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The Dongba manuscripts are a unique primitive pictographic writing system that originated among the Naxi people of Lijiang, China, boasting over a thousand years of history. The uniqueness of the Dongba manuscripts stems from their pronounced pictorial and ideographic characteristics. However, the digital preservation and inheritance of Dongba manu manuscripts face multiple challenges, including extracting its rich semantic information, recognizing individual characters, retrieving Dongba manuscripts, and automatically interpreting the meanings of Dongba manuscripts. Developing efficient Dongba character detection technology has become a key research focus, wherein establishing a standardized Dongba detection dataset is crucial for training and evaluating techniques. In this study, we have created a comprehensive Dongba manuscripts detection dataset covering various commonly used Dongba characters and vocabularies. Additionally, we propose a model named STEF. Firstly, the Swin Transformer extracts the complex structures and diverse shapes of Dongba manuscripts' features. Then, by introducing a Feature Pyramid Enhancement Module, features of different sizes are cascaded to preserve multi-scale information. Subsequently, all features are fused in a FUSION module, resulting in features of various Dongba manuscript styles. Each pixel's binarisation threshold is dynamically adjusted through a differentiable binarisation operation, accurately distinguishing between foreground Dongba manuscripts and background. Lastly, deformable convolution is introduced, allowing the model to dynamically adjust the convolution kernel's size and shape based on the Dongba manuscripts' size, thereby better capturing the detailed information of Dongba characters of different sizes. Experimental results show that STEF achieves a recall rate of 88.88%, a precision rate of 88.65%, and an F-measure of 88.76%, outperforming other text detection algorithms. Visualization experiments demonstrate that STEF performs well in detecting Dongba manuscripts of various sizes, shapes, and styles, especially in blurred handwriting and complex backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese population ranks among the highest globally in terms of stroke prevalence. In the clinical diagnostic process, radiologists utilize computed tomography angiography (CTA) images for diagnosis, enabling a precise assessment of collateral circulation in the brains of stroke patients. Recent studies frequently combine imaging and machine learning methods to develop computer-aided diagnostic algorithms. However, in studies concerning collateral circulation assessment, the extracted imaging features are primarily composed of manually designed statistical features, which exhibit significant limitations in their representational capacity. Accurately assessing collateral circulation using image features in brain CTA images still presents challenges.To tackle this issue, considering the scarcity of publicly accessible medical datasets, we combined clinical data with imaging data to establish a dataset named RadiomicsClinicCTA. Moreover, we devised two collateral circulation assessment models to exploit the synergistic potential of patients’ clinical information and imaging data for a more accurate assessment of collateral circulation: data-level fusion and feature-level fusion. To remove redundant features from the dataset, we employed Levene’s test and T-test methods for feature pre-screening. Subsequently, we performed feature dimensionality reduction using the LASSO and random forest algorithms and trained classification models with various machine learning algorithms on the data-level fusion dataset after feature engineering.Experimental results on the RadiomicsClinicCTA dataset demonstrate that the optimized data-level fusion model achieves an accuracy and AUC value exceeding 86% . Subsequently, we trained and assessed the performance of the feature-level fusion classification model. The results indicate the feature-level fusion classification model outperforms the optimized data-level fusion model. Comparative experiments show that the fused dataset better differentiates between good and bad side branch features relative to the pure radiomics dataset.Our study underscores the efficacy of integrating clinical and imaging data through fusion models, significantly enhancing the accuracy of collateral circulation assessment in stroke patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the decorrelation calculation of diffusion ultrasound in time-frequency domain, this paper discusses the repeatability and potential significance of Disturbance Sensitive Zone (DSZ) in time-frequency domain. The experimental study of Barely Visible Impact Damage (BVID) on Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) is carried out. The decorrelation coefficients of time, frequency, and time-frequency domains and DSZ are calculated and compared. It has been observed that the sensitivity of the scattered wave disturbance caused by impact damage is non-uniformly distributed in both the time and frequency domains. This is evident from the non-uniform distribution of the decorrelation coefficient in time-domain and frequency-domain decorrelation calculations. Further, the decorrelation calculation in the time-frequency domain can show the distribution of the sensitivity of the scattered wave disturbance in the time domain and frequency domain. The decorrelation coefficients in time, frequency, and time-frequency domains increase monotonically with the number of impacts. In addition, in the time-frequency domain decorrelation calculation results, stable and repetitive DSZ are observed, which means that the specific frequency component of the scattered wave is extremely sensitive to the damage evolution of the impact region at a specific time. Finally, the DSZ obtained from the first 15 impacts is used to improve the decorrelation calculation in the 16-th to 20-th impact. The results show that the increment rate of the improved decorrelation coefficient is 10.22%. This study reveals that the diffusion ultrasonic decorrelation calculation improved by DSZ makes it feasible to evaluate early-stage damage caused by BVID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vigorous development of wearable and implantable electronics provides a series of new solutions for human health monitoring and disease diagnosis and treatment. Considering the particularity of the operating environment, this also puts forward higher requirements for energy storage devices (ESDs). Supercapacitors stand out from many ESDs due to their unique advantages, such as high power density, long life, and ease of fabrication. For different application requirements, supercapacitors are developing toward flexibility, multifunction, and integration. This review highlights the recent progress in developing supercapacitor‐integrated systems. Smart supercapacitors with unique properties, their applications, and integrations with various sensors and/or energy‐harvesting devices are discussed and summarized thoroughly. Furthermore, the all‐in‐one device enabled by compatible materials and ingenious structure design is also described. From practical perspectives, the key challenges facing the development of supercapacitor‐integrated systems are presented, and the suggestions for future research directions are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To simply, quickly, and efficiently separate circulating tumor cells from blood has always been an enormous challenge. Leveraging the principle of inertial focusing, we here designed a simply structured microfluidic chip that maintained excellent CTC separation efficiency with high robustness and low velocity sensitivity across a broad velocity range. The parameter configuration of the chip was systematically examined, especially the most influential parameters such as the arc radius and arc angle. With optimal parameters, the designed chip achieved an outstanding particle separation efficiency of 99.8% and, more importantly, enabled the efficient separation and enrichment of CTCs in blood samples. This design can be readily integrated with other functional modules for further sample processing, serving as a promising tool for cancer diagnosis and therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hawthorn leaves are a kind of widely used medicinal plant in China. The major ingredient, hawthorn leaves flavonoids (HLF), have cardiotonic, cardioprotective, and vascular protective effects. The study evaluated the protective role of HLF in cardiac remodelling and the underlying mechanisms under simulated microgravity by hindlimb unloading rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, HLF, HU (hindlimb unloading) and HU + HLF groups (n = 8). After HU and daily intragastric administration at the dose of 100 mg/kg/d for 8 weeks, cardiac function and structure were evaluated by biochemical indices and histopathology. We identified the main active compounds and mechanisms involved in the cardioprotective effects of HLF via bioinformatics and molecular docking analysis, and relative signalling pathway activity was verified by Western blot. HLF treatment could reverse the HU-induced decline in LV-EF (HU, 55.13% ± 0.98% vs. HU + HLF, 71.16% ± 5.08%), LV-FS (HU, 29.44% ± 0.67% vs. HU + HLF, 41.62% ± 4.34%) and LV mass (HU, 667.99 ± 65.69 mg vs. HU + HLF, 840.02 ± 73.00 mg). Furthermore, HLF treatment significantly increased NPRA expression by 135.39%, PKG by 51.27%, decreased PDE5A by 20.03%, NFATc1 by 41.68% and Rcan1.4 by 54.22%. HLF plays a protective effect on HU-induced cardiac remodelling by enhancing NPRA-cGMP-PKG pathway and suppressing the calcineurin-NFAT pathway, which provides a theoretical basis for use in clinical therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorinated amino acids and related peptides/proteins have been found widespread applications in pharmaceutical and agricultural compounds. However, strategies for introducing a C−F bond into amino acids in an enantioselective manner are still limited and no such asymmetric catalysis strategy has been reported. Herein, we have successfully developed a Pd/Cu/Li ternary system for stereodivergent synthesis of chiral fluorinated amino acids. This method involves a sequential desymmetrization of geminal difluoromethylenes and allylic substitution with amino acid Schiff bases via Pd/Li and Pd/Cu dual activation, respectively. A series of non‐natural amino acids bearing a chiral allylic/benzylic fluorine motif are easily synthesized in high yields with excellent regio‐, diastereo‐, and enantioselectivities (up to >20 : 1 dr and >99 % ee). A density functional theory (DFT) study revealed the F−Cu interaction of the allylic substrate and the Cu catalyst significantly influence the stereoselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorinated amino acids and related peptides/proteins have been found widespread applications in pharmaceutical and agricultural compounds. However, strategies for introducing a C−F bond into amino acids in an enantioselective manner are still limited and no such asymmetric catalysis strategy has been reported. Herein, we have successfully developed a Pd/Cu/Li ternary system for stereodivergent synthesis of chiral fluorinated amino acids. This method involves a sequential desymmetrization of geminal difluoromethylenes and allylic substitution with amino acid Schiff bases via Pd/Li and Pd/Cu dual activation, respectively. A series of non‐natural amino acids bearing a chiral allylic/benzylic fluorine motif are easily synthesized in high yields with excellent regio‐, diastereo‐, and enantioselectivities (up to >20 : 1 dr and >99 % ee). A density functional theory (DFT) study revealed the F−Cu interaction of the allylic substrate and the Cu catalyst significantly influence the stereoselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxygen reduction reaction is crucial in the cathode of fuel cells and metal–air batteries. Consequently, designing robust and durable ORR catalysts is vital to developing metal–air batteries and fuel cells. Metal–organic frameworks feature an adjustable structure, a periodic porosity, and a large specific surface area, endowing their derivative materials with a unique structure. In this study, F and N co-doped on the carbon support surface (Co/FN-C) via the pyrolysis of ZIF-67 as a sacrificial template while using Co/FN-C as the non-noble metal catalysts. The Co/FN-C displays excellent long-term durability and electrochemical catalytic performance in acidic solutions. These performance improvements are achieved because the CQDs alleviate the structural collapse during the pyrolysis of ZIF-67, which increases the active sites in the Co nanoparticles. Moreover, F- and N-doping improves the catalytic activity of the carbon support by providing additional electrons and active sites. Furthermore, F anions are redox-stable ligands that exhibit long-term operational stability. Therefore, the well-dispersed Co NPs on the surface of the Co/FN-C are promising as the non-noble metal catalysts for ORR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of their high theoretical density, Li-air batteries (LABs) are expected to be critical components of future energy storage devices. However, the commercial use of LABs is limited by their low charge-discharge efficiency, high overpotential, and low cyclic stability. Therefore, to improve the cyclic stability of LABs, we manufactured N- and F-co-doped carbon quantum dots (NF-CQDs), thinly coated them on the surface of a Ni foam current collector via ultrasonic spray coating, and used the as-fabricated NF-CQD/Ni as the current collector of an LAB cathode. The NF-CQD/Ni-based cathode maintained remarkable cycling stability over 42 cycles (with a limited capacity was 1000 mAh/g) and exhibited a superior specific discharge capacity of approximately 5121.91 mAh/g (at 100 mA/g). NF-CQD/Ni-based cathode exhibits superior electrochemical properties, including its high cycling stability and high discharge capacity, primarily contributed by the NF-CQD coating layer, which prevented the oxidation of the Ni foam substrate and increased the electrical conductivity and electrocatalytic activity of the cathode. Therefore, NF-CQD/Ni can serve as an excellent current collector for LAB cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrageenan, the major carbohydrate component of some red algae, is an important renewable bioresource with very large annual outputs. Different types of carrageenolytic enzymes in the carrageenan metabolic pathway are potentially valuable for the production of carrageenan oligosaccharides, biofuel, and other chemicals obtained from carrageenan. However, these enzymes are not well-developed for oligosaccharide or biofuel production. For further application, comprehensive knowledge of carrageenolytic enzymes is essential. Therefore, in this review, we first summarize various carrageenolytic enzymes, including the recently discovered β-carrageenase, carrageenan-specific sulfatase, exo -α-3,6-anhydro-D-galactosidase (D-ADAGase), and exo-β-galactosidase (BGase), and describe their enzymatic characteristics. Subsequently, the carrageenan metabolic pathways are systematically presented and applications of carrageenases and carrageenan oligosaccharides are illustrated with examples. Finally, this paper discusses critical aspects that can aid researchers in constructing cascade catalytic systems and engineered microorganisms to efficiently produce carrageenan oligosaccharides or other value-added chemicals through the degradation of carrageenan. Overall, this paper offers a comprehensive overview of carrageenolytic enzymes, providing valuable insights for further exploration and application of these enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and allergic diseases possess similar genetic backgrounds and pathogenesis. Observational studies have shown a correlation, but the exact direction of cause and effect remains unclear. The aim of this Mendelian randomization (MR) study is to assess bidirectional causality between inflammatory bowel disease and allergic diseases. Method: We comprehensively analyzed the causal relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and allergic disease (asthma, Hay fever, and eczema) as a whole, allergic conjunctivitis (AC), atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic asthma (AAS), and allergic rhinitis (AR) by performing a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study using summary‐level data from genome‐wide association studies. The analysis results mainly came from the random‐effects model of inverse variance weighted (IVW‐RE). In addition, multivariate Mendelian randomization (MVMR) analysis was conducted to adjust the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the instrumental variables. Results: The IVW‐RE method revealed that IBD genetically increased the risk of allergic disease as a whole (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01–1.04, fdr.p =.015), AC (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01–1.06, fdr.p =.011), and AD (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02–1.09, fdr.p =.004). Subgroup analysis further confirmed that CD increased the risk of allergic disease as a whole (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.00–1.03, fdr.p =.031), AC (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01–1.05, fdr.p =.012), AD (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02–1.09, fdr.p = 2E−05), AAS (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02–1.08, fdr.p =.002) and AR (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.00–1.07, fdr.p =.025), UC increased the risk of AAS (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.98–1.07, fdr.p =.038). MVMR results showed that after taking BMI as secondary exposure, the causal effects of IBD on AC, IBD on AD, CD on allergic disease as a whole, CD on AC, CD on AD, CD on AAS, and CD on AR were still statistically significant. No significant association was observed in the reverse MR analysis. Conclusion: This Mendelian randomized study demonstrated that IBD is a risk factor for allergic diseases, which is largely attributed to its subtype CD increasing the risk of AC, AD, ASS, and AR. Further investigations are needed to explore the causal relationship between allergic diseases and IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalloying is an effective method to improve the mechanical properties of 6063 Al–Mg–Si alloy. Here, in this work, the effects of trace Cu (0.14 wt.%) and Cr (0.10 wt.%.) additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 6063 Al–Mg–Si alloy were studied. The results show that the additions of two elements can cause significant age-hardening effects, and the yield and tensile strengths of the alloys are significantly increased after T6 heat treatment. Further, it is found that the Cu and Cr additions show different strengthening mechanisms in the alloy. Cu addition leads to a finer and denser distribution of the main strengthening phases in the peak aging of the alloy, as well as a large number density of the precipitated phases, resulting in an increase in the dislocation density of the alloy during strain and hindering the dislocation movement. However, Cr addition acts as an inhibitor of grain growth and results in grain refinement, which also increases the hindrance of dislocation movement during the plastic deformation of the alloy, resulting in an increase in the dislocation density, thereby strengthening the alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to mechanical α-relaxation process, olefin block copolymer (OBC) has a limited heat resistance and thermo-mechanical property. In this work, peroxide-induced melt crosslinking was conducted to fabricate OBC elastomers with two types of crosslinks. It was found that orthogonal crystal structure forms in these chemically crosslinked elastomers. Interestingly, the crystallization peak temperature (T c,p) shifted to higher temperature after crosslinking, which is mainly due to the crystallization mode transition from confined crystallization to breakout crystallization. Based on CPMG method of LF-1H NMR and AFM nanomechanics, it was demonstrated that loosely crosslinked OBC achieves double crosslinks of one chemical crosslink and another well-interconnected crystalline crosslink. As a consequence, OBC elastomer with double crosslinks shows an obviously enhanced Young's modulus (∼13.5 MPa), improved high-temperature mechanical properties (∼2.2 MPa strength and ∼220% elongation at break @80 °C) and good damping property (tan δ = 0.42). Furthermore, a balanced reprocessability and elastic recovery can be reached by adjusting the quantity of chemical crosslinks. Therefore, our work can provide guidelines for structural design and related elasticity mechanisms for high performance thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer. [Display omitted] • The preparation of a chemically crosslinked olefin block copolymer(OBC) elastomer by peroxide-induced crosslinking. • Breakout crystallization occurs in chemically crosslinked OBC elastomer. • Loose chemical crosslinks can balance reprocessability and elastic recovery. • Chemical crosslinking favors for enhancement of the thermo-mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is the main inorganic component of human skeletal tissue such as bone, teeth et al. Because of its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and mechanical properties, it is widely applied in the field of medicine, particularly in bone repairing and drug release. However, it is difficult to prepare HAP particles with good dispersity in aqueous solution and high surface area. To solve the issue, porous CaCO 3 were taken as a template to prepare hydroxyapatite with good dispersity and high surface area assisted by a dipeptide hydrogel system. Experimental data show that the sequence of dipeptide has a great effect on the dispersity of hydroxyapatite particles, and the obtained hydroxyapatite has a same particle size with the template of CaCO 3 , and can be dispersed in an aqueous solution very well. Meanwhile porous hydroxyapatite particles have a large surface area benefiting the loading of model drugs, and illustrate enhanced cell internalization efficiency and low cytotoxicity, which can be used as a sustained-release drug carrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Font classification of oracle bone inscriptions serves as a crucial basis for determining the historical period to which they belong and holds significant importance in reconstructing significant historical events. However, conventional methods for font classification in oracle bone inscriptions heavily rely on expert knowledge, resulting in low efficiency and time-consuming procedures. In this paper, we proposed a novel recurrent graph neural network (R-GNN) for the automatic recognition of oracle bone inscription fonts. The proposed method used convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to perform local feature extraction and downsampling on oracle bone inscriptions. Furthermore, it employed graph neural networks (GNNs) to model the complex topologiure and global contextual information of oracle bone inscriptions. Finally, we used recurrent neural networks (RNNs) to effectively combine the extracted local features and global contextual information, thereby enhancing the discriminative power of the R-GNN. Extensive experiments on our benchmark dataset demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a Top-1 accuracy of 88.2%, significantly outperforming the competing approaches. The method presented in this paper further advances the integration of oracle bone inscriptions research and artificial intelligence. The code is publicly available at: https://github.com/yj3214/oracle-font-classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive impairment and neuro-inflammatory responses are the distinctive characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tormentic acid (TA) is one of the major active components of Potentilla chinensis and has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, the potential effects of TA on neuro-inflammatory responses and memory impairment in AD remain unknown. The present study investigated the therapeutic effect of TA on neuro-inflammation, as well as learning and memory impairment in AD mice. In addition, the effects of TA treatment were also examined in a co-culture system of microglia and primary neurons. Intraperitoneal administration of TA attenuated memory deficits in amyloid β precursor protein/presenilin 1 transgenic mice, with a marked decrease in amyloid plaque deposition. TA also reduced microglial activation and decreased the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors in AD mice. Furthermore, pre-treatment with TA suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory markers, as well as the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 induced by Aβ exposure in BV2 cells. TA also reduced inhibited neurotoxicity and improved neuron survival in a neuron-microglia co-culture system. Taken together, these findings suggested that TA could attenuate neuro-inflammation and memory impairment, which may be closely associated with regulation of the NF-κB pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the distributed set-membership filtering problem is investigated for general nonlinear systems subject to Round-Robin and stochastic communication protocols over sensor networks. The considered disturbances are assumed to be unknown but bounded within certain known ellipsoidal regions. Two types of frequently used protocols, i.e., the Round-Robin and stochastic communication protocols are adopted separately to regulate the data transmission among sensor nodes. According to the Round-Robin protocol, each node is able to receive information from only one of its neighboring nodes in a circular order at each time step, whereas the stochastic communication protocol allows each node randomly receive the information sent from one of the neighboring nodes. By resorting to the recursive linear matrix inequalities approach, sufficient conditions are established for the existence of the desired distributed filter, guaranteeing that the state estimates are constrained within certain pre-determined ellipsoidal regions at each time step. Then two optimization problems aiming to minimize the ellipsoids (in the sense of matrix trace) are put forward to seek the locally optimal filtering performance. Finally, simulation examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemically crosslinking can enhance mechanical strength, dimensional stability and heat-resistance of thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers. However, chemically crosslinked elastomers suffer from reduction of flowability and strong shrinkage after reprocessing. In this work, inspired by vitrimer concept, olefin block copolymer (OBC) elastomer was chemically modified with dynamic boronic ester bond through one-step reactive processing. Based on the swelling test, FT-IR sperctra and DMA investigation, OBC vitrimer with tunable composition of dynamic Boron–Oxygen(B–O) bonds has been successfully prepared. Based on classical Arrhenius theory, the calculated activation energy (E a) of OBC vitrimers ranges from 7.838 kJ/mol to 46.851 kJ/mol due to combined effect of chemical and dyanmic crosslinks. The prepared OBC vitrimers shows good creep-resistance, great reprocessability and good mechanical properties including tensile strength up to 15 MPa, elongation at break of 2300%, and elastic recovery of 90% at 300% strain. Interestingly, OBC vitrimers show significantly improved high-temperature mechancial property, i.e., tensile strength of ∼0.12 MPa and elongation excess 1200% at 120 °C where both OBC and OBC-DCP samples break instantly. Therefore, our work shows a promising industrial-scale strategy to prepare vitrimer elastomers via reactive processing, and provides guidance for molecular design of high-performance vitrimeric polyolefin elastomers. [Display omitted] • Commerical thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer(OBC) was transformed into OBC vitrimeric elastomer through reactive processing. • OBC vitrimers have estimated activation energy(E a) value ranging from 7.838 kJ/mol to 46.851 kJ/mol due to the tunable composition of dynamic crosslinks and irreversible crosslinks. • The prepared OBC vitrimers have good creep-resistance, reprocessability, great reprocessability and largely improved thermo-mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the urgent demand of high-performance electronic packaging materials, thermoplastic elastomer physical gels (TPEG) have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional hydrogels and crosslinked rubbers due to their good thermal stability and reprocessability. In this work, olefin block copolymer (OBC) elastomer was blended with soft-block selective mineral oil (MO) to tune the mechanical property and transparency. It was found that the MO molecules can disperse well within amorphous phase with effective filling ratio ranging from 9.85 wt% to 44.82 wt%. The hard segments pack into spherulites and gradually develop into segregated crystals of ∼800 nm with the increase of MO concentration. Interestingly, fast quenching induces breakout crystallization morphology while thermal annealing at 130 °C can result in confined crystallization morphology with increased domain spacing due to the selective distributed MO since the corrected crystallinity remains constant and the crystal structure maintains as orthogonal crystals. Due to the combined effect of weak mesophase separation and decreased crystal size, OBC gels has an increased transparency up to 80% in visible region. The extensibility and cyclic property of OBC-based TPEG were finely tuned along with high transparency and excellent dielectric insulation property. Furthermore, the OBC gels are highly stable over a wide temperature and can be recycled. Overall, our work highlights the potential of thermoplastic elastomer physical gels as a sustainable and high-performance alternative for transparent electronics packaging materials. [Display omitted] • Thermoplastic elastomer gel (TPEG) was prepared by blending olefin block copolymer elastomer and aliphatic mineral oil. • The addition of MO results in segregated crystal structure and increased optical transparency for OBC-based TPEG. • OBC-based TPEG show tunable mechanical properties and good dielectric insulation property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penthorum chinense Pursh (PCP) has acknowledged as an edible herbal medicinal plant for the prevention and treatment of alcoholic liver injury (ALI). However, only few of researches focus on the chemical material basis and potential mechanisms of PCP against ALI. Herein, we explored the therapeutic effects of PCP extract against ALI based on the integration of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experiment validation. Based on the standard quality control of PCP herbs by UPLC fingerprint and quantitative determination, 80% ethanol extract fraction of PCP containing more polyphenols, compared to aqueous extract fraction of PCP, were chosen for further experiments. After oral administration of PCP ethanol extract, serum pharmacochemistry based on UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS analysis was implemented to evaluate the potential effective compounds. These absorbed prototypes in PCP were used to construct network pharmacology and predict the potential mechanisms of PCP extract against ALI. Then, the predicted targets and biological mechanisms of PCP extract were validated using animal experiments and molecular docking analysis. Although totally 19 polyphenol compounds were identified in PCP ethanol extract by UPLC-MS analysis, only 18 absorbed prototypes were found in the serum collected from mice at 1 h post-administration with PCP extract. These candidate active compounds were further screened into 13 compounds to construct network pharmacology and 433 targets were identified as PCP targets. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses indicated that the effects of PCP extract would involve in Ras signaling pathway. The animal experiments on chronic ALI model mice shown that the oral administration of PCP can alleviate ALI by attenuating hepatic oxidative stress, inflammation and down-regulating the target proteins in Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. Molecular docking analysis revealed the good binding ability between the three polyphenols (i.e. quercetin, apigenin, thonningianin B) in PCP with the top contribution in network pharmacology, and these target proteins (Ras, Raf, MEK1/2, and ERK1/2). Our results clarified that PCP ethanol extract could effectively alleviate ALI by down-regulating Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway promisingly. Quercetin, apigenin, and thonningianin B may be the active compounds of PCP, attributing to the intervention benefits of PCP against ALI. It was found that flavonoids such as quercetin and apigenin had alleviating effects on alcoholic liver injury. The content of the main active substances in PCP was determined to improve the quality control of PCP. Meanwhile, PCP could promote the production of antioxidant enzymes, inhibit inflammatory factors, and suppress alcoholic liver injury by reducing the expression of proteins in the RAS-RAF pathway. [Display omitted] • The fingerprints and the content determination indexes of multiple components were established. • Screening of 19 polyphenol against alcoholic liver injury by network pharmacology. • Verified the RAS-RAF pathway to against alcoholic liver injury by network pharmacology and vivo experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible transient electronic devices have great potential applications in medical care and wearable device field. Herein, silk fibroin, a natural protein, was applied as biocompatible and biodegradable building blocks to construct transparent film with extraordinary mechanical property. During the preparation of film, conductive Ag nanowires have been introduced into the film through a patterned "casting" strategy, endowing the film with good conductivity. The silk fibroin film with patterned Ag nanowires is certified to be an effective and stable interdigital capacitive sensor in normal environment, but can dissolve immediately within water in one minute. The method proposed here is simple, facile and low cost, and will promote the development and application of transient electronics in security of information and wearable device fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

W-type ferrite BaMg 1.8 Cu 0.2 Fe 16 O 27 magnetic powders and magnets were prepared by a ceramic process. The phase identification of magnetic powders was performed by X-ray diffraction. At calcination temperatures ranging from 1200 to 1340 °C, the phase compositions of the magnetic powders consist of W-type hexaferrites together with small amount of impurity phases such as α-Fe 2 O 3 . At calcination temperatures above 1280 °C, single-phase W-type hexaferrites can be obtained. The microstructures of the magnets were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The particles appear in hexagonal plate-like shape and the particles are distributed homogeneously. The radial shrinkage of the magnets increases with the increase of calcination or sintering temperature. The magnetic properties of the magnets was measured by a permanent magnetic measure equipment. For high remanence, intrinsic coercivity, magnetic induction coercivity and maximum energy product, the optimized calcination temperatures is 1280 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of W-type hexagonal ferrites with the composition Ba 1 - x Sr x Fe 2 2 + Fe 16 3 + O 27 (0≤ x ≤1) were prepared by the ceramic process in a reducing atmosphere during the whole process of pre-sintering and sintering. The phase composition, micro-morphology, and magnetic properties of the particles were investigated by XRD, SEM, and VSM. The results of XRD show that the single phase was observed in the W-type ferrites with different Sr content. The micro-morphology of the particles exhibits the uniform plane hexagonal structures of W-type ferrites with different Sr content. The coercivity ( H c ) of the particles increases with the increase of Sr content ( x ), while the saturation magnetization ( M s ) of the particles first decreases with x from 0 to 0.2, and then begins to increase when x continues to increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

M-type strontium hexaferrites with chemical composition of Sr 0.80− x Ca x La 0.20 Fe 11.85 Co 0.15 O 19 ( x =0−0.15) were prepared by the ceramic process. The samples were sintered at temperatures of 1175, 1185 and 1195 °C for 2 h in air. Effects of the substituted amount x of Ca 2+ on the ferrites microstructure and magnetic properties have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and B – H hysteresis curve measurements. As a result, at x ≤0.12, all samples are single phase after the Ca substitution. At x =0.15, another phase of hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) is present. In addition, the maximum values of the remanence ( B r ) and maximum energy product (( BH ) max ) for the magnets have been obtained at x =0.08 for sintering temperature=1185 °C. The maximum value of the intrinsic coercive force ( H cj ) for the magnets has been obtained at x =0.12 when the magnets were sintered at 1185 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexagonal ferrite Sr 0.7 − x Ca 0.3 La x Fe 12 − y Co y O 19 ( x = 0.05–0.50; y = 0.04–0.40) magnetic powders and magnets were synthesized by the solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction was employed to determine the phase compositions of the magnetic powders. There is a single magnetoplumbite phase in the magnetic powders with the substitution of La (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) and Co (0.04 ≤ y ≤ 0.12) contents. For the magnetic powders containing La ( x ≥ 0.20) and Co ( y ≥ 0.16), magnetic impurities begin to appear in the structure. A field emission scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the micrographs of the magnets. The magnets have formed hexagonal structures. Magnetic properties of the magnets were measured by a magnetic properties test instrument. The remanence continuously increases with increasing dopant contents. Whereas, the magnetic induction coercivity, intrinsic coercivity and maximum energy product for the magnets first increases and then decreases with an increase in the La–Co contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]