Search

Diagnosing early lumbar spondylolisthesis is challenging for many doctors because of the lack of obvious symptoms. Using deep learning (DL) models to improve the accuracy of X-ray diagnoses can effectively reduce missed and misdiagnoses in clinical practice. This study aimed to use a two-stage deep learning model, the Res-SE-Net model with the YOLOv8 algorithm, to facilitate efficient and reliable diagnosis of early lumbar spondylolisthesis based on lateral X-ray image identification. A total of 2424 lumbar lateral radiographs of patients treated in the Beijing Tongren Hospital between January 2021 and September 2023 were obtained. The data were labeled and mutually identified by 3 orthopedic surgeons after reshuffling in a random order and divided into a training set, validation set, and test set in a ratio of 7:2:1. We trained 2 models for automatic detection of spondylolisthesis. YOLOv8 model was used to detect the position of lumbar spondylolisthesis, and the Res-SE-Net classification method was designed to classify the clipped area and determine whether it was lumbar spondylolisthesis. The model performance was evaluated using a test set and an external dataset from Beijing Haidian Hospital. Finally, we compared model validation results with professional clinicians' evaluation. The model achieved promising results, with a high diagnostic accuracy of 92.3%, precision of 93.5%, and recall of 93.1% for spondylolisthesis detection on the test set, the area under the curve (AUC) value was 0.934. Our two-stage deep learning model provides doctors with a reference basis for the better diagnosis and treatment of early lumbar spondylolisthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of nanometer‐sized magnetic heterostructures with controlled magnetic components and specific interfaces holds great significance in the field of electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption. However, the process of achieving these structures still poses significant challenges. Here, abundant magnetic heterostructures are successfully fabricated by utilizing the surface energy anisotropy differences of the nonasymmetric hammer‐shaped interface to support the nucleation and growth of magnetic heterostructure components while effectively inhibiting their aggregation. Through a confined growth strategy via in situ growth of FeOOH and sequentially precise thermal treatments, dispersion of the heterostructures is achieved at the nanometer scale, while also observing a high degree of chemical stability due to occurrence of a charge‐compensation effect at the interface. Consequently, a series of magnetic heterostructures are obtained via phase translations of FeOOH precursors. The nanometer‐sized heterostructures demonstrate multilevel interfacial polarization effects. Furthermore, the hierarchical core–shell structure of the heterostructures promotes anisotropic polarization absorption. As a result, the multiple interfaces and nanometer‐sized Fe/Fe3O4@SiO2@Fe‐2 heterostructures demonstrate improved EM wave attenuation performance. Remarkably, they achieve an absorption bandwidth of 9 GHz at a thickness of 1.8 mm. A novel avenue is introduced here for investigating the intricate relationship between structure and properties in magnetic heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterointerface engineering is evolving as an effective approach to tune electromagnetic functional materials, but the mechanisms of heterointerfaces on microwave absorption (MA) remain unclear. In this work, abundant electromagnetic heterointerfaces are customized in multilevel hollow architecture via a one‐step synergistic polymerizing‐etching strategy. Fe/Fe3O4@C spindle‐on‐tube structures are transformed from FeOOH@polydopamine precursors by a controllable reduction process. The impressive electromagnetic heterostructures are realized on the Fe/Fe3O4@C hollow spindle arrays and induce strong interfacial polarization. The highly dispersive Fe/Fe3O4 nanoparticles within spindles build multi‐dimension magnetic networks, which enhance the interaction with incident microwaves and reinforce magnetic loss capacity. Moreover, the hierarchically hollow structure and electromagnetic synergistic components are conducive to the impedance matching between absorbing materials and air medium. Furthermore, the mechanisms of electromagnetic heterointerfaces on the MA are systematically investigated. Accordingly, the as‐prepared hierarchical Fe/Fe3O4@C microtubes exhibit remarkable MA performance with a maximum refection loss of −55.4 dB and an absorption bandwidth of 4.2 GHz. Therefore, in this study, the authors not only demonstrate a synergistic strategy to design multilevel hollow architecture, but also provide a fundamental guide in heterointerface engineering of highly efficient electromagnetic functional materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse has become a global public health problem. However, the potential mechanisms involving METH‐induced metabolic disorders have thus far remained poorly understood. Metabolomics can provide a clue for the cause of apparent changes and consequently be used to investigate the METH‐induced dysregulation of metabolite expression and the mechanism of metabolic disorder mechanism. This laboratory investigation included 80 METH abusers and 80 healthy people. The serum metabolites were detected and analysed by gas chromatography/time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Raw data were processed with the software MS DIAL, which includes deconvolution, peak alignment and compound identification. The data matrix was processed by univariate and multivariate analyses for significant metabolite screening with the criteria of variable importance in projection values > 1, fold change > 1.5 and the t test (p value < 0.05). Significant differences in 16 metabolites (deoxycholic acid, cholic acid, hydroxylamine, etc.) in serum were found between the METH abuse group and the control group. Energy metabolic pathways and several amino acid metabolic pathways (alanine, aspartic acid and glutamate metabolism and tryptophan metabolism) were primarily involved. Further analysis indicated that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.998 for these 16 metabolites. Among the metabolites, three carbohydrates (d‐ribose, cellobiose and maltotriose) had an AUC of 0.975, which were determined as potential markers of abuse. We observed metabolic disturbances in METH abusers, particularly perturbation in energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism, which can provide new insights into the search for biomarkers and the mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of METH on human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to examine the volumes of thalamic nuclei and the intrinsic thalamic network in patients with Wilson's disease (WDs), and to explore the correlation between these volumes and the severity of neurological symptoms. Methods: A total of 61 WDs and 33 healthy controls (HCs) were included in the study. The volumes of 25 bilateral thalamic nuclei were measured using structural imaging analysis with Freesurfer, and the intrinsic thalamic network was evaluated through structural covariance network (SCN) analysis. Results: The results indicated that multiple thalamic nuclei were smaller in WDs compared to HCs, including mediodorsal medial magnocellular (MDm), anterior ventral (AV), central median (CeM), centromedian (CM), lateral geniculate (LGN), limitans-suprageniculate (L-Sg), reuniens-medial ventral (MV), paracentral (Pc), parafascicular (Pf), paratenial (Pt), pulvinar anterior (PuA), pulvinar inferior (PuI), pulvinar medial (PuM), ventral anterior (VA), ventral anterior magnocellular (VAmc), ventral lateral anterior (VLa), ventral lateral posterior (VLp), ventromedial (VM), ventral posterolateral (VPL), and right middle dorsal intralaminar (MDI). The study also found a negative correlation between the UWDRS scores and the volume of the right MDm. The intrinsic thalamic network analysis showed abnormal topological properties in WDs, including increased mean local efficiency, modularity, normalized clustering coefficient, small-world index, and characteristic path length, and a corresponding decrease in mean node betweenness centrality. WDs with cerebral involvement had a lower modularity compared to HCs. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the majority of thalamic nuclei in WDs exhibit significant volume reduction, and the atrophy of the right MDm is closely related to the severity of neurological symptoms. The intrinsic thalamic network in WDs demonstrated abnormal topological properties, indicating a close relationship with neurological impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Three-dimension hierarchical core–shell Mo2N@CoFe@C/CNT composites were successfully constructed via a fast MOF-based ligand exchange strategy. Abundant magnetic CoFe nanoparticles suspended within “nanotubes on microrods” matrix exhibited strong magnetic loss capability, confirmed by off-axis electron holography. Hierarchical Mo2N@CoFe@C/CNT composites displayed remarkable microwave absorption value of − 53.5 dB.Hierarchical magnetic-dielectric composites are promising functional materials with prospective applications in microwave absorption (MA) field. Herein, a three-dimension hierarchical “nanotubes on microrods,” core–shell magnetic metal–carbon composite is rationally constructed for the first time via a fast metal–organic frameworks-based ligand exchange strategy followed by a carbonization treatment with melamine. Abundant magnetic CoFe nanoparticles are embedded within one-dimensional graphitized carbon/carbon nanotubes supported on micro-scale Mo2N rod (Mo2N@CoFe@C/CNT), constructing a special multi-dimension hierarchical MA material. Ligand exchange reaction is found to determine the formation of hierarchical magnetic-dielectric composite, which is assembled by dielectric Mo2N as core and spatially dispersed CoFe nanoparticles within C/CNTs as shell. Mo2N@CoFe@C/CNT composites exhibit superior MA performance with maximum reflection loss of − 53.5 dB at 2 mm thickness and show a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 5.0 GHz. The Mo2N@CoFe@C/CNT composites hold the following advantages: (1) hierarchical core–shell structure offers plentiful of heterojunction interfaces and triggers interfacial polarization, (2) unique electronic migration/hop paths in the graphitized C/CNTs and Mo2N rod facilitate conductive loss, (3) highly dispersed magnetic CoFe nanoparticles within “tubes on rods” matrix build multi-scale magnetic coupling network and reinforce magnetic response capability, confirmed by the off-axis electron holography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A MOF-based sacrificial template strategy is demonstrated to construct novel Mo-doped Co(OH) 2 hierarchical nanotubes organized by cross-linked porous nanosheets with the optimized electronic structure of more highly oxidative Co3+ species, which exhibits active and stable electrocatalytic activity for overall water splitting. • The Mo-doped Co(OH) 2 HNTs organized by cross-linked porous nanosheets are prepared. • Electronic structures with highly oxidative Co3+ species can be modified by Mo doping. • The low overpotentials of 218 mV and 125 mV for OER and HER are obtained. • Mo-Co(OH) 2 HNTs exhibit high electrocatalytic activity for overall water splitting. Designing hierarchical nanostructures of earth-abundant electrocatalysts for enhanced overall water splitting performance is of great significance. Herein, Mo-doped Co(OH) 2 hierarchical nanotubes (Mo-Co(OH) 2 HNTs) assembled by cross-linked porous nanosheets are designed and synthesized through a sacrificial template strategy. Benefiting from the hierarchical structures based on porous nanosheets with void interior as well as modified electronic structure of higher intensity of Co3+ species by Mo6+ doping, the Mo-Co(OH) 2 HNTs demonstrate superior electrocatalytic performance, achieving an current density of 10 mA cm−2 at the low overpotentials of 218 mV and 125 mV for oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions, respectively. Furthermore, an overall water splitting cell was assembled with the Mo-Co(OH) 2 electrocatalyst as both the anode and cathode materials, which exhibits a driving voltage of as low as 1.62 V. The facile strategy presented in this work can be extended to the construction of various hollow/porous nanostructures with effective heteroatom doping to achieve low-cost, bifunctional and high-performance electrocatalysts for overall water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible Li-ion batteries have shown great promise in powering wearable electronic devices due to their high energy/power densities and long cycling time. However, coordinating the promising electrochemical performance and flexibility for different applications is still a big challenge. Herein, we report a highly conductive graphene-modified mesoporous anatase TiO 2 (M-TiO 2 -GS) hierarchical film electrode for flexible Li-ion battery anode via a two-step vacuum filtration method. In such a hierarchical film electrode, the down-layer composed of bare graphene component provides ideal mechanical flexibility and electronic conductivity, and the hybrid top-layer composed of both graphene and active M-TiO 2 guarantees effective Li+ and electrons transport pathways and acts as the active layer for energy storage. The designed M-TiO 2 -GS film electrode delivers a reversible capacity of 205 and 76 mAh g−1 at rates of 0.5C and 20C, respectively, and high capacity retention of ∼70.5% after 3500 cycles at 5C. When packed in flexible cells, the M-TiO 2 -GS electrode can also maintain a highly reversible capacity and outstanding cycling stability in both flating and benting conditions. This work may provide a promising anode candidate for the next-generation flexible LIBs and the developed two-step filtration method can be readily applied to other flexible electrodes. Less defective graphene nanosheets with relatively high conductivity have been employed to fabricate a free-standing flexible M-TiO 2 -GS anode for LIBs through a two-step vacuum filtration method. Layer-by-layer assembled GS networks connected with M-TiO 2 cakes provides criss-crossed fast electrons transport paths and available ions diffusion channels, leading to great Li+ storage behavior. Image 1 • Highlights to Electrochimica Acta . • A graphene-modified TiO 2 hierarchical flexible film electrode is designed. • The designed film electrode has optimized electrochemical kinetic properties. • The electrode shows excellent performance in both free and bending conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore the performance of binaural and monaural recordings in soundscape evaluation. Twelve sites with different acoustic scenarios were chosen, where binaural and monaural recordings were simultaneously made. Nine soundscape indicators were assessed by residents through a laboratory-based auditory test. The results showed that the two recording methods present good agreement on most soundscape evaluation indicators including overall impression, acoustic comfort, pleasantness, annoyance, eventfulness, and loudness. The two recording methods were found to be correlated with different indicators in a similar way. For most sites, the two recording methods were significantly correlated excluding for directionality. For both recording methods, the A-weighted sound pressure level was found to have a weak impact on soundscape evaluation. Reverberation time significantly affects reverberance through binaural recordings. Overall, for most soundscape indicators, it is feasible to use both recording methods, although when "realism," "reverberance," and "directivity" are involved in evaluation, binaural recordings will render corresponding perception more consistently than the monaural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a crucial reaction for various energy conversion and storage devices, but the sluggish kinetics and the usage of noble metals greatly restrict its practical device applications. In this work, a well-designed high-performance catalyst for ORR was synthesized via a facile one-step Co-MOF carbonization method, in which Co-MOF was prepared using the cobalt acetate tetrahydrate and 2,2′-bipyridyl-5,5′-dicarboxylic acid (H2bpydc) as the only raw materials and H2bpydc as the favorable carbon and nitrogen source for in situ nitrogen doping and metallic cobalt reduction. The resultant 3D mesoporous carbon foam catalyst with embedded Co nanoparticles (CoN-CF) is enriched with nitrogen, which exhibits high specific surface area and abundant N-doping active sites for catalytic ORR. In particular, the optimized CoN-CF-700 sample displays the best catalytic performances including onset potential of 0.94 V, half-wave potential of 0.85 V, long-term durability and superior resistance to methanol poisoning. The demonstrated synthetic strategy provides a new insight into easy-synthesis and high-economy routes for metal-N-C catalysts and a deeper understanding of the effects of microstructures on catalytic mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Xu, C.Y.; Chen, Y.P., and Yu, L.L., 2018. Numerical Studying on The Sedimentary Processes at A Mudflat Near Yangtze River. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 1201–1205. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. A two-phase model for studying the sedimentation processes is presented. The simple flocculation model is incorporated in the two-phase model to take account the flocculation effects on the settling velocity and thus the distribution of suspended sediment concentration. The model is applied to study the sedimentation processes at a mudflat and the suspended sediment concentration is presented and compared with measured data. The results show that it is important to include the flocculation effects in predicting the vertical profile of sediment concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Zhou, C.Y.; Xu, C.Y.; Zhang, J.S.; Fu, X.Y., and Yin, Y., 2018. Coastal hazards caused by different extreme storms in the Bohai Sea, China. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 816–820. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The Bohai Sea, a semi-enclosed epicontinental sea, suffers different storms frequently, mainly tropical cyclones in summer/autumn and cold waves in winter/spring. The extreme storms can cause severe coastal hazards such as flooding, coastal structures and ocean platforms failures. A numerical model is set up for the Bohai Sea using MIKE21 with coupled hydrodynamic and wave modules. Observed data of water levels, velocities and wave are used to make model calibration. Based on this model, three typical tropical cyclones and cold waves are simulated. Then the major characteristics of summer tropical cyclones and winter cold waves are discussed. Affected by the tropical cyclone, the water levels of Laizhou Bay and Bohai Bay increase and that of Liaodong Bay decreases. Influenced by the cold wave coupled with an extratropical cyclone, the water levels of Laizhou Bay and Bohai Bay decrease firstly and then increase, which is contrary to the variation trend of water level at Liaodong Bay. Under the single cold wave weather, the water level increases at Laizhou Bay, decreases at Liaodong Bay, and firstly increases then decreases at Bohai Bay. The maximum of surge level caused by cold wave coupled with extratropical cyclone is smaller than that induced by tropical cyclone and single cold wave weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xu, C.Y.; Chen, Y.P., and Yu, L.L., 2018. Numerical Studying on The Sedimentary Processes at A Mudflat Near Yangtze River. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 1201–1205. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. A two-phase model for studying the sedimentation processes is presented. The simple flocculation model is incorporated in the two-phase model to take account the flocculation effects on the settling velocity and thus the distribution of suspended sediment concentration. The model is applied to study the sedimentation processes at a mudflat and the suspended sediment concentration is presented and compared with measured data. The results show that it is important to include the flocculation effects in predicting the vertical profile of sediment concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhou, C.Y.; Xu, C.Y.; Zhang, J.S.; Fu, X.Y., and Yin, Y., 2018. Coastal hazards caused by different extreme storms in the Bohai Sea, China. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 816–820. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The Bohai Sea, a semi-enclosed epicontinental sea, suffers different storms frequently, mainly tropical cyclones in summer/autumn and cold waves in winter/spring. The extreme storms can cause severe coastal hazards such as flooding, coastal structures and ocean platforms failures. A numerical model is set up for the Bohai Sea using MIKE21 with coupled hydrodynamic and wave modules. Observed data of water levels, velocities and wave are used to make model calibration. Based on this model, three typical tropical cyclones and cold waves are simulated. Then the major characteristics of summer tropical cyclones and winter cold waves are discussed. Affected by the tropical cyclone, the water levels of Laizhou Bay and Bohai Bay increase and that of Liaodong Bay decreases. Influenced by the cold wave coupled with an extratropical cyclone, the water levels of Laizhou Bay and Bohai Bay decrease firstly and then increase, which is contrary to the variation trend of water level at Liaodong Bay. Under the single cold wave weather, the water level increases at Laizhou Bay, decreases at Liaodong Bay, and firstly increases then decreases at Bohai Bay. The maximum of surge level caused by cold wave coupled with extratropical cyclone is smaller than that induced by tropical cyclone and single cold wave weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding and quantifying mud suspension and sediment transport processes are of great importance for effective exploitation and sustainable management of estuarine environments. Event-based predictive models are widely used to identify the key interactions and mechanisms that govern the dynamics involved and to provide the essential parameterisation for assessing the long-term morphodynamic evolution of the estuaries. This study develops a one-dimensional-vertical (1DV) Reynolds averaged two-phase model for cohesive sediments resuspension driven by tidal flows. To capture the time-dependent flocculation process more accurately, a new drag force closure which relates empirically to settling velocity of mud flocs with suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is incorporated into the two-phase model. The model is then applied to simulate mud suspension in the Ems/Dollard estuary during two periods (June and August 1996) of tidal forcing. Numerical predictions of bed shear stresses and sediment concentrations at different elevations above the bed are compared with measured variations. The results confirm the importance of including flocculation effects in calculating the settling velocity of mud flocs and demonstrates the sensitivity of prediction with the settling velocity in terms of flocs concentration. Although the two-phase modelling approach can in principle better capture the essential interactions between fluid and sediment phases, its practical advantages over the simpler single phase approach cannot be confirmed for the data periods simulated, partly because the overall suspended sediment concentration measured is rather low and the interaction between the two phases is weak and also because the uncertainties in the relationship between the settling velocity and flocs concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xu, C. and Dong, P., 2017. A dynamic model for coastal mud flocs with distributed fractal dimension. Suspended sediments entrained from muddy estuarine and coastal areas usually contain a large amount of mud flocs of various sizes and densities. The size and settling velocity of these mud flocs are unsteady and may vary over a large range. In most theoretical descriptions the mud flocs are treated as self-similar fractal entities with the fractal dimension being considered as either a constant or a simple function of the mean floc size. This deterministic description of fractal dimension has recently been found to be inadequate as for a given size class; fractal dimension of the mud flocs is not a single value but is distributed over a certain range. To address this problem this paper proposes a new flocculation model for the temporal evolution of floc size by considering the fractal dimensions for a given floc size class D to be normally distributed and validates the model with available experimental data. The proposed model is found to perform better in predicting the temporal evolution of floc size than that based on a single fixed floc-size-dependent fractal dimension, especially under high shear conditions and with large equilibrium floc size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) poses a significant threat to life, and the lung is one of the primary target organs of H 2 S. However, the mechanisms involved in H 2 S-induced acute pulmonary edema are poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the effects of H 2 S on the expression of water channel aquaporin 5 (AQP5) and to elucidate the signaling pathways involved in AQP5 regulation. In an in vivo study, C57BL6 mice were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of inhaled H 2 S, and histological injury of the lungs and ultrastructure injury of the epithelial cells were evaluated. With real-time PCR and western blot assays, we found that H 2 S exposure contributed to a significant decrease in AQP5 expression both in murine lung tissue and the A549 cell line, and the ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways were demonstrated to be implicated in AQP5 regulation. Therefore, adjusting AQP5 protein levels could be considered a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of APE induced by H 2 S and other hazardous gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new carbon nanofiber codoped with nitrogen and phosphorus (NPCNF) that has a high specific surface area and good electrocatalytic properties for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was synthesized using a template-free method. The fabrication process involves the pyrolysis of phytic acid doped polyaniline aerogel. A nonaqueous Li-O2 battery with a specific capacity as high as 12 607 mA h g−1 was constructed by using an oxygen electrode based on NPCNFs supported by Ni foam. The NPCNF electrode showed a lower overpotential than pure carbon. The observed excellent electrochemical performance could be because of the unique foamlike N- and P-codoped carbon microstructure, which had a high ORR catalytic activity. These results indicate that the use of NPCNF as a cathode material could be a feasible approach to obtain a high-capacity Li-O2 battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nodal modulator 1 (NOMO1), a highly conserved transmembrane protein, has been identified as a part of a protein complex that participates in the Nodal signaling pathway, a critical determinant of heart and visceral organ formation. We previously found that the NOMO1 gene was substantially downregulated in human ventricular septal defect (VSD) myocardium and, thus, may be an important molecular pathway in human heart development. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of NOMO1 gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) during early mouse cardiac differentiation using P19 cells as a model system. Our results revealed that the differentiated P19 cell population exhibited downregulated NOMO1 levels and expressed lower levels of Nodal signaling mediators, such as Nodal, Cripto and Smad2, than the negative control. Similarly, cardiomyocyte-specific sarcomeric markers, such as cardiac troponin T, as well as expression of cardiogenesis-related transcriptional factors, such as Nkx 2.5, Gata 4 and Tbx 5 were found to be downregulated in P19 differentiated cardiomyocytes in NOMO 1-silenced cells when compared to controls. In conclusion , our results indicate that NOMO1 gene knockdown inhibits the differentiation of P19 cells into cardiomyocytes, which highlights a potential role for NOMO 1 in early cardiogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The driving mechanism of an axisymmetric vectoring exhaust nozzle (AVEN) is a 3-degrees-of-freedom (3-DOF) parallel manipulator (PM) with a centering device. According to the characteristics of the vectoring nozzle's movement mechanism, the 3-DOF kinematics model of the 3SPS + 3PRS PM is established. The forward and inverse positional posture models are built based on the mechanism architecture of PM and the closed-loop vector method. The Jacobian matrix and Hessian matrix are derived using screw theory, and velocity and acceleration models are established. Based on the principle of virtual work and combined with the kinematics model of PM, a stiffness model was established to analyze stiffness performance. Finally, the effectiveness of the kinematics model of the PM was verified by a simulation, and the variation of stiffness performances with the positional posture of the PM was quantitatively analyzed. The results show that the translational stiffness decreases with forward axial translation of the moving platform and the rotational stiffness is mainly determined by the posture parameters. This study is expected to offer ideas for the kinematic modeling of 3-DOF PM and provide references for application and optimizing of the AVEN's driving mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to determine factors influencing lymph node metastasis (LNM) and develop a more effective method to assess preoperative N staging. Overall, data of 2130 patients who underwent thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer between 2018 and 2021 were retrospectively analysed. Patients were divided into groups according to pN0, pN1a, and pN1b stages. Pathology was used to analyse the correlation between preoperative serum marker indicators and LNM. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to compare the diagnostic value of ultrasound (US) examination alone, serum thyroglobulin, age, and combined method for LNM. A significant moderate agreement was observed between preoperative US and postoperative pathology for N staging. Between the pN0 and pN1 (pN1a + pN1b) groups, the differences in free triiodothyronine, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody, and serum thyroglobulin levels were statistically significant. Among the indicators, serum thyroglobulin was an independent predictor of LNM. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.610 for serum thyroglobulin level for predicting LNM, 0.689 for US alone, and 0.742 for the combined method. Both preoperative US and serum thyroglobulin level provide a specific value when evaluating the N staging of thyroid cancer, and the combined method is more valuable in the diagnosis of LNM than US alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: A novel FeCoNi carbon fiber (FeCoNi/CF) is obtained through an improved electrospinning technology, which greatly endows the fiber with strong magnetic property. The FeCoNi/CF exhibits an enhanced electromagnetic loss capability due to the construction of one-dimensional magnetic FeCoNi alloy. The designed one-dimensional FeCoNi/CF exhibits excellent performance, with a broad effective absorption band of 1.3 GHz in the low-frequency electromagnetic field at an ultrathin thickness of 2 mm, which provides a great potential for practical application in the future. Rational designing of one-dimensional (1D) magnetic alloy to facilitate electromagnetic (EM) wave attenuation capability in low-frequency (2–6 GHz) microwave absorption field is highly desired but remains a significant challenge. In this study, a composite EM wave absorber made of a FeCoNi medium-entropy alloy embedded in a 1D carbon matrix framework is rationally designed through an improved electrospinning method. The 1D-shaped FeCoNi alloy embedded composite demonstrates the high-density and continuous magnetic network using off-axis electronic holography technique, indicating the excellent magnetic loss ability under an external EM field. Then, the in-depth analysis shows that many factors, including 1D anisotropy and intrinsic physical features of the magnetic medium-entropy alloy, primarily contribute to the enhanced EM wave absorption performance. Therefore, the fabricated EM wave absorber shows an increasing effective absorption band of 1.3 GHz in the low-frequency electromagnetic field at an ultrathin thickness of 2 mm. Thus, this study opens up a new method for the design and preparation of high-performance 1D magnetic EM absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: A novel FeCoNi carbon fiber (FeCoNi/CF) is obtained through an improved electrospinning technology, which greatly endows the fiber with strong magnetic property. The FeCoNi/CF exhibits an enhanced electromagnetic loss capability due to the construction of one-dimensional magnetic FeCoNi alloy. The designed one-dimensional FeCoNi/CF exhibits excellent performance, with a broad effective absorption band of 1.3 GHz in the low-frequency electromagnetic field at an ultrathin thickness of 2 mm, which provides a great potential for practical application in the future. Rational designing of one-dimensional (1D) magnetic alloy to facilitate electromagnetic (EM) wave attenuation capability in low-frequency (2–6 GHz) microwave absorption field is highly desired but remains a significant challenge. In this study, a composite EM wave absorber made of a FeCoNi medium-entropy alloy embedded in a 1D carbon matrix framework is rationally designed through an improved electrospinning method. The 1D-shaped FeCoNi alloy embedded composite demonstrates the high-density and continuous magnetic network using off-axis electronic holography technique, indicating the excellent magnetic loss ability under an external EM field. Then, the in-depth analysis shows that many factors, including 1D anisotropy and intrinsic physical features of the magnetic medium-entropy alloy, primarily contribute to the enhanced EM wave absorption performance. Therefore, the fabricated EM wave absorber shows an increasing effective absorption band of 1.3 GHz in the low-frequency electromagnetic field at an ultrathin thickness of 2 mm. Thus, this study opens up a new method for the design and preparation of high-performance 1D magnetic EM absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The commercialization of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries is challenging, owing to factors like the poor conductivity of S, the 'shuttle effect', and the slow reaction kinetics. To address these challenges, MoP quantum dots were decorated on hollow carbon spheres (MoPQDs/C) in this study and used as an efficient lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) adsorbents and catalysts. In this approach polysulfides are effectively trapped through strong chemisorption and physical adsorption while simultaneously facilitating LiPSs conversion by enhancing the reaction kinetics. MXene serves as a flexible physical barrier (MoPQDs/C@MXene), further enhancing the confinement of LiPSs. Moreover, both materials are conductive, significantly facilitating electron and charge transfer. Additionally, the flexible MoPQDs/C@MXene–S electrode offers a large specific surface area for sulfur loading and withstand volume expansion during electrochemical processes. As a result, the MoPQDs/C@MXene–S electrode exhibits excellent long-term cyclability and maintains a robust specific capacity of 992 mA h g−1 even after 800cycles at a rate of 1.0C (1C = 1675 mA g−1), with a minimal capacity decay rate of 0.034 % per cycle. This work proposes an efficient strategy to fabricate highly efficient electrocatalysts for advanced Li–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have great application potential in developing the energy storage systems with high volumetric energy and power densities. However, due to the sluggish ion diffusion, achieving both high volumetric capacities and rate performance in thick and dense 2D nanomaterial electrodes is still challenging. Here, we report a femtosecond laser drilling method to introduce appropriate micro-hole arrays into the thick and dense electrodes for facilitated ion transport. These micro-hole arrays shorten ion transport paths and thus significantly reduce the ion transport resistance. More importantly, constructing micro-hole arrays with hole spacing higher than 40 μm rarely sacrifices the density of the electrode. The effectiveness of micro-hole arrays to improve capacities and rate performance of the thick and dense electrodes is evidenced by two model cases: a TiO 2 -based electrode constructed with the upper-layer TiO 2 -coated graphene hybrids and under-layer graphene (dTiO 2 -G/G), and a graphene electrode. As presented, the micro-hole array with a hole spacing of 40 μm decreases the ionic resistance of the dTiO 2 -G/G electrode, and consequently improves the volumetric capacity at 10C from 15.8 to 97 mA h cm−3. Such micro-hole array also improves the volumetric capacity and rate performance of the graphene electrode. • Femtosecond laser drills micro-hole arrays in thick and dense 2D material electrodes. • Micro-hole arrays improve the volumetric performance of thick and dense electrodes. • A wet pressing process is proposed to densify 2D material electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D nanomaterials have attracted intensive attention in the area of compact energy storage owing to their large packing densities. However, the highly tortuous and lengthy channels in conventional 2D nanomaterial electrodes cause sluggish ion diffusion kinetics and seriously reduce the capacity. Herein, we report a simple method adopting diamond wire saw cutting technology to construct a compact vertically aligned TiO 2 -graphene nanosheet electrode (VATiO 2 -G) with a large thickness of 130 μm. The vertical alignment not only provides short and less tortuous ion transport pathways to facilitate ion diffusion kinetics, but also improves the electronic conductivity to promote electron transport across the electrode. Accordingly, the VATiO 2 -G anode for lithium-ion batteries simultaneously exhibits high volumetric and areal capacities of 243 mA h cm−3 and 3.16 mA h cm−2 at 2.8 mA cm−2, respectively. This work exploits a general method to attain vertically aligned architecture in dense and thick 2D nanomaterial electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for high mass-loaded, long-cycle-life and high-rate electrodes for sodium-ion batteries is an enormous challenge. Here, a free-standing hierarchical sponge composed of the upper-layer Graphene@TiO 2 composites and under-layer graphene (G@TiO 2 /G) was prepared as a sodium-ion anode. Thereinto, layer-by-layer graphene sheets not only construct robust framework but also guarantee fast electron transport paths, and the interconnected macroporous structure facilitates rapid ion transport. Moreover, the ultrasmall TiO 2 nanodots offer the short diffusion path and fast pseudocapacitive sodium storage capability. Therefore, such G@TiO 2 /G electrode exhibits an ultralong cycle life (retaining 101 mA h g−1 after 20,000 cycles at 2 A g−1), a superior capacity (260 mA h g−1 at 0.05 A g−1) and a high rate capability (53 mA h g−1 at 10 A g−1) under a mass loading of 2.5 mg cm−2. Impressively, the excellent cycling stability (retaining 1.37 mA h cm−2 after 300 cycles at 0.1 A g−1) and high areal capacity (2.27 mA h cm−2 at 0.53 mA cm−2) are also achieved even at a high mass loading of 10.5 mg cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flocculation is an integral part for cohesive sediment transport processes as it will further influence other processes such as settling, deposition as well as erosion processes. To understand the impacts of flocculation on entrainment process of fluid mud with different salinities, a series of entrainment and sedimentation experiments were conducted. Entrainment experiments were conducted under constant hydrodynamic conditions driven by a shear ring on the top of an annular flume. While the sedimentation experiments were conducted within cylinders with different diameters. Results show that fluid mud samples with different salinities can form different distributions of sediment concentration in the vertical direction, which will significantly influence the entrainment rate of fluid mud. Results also show that entrainment rate of fluid mud with higher salinity (E18) is smaller than that of fluid mud with lower salinity (E4) in the upper layer of fluid mud. Sedimentation tests show that the settling rate of fluid mud sample with higher salinity is enhanced and the gelling concentration is reached at a lower sediment concentration. These two mechanisms cause the different distributions of sediment concentration for fluid mud under different flocculation states. Accordingly, the mud characteristics such as density, viscosity, yield strength, buoyancy effects and eventually the entrainment rate vary with different fluid mud samples (the initial sediment concentrations are the same). An effort has also been made to predict the entrainment rate with existing equation. The good agreement between from equation and experimental results further demonstrates that the flocculation process should be considered when calculating the entrainment rate, as accurate prediction of the entrainment rate of fluid mud requires the details of sediment concentration and rheological properties of fluid mud in the vertical direction. • Entrainment and sedimentation tests were conducted in this study. • The flocculation effects will enhance the settling of fluid mud layer. • Fluid mud with higher salinity reaches gelling point at low concentration. • Flocculation effects make the sediment distributed uniformly in the mud layer. • Vertical structure has to be considered to get realistic entrainment rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) seriously affects the people's life and health in China. This study aimed to investigate the effect of circRNA circ-ITCH on improving DN by regulating the miR-33a-5p/SIRT6 axis and the possible mechanism of action. High glucose (HG)-induced rat mesangial cells (RMCs) were used to simulate the DN in vitro. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis were conducted to detect the gene or protein expression. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and wound healing assays were performed to estimate the cell viability and migration capability. Immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect the α-Smooth Muscle Actin (α-SMA) expression and levels of inflammatory factors. The potential associations between circ-ITCH and miR-33a-5p, miR-33a-5p and SIRT6 in RMCs were measured via dual-luciferase reporter assay. Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce the diabetic mice. Blood glucose and serum insulin of mice were determined by corresponding kits, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining were applied to observe the degree of pathological injury and fibrosis of renal tissues. The results of the present study revealed that circ-ITCH expression was obviously decreased in HG-induced RMCs. In addition, circ-ITCH overexpression inhibited the viability, migration, fibrosis and inflammatory response of HG-induced RMCs. Further experiments confirmed that miR-33a-5p may be a direct target of circ-ITCH and SIRT6 may be a direct target of miR-33a-5p. Notably, the miR-33a-5p mimic or shRNA-SIRT6 were discovered to reverse the inhibitory effects of circ-ITCH on the proliferation, migration, fibrosis and inflammatory response of HG-induced RMCs. Furthermore, circ-ITCH overexpression ameliorated renal inflammation and fibrosis in STZ-induced diabetic mice. In conclusion, circ-ITCH alleviated renal inflammation and fibrosis in STZ-induced diabetic mice by regulating the miR-33a-5p/SIRT6 axis.Author names: Please confirm if the author names are presented accurately and in the correct sequence (given name, middle name/initial, family name). Author 1 Given name: [ChunYang] Last name [Xu]. Author 2 Given name: [DingBo] Last name [Xu]. Author 3 Given name: [YongHua] Last name [Liu]. Author 4 Given name: [Juanjuan] Last name [Jiang]. Also, kindly confirm the details in the metadata are correct.ok [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Benefiting from the possible “seed-germination” effect, the “seeds” Ni2+ grow into “buds” Ni nanoparticles and “stem” carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from the enlarged “soil” of MXene skeleton. Compared with the traditional magnetic agglomeration, the MXene-CNTs/Ni hybrids exhibit the highly spatial dispersed magnetic architecture. 3D MXene-CNTs/Ni composites hold excellent microwave absorption performance (−56.4 dB at only 2.4 mm). Ti3C2Tx MXene is widely regarded as a potential microwave absorber due to its dielectric multi-layered structure. However, missing magnetic loss capability of pure MXene leads to the unmatched electromagnetic parameters and unsatisfied impedance matching condition. Herein, with the inspiration from dielectric-magnetic synergy, this obstruction is solved by fabricating magnetic CNTs/Ni hetero-structure decorated MXene substrate via a facile in situ induced growth method. Ni2+ ions are successfully attached on the surface and interlamination of each MXene unit by intensive electrostatic adsorption. Benefiting from the possible “seed-germination” effect, the “seeds” Ni2+ grow into “buds” Ni nanoparticles and “stem” carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from the enlarged “soil” of MXene skeleton. Due to the improved impedance matching condition, the MXene-CNTs/Ni hybrid holds a superior microwave absorption performance of − 56.4 dB at only 2.4 mm thickness. Such a distinctive 3D architecture endows the hybrids: (i) a large-scale 3D magnetic coupling network in each dielectric unit that leading to the enhanced magnetic loss capability, (ii) a massive multi-heterojunction interface structure that resulting in the reinforced polarization loss capability, confirmed by the off-axis electron holography. These outstanding results provide novel ideas for developing magnetic MXene-based absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cover shows a new carbon nanofiber codoped with nitrogen and phosphorus (NPCNF) that was fabricated by pyrolysis of phytic acid doped polyaniline aerogel. The NPCNF shows an extremely high discharge capacity and good catalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction as oxygen electrodes in nonaqueous Li‐O2 batteries.In their Full Paper, C. Xu et al. explain that the observed excellent electrochemical performance could be a result of the unique foamlike N‐ and P‐codoped carbon microstructure. These results show that the use of NPCNF as a cathode material could be a feasible approach to obtain a high‐capacity Li‐O2 battery. More information can be found in the Full Paper by C. Xu et al. on page 3725 in Issue 24, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201601005). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Dual carbon shells coated SnO 2 hollow nanospheres (C@SnO 2 @C) are synthesized as anode material for lithium ion batteries, it delivers an almost constant capacity about 712.6 mAh g−1 after 300th cycles at 200 mA g−1. A capacity recovery (more than 200%) is observed during the high rate (5 A g−1) long cycling process (10000 cycles). The discharge capacity of the C@SnO 2 @C electrode is only 194.5 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles. Afterwards the capacity increases gradually until the 3000th cycle up to 500 mAh g−1 and then keeps stable for the subsequent cycles without obvious capacity fading tendency after 10000 cycles. These superior electrochemical performances should be attributed to the synergistic effect between the double carbon coating layers and the refined nanosized SnO 2 nanocrystals. The double carbon coating layer could not only effectively provide buffers against the structural pulverization of electrodes during charge and discharge process through a novel spatial confinement strategy, but also facilitate the diffusion of electrons by enhancing the electronic conductivity. Thus, these benefits from the dually coated structure are able to provide a robust architecture for lithium-ion battery anodes. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Dual carbon shells coated SnO 2 hollow nanospheres for stable lithium-ion batteries. • Suppressed mechanical degradation on cycling at lower rate. • Enhanced properties benefit from synergistic effects of C and refined SnO 2. • A capacity recovery more than 200% was observed at 5 A/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the important role of m6A, the most common and reversible mRNA modification, in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke, this study investigates the mechanisms of m6A methyltransferase METTL3 in neuronal damage in ischemic stroke. In silico analysis was used to pinpoint the expression of ANXA2, which was verified in clinical peripheral blood samples. SD rats were used for middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) establishment. The experimental data suggested that T lymphocytes were increased in peripheral blood samples of ischemic stroke patients and MCAO rats. The MCAO rats were treated with anti‐ANXA2 alone or combined with RP101075 (T lymphocyte infiltration inhibitor), followed by brain injury assessment. Oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) was induced in primary cortical neurons, where shRNAs targeting ANXA2 or METTL3, or overexpression plasmids of METTL3 were introduced to verify the regulatory function for METTL3. Inhibition of T lymphocyte migration to the ischemic brain reduced brain injury in MCAO rats and neuronal damage in OGD/R‐exposed neurons. Ablation of ANXA2 in T lymphocytes inhibited the migration of T lymphocytes to the ischemic brain and reduced neuronal damage. Mechanistically, METTL3 reduced ANXA2 expression in T lymphocytes through m6A modification and inhibited p38MAPK/MMP‐9 pathway activation, exerting protective effects against neuronal damage in ischemic stroke. Overall, this study reveals the neuroprotective effects of METTL3‐mediated ANXA2/p38MAPK/MMP‐9 inhibition against ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneously developing protective electronics film for multi‐spectra, including the radar, infrared (IR), and visible ranges, for both the military and civilian sectors is extremely challenging. The existing multi‐spectra‐compatible materials mainly concentrate on either the radar/IR or IR/visible bands, trailing the rapid evolution of advanced devices for monitoring electromagnetic signals. Here, it is designed and fabricated an ultra‐thin MXene‐based composite film (20 µm) containing black phosphorus (BP) and Ni chains (M‐B‐M(Ni)) with integrated highly efficient thermal IR stealth, visible light absorption, and electromagnetic wave shielding. M‐B‐M(Ni) exhibits an extremely low IR emissivity of 0.1, decreasing the radiation temperature difference between the surrounding environment and target device. BP offers a high solar absorptance of 80%, which guarantees energy conversion from visible light to heat. Moreover, the absorption proportion of the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness for M‐B‐M(Ni) is 16% higher than that of pure MXene films (68.7%), owing to the improved magnetic loss by decoration with magnetic Ni chains. Due to the combined merits of MXene, BP, and Ni chains, M‐B‐M(Ni) opens an avenue for the construction of advanced multi‐spectra compatible materials for versatile applications in thermal IR stealth, electromagnetic wave shielding, and energy transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as potential materials for high brightness, wide color gamut, and cost‐effective backlight emission due to their high photoluminescence quantum yields, narrow emission linewidths, and tunable bandgaps. Herein, CsPbX3/SBA‐15 nanocomposites are prepared with outstanding optical properties and high stability through an in situ growth strategy using mesoporous silica particles. According to finite‐difference time‐domain simulations, the mesoporous structure provides a strong waveguide effect on perovskite QDs and the uniform dispersion suppresses reabsorption losses, improving the overall photoconversion efficiency of perovskite QDs. The as‐fabricated perovskite monochromatic light‐emitting diode (LED) has a maximum luminous efficiency of 183 lm W−1, which is the highest for monochromatic perovskite LEDs reported to date. A further benefit of this work is that the white devices, which combine the green and red perovskite nanocomposites with commercial blue LED, exhibit a high luminous efficiency of 116 lm W−1 and a wide color gamut (125% for NTSC and 94% for Rec. 2020) with coordinates of (0.33,0.31). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defect engineering on transition metal dichalcogenides has been regarded as an effective method to improve electrochemical properties in terms of generating active sites and enhancing the intrinsic conductivity. This study reports a new high-performance electrochemical supercapacitor made of reduced CoNi 2 S 4 (r-CoNi 2 S 4 ) nanosheets, which are synthesized via a facile moderate-reduction process. The sulfur-deficient r-CoNi 2 S 4 nanosheets exhibit significantly enhanced conductivity which is induced by abundant sulfur vacancies formed in the reduction reaction. Compared with the pristine CoNi 2 S 4 nanosheets, the r-CoNi 2 S 4 nanosheets are characterized with a higher specific capacity (1117C g −1 at current density of 2 A g −1 ) as well as excellent rate capability and stable cycling performance. First-principle analysis confirms that the sulfur vacancies originating from the reduction lead to improve hybridization between the Ni and Co d states and the S p states close to the fermi level, and consequently enhance conductivity with the CoNi 2 S 4 nanostructure. Moreover, an ultrahigh energy density of 55.4 Wh kg −1 at the power density of 8 kW kg −1 is obtained in an asymmetric supercapacitor configuration, and 80% capacitance of the supercapacitor remains even after 10000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Flexible supercapacitors have potential for wearable energy storage due to their high energy/power densities and long operating lifetimes. High electrochemical performance with robust mechanical properties is highly desired for flexible supercapacitor electrodes. Usually, the mechanical properties are improved by choosing high flexible textile substrates but at the much expense of electrochemical performance due to the nonideal contact between conductive materials and textile substrates. Herein, the authors present an efficient, scalable, and general strategy for the simultaneous fabrication of high‐performance textile electrodes and yarn electrodes. It is interesting to find that the conformal reduced graphene oxide (RGO) layer is uniformly and successively painted on the surface of SnCl2 modified polyester fibers (M‐PEF) via a repeated “dyeing and drying” strategy. The large‐area textile electrodes and ultralong yarn electrodes are fabricated by using RGO/M‐PEF as substrate with subsequent deposition of polypyrrole. This work provides new opportunities for developing high flexible textile electrodes and yarn electrodes with further increased electrochemical performance and scalable production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wear is the primary cause of damage to the bushing area of the Variable Stator Vane (VSV) mechanism. This paper presents an approach for predicting the wear-damage behavior of the bushing region to enhance the long-term effectiveness and safety of the VSV mechanism. The approach is based on an energy dissipation model and innovatively combines the FRIC COEF and UMESHMTION subroutines embedded in finite element software to perform wear simulations. The new approach takes into account the variation of the friction coefficient with normal load and sliding velocity and applies it to the wear simulation. The friction and wear models used in the simulations are based on the fitting of real experimental data. The simulation results are then compared with the wear results based on the Archard model. The results demonstrate that the new approach is more effective in simulating the wear of the bushing material. The study revealed that the contact stress between the upper and lower specimens decreases as wear behavior develops. Additionally, the wear on the surface disperses the distribution of the contact stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lithiated Nafion (Li+-Nafion) thin coating on lithium (Li) metal anode has been evidenced to be capable of inhibiting Li dendrite growth. However, shortcomings of Li metal such as poor stability in air and high reactivity with water bring inconvenience in the coating preparation. To address this issue, a highly uniform Li+-Nafion thin layer coated commercial polypropylene (PP) separator is fabricated via an ultrasonic spray method. In cells, the Li+-Nafion thin coating faces and contacts with Li metal anode to act as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer of the anode. The addition of N,N-Dimethylformamide in sprayed aqueous Li+-Nafion solution is crucial for the highly uniform deposition of Li+-Nafion thin coating with a thickness of 0.8 μm due to the improved wettability of the sprayed Li+-Niafion solution with the PP separator. The uniform Li+-Nafion thin coating significantly increases the Li+ transference number (t Li+) of the PP separator from 0.34 to 0.76. The improved t Li+ and the high uniformity of the Li+-Nafion thin coating enable the coated PP separator to suppress Li dendrite growth, and consequently to promote the cycle performance of lithium-sulfur cells. This work proposes an implantation approach for artificial SEI layers employed in Li metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the influence of compliance parts on spatial multibody systems, a rigid-flexible coupling dynamic equation of a spatial crank-slider mechanism is established based on the finite element method. Specifically, absolute node coordinate formulation (ANCF) is used to formulate a three-dimensional, two-node flexible cable element. The rigid-flexible coupling dynamic equation of the mechanism is derived by the Lagrange multiplier method and solved by the generalized α method and Newton–Raphson iteration method combined. Comparison of the kinematics and dynamics response between rigid-flexible coupling system and pure rigid system implies that the flexible part causes a certain degree of nonlinearity and reduces the reaction forces of joints. The elastic modulus of the flexible part is also important to the dynamics of the rigid-flexible multibody system. With smaller elastic modulus, the motion accuracy and reaction forces become lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-sized Sb particles were dually encapsulated in carbon layer and MXene network with robust interfacial bonding of Sb-O-C and C-O-Ti improving the volumetric performance. [Display omitted] • Micro-sized Sb dually encapsulated in carbon layer and Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene network. • Robust interfacial bonding of Sb O C and C O Ti is formed. • The robust interfacial bonding promotes efficient ion/electron transport. High-theoretical-capacity antimony (Sb) anodes hold promise for high-performing sodium-ion storage, yet suffer from huge volume change. In solving this obstacle, traditional strategies normally incorporate nanosized Sb with low-density conductive materials, which, in turn, sacrifice volumetric performance. Here, we report micro-sized Sb particles (m-Sb) dually encapsulated in carbon layer and densely-packed Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene network (m-Sb/C@MXene), forming a highly-confined composite with robust interfacial bonding of Sb O C between m-Sb and the carbon layer, and C O Ti between the carbon layer and MXene. The m-Sb/C@MXene anode displays a high volumetric capacity of 482.6 mAh cm−3 and a high volumetric capacity retention of 407.1 mAh cm−3 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A/g. A high-rate capacity of 191.0 mAh cm−3 at 10 A/g has also been achieved. Such superior performance stems from its unique architecture highly confined by the conductive and elastic network, which can provide fast electron/ion transport and effectively buffer volume expansion. Furthermore, ex-situ X-ray diffraction reveals that this hierarchical structure not only stabilizes m-Sb but also enhances ion transport kinetics by promoting the amorphization of m-Sb, thus delivers the excellent capacity and rate performance. This work offers an effective design of high-volumetric-capacity anode materials for their practical applications in sodium-ion energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotube (CNTs) based composite materials are popular in various fields. However, traditional strategies for the electric conductivity modulation of CNTs is complicated and improper in large-scale applications. Herein, a novel CNTs-based hollow microsphere is prepared through facile spray drying and one-step pyrolysis. This unique interpenetration microsphere conductive network is constructed by nitrogen-doped CNTs embedded with Co nanoparticles (Co–N–C), which is compactly entangled by commercial CNTs. By the strong charge polarization and electron redistribution on the surface of Co–N–C, the monohybrids exhibit excellent bifunctional applications. The Co–N–C/CNTsHS shows excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance including the high half-wave potential (0.87V), outstanding stability and methanol tolerance. Benefited from the improved dielectric property of Co–N–C, the Co–N–C/CNTsHS exhibits superior microwave absorption (MA) performance, with a maximum reflection loss of −60.2 dB and the bandwidth of 5.1 GHz at a thickness of only 2.5 mm. The enhanced performance can be attributed to three dimension (3D) hollow mesoporous conductive networks, which accelerate electron transfer and modulate charge distribution of Co–N–C. This work puts forward a new idea of charge modulation of CNTs and lays a foundation for the preparation of excellent bifunctional materials. A new strategy of conductive modulation of CNTs is developed to construct porous hollow composite microsphere, which is composed of Co–N–C and commercial CNTs. The composite exhibits excellent bifunctional performance of ORR and MA. This work may lay the foundation electrical conductivity of CNTs and open the door for the preparation of outstanding bifunctional materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si Wei Jiang Huang Tang San (SWJHTS) is a traditional Tibetan medicine prescription for the treatment of urethritis, frequent urination, and urgency, composed of four traditional Chinese medicines: Curcumae longae rhizoma, Berberidis cortex, Tribuli fructus, and Phyllanthi fructus. However, whether SWJHTS exhibits hypoglycemic efficacy and its specific mechanism remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the anti-diabetic effects of SWJHTS and elucidate the underlying mechanism. HPLC-MS method was used to identify the key components of four kinds of traditional Chinese medicine (Curcumae longae rhizoma, Berberidis cortex., Tribuli fructus, and Phyllanthi fructus) which composed SWJHTS and determine their structure. Normal mice and 145 mg/kg STZ-induced type 1 diabetic mice were treated with three doses of SWJTHS by oral gavage. Body weight, 24h food and water intake, fasting blood glucose, glucose tolerance and other indicators were measured to evaluate the hypoglycemic effect of SWJHTS. OMIM, Genecards and other databases were used to collect targets of diabetes, and HPLC-MS results and TCMSP database information were used to collect drug component targets. Bioinformatics methods such as pathway enrichment analysis and molecular docking were used to predict the key targets of SWJHTS. The gene and protein expressions of HIF1α and ERK signaling pathways in HepG2 cells treated with SWJHTS were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. A total of 181 components were identified, including curcumin, palmatine, and berberine, etc. The in vivo studies showed that SWJHTS could significantly lower fasting blood glucose levels and improve the symptoms of polydipsia, polyphagia, and polyuria in diabetic mice. Furthermore, we identified HIF1α as the potential key target of SWJHTS against diabetes utilizing network pharmacology approach and in silico molecular docking. Subsequently, we experimentally confirmed that SWJHTS could suppress the high glucose-induced upregulation of HIF1α expression, which mediated the glucose consumption in HepG2 cells. The ERK signaling pathway was further found to be activated by the SWJHTS as the upstream of HIF1α. SWJHTS can improve glucose metabolism by targeting the ERK/HIF1α signaling pathway; hence might be a prospective anti-diabetic drug for diabetic patients as traditional Tibetan medicine. [Display omitted] • SWJHTS is a traditional Tibetan medicine with the potential to treat diabetes. • SWJHTS lowers fasting blood glucose levels. • SWJHTS alleviates symptoms of polydipsia, polyphagia, and polyuria. • SWJHTS inhibits the HIF1α signaling pathway to promote glucose consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic diskectomy has been a major treatment for lumbar disk herniation. However, damage to exiting nerve roots is one of the most severe complications in this surgery. In this paper, the relationship of the exiting nerve root and the superior articular process in Kambin's triangle of the lumbar intervertebral foramen was assessed using cadavers and computed tomography (CT) imaging. The anatomic relationship between the exiting nerve root and the superior articular process in Kambin's triangle of the intervertebral foramen was investigated on 6 cadavers. The distance between the exiting nerve and the superior articular process of the L1-2 to L5-S1 intervertebral foramina was measured using multiplane reconstruction. The bone-nerve space between the exiting nerve root and the superior articular process in Kambin's triangle was quite narrow both in cadaver and CT imaging study. The distance of the L5-S1 intervertebral foramen was the greatest, which was no more than 5.77 ± 0.56 mm. The distances increased gradually from the tip to the root, and the distances between the root and the tip were 0.91 ± 0.31 to 1.86 ± 0.57 mm, which took on a trapezoid shape that was relatively narrow at the proximal end and wider at the distal end. The bone-nerve space between the exiting nerve root and the superior articular process in Kambin's triangle of the lumbar intervertebral foramen was exceedingly narrow. It is necessary to perform a foraminoplasty to enlarge the working space and decrease the possibility of injury to the exiting nerve root. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pan, Y.; Yin, S.; Chen, Y.; Yang, Y.; Xu, Z., and Xu, C., 2019. A practical method to scale the sedimentary parameters in a lightweight coastal mobile bed model. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(6), 1351–1357. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The coastal mobile bed model (CMBM) is an important approach to understand coastal sedimentary processes. The scaling of sedimentary parameters in a reduced-scale CMBM is one of the key procedures ensuring the reliability of the model, and the scaling relationships should be derived according to the similarity of dominant sedimentary process, with some less important similarity relationships relaxed. For a CMBM of which the processes of mobilization and fall of sediment are in transitional conditions, the scaling of sedimentary parameters is especially difficult because no mechanism dominates and the relationships between parameters are complicated. This paper proposes a local curve-fitting (LCF) method to avoid complicated relationships in deriving scaling relationships by fitting the complicated expressions with a simple relationship in the study range so that the scaling relationships can satisfy corresponding similarity criterion. The LCF method is introduced via the scaling of a reduced-scale profile model of the evolution of a submerged berm under the effects of small waves. The scaling relationships are derived according to the similarities of sediment mobilization, similarities of the fall of sediment, and Froude criterion. A mobile bed model was created based on the calculated of the LCF method, and the model results show the same evolution trend with field data, which proves the reasonability and validity of the LCF method. The LCF method provides a practical method to facilitate the deriving of scaling relationships of a CMBM of which the processes of mobilization and fall of sediment are in transitional conditions. It also provides a reference for other reduced-scale laboratory tests with complicated relationships between parameters but with limited study ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The objective of this study was to investigate the preliminary effectiveness of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (PE-TLIF) for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Methods. From September 2016 to June 2017, a series of seven patients consisting of six females and one male with an average age of 55.25 years (range 43–77 years) who were diagnosed with LSS were involved in this study. All patients were treated by PE-TLIF. During perioperative and follow-up period, demographic data, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and modified MacNab criteria were evaluated and perioperative complications were documented. Results. All patients were followed up for more than 12 months, with an average follow-up time of 15 (range 12-21) months. The mean VAS of back pain was 7.43 (range 6-8) preoperatively and 0.86 (range 0-2) at the final follow-up. The mean VAS of leg pain was 6.14 (range 4-9) preoperatively and 0.71 (range 0-1) at the final follow-up. The mean ODI was 53.57% (range 38%-63%) preoperatively and 15.57% (range 5%-26%) at the final follow-up. In three-month follow-up, continuous bone trabeculae bridging between intervertebral bodies was seen in 3 cases, and the remaining 4 cases could identify continuous bone trabeculae bridging at 6-month follow-up, reaching the standard of spinal intervertebral fusion. At the final follow-up, 4 patients were rated as excellent (4/7) and 3 patients were rated as good (3/7) according to the modified MacNab criteria. Conclusions. Our study suggested that percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion could acquire satisfactory treatment effects for the patients with lumbar spinal stenosis, even for the patient who could not afford general anesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alsterpaullone (Alp) is a small-molecule inhibitor that targets cyclin-dependent kinases to inhibit tumor cell activity. However, to the best of our knowledge, the effect of Alp on hepatoblastoma has not been investigated. Therefore, the function of Alp in apoptotic induction of hepatoblastoma cells and a potential mechanism of action were investigated. Results indicated that low doses of Alp (1 µM) significantly induced apoptosis in the HepG2 hepatoblastoma cell line. In vivo experiments of tumor suppression further indicated that Alp (3 mg/kg) exerted an inhibitory effect on HepG2 ×enograft tumor growth. Following Alp treatment, the expression level of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein, and cleaved caspase-3 and −9 in HepG2 cells was significantly increased; however, the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly decreased. In addition, phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) significantly decreased Alp-induced caspase-3 and −9 activation. These results suggested that Alp induces apoptosis and inhibited proliferation via the p38MAPK signaling pathway. Therefore, Alp may be a therapeutic agent for treating hepatoblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive, lethal lung disease characterized by alveolar cell necrosis and dysplasia of interstitial fibrotic tissue, resulting in loss of lung function and eventual respiratory failure. Previously, glucocorticoid drugs were used to treat this lung disorder. However, positive responses were recorded in less than half of treated patients and the cytotoxicity caused by high dosage treatment is still a concern. The present study investigated whether ulinastatin, a typical urinary trypsin inhibitor that mitigates numerous inflammatory responses, could be a treatment option for lung fibrosis. The results demonstrated that ulinastatin had the ability to ameliorate interstitial fibrosis and alveolar exudates and to protect against lung diseases induced by smoke, irradiation or silica particles. The mechanism of ulinastatin resulted in the downregulation of inflammatory cascades: Transforming growth factor-β1, tumor necrosis factor-a and nuclear factor-κB, as demonstrated by western blotting and ELISA. Ulinastatin treatment with a high dose (100,000 U/kg body weight/day) resulted in an attenuated inflammatory response, and inhibited fibrosis formation in lungs, suggesting that ulinastatin may become a part of a clinical therapeutic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To date, most jawed vertebrate species encode more than one immunoglobulin light (IgL) chain isotypes. It has been shown that several bird species (chickens, white Pekin or domestic duck, and zebra finches) exclusively express lambda isotype. We analyze here the genomic organization of another bird species turkey IgL genes based on the recently released genome data. The turkey IgL locus located on chromosome 17 spans approximately 75.2kb and contains a single functional Vλ gene, twenty Vλ pseudogenes, and a single functional Jλ-Cλ block. These data suggest that the genomic organization of bird IgL chain genes seems to be conserved. Ten cDNA clones from turkey Igλ chain containing almost full-length Vλ, Jλ and Cλ segments were acquired. The comparison of Vλ cDNA sequences to all the germline Vλ segments suggests that turkey species may be generating IgL chain diversity by gene conversion and somatic hypermutation like the chicken. This study provides insights into the immunoglobulin light chain genes in another bird species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]