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Nuclear facilities generate large amounts of contaminated stainless steel metallic material during maintenance and decommissioning. As a new radioactive decontamination method, the self-brittle decontamination method has the advantages of fewer secondary contaminants and can be operated remotely mechanically. The addition of a certain amount of corrosive components to the self-brittlement composite decontaminant can achieve the dual function of self-brittlement and corrosion decontamination. The performance of the decontaminant was investigated by single-factor experiments using electrochemical tests, morphological observations, and weight loss tests. The results show that the decontaminant has good self-embrittlement. When the concentration of HCl is 2.50 mol/L, HNO3 is 3.50 mol/L, NaCl is 0.10 mol/L, and FeCl3 is 0.15 mol/L, the decontaminant is formulated to have the best corrosion and decontamination effect on stainless steel. The detergent will produce a uniform corrosion layer on the surface of stainless steel, and the average corrosion depth can reach 8.3268 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five simulation models of chloroprene rubber (CR)/polyurethane (PU) with different composition ratios (9/1, 8/2, 7/3, 6/4, 5/5) are constructed and simulated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The effects of PU content on blend compatibility and mechanical properties are investigated using solubility parameters, the Flory–Huggins interaction parameter, binding energy, glass transition temperature, and the radial distribution function. The objectives of this study are to develop a computational model based on MD techniques to investigate the compatibility and mechanical properties of CR/PU blends. The results of the solubility parameter indicated that PU has good miscibility with CR. The analysis of interaction parameters, binding energy, glass transition temperature, and radial distribution function show that CR/PU blends with mass ratios of 9/1, 8/2, and 7/3 have good compatibility. Moreover, the analyses of binding energy, pair correlation function, and radial distribution function reveal the reasons for the variation in mechanical properties of the blend systems. Additionally, the correctness of the calculation model and the results are verified by experimental tests and analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we developed a facile, ultrafast, and solvent-free polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating method triggered by plasma for ultrathin coating on various nanostructured substrates at room temperature. During plasma treatment, the monomers in the bulk elastomer were excited and deposited on the surrounding substrates. The whole coating process can be completed within 15 s at room temperature, without the use of any solvent, demonstrating its green, energy-saving, and sustainable nature. The coated material and the underlying mechanism were investigated in detail by various characterization methods, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), mass spectrometry, and water static contact angle, fluorescence and electrochemical measurements, as well as simulation. The obtained PDMS coating was ultrathin, uniform, crack-free and quite stable, and was applied to the nanochannel membrane for molecular separation based on polarity. Thanks to the ultrasmall thickness and crack-free properties, a significant high flux as well as high selectivity was achieved. Furthermore, the ultrathin crack-free PDMS coating was also applied for the sealing of the nanochannel membrane for the controlled release of tripyridine ruthenium under acidic conditions. The developed green method would be potentially applied for coating of other polymers on various substrates and shows application in separation, sensing, surface modification, and protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Preparation of the self-embrittle corrosive bifunctional detergent based on the RAFT one-pot method that can be used for corrosive deep decontamination of surface layers of stainless steel. • The recorded data set was used for the optimization of response surface methodology (RSM) model. • Four different types of machine learning were trained and measured, and their accuracy was evaluated. • The detergent was prepared in a simple way to facilitate large-scale applications. Nuclear facilities generate lots of contaminated stainless steel metallic material during maintenance and decommissioning. As a new radioactive decontamination method, the self-embrittle decontamination method has the advantage of less secondary contaminants and being able to operate machinery remotely. Adding a certain amount of corrosive components to the self-embrittle compound detergent can achieve the dual functions of self-embrittlement and corrosive decontamination. It was used to optimized the response surface methodology (RSM) and train and evaluate four different machine learning models by the recorded data set. The purpose of the analysis was to quantify the accuracy of the corrosion decontamination effect of RSM model and four types of machine learning model. The results exhibits that the long short-term memory neural network (LSTM) model performs well. The prepared detergent can achieve the average corrosion depth of 5.9454 μm on stainless steel, which can satisfy the corrosion decontamination of radioactively contaminated stainless steel surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin-orbital coupling (SOC) effect and magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of 13-atom Fe-Pt, Co-Pt and Ni-Pt clusters were investigated by density functional theory. The result shows that the Fe-Pt system has a higher MAE than Co-Pt and Ni-Pt. In the Fe8Pt5 cluster, the main contribution of MAE comes from SOC interaction between d orbitals around the Fermi level in Pt atoms. The giant positive MAE is mainly due to the SOC interaction between the majority spin states of $ {\textrm{d}_{{x^2}}} $ d x 2 and $ {\textrm{d}_{xy}} $ d x y orbitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is to develop a novel nanocomposites with high gas barrier properties. The permeability is reduced by aligning the magnetic nanoplatelets into a highly oriented manner in brominated butyl rubber (BIIR) latex via a low magnetic field. Iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of montmorillonites (MMTs) modified with γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and octadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (OTAB) to produce m-OMMTs nanocomposites. The morphology and microstructures of the prepared m-OMMTs and m-OMMTs/BIIR highly ordered nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray power diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Systematic characterization demonstrated that APTES was chemically bonded onto MMTs and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and further confirmed the bond formation between Fe 3 O 4 and MMTs platelets, which could ensure the adhesion between the Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and MMT platelets. The modified magnetic MMT nanoplatelets (m-OMMTs) were added into BIIR latex and aligned in a low magnetic field T m =80 mT. Besides, a ellipsoidal shell model was presented to estimate the minimum magnetic field strength for aligning m-OMMTs in BIIR latex. Finally, the helium permeability measurements were performed by GDP-C gas permeation apparatus. It can be observed that the new method was proved very useful to align m-OMMTs embedded in polymer matrix leading to a highly ordered composite with excellent gas barrier properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan has attracted much attention for use in antimicrobial food packaging because of its unique antibacterial properties and excellent film-forming ability. However, its poor barrier properties to UV light and high water-solubility limit its application. In this study, modified cellulose nanofiber was incorporated into chitosan films to improve their UV blocking, physical, and antibacterial properties. Modified cellulose nanofiber was obtained by grafting curcumin to 2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that cellulose was successfully modified. Bio-nanocomposite films composed of chitosan (67–100 wt %) and curcumin grafted TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (CGTOCNF, 0–33 wt %) were prepared using the casting method. Scanning electron microscopy images and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the addition of CGTOCNF noticeably affected the morphology of the composite films, with the crystallinity significantly increasing from 21.93% to 87.15%. Moreover, CGTOCNF incorporation improved the oxidation resistance and UV blocking properties of the composite films compared to pure chitosan films. It is also worth mentioning that all of the composite films have excellent antibacterial activity with CGTOCNF partially replacing chitosan. Furthermore, the water solubility of films decreased with the incorporation of CGTOCNF. However, this study demonstrated that incorporation of CGTOCNF at concentrations greater than 10% resulted in a slight decrease in the water vapor barrier properties and mechanical strength of chitosan films. The findings in this work indicate that the addition of 10% CGTOCNF to chitosan films enhances their physical and antibacterial properties, thus increasing their potential for use in food packaging. Image 1 • Curcumin was grafted into cellulose nanofiber (CGTOCNF) via ester bond. • CGTOCNF incorporation enhanced the UV shielding property of chitosan films. • The composite films had lower water solubility than pure chitosan films. • CGTOCNF did not affect the antibacterial and mechanical properties of films. • The composite films have potential to be used as biodegradable food packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Exposure to 7-ketocholesterol inflicted significant cytotoxicity to CHO cells. • 7-ketocholesterol caused mutagenesis and DNA double-stand breaks in CHO cells. • 7-ketocholesterol led to apoptosis of CHO cells. • Lipid peroxidation was participated in the process of genotoxic response. As an important cholesterol oxide, 7-ketocholesterol plays a deleterious role in the occurrence of cancer. Although the fact had been proved that 7-ketocholesterol could induce several biological phenomena, including apoptosis, DNA damage, et al., this issue whether 7-ketocholesterol led to mutagenesis in mammalian cells remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the major role of lipid peroxidation in the genotoxic response to 7-ketocholesterol in chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The results showed that 7-ketocholesterol induced gene mutation and DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in concentration- and time-dependent manner. After CHO cells were treated with 25 μM 7-ketocholesterol for 48 h, the mutation frequency at hprt gene loci and the level of γ-H2AX protein were both significantly increased. Exposure to 7-ketocholesterol resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in the apoptotic rate and the protein expression of cleaved caspase-3 and -7 in CHO cells. Moreover, a significant increase of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was also observed. Using a inhibitor of lipid peroxidation (butylated hydroxytoluene), it was found to remarkably inhibit the genotoxicity and MDA levels caused by 7-ketocholesterol. These findings indicated that lipid peroxidation was involved in the mutagenic process of 7-ketocholesterol in CHO cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional methods that are used to deal with radioactive surface contamination, which are time-consuming and expensive. As one effective measure of radioactive material purification, strippable coating, which effectively coats the pollutant, and settles them on the surface of objects. However, there are some shortcomings in terms of film formation and peelability, such as a brittle coating and poor peelability. Therefore, in order to meet the treatment methods for radioactive contaminants needs, the strippable coating must have excellent sealing, corrosion resistance, weather resistance, low environmental pollution, short film formation time, and good mechanical properties; in addition, the spraying process should be simple, with moderate adhesion, and it should be capable of being quickly and completely peeled off. In this paper, a ternary system was prepared by pre-emulsion polymerization with butyl-acrylate, methyl methacrylate, acrylic acid as the reactive monomer, sodium dodecyl sulfate as the active agent, potassium persulfate as the initiator, and water as the dispersion medium. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), ICP emission spectrometer, surface tension tester, and universal testing machine were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the composite materials. The results show that the decontaminant can quickly wet the powder particles and the surface pollutants. The sealing efficiency of Fe and Cu was over 90%. After the decontaminant was cured, it could be continuously formed on the surface of different substrates and be completely peeled off, as well as having excellent film formation and peelability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a large number of hydrogen bonds were constructed between B4C particles and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix by means of surface modification to enhance the interaction between the two phases, and highly filled B4C/PVA fibers and their fabrics were successfully prepared by wet spinning technology, which provided both neutron protection and air- and moisture-permeability. The results show that cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is uniformly coated on the surface of B4C particles and alkyl tail entanglement with OP-10, which makes the high-filled B4C particles stable in suspension in PVA spinning solution and stable in spinning process, and the B4C/PVA fibers and their textile fabrics are obtained with up to 50% filling capacity. Neutron protection and air permeability and moisture permeability of textile fabrics need to be provided 50% wt% B4C-CTAB-OP-10/PVA fabrics with a single-layer neutron shielding rate of 49.43%. The present work provides a new solution for wearing comfort and radiation protection safety of the products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The usefulness of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) for patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma with micropapillary (MIP) components remains unclear. We analyzed whether postoperative ACT could reduce recurrence in patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma with MIP components, thereby improving their overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS). Methods: Data for patients with pathologically confirmed stage I lung adenocarcinoma with MIP components from January 2012 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. OS and DFS were analyzed in groups and subgroups. Results: Overall, 259 patients were enrolled. Patients who received ACT in stage IA showed significantly better survival than did those with no‐adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT); (5‐year OS 89.4% vs. 73.6%, p < 0.001; 5‐year DFS 87.2% vs. 66.0%, p = 0.008). A difference was also observed for in‐stage IB patients (5‐year OS 82.0% vs. 51.8%, p = 0.001; 5‐year DFS 76.0% vs. 41.11 %, p = 0.004). In subgroup analysis based on the proportion of MIP components, patients with 1%–5% MIP components had a significantly better prognosis in the ACT group than in the NACT group (5‐year OS 82.4% vs. 66.0%, p = 0.005; 5‐year DFS 76.5% vs. 49.1%, p = 0.032). A similar difference was observed for patients with MIP ≥5% (5‐year OS 80.7% vs. 47.8%, p = 0.009; 5‐year DFS 73.11% vs. 43.5%, p = 0.007). Conclusion: Among patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma with MIP components, those who received ACT showed significant survival benefits compared to those without ACT. Patients with lung adenocarcinoma with MIP components could benefit from ACT when the MIP was ≥1%. The need for patients with Stage I lung adenocarcinoma containing micropapillary (MIP) components to receive adjuvant therapy after surgery is unclear. The results of this study suggest that the presence of MIP components is a significant risk factor for poor prognosis. We found that in patients with Stage I lung adenocarcinoma with MIP components, those who received adjuvant chemotherapy showed significant survival benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pd-UiO-66 with ultra-low Pd loading (0.05 wt%) contains three active Pd species. • Pd 1 -Pd c -Pd n /UiO-66 presents superb performance toward toluene oxidation. • Consecutive atmosphere regulation is the key to Pd 1 -Pd c -Pd n /UiO-66 formation. • Residual N species from solvent enter UiO-66 skeleton forming Pd 1 -N 1 structures. • Synergistic effect of Pd 1 , Pd c , Pd n for toluene oxidation are elucidated by DFT. Supported single-atoms and sub-nanometre clusters have exhibited superb catalytic performance toward many reactions. However, inactivation of single-atom or cluster catalysts in complex reactive conditions poses major challenge for their practical application. Herein, we demonstrate that the prepared Pd-UiO-66 with ultra-low Pd loading (0.05 wt%) contains three robust active Pd species, (isolated Pd atom (Pd 1), sub-nanometre Pd clusters (Pd c) and Pd nanoparticles (Pd n)) and presents superb activity for toluene oxidation and water resistance (10.0 vol%). Experiments and theoretical calculations firstly confirm that consecutive H 2 -O 2 and reaction gas treatment (1000 ppm toluene in 20 vol.%O 2 /Ar) induce residual N species from solvent N, N-dimethylformamide to enter UiO-66 skeleton forming Pd 1 -N 1 structures. DFT calculations reveal that the synergistic effect of Pd species (namely, the enhanced activation of O 2 and H 2 O by Pd 1 and the improved adsorption of toluene by Pd c and Pd n) is the main factor for the excellent activity of Pd-U-H-O-reused catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telomerase is considered a valuable diagnostic and prognostic cancer biomarker. Accurate and reliable detection of telomerase activity is of great value in clinical diagnosis, screening of inhibitors, and therapeutics. Here, we developed a novel amplified fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) nanoprobe for highly sensitive and reliable monitoring of intracellular telomerase activity. The nanoprobe (QDSA@DNA) was composed of a streptavidin-modified quantum dot (QDSA) which was functionalized with a telomerase primer sequence (TP) and Cy5-tagged signal switching sequence (SS) through biotin-streptavidin interaction. When the nanoprobe was assembled, the Cy5 was in close proximity to the QDSA, resulting in high FRET efficiency from the QDSA to Cy5. In the presence of telomerase, the TP could be extended to produce telomeric repeat units, which was complementary to the loop of SS. Thus, the SS could hybridize with elongated sequences to form a rigid double-stranded structure, which forced the Cy5 away from the surface of the QDSA, causing low FRET efficiency. Furthermore, due to the production of multiple repeat units by telomerase, multiple hairpin structures could be opened, yielding significant fluorescence ratio (FQDsa/FCy5) enhancement for sensing of telomerase activity. In this way, the combination of a FRET and target-assisted strategy in a nanoprobe improved the detection accuracy and amplified the detection signal, respectively. The QDSA@DNA nanoprobe also showed high selectivity, excellent nuclease stability, and good biocompatibility. More importantly, this nanoprobe was found to be an excellent platform for efficient monitoring of intracellular telomerase activity, providing a potential platform in tumor diagnosis and screening of telomerase-related inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic hydrated salts possess high latent heat of phase transition and are promising phase change materials (PCMs). However, the issues of supercooling, low thermal conductivity, susceptibility to leakage, and phase separation significantly impediment the practical applications of inorganic hydrated salts. In this study, it is proposed to decrease the inorganic hydrated salt supercooling degree by increasing the surface roughness of the porous material and to load the nucleating agent silver (Ag) onto polydopamine (PDA) modified melamine foam (MF) by electroless plating to obtain 3D porous Ag foams, which are then utilized as support materials. The results demonstrated that the 3D porous Ag foam compounded with barium hydroxide octahydrate (BHO) can ameliorate the shortcomings of leakage and reduce the supercooling degree in the cooling process. The composite not only exhibits high enthalpy of over 248.5 J/g and high thermal conductivity of 1.82 W·m−1·K−1 but also has a low supercooling degree of 0.21 ℃. Furthermore, the composites exhibited superior shape stability and thermal cycling stability. This study provides an effective method for reducing the supercooling degree of inorganic hydration salts. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Styrene–butadiene–styrene copolymer (SBS) of different configuration and block ratio were irradiated by 60Co γ-rays at 20°C and 120°C. The gel fraction and thermal properties before and after irradiation were discussed. The gel fraction increased with both absorbed doses and temperature. This means higher crosslinking efficiency was obtained at higher temperature. The radiation chemical yields were calculated according to the Charlesby–Pinner equation. The DSC analysis indicated that the crosslinking had taken place in the polybutadiene (PB) block while the chain scission of polystyrene (PS) block was dominant when irradiated at elevated temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Self‐assembly of host molecules in aqueous media via metal–ligand coordination is well developed. However, the preparation of purely covalent counterparts in water has remained a formidable task. An anionic tetrahedron cage was successfully self‐assembled in a [4+4] manner by condensing a trisamine and a trisformyl in water. Even although each individual imine bond is rather labile and apt to hydrolyze in water, the tetrahedron is remarkably stable or inert due to multivalence. The tetrahedral cages, as well as its neutral counterparts dissolved in organic solvent, have homochirality, namely that their four propeller‐shaped trisformyl residues adopt the same rotational conformation. The cage is able to take advantage of hydrophobic effect to accommodate a variety of guest molecules in water. When a chiral guest was recognized, the formation of one enantiomer of the cage became more favored relative to the other. As a consequence, the cage could be produced in an enantioselective manner. The tetrahedron is able to maintain its chirality after removal of the chiral guest—probably on account of the cooperative occurrence of intramolecular forces that restrict the intramolecular flipping of phenyl units in the cage framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐assembly of host molecules in aqueous media via metal–ligand coordination is well developed. However, the preparation of purely covalent counterparts in water has remained a formidable task. An anionic tetrahedron cage was successfully self‐assembled in a [4+4] manner by condensing a trisamine and a trisformyl in water. Even although each individual imine bond is rather labile and apt to hydrolyze in water, the tetrahedron is remarkably stable or inert due to multivalence. The tetrahedral cages, as well as its neutral counterparts dissolved in organic solvent, have homochirality, namely that their four propeller‐shaped trisformyl residues adopt the same rotational conformation. The cage is able to take advantage of hydrophobic effect to accommodate a variety of guest molecules in water. When a chiral guest was recognized, the formation of one enantiomer of the cage became more favored relative to the other. As a consequence, the cage could be produced in an enantioselective manner. The tetrahedron is able to maintain its chirality after removal of the chiral guest—probably on account of the cooperative occurrence of intramolecular forces that restrict the intramolecular flipping of phenyl units in the cage framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The TM4 (UBAC2) protein, which contains 4 transmembrane domains and one ubiquitin binding domain, is mainly expressed in cell and nuclear membranes. The current research aimed to explore the role of TM4 in metabolic inflammation and to examine whether the ubiquitin–proteasome inhibitor PS-341 could regulate the function of TM4. Methods: The metabolic phenotypes of TM4 knockout (KO) mice were studied. We next explored the association between the polymorphisms of TM4 and obesity in a Chinese Han population. TM4 expression in the visceral fat of obese patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy was also analysed. Finally, the effect of PS-341 on the degradation and function of the TM4 protein was investigated in vivo and in vitro. Results: TM4 KO mice developed obesity, hepatosteatosis, hypertension, and glucose intolerance under a high-fat diet. TM4 counterregulated Nur77, IKKβ, and NF-kB both in vivo and in vitro. The TM4 SNP rs147851454 is significantly associated with obesity after adjusting for age and sex (OR 1.606, 95% CI 1.065–2.422 P = 0.023) in 3394 non-diabetic and 1862 type 2 diabetic adults of Han Chinese. TM4 was significantly downregulated in the visceral fat of obese patients. PS-341 induced TM4 expression through inhibition of TM4 degradation in vitro. In db/db mice, PS-341 administration led to downregulation of Nur77/IKKβ/NF-κB expression in visceral fat and liver, and alleviation of hyperglycaemia, hypertension, and glucose intolerance. The hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp demonstrated that PS-341 improved the glucose infusion rate and alleviated insulin resistance in db/db mice. Conclusions: PS-341 alleviates chronic low-grade inflammation and improves insulin sensitivity through inhibition of TM4 degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, grafted polymers (PAM-g-PAA/PHEA) with different grafting rates are prepared by solution method grafting polymer with polyacrylamide as the main chain, acrylic acid (AA) and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) as the modified monomers. Evidence of graft polymerization of AA and HEA on polyacrylamide side chains is obtained by FT-IR and 1HNMR. Scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric characterization further confirm the synthesis of grafted polymers. The properties of the grafting polymer are evaluated using grafting rate, viscosity, and surface tension measurements. The performance of polymer aqueous solution as an aerosol fixative for capturing and removing tellurium aerosol as a simulated polonium aerosol is examined. According to the results, grafting two monomers, acrylic acid, and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, effectively improve the cross-sectional structure of the polymer, increase the thermal stability of the polymer, and reduced the surface tension of the aqueous polymer solution to 42.47 mN/m. In addition, aerosol settling and fixation experiments showed that PAM-g-PAA/PHEA had a trapping and scavenging effect on tellurium aerosols with an immobilization rate of 94.86%, which revealed the immobilization mechanism of the immobilizer with tellurium aerosols. • PAM-g-PAA/PHEA is successful prepared. • Providinging technical support for capturing polonium radioactive aerosol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: DNA repair system has evolved to maintain the genomic integrity to defend against both endogenous and exogenous sources of DNA damage, such as endogenous factors include reactive oxygen species, replication errors or mistakes in meiosis and exogenous factors include ultraviolet (UV) radiation, ionizing radiation (IR), and some other chemicals or chemotherapeutic agents. Indeed, defects in DNA repair pathways contribute to many heritable cancer predisposition syndromes; however, cancer-related DNA repair deficiency may also occur in sporadic cancer case. In these years, many cancer-related germline mutations in DNA repair have been reported; thus to detect these genetic variations gives us a chance to evaluate the cancer risk of the individual with these mutations.

• Crystallized graphite nanofibers is prepared at low-temperature. • Graphite nanofibers are utilized as scaffold for perovskite solar cells (PSC). • Graphite nanofibers provide a charge transfer highway in light absorb layer. • An efficiency of 18.23% was recorded for graphite nanofibers based PSC. Integration of two-dimensional graphite nanosheets into one-dimensional graphite nanofibers is essential for deep application of graphite materials. Here, we report preparation of crystallized graphite nanofibers by nozzle-less electrospinning and subsequent low-temperature heat treatment (500 °C). Depending on this graphitized one-dimensional nanostructure, we first apply the graphite nanofibers as scaffold for perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which would provide a charge transfer highway in the light absorb layer and then improve the performance of devices. A high power conversion efficiency of 18.23% was recorded for the graphite nanofibers based PSC with high fill factor of 76%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hierarchical structure of carbon nanotubes grown on Ni/NiO composite nanofiber has been in-situ fabricated by electrospinning and following low-temperature (500 °C) vacuum thermal treatment. During vacuum thermal treatment, decomposition of electrospun nickel acetate/polyvinylpolypyrrolidone precursor nanofibers generate gases as a function of both reducing agents and carbon sources for NiO reduction and carbon nanotubes growth. The thermal treatment processing parameter, i.e. heating rate, controls the morphology and composition of the resulting Ni nanofibers or Ni/NiO‑carbon nanotubes composite nanofibers. This proposed method avoid the usual extra introduction of reducing agents and carbon source. It is a low cost, high yield and safe no-hazard technique. Then, these non-noble metal-based nanofibers are applied as efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline solution. The Ni/NiO‑carbon nanotubes (10 °C min−1) can drive 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 98 mV in 1 M KOH, which is 52 mV less than for Ni nanofibers. This work offers promising novel catalyst materials in water-splitting devices for large-scale production of hydrogen fuel. Unlabelled Image • CNTs grown on Ni/NiO nanofiber was in-situ fabricated by electrospinning. • Thermal treatment parameters control nanofibers morphology and composition. • Ni and Ni/NiO-CNTs nanofibers are applied as efficient electrocatalyst for HER. • Ni/NiO-CNTs can drive 10 mA cm−2 at overpotential of 98 mV in 1 M KOH. • The overpotential of Ni/NiO-CNTs is 52 mV less than that for Ni nanofibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although palliative care has been accepted throughout the cancer trajectory, accurate survival prediction for advanced cancer patients is still a challenge. The aim of this study is to identify pre-palliative care predictors and develop a prognostic nomogram for overall survival (OS) in mixed advanced cancer patients. Methods: A total of 378 consecutive advanced cancer patients were retrospectively recruited from July 2013 to October 2015 in one palliative care unit in China. Twenty-three clinical and laboratory characters were collected for analysis. Prognostic factors were identified to construct a nomogram in a training cohort (n = 247) and validated in a testing cohort (n = 131) from the setting. Results: The median survival time was 48.0 (95% CI: 38.1–57.9) days for the training cohort and 52.0 (95% CI: 34.6–69.3) days for the validation cohort. Among pre-palliative care factors, sex, age, tumor stage, Karnofsky performance status, neutrophil count, hemoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, albumin, uric acid, and cystatin-C were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. Based on the 10 factors, an easily obtained nomogram predicting 90-day probability of mortality was developed. The predictive nomogram had good discrimination and calibration, with a high C-index of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.73–0.80) in the development set. The strong discriminative ability was externally conformed in the validation cohort with a C-index of 0.75. Conclusions: A validated prognostic nomogram has been developed to quantify the risk of mortality for advanced cancer patients undergoing palliative care. This tool may be useful in optimizing therapeutic approaches and preparing for clinical courses individually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible deactivated radical polymerization (RDRP) has obvious advantages in the synthesis of block copolymers with well-defined structure and composition, but it has some defects in practical applications. An amphiphilic block copolymer (PMAA- co -PTFEMA)-b-PMMA-b-(PMAA-co-PTFEMA) with the self-brittle function was prepared by the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) one-pot method using S , S -dibenzyl trithiocarbonate (DBTTC) as the chain transfer agent, methyl methacrylate (MMA) as the first monomer, methacrylic acid (MAA) as the second monomer, and trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEMA) as the modified component. Then it was grafted onto the surface of the modified nano-silica with KH570-modified nano-silica after high-speed shearing, and a self-brittle composite detergent that can be used for radioactive decontamination of surface layers of various materials was prepared by controlling the morphology of the nano-silica. By observing the detergent with different monomer ratios, it can be seen that the control of the self-brittlement morphology of the detergent can be achieved by adjusting the ratio of MMA/MAA, which lays the foundation for future practical applications. [Display omitted] • A self-brittle triblock copolymer was synthesized by RAFT one-pot synthesis. • The morphology of the detergent is controllable; • Monomers in the copolymer can control the size of the deterg.nt brittle flakes. • The shape of the brittle flakes after the detergent drying is regular. • Detergent is effective and has a wide range of application sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Montmorillonite (MMT) based anisotropic magnetic nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 /APTES/MMT) with high anisotropy and reliable magnetism were prepared by using Fe 3 O 4 as magnetic nanoparticles and γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (ATPES) as modifier. The characterization indicated that the interactions between Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and MMT in Fe 3 O 4 /APTES/MMT were stronger than that of directly deposited on to MMT (Fe 3 O 4 -MMT) because APTES was chemically bonded to both Fe 3 O 4 and MMT. Fe 3 O 4 /APTES/MMT had a greater Ms value (25.16 emu/g) than Fe 3 O 4 -MMT (23.71 emu/g). Also, ultrasonication was used to test the interactions between Fe 3 O 4 and MMT. With 30 min of ultrasonication, the amount of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles on the surface of Fe 3 O 4 /APTES/MMT was more than that of Fe 3 O 4 -MMT, and Fe 3 O 4 /APTES/MMT had a faster magnetic response to a magnetic field than that of Fe 3 O 4 -MMT because of enhanced interactions between Fe 3 O 4 and MMT in Fe 3 O 4 /APTES/MMT. In addition, Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were densely immobilized onto Fe 3 O 4 /APTES/MMT with a smaller average diameter, and the distribution of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles on the surface of MMT was more uniform than that of Fe 3 O 4 -MMT. Fe 3 O 4 /APTES/MMT possessed stable and high magnetism, in ease of orientation and recycling in the magnetic field, and this makes it a promising candidate as anisotropic nanoparticles for use in preparing anisotropic inorganic/polymer composites and anisotropic adsorbents used in wastewater treatment. Finally, the mechanism of ATPES-modified magnetic MMT was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerium-doped Ba 5 Ta 4 O 15 crystals used to enhance the γ-ray attenuation performance were fabricated via a hydrothermal process. The contents of doped cerium were adjusted from 4 mol% to 16 mol%. The obtained products were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, and XPS. It proved that cerium ions were successfully introduced to the crystal lattice of Ba 5 Ta 4 O 15 , and partially replaced the barium ions sites. The Ba 5 Ta 4 O 15 /EPDM composites prepared by mixing the obtained inorganic powders and the polymer matrix were tested in the γ-ray attenuation. The results showed that 16 mol% cerium doping gave the Ba 5 Ta 4 O 15 /EPDM composite a lead of 38.66% in the γ-ray (Am-241 source, 59.5 keV) shielding capacity compared to its un-doped competitor. The enhancement of γ-ray attenuation performance of cerium doped Ba 5 Ta 4 O 15 was ascribed to expand the K-edge absorbing area of tantalum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 core-shell microspheres are ideally applied in several specific fields due to their unique properties. A facile liquid phase deposition route for the fabrication of Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 core-shell microspheres was developed. The core-shell structure was obtained by direct deposition of TiO 2 on the surface of Fe 3 O 4 microspheres. The prepared products were characterized by using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The waxberry-like microspheres were nearly spherical with diameters of about 500 nm and average shell thickness of 80 nm. The shell layer was composed of smaller primary TiO 2 nanoparticles with sizes from 10 to 20 nm. A possible growth mechanism of the core-shell structure was proposed. The photo-catalytic decomposition of methylene blue and the recycling of prepared core-shell microspheres were also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is currently thought that the incineration approach is an effective method to minimize the volume of radioactive wastes. In this paper, we used an incinerator to burn uranium-containing strippable coating waste. The migration behavior of radioactive uranium during the incineration process were investigated based on hierarchical sampling and mass spectrometry. Results shows that the radioactive uranium is more easily to adhere to the particles with smaller size. The leaching abilities of radioactive uranium in the bottom ash and the fly ash were analyzed. The leaching rate of the uranium from the fly ash and bottom ash were 1% and 6%, respectively, indicating that most of the radioactive uranium was fixed in the ash and the same storage/disposal methods can be used for both the fly ash and bottom ash. According to x-ray spectrometry and SEM-EDS, mineral compositions of the original uranium ore and the bottom ash were mostly the same. Calcium plays an important role in uranium fixation during incineration. The potential mechanism of the uranium special transformation during uranium-containing strippable coating waste combustion was revealed. Our research results can provide technical support for nuclear emergency waste treatment and disposal. • The smaller the size, the greater the adherence of the radioactive uranium particles. • Near 85% of radioactive uranium particles fixed in bottom ash. • Radioactive uranium particles leach better in bottom than in flying ash. • Alkali elements improve uranium fixation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binary composite of graphene/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with microwave absorption property is prepared by in situ reduction process. Graphite oxide (GO) is prepared from flake graphite by modified Hummers' method and further dispersed in distilled water to get GO solution. Then, PEO powder is slowly added into GO solution to get GO/PEO solution, and graphene/PEO composites is prepared via a facile and quick reduction process in GO/PEO solution. PEO and graphene/PEO composites are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, thermo gravimetric analysis, and vector network analyzer. The results show that graphene is uniformly dispersed in PEO matrix because GO and PEO can be uniformly dispersed at molecular level due to their water-solubility and the agglomeration of graphene can be prevented by PEO macromolecular chains during in situ reduction process. Graphene/PEO composite has better thermal stability than PEO, which can be explained by the graphene restoration of sp2 bonded carbon structure. Meanwhile, graphene/PEO composite shows excellent microwave absorption property at low grapheme content. The minimum reflection loss of graphene/PEO composite is up to −20.0 dB when the content of graphene is only 1 wt%. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:461-467, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A facile defect-engineering approach was used to synthesis UiO-67. • The high toluene uptake is obtained due to missing and compensating linker defects. • Water molecule exhibited promoting effect on the toluene adsorption of UiO-67. • Synergic effects between π-π, OH-CH3 and OH-π obviously enforced toluene adsorption. A facile defect-engineering approach enabled by introducing monocarboxylic acid modulators (acetic acid, formic acid and benzoic acid) was conducted in this paper. The greatest toluene uptake (480 mg g−1) was obtained on defective UiO-67 synthesized with benzoic acid due to highest missing linker defects and higher compensating linker defects. It is worth mentioning that water molecule exhibited creative promoting effect on the adsorption behavior of defective UiO-67. The original structure of defective UiO-67 was inevitably destroyed under water-containing environment due to the coordination between water molecule and metal cluster. 1H NMR analysis demonstrated that slight loss of BPDC linkers and benzoate linkers due to occupied binding sites, more extra adsorption sites were generated in this process. Furthermore, adsorption mechanisms were studied via density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The synergic effects between π-π, OH-CH 3 and OH-π hydrogen bonding strength obviously enforced toluene adsorption, and OH-π exhibited strongest interaction. Moreover, under the circumstance of structural changes due to water molecules, abundant μ 3 -OH groups were exposed and hydrogen bond interaction was strengthened, which greatly promoted toluene adsorption. Finally, experimental results as well as computational studies forecasted the potentials of defect-tunable MOFs as promising materials in gas adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) is the initial and rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid synthesis. Transcription of the CYP7A1 gene is regulated by bile acids, nuclear receptors and cytokines. Fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7) secreted from activated hepatic stellate cells (HSC) during chronic liver fibrosis regulates hepatocyte survival and liver regeneration. In the carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced fibrotic mouse liver, we demonstrated that the expression of CYP7A1 was largely decreased while the expression of FGF7 was significantly increased. We further demonstrated that FGF7 inhibited CYP7A1 gene expression in hepatocytes. Knockdown study by short interfering RNA, kinase inhibition and phosphorylation assays revealed that the suppression of CYP7A1 expression by FGF7 was mediated by FGFR2 and its downstream JNK signaling cascade. The FGF7 neutralizing antibody restored CYP7A1 expression in Hep3B cells treated with conditioned medium from HSC. In summary, the data suggest that FGF7 is a novel regulator of CYP7A1 expression in hepatocytes and may prevent hepatocytes from accumulating toxic bile acids during liver injury and fibrosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Nanochannels electrodes filled with oxidized polydimethylsiloxane was prepared. • Direct detection of Pb2+ and Cd2+ in food samples without tedious pretreatments. • The sensor possessed excellent anti-interference and anti-fouling performance. • The sensor exhibited a wide dynamic range and low detection limit. Direct electrochemical detection in real food samples remains challenging due to the fouling and interference by abundant interference components. Herein, we report an electrochemical sensing platform based on binary assembly of silica nanochannels and polydimethylsiloxane that is able to detect Pb2+ and Cd2+ in real food samples without complex pretreatments. Using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry, the electrochemical detection consists of electro-deposition of metal species and subsequent anodic stripping in the modified silica-nanochannels. Under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges were obtained from 4 to 1500 μg L−1 for Pb2+ and 30 to 900 μg L−1 for Cd2+. The relative standard deviations were 2.9% and 3.6% for Pb2+ and Cd2+ of 300 μg L−1. Without tedious pretreatments, the quantitative detection of Pb2+ and Cd2+ in real juice and beverage samples was successfully performed, revealing that the developed sensor possesses excellent anti-interference and practicability properties for unprocessed food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]