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The engineering of switchable materials with controllable stimuli-responsive multistability remains challenging in materials science. Herein, we present syntheses and structural and magnetic studie...

Two cyanide-bridged V-shaped isostructural trinuclear complexes [{(Tp*)FeIII(CN)3}2MII(bztpen)]·Sol (M = Fe, Sol = CH3OH·3H2O, 1; M = Co, Sol = 2CH3OH·2H2O, 2; bztpen = N-benzyl-N,N′,N′-tris(2-methylpyridyl)ethylenediamine; Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate) were synthesized and characterized. The bztpen ligand serves as a tetradentate capping ligand around the inner metal ion, leaving one pyridyl group intact. Complex 1 exhibits a spin crossover (SCO) behavior between the {FeIIILSFeIIHSFeIIILS} and {FeIIILSFeIILSFeIIILS} spin isomers, while 2 shows both thermally- and photo-induced electron-transfer coupled spin transition (ETCST) property between the {FeIIILSCoIIHSFeIIILS} and {FeIIILSCoIIILSFeIILS} valence isomers. The total entropy changes for 1 and 2 between their corresponding two electronic states were found to be very close with the values of 87.46 and 84.49 J mol−1 K−1, respectively, indicating the comparable thermal energy barriers necessary for either an SCO or ETCST event for such a given system. Furthermore, both complexes undergo desolvation-induced irreversible and sharp magnetic change at high temperatures.

The successful introduction of azide ions as secondary bridges into the FeIII–NiII cyanide system afforded two clusters and one unique 4(3),2-ribbon chain: [(bpzpy)2Ni2(μ2-1,1-N3)2{(pzTp)Fe(CN)3}2]...

Hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (B-HCC) negatively affects the gut microbiome. This study aimed to investigate the gut microbiome profiles and functions post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) after extended hepatectomy (e-PHLF) to obtain valuable insights, identify potential diagnostic biomarkers, and assist in the treatment of this disease.B-HCC patients who underwent extended hepatectomy were consecutively recruited and divided into Group A (n=15) and Group B (n=15) based on the presence and absence of e-PHLF, respectively. The relationships between gut microbiota and extended hepatectomy liver failure were explored using 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequencing data.Following extended hepatectomy, the α-diversity of Group A was significantly higher than that of Group B (Shannon P=0.034 or Simpson P=0.031), and the β-diversity differed significantly between Groups A and B (P=0.004, R=0.100). At the genus level, 10 bacterial genera (The gut microbiota characteristics in B-HCC patients after extended hepatectomy liver failure might allow for the use of non-invasive biomarkers for disease diagnosis and treatment.

Flexible sensors are the essential foundations of pressure sensing, microcomputer sensing systems, and wearable devices. The flexible tactile sensor can sense stimuli by converting external forces into electrical signals. The electrical signals are transmitted to a computer processing system for analysis, realizing real-time health monitoring and human motion detection. According to the working mechanism, tactile sensors are mainly divided into four types—piezoresistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, and triboelectric tactile sensors. Conventional silicon-based tactile sensors are often inadequate for flexible electronics due to their limited mechanical flexibility. In comparison, polymeric nanocomposites are flexible and stretchable, which makes them excellent candidates for flexible and wearable tactile sensors. Among the promising polymers, conjugated polymers (CPs), due to their unique chemical structures and electronic properties that contribute to their high electrical and mechanical conductivity, show great potential for flexible sensors and wearable devices. In this paper, we first introduce the parameters of pressure sensors. Then, we describe the operating principles of resistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, and triboelectric sensors, and review the pressure sensors based on conjugated polymer nanocomposites that were reported in recent years. After that, we introduce the performance characteristics of flexible sensors, regarding their applications in healthcare, human motion monitoring, electronic skin, wearable devices, and artificial intelligence. In addition, we summarize and compare the performances of conjugated polymer nanocomposite-based pressure sensors that were reported in recent years. Finally, we summarize the challenges and future directions of conjugated polymer nanocomposite-based sensors.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to evaluate the association between intestinal Klebsiella and post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (B-HCC), and identify the inner relationship. METHODS: Patients with B-HCC were divided into Groups A and B based on the presence or absence of PHLF. 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid surveys were used to identify gut microbiome alterations. PICRUST2 was used to examine the metagenomic data in PHLF patients. Fecal and serum samples were processed by chromatography-mass spectrometry based non-targeted metabonomics, then comprehensively analyzed to obtain hub metabolites. A Spearman correlation analysis was then conducted to find any associations between fecal differential metabolites and the relative abundance of differential microbes. RESULTS: Hepatectomies were significantly associated with a gut microbial imbalance in B-HCC patients, and a significant elevation of Klebsiella abundance was observed in PHLF patients. Klebsiella appears to act on 13 amino acid-related pathways, especially significantly observed in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolic pathways. Additionally, Klebsiella was found to be highly correlated with 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoic acid shared by feces and serum in the BCAA metabolic pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatectomy can lead to an imbalance of intestinal microflora in B-HCC patients. Due to its potential connections with 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoic acid in the BCAA pathway, significantly increased Klebsiella has the potential to be an evaluation indicator of PHLF in B-HCC patients. Moreover, 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoic acid has research value in PHLF-targeted treatments.

To explore the effect of nootkatone (NKT) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depressive-like behaviors and the mechanism underlying NKT improving the depressive-like behaviors.The CUMS-induced depression model was established in mice. Fifty mice were randomized into 5 groups (n=10) in accordance with a random number table: control group, CUMS group, CUMS + NKT (6 mg/kg) group, CUMS + NKT (12 mg/kg) group, and CUMS + ketamine group. From the 22th day, NKT (6 or 12 mg/kg) or ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) was given with intragastric administration every day for 21 days. Behavioral tests including forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), sucrose preference test (SPT) and open-field test (OFT) were carried out. The mRNA and protein expressions of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in hippocampus were assessed using quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Western blot analysis, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway was analyzed using Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis.NKT treatment improved CUMS-induced depressive-like behaviors in mice (P0.05 or P0.01). NKT significantly decreased the mRNA and protein levels of IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, and TNF-α in hippocampus of CUMS mice (P0.05 or P0.01). Furthermore, NKT repressed CUMS-induced activation of NF-κB signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome (P0.01). More important, Nigericin, a NLRP3 activator, destroyed the effect of NKT on repressing neuroinflammation and improving depressive-like behaviors (P0.05 or P0.01).NKT ameliorates the depressive-like symptoms, in part by repressing NF-κB/NLRP3-mediated neuroinflammation.

Three cyanide-bridged {Fe2Fe} complexes of formula {[(TpR)Fe(CN)3]2[Fe(bnbpen)]}·S (TpR = Tp for 1·S, Tp3−Me for 2·S, and Tp* for 3·S, respectively; bnbpen = N,N′-bis-(2-naphthylmethyl)-N,N′-bis(2-picolyl)-ethylenediamine) have been prepared and characterized here. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all compounds feature right angled trinuclear structures with two [(TpR)Fe(CN)3]− units at the ends and one [Fe(bnbpen)]2+ at the centre. Besides the rich hydrogen bonds, remarkable π–π interactions are evidenced in all compounds between the intermolecular naphthyl and pyrazolyl rings. As a result, compounds 1·S and 2·S exhibit irreversible two-step and one-step spin-transitions, respectively, during the process of removing solvents, with T1/2 at 314 K and 376 K for 1·S and 350 K for 2·S, while compound 3·S shows a reversible one-step spin transition at relatively lower temperatures with T1/2 = 250 K, and what's more, an irreversible small magnetic change accompanied by the loss of lattice solvents was observed. The solvent-free compounds show SCO properties at lower temperatures than the corresponding solvated ones; however, the solvent-free compound 1 maintains an unexpected high-spin state and does not follow the trend that their transition temperatures decrease with the enhancement of the electron donor properties of the TpR ligands (Tp* < Tp3−Me < Tp), likely due to the more compact π–π stacking mode in comparison with those for compounds 2·S and 3·S.

The supercavitating vehicle are capable of achieving high speed through cavitation reduction technology, however, the model of the vehicle is inferior stability and nonlinear dynamics. Inferior stability is mainly reflected in the sensitivity to the interference. The strong nonlinear characteristics embodies in the special planing force caused by water-cavity interaction on the aft part of the vehicle. Regarding to the inferior stability and strong nonlinear dynamics of the supercavitating vehicle, sliding mode controllers are presented in this paper. By using boundary sliding mode control, boundary of nonlinear planing force is estimated. In order to reduce the switch gain of the boundary sliding mode controller, the sliding mode controller based on disturbance observer is proposed. The disturbance observer is designed. The stability of the system is proved by Lyapunov stability theorem. Evaluations results through simulation on tracking performance of the nominal and uncertainty system with time delay show the effectiveness of the control method.

Recently, flexible organic field-effect transistor (OFET)-based pressure sensors have been attracting significant interest for promising applications in electronic skin (e-skin) and wearable health...

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of using WeChat platform to manage the patients with H. pylori infection. Methods 566 patients were randomly divided into two groups: The control group was treated with traditional management method, and the experimental group established WeChat group and implemented the informatization management. The two groups were given a unified plan to eradicate H. pylori. After the treatment, the C14 breath test was reexamined. The follow-up rate and H. pylori eradication rate of the two groups were counted. Results In the experimental group, 289 patients were enrolled and 271 patients were followed up. The follow-up rate was 93.8%. The number of H. pylori-negative patients was 244, and the eradication rate was 90.0%. In the control group, 277 patients were enrolled in the study, and 215 patients were followed up. The follow-up rate was 77.6%. 169 cases of H. pylori-negative conversion were found, and the eradication rate was 78.6%. Conclusion Through WeChat management, the medication adherence, regular follow-up, and H.pylori infection eradication rate of the patients with H.pylori infection in the experimental group were better than that in control group, during the treatment of eradicating H.pylori, and the difference was statistically significant.

Flexible piezoresistive pressure sensors obtain global research interest owing to their potential applications in healthcare, human–robot interaction, and artificial nerves. However, an additional power supply is usually required to drive the sensors, which results in increased complexity of the pressure sensing system. Despite the great efforts in pursuing self-powered pressure sensors, most of the self-powered devices can merely detect the dynamic pressure and the reliable static pressure detection is still challenging. With the help of redox-induced electricity, a bioinspired graphite/polydimethylsiloxane piezoresistive composite film acting both as the cathode and pressure sensing layer, a neoteric electronic skin sensor is presented here to detect not only the dynamic forces but also the static forces without an external power supply. Additionally, the sensor exhibits a fascinating pressure sensitivity of ∼103 kPa–1 over a broad sensing range from 0.02 to 30 kPa. Benefiting from the advanced performance of the device, various potential applications including arterial pulse monitoring, human motion detecting, and Morse code generation are successfully demonstrated. This new strategy could pave a way for the development of next-generation self-powered wearable devices.

In this work, we examined the performance of 2D titanate nanosheets for dye adsorption. Their adsorption capacity for methylene blue (MB) is up to 3937 mg g−1, which is more than 10 times higher than active carbon and occupies the highest place among all the reports.

Three cyanide-bridged {Fe

BACKGROUND: Age was important prognostic factors for operable hepatocellular carcinoma patients. The aim of the present study was to assess the difference in gut microbiota in patients with operable hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) at different ages ; to investigate the features of the microbiota and its function associated with different ages; to provide a preliminary look at effects of the gut microbiota dimension on prognostic. METHODS: From September 2020 to May 2021, patients with HBV-HCC were able to undergo liver resection and were recruited consecutively and divided into the younger age group (age 65 years) (O.AG) (n=20). The relationships between gut microbiota and different ages were explored using 16S rRNA gene sequencing data. PICRUST2 was used to examine the metagenomic data in PHLF patients. Fisher’s exact and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for the data analysis. RESULTS: Pairwise comparison between the three groups showed that the α-diversity of Y.AG was significantly higher than that of O.AG (ACE Index, P=0.017; chao1 Index, P=0.031; observed_species Index, P=0.011; and goods_coverage Index, P=0.041). The β-diversity in the 3 groups differed significantly (stress =0.100), while the composition (β-diversity) differed significantly between the Y.AG and the M.AG (stress =0.090), the M.AG and the O.AG (stress =0.095), and the Y.AG and the O.AG (stress =0.099). At the genus level, 7 bacterial genera were significantly enriched in the O.AG compared with the Y.AG, of which Streptococcus, Blautia, Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG-003, and Fusicatenibacter represented the major variances in O.AG microbiomes. Eleven genera were significantly increased in the O.AG, of which Prevotella, Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium, Ruminiclostridium, and Phascolarctobacterium represented the major variances in the O.AG. The Y.AG and the O.AG were predicted by PICRUSt2 analysis, which found 72 pathways related to differential gut microbiome at the genus level. Redundancy analysis showed that 7 environmental factors were significantly correlated with intestinal microorganisms, especially in the Y.AG compared with the O.AG. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of gut microbiota characteristics in patients of different ages could ultimately contribute to the development of novel avenues for the treatment of HCC at different ages.

Aim To investigate the effects of VSL#3 on tumor formation, and fecal and intestinal mucosal microbiota in azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS) induced mice model. Methods C57BL/6 mice were administered AOM/DSS to develop the ulcerative colitis (UC) carcinogenesis model. Mice were treated with 5-ASA (75 mg/kg/d), VSL#3 (1.5 × 109 CFU/d), or 5-ASA combined with VSL#3 by gavage from the day of AOM injection for three months (five days/week). The tumor load was compared in each group, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-6 levels were evaluated in colon tissue. The stool and intestinal mucosa samples were collected to analyze the differences in the intestinal microbiota by 16s rDNA sequencing method. Results VSL#3 significantly reduced the tumor load in AOM/DSS-induced mice model and decreased the level of TNF-α and IL-6 in colon tissue. The model group had a lower level of Lactobacillus and higher level of Oscillibacter and Lachnoclostridium in fecal microbiota than the control group. After the intervention with 5-ASA and VSL#3, Bacillus and Lactococcus were increased, while Lachnoclostridium and Oscillibacter were reduced. 5-ASA combined with VSL#3 increased the Lactobacillus and decreased the Oscillibacter. The intestinal mucosal microbiota analysis showed a lower level of Bifidobacterium and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 and higher level of Alloprevotella in the model group as compared to the control group. After supplementation with VSL#3, Bifidobacterium was increased. 5-ASA combined with VSL#3 increased the level of both Lachnoclostridium and Bifidobacterium. Conclusion VSL#3 can prevent UC-associated carcinogenesis in mice, reduce the colonic mucosal inflammation levels, and rebalance the fecal and mucosal intestinal microbiota.

Flexible and sensitive sensors that can detect external stimuli such as pressure, temperature, and strain are essential components for applications in health diagnosis and artificial intelligence. Multifunctional sensors with the capabilities of sensing pressure and temperature simultaneously are highly desirable for health monitoring. Here, we have successfully fabricated a flexible and simply structured bimodal sensor based on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) derived porous carbon (PC) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite. Attributed to the porous structure of PC/PDMS composite, the fabricated sensor exhibits high sensitivity (15.63 kPa–1), fast response time ( 0.11 °C–1) and fast response time (∼100 ms), indicating its p...

The downtime problem of wind turbine increases due to fatigue damage of wind turbine blades, which is even more crucial in the larger blades. One of the critical failure modes is the blade trailing edge failure, which can result in the trailing edge joint cracked. In this paper, we experienced that abnormal sound was happened in the trailing edge at the cross-section in the max chord during fatigue testing of a 2 MW full-scale wind turbine blade according to IEC61400-23. Through the conditional monitoring of the trailing edge, the delamination between GFRP and balsa wood is caused by stress concentration. The abnormal sound is happened due to GFRP beat the balsa wood when the blade vibrates in the edgewise direction. Moreover, the sound is amplified because the introduction of air due to the delamination. The local stress distribution and stability factors are computed through FEM methods, the program that increasing the core materials in the trailing edge is proposed. Therefore the structure reliability in the trailing edge is improved.

In this study, we reported a simple and facile methodology to prepare superhydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane via nonsolvent induced phase inversion process. The addition of hydrophobic modified SiO2 nanoparticles (HMSNs) in ethanol bath resulted in PVDF precipitation dominantly by solid-liquid demixing, and the obtained membrane was uniformly skinless and composed of spherical microparticles. The deposition of HMSNs on the microspheres formed micro- and nanoscale structure, which was crucial for superhydrophobicity. When HMSNs concentration in bath was 2 g·L−1, the water contact angle of the modified PVDF membrane was higher than 160° and the surface free energy decreased to 0.9 mN·m−1. Since the proposed modification allowed HMSNs migration into the membrane interior during the exchange between solvent and non-solvent, the hydrophobicity of internal surface of membrane pores and channels was also enhanced. This feature successfully inhibited the liquid intrusion into membrane pores, and promised a stable anti-wettability in long-term performance. The modified PVDF membrane was used in membrane contactor for CO2 absorption. The wetting problem was markedly alleviated in an intense 20-day test even with a 12 wt% 2-aminoethanol solution as absorption solution. Our results demonstrated that the incorporation of hydrophobic nanoparticles in coagulation bath is a promising approach to obtain superhydrophobic PVDF membrane for membrane gas absorption.

Objective: To explore the effect of Sini Decoction plus Ginseng on COVID-19 based on network pharmacological analysis. Methods: TCMSP platform was used to search the compounds of Sini Decoction plus Ginseng with oral bioavailability（OB）≥30% and druglikeness（ DL）≥0.18，and the results were input into the UniProt database and converted into standard target names；Genecards and OMIM database were used to find COVID-19 target, and the intersection targets were obtained and Venn diagram was drawn. Cytoscape 3.7.2 was applied to make the network diagram of composition-disease-target；The interaction database platform-String was used to analyze the target protein interaction, and the data were input into the software of Cytoscape 3.7.2 to make the network diagram；David database was used to analyze the accumulation of Gene Ontology（GO）and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG）signaling pathways of drug-disease intersection targets. The component target pathway network was constructed by using Cytoscape 3.7.2. Results: Altogether, 112 active components of Sini Decoction plus Ginseng were screened, corresponding to 234 targets. Besides, 261 COVID-19 targets were obtained after screening, and the Venn map showed that 50 targets were intersected. Quercetin, kaempferol，naringenin，and β-sitosterol were found to have higher moderate values shown by the component-disease-target network. The target proteins with high PPI network analysis value were IL-6，MAPK8，MAPK3， MAPK1，TP53，TNF，and CASP3. GO enrichment function analysis showed that 341 biological processes, 33 cell components，and 50 molecular functions were involved，which showed inflammatory reaction，cell response to lipopolysaccharide，exogenous apoptosis signal pathway，positive regulation of RNA polymerase Ⅱ promoter transcription，cytokine activity，chemokine activity，heme binding，and other biological processes. KEGG signaling pathway enrichment function analysisshowed that there were 112 signaling pathways. It included TNF signaling pathway，tuberculosis，influenza A，PI3K Akt signaling pathway，HIF-1 signaling pathway，and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. According to the component-target-pathway network diagram，quercetin，kaempferol，naringenin， and β -sitosterol in Sini Decoction plus Ginseng may act on IL-6，MAPK8， MAPK3， MAPK1，TP53，TNF，CASP3，and other targets through TNF signaling pathway，MAPK signaling pathway，Tolllike receptor signaling pathway，PI3K-Akt signaling pathway，and HIF-1 signaling pathway. Conclusion：Sini Decoction plus Ginseng can affect COVID-19 through multiple active components，multiple targets，and multiple pathways.

The abundant waste polyurethane sponge, commonly considered as one of the municipal wastes, can be recycled and converted into the valuable resources of environment. The increasing landfill cost and air-pollutions have made it a great urgent to develop the effective applications of waste polyurethane sponge. Recently, solar vapor generation has attracted extensive attentions, since energy shortage and water scarcity along with water pollution are becoming alarming global issues to be addressed. The solar vapor generation relies on the performance of the solar absorbers which convert the solar energy into heat for the vaporization process. A low cost, efficient and durable solar absorber is vital for the development of solar vapor generation. Here, we report that the recycled self-floating black polyurethane sponges are very promising solar absorber materials. which can efficiently generate water vapor after a simple one-step hydrophilic treatment with dopamine hydrochloride. The evaporating rate was more than 3.5 times higher compared to that of the existing natural evaporation process, exhibiting an evaporation efficiency of above 50%. Furthermore, this black polyurethane sponge can also drive solar ethanol distillation, yielding up to 25 wt% concentration promotion under each distillation cycle.

Crystal structures and magnetic properties of three one-dimensional (1D) azido-bridged cobalt(II) chains with different amide ligands (L), [Co2(N3)4(DMF)3] (1), [Co4(N3)8(DEF)5] (2), and [Co2(N3)4(DIPF)2] (3) (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide, DEF = N,N-diethylformamide, and DIPF = N,N-diisopropylformamide), are reported to investigate the influence of L on their structures and magnetic properties. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that, although 1–3 all consist of cobalt chains bridged by end-on (EO) azides, the coordination geometry of the CoII ions and the repeating units of the 1D structures are quite different. As the size of L increases, the ratio of L to CoII decreases from 6:4 in 1 to 5:4 and 4:4 in 2 and 3, respectively. In 1, two [CoN5O1] and two [CoN4O2] distorted octahedra form the {[CoN5O1][CoN4O2]2[CoN5O1]} tetramers (denoted as Co4A), which are linked to each other by sharing the N–N edge to form the chain. Similarly, the chain structure of 3 is constructed from a similar t...

(1) Background: Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the most important natural fiber worldwide, and it is extensively planted and plentifully used in the textile industry. Major cotton planting regions are frequently affected by abiotic stress, especially drought stress. Drought resistance is a complex, quantitative trait. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) constitutes an efficient method for dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits. In this study, the drought resistance of a population of 316 upland cotton accessions was studied via GWAS. (2) Methods: GWAS methodology was employed to identify relationships between molecular markers or candidate genes and phenotypes of interest. (3) Results: A total of 8, 3, and 6 SNPs were associated with the euphylla wilting score (EWS), cotyledon wilting score (CWS), and leaf temperature (LT), respectively, based on a general linear model and a factored spectrally transformed linear mixed model. For these traits, 7 QTLs were found, of which 2 each were located on chromosomes A05, A11, and D03, and of which 1 was located on chromosome A01. Importantly, in the candidate regions WRKY70, GhCIPK6, SnRK2.6, and NET1A, which are involved in the response to abscisic acid (ABA), the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and the calcium transduction pathway were identified in upland cotton at the seedling stage under drought stress according to annotation information and linkage disequilibrium (LD) block analysis. Moreover, RNA sequencing analysis showed that WRKY70, GhCIPK6, SnRK2.6, and NET1A were induced by drought stress, and the expression of these genes was significantly different between normal and drought stress conditions. (4) Conclusions: The present study should provide some genomic resources for drought resistance in upland cotton. Moreover, the germplasm of the different phenotypes, the detected SNPs and, the potential candidate genes will be helpful for molecular marker-assisted breeding studies about increased drought resistance in upland cotton.

ObjectivesLiver kinase B1 (LKB1) is considered a tumour suppressor that can control cell growth and metabolism. Whether LKB1 expression levels are related to clinicopathology and prognosis is controversial. This review aimed to quantitatively examine the latest evidence on this question.DesignAn updated systematic review and meta-analysis on the association between LKB1 expression and prognosis of patients with solid tumours were performed.Data sourcesEligible studies were identified through literature searches from database establishment until 15 June 2018 in the following databases: Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wan Fang databases.Eligibility criteriaThe association between LKB1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) of patients with solid tumours were reported. Sufficient data were available to calculate the OR or HR and 95% CI.Data extraction and synthesisRelevant data were meta-analysed for OS, DFS, RFS and various clinical parameters.ResultsThe systematic review included 25 studies containing 6012 patients with solid tumours. Compared with patients with high LKB1 expression, patients with low expression showed significantly shorter OS in univariate analysis (HR=1.63, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.97, pConclusionLow LKB1 expression predicts shorter OS, worse tumour differentiation, larger tumours, earlier lymph node metastasis and more advanced TNM stage. Low LKB1 expression may be a useful biomarker of poor clinicopathology and prognosis.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a complex polygenic disease in which gene-environment interactions play a critical role in disease onset and progression. The Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) gene E469K polymorphism is one of the most commonly studied polymorphisms in this gene because of its association with CHD risks, but results were conflicting. The PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched for case–control studies published up to November 2018. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to assess the association. Eleven eligible studies, comprising 3435 cases and 3199 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled result showed that the ICAM-1 gene E469K polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of CHD (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.11–1.29, for the allele K versus allele E; OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.43–1.92, for the K allele carriers versus EE). Subgroup analysis supported the results in the Chinese populations and in the Caucasian populations. This meta-analysis suggests that the ICAM-1 gene K469E polymorphism is associated with CHD risk and the K allele is a more significant risk factor for developing CHD amongst Chinese and Caucasians populations.

Health monitoring, e-skin, and soft robotics call for large-area and robust energy-harvesting strategy to powering their embedded sensors and peripheral electronics. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an optimum option to energizing self-powered sensors and self-charging systems. Herein, a large-scale facile and compatible bar-assisted printing method is presented to achieve hierarchically microstructured polymer composite triboelectric film with good hydrophobicity to improve the electrical output performance and achieve the robustness of TENG. The electrical outputs of the TENG devices are tuned by imparting the graphite fillers into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with optimal concentration. The achieved microstructured graphite/PDMS composite based TENG supplies high and stable short-circuit current of 42 µA, open-circuit voltage of 410 V, and transferred charges of 160 nC under an applied force of 1.2 N, which are sufficient enough to power wearable sensors or charge the energy storage devices. The TENG devices can charge a 2.2 µf capacitor to 1.5 V within 2 s, lighten 30 commercial green LEDs, and drive an electronic watch as well. Self-powered tactile sensing has also been demonstrated by attaching the TENG devices onto a rubber glove to monitor the process in grasping objects. Furthermore, a large-scale self-powered sensor array is fabricated and utilized to map the spatial pressure distributions. This work not only demonstrates a scalable fabrication of the hierarchically microstructured polymer composite films for high-performance TENGs with high electrical outputs, excellent durability and ambient stability, but also brings insight into the development of future cost-effective and self-powered electronics.

The reaction of Cu(valdmpn) (H2valdmpn = N,N′-bis-(3-methoxysalicylidene)-1,3-diamino-2,2-dimethylpropane), LnCl3·nH2O (Ln = La(1), Ce (2), Pr(3), Nd(4), Sm(5), Eu(6), Gd(7), Tb(8), Dy(9), Ho(10), Er(11), Tm(12), Yb(13), Lu(14)) and NaN3 in methanol led to a whole series of heterometallic CuII–LnIII complexes. The basic structural components of these complexes are the [CuII(valdmpn)LnIII] units with a compartmental Schiff-base ligand. These [CuIILnIII] units were then further connected by the end-on (EO) azides between the Ln3+ centers to form tetranuclear {[CuLn](μ-N3)n[LnCu]} motifs, where n is 3 for the complexes of larger radii lanthanides (1CuLa to 5CuSm) and 2 for the complexes of smaller radii lanthanides (6CuEu to 14CuLu). While compounds 6CuEu to 14CuLu remain isolated tetranuclear clusters, compounds 1CuLa to 5CuSm are one-dimensional chains where tetranuclear motifs are further connected by end-to-end (EE) azides between CuII and LnIII centers. Direct current (dc) magnetic susceptibilities have been measured in the range of 1.8–300 K for all complexes, revealing the different nature of magnetic interactions between the spin centers. Among them, dominant ferromagnetic interactions were found in compounds 7CuGd, 8CuTb and 9CuDy. Alternating current (ac) magnetic measurements performed on 8CuTb, 9CuDy, and 10CuHo demonstrated the presence of slow magnetic relaxation under zero applied dc field. The spin relaxation barrier Ueff was determined to be 19.54 cm−1 (28.12 K) and 10.34 cm−1 (14.87 K) for compounds 8CuTb and 9CuDy. The SMM behavior of 8CuTb was further confirmed by the presence of magnetic hysteresis loops; while no hysteresis loop was observed for 9CuDy and 10CuHo. These results demonstrated that azido-bridged copper(II)–lanthanide(III) complexes could be synthesized successfully despite the generally weak azido–lanthanide interaction.