural parameters of the packer rubber is carried out. • The HPS-PSP packer effectively solves solves the problem of shoulder convexity and low sealing pressure of the original structure. Shale gas is a kind of unconventional oil and gas resources that can be exploited in shale strata. According to the evaluation of oil and gas resources carried out by the ministry of land and resources of China, the geological resources of shallow shale gas with a depth of 4500 m are 122 trillion cubic meters. However, the overall geological conditions of shale gas in China are complex and the buried depth is too large. For deep shale gas wells with vertical depth of more than 3500 m, problems such as shoulder protruding, tearing, crushing and insufficient sealing performance of rubber tube are caused by high-pressure fracturing. Aiming at the above problems, proposes a high-pressure sealed preventing shoulder protruding (HPS-PSP) structure packer. Based on the deformation theory of rubber tube, the finite element calculation model of packer tube under the setting condition was established. The influence of the thickness of the prevent shoulder protruding ring and the height of the trapezoidal ring groove and the length of the trapezoidal upper base on the sealing performance of the rubber tube were analyzed. The results show that: The HPS-PSP packer can effectively solve the problems of protrusion of rubber tube shoulder and insufficient sealing performance, and the contact pressure increases by 60.1% compared with the conventional one. The research work provides a method to improve the sealing performance of packer rubber, which is of great significance to improve the applicability of packer in deep shale gas fracturing operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed-matrix membrane (MMM) is an effective way to overcome trade-off limitations of conventional polymeric membranes. However, the existence of defect voids at the polymer/filler interface often limits their performance improvement. Similar issues are also present in thermally rearranged polybenzoxazole (TR-PBO)-derived MMMs. To address this challenge, the selection of fillers is of great importance. Herein, a novel organic porous nanosphere (TC-cPSB), which is prepared by the polycondensation of 9,9-bis(4-aminophenyl) fluorene (BAFL) and terephthalaldehyde (TPAL) followed by thermal crosslinking, is chosen to engineer the polymer/filler interface. Benefiting from strong intermolecular interaction (π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding), the TC-cPSB nanosphere can well disperse in TR-PBO matrix with a defect-free interface. With an increase in TC-cPSB loading, well-designed MMMs exhibit a significant "anti-trade-off" phenomenon whereby gas permeability and selectivity increase simultaneously, following the trend predicted by the Maxwell model. Compared with TR-PBO membrane, the MMM containing 15 wt% of nanosphere shows an increase of 282% and 217.6% in H 2 /CO 2 selectivity and H 2 permeability, respectively, which is far beyond 2008 Robeson upper bound. Image 1 • TR-PBO/TC-cPSB MMMs were prepared for H 2 purification from the H 2 /CO 2 mixture. • The MMMs simultaneously increased gas permeability and selectivity due to good interfacial compatibility between TC-cPSB and TR-PBO. • TR-PBO/TC-cPSB-15 presented separation performance with 312.5 barrer of H 2 permeability and 5.35 of H 2 /CO 2 selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO)-based nanofiltration membranes, featuring well-ordered microscopic structure, well-defined 2D nanochannels and superior molecular sieving ability, have attracted sustained research interest in molecular and ionic separation. However, most of current GO laminar membrane have a poor water flux and high rejection of both dyes and salts, which is not suitable for the dye/salt mixture separation. Herein, we report a vacuum filtration strategy to fabricate GO/NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 nanofiltration membranes with high water flux and excellent separation performance for dye/salts mixture by introducing NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4. The NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 is not only worked as the rigid spherical nanospacer to tune GO interlayer spacing but also as crosslinkers to improve the stability of GO membrane in water. FTIR, XRD, SEM, zeta potential and contact angle were applied to analyze the chemical composition and morphology of as-prepared membranes. The effect of intercalated NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles on overall performance of the GO/NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 membranes was systematically investigated. The resulted membrane with 8 wt% of NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 loading has high water flux of up to 78 Lm−2 h−1, which is 4.8 times higher than that of pure GO membrane. Moreover, such membrane also displays high congo red rejection (94%) and low NaCl rejection (~15%), rendering the membranes promising for dye/salt mixtures separation. Intercalated NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 can simultaneously tune the GO interlayer spacing and improve the stability of GO membrane in water. Unlabelled Image • GO/NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 membranes were prepared for dye/salt mixture separation. • NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 can simultaneously tune interlayer spacing and improve membrane stability. • GO/NH 2 -Fe 3 O 4 -8 membrane has high water flux and CR rejection but low NaCl rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Packer rubber thermal aging experiments were carried out and the setting model of packer rubber tube was established. • It was pointed out that the Yeoh model was more suitable for the material constitutive of the packer tube under high temperature conditions. • Analyzed the sealing performance and strength behavior of packer in high temperature condition. • Sensitivity analysis of packer rubber key parameters was carried out. With the exploration and development of high temperature oil and gas wells, high temperature working conditions have gradually become the new normal state of drilling and completion engineering. Due to the high temperature, the failure of the packer rubber seal and the crushing seriously affect the normal development of oil and gas fields. This paper, aiming at the seal failure of rubber tude at high temperature, the parameters of the constitutive model of rubber tude were studied through the rubber thermal aging experiments. And the finite element calculation model of the packer under the sitting condition was established. The effect of temperature load on the sealing performance and strength behavior of packer rubber was studied. The effect of key parameters of the rubber tube-casing gap δ , the dip angle α of the adjacent rubber tube contact surface and the initial setting load on the sealing performance of the packer under high temperature conditions were analyzed. The findings show that the Yeoh model is more suitable to describe the high temperature material constitutive structure of the packer tube; At high temperature, the larger the gap δ is, the worse the packer sealing performance is; While 12–24° for angle α , sealing performance is better; The suggested initial setting limit load for packer rubber tube safety seal is 68–76 kN. The research work in this paper is of great significance to the design of packer rubber tube structure and its adaptability to high temperature conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by biological membranes with charge-gated channels that allow the transport of water and ions but restrict the undesired substances, various regulated nanofiltration (NF) membranes containing charge-gated channels have been developed for water purification. However, most of these membranes are mono-charged (positively or negatively) that show high rejection only to the corresponding co-ions but low rejection to the counter-ions, which limits their wider applications. Herein, we report NF membranes with gas-tunable charge-gated channels and high rejection to different salts on demand. The membranes are prepared by assembling a CO 2 -responsive polymer, poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate), on the surface of graphene oxide (GO). As a result of CO 2 -induced reversal of the charge sign, the membranes exhibit "self-regulation" of their surface charges. Upon bubbling CO 2 into water, the membranes are positively charged, which shows high rejection to MgCl 2. After bubbling Ar to remove CO 2 , the membranes gradually transform to negatively charged, and high rejection to Na 2 SO 4 is obtained. This study demonstrates the gas-tunable charge-gated ion transport behavior of the CO 2 -responsive NF membranes, and opens up new avenues for the design of on-demand NF membranes. New nanofiltration membranes exhibit on-demand switchable rejections toward cations and anions with the participation and departure of CO 2. Image 1 • New nanofiltration membrane was built with graphene oxide and CO 2 -responsive polymer. • The surface of nanopores can be reversibly switched between opposite charged state. • Charge sign can easily be reversed in a robust and contamination-free manner. • Ion transport behavior was dominated with the participation and departure of CO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rituximab resistance is one of the great challenges in the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but relevant biomarkers and signalling pathways remain to be identified. Coptis chinensis and its active ingredients have antitumour effects; thus, the potential bioactive compounds and mechanisms through which Coptis chinensis acts against rituximab-resistant DLBCL are worth exploring. To elucidate the core genes involved in rituximab-resistant DLBCL and the potential therapeutic targets of candidate monomers of Coptis chinensis. Using the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), the Similarity Ensemble Approach and Swiss Target Prediction, the main ingredients and pharmacological targets of Coptis chinensis were identified through database searches. Through the overlap between the pharmacological targets of Coptis chinensis and the core targets of rituximab-resistant DLBCL, we identified the targets of Coptis chinensis against rituximab-resistant DLBCL and constructed an active compound-target interaction network. The targets and their corresponding active ingredients of Coptis chinensis against rituximab-resistant DLBCL were molecularly docked. Berberine, quercetin, epiberberine and palmatine, the active components of Coptis chinensis, have great potential for improving rituximab-resistant DLBCL via PIK3CG. This study revealed biomarkers and Coptis chinensis-associated molecular functions for rituximab-resistant DLBCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes featuring uniform topological structures and devisable functions, show huge potential in water purification and molecular separation. Nevertheless, the inability of uniform COF membranes to be produced on an industrial scale and their nonenvironmentally friendly fabrication method are the bottleneck preventing their industrial applications. Herein, we report a new green and industrially adaptable scraping‐assisted interfacial polymerization (SAIP) technique to fabricate scalable and uniform TpPa COF membranes. The process used non‐toxic and low‐volatility ionic liquids (ILs) as organic phase instead of conventional organic solvents for interfacial synthesis of TpPa COF layer on a support membrane, which can simultaneously achieve the purposes of (i) improving the greenness of membrane‐forming process and (ii) fabricating a robust membrane that can function beyond the conventional membranes. This approach yields a large‐area, continuous COF membrane (19×25 cm2) with a thickness of 78 nm within a brief period of 2 minutes. The resulting membrane exhibited an unprecedented combination of high permeance (48.09 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) and antibiotic desalination efficiency (e.g., NaCl/adriamycin separation factor of 41.8), which is superior to the commercial benchmarking membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes featuring uniform topological structures and devisable functions, show huge potential in water purification and molecular separation. Nevertheless, the inability of uniform COF membranes to be produced on an industrial scale and their nonenvironmentally friendly fabrication method are the bottleneck preventing their industrial applications. Herein, we report a new green and industrially adaptable scraping‐assisted interfacial polymerization (SAIP) technique to fabricate scalable and uniform TpPa COF membranes. The process used non‐toxic and low‐volatility ionic liquids (ILs) as organic phase instead of conventional organic solvents for interfacial synthesis of TpPa COF layer on a support membrane, which can simultaneously achieve the purposes of (i) improving the greenness of membrane‐forming process and (ii) fabricating a robust membrane that can function beyond the conventional membranes. This approach yields a large‐area, continuous COF membrane (19×25 cm2) with a thickness of 78 nm within a brief period of 2 minutes. The resulting membrane exhibited an unprecedented combination of high permeance (48.09 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) and antibiotic desalination efficiency (e.g., NaCl/adriamycin separation factor of 41.8), which is superior to the commercial benchmarking membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti-PD-1 immunotherapy has been widely applied in patients with some types of lymphoma. Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL) is highly sensitive to immunotherapy, but non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) does not show a good response. Studies have indicated that haematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) suppresses T cells and reduces antitumour immunity. Therefore, HPK1 inhibitors may restore and elicit antitumour immune responses and are promising candidate drug targets for cancer immunotherapy. We first explored the Gene Expression Profile Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database and predicted that HPK1 expression was increased in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and associated with Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) expression. We investigated whether an HPK1 inhibitor could enhance the tumour response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in NHL and the association between HPK1 and NLRP3 expression. Employing shHPK1 and an inhibitor, we demonstrated that the HPK1 inhibitor increased anti-PD-1-mediated T-cell cytotoxicity in BJAB and WSU-DLCL2 cells cocultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). HPK1 inhibitor treatment increased PD-1, PD-L1, Bax, p53 and NK-kB expression but decreased NLRP3 expression, indicating that the HPK1 inhibitor promoted apoptosis and blocked the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway to affect anti-PD-1-mediated T-cell cytotoxicity. Moreover, the HPK1 inhibitor enhanced the efficiency of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in vivo in a zebrafish xenograft model of NHL. In summary, this study provides evidence that an HPK1 inhibitor enhanced the tumour response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in NHL by promoting apoptosis and blocking the NLRP3 pathway. These findings provide a potential therapeutic option for NHL combining HPK1 inhibitor treatment and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporation of GO/PANI could enhance anticorrosion performance of WEP coating by synergetic effects between GO and PANI. • The prepared GO/PANI possesses an outstanding dispersibility in waterborne coatings. • The GO/PANI has excellent electrochemical properties and can significantly block the small molecules. • The preparation of GO/PANI/WEP coating is very simple. • The GO/PANI/WEP coating plays a remarkable anti-corrosion performance. • The GO/PANI/WEP coating is environmentally friendly owing to low volatile organic content. We reported the moderate synthesis of graphene oxide/polyaniline composite (GO/PANI) via in-situ polymerization. The Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that strong π-π interactions occurred between GO and PANI. The as-prepared composite showed the excellent water dispersion ability, remarkable electrochemical properties, outstanding water barrier effect and thermal stability, which made them appropriate as a corrosion inhibitor for waterborne anticorrosion coatings. Compared with pure waterborne epoxy (WEP) coating, the prepared GO/PANI/WEP coatings exhibited remarkably reinforced anticorrosion performances, which were confirmed by the results of the polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The superior anticorrosion performances of GO/PANI/WEP coatings were mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of GO as the physical barrier and PANI as the conducting polymers. The strategy for in-situ polymerization of PANI on the GO provides an effective method to develop other GO/conducting polymers composites for the further applications in waterborne anticorrosion coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its quite high theoretical specific-energy density, FeF2 nanomaterial is a good candidate for the cathode material of high-energy lithium-ion batteries. The preparation of FeF2 nanomaterial is very important for its application. At present, the preparation process mostly involves high temperature and an inert atmosphere, which need special or expensive devices. It is very important to seek a low-temperature and mild method, without the need for high temperature and inert atmosphere, for the preparation and following application of FeF2 nanomaterial. This article reports a novel sugar-assisted solvothermal method in which the FeF3∙3H2O precursor is reduced into FeF2 nanomaterial by carbon derived from the dehydration and condensation of sugar. The obtained FeF2 nanomaterials are irregular granules of about 30 nm, with inner pores inside each granule. Electrochemical tests show the FeF2 nanomaterial's potential as a lithium-ion battery cathode material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron(II) fluoride (FeF2) is a promising candidate as the cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its quite high theoretical energy density compared with the commercial cathode materials like LiCoO2 and its abundance. However, the actual energy density of various FeF2 materials nowadays is lower than the theoretical one. The actual energy density is largely determined by its conversion process, in which the transportation and migration of lithium ion (Li+) and electron play a vital role. The completeness of the Li+ and electron transport determines the completeness of the conversion process and further determines the capacity, while the ease of Li+ migration determines the conversion potential. This review is divided into four parts to introduce the Li+ and electron transport, from the aspects of barrier, stability, constructing method, and influence factors, in various existing "FeF2 materials-electrolyte" systems. The four parts are Li+ and electron transport or Li+ migration within a FeF2 particle, electron transport between FeF2 particles, Li+ transport from the electrolyte to FeF2, and the amount of Li+ that can transport. Finally, several points on optimizing the "FeF2 materials-electrolyte" systems with superior Li+ and electron transport are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We evaluate cost‐effectiveness of primary treatments for localised prostate cancer by uniquely combining prospectively collected real‐world outcomes and costs from UCSF Cancer of Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE™). Methods: Markov models assessed cost‐effectiveness of radical prostatectomy (RP), brachytherapy, electron beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy with EBRT by risk from US payers perspective over 8 years. Treatment costs included office visits, hospitalisation, procedures, medication and long‐term care. Patients' surveyed HRQoL were mapped into utilities. Incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios (ICERs) used cost per quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) and willingness‐to‐pay of $150,000/QALY. Results: Cost‐effectiveness analysis (CEA) showed for low‐risk prostate cancer, EBRT dominated the lowest cost brachytherapy, but RPns and brachytherapy plus EBRT were cost‐effective compared to brachytherapy with ICERs of $18,926 and $41,662 per QALY. In medium‐risk patients, RP, EBRT and brachytherapy plus EBRT all were cost‐effective compared with brachytherapy, with ICERs of $30,604, $22,588 and $21,627/QALY. In high‐risk, brachytherapy dominated all treatments. Procedure cost and utility are driving ICER, but probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed the model was robust across variables. Conclusion: This first CEA combining prospective real‐world evidence for HRQOL outcomes with costs shows cost‐effectiveness of treatments vary by risk groups, providing new evidence for treatment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Thermal crosslinked alkynyl-based polyimide membrane (EBPA-TB-TC) showed high thermal stability and increased microporosity. • EBPA-TB-TC membrane exhibited He permeability (61.14 Barrer) and He/N 2 selectivity (72.78). • EBPA-TB-TC membrane demonstrated excellent anti-aging performance. Membrane separation technology plays a critical role in the utilization of helium (He) resources. Yet, the performance of current polymer membranes is hindered by a trade-off between permeability and selectivity, as well as by physical aging. Solving these problems is vitally crucial for the industrial application of He separation. This study reported controllable thermal crosslinking of alkynyl-based polyimide membrane (EBPA-TB-TC) to improve He permeability and anti-aging performance. The resulting covalently crosslinked structures conferred thermal and chemical stability to the membranes, as well as increased microporosity. It led to a notable 'anti-trade-off' effect and improved anti-aging characteristics. An optimized EBPA-TB-TC membrane exhibited a superior combination with a He permeability of 61.14 Barrer and an He/N 2 selectivity of 72.78. Crucially, mixed-gas He/N 2 (1:1, 50/50) separation results over 50 days revealed minimal reductions in He permeability (1.34 %) and He/N 2 selectivity (2.95 %), indicating fantastic anti-aging performance. These findings demonstrated the significant potential of thermally cross-linked EBPA-TB-TC membrane in long-term stable helium separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we focused on the effective disposal of radioactive wastewater through the development of nanofiltration membranes using biomass materials. We developed functionalized nanofilms using a bio-derived polymer for the decontamination of nuclear wastewater. The synthesis involved a straightforward interfacial polymerization (IP) process, followed by post-functionalization with polyethyleneimine (PEI). We investigated the impact of curdlan self-assembly on membrane separation performance, both pre- and post-IP reaction. Simultaneous self-assembly of curdlan and PEI grafting led to membranes exhibiting superior separation performance. By manipulating PEI molecular weights, we optimized the membranes' physicochemical properties, leading to superior separation efficiency. As a result, exceptional rejections of Co2+, Sr2+, and Cs+ ions were achieved, with rejection rates reaching 95.5 %, 93.7 %, and 92.54 %, respectively. Furthermore, long-term stability experiments validated the membrane's potential for purifying nuclear wastewater. These findings hold promise for the application of biomaterial-based membranes in the treatment of radioactive nuclear wastewater. [Display omitted] • Curdlan with self-assembly properties was applied as an aqueous phase to regulate the interfacial polymerization process. • Polyethyleneimine (PEI) post-functionalization were introduced to tune the surface charge and pore size of the TFC membranes. • The novel positively-charged TFC membranes exhibited excellent nuclear wastewater sieving ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current literatures suggest a growing body of evidence highlighting the pivotal role of Immunogenic Cell Death (ICD) in multiple tumor types. Nevertheless, the potential and mechanisms of ICD in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remain inadequately studied. To address this gap, our current study aims to examine the impact of ICD on DLBCL and identify a corresponding gene signature in DLBC. Using the expression profiles of ICD-associated genes, the gene expression omnibus (GEO) samples were segregated into ICD-high and ICD-low subtypes utilizing non-negative matrix factorization clustering. Next, univariate and LASSO Cox regression analyses were employed to establish the ICD-related gene signature. Subsequently, the CIBERSORT tool, ssGSEA, and ESTIMATE algorithm were utilized to examine the association between the signature and tumor immune microenvironment of DLBC. Finally, the oncoPredict algorithm was implemented to evaluate the drug sensitivity prediction of DLBCL patients. These findings suggest that the immune microenvironment of the ICD-high group with a poor prognosis was significantly suppressed. An 8-gene ICD-related signature was identified and validated to prognosticate and evaluate the tumor immune microenvironment in DLBCL. Similarly, the high-risk group exhibited a worse prognosis compared to the low-risk group, and the immune function was considerably suppressed. Moreover, the results of oncoPredict algorithm indicated that patients in the high-risk group exhibited higher sensitivity to Cisplatin, Cytarabine, Epirubicin, Oxaliplatin, and Vincristine with low IC50. In conclusion, the present study provides novel insights into the role of ICD in DLBCL by identifying a new biomarker for the disease and may have implications for the development of immune-targeted therapies for the tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is recognized as one of the most important pathogens of swine and poses a serious threat to the swine industry worldwide. Available commercial vaccines fail to protect against the emergence of new PRV strains. Therefore, the new protein targets against PRV highlight the urgent need for uncovering the molecular determinants of host cellular proteins following PRV infection. Interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) demonstrates an outstanding antiviral response. However, the molecular mechanism of ISG15 that affects PRV replication is incompletely known. Here, we performed a tandem mass tag (TMT)-based approach to quantitatively identify protein expression changes in PRV-infected ISG15 knockout PK15 (ISG15−/−-PK15) cells. In total, 4958 proteins were identified by using TMT coupled with LC-MS/MS in this study. In the PRV- and mock-infected groups, 241 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified, 162 upregulated and 79 downregulated proteins at 24 h post-infection (hpi), among which AFP, Vtn, Hsp40, Herc5, and Mccc1 may play important roles in PRV propagation. To ensure the validity and reliability of the proteomics data, the randomly selected DEPs were verified by RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis, and the results were consistent with the TMT results. Bioinformatics analyses further demonstrated that the DEPs are mainly involved in various biological processes and signaling pathways, such as signal transduction, the digestive system, and the PI3K-AKT pathway. These findings may provide new insight into molecular mechanisms for PRV infection, which is helpful for identifying potential protein targets for antiviral agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important epigenetic regulators, which play critical roles in diverse physiological and pathological processes. However, the regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs in lung carcinogenesis remains elusive. Here, we characterized a novel oncogenic lncRNA, designated as Lung Cancer Associated Transcript 3 (LCAT3). Methods: We predicted and validated LCAT3 by analyzing RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data of lung cancer tissues from TCGA. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation was performed to assess m6A modification on LCAT3. The LCAT3-FUBP1-MYC axis was assessed by dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation and Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Signaling pathways altered by LCAT3 knockdown were identified using RNA-seq. Furthermore, the mechanism of LCAT3 was investigated using loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays in vivo and in vitro. Results: LCAT3 was found to be up-regulated in lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD), and its over-expression was associated with the poor prognosis of LUAD patients. LCAT3 upregulation is attributable to N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification mediated by methyltransferase like 3 (METTL3), leading to LCAT3 stabilization. Biologically, loss-of-function assays revealed that LCAT3 knockdown significantly suppressed lung cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. LCAT3 knockdown induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase. Mechanistically, LCAT3 recruited Far Upstream Element Binding Protein 1 (FUBP1) to the MYC far-upstream element (FUSE) sequence, thereby activating MYC transcription to promote proliferation, survival, invasion and metastasis of lung cancer cells. Conclusions: Taken together, we identified and characterized LCAT3 as a novel oncogenic lncRNA in the lung, and validated the LCAT3-FUBP1-MYC axis as a potential therapeutic target for LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness and safety of Montgomery T-tube placement in treating Cotton-Myer IV subglottic airway atresia after bi-level airway recanalization. Methods. This study is a retrospective study. 11 patients who were treated for IV subglottic airway atresia between January 2017 and January 2019 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University were involved in this study. The 11 patients all had undergone tracheotomies at our hospital, and they were transferred to the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine for Montgomery T-tube placement after bi-level airway recanalization when their subglottic airway was atretic. Patients were observed for their clinical manifestations after placement. The effectiveness of T-tube placement after bi-level airway recanalization was assessed. The incidence of short-term and long-term complications after surgery was assessed. Patients were followed up for 3 to 24 months for evaluating their airway recovery. Results. T-tubes were successfully placed in 11 patients. The atretic airways of all patients were recanalized after treatment. Eight patients got restoration of vocal ability, and 3 patients could only say simple words. None of the patients needed assisted oxygen inhalation. The SpO2 average level was increased from 95 ± 2 % before treatment to 97 ± 3 % after treatment. Patients had significant relief of cough or sputum, and they had less difficulty in dyspnea. All short- or long-term complications were self-relieved or controlled without further malignant progression after treatment by doctors. The average postoperative extubating time was (14.86 ± 3.62) months. Conclusion. The application of Montgomery T-tube placement in treating Cotton-Myer IV subglottic airway atresia after bi-level airway recanalization is well effective and safe for patients, and it can be promoted in clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless control downhole throttle is designed to control the opening of downhole throttle remotely by ground pressure wave signal to regulate downhole production in a wireless and intelligent manner. The throttle's production regulation capability and the noise immunity of the signal receiver are the key factors affecting the reliability of the throttle operation. Based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) theory, the flow field of downhole throttle is simulated numerically to study the flow resistance characteristics of wireless control downhole throttle and the stability of flow field at signal receiver. Finally, the field test proves that the tool achieves the design capacity of production regulation and can accurately receive signals to regulate downhole production in a wireless and intelligent manner. The research content of this paper provides theoretical and experimental basis for the further improvement and optimization of the wireless control downhole throttle's structure and has certain guiding significance for the field use of the throttle, achieving the purpose of downhole wireless intelligent production adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through rational integration of ZIF-8@GO and PEDM, membrane separation performance can pass the Robeson's upper. • PEDM/ZIF-8@GO mixed matrix membranes were prepared for CO 2 removal from N 2. • Reaction time of ZIF-8@GO plays an important role in determining gas separation performance of MMMs. • PEDM/ZIF-8@GO-6-6 had CO 2 permeability of 475 Barrer and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 58.2. In this study, a facile and scalable in situ growth method was used to synthesize ZIF-8@GO composites. The obtained ZIF-8@GO were blended with a CO 2 -philic, comb copolymer yielding a series of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), which were evaluated for their performance in separation of CO 2 /N 2. The effect of reaction time for ZIF-8@GO composites on gas separation performance was systematically investigated. Pure and mixture gas permeation tests indicated that MMM with ZIF-8@GO by in situ growth for 6 h exhibited the largest improvement (CO 2 permeability: 475 Barrer and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity: 58.2) compared with pure polymers, with the overall CO 2 /N 2 separation performance exceeding the 2008 polymer upper bound. Our strategy that the in situ growth of ZIF-8 on GO provides an effective way to design MMMs with well filler dispersion, structural features and separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is related to inflammation, and the lncRNA H19 is associated with inflammation. However, whether PDGF-BB-H19-let-7b-AT1R axis contributes to the pathogenesis of PAH has not been thoroughly elucidated to date. This study investigated the role of H19 in PAH and its related mechanism.Methods: In the present study, SD rats, C57/BL6 mice and H19-/- mice were injected with monocrotaline (MCT) to establish a PAH model. H19 was detected in the cytokine-stimulated pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), serum and lungs of rats/mice. H19 overexpression and knockdown experiments were also conducted. A dual luciferase reporter assay was used to explore whether let-7b is a sponge miRNA of H19, and AT1R is a novel target of let-7b. A CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry were used to analyse cell proliferation.Results: The results showed that H19 was highly expressed in the serum and lungs of MCT-induced rats/mice, and H19 was upregulated by PDGF-BB in vitro. H19 upregulated AT1R expression via sponging miRNA let-7b following PDGF-BB stimulation. AT1R is a novel target of let-7b. Moreover, the overexpression of H19 and AT1R could facilitate PASMCs proliferation in vitro. H19 knockout protected mice from pulmonary artery remodeling and PAH following MCT treatment.Conclusion: Our study showed that H19 is highly expressed in MCT-induced rodent lungs and upregulated by PDGF-BB. The H19-let-7b-AT1R axis contributed to the pathogenesis of PAH by stimulating PASMCs proliferation. The H19 knockout had a protective role in the development of PAH. H19 may be a potential tar-get for the treatment of PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalysis based on optically active, “plasmonic” metal nanoparticles has emerged as a promising approach to facilitate light-driven chemical conversions under far milder conditions than thermal catalysis. However, an understanding of the relation between thermal and electronic excitations has been lacking. We report the substantial light-induced reduction of the thermal activation barrier for ammonia decomposition on a plasmonic photocatalyst. We introduce the concept of a light-dependent activation barrier to account for the effect of light illumination on electronic and thermal excitations in a single unified picture. This framework provides insight into the specific role of hot carriers in plasmon-mediated photochemistry, which is critically important for designing energy-efficient plasmonic photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects and possible mechanisms of oldhamianoside on the growth of human ovarian cancer both in vitro and in vivo. Materials and methods: CCK-8 assay was applied to estimate the effect of oldhamianoside on cell proliferation inhibition in vitro. Nude mice bearing human ovarian SKOV3 xenograft tumors were treated with oldhamianoside to investigate the effects of compound administration on tumor growth in vivo. To further investigate the mechanisms of inhibition effects of oldhamianoside on ovarian cancer growth in vivo, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1 in plasma from the mice were measured by ELISA. Western blot was used to detect the expression of angiogenesis- and/or apoptosis-related proteins. Results: We found that oldhamianoside treatment inhibited SKOV3 proliferation and growth both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1 in plasma were markedly suppressed in oldhamianoside-treated mice. Additionally, oldhamianoside treatment inhibited the expression of VEGF and VEGFR2 and decreased the expression of caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Conclusion: Our data indicate that oldhamianoside has an obvious inhibition effect on SKOV3 proliferation, and the mechanisms might be related to inhibition of cell growth, apoptosis induction, and adjusting the inflammatory response and angiogenesis signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes synthesized by introducing nanofillers into a polyamide layer have attracted increasing attentions. However, due to the aggregation of the nanofillers, the fabricated TFN membranes inevitably suffer from a reduced stability. In this work, a novel nanofiltration (NF) selective layer with in-situ formed ZIF-8 was fabricated by an integrated vacuum filtration and interfacial polymerization (IP) method. The d -spacing of MXene nanosheets could be well tailored by controlling the content of in-situ formed ZIF-8 nanoparticles, thus optimizing the surface morphology and chemical composition of the as-prepared NF membrane. The highly hydrophilic MXene nanosheets and controllable ZIF-8 size enabled the molecular sieving ability of the selective layer. Compared with the pristine thin film composite membrane, the optimal membrane exhibited an excellent pure water permeability up to 40.8 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 while maintaining high rejections (>99.0 %) for Congo red, reactive blue 19, xylene brilliant cyaninG250 and methyl blue, respectively. Furthermore, the membranes preserved low salt rejections for Na 2 SO 4 , NaCl, MgSO 4 and MgCl 2. This novel fabrication strategy provides new insights to augment the interlayer distance of 2D nanosheets and broadens the prospects to employ nanofillers inside a membrane matrix for efficient dye/salt separation. [Display omitted] • 2D MXene nanosheets were supplied as nanofillers and blockers on membranes surface though a 0D/2D heterojunction structure. • The d-spacing of MXene were further turned by an in-situ growth of ZIF-8 nanoparticles. • The aggregation of ZIF-8 nanoparticles was avoided. • The membranes exhibit excellent separation performance for dye/salt mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheological properties of a β-(1,3)- d -glucan (GLP20) from the fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum in water at different concentrations were studied with a strain controlled ARES Rheometer at 25 °C. The intrinsic viscosity was measured by Ubbelohde viscometer and estimated to be 1248.05 mL/g from the mean of both intercepts by plotting η sp /c and ln η rel /c against concentration. Shear-thinning behavior occurred at lower concentrations and very low critical shear rates. The zero shear specific viscosity ( η sp,0 ) was plotted against the coil overlap parameter (c[ η ]) and the slopes of the lines in the dilute and semi-dilute regimes were found to be 1.23 and 4.19, respectively. The critical concentration (c ∗ ) was determined to be about 0.79 g/L, which was much lower than that of general disordered polymers. This may be due to the stiff chain conformation of GLP20. The results from dynamic experiments revealed that GLP20 in pure water displayed liquid-like behavior at low concentrations (≤0.5%) and could form weak gels with the increase of concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:Actin-binding protein capping protein gelsolin-like (CapG) was preferentially expressed in human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) under hypoxia, and reduced CapG expression was accompanied by impaired migration ability in vitro. We intended to investigate the effects of CapG on rat PASMCs and hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH) rat model.Materials and Methods:We investigated the effect of RNA interference-medicated down-regulation of CapG expression in rat PASMCs as well as in HPH rat model. The proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of PASMCs were evaluated. The HPH rat model was established by intratracheal instillation of lentiviral vector and subsequent hypoxia exposure for four weeks. Right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy and the percentage of medial wall thickness were measured to evaluate the development of HPH.Results:Knock-down CapG in PASMCs resulted in decreased proliferation, increased apoptosis and induced cell cycle inhibition. Down-regulation of CapG expression locally could attenuate pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular hypertrophy in HPH rat model.Conclusions:Our study indicated that CapG participated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary vascular remodeling in HPH rats, which was probably mediated by promoting the proliferation and inhibiting the apoptosis of PASMCs. We proposed CapG modulating protective effects of pulmonary hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Recently, long noncoding RNAs(lncRNAs) have been proved to be playing crucial roles in various biological processes, yet their role in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) remains unclear. The aim of the present study is to investigate the lncRNA expression signatures in HPH rat model. Methods Sprague Dawley rats were put in normobaric hypoxic chamber (FIO 2 10%) eight hours a day or similar normoxic chamber for 3 weeks. Microarray was used to analyze the differential expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs between lung tissues of HPH rat model and control group. Dysregulated expression of selected lncRNAs was confirmed by Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) . Results A total of 362 lncRNAs were identified to be significantly differentially expressed, among which 86 were up-regulated and 276 were down-regulated with fold-changes >/=2.0 between the two groups. The qRT-PCR results of lung tissues were in consistent with the microarray data. Conclusions The expression profile of lncRNAs was significantly altered in HPH rat model which may offer new insights into pathogenesis of this disease and could potentially provide novel diagnostic markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PEI/ZIF-67 membranes were prepared for PM removal under high RH and temperature. • PEI/ZIF-67-2 membrane had removal efficiency of 98.68% for PM 2.5 and 99.09% for PM 10. • The membrane showed superior performance under high temperature (200 °C) and RH (90%). Efficient filtration of particulate matter (PM) is the major goal for various air cleaning technologies. However, most existing air filters are conducted at room temperature with a relative humidity (RH) of around 45%, ignoring the fact that many operate under high temperature and RH above 90%. Herein, we report the successful fabrication of a polyetherimide (PEI)/zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (PEI/ZIF-67) nanofibrous membranes using electrospinning technology, which showed steady and high efficiency PM filtration performance under a high temperature of 200 °C and RH of 90%. Compared with pure PEI nanofibrous membranes, the resultant nanofibrous membranes containing 2 wt% of ZIF-67 showed an increase of 112% and 109% in removal efficiency of PM 2.5 and PM 10, respectively, which are attributed to synergistic effects of enhanced surface roughness, strengthened electrostatic interaction and small pore size by the introduction of the ZIF-67. More importantly, after operating under a high RH of 90% over 70 h, the removal efficiency of such PEI/ZIF-67 nanofibrous membranes remained almost unchanged. Density functional theory calculations suggested that the ZIF could efficiently reduce water adsorption and thereby avoid the PEI being damaged by water. Such a finding demonstrated that the ZIFs should be promising candidates for designing highly stable nanofibrous membranes under extremely high RH and high temperature conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The correlation between TMAO decomposition and radical production was evaluated. [•] Free radicals in squid extract were analysed by ESR. [•] Amminium radical was involved in the decomposition of TMAO to DMA and FA in jumbo squid during thermal processing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]