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The combination of the 2D ultrathin structure of WO3 and the catalytic effect of Pd endow Pd/WO3 with rapid and stable hydrogen detection.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive degenerative disease, of which smoking is the main causer. We carried out this study with the aim of exploring the underlying mechanism of methylprednisolone (MP) treating the COPD. To stimulate COPD in vitro, cigarette smoke extract (CSE)was employed to induce human bronchial epithelial cells BEAS-2B. With the help of MTT and Tunel assays, the viability and apoptosis of BEAS-2B cells after indicated treatment were assessed. The levels of inflammatory response and oxidative stress were determined by the changes of markers basing on their commercial kits. Additionally, annexin A1 (ANXA1) expressions at both protein and mRNA levels were assessed with Western blot and Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Moreover, the expressions of apoptosis- and formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) receptors and the adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway-related proteins were determined with Western blot., related proteins and proteins. As a result, MP up-regulated the ANXA1 expression in CSE-induced BEAS-2B cells. MP enhanced the viability but suppressed the apoptosis, inflammatory response and oxidative stress of CSE-induced BEAS-2B cells via regulating FPR2/AMPK pathway, while ANXA1 knockdown exhibited oppositive effects on them. In conclusion, MP up-regulated ANXA1 to inhibit the inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress of BEAS-2B cells induced by CSE, alleviating COPD through suppressing the FPR2/AMPK pathway.

Precise control of the growth of 2D perovskites on 3D perovskites to form “trans-grain boundaries” 2D/3D structure for the preparation of flexible perovskite solar cells with a certified PCE up to 22.1% and excellent mechanical stability.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a serious clinical pulmonary disease. The pathogenesis of ALI is related to the excessive release of inflammatory factors and upregulation of mucin 5AC (MUC5AC). Telmisartan is a novel antihypertension agent that exerts promising anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether Telmisartan has a protective role in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced MUC5AC expression and to explore the underlying mechanism in human bronchial epithelial cells. Firstly, the decreased cell viability, elevated release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and excessively released inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin- 6 (IL-6), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF)-β in bronchial BEAS-2B epithelial cells induced by stimulation with LPS were significantly reversed by the introduction of Telmisartan. Secondly, the upregulated MUC5AC and downregulated suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) caused by stimulation with LPS were dramatically reversed by Telmisartan. Notably, treatment with Telmisartan attenuated LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor κ-B (NF-κB). Lastly, silencing of SOCS1 abolished the protective effects of Telmisartan against LPS-induced production of MUC5AC and the activation of NF-κB. Based on these findings, we conclude that Telmisartan displayed a protective effect against LPS by improving mitochondrial function, mitigating inflammatory response, and reducing the production of mucin 5AC by regulating the SOCS1/NF-κB axis in human bronchial epithelial cells., Graphical abstract

Reduced dimensional lead halide perovskites (RDPs) have attracted great research interest in diverse optical and optoelectronic fields. However, their poor stability is one of the most challenging obstacles prohibiting them from practical applications. Here, we reveal that ultrastable laurionite-type Pb(OH)Br can spontaneously encapsulate the RDPs in their formation solution without introducing any additional chemicals, forming RDP@Pb(OH)Br core-shell microparticles. Interestingly, the number of the perovskite layers within the RDPs can be conveniently and precisely controlled by varying the amount of CsBr introduced into the reaction solution. A single RDP@Pb(OH)Br core-shell microparticle composed of RDP nanocrystals with different numbers of perovskite layers can be also prepared, showing different colors under different light excitations. More interestingly, barcoded RDP@Pb(OH)Br microparticles with different parts emitting different lights can also be prepared. The morphology of the emitting microstructures can be conveniently manipulated. The RDP@Pb(OH)Br microparticles demonstrate outstanding environmental, chemical, thermal, and optical stability, as well as strong resistance to anion exchange processes. This study not only deepens our understanding of the reaction processes in the extensively used saturation recrystallization method but also points out that it is highly possible to dramatically improve the performance of the optoelectronic devices through manipulating the spontaneous formation process of Pb(OH)Br.

The controllable design and precise modulation of the functional properties of materials based on theoretical calculations has always been the goal of materials researchers. Through the comparative analysis of theoretical calculations and experimental phenomena, physical properties, including optical properties, electrical conductivity, and dielectric properties, can be further comprehended. In this work, on the basis of the first-principles calculations of many inorganic compounds, we selected BaSnSi3O9 (BSSO) as the research focus and found that it contained two cationic sites with completely different electronic characteristics. Among them, the electron density of cations at the Ba site shows obvious localization characteristics, whereas the Sn site shows strong interaction with the surrounding environment. This distinct difference in electronic characteristics is very beneficial to the research and design of materials with functional properties. When functional ions are introduced into Ba sites, the relatively complete independence of these ions will be maintained. That is, if an ion with multiple stable valence states is introduced at the Ba site, it will exhibit the coexistence of multiple valence states. However, if an ion is introduced at the Sn site, this ion will lose its independence and exhibit strong interaction with the surrounding crystal field environment. The rare earth element europium (Eu) with two stable divalent and trivalent valence states in its normal state was chosen as a probe to verify the theoretical predictions in this work. According to the calculation results, when Eu occupied the Ba site, the spectrum simultaneously showed the luminescence of Eu3+ and Eu2+, and had a larger luminescence quenching concentration when the influence of defects was ignored. When Eu occupied the Sn lattice site, it only showed the luminescence of Eu3+, and had a lower luminescence quenching concentration due to the attractive effect that the surrounding O atoms had on the Eu electrons. Our research indicates that the experimental results are consistent with the theoretical predictions. This paper analyzes the important role of Eu optical probes in terms of investigating their physical mechanisms and optical properties in detail. It will provide valuable inspiration for theoretical calculations to guide the design of materials and the modulation of their functional properties.

From the 11th through 13th centuries, the mass of yogic techniques informed by the Yoganiruttara cycle of Buddhist Tantra flowed over the Himalayan range and extended to the Hexi Corridor. The Tibetan, Tangut, and Chinese peoples who had been exposed to such a yogic and tantric culture actively drew on Indian Buddhist legacies as taxonomical and conceptual device to structure and make sense of these cutting-edge contemplative techniques. One such discursive device was the Mahāmudrā rubric considered as the pinnacle of a systematic presentation of both tantric and sūtric paths to ultimacy. In this article, I explore the sūtric path structure embedded within a 12th-century Tangut Mahāmudrā presentation—in the Keypoints of Mahāmudrā as the Ultimate along with its commentary—formulated under the Tibetan auspices. I analyze the relevance of the Keypoints exoteric expositions of Mahāmudrā to the Mahāyāna intellectual history through the lens of non-conceptual meditation scheme. In specific, I argue that the Tangut Mahāmudrā works under survey map out a “positive-mystical” paradigm of Buddhist soteriology shared across those Mahāyāna scholastic traditions inspired by the Buddha-nature doctrine to account for the tantric phenomenology.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic airway disease with airflow limitation and abnormal inflammatory response. It has been verified that SOX9 plays a key role in lung function of various lung diseases and SOX9 is closely associated with COPD. Additionally, literature has reported that STIM1 is involved in lung injury and is highly expressed in neutrophils from COPD patients. This study aimed to characterize the biological roles of SOX9 and STIM1 in the pathogenesis of COPD and to elucidate the regulatory mechanism.Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were treated with CSE to construct in vitro COPD model. The levels of SOX9 and STIM1 in CSE-treated BEAS-2B cells were detected by western blot and RT-qPCR assay. Then, JASPAR datasets were utilized to analyze SOX9 binding sites in the promoter region of STIM1. Besides, luciferase reporter assay and ChIP assay were employed to validate the binding sites in STIM1 promoter region to SOX9. In addition, viability and apoptosis of BEAS-2B cells were assessed by utilizing MTT assay and TUNEL staining. ELISA kits and corresponding commercial kits were applied to measure the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, SOD, GSH-Px and MDA.CSE treatment dose- and time-dependently reduced SOX9 expression in BEAS-2B cells. SOX9 overexpression enhanced the viability and suppressed the apoptosis of CSE-treated BEAS-2B cells as well as attenuated CSE-induced inflammation and oxidative stress. Then, it was validated that SOX9 bound to the promoter region of STIM1. Moreover, SOX9 overexpression-mediated impacts on cell viability, cell apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in CSE-treated BEAS-2B cells were partially abolished by upregulation of STIM1.To sum up, results here suggested that overexpression of SOX9 could mitigate inflammatory injury in CSE-treated bronchial epithelial cells by suppressing STIM1.

Plant glycogen synthase kinase 3/shaggy kinase (GSK3) proteins contain the conserved kinase domain and play a pivotal role in the regulation of plant growth and abiotic stress responses. Nonetheless, genome-wide analysis of the GSK gene family in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has not been reported.Using high-quality wheat genome sequences, a comprehensive genome-wide characterization of the GSK gene family in wheat was conducted. Their phylogenetics, chromosome location, gene structure, conserved domains, promoter cis-elements, gene duplications, and network interactions were systematically analyzed. In this study, we identified 22 GSK genes in wheat genome that were unevenly distributed on nine wheat chromosomes. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the GSK genes from Arabidopsis, rice, barley, and wheat were clustered into four subfamilies. Gene structure and conserved protein motif analysis revealed that GSK proteins in the same subfamily share similar motif structures and exon/intron organization. Results from gene duplication analysis indicate that four segmental duplications events contribute to the expansion of the wheat GSK gene family. Promoter analysis indicated the participation of TaSK genes in response to the hormone, light and abiotic stress, and plant growth and development. Furthermore, gene network analysis found that five TaSKs were involved in the regulatory network and 130 gene pairs of network interactions were identified. The heat map generated from the available transcriptomic data revealed that the TaSKs exhibited preferential expression in specific tissues and different expression patterns under abiotic stress conditions. Moreover, results from qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the randomly selected TaSK genes were abundantly expressed in spikes and grains at one specific developmental stage, as well as in responding to drought and salt stress.These findings clearly depicted the evolutionary processes and the characteristics, and expression profiles of the GSK gene family in wheat, revealed their role in wheat development and response to abiotic stress responses.

Globally, type 2 diabetes (T2D) is the most common chronic disease. It affects approximately 500 million people worldwide. Dysregulation of the solute carrier family 2 member 4 (SLC2A4) gene and miR-335-5p has been associated with T2D progression. However, the mechanisms underlying this dysregulation are unclear. The levels of miR-335-5p and SLC2A4 in blood samples collected from patients with T2D (T2D blood samples) and pancreatic cell lines were measured by Real Time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The relationship between miR-335-5p and SLC2A4 was investigated using a luciferase assay. The role of the miR-335-5p-SLC2A4 axis was detected by CCK8, BrdU, and caspase-3 assays in pancreatic cells treated with 25 mM glucose. Increased miR-335-5p and decreased SLC2A4 expression was observed in both T2D blood samples and pancreatic cell lines. The miR-335-5p mimic markedly suppressed proliferation and elevated apoptosis in glucose-treated pancreatic cells. SLC2A4 overexpression significantly enhanced proliferation but inhibited apoptosis in glucose-treated pancreatic cells. Moreover, miR-335-5p inhibited the expression of SLC2A4 in the pancreatic cells and suppressed the growth of these cells. The data indicated that miR-335-5p targeting of SLC2A4 could hamper the growth of T2D cell model by inhibiting their proliferation and elevating apoptosis. Collectively, our findings implicate miR-335-5p and SLC2A4 as potentially effective therapeutic targets for patients with T2D.

Quantifying the carbon footprint (CF) of food-demand can aid in mitigating the effects of global climate change, especially in the context of urbanisation, which enriches urban diets with animal products. Urbanisation also attracts large numbers of people migrating from rural areas and even across provinces in China. Migrants gradually shift from the dietary patterns of their hometowns, toward those of their destinations, a process known as “dietary acculturation.” However, few studies have explored the dietary CF resulting from such migrations. Here, we compared the dietary patterns of rural vs. urban households in 31 Chinese provinces, and quantified the CF of dietary acculturation by overlaying interprovincial migrant populations with geographically varied dietary patterns. Our results show that the mean net dietary CF increased by 21 Mt CO2e yr−1 due to dietary acculturation. The increased intakes of aquatic products and beef jointly contributed 75% of this CF growth, while declined cereal intake offset ∼44%. The wealthy province of Guangdong, which has the largest immigrant population, accounts for ∼30% of growth in the dietary CF. Regression analyses revealed that the Engel coefficient had a strong marginal effect on the variations in CF attributable to dietary acculturation. Additionally, the dietary CF of migrant populations was positively correlated with the virtual environmental flows (e.g., carbon, water, and energy) that are embedded in regional commodity trades. This quantification of the CF of dietary acculturation provides novel insights that may be used to further quantify the carbon emissions of food demand.

As national efforts to reduce CO2 emissions towards achieving Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), policymakers require regional information for specific sectors to reduce uncertainties within national mitigation target. To understand the implementation barriers of the residential building sector towards achieving INDC, this study proposes an analytical framework for supporting robust decision making at the subnational level, in which a multi-objective optimisation model under uncertainty (MOOU) is developed for establishing decarbonisation pathways of the residential building sector. The proposed model has three key features: (1) systematic and robust decision-making with multi-objective optimisation of economic goals in the presence of uncertainties; (2) synergistic mitigation policies with gradual ramping-up adoption; and (3) quantitative evaluation of the finance provision and implementation rates of mitigation policies. The proposed model is then applied to provide in-depth insights into implementation barriers of 13 types of mitigation policies towards achieving INDCs targets in nine provinces in China, with parallel urban and rural analyses. Results show that the CO2 emissions of residential buildings in Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Beijing will have peaked by 2030. In particular, the CO2 emissions from cooling energy consumption of total building stocks will continually increase. Furthermore, improvements of building thermal efficiency and energy mix dominate the mitigation potential in northern China, while the southern China largely depends on the improvement of the efficiency of home appliances. The differences in measures’ mitigation effectiveness cause that southern China provinces have higher risks for achieving the subnational INDCs targets compared to northern China.

The district heating system accounts for 40% energy consumption of the building sector in China and still has tremendous growth potential due to the urbanisation. However, few studies have conducted explicit quantification on the drivers and the sustainable development of the district heating energy consumption of the building sector (DHEB) in China, although previous aggregation analysis on whole building energy service could convey implications on the district heating systems. This study investigates the driving factors of the DHEB in China between 2004 and 2016 using a decomposition analysis that incorporates effects of energy mix, heat production technology structure, energy intensity, heating area, and population. The decoupling status between the DHEB and gross domestic product (GDP) in China is then analyzed based on the Tapio decoupling index, along with the contributions of each driving factor to the decoupling. The results show that the effects of district heating area and population dominate the increase in the DHEB, while the heating energy intensity is the strongest factor reducing the DHEB. In addition, the shares of coal and heating boilers positively contribute to the increase in 2004–2008, and have a negative effect in 2008–2016. The complete reverse trend is found in the shares of gas and combined heat and power (CHP) during the same period. These results are largely associated with the implementation of “coal to gas” and the “elimination of old boilers” pushed by the Chinese government. Furthermore, a weak decoupling effect is mainly found between China’s DHEB and GDP from 2004 to 2016. The heating energy intensity is the strongest factor promoting the decoupling, while the growth of the district heating area and population leads to a weak decoupling.

Nowadays multiple bus communication types are comprehensively employed to construct different networks in vehicles information system design. Data interchange among these networks must be conducted through complex communication gateways, which are difficult to test all the features wholly by manual work. MIC and RS422 communication networks are very common in some special vehicles, so in this paper we design a complex automatic test system to implement comprehensive tests for two MIC networks and one RS422 network based on our actual project requirements. The long-time reliability tests (up to 1200 hours) proved that the test system can eventually cover all the functions of the communication gateways, and give exhaustive details about the information flow in our tested system.

Fabrication of ultrathin (e.g., ∼2 nm) CsPbBr3 nanowires is still challenging for existing methods, for the extremely fast crystal growth process of CsPbBr3. Here, we developed a self-assembled nanotemplate-confined growth concept to prepare ultrathin CsPbBr3 nanowires. During electrospinning using the N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution composed of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), PbBr2, CsBr, and capping agents, PMMA chains would assemble into nanochannels acting as nanotemplates within the electrospun PMMA fibers. Owing to the very limited amount of precursors within the nanochannels, ultrathin CsPbBr3 nanowires were prepared after DMF evaporation. The CsPbBr3 nanowires within the PMMA fibers or dispersed in toluene showed bright blue luminescence. The structure of the CsPbBr3 products could be adjusted by the stirring time, as well as the amount of PMMA, PbBr2, and CsBr in DMF. Overall, we developed a new method towards engineering ultrafine CsPbBr3 nanostructure through self-assembled template-confined growth concept during electrospinning, which may find potential applications in blue light emitting diodes and other optoelectronic devices.

Contents lists available atScienceDirectSustainable Cities and Societyjournal homepage:www.elsevier.com/locate/scsLife Cycle Assessment of a solar thermal system in Spain, eco-designalternatives and derived climate change scenarios at Spanish and ChineseNational levelsJaume Albertía,¿,1, Juliana Raigosaa,b, Marco Raugeia,c, Rafael Assiegoa,d, Joan Ribas-Tura,e,Núria Garrido-Sorianof, Linghui Zhangg, Guobao Songg, Patxi Hernándezh, Pere Fullana-i-PalmeraaUNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change ESCI-UPF, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Pg. Pujades 1, 08003 Barcelona, SpainbInnovation Center on e-government, Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, Bogotá, ColombiacFaculty of Technology, Design and Environment, Oxford Brookes University, Wheatley Campus, Oxford OX33 1HX, UKdETS Arquitectura, Energy Group-University of Malaga, Pl. El Ejido s/n, 29071 Málaga, SpaineESCI-UPF Research in International Studies and Economics (RISE), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Passeig Pujades 1, Barcelona 08003, SpainfSustainability Measurement and Modeling Lab, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), School of Industrial, Aeroespace and Audiovisual Engineering of Terrassa,Colom st., 08222 Barcelona, SpaingKey Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, No. 2Linggong Road, Ganjingzi District, Dalian 116024, PR ChinahTecnalia, Barrio Lasao, E-20730 Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa, SpainARTICLE INFOKeywords:Renewable energiesBuildingCircular economyNational emissionsNationally determined contributionsABSTRACTSolar thermal energy is considered a‘clean’form of energy; however, environmental impacts occur during itslife-cycle. The present work compares the environmental performance of two scenarios: a solar thermal systemfor providing domestic hot water (DHW) used in conjunction with a traditional natural gas heating system, andthe natural gas heating system on its own. Weak points are found and different eco-design scenarios are eval-uated in order to achieve a more circular economy. In addition, the authors explore what would be the nationalGreenhouse Gas emission reduction potential of a wider use of domestic solar hot water systems (DSHW) inChina’s and Spain’s built environment. In this case,five displacement methods are suggested to show how theemissions reduction vary.Through a review of the state of the art and a Life Cycle Assessment of a solar system the two scenarios areassessed. Some impact categories, such as global warming, suggest a markedly better performance of the solarsystem (-65%). However, weak points in the solar solution have been identified as there is an increase of impactsin cases such as acidification (+6%) and eutrophication (+61%), mostly due to the metals used. The compo-nents with higher environmental impact are the collector, the tank, and the copper tubes.The reduction of national emissions by promoting DSHW depends on the actual displaced technology/ies. Theconsequences on national emissions reduction depending on these choices are assessed. The potential reductionof emissions, if 30% of the DHW were covered with solar sources, would be between 0.38% and 0.50% in thecase of Spain and between 0.12% and 0.63% in China.

Rab38 is a rat Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome gene that plays an important role in surfactant homeostasis in alveolar type II (ATII) pneumocytes. We examined Rab38 function in regulating lamellar body (LB) morphology in ATII cells. Quantitative electron microscopy revealed that LBs in ATII cells were ∼77% larger in Rab38-null fawn-hooded hypertension (FHH) than control Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Rab38 protein expression was restricted in lung epithelial cells but was not found in primary endothelial cells. In SD ATII cells, Rab38 protein level gradually declined during 5 days in culture. Importantly, endogenous Rab38 was present in LB fractions purified from SD rat lungs, and transiently expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged Rab38 labeled only the limiting membranes of a subpopulation (∼30%) of LBs in cultured ATII cells. This selective targeting was abolished by point mutations to EGFP-Rab38 and was not shared by Rab7 and Rab4b, which also function in the ATII cells. Using confocal microscopy, we established a method for quantitative evaluation of the enlarged LB phenotype temporally preserved in cultured FHH ATII cells. A direct causal relationship was established when the enlarged LB phenotype was reserved and then rescued by transiently reexpressed EGFP-Rab38 in cultured FHH ATII cells. This rescuing effect was associated with dynamic EGFP-Rab38 targeting to and on LB limiting membranes. We conclude that Rab38 plays an indispensible role in maintaining LB morphology and surfactant homeostasis in ATII pneumocytes.

Giardia lamblia is one of the most common eukaryotic pathogens and is classified by the CDC as a category B agent of bioterrorism. In a departure from more traditional research focused on specific pathways or molecules, we have developed a high-throughput assay for screening libraries of small compounds for inhibitors and enhancers of trophozoite multiplication. Following a 24-h period of culture in 384-well plates in the presence of compounds, trophozoites were fixed, stained and enumerated. Quadruplicate screening of 1520 compounds from two libraries of known bioactives detected numerous inhibitory compounds. Based on a stringent cut-off of 5 standard deviations from the plate mean, 50 compounds (3.3%) were inhibitory. The activity of 3 compounds was confirmed in conventional culture. Although not meeting the threshold, one compound (indirubin) was identified as an agonist of trophozoite proliferation. Demonstrating the potential of high-throughput screening for rapidly finding new compounds which perturb G. lamblia multiplication, most of the hits identified by high-throughput screening do not appear to have been tested previously for their ability to affect G. lamblia trophozoites. High-throughput screening of bioactive compounds will open new avenues to a system-wide analysis of pathways affecting G. lamblia proliferation, and eventually to other phases of the life cycle.