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The objective of this study was to investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of tetrahedral framework nucleic acids‐microRNA22 (tFNAs‐miR22) on inhibiting pathological retinal neovascularization (RNV) and restoring physiological retinal vessels. A novel DNA nanocomplex (tFNAs‐miR22) was synthesised by modifying microRNA‐22 (miR22) through attachment onto tetrahedral frame nucleic acids (tFNAs), which possess diverse biological functions. Cell proliferation, wound healing, and tube formation were employed for in vitro assays to investigate the angiogenic function of cells. Oxygen‐induced retinopathy (OIR) model was utilised to examine the effects of reducing pathological neovascularization (RNV) and inhibiting vascular occlusion in vivo. In vitro, tFNAs‐miR22 demonstrated the ability to penetrate endothelial cells and effectively suppress cell proliferation, tube formation, and migration in a hypoxic environment. In vivo, tFNAs‐miR22 exhibited promising results in reducing RNV and promoting the restoration of normal retinal blood vessels in OIR model through modulation of the Wnt pathway. This study provided a theoretical basis for the further understanding of RNV, and highlighted the innovative and potential of tFNAs‐miR22 as a therapeutic option for ischemic retinal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel constant pressure control method for nucleation boiling in MD is proposed. • Boiling characteristics of non-constant and constant pressure models are compared. • The distribution of lubricant molecules is more uniform under constant pressure. Conventional molecular dynamics simulations of nucleation boiling typically employ the fixed volume method, resulting in a non-constant pressure during the boiling process. In this paper, we propose an additional pressure control method, placing a cover plate at the top of the liquid phase to achieve liquid phase pressure control during boiling. The novel method yields a pressure control error within ±5 %. CO 2 and CO 2 /PEC4 lubricating oil mixture are used to investigate the differences in heat transfer characteristics between non-constant and constant pressure nucleation boiling. Furthermore, the effect of PEC4 lubricating oil on CO 2 nucleation boiling under a fixed pressure condition is explored. The results show that both the bubble nucleation and growth time of CO 2 and the CO 2 /PEC4 mixture are prolonged under constant pressure. This causes a compression in CO 2 molecular spacing, thereby reducing CO 2 diffusion and mass transfer capabilities. Heat transfer from the solid to the liquid, and within the liquid itself, is diminished, while the distribution of PEC4 molecules within the liquid phase becomes more even. The migration rate of PEC4 molecules in the liquid phase slows down. Under the constant pressure model, PEC4 increases the mass transfer resistance of CO 2. As the lubricant mass fraction rises, The nucleation and growth rate of CO 2 bubbles decline. In comparison to CO 2 , PEC4 molecules exhibit a stronger interaction energy with the Cu wall surface. During boiling, some PEC4 molecules accumulate on the Cu surface, forming an oil film that impedes the direct contact between CO 2 molecules and the Cu wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparation of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) with the pretreatments using alkanolamine‐based protic ionic liquids (PILs) with dimeric oxalic acid anions ([(HOA)(H2OA)]−) was fully investigated. The cation type [ethanolamine ([MEA]+), diethanolamine ([DEA]+), triethanolamine ([TEA]+)], and water addition greatly influenced the CNF yields. Under the pretreatment conditions of 110 °C and 3 h, the CNF yields with different PIL‐based systems followed the order: [MEA][(HOA)(H2OA)]>[DEA][(HOA)(H2OA)]>[TEA][(HOA)(H2OA)], similar to their swelling capacities. The highest CNF yield of 85.0 % was obtained after the pretreatment with [MEA][(HOA)(H2OA)]‐water containing 30 wt % PILs. The optimal pH range of PILs‐water was 1.10–1.15. The good recyclability indicated that these inexpensive PILs can be employed as a simple and efficient pretreatment system for preparing CNFs. The physicochemical properties of the prepared CNFs were greatly changed by varying the PILs' pretreatment systems. The thermal stability of CNFs was intimately connected with the crystalline structures and hydrogen bonding modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical university students are confronted with unprecedented uncertainty and stress compared with their peers. Research has explored the effect of intolerance of uncertainty on perceived stress, but little attention was paid to investigate the mediating mechanisms behind this relationship, especially among medical university students. The aim of this study was to examine whether psychological resilience and neuroticism played a mediating role between medical university students' intolerance of uncertainty and perceived stress. Methods: A total of 717 medical university students from Chongqing in Southwest China were recruited to participate in our study and completed demographic information, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale Short Version (IUS-12), Chinese Version of Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Results: (1) Significant correlations between intolerance of uncertainty, perceived stress, psychological resilience and neuroticism were found. (2) Intolerance of uncertainty affected medical university students' perceived stress via three paths: the mediating effect of psychological resilience, the mediating effect of neuroticism, and the chain mediating effect of both psychological resilience and neuroticism. Conclusions: Intolerance of uncertainty could directly affect the perceived stress of medical university students, and also affected perceived stress through the mediating roles of psychological resilience and neuroticism, as well as through the chain mediating role of these two variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taixu 太虛 (1890–1947), a prominent figure in modern Chinese Buddhism, produced a voluminous collection of poetry abounding with diverse classical Chinese images. Notably, the "lamp and candle" (dengzhu 燈燭) holds great significance, reflecting Taixu's personal affinity with this imagery and an intimate connection to classical Chinese poetry. Acting as a potent Buddhist metaphor, it encapsulates multifaceted sentiments while also intertwining with other evocative images, such as the boat, the moon, and falling leaves. Symbolizing Taixu's unwavering spirit, it represents his profound dedication to his craft. This article explores Taixu's literary achievements as a poet by focusing on his adept utilization of "lamp and candle" imagery, complementing the study of his multifaceted and intricate identities. This detailed examination offers novel insights into Chinese literature and Buddhist studies, highlighting the interplay between spiritual practice and artistic expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ru360, a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial calcium uptake, maintains mitochondrial calcium homeostasis. To evaluate whether mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU)-mediated mitochondrial function is associated with the pathological process of Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), elucidate its relationship with neuroinflammation, and observe whether the relevant pathological process can be improved with Ru360. Methods: Aged mice underwent experimental open abdominal surgery after anesthesia. Open field tests, Novel object recognition tests and Y Maze Tests were used to conduct behavioral experiments. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, the levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), intra-mitochondrial calcium, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and the activity of antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the hippocampus of mice were detected using kits. The expression of proteins was detected using Western blot. Results: After treatment with Ru360, MCU-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction was inhibited, neuroinflammation was reduced, and the learning ability of the mice was improved after surgery. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that mitochondrial function plays a crucial role in the pathology of POCD, and using Ru360 to improve mitochondrial function may be a new and necessary direction for the treatment of POCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the relationship between the change of methylmercury (MeHg) content and the number of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in Suaeda Heteroptera soil with different salinity at 20°C and 30°C. Salinity variation affects soil methylmercury content. We studied whether temperature variation is the dominant factor in SRB affecting mercury methylation. Our research shows that proper salinity favored the production of MeHg in soil; appropriate temperature increase could enhance SRB activity and MeHg output, and the mercury methylation effect of SRB was more significant at 30°C. SRB was present in the test soils at different salinities, and the amount of SRB did not vary regularly in the flooded salinity gradient. The SRB content in the culture soil was higher at 30°C than at 20°C. There was no significant correlation between SRB numbers and MeHg in the culture soil at 20°C. Soil MeHg content and SRB count had a significant positive correlation in the first 15 days of incubation at 30°C, whereas there was no correlation between the two in the later period. Suaeda Heteroptera Kitag wetlands are a typical wetland type in the Liaohe estuary. Recently, with the development of paddy fields, freshwater resources in Liaohe estuary have decreased year by year, soil salinity has increased, and Suaeda Heteroptera Kitag wetland has degraded year by year, and increasing salinity is the main reason for alkali poncho degradation. With the global warming, high temperatures in Liaoning have increased. Sulfate-reducing bacteria are important influencing factors of mercury methylation, while salinity and temperature changes affect methylmercury (MeHg) and SRB content. Therefore, understanding the effects of different salinity gradients on methylmercury and SRB at a certain temperature will help to reduce mercury methylation. However, it is difficult to achieve the salinity gradient required in the actual environment, so indoor simulation experiments are used for research. Our results showed that proper salinity favors the production of MeHg in soil, proper elevated temperature increases the activity of SRB and MeHg production, and the methylation of Hg by SRB is more pronounced at 30°C. SRB was present in the soil under all salinity conditions, and the amount of SRB in the soil did not change regularly with increasing salinity of flooded water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A lattice Boltzmann model is established to simulate bubble motion of CO 2 /lubricant mixtures. • The drag coefficient of a single bubble rising increases with increasing oil concentration. • Lubricant oil weakens the heat transfer of nucleate boiling by bubble interactions. In this study, the influence mechanism of lubricating oil on the heat transfer of CO 2 flow boiling was investigated from a mesoscopic perspective. A multiphase and multicomponent lattice Boltzmann model was proposed to simulate the rising motion of CO 2 bubbles in CO 2 with a small amount of lubricating oil based on the pseudopotential model. There are few simulations of multicomponent with different chemical compositions in existing studies. Moreover, the original pseudopotential model exhibited increasing instabilities at higher viscosity ratios. The model proposed in this study realized the mesoscopic simulation of a CO 2 /lubricant system by using an explicit forcing model to achieve numerical calculation under a high viscosity ratio and solve the evolution of the number density of each component to obtain the evolution of the macro parameters. The effectiveness of the model was verified using a Laplace's law simulation. Based on this model, the rising motions of single bubbles, double bubbles, and bubble groups under different oil concentrations were simulated. The effects of the lubricant on the rising velocity, morphology, and interaction of bubbles during bubble motion were analyzed in detail. The numerical results indicated that the variations in bubble shape decreased and drag force increased with the addition of oil. At an oil concentration of 0.05, the drag coefficient was 1.14 times higher than that under the oil-free condition. In addition, the presence of oil weakened the flow field disturbance caused by bubble interactions and resulted in the suppression for nucleate boiling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of high‐efficiency perovskite light‐emitting devices (PeLEDs) in the air‐ambient has always been a challenge. Herein, the authors propose a Si‐based near‐infrared air‐processed PeLED through the anti‐solvent engineering. Two materials, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF6) are co‐doped into the anti‐solvent, the former protects the perovskite from degradation in a high‐humidity atmosphere, and the latter passivates the defects on perovskite surface and increases the conductivity. Through the anti‐solvent engineering, the efficiency of PeLEDs has been significantly enhanced and obtains a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 10.4%, which is the highest among similar devices. This work shows that it is possible to prepare high‐efficiency near‐infrared PeLEDs in air‐ambient through a simple method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese medicine has certain advantages in the prevention and treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN); thus, Chinese medicine therapy is considered as a promising strategy for treating DN. Here, the diabetic nephropathy model was established and intervened with Tangshen Decoction to explore its repair effect on diabetic kidney injury and the mechanism of autophagy. Different doses (10, 20 g·kg−1) of Tangshen Decoction (so-called Tangshen Jian, TSJ) or metformin were used to intervene for 16 weeks. The body weight (BW) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) of rats in each group were regularly monitored; a urine protein test kit (CBB method) was used to detect changes in urine protein (UP) content. The serum biochemical indicators, including Cr (creatinine), BUN (blood urea nitrogen), TC (total cholesterol), and TG (triglyceride), were detected by an automatic biochemical analyzer. HE (hematoxylin-eosin) staining, PAS, and electron microscopy were used to observe the podocyte damage. We showed that administration of TSJ or metformin prevented the increases in FBG level, serum Cr, BUN, TC, and TG level, and urine protein excretion in diabetic nephropathy. Simultaneously, the foot process fusion and fall-off were partially reversed after TSJ treatment. TSJ or metformin markedly upregulated the level of nephrin and podocin, accompanied by evident enhancement of podocyte autophagy and activation of p-AMPK/p-ULK1 signaling in the diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, TSJ may enhance podocyte autophagy to relieve diabetic nephropathy through modulation of p-AMPK/p-ULK1 signaling, which has important application prospects in the clinical treatment of diabetic kidney damage in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Discoidin domain receptor is a new and unique type of receptor tyrosine kinases, which binds to collagen, the main compose of an extracellular matrix. DDR1 was identified to mediate cell aggregation, and dysregulation of DDR2 has also been shown to be involved in tumor pathogenesis, although its role in cancer development and progression remains controversial. Summary: Abnormal expression and mutations of DDR2 have been reported in several cancer types and its participation in different aspects of tumor progression, including proliferation, migration, invasion, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and chemotherapy resistance. Moreover, novel DDR2 inhibitors have been designed and indicate a therapeutic effect for the cancer treatment. Key Messages: In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the role of DDR2 in cancer promotion and the potential therapeutic value of targeting DDR2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate the function of circular RNA La-related protein 4 (circ-LARP4) on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression. Materials and Methods: Circ-LARP4 overexpression and circ-LARP4 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) plasmids were transfected into NCI-H1650 cells and NCI-H1299 cells respectively. In rescue experiment, microRNA (miR)-21-5p overexpression and miR-21-5p shRNA plasmids were transfected into circ-LARP4 overexpression-treated NCI-H1650 cells and circ-LARP4 knockdown-treated NCI-H1650 cells, respectively. Circ-LARP4 and miR-21-5p expression levels were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were investigated by cell counting kit-8 assay and annexin V/propidium iodide assay. The interaction between circ-LARP4 and miR-21-5p was further explored by luciferase reporter assay. Results: Circ-LARP4 expression was decreased in NSCLC cell lines (including NCI-H1299, NCI-H522, NCI-H23, NCI-H358, and NCI-H1650) compared with human normal lung epithelial cell line. Circ-LARP4 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation while promoted apoptosis in NCI-H1650 cells, whereas circ-LARP4 knockdown increased cell proliferation while decreased apoptosis in NCI-H1299 cells. Meanwhile, miR-21-5p was negatively regulated by circ-LARP4, whereas circ-LARP4 was not affected by miR-21-5p in NCI-H1650 and NCI-H1299 cells. In rescue experiment, miR-21-5p overexpression attenuated the effect of circ-LARP4 overexpression on decreasing cell proliferation and increasing apoptosis in NCI-H1650 cells, whereas miR-21-5p knockdown attenuated the effect of circ-LARP4 knockdown on promoting cell proliferation and suppressing apoptosis in NCI-H1299 cells. Further luciferase reporter assay revealed that circ-LARP4 could directly bind to miR-21-5p. Conclusions: Circ-LARP4 is decreased and suppresses cell proliferation while promoted apoptosis by sponging miR-21-5p in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preferred cancer treatment is to achieve a high therapeutic effect as well as reduce side effects. In this study, we developed carrier-free nano drugs based on 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and cinnamaldehyde (CA) to meet the above goals. Two model drugs were spliced by acetal linkage and ester bond, which could self-assemble into nano drug particles (5FU–CA NPs) with a size of ∼170 nm. In vitro cell experiments showed 5FU–CA NPs were efficiently internalized by HepG2 cells. They then quickly exerted dual drug activities by the cleavage of acetal and ester bond, resulting in enhanced cell-killing efficacy and apoptosis. Synergistic mechanisms were achieved via the anti-metabolic effects mediated by 5FU–COOH and the oxidative damage induced by CA. In vivo anti-tumor evaluation further indicated that 5FU–CA NPs had higher tumor growth inhibition than 5FU–COOH/CA mixture (5FU–COOH + CA) and exhibited lower systemic toxicity under the same reducing dose of each drug. Overall, this is a successful synergistic anti-tumor attempt through rational self-assembly of drugs with different mechanisms and it can be extrapolated to other agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing interface defect states between perovskite and the transport layer is one of the dominant reasons to limit the performance of near‐infrared (NIR) perovskite light‐emitting devices (PeLEDs). Herein, a quaternary ammonium halide choline chloride layer is introduced to improve the wettability of the hole transport layer (HTL) and passivate defect states. As a consequence, the performance of the NIR PeLEDs is obviously enhanced. A maximum output power density of 4.7 mW cm−2 has been achieved by optimizing the concentration of choline chloride. Furthermore, the alternating current (AC) driving mode is introduced to reduce thermal degradation and charge accumulation in the interface region. It is demonstrated that the emission intensity as well as the stability of PeLEDs can be further improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing interface defect states between perovskite and the transport layer is one of the dominant reasons to limit the performance of near‐infrared (NIR) perovskite light‐emitting devices (PeLEDs). Herein, a quaternary ammonium halide choline chloride layer is introduced to improve the wettability of the hole transport layer (HTL) and passivate defect states. As a consequence, the performance of the NIR PeLEDs is obviously enhanced. A maximum output power density of 4.7 mW cm−2 has been achieved by optimizing the concentration of choline chloride. Furthermore, the alternating current (AC) driving mode is introduced to reduce thermal degradation and charge accumulation in the interface region. It is demonstrated that the emission intensity as well as the stability of PeLEDs can be further improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNA growth arrest specific transcript 5 (GAS5) has been found to be implicated in the pathogenesis of central nervous diseases and to be a contributor to hypoxic brain injury. However, the roles and molecular mechanisms of GAS5 in spinal cord injury (SCI) have not thoroughly investigated. Here, we reported that GAS5 knockdown improved rat locomotor function and alleviated pathological damage of spinal cord tissues by reducing oxidative stress, caspase-3 activity and vav guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (VAV1) expression in SCI rat models. GAS5 knockdown inhibited the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) level and cell apoptotic rate induced by oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) and weakened the inhibitory effects of OGD on superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and cell viability in RN-Sc cells, suggesting that GAS5 loss mitigated OGD-triggered oxidative stress and cell injury in RN-Sc cells. Molecular mechanism explorations revealed that GAS5 recruited CUGBP, Elav-like family member 2 (CELF2) to the coding region of VAV1 mRNA, resulting in the increase of VAV1 mRNA stability and expression levels. VAV1 knockdown weakened OGD-induced oxidative stress and cell injury in RN-Sc cells. VAV1 loss alleviated GAS5-induced oxidative stress and cell injury in OGD-treated RN-Sc cells. As a conclusion, our findings suggested that GAS5 aggravated SCI by increasing VAV1 expression via binding with CELF2, deepening our understanding on function and molecular basis of GAS5 in SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fault detection (FD) problem is investigated for event-triggered discrete-time Markov jump systems (MJSs) with hidden-Markov mode observation. A dynamic-event-triggered mechanism, which includes some existing ones as special cases, is proposed to reduce unnecessary data transmissions to save network resources. Mode observation of the MJS by the FD filter (FDF) is governed by a hidden Markov process. By constructing a Markov-mode-dependent Lyapunov function, a sufficient condition in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) is obtained under which the filtering error system of the FD is stochastically stable with a prescribed H∞ performance index. The parameters of the FDF are explicitly given when these LMIs have feasible solutions. The effectiveness of the FD method is demonstrated by two numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmonic nanostructures with large absorption areas under resonant excitation have been utilized extensively in photon‐assisted applications. In this work, dodecahedral Au nanobowls were first prepared by an easy and template‐free method only through the introduction of H2PtCl6 and I− during the growth procedure. The Au nanobowls show electron‐field enhancement due to the high curvature of the bowl edge, the open region, and dodecahedral morphology. Au/Pt nanobowls, which couple plasmonic Au and catalytic Pt, were then constructed as plasmonic electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation. The mass activity reached 497.6 mA mg−1 under visible‐light illumination, which is 1.9 times that measured in the dark. Simultaneously, the electrocatalytic stability is also greatly improved under light excitation. The enhanced properties of the plasmonic Au/Pt electrocatalysts are ascribed to the synergistic effect of the plasmon‐enhanced photothermal and hot‐carrier effects on the basis of experimental investigations. This work thus offers an effective methodology to construct efficient plasmonic electrocatalysts for fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Although researchers are exploring the biological processes of tumorigenesis and development of EC, the gene interactions and biological pathways of EC are not accurately verified. In the present study, bioinformatics methods were used to screen for key candidate genes and pathways that were associated with EC and to reveal the possible mechanisms at molecular level. Microarray datasets (GSE63678, GSE17025 and GSE3013) from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were downloaded and 118 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected using a Venn diagram. Functional enrichment analyses were performed on the DEGs. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed, including the module analysis. A total of 11 hub genes were identified from the DEGs, and functional enrichment analyses were performed to clarify their possible biological processes. A total of 118 DEGs were selected from three mRNA datasets. Functional enrichment demonstrated 27 downregulated genes that were primarily involved in the positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter, protein binding and the nucleus. A total of 91 upregulated DEGs were mainly associated with cell division, protein binding and the nucleus. Pathway analysis indicated that the downregulated DEGs were mainly enriched in pathways associated with cancer, and the upregulated DEGs were mainly enriched in the cell cycle. The 11 hub genes were primarily enriched in the cell cycle, oocyte meiosis, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, the p53 signaling pathway and viral carcinogenesis. The integrated analysis showed that cyclin B1, ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 C and cell division cycle 20 may participate in the tumorigenesis, development and invasion of EC. In conclusion, the hub genes and pathways identified in the present study contributed to the understanding of carcinogenesis and progression of EC at the mechanistic and molecular-biological level. As candidate targets for the diagnosis and treatment of EC, these genes deserve further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control over the architecture, elemental distribution, composition and size of metal bimetallic nanocrystals can effectively manipulate and improve their catalytic performances. Herein, we construct the PdAg bimetallic nanostructures with Pd and Ag overlapped distribution to form an alloy feature via an easy operation method at ambient conditions. The prepared PdAg alloy nanocrystals are porous that composed of numerous branches on their surfaces with a composition of Pd 100 Ag 0 to Pd 61 Ag 39 and a size ranging from 16.4 ± 1.8 to 45.0 ± 1.5 nm. Impressively, after detail size- and composition-dependent electrocatalytic evaluations toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline, the Pd 67 Ag 33 nanocrystals with a size of 27.0 ± 1.2 nm exhibit the highest mass activity (1394.49 mA mg−1), which is 4.77 and 5.46 times of porous Pd NCs and commercial Pd/C, respectively. Besides, the durability during electrocatalytic tests were also highly improved. The excellent electrocatalytic property is ascribed to the synergistic effect between Pd and Ag, the high surface area brought by the porous and branched morphology, as well as the proper size the alloy electrocatalysts provided. Image 1 • Porous PdAg nanoalloy with tuneable composition and size were successfully synthesized using an easy-operation process. • The alloy feature and porous architecture provide synergistic effect and high active area. • The prepared PdAg alloy exhibits higher catalytic activity and durability toward ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimentally and numerically studied the heat transfer performance of supercritical CO 2 (S-CO 2) cooled in small (d ≤ 4 mm) horizontal helically coiled tube (HCT). Five HCTs with fixed coil pitch b = 34 mm, coil diameters D ranging from 36–140 mm and tube diameters d ranging from 2 to 4 mm were used. The results showed that the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) has tripled as the tube diameter decreases from 4 to 2 mm. HTC increases up to 30% with the coil diameter decreasing from 140 to 36 mm. Based on the modified theory derived from the straight tube (ST) with upward flow, the onset value of buoyancy effect in horizontal HCT was obtained, which confirmed that the buoyancy in the present experimental study can be neglected. Totally, 33 test runs and 426 points were performed, and from which a new correlation was proposed to evaluate the HTC of S-CO 2 in the horizontal HCT under cooling condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Valproic acid (VPA) is a clinical medicine primarily prescribed to control epileptic symptoms. VPA has potential side‐effects, such as hepatotoxicity. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a functional cytokine for metabolic regulation. In this article, we aimed to evaluate the possible clinical application of FGF21 in VPA‐treated livers in early undetected liver injury (EULI). Methods: Methodologically, plasma samples of VPA‐treated epileptic patients were isolated for biochemical and high‐performance liquid chromatography tests. In addition, VPA‐dosed mice were subjected to determinations of serological parameters, key regulatory effectors and FGF21 expressions through biochemical analyses, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemistry stain, immunofluorescence stain, and reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) test, respectively. Results: The serological data suggested that VPA‐treated epileptic patients showed visibly elevated FGF21 contents in plasma samples. However, other diagnostic parameters showed inconspicuous changes. As revealed in animal study, VPA‐dosed mice exhibited undetected morphological alterations and hormonal changes in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. Furthermore, serological parameters and key regulatory proteins in VPA‐dosed livers and controls showed inconspicuous changes. Interestingly, endogenous FGF21 expressions in VPA‐dosed mice were increased in sera. In further experiments, the findings showed that intracellular expressions of FGF21 mRNA and protein were upregulated in VPA‐dosed livers as revealed in RT‐PCR and immunoassay. Conclusions: Taken together, these preliminary data reveal that functional FGF21 cytokine may serve as a potent predictor in VPA‐related EULI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of rail transit is expected to gather housing and jobs around metro stations to improve the urban spatial structure for sustainable development. However, evaluations of the effects of transit-oriented development (TOD) practices in Chinese cities remain limited. Based on 2019 mobile phone signaling data, this study analyzed the spatial relationship between metro station areas, urban population density, and employment density in Tianjin City, China. Kernel density estimation, the coverage rate of population and employment, and the envelope range density method for rail transit networks were used to describe the spatial relationships between rail transit and the distribution of population and employment. The concentric circle method was used to analyze the spatial variation of residential population density and employment density within the station surrounding areas. Multiple linear regressions, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and geographically weighted regression analysis were established to quantitatively evaluate the effects of metro stations on the residential population density and employment density around the stations. Results show that: (1) population and employment are significantly concentrated along the rail transit area; (2) metro stations within the suburban area, which are roughly 10 km away from the center, have the most significant aggregation effect on population and employment; and (3) employment density and the proportion of residential and commercial lands are the most influential factors in residential population density within the station's surrounding areas. These findings contribute to comprehensive spatial analysis on population and employment densities around metro stations and provide scientific support for sustainable urban development. Based on the research results, policy implications are proposed to better guide the coordinated development of rail transit and urban spatial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As high-temperature-resistant inorganic fibers, Al 2 O 3 fibers possess high-temperature resistance, high-temperature oxidation resistance, and chemical stability, and thus are suitable for applications such as high temperature catalysis and filtration. However, their shortcomings, such as high brittleness and high fracturability, limit their applications. In this study, a flexible Al 2 O 3 /aramid composite felt was prepared by introducing aramid fibers into Al 2 O 3 fiber filaments, and the flexibility of the prepared composite felt was improved by using needle punching. The influence of the Al 2 O 3 /aramid doping ratio on the thermal insulation performance of the composite felt was explored. The findings showed that as the Al 2 O 3 /aramid doping ratio increased, the thermal insulation performance of the composite felt improved, whereas its thermal conductivity decreased. At room temperature of 25 °C and with an Al 2 O 3 /aramid doping ratio of 12:1, the thermal conductivity of the composite felt reached its minimum value of 0.0306 W m−1 K−1, while its compression and fracture moduli became 0.4 MPa and 21.5 GPa, respectively. The thermal-insulation mechanism of the composite felt was also explored in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a microinvasive method to diagnose lymph nodes. This study aims to determine the capability of lymphatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (LCEUS)-guided FNA in predicting the axillary metastasis with the target of one lymph node (LN) in patients with breast cancer. Methods LCEUS was prospectively performed in 105 patients with breast cancer. The most suspicious LN was targeted based on the characters of LCEUS. FNA was performed in the LN, followed by localization using a guide wire. The detection of lymph cells and/or tumour cells was recognized as a puncture success. Cytologic diagnosis was compared with histologic diagnosis of wire-marked LN for diagnosing accuracy and compared with histologic diagnosis of axillary LNs for predicting accuracy. Results LCEUS-guided FNA was performed in all 105 female patients who underwent axillary dissection. The puncture success rates were 74.3%, 91.4%, and 97.1% for three sequential groups (P  =  .010). In diagnosing LN metastasis, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy values of LCEUS-guided FNA were 89.7%, 100%, and 95.7%, respectively. In predicting axillary metastasis, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy values of LCEUS-guided FNA were 81.4%, 100%, and 91.3%, respectively. Conclusions The microinvasive LCEUS-guided FNA of one lymph node can be an accurate method and may help predict axillary metastasis in patients with breast cancer. Advances in knowledge This study presented that LCEUS combined with FNA would be practical in clinic. The characters of LCEUS could indicate the suspicious LNs and promote the accuracy in predicting axillary metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As high-temperature-resistant inorganic fibers, Al 2 O 3 fibers possess high-temperature resistance, high-temperature oxidation resistance, and chemical stability, and thus are suitable for applications such as high temperature catalysis and filtration. However, their shortcomings, such as high brittleness and high fracturability, limit their applications. In this study, a flexible Al 2 O 3 /aramid composite felt was prepared by introducing aramid fibers into Al 2 O 3 fiber filaments, and the flexibility of the prepared composite felt was improved by using needle punching. The influence of the Al 2 O 3 /aramid doping ratio on the thermal insulation performance of the composite felt was explored. The findings showed that as the Al 2 O 3 /aramid doping ratio increased, the thermal insulation performance of the composite felt improved, whereas its thermal conductivity decreased. At room temperature of 25 °C and with an Al 2 O 3 /aramid doping ratio of 12:1, the thermal conductivity of the composite felt reached its minimum value of 0.0306 W m−1 K−1, while its compression and fracture moduli became 0.4 MPa and 21.5 GPa, respectively. The thermal-insulation mechanism of the composite felt was also explored in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest therapy and recreation (FTR) has become a popular mode for promoting physical and mental health and enhancing well-being in the recent era. However, reliance on forests exposes it to potential dangers, such as the impact of over-development on natural ecology, the threat of mosquito bites and poisonous plants to tourists' health, and the lack of attractiveness, which can be seen as the limitation or the 'dark' sides of FTR that restrict its sustainable development. Scholars have begun to pay additional attention on this subject matter, however, effective identification, management, and circumvention of these 'dark' sides is still limited. A comprehensive review of the 'dark' side of FTR is still limited. Therefore, this research reveals five themes of the 'dark' side of FTR through 140 collected publications based on thematic analysis, and provides an in-depth analysis of each theme. On this basis, research gaps of existing studies were revealed and future research directions were clarified, including: (1) low impact development; (2) smart monitoring; (3) strategies to improve safety; (4) empirical medical research; (5) social participation attraction; (6) multidisciplinary research approach; (7) differentiated development; and (8) standard certification. Findings of this research reveal a knowledge map of the 'dark' side of FTR, guide researchers to develop a new perspective to conduct related research and provide a platform for practitioners understanding the constraints on development and help taking preventive management measures. [Display omitted] • A panoramic view of the 'dark' sides of forest therapy and recreation was described. • The 'dark' sides were discussed in detail to reveal current research gap. • Future research directions for illuminating 'dark' sides were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, buildings that provide improved performance have aroused extensive discussion. Nowadays, the connotation of healthy building is becoming complex, performance metrics for healthy buildings vary significantly from different regions in the world and there may be information asymmetry among stakeholders. Consequently, building health performance cannot be effectively achieved. However, previous studies have launched extensive reviews on green building, and there remains a lack of comprehensive and systematic reviews on healthy buildings. To address the above issues, therefore, this research aims to (1) conduct a thorough review of healthy building research and reveal its nature; and (2) identify the current research gaps and propose possible future research directions. Content analysis using NVivo were applied to review 238 relevant publications. A DNA framework of healthy buildings, which clarifies the characteristics, triggers, guides and actions, was then constructed for better understanding of the nature of them. Subsequently, the application of DNA framework and the directions of future research were discussed. Six future research directions were finally recommended, including life-cycle thinking, standard systems improvement, policies & regulations, awareness increase, healthy building examination, and multidisciplinary integration. This research differs from previous ones because it painted a panorama of previous healthy building research. Findings of this research contribute to reveal knowledge map of healthy buildings, guide researchers to fill existing knowledge gaps, provide a standardized platform for healthy building stakeholders, and promote high-quality development of healthy buildings. [Display omitted] • A comprehensive and systematic redefinition of healthy building was formulated. • Knowledge map of healthy building was described and a DNA framework was developed. • Current research gap was revealed and future research recommendations was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupant behavior has been widely considered as one of the key influencing factors on building energy consumption. The complexity of its formation mechanism and the dynamic interaction with buildings have aroused extensive discussion. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive and systematic review to provide a panorama of occupant energy consumption behavior research. This research, therefore, aims to (1) explore the evolution of occupant behavior research; (2) investigate the knowledge base and knowledge domains of occupant behavior research; and (3) identify the current research gaps and propose future research directions. Bibliometric approach and content analysis were applied to review 2791 relevant articles published from 2001 to 2022. It was found that the focus of occupant behavior research has evolved from simple discussion of individual occupant behavior at the beginning to systematic and information-based approach to complex behaviors. A total of 45 key research keywords and 10 knowledge clusters were identified. Eight future research directions were finally recommended based on the identified researcher gaps, including algorithmic innovation, multi-source heterogeneous data fusion, interdisciplinary, extension and standardization of behavioral models, diversification of building types, synergism of individual and collective perspective, and novel intervention strategies. This research differs from previous ones because it could minimize the subjectivity and bias compared to traditional manual review. The results of this research can provide potential researchers with sufficient knowledge in this field and inspire them with future directions, which contributes to further achieving energy-saving goals from the perspective of occupants' interaction with buildings. [Display omitted] • A bibliometric analysis of 2791 occupant behavior-related articles is conducted. • The evolution path of occupant behavior research is described. • Knowledge map of occupant behavior research is developed. • Seven research gaps and eight future research directions are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercritical CO 2 Rankine cycle has great development potential as a power cycle for converting low-grade thermal energy into electricity. Better understanding of supercritical CO 2 heat transfer in helically coiled tubes (HCTs) is required for design and operation of supercritical CO 2 Rankine cycle power systems. In this work, the SST k∼ ω model is employed. A new dimensionless buoyancy parameter Ψ is proposed which denotes the ratio of gravitational buoyancy force to overall curvature effect. Furthermore, a flow regimes map is proposed based on the inclination angle of the dividing streamline between the two vortexes and buoyancy parameter Ψ. The mixed convection region in HCT is decomposed into a gravitational buoyancy force dominated heat transfer region (B Region α > 45 °) and a curvature effect dominated heat transfer region (C Region α < 45 °). Subsequently, the effects of HCT geometry on heat transfer mechanisms are respectively investigated in B and C Region, which help us better understanding the relationship of the buoyancy criterion and flow characteristics. The results indicate that the effects of coiled pitch and coiled diameter on heat transfer can be neglected in B Region. In C Region, the heat transfer is suppressed as coiled pitch increases and it will appear oscillation when torsion effect is strong enough. In addition, the heat transfer is enhanced with curvature increases but except for near the pseudo-critical region. • Overall curvature effect includes centrifugal force and centrifugal buoyancy force. • A new buoyancy parameter Ψ is proposed which considers the overall curvature effect. • A flow regimes map is proposed based on flow characteristics and buoyancy parameter Ψ. • Geometry effects are investigated based on the regimes map and buoyancy criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Improvement of building energy performance is crucial in achieving energy conservation goals. Previous studies have indicated that effective collaboration among stakeholders can help to address the building energy performance gap. However, only a few studies have examined the effects of underlying collaboration between designers and contractors. To fill this research gap, this study proposes an evolutionary game model to investigate the underlying logic of the collaboration by analyzing the dynamic behaviors of designers and contractors. First, the main possible drivers and barriers of the collaboration between designers and contractors were identified through a literature review and an expert interview. Second, a Nash equilibrium model was utilized to analyze the decision of designers and contractors under different scenarios. The results show that the best means to promote the collaboration is "reducing collaboration costs", followed by "increasing the collaboration benefits" and "decreasing the loss caused by a lack of collaboration". Based on the parameter discussion of the evolutionary game model, five solutions were proposed for the effective collaboration between designers and contractors. This study helps to clarify the dynamic collaboration decision process of designers and contractors, who are considered players with bounded rationality. The proposed evolutionary game model provides a theoretical basis for quantitative research on the collaboration between designers and contractors. This study could help researchers to consider the dynamics of collaboration among stakeholders in building projects, and it could also help practitioners to select proper strategies for improved collaboration. Graphical abstract Image 10481961 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: In this report, we aimed to investigate the distribution and characterization of biomarker-immunolabeled ductal epithelium in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Design: Eighteen patients with PDAC were medically diagnosed prior to being treated periodically. All clinical records were collected and assayed. The PDAC samples were subjected to routine biochemical tests and immuno-stains of immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Results: As results, immunohistochemical findings indicated pancreatic ductal cells in PDAC showed plenty of Ki-67, P53, RP, SAM positive cells expressed in nuclei. In addition, ductal epithelial cells exhibited numerous positive cells of CK7, 18, 19, 20 biomarkers, respectively. Interestingly, compared to non-PDAC controls, immunostaining results showed that endocrine hormones were positively expressed in pancreatic ducts of PDAC, characterized with increased insulin-, Ngn3-, PDX1-fluorescence-labeled cells, and reduced F-box and WD-40 domain protein 7 (Fbxw7)-labeled cells in ducts. Conclusion: These clinicopathologic findings preliminarily disclose that there may be a potential for insulin-producing cells in PDAC, possibly through negatively inducing Fbxw7 ubiquitination in pancreatic ducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Schedule risk is a major concern in infrastructure project management. Existing studies have proposed several models for schedule risk analysis, but few efforts have been made on the dynamics and uncertainty of risks and the generality and practicability of the model. To fill the research gaps, this study develops a hybrid dynamic approach for investigating the effect of risks on infrastructure project schedule performance. This approach combines system dynamics (SD) and discrete event simulation (DES) which have mainly been used to analyze the macroscopic and microcosmic construction issues in isolation, respectively. The model is then verified by data which is collected from a bridge construction project. As an application example, the effect of four selected risks on the schedule was explored. The results show that the proposed SD-DES model could be ease of modifying the model to reflect real situation, performing various sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, and showing simulation results more effectively. Highlights • A hybrid model is pioneered for simulating the underlying schedule risks. • The hybrid model is validated by model structure test and behavior test. • Three scenarios are designed to simulate the effects of each schedule risk. • The impact of multiple risks and the simple sum of each risk are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Redefine and classified "building energy performance gap". • Identify the important role of life-cycle and stakeholders. • Identify, classify and discuss the root causes of "building energy performance gap". • Discuss the corresponding strategies to close the gap. • Identify eight areas and topics requiring future research. Abstract The reliability, security, and sustainability of energy generation and supply are of global importance and the building sector accounts for up to 32% of total energy consumption, which makes it a key player in the domain. Previous research has identified that the actual energy consumption in buildings could be as much as 2.5 times of the predicted or simulated. This large building energy performance gap (BEPG) between the predicted and actual consumption has caused a significant problem for building energy supply and demand management and therefore have attracted increasing attention from researchers around the world. These researches have resulted in a large number of publications over the last decade. However, research has not reached the phase where the root causes of BEPG could be effectively identified, managed, and eliminated. There remains a lack of systematic and comprehensive review of the current literature to understand the current state of play, and set directions for future research. To fill this gap, in this paper, a thorough survey and review of BEPG research was carried out. The paper collected and analyzed 227 relevant publications and developed a framework for better understanding previous BEPG research. Subsequently, an in-depth analysis of BEPG research was conducted to explore its causes and corresponding strategies (including design concept, "hard" technologies and "soft" measures). Not only the interaction among causes but also the strengths and limitations of corresponding strategies were discussed in detail. Future research is finally recommended based on the limitations of exist strategies, including (1) building energy performance life-cycle thinking; (2) energy performance information integrity; (3) big data collection and analytical method; (4) stakeholders' attributions, decision criteria and behavior; (5) stakeholder interactions; (6) modelling and simulation validation; (7) multidisciplinary approach; and (8) building system flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the turbulent heat transfer characteristics of supercritical CO 2 in heated vertical helically coiled tube, and primary focus is to analyze the mechanism of buoyancy force and flow acceleration on the heat transfer. The results show similar effect from buoyancy force and centrifugal force, and both forces induce a secondary flow in the cross section that improves the heat transfer efficiency. The buoyancy parameter ϕ 2 and flow acceleration parameter q + are established with reasonably good validation against numerical results. On the basis of the two parameters, the buoyancy factor F b and the acceleration factor F Ac are proposed to quantify buoyancy and flow acceleration effect, respectively. Furthermore, a temperature difference correction factor F t is introduced to consider variation of thermo-physical properties. A new semi-empirical heat transfer correlation is proposed for supercritical CO 2 in function of F b , F Ac and F t for the vertical helically coiled tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry in Hong Kong has been exposed to serious housing production issues such as insufficient manpower, safety, environmental concerns and inefficient housing supply. Prefabrication housing production has shown as efficient construction model which enables to overcome these issues and it is applied in construction industry in Hong Kong. In this paper, hybrid modeling techniques that combine system dynamics and discrete event simulation are used to analyze the interrelationships of schedule risks within the six-day cycle assembly of prefabrication housing production. Moreover, a hybrid dynamic model is developed to simulate and evaluate the impact of schedule risks on the schedule performance of the six-day cycle assembly of PHP via the Anylogic software package. The resulting model is validated by data which is collected from a PHP project in Hong Kong. Based on the simulation results, the first most influential level contains five schedule risks, namely, inefficient verification of precast components because of ambiguous labels, misplacement on the storage site because of carelessness, owner crane breakdown and maintenance, slow quality inspection procedures, and inefficient design data transition that cause average schedule delays of more than 300 min. The second most influential level includes delay of the delivery of precast element to site, design information gap between designer and manufacturer, installation error of precast elements, and logistics information inconsistency because of human errors, with average schedule delays less than 300 min and greater than 200 min. Design change, low information interoperability between different enterprise resource planning systems, and inefficiency of design approval belong to the third level that imposes the least influence on the schedule delay of the assembly. This research contributes to the current knowledge of the management of prefabrication construction by developing an effective model that offers an in-depth understanding of how schedule performance of PHP is dynamically influenced by interrelationships of various risk variables. Also, it provides an experimental platform for simulating and analyzing schedule risks that significantly affect the schedule performance of the six-day cycle assembly of prefabrication housing production. Such critical schedule risks could be identified and managed prior to the implement of prefabrication housing production projects. Compared with traditional techniques, the hybrid dynamic model simultaneously considers macro and micro levels, thereby enabling project managers to gain a deeper insight into schedule management and acquire a multidimensional understanding of schedule delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupant behavior is viewed as a main source causing the building energy performance gap between the predicted and the actual consumption. The nature of occupants’ energy behavior research requires a combination of social science and natural science, which indicates that a mixed methods design would be useful. However, researchers often do not know when and how mixed methods approach should be used. To fill this gap, this paper first reviewed the research methods adopted in 230 relevant articles published in the past decade. The results show that 83.48% of articles applied quantitative methods, followed by mixed methods (5.22%) and qualitative methods (0.87%) with rest being pure review or conceptual papers. This shows that researchers in the field of occupant behavior mainly adopt the objectivist philosophical position. Subsequently, an in-depth analysis of research methodologies was conducted in relation to worldviews and philosophical assumptions, and the advantages and disadvantages of qualitative and quantitative methods were discussed. Finally, a mixed methods research design framework was proposed as a point of departure for researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of mixed methods design. It is expected that this framework could help researchers develop a proper mixed methods research design according to the nature of their research problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental investigation of the cooling heat transfer of supercritical CO 2 in helically coiled tubes with constant wall heat flux is analyzed based on exergy analysis. The experiment covers an inlet temperature range of 295–330 K, a mass flux range of 159.1–954.9 kg/m 2 s, a tube diameter range of 2–5 mm and a Reynolds number range of 11,000–90,000. The effects of mass flux, heat flux and diameter of helically coiled tube on the dimensionless exergy destruction are investigated. Experimental results show that the dimensionless exergy destruction caused by the irreversibility of heat transfer is much larger than that by flow friction for supercritical CO 2 . The optimal Re is more sensitive with mass flux and tube diameter rather than heat flux. For the tube diameters of 3, 4, 5 mm considered, there exists an appropriate range of Re that have the smaller N I and the better exergy utilization with certain diameter. A correlation for the optimal Reynolds number as function of main dimensionless parameters related to wall heat flux, mass flux, fluid properties and geometric dimensions is proposed. These results provide helpful information for the optimal design of helically coiled heat exchanger with supercritical CO 2 based on the thermodynamic analysis approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the influence of calcium sulfate type (α-hemihydrate, anhydrite and dihydrate) and amount (0%, 2%, 4% and 6%) on the performances of calcium aluminate cement-based self-leveling mortar (SLM) were investigated. The influence of calcium sulfate on fluidity and mechanical properties was investigated. Moreover, the impact of calcium sulfate on the hydration products, morphology and heat evolution of pastes hydrated up to 3 days were determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and isothermal heat-conduction calorimeter. Test results revealed that SLM prepared with anhydrite exhibited the highest initial flow value (∼160 mm) and setting time and the lowest fluidity loss due to the slow dissolution rate of anhydrite compared to other calcium sulfate. In comparison to control formulation, the enhancement in flexural and compressive strength for T4 (dihydrate) was the highest and was found to be 485.71% and 437.5% respectively and hence it can be concluded that dihydrate is favorable to the early strength of SLM as compared to other SLM formulations containing α-hemihydrate and anhydrite respectively. The shrinkage compensating effect became more obvious with the increase in the amount of C$ in SLM samples. Due to the fast dissolution rate, mortar containing α-hemihydrate exhibited more expansion as compared to other calcium sulfate. SLM prepared with dihydrate showed the highest early strength due to the lowest influence on C 3 S hydration while the influence of α-hemihydrate was more obvious. Hence, the hydration of PC in the ternary system can be limited by increasing calcium sulfate due to the formation of ettringite. Finally, the type of calcium sulfate has an important influence on the quantity and morphology of ettringite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat transfer deterioration (HTD) of supercritical CO 2 encountered in trans-critical CO 2 Rankine cycle is an important issue related the safety of the whole unit. For the purpose, numerical simulations are performed to get a further insight into the mechanism of heat transfer characteristics of supercritical CO 2 flow in helically coiled tube (HCT) both in horizontal and vertical orientations with parameters in a range of p  = 8 MPa, G  = 100–800 kg/m 2 s and q  = 15–140 kW/m 2 . The Shear-Stress Transport (SST) k – ω turbulence model with enhanced wall treatment method is employed to handle the coupled wall-to-fluid heat transfer. Results show that secondary flow induced by the coil curvature produces a transverse transport of the fluid over the cross section of the pipe and therefore enhances the heat transfer. Additionally, in the vertical oriented HCT, the HTD at supercritical pressure observed in a smooth straight tube (ST) is significantly alleviated. At a higher q / G , the HTD still exists irrespective of coil orientations. But, different from ST, the HTD in HCT is caused by both gravitational and centrifugal buoyancy force. Therefore, the onset of HTD in HCT cannot be predicted by the empirical correlation ( q  = 0.0002 G ) derived from analytical and experimental results for ST. Based on numerical calculation, an improved buoyancy parameter is developed to predict buoyancy effect on vertical HCT with an internal upward flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To make use of solar energy fully and efficiently, the two improved combined cooling, heating, and power systems (CCHP) are proposed by adding a gas heater and an extraction turbine, based on the transcritical CO2 ejector refrigeration system. A relatively high pressure fluid is extracted by the extraction turbine as a primary stream of ejector to improve the ejector performance. In the meantime, the gas heater absorbs low temperature exhaust heat to increase the extraction turbine's output work. Comparative studies on the thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency of the two improved systems show they are more efficient alternatives for the transcritical CO2 ejector refrigeration system. The CCHP-B system has relatively broad working condition, higher thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency than that of CCHP-A system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown by indium droplet epitaxy at different substrate temperatures, without or with annealing are reported in this work. At last, a physical model is build. Indium droplets form quantum wires (QWs) along the [110] direction at first, then divide into short parts to maintain the minimum surface energy, and these parts become the nuclei of quantum dots. While substrate temperature increases from 460 to 480 °C, parts coming from the quantum wires become more as well as QDs, at the same time, the number of QWs decreases, which leads to the increase of nanostructure's average height from 4.09 to 4.58 nm. After the annealing introduced to the experiment under the condition of substrate temperature 480 °C, QDs are the only nanostructure in the scanning area with its average height increases to 8.56 nm. It can be speculated that the growth of InAs quantum dots by indium droplet epitaxy is a progress which form QWs at first, then QWs divide into short parts capturing atoms absorbed to the edge of steps because of the influence of the Ehrlich-Schwoebel barriers (ES barriers) to form QDs. Also, the introduction of annealing will promote the QW-to-QDs transformation, and improve the uniformity of QDs' size. At last, a physical model is build according to the analysis above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inorganic salt hydrate PCM, CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O, has a promising potential for thermal energy storage. However, this salt hydrate has tremendous issues of supercooling (the supercooling degree was 25.5 °C as found in this research) which restricts its utilization in practical applications. The present study aimed to reduce the supercooling degree of CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O through the innovative use of hydrophilic graphene oxide (GO) nano-sheets and SrCl 2 ·6H 2 O as nucleating agents. The percentages of these nucleating agents in PCM were 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.08 wt% for GO and 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8 wt% for SrCl 2 ·6H 2 O, respectively. Based on the synergistic/additive effects, a novel composite PCM based on CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O, GO and SrCl 2 ·6H 2 O was proposed and developed. The test results showed that the composite PCM containing 0.02 wt% GO nano-sheets and 0.8 wt% SrCl 2 ·6H 2 O effectively lowered the supercooling degree of CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O from 25.5 °C to as low as 0.2 °C (approximately 99.2% supercooling degree of CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O was reduced). To the best of authors' knowledge, it was the first time that the combination of GO and SrCl 2 ·6H 2 O was found effective in reducing supercooling degree of CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O. Moreover, 99.2% supercooling reduction of CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O is considered the best achievement so far when compared to other studies related to supercooling reduction of CaCl 2 ·6H 2 O. Finally, the solidification enthalpy of the composite PCMs was found to be as high as 207.90 J/g. Therefore, the developed composite PCM is an excellent candidate for thermal energy storage applications in buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has been conducting large-scale land consolidation (LC) programs since the late 1990s to ensure national food security, stabilize farmland patterns and coordinate urban and rural development. LC activities, as an essential type of public investment, show significant impacts on national/regional social and economic progress. However, it is difficult to analyze a specific impact, especially a socio-economic one, of an LC program due to its’ diversified, far-reaching, and inter-correlated influencing factors. This paper establishes a system dynamics model to simulate the functional mechanism motivated by implementing an LC program, and an LC project in a rural area of mid-eastern China is used as the study case. Four subsystems are included in the proposed system dynamics model, namely the capital input-output subsystem, land use subsystem, agricultural production subsystem and social impact subsystem. All of these four subsystems are connected with each other and each of them is affected by its own “inputs”, those being engineering inputs and resource inputs. The simulation result shows that the proposed system dynamics model can effectively incorporate all influencing factors and demonstrate the desired characteristics (such as systematic, complex, feedback-reenter, long-term and dynamic) of socio-economic impacts of an LC program. The system dynamics model, considering the feedbacks and dynamic nature of LC, can function as a novel method to effectively evaluate the socio-economic impacts of LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editor's Note: this Article has been retracted; the Retraction Note is available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83145-9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface gradient nanostructures can be implemented in metallic materials to offer outstanding resistance to sliding friction and wear, but their scratch resistance and underlying anti-scratch mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, the scratch behavior and linked structure modification of a gradient nanograined 316L stainless steel were investigated and compared to the coarse-grained and the nanograined counterparts. After a single high-load scratch, inhomogeneous nanostructures are formed ahead of the indenter in the coarse-grained and nanograined samples, predominantly leading to mechanical incompatibility, crack nucleation and subsurface peeling-off. By contrast, the gradient nanograined sample exhibits superior scratch resistance without surface and subsurface cracking, thanks to strain delocalization associated with stabilized gradient nanostructure during scratching. This work forges the links between scratch-induced microstructural origin and high scratch resistance for gradient nanograined materials under extremely high tribological stress. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ivermectin has been proposed as a potential anti-inflammatory drug in addition to its antiparasitic activity. Here we investigated the potential role of ivermectin in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) using the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or bleomycin (BLM)-induced mice models. Male C57BL/6 mice were given ivermectin orally every day for the remainder of the experiment at doses of 1 or 2 mg/kg after 24 h of LPS or BLM treatment. Ivermectin reversed severe lung injury caused by LPS or BLM challenge, including mortality, changes in diffuse ground-glass and consolidation shadows on lung CT imaging, lung histopathological scores, lung wet/dry ratio, and protein content in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Furthermore, ivermectin also reduced total lung BALF inflammatory cells, infiltrating neutrophils, myeloperoxidase activity, and plasma TNF-α and IL-6 levels in mice treated with LPS or BLM. Finally, the mechanism study showed that LPS or BLM administration increased JNK, Erk1/2, and p38 MAPK phosphorylation while decreasing IκBα expression, an inhibitor of NF-κB. However, ivermectin increased IκBα expression but blocked elevated phosphorylated JNK and p38 MAPK, not Erk1/2, in both ALI mice. These findings suggested that ivermectin may alleviate ALI caused by LPS or BLM in mice, partly via lowering the inflammatory response, which is mediated at least by the inhibition of MAPK and NF-κB signaling. Collectively, ivermectin might be used to treat acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome. [Display omitted] • Ivermectin attenuates the acute lung injury induced by LPS and bleomycin in mice. • Ivermectin decreases the lung infiltrated neutrophils and the MPO activity in acute lung injury mice. • Ivermectin inhibits JNK and p38MAPK and NF-κB signal pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building energy performance gap is a critical obstacle to emissions reduction and energy conservation. Previous research mainly focused on identifying the factors contributing to the building energy performance gap (BEPG). Such studies have tended toward an inward-looking perspective that treats impact factors in isolation from one another. In reality, most factors are interrelated and associated with energy-related stakeholders. To address this research gap, this research developed a social network analysis model to investigate the underlying network of stakeholder-related influencing factors. According to nodal degree, status centrality, betweenness centrality, and brokerage roles, 21 factors and 14 links that substantially influence other factors directly or indirectly are identified. Six challenges, including "Challenges to knowledge and experience," "Challenges in determining who is responsible for BEPG among stakeholders," "Cost challenges," "Poor quality challenges," "Challenges to building operation management," and "Information integrity challenges," are further identified. Moreover, six strategies that are useful in controlling and eliminating influencing factors and interactions are proposed. The results show that, after the proposed strategies were conducted, the density and cohesion of the network are reduced by 48.28% and 11.62%, respectively, and the top ten betweenness centrality values for the nodes and links are reduced by at least 30%. This research is expected to aid not only researchers in better understanding the intricate interrelationships among the factors influencing BEPG but also practitioners in effectively controlling the influencing factors of BEPG. [Display omitted] • Influencing factors are situated closely in a dense network. • Factors related to designers and contractors considerably affect the network. • Communication helps to bridge the gap between diverse stakeholder groups. • Poor communication substantially affects adjacent factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibulin-3 is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein that is present in elastic tissue and involved in carcinoma development. Previous studies have indicated that fibulin-3 may affect skeletal development, cartilage, and osteoarthritis (OA). This study aims to investigate the function of fibulin-3 on chondrocytes under tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) stimulation and in murine OA models, and explore the possible mechanism. It was found that fibulin-3 was increased in the cartilage of OA models and in the chondrogenic cells ATDC5 stimulated by TNF-α. Fibulin-3 promoted the proliferation of ATDC5 cells both in the presence and absence of TNF-α. Moreover, overexpression of fibulin-3 suppressed the chondrogenic and hypertrophic differentiation of ATDC5 cells, while knockdown of fibulin-3 caused the opposite effect. Mechanistically, fibulin-3 partially suppressed the activation of TGF-β/Smad3 signaling by inhibiting the phosphorylation of Smad3. SIS3, a Smad3 inhibitor, decreased the chondrogenesis of articular cartilages in OA models, and partially reversed the chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells caused by knockdown of fibulin-3 in the presence of TNF-α. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) showed that fibulin-3 could only interact with TGF-β type I receptor (TβRI), although overexpression of fibulin-3 reduced the protein levels of both TβRI and TβRII. In conclusion, this study indicates that fibulin-3 modulates the chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells in inflammation partially via TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway. • Fibulin-3 was existent in the cartilage and chondrocytes of osteoarthritis models. • Fibulin-3 modulated the differentiation of ATDC5 in TNF-α-induced inflammation. • Fibulin-3 partially regulated ATDC5 differentiation via TGF-β/Smad3 signaling. • Fibulin-3 possibly interacted with TβRI to repress the TGF-β/Smad3 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is an evolutionarily conserved cellular stress response related to multiple diseases, including temporomandibular joint (TMJ) cartilage-related diseases. Recent studies have indicated that DDIT3/CHOP (a downstream transcription factor of ER stress) is an important effector in mediating ER stress to inhibit chondrogenesis. However, the underlying mechanism by which DDIT3 regulates chondrogenesis remains unclear. In this study, tunicamycin (an ER stress agonist)-induced ER stress inhibited chondrocyte differentiation and matrix synthesis in vitro and led to an osteoarthritis-like phenotype in mouse TMJ cartilage. Meanwhile, DDIT3 expression in chondrocytes was robustly upregulated. Loss-of-function experiments validated the inhibiting effect of DDIT3 on chondrocyte differentiation and matrix synthesis. Mechanistically, the inhibiting effect was attributed to the direct and indirect regulatory effect of DDIT3 on SIRT1 (sirtuin1, silent mating type information regulation protein type 1, a member of NAD+ dependent class III histone deacetylases). On one hand, DDIT3 directly promoted the transcription of SIRT1. On the other hand, DDIT3 indirectly increased the expression of SIRT1 by promoting AMPKα phosphorylation and activation. Furthermore, activation of AMPKα or SIRT1 with the corresponding agonist AICAR or resveratrol in the DDIT3-knockdown cells partially restored the inhibiting effect of DDIT3 on chondrocyte differentiation and matrix synthesis. Collectively, these novel findings indicate that DDIT3 regulates the inhibitory effect of ER stress on chondrocyte differentiation and matrix synthesis partially via the AMPKα-SIRT1 pathway. A thorough understanding of ER stress in regulating chondrocyte homeostasis and its role in the onset of osteoarthritis may be promising to develop therapeutic targets and prevent condyle cartilage destruction. • ER stress was activated by intra-articular injection of tunicamycin in mice TMJ. • ER stress inhibits chondrocyte differentiation through DDIT3. • ER stress-mediated DDIT3 regulates chondrocyte differentiation via AMPKα-SIRT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]