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Transition metal sulfides (TMS) exhibit significant promise as non‐noble‐metal electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline environments, notwithstanding their susceptibility to long‐term instability due to the gradual leaching of surface‐reconstructed sulfate ions (SO42−). In this study, a sulfate ion‐assisted strategy is proposed to stabilize the surface‐reconstructed SO42− of FeNiS2. The findings reveal that SO42− experiences considerable loss in KOH due to the infinite concentration gradient of SO42− on the surface. Conversely, in K2SO4/KOH, this strategy mitigates rapid leaching and preserves the predominant surface‐reconstructed SO42−, thereby enhancing stability in both accelerated degradation (5000 cycles) and long‐term (≥120 h) tests, with ≈95% current density retained. Furthermore, the optimal concentration of SO42− proves to be crucial, as supported by both experimental and theoretical results. This approach offers insights into bolstering the long‐term OER stability of TMS and similar compounds, thereby advancing the prospects for widespread application in electrocatalytic water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has characteristics of high invasion and early metastasis. Most NPC patients present with locoregionally advanced illness when first diagnosed. Therefore, it is urgent to discover NPC biomarkers. Fibroblast growth Factor 19 (FGF19) plays a role in various physiological or pathological processes, including cancer. In this research, we discovered the importance of FGF19 in NPC, and clarified its role in tumour angiogenesis. Methods: Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and ELISA were used to investigate FGF19 expression in NPC. Then we took CCK8, colony formation, Transwell and wound healing assays to identify the influence of FGF19 on NPC malignant behaviours. The proliferative and metastatic capacity of FGF19 were evaluated in nude mice and zebrafish. The role of FGF19 in angiogenesis was investigated by tube formation and Matrigel plug angiogenesis assays. We then evaluated the variation in Annexin A2(ANXA2) levels with the treatment of FGF19. Lastly, co-immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays were performed to identify the mechanisms involved. Results: FGF19 levels were elevated in tissues and serum of NPC patients and were associated with poor clinical stages. High expression of FGF19 promoted NPC malignant behaviours. In particular, FGF19 expression was correlated with microvessel density in tissues and NPC-derived FGF19 could accelerate angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, FGF19 influenced ANXA2 expression to promote angiogenesis. Moreover, tripartite motif-containing 21(TRIM21) interacted with ANXA2 and was responsible for ANXA2 ubiquitination. Conclusion: FGF19 promoted NPC angiogenesis by inhibiting TRIM21-mediated ANXA2 ubiquitination. It may serve as a noninvasive biomarker for NPC and provides new insights for therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium nitrate is an attractive lithium additive in the construction of high‐performance lithium metal anodes with a Li3N‐rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. However, the eight‐electron transfer process induces high energy barriers between LiNO3 and Li3N. Herein, the inner Helmholtz plane is tuned on a Li deposition host to attain sluggish/rapid LiNO3 decomposition kinetics, resulting in different intermediate content distributions of Li species in the SEI. Notably, lithium oxynitride (LiNO) is identified as the decomposition intermediate, and experimental and simulation results confirm its role in obstructing LiNO3 decomposition. Moreover, the results reveal that the dipole–dipole interaction between LiNO and the polar V≡N bond can change the ionic/covalent character of the N═O bonds, considerably facilitating the energy transfer process of the N═O cleavage, and promoting a LiNO3 reduction to achieve a Li3N‐rich SEI. Consequently, when the electrolyte contains 0.37 m LiNO3, dendrite, and dead Li formation are suppressed effectively with the VN system, and an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% over 1000 cycles (1 mA cm−2, 1 mAh cm−2) can be attained. These results can promote the nitride oxidation break process and pave the way for fabricating high‐performance Li3N‐rich lithium metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous optimization of sluggish reaction kinetics and mass transfer in bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts for air cathodes remains a great challenge. This study utilizes CoAl‐layered double hydroxide as a metal precursor to fabricate a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst, denoted as CoAlOXD‐Thin. This electrocatalyst features a specific core–shell structure of Co species, which grows on an aerophilic and conductive substrate composed of Al2O3 and carbon. It is successfully demonstrated that the thickness of Co@Co3O4 core–shell structure can be easily controlled by selecting different precursors and the combination of Co core and Co3O4 shell optimizes the adsorption strength of intermediates, leading to enhanced catalytic performance. Additionally, the Al species plays a dual role. It not only facilitates the mass transfer of oxygen species but also hinders the 2e− pathway of oxygen reduction reaction, leading to improved selectivity. Notably, the Zn–air batteries utilizing CoAlOXD‐Thin demonstrate an impressive peak power density of 216.2 mW cm−2, a high specific capacity of 800.8 mAh gZn−1, and excellent cycling stability and reversibility, surpassing those of the Pt/C + RuO2 catalyst. This study presents a novel approach to enhance air cathode performance by optimizing reaction kinetics and mass transfer through precursor design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For wide and safe applications of Li metal batteries, the suppression of Li dendrite growth during cycling is the most crucial yet challenging topic. In this work, an artificial protective interlayer of GO‐BQ@LiTFSI (GBL) is designed to overcome this issue. The GBL interlayer is prepared by incorporating graphene‐oxide sheets with a liquid organic eutectic mixture of 1,4‐benzoquinone and bis (trifluoromethane) sulfonamide lithium salt. With the exceptional merits of these functional materials, the incorporation endows the GBL interlayer with rich lithiophilic active sites, good ionic conductivity, superior thermal stability and compatibility with the electrolyte, and the precursor supply stations for the formation of a compact and LiF‐rich solid‐electrolyte interface (SEI). Consequently, the GBL effectively promotes the uniform nucleation of Li at low over‐potentials and regulates the Li‐ion flux, leading to the formation of planar Li metal. After utilizing the GBL interlayer in the Li||Li symmetric cells, high electrochemical stability for 600 h is achieved at a current density of 3 mA cm−2 and a capacity of 3 mAh cm−2. Remarkably, this modification enables Li||LiFePO4 full cells with 1600 cycles at 1C and a high‐capacity retention of 95.23% with a cathode mass loading of ≈6 mg cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes a series of investigations carried out on sets of pristine and auxetic (negative Poisson's ratio (NPR)) open‐cell polyurethane foams subjected to relative humidity (RH) conditioning ranging from 9% to 92% at room temperature. The foams have been produced using a uniaxially thermoforming process. Pristine and auxetic foams have then been subjected to quasi‐static compressive cyclic loading (with maximum strains of 10% and 80%, respectively), as well as vibration transmissibility tests with base accelerations up to 2.29 g. Increasing levels of RH do not seem to statistically affect the moduli and PRs of foams subjected to lower maximum strains, however, especially the auxetic foams at higher compressive deformations show a decrease in the stiffness with the increase of the RH. The vibration tests show an increasing trend of the dynamic modulus of the foams with the increase of the RH. The results indicate the complexity of the interaction between foam architecture and absorption/desorption mechanisms occurring inside these porous auxetic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high dielectric loss tangent value of black phosphorus nanosheets enables them to be selectively heated under microwave radiation to realize the in situ surface reaction of BP with Ni2+ to prepare thermodynamically unstable two-dimensional Ni2P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-fourth of the global energy losses are spent to overcome friction, making it particularly important to reduce and minimize friction between contacting materials. Hexagonal close-packed (HCP) metals are an important class of structural materials. It has not been possible to reduce their friction, primarily because of friction-induced dislocation slip and twinning. Here, we find particularly low friction when sliding perpendicular to the a -axis on the basal plane in HCP Mg single crystals. This is in contrast to the common belief that friction is small along the preferred dislocation slip direction (a -axis). This macroscopic low-friction stems from twinning assisted lattice reconstruction sharing a common rotation axis, confirmed by atomistic simulations and strain energy analysis. While sliding along the a -axis and other directions, 〈 c + a〉 dislocation activity accounts for high frictional resistance. By unambiguously decoupling the contributions of dislocation slip and twinning, this discovery reveals potential opportunities in mitigating the energy dissipation at tribological interfaces of HCP metals, e.g. through crystallographic texture design. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) are among the most used polymeric materials due to their tailorable properties. Greener and biobased polyol sources for synthesising RPUFs have been recently prototyped because of the ever-growing demand for more sustainable materials solutions. Castor Oil has also rapidly become one of the most successful alternatives to replace polyurethane fossil-based components. This study extensively investigates three types of RPUFs developed from commercially available Castor Oil-based resins, correlating their properties across different length scales. In particular, X-ray diffraction identified a characteristic peak whose intensity correlated with the apparent foam density, morphology (obtained from computed tomography scans) and mechanical properties. Furthermore, quasi-static compression and vibration transmissibility tests revealed distinctive anisotropic mechanical responses among the foams, with one type of RPUF consistently outperforming the others due to its lower porosity, reaching 13.3 MPa of compressive modulus. These findings demonstrate the possibility of tuning the mechanical properties of foams via compositional control. • Extensive characterisation of Castor Oil-based rigid polyurethane foams. • Foam morphology and mechanical properties can be tuned via composition control. • Correlation of the foam's XRD pattern with porosity and density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite-based electrocatalysts with compositional flexibility and tunable electronic structures have emerged as one of the promising non-noble metal candidates for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here, we propose a heterostructure comprising perovskite oxide (LaNiO3) nanorods and iron oxide hydroxide (FeOOH) nanosheets as an effective electrochemical catalyst for OER. The optimized 0.25Fe-LNO catalyst with an interesting 1D-2D hierarchical structure shows a low overpotential of 284 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 69 mV dec−1. The enhanced performance can be explained by the synergistic effect between LaNiO3 and FeOOH, resulting in an improved electrochemically active surface area, facilitated charge transfer and the optimized adsorption of OH intermediates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cellular structure design biomimicking the core of the beetle. • First full exploration of the out-of-plane engineering elastic constants of beetle-elytra inspired cores. • First transverse shear tests on these beetle-elytra inspired cores carried out according to ASTM standard. • Rigorous parametric analysis of the properties via representative volume elements (RVEs) homogenization techniques. The Beetle Elytron Plate (BEP) is a new type of biomimetic sandwich core developed as a potential replacement of classical honeycomb cores in sandwich panels. This work investigates the out-of-plane engineering elastic constants, including Young's and pure shear moduli of parametric BEP cellular topologies. The BEP core configurations are simulated using Finite Element models, with both full-scale and representative unit cells for asymptotic homogenization. The numerical models are also validated by flatwise compression and out-of-plane pure shear loading experiments performed according to ASTM standards. The benchmarked models are then used to perform a parametric analysis of the beetle elytra cellular cores against their geometry characteristics. Results show that the out-of-plane Young's modulus E 3 / E s and the transverse pure shear modulus G 31 / E s of both BEP configurations are larger than those of the classic hexagonal honeycombs and increase when the size of the unit cell cylinders, or rib thickness become large. The specific shear moduli of the beetle-elytra inspired honeycombs are however lower than those of classical pure hexagonal honeycomb configurations, although the added presence of cylinders within the cell configuration offers opportunities for tailoring the design of multifunctional cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel method of co-adding steel slag (SS) was proposed for humification. • Adding SS accelerated organic matter (OM) degradation by promoting microhabitat. • Adding SS enhanced the stability and complexity of bacterial community. • Adding 5%-SS was effective in enriching Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. • OM degradation was the primary factor affecting humification. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different proportions (0%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%) of steel slag (SS) on humification and bacterial community characteristics during phosphate-amended composting of municipal sludge. Compared with adding KH 2 PO 4 alone, co-adding SS significantly promoted the temperature, pH, nitrification, and critical enzyme activities (polyphenol oxidase, cellulase, laccase); especially organic matter (OM) degradation rate (25.5%) and humification degree (1.8) were highest in the 5%-SS treatment. Excitation-emission matrix-parallel factor confirmed that co-adding SS could promote the conversion of protein-like substances or microbial by-products into humic-like substances. Furthermore, adding 5%-SS significantly improved the relative abundances of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and the genes related to carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, and enhanced the interactions of bacterial community in stability and complexity. The partial least squares path model indicated that OM was the primary factor affecting humification. These results provided a promising strategy to optimize composting of municipal sludge via SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous laminates have demonstrated an extraordinary combination of strength and ductility. However, their response to tribological loading remains elusive. Here, a series of bulk heterogeneous Cu/CuZn laminates with layer spacings from 20 to 200 μm were prepared, to systematically investigate the role of layer spacing and sliding direction on friction and wear. We find that below a critical spacing value or above a tribological stress threshold, the friction coefficient and wear rate during sliding perpendicular to the laminate interface are much lower than the parallel one. When sliding parallel to the interfaces, the formation of a brittle nanostructured tribolayer dominates in the CuZn layers for all sliding cycles. While sliding perpendicular to the interfaces in the early stage, many deformation twins and dislocations form close to the interfaces in the CuZn layer, producing strain gradients and thus alleviating the strain localization. In the late stage of the sliding contact, friction-induced chemical mixing perpendicular to the interfaces is significantly stimulated below the critical layer spacing, mitigating the formation of a delaminating tribolayer. The observed friction anisotropy is intimately related to interface-induced strain delocalization, providing guidelines in designing the heterogeneous laminates with outstanding tribological properties. • Friction anisotropy occurs in bulk heterogeneous copper/bronze laminates. • The samples sliding perpendicular to the interface exhibit lower COF and wear rate than the parallel ones. • The formation of a brittle tribolayer dominates in the CuZn layer when sliding parallel to the heterogeneous interface. • Friction-induced chemical mixing mitigate the formation of a delaminating tribolayer for the perpendicular case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional combination therapy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) is limited in the field of clinical cancer therapy due to activation by light with separate wavelengths, insufficient O 2 supply, antioxidant ability of glutathione (GSH) in tumor cell, and low penetration depth of light. Here, a multifunctional nanoplatform composed of MoO 3-x nanosheets, Ag nanocubes, and MnO 2 nanoparticles was developed to overcome these drawbacks. For this nanoplatform, hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were simultaneously generated under single 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. Once this nanoplatform accumulated in the tumor region, GSH was depleted by MnO 2 and intracellular H 2 O 2 was catalyzed by MnO 2 to produce O 2 to relieve hypoxia. Ultrasound (US) imaging confirmed in-situ O 2 generation. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, photoacoustic (PA) imaging, and fluorescence imaging were used to monitor in vivo biodistribution of nanomaterials. This provides a paradigm to rationally design a single NIR laser induced multimodal imaging-guided efficient PDT/PTT cancer strategy. [Display omitted] • Hyperthermia and ROS were simultaneously generated under single 808 nm NIR light irradiation. • The depletion of GSH and the decomposition of endogenous H 2 O 2 for generating oxygen against hypoxic. • Multimodal imaging can visualize the tumor site for pretreatment guidance and real-time monitoring in the PTT/PDT treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N‐coordinated Ni sites (NiNx) are effective catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO. In most researches, modulating the coordination environment of Ni atoms is focused on to improve electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) performance. However, the influence of the carbon substrate's structure on the intrinsic activity of NiNx is seldom investigated. The highly curved surface of carbon nanotubes (CNT) may provide a unique curvature effect on NiNx. It is found that the Ni residues in CNT can be atomized to form NiNx sites on the surface of CNT (Ni‐N/CNT@covalent triazine framework [CTF]) through high‐temperature pyrolysis, using a soluble CTF nanosheet as N precursor. The π‐conjugated and ultrathin 2D structure of CTF enables closer interfacial contact between CTF and CNT, which avoids the formation of a thick carbon layer to maximize the curvature effect. Theoretical data reveal that the NiN3 configuration may act as a highly active ECR site, and the curvature effect from CNT can further tune the electronic structure of NiN3, thus improving the ECR kinetics. The Ni‐N/CNT@CTF‐based flow‐cell electrolyzer exhibits a jCO of 201 mA cm−2 at −0.9 V with a high FECO of 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surveys have shown that up to 1/10th of all ultracool dwarfs (UCDs) are appreciable radio emitters, with their emission attributed to a combination of gyrosynchrotron radiation and the electron cyclotron maser instability. 2M J0746+2000AB is a close stellar binary comprised of an L0 and L1.5 dwarf that was previously identified as a source of 5 GHz radio emission. We used Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) to precisely track the radio emission over seven epochs in 2010–2017, and found both components to be radio emitters—the first such system identified—with the secondary component as the dominant source of emission in all epochs. The previously identified 2.07 hr periodic bursts were confirmed to originate from the secondary component, although an isolated burst was also identified from the primary component. We additionally fitted the VLBI absolute astrometric positions jointly with existing relative orbital astrometry derived from optical/infrared observations with Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods to determine the orbital parameters of the two components. We found the masses of the primary and secondary optical components to be 0.0795 ± 0.0003 M⊙, and 0.0756 ± 0.0003 M⊙, respectively, representing the most precise mass estimates of any UCDs to date. Finally, we place a 3σ upper limit of 0.9 Mjup au on the mass and separation of planets orbiting either of the two components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is widely recognized for its unfavorable prognosis. Increasing evidence has revealed that LGALS3 has an essential function in initiating and developing several malignancies in humans. Nevertheless, thorough analysis of the expression profile, clinical prognosis, pathway prediction, and immune infiltration of LGALS3 has not been fully explored in HCC. Methods: In this study, an initial pan-cancer analysis was conducted to investigate the expression and prognosis of LGALS3. Following a comprehensive analysis, which included expression analysis and correlation analysis, noncoding RNAs that contribute to the overexpression of LGALS3 were subsequently identified. This identification was further validated using HCC clinical tissue samples. TIMER2 and GEPIA2 were employed to examine the correlation between LGALS3 and HCP5 with immunological checkpoints, cell chemotaxis, and immune infiltration in HCC. The R program was applied to analyze the expression distribution of immune score in in HCC patients with high and low LGALS3 expression. The expression profiles of immune checkpoints were also analyzed. Use R to perform GSVA analysis in order to explore potential signaling pathways. Results: First, we conducted pan-cancer analysis for LGALS3 expression level through an in-depth analysis of public databases and found that HCC has a high LGALS3 gene and protein expression level, which were then verified in clinical HCC specimens. Meanwhile, high LGALS3 gene expression is related to malignant progression and poor prognosis of HCC. Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that LGALS3 could serve as an independent prognostic marker for HCC. Next, by combining comprehensive analysis and validation on HCC clinical tissue samples, we hypothesize that the HCP5/hsa-miR-27b-3p axis could serve as the most promising LGALS3 regulation mechanism in HCC. KEGG and GO analyses highlighted that the LGALS3-related genes were involved in tumor immunity. Furthermore, we detected a significant positive association between LGALS3 and HCP5 with immunological checkpoints, cell chemotaxis, and immune infiltration. In addition, high LGALS3 expression groups had significantly higher immune cell scores and immune checkpoint expression levels. Finally, GSVA analysis was performed to predict potential signaling pathways linked to LGALS3 and HCP5 in immune evasion and metabolic reprogramming of HCC. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that the upregulation of LGALS3 via the HCP5/hsa-miR-27b-3p axis is associated with unfavorable prognosis and increased tumor immune infiltration in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Design of polyurethane foam composites with naturally abundant sepiolite nanoclay and biopolymer chitosan via simple and facile layer-by-layer coatings. • The coatings reinforce the foam skeleton, resulting in a 200% improvement of the Young's and dynamic moduli compared to untreated foams. • Transmitted impact forces are reduced by 50% with six bilayer coatings, demonstrating an improved impact energy dissipation. • Detailed discussions are provided about the deformation mechanisms and enhancement of the quasi-static and dynamic mechanical performance. Flexible polyurethane foam composites with enhanced stiffness and energy dissipation have been prepared via a facile layer-by-layer assembly approach. The composite foams consisted of naturally abundant nanoclay/chitosan multilayers (up to six) deposited onto the foam struts via dip-coating. The nanoclay/chitosan polyurethane foams were characterised using infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, elemental mapping and μ-CT scanning. Quasi-static mechanical compression of the foams with 6 bilayers showed a 202% increase in the stiffness and a 33% enhancement in the damping loss factor compared to the uncoated pristine foam. Vibration transmissibility tests showed that the dynamic modulus of the 6-bilayer coated foams was 3 times that of the pristine foam. Remarkably, impact tests registered a 50% decrease in the transmitted impact force of these sepiolite/chitosan layer-by-layer coated open cell polyurethane foams, demonstrating their improved energy dissipation capability compared to other nanocoated foams in open literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, wastewater flocculation substrate is used as a carbon source to prepare a three-dimensional ordered macroporous (3DOM) structure carbon-based catalyst with the Co N 4 coordination active sites (Co-NC-PS) through a hard-template strategy. Abundant single-atom Co N 4 active sites endow the Co-NC-PS with splendid performance in degrading organic pollutants by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Experiment results show that the singlet oxygen (1O 2) is the main reactive oxygen species (ROSs) for bisphenol A (BPA) degradation. The strong coordination of Co atoms with N atoms not merely avoids the leaching of Co and improves the stability of the catalyst but also establishes stable adsorption configuration and facilitates the generation of 1O 2 proven by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study provides the design of efficient Co carbon-based catalysts in mint conditions with high stability for water treatment, as well as a new idea for the preparation of high-value-added products from the recycling of flocculated waste. [Display omitted] • Wastewater flocculation substrate is used as the carbon source. • Three-dimensional ordered macroporous structure is formed by a template strategy. • Cobalt single-atom site is the main active site for activating peroxymonosulfate. • Disclosing the reason for the decline in catalytic performance after the reaction. • The singlet oxygen is the main active specie for bisphenol A degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this study, we investigated the impact of electrodes on the structural, crystal orientation, and electrical characteristics of lead zirconate titanate [Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48)O 3 , PZT] thin films, that were deposited on Pt, Au, and LaNiO 3 (LNO) electrodes through sol-gel processes. The peak voltage, that is, the voltage corresponding to the maximum switching current point, was developed to depict the novel peak-drift electric characteristics in ferroelectric thin films. It increases in the positive ferroelectric peak voltage, and decreases in the negative peak voltage with an increase in the driving voltage amplitude. Based on space-charge-limited bulk conduction, we evaluated the peak-drift phenomenon, Schottky contact and their influences on the switching current. When polarization orientation is reversed, the Schottky contact disappears at one side of the PZT/electrode, and forms at the other side synchronously. Our results indicate that the formation of a Schottky contact affects the shape of the switching curves, and its disappearance influences the magnitude of the current characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A tensegrity structure involves the presence of elements withstanding pure compression, and others under pure tension only. Metal rubber is introduced into a tensegrity prism strut to create a mechanical metamaterial with energy absorption and tuneable dynamic properties. In this work we describe the design and development of the meta -tensegrity structure with particular emphasis on the evaluation of parameters such as the structural size, the metal rubber stiffness, the initial internal force and the external compression load. Prototypes of tensegrity prisms with and without metal rubber inserts have been assembled and subjected to quasi-static loading. The model used to design the meta tensegrity prism has been then modified to take into account specific manufacturing and internal dissipation mechanisms typical of this configuration. The updated model provides a better comparison with the experimental results. Both the theoretical and experimental data show that the introduction of the metal rubber within the tensegrity configuration contributes to improve significantly the energy absorption, and to reduce the stiffness of the whole tensegrity structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present here a design of the unit cell of a mechanical metamaterial based on the use of a tensegrity structural configuration with a metal rubber. Tensegrity combines the use of compression and tension-only elements, and allows the creation of structures with high rigidity per unit mass. Metal rubber is a multiscale porous metal material with high energy absorption and vibration damping capabilities under compressive load. The combination of the two structural and material concepts gives rise to a mechanical metamaterial with increased energy absorption and tuneable nonlinearity under quasi-static, vibration, and impact loading. We develop prototypes, models, and perform tests under static and dynamic loading conditions to assess the performance of this mechanical metamaterial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Several studies have demonstrated that abnormal glutathione peroxidases 1 (Gpx1) expression can influence the biological behavior of malignant cells. However, the roles of Gpx1 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remain unknown. The purpose of this study is to analyze the Gpx1 expression and prognostic significance in LSCC patients.Methods: Gpx1 mRNA levels in laryngeal tissues were determined by qRT-PCR. Meanwhile, We examined the expression levels of Gpx1 protein in 140 primary tumor tissues and 28 cases of normal tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis on tissue microarrays (TMA).Results: Our results revealed that the frequency of high Gpx1 was significantly higher in cancer tissue compared to normal surgical margins; Gpx1 expression correlated with clinical features and overall survival (OS). Gpx1 overexpression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.023) and TNM stage (P=0.008); Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that patients with high Gpx1 expression had worse prognoses than patients with low Gpx1 expression; By multivariate analysis, we revealed that high Gpx1 expression level (HR 2.101, 95%CI 1.011-4.367; P=0.047) was an independent prognostic factor of survival in LSCC patients.Conclusion: We speculate that Gpx1 can be applied to predict the prognosis in LSCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MoS 2 nanorods are synthesized by hydrothermal method in saturated NaCl solution. • The obtained MoS 2 nanorods have a hierarchical structure and Na ion intercalation. • The reaction intermediates produced during the synthesis are used as self-templates. • The intercalated Na ions and hierarchical structure enhance the catalytic activity. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have unique planar structures and ultrathin thicknesses, but are prone to restacking and agglomerate due to the high surface energy. Building hierarchical structures is one of the effective ways to exploit their inherent properties and unique structural advantages. We unexpectedly found that the introduction of saturated NaCl solution to the hydrothermal synthesis of MoS 2 could significantly change its structure, resulting in the hierarchically structured nanosheet-assembled MoS 2 nanorods (R-MoS 2) with intercalated alkali ions. The formation process and synthesis mechanism of R-MoS 2 via NaNH 4 Mo 3 O 10 ·H 2 O reaction intermediate are systematically revealed by morphology and spectroscopy. Benefiting from this interesting hierarchical structure, the catalytic conversion of R-MoS 2 for p -chloronitrobenzene hydrogenation is significantly improved. Density functional theory calculation also demonstrates the intercalation of Na in MoS 2 can downshift the d -band center of Mo and favors the key final desorption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symmetry plays a key role in classifying topological phases. Recent theory shows that in the presence of gauge fields, the algebraic structure of crystalline symmetries needs to be projectively represented, which brings extra chance for topological physics. Here, we report a concrete acoustic realization of mirror Chern insulators by exploiting the concept of projective symmetry. Specifically, we introduce a simple but universal recipe for constructing projective mirror symmetry, and conceive a minimal model for achieving the projective symmetry-enriched mirror Chern insulators. Based on our selective-excitation measurements, we demonstrate unambiguously the projective mirror eigenvalue-locked topological nature of the bulk states and associated chiral edge states. We extract the non-abelian Berry curvature and identify the mirror Chern number directly, providing experimental evidence for this exotic topological phase. All experimental results agree well with the theoretical predictions. Our findings give insights into topological systems equipped with gauge fields. A recurring theme in physics has been the discovery of distinctive phases of matter. Here, the authors propose a general recipe for constructing projective mirror symmetry and report an experimental realization of mirror Chern insulators in spinless systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the influence on the compressive and dissipative behavior of entangled metallic wire material (EMWM) samples provided by their size and mutual connectivity. The mechanical properties of EMWM specimens with different thicknesses are obtained from quasi-static compressive and cyclic loading. The behavior of the stress-strain curves, tangent modulus, and loss factor are strongly dependent on the thickness of the samples. The analysis from samples connected in different layouts shows that apart from the global thickness, size scale effects and contact interface also play important roles in controlling the behavior of EMWM systems. The importance of the sample size and its connectivity with adjacent different layers are defined by the unique microstructure and contact properties of the wires near the specimen boundary layer. The boundary layer produces different mechanical behaviors and a distinct structural configuration compared to the EMWM bulk solid. These peculiar characteristics are confirmed by microstructural and qualitative observations obtained from computed tomography scanning. The results and analysis presented in this work are relevant to designing EMWM material systems with adaptive performance under different loading and geometric constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies have demonstrated that aberrant Kif2a expression is associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis in various human cancers. However, the clinicopathological significance of Kif2a in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is unknown. The aim of this study is to analyze the prognostic significance of Kif2a, alone and in combination with Ki67 protein expression, in LSCC patients.Methods: We examined the expression status of Kif2a and Ki67 protein in 165 laryngeal tissues (137 primary tumors and 28 cases of matched normal surgical margins) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis using tissue microarrays.Results: We found that expression correlated with clinical parameters and overall survival (OS). Our results revealed that Kif2a and Ki67 protein expression was significantly higher in cancerous tissues compared to normal surgical margins. High Kif2a protein expression (Kif2a+) was significantly associated with tumor stage (P=0.026) and cervical lymph node metastasis (P=0.034). A significant correlation between Kif2a and Ki67 protein expression was observed (P=0.040). Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with Kif2a+ (hazard ratio [HR] 3.640, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.253-10.570; P=0.018) and high Ki67 (Ki67+) expression (HR 3.086, 95%CI 1.016-9.371; P=0.047) had poor OS.Conclusion: We speculate that Kif2a and Ki67 can be used as prognostic markers for LSCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Beetle Elytron Plate (BEP) is a new class of biomimetic sandwich core that features excellent compressive strength, energy absorption capacity and flexural properties. These characteristics make BEPs suitable as potential replacements of classical honeycomb cores in sandwich panels. This work describes the behaviour of the in-plane engineering elastic constants of parametric BEP topologies for the first time. The beetle elytron cores configurations are simulated using Finite Element models, including full-scale models and representative unit cells with periodic boundary conditions for asymptotic homogenization. The models are also benchmarked against experimental results obtained from ASTM tensile tests related to the in-plane Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and shear modulus. The benchmarked models are then used to perform a parametric analysis against the geometry characteristics of the cellular configurations. Results obtained from this work will provide a solid foundation for further research on BEP structures and expand their applications into wider engineering fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes a new dynamic poroelastic model to describe the vibration transmissibility of auxetic polyurethane (PU) foams. The model includes the pneumatic damping effect provided by the porous structure of the foam, and the viscoelasticity of the PU material. The auxetic foam is manufactured using a simplified and relatively low-cost uniaxially thermoforming compression technique, which allows the production of a foam with transverse isotropic properties. Stress relaxation, quasi-static cyclic compressive-tensile and seismic base vibration tests in the small strains and linear elastic regimes have been performed in this work. The permeability and the viscoelasticity of the auxetic foams with different thermoforming compression ratios along the thermoforming and transverse directions are identified by performing a nonlinear regression from the mechanical and vibration-derived data. The auxetic foams possess lower stiffness along the thermoforming direction and higher modulus along the transverse one. The moduli of different auxetic foams obtained from quasi-static tests are 40%–70% lower than the corresponding dynamic values estimated from the seismic base excitation, while the static loss factors are all around 20%–100% lower than the corresponding dynamic ones. The enhancements of the dynamic stiffness and damping are mainly caused by the pneumatic damping effect and the viscoelasticity of the PU material. The permeability of the auxetic foam loaded along the thermoforming direction is ∼ 2 times larger than the one of the pristine foam, but 50% smaller when the foam is dynamically loaded along the transverse direction, due to the transverse isotropic microstructure of this porous material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Replication-competent vaccinia viruses (VACVs) show prolonged antigen expression time and greater stimulation of immune responses than their replication-incompetent counterparts. However, there is the potential risk of serious post-vaccination complications, especially for children and immunocompromised individuals, leading to safety concerns about the reintroduction of VACV as a vaccine vector. In this study, we improved the safety of the vaccinia virus TianTan (VACV-TT) based HIV vaccine by introducing the HSV-TK/GCV suicide gene system, which is composed of the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene (HSV- tk ) and the antiviral drug ganciclovir (GCV). Materials and methods By inserting the HSV- tk gene into the replication-competent VACV-TT genome, a new vector, TT-TK (VACV-TT expressing the HSV- tk gene), and a candidate vaccine, TT-EnvTK (TT-TK expressing the HIV-1 env gene), were constructed. Results The new vector TT-TK exhibited reduced replication capacity both in vitro and in vivo in the presence of GCV. GCV inhibited the replication of TT-TK in the brains of mice and skin of rabbits, and provided 100% protection in mice against lethal challenge with TT-TK at a dose of 80 mg/kg/day. Furthermore, the candidate vaccine TT-EnvTK induced cellular and humoral immunity against HIV-1 antigen that was comparable to the immunity induced by VTKgpe (VACV-TT expressing HIV-1 env , gag , and pol genes). Discussion These promising results suggest a new strategy to mitigate the potential risk of post-vaccination complications from replication-competent VACV-based HIV vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes a novel smart rotor support damper with variable stiffness made with a new multifunctional material – the shape memory alloy metal rubber (SMA-MR). SMA-MR gives high load bearing capability (yield limit up to 100 MPa and stiffness exceeding 1e8 N/m), high damping (loss factor between 0.15 and 0.3) and variable stiffness (variation of 2.6 times between martensite and austenite phases). The SMA-MR has been used to replace a squeeze film damper and combined with an elastic support. The mechanical performance of the smart support damper has been investigated at room and high temperatures on a rotor test rig. The vibration tuning capabilities of the SMA-MR damper have been evaluated through FEM simulations and experimental tests. The study shows the feasibility of using the SMA-MR material for potential applications of active vibration control at different temperatures in rotordynamics systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a theoretical and experimental characterization of shape memory alloy metal rubber (SMA-MR) material. SMA-MR is a novel porous damping solid made of coil entangled nitinol wires. The constitutive model proposed in this work takes into account the geometry of the coils used, the manufacturing parameters of the SMA-MR material together with the thermo-mechanical behavior of the shape memory alloy wires. Metal rubber samples made with nitinol constitutive material are fabricated and tested under different quasi-static loading and temperature conditions. The special characteristics of SMA-MR such as hysteretic behavior, nonlinear stiffness, transverse isotropy, dry friction damping property and temperature dependency are predicted by the model, with the comparison between the theoretical and experimental results yielding discrepancies lower than 5% in the majority of the conditions considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auxetic (negative Poisson's ratio) open cell polymeric foams have been traditionally produced using thermoforming techniques coupled with the volumetric compression of conventional (pristine) off-the-shelf foams. The anisotropy of the pristine foam plays however a strong role on the performance of thermoformed auxetic foams, and this is the subject studied in this work. Micro computed tomography (μ-CT) scans indeed show that the cell structures of the pristine foam exhibit an elongated convex polyhedron shape, with more ribs oriented along the foam rising direction d 1. The modulus along d 1 can be up to 70% larger than the one along the transverse directions, and the Poisson's ratios in different planes are also noticeable different, ranging from 0.2 to 0.85. Three types of auxetic foams uniaxially thermoformed along the three orthogonal directions of the conventional porous material are here developed, and all show different mechanical performances due to the anisotropy of the conventional baseline foam. The auxetic foams show significant auxetic behavior along the thermoforming direction only when thermoformed along the transverse directions of the pristine foam (d 2 or d 3) and loaded along the foam rising direction (d 1); in that case, the negative Poisson's ratio reach values as low as −1. In other cases, the auxetic performance is not evident, and the Poisson's ratio is close to 0. Finite Element models of the pristine and auxetic foams have been also here developed based on the 3D models from μ-CT, and the stiffness-strain curved derived from those coincide well with the experimental results. The simulated deformation mechanisms of the cell structures inside different foams help to explain the anisotropic performance of the foams and the differences between compressive and tensile properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New class of uniaxially thermoformed auxetic foam under quasi-static and impact tests. • Custom drop tower design described. • Strain fields, poisson's ratios and energy absorption metrics in different planes measured. • Parametric energy absorption metrics determined for different manufacturing parameters. • Nagy's model to relate quasi-static stiffness to the dynamic one of these foams developed. This work describes large strain quasi-static and impact tests of a new class of low-cost, uniaxially thermoformed, transverse isotropic auxetic foams with compression ratio ranging from 20 to 80%. A custom drop tower rig with high-speed cameras suitable for these soft porous foam materials is designed and used to perform impact tests with energy ranging from 0.38 to 1.90 J, corresponding to strain rates from 64/s to 143/s. The thermoformed foams only show auxeticity when loaded along the transverse direction to the uniaxial thermoforming compression, with Poisson's ratio V 21 reaching as low as −1.5 at 20% strain and then close to 0 at large strains. The samples deform with large shear band deformations, also due to the auxeticity. The negative Poisson's ratio foams along that transverse direction also show enhanced impact energy absorption performance, with normalized peak force reduction as high as ∼40% against the pristine foam; the reduction is however 20% along the thermoforming direction. A constitutive model based on Nagy's approach is applied to describe the enhancement of dynamic stress during the impact tests compared with the quasi-static one, due to strain rate effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Auxetic foam produced via uniaxial thermoforming in thick blocks and variable volumetric compressions. • Stiffness, Poisson's ratios and energy dissipated in quasi-static compression and tension tests. • Topological and quantitative characterization of the foams via μ-CT scanning. • High-fidelity and benchmarked Finite Element models of the foam microstructures. We present here a simplified procedure to manufacture auxetic PU foam via a single direction thermoforming compression process applied to conventional (pristine) open cell foam samples. The auxetic foams produced here have a Poisson's ratio ν 21 ranging from −1 to 0 in the 1–2 plane and a tangent modulus E t2 ranging from 0.2 MPa to 2 MPa. X-ray μ-CT and 3D skeletonization enabled the extraction of the topological parameters of the pristine and the auxetic foams. The auxetic foam is transverse isotropic with cell structures exhibiting a re-entrant shape along the thermoforming compression direction 1. More ribs are also oriented within the transverse plane 2–3, in which the stiffness is larger. Tensile and compression quasi-static tests have been carried out on samples cut along different directions and having various thermoforming compression ratios r c. Auxeticity is present in the in 1–2 plane only for compression ratios between 40% and 80%. Finite Element models for the pristine and auxetic foams have also been built from the μ-CT scanned 3D models. The numerical results show a good agreement with the experimental data and help explaining the deformation mechanisms of these auxetic foams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the worldwide eradication of smallpox in 1979, the potential bioterrorism threat from variola virus and the ongoing use of vaccinia virus (VACV) as a vector for vaccine development argue for continued research on VACV. In China, the VACV Tiantan strain (TT) was used in the smallpox eradication campaign. Its progeny strain is currently being used to develop a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine. Here we sequenced the full genomes of five TT clones isolated by plaque purification from the TT (752-1) viral stock. Phylogenetic analysis with other commonly used VACV strains showed that TT (752-1) and its clones clustered and exhibited higher sequence diversity than that found in Dryvax clones. The ∼190 kbp genomes of TT appeared to encode 273 open reading frames (ORFs). ORFs located in the middle of the genome were more conserved than those located at the two termini, where many virulence and immunomodulation associated genes reside. Several patterns of nucleotide changes including point mutations, insertions and deletions were identified. The polymorphisms in seven virulence-associated proteins and six immunomodulation-related proteins were analyzed. We also investigated the neuro- and skin- virulence of TT clones in mice and rabbits, respectively. The TT clones exhibited significantly less virulence than the New York City Board of Health (NYCBH) strain, as evidenced by less extensive weight loss and morbidity in mice as well as produced smaller skin lesions and lower incidence of putrescence in rabbits. The complete genome sequences, ORF annotations, and phenotypic diversity yielded from this study aid our understanding of the Chinese historic TT strain and are useful for HIV vaccine projects employing TT as a vector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of multifunctional nanomedicine has prompted interest in improving glioblastoma (GBM) prognosis. In this study, we constructed tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive magnetic therapeutic nanoparticles (BK@MTNPs) as a multifunctional drug delivery platform. It contains the following components. [Des-arg(Sheets et al., 2020 [ 9 ])]bradykinin (BK), which contributes to the transient opening of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and targeting of GBM cells; nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated in MTNPs, which act as an in vivo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging agent; crizotinib, which is an inhibitor of protein kinase c-Met; and the immune drug anti-PDL1 antibody. These components were loaded into BK@MTNPs for complete tumoricidal effects. Abundant glutathione in the TME can promote BK@MTNP degradation by interrupting the disulfide bonds between cysteine residues. Such BK@MTNPs support a synergistic tumoricidal effect by inducing DNA damage, activating the transcription of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN, inhibiting glioblastoma stem cell function, activating cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages. BK@MTNPs showed a significant increase in antitumor activity compared with free drugs in vitro. Furthermore, in mice bearing orthotopic GBM, treatment with BK@MTNPs resulted in marked tumor inhibition and greatly extended survival time with minimal side effects. This study demonstrates the advantages of chemo-immunotherapeutic NPs accumulated in the GBM area and their effective inhibition of GBM growth, thus establishing a delivery platform to promote antitumor immunity against GBM. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CS@BPNSs@CuNPs can help postoperative hemostasis (24.98 %) and catch residual cells. • The hydrogel generated high ROS for antibacterial (98.1 %) and anticancer (11.3 %). • The combination of hydrogel and aPD-L1 showed a synergistic therapeutic effect. • The biodegradable hydrogel could cross blood tumor barrier to treat glioblastoma. Wound bacterial infections and tumor recurrence are the main reasons for the poor prognosis after primary tumor resection. Here, we fabricated a novel therapeutic nanocomposite using chitosan (CS) hydrogel combined with black phosphate nanosheets (BPNSs) and in situ grown copper nanoparticles (CuNPs). The obtained hydrogel (CS@BPNSs@CuNPs), possessing a remarkable temperature-sensitive spongy-like state, offered 24.98 % blood clotting index. The released BPNSs@CuNPs could produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill infected invasive bacteria (98.1 %) and inhibit local residual tumor cell regeneration (11.3 %). Moreover, by coupling the photothermal properties of BPNSs, the BPNSs@CuNPs showed 19.6 % penetration rate to cross the blood tumor barrier (BTB) for treating brain tumors. The hydrogel platform was further combined with aPD-L1-based immunotherapy to employ its synergetic therapeutic effect in the prevention of tumors. The in vivo studies showed that biodegradable hydrogel could hold a great potential as a novel strategy for improving postoperative therapy and multi-tumor treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports a facile boron-assisted strategy to prepare NiFe LDHs with rich grain boundaries. The formation of these grain boundaries originates from the imperfect oriented attachment between primary LDH particles transformed from amorphous borides/borates. The obtained grain-boundary-rich NiFe LDHs exhibit excellent oxygen evolution reaction activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PVA/GO-CDPC-La) film was prepared by the solution intercalation method. • PVA/GO-CDPC-La film could absorb wound exudate while keeping the wound moist and improved antibacterial properties. • PVA/GO-CDPC-La film could be considered as a potential wound-dressing material. Although graphene oxide (GO) is widely used as an antibacterial agent, its efficacy still needs to be improved. In this work, we present a novel medical dressing that improves antibacterial effect and promotes wound healing. Poly (vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide-citicoline sodium-lanthanum (PVA/GO-CDPC-La) films were prepared by the solution intercalation method for usage in wound dressing applications. GO was modified by zwitterionic citicoline (CDPC) to improve the dispersibility of water-based polymers, while providing La3+ ions with more adsorption sites and enhancing the antibacterial properties of the film. Water absorption experiments showed that it could effectively absorb wound exudate while keeping the wound moist. In vitro cytotoxicity and cell adhesion experiments showed that the PVA/GO-CDPC-La films acknowlhad good biocompatible and promoted wound healing. Bacterial adhesion experiments showed PVA/GO-CDPC-La could greatly reduce the risk of wound infection. Furthermore, in vivo wound healing experiments showed that wounds treated with the film healed faster postoperatively and histological observations showed that a mature epidermal architecture was formed, which could be used as a wound-dressing material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing advanced noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is still a great challenge. Herein, a novel HER catalyst with quasi zero-dimensional (0D) MoS 2 quantum dots (QDs) supported on two-dimensional (2D) Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene nanosheets is facilely synthesized. The MoS 2 QDs/Ti 3 C 2 T x nanohybrid retains the unique layer structure, and the MoS 2 QDs are in situ formed and distributed uniformly. The obtained MoS 2 QDs/Ti 3 C 2 T x catalyst exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity due to its excellent conductivity, abundant of active sites exposed and a high percentage of 1T metallic phase (∼76%) of MoS 2 QDs. Remarkably, an early HER overpotential of 220 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 72 mV dec−1 of MoS 2 QDs/Ti 3 C 2 T x are achieved in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 solution. In addition, the exchange current density of MoS 2 QDs/Ti 3 C 2 T x is ∼5 times larger compared with pure MoS 2 , thus demonstrating an accelerated charge transfer during the electrocatalytic process. [Display omitted] • A facile strategywas developed to synthesize MoS 2 QDs on Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene. • The catalyst contains highly conductive 1T phase MoS 2 and rich accessibleactive sites. • MoS 2 QDs/Ti 3 C 2 T x shows outstanding electrocatalytic performance towards HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the structural characteristics of metal rubber (MR) evaluated by X-ray tomography and skeletonisation at microscopic scale. The parameters used to describe the internal structure of the MR were numerically extracted and compared to assess the effect of different MR manufacturing parameters on the mechanical properties of the material. Quasi-static tests were also performed to obtain the stiffness and damping of the metal porous material and to understand their correlation with the topology defining the samples. A simplified helix cell model was used to interpret the mechanical properties of the MR based on the structural parameters identified in this paper. The transverse isotropic stiffness of the MR observed here is partly caused by the distribution of the metal wires, with more helices oriented along the molding direction resulting in smaller equivalent stiffness. The compression, relative density, helix and wire diameters can influence the structural and mechanical characteristics of the MR in a significant manner. Unlabelled Image • Metrics are defined to quantitatively describe the internal microstructure of metal rubber • The transverse isotropy of the wire orientation in metal rubber is observed and quantified • The mechanical properties are here explained by combining a reduced order helix cell model and the internal structural characteristics • The effect of different manufacturing parameters on the mechanical properties and microstructures of metal rubber are tested and analyzed • The metal rubber wire diameter has the largest effect on the structural and mechanical isotropy of this porous material [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a key process in electrochemical energy conversion systems. This paper found that the solvothermal reconstruction could resume the original morphology and generate more oxygen vacancies on the surface of oxyhydroxide. The reconstructed electrocatalyst (re-CoFe0.13OxHy) presents promising long-term stability (>85 h) under 1 M KOH condition without replacing the electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs), recognized for their safety and environmental friendliness, hold significant promise for large‐scale energy storage. However, the rapid capacity degradation resulting from the dissolution of active cathode materials hampers the advancement of AZIBs. Here, Ru0.2V2O5∙0.41H2O (RuVO) is synthesized with remarkable capacity retention (98.2% over 5000 cycles at 10 A g−1). The pre‐intercalation of Ru3+ enhances the stability of both intrinsic and cycling structures, elevating the Gibbs free energy and suppressing V‐dissolution thermodynamically. Additionally, Ru3+ intercalation modulates the potential energy surface of Zn2+ migration, leading to the dominance of Zn2+ in the insertion/extraction mechanism, thereby kinetically impeding the dissolution reaction. This study elucidates the dissolution thermodynamics and kinetics of V‐based cathodes through a combination of experiments, mechanism analyses, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inter-shaft graphite seal is a common structure in the dual-rotor system, and may generate nonlinear lateral excitation when there is large relative angular motion at the seal position. This paper represents the first attempt to study the nonlinear behaviors of a dual-rotor system with inter-shaft graphite seal excitations. First, an excitation model of the inter-shaft graphite seal is proposed by the analytical method. This model is then introduced into the beam finite element model of a dual rotor system, and the dynamic equations of the whole system are finally obtained. The vibration responses under the effect of the inter-shaft seal are clarified by analyzing 3D waterfall plots, rotor orbits, and time and frequency domain waveforms. The results show that the inter-shaft seal can lead to vibration coupling between HP and LP rotors. The axial spring stiffness and contact end face friction coefficient of the graphite seal have a significant effect on rotor vibration. When those two parameters are small, only coupling vibration phenomena can be observed, i.e., the rotation frequency of one rotor can be observed in another rotor vibration. With the increase in axial spring stiffness or contact end face friction coefficient, multiple modes of LP and HP rotors are excited, which dominates the vibration behaviors of the dual rotor system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunotherapy is an efficient approach to clinical oncology. However, the immune privilege of the central nervous system (CNS) limits the application of immunotherapeutic strategies for brain cancers, especially glioblastoma (GBM). Tumor resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors is a further challenge in immunotherapies. To overcome the immunological tolerance of brain tumors, a novel multifunctional nanoparticle (NP) for highly efficient synergetic immunotherapy is reported. The NP contains an anti‐PDL1 antibody (aPDL1), upconverting NPs, and the photosensitizer 5‐ALA; the surface of the NP is conjugated with the B1R kinin ligand to facilitate transport across the blood‐tumor‐barrier. Upon irradiation with a 980 nm laser, 5‐ALA is transformed into protoporphyrin IX, generating reactive oxygen species. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) further promotes intratumoral infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and sensitizes tumors to PDL1 blockade therapy. It is demonstrated that combining PDT and aPDL1 can effectively suppress GBM growth in mouse models. The proposed NPs provide a novel and effective strategy for boosting anti‐GBM photoimmunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel cationic antibacterial CGCDs from chlorhexidine gluconate were obtained. • The antibacterial activity increased as the particle size of the CDs decreased. • Small-scale CDs can more easily interfere with DNA molecules. • The antibacterial CGCDs exhibited prominent biocompatibility. Carbon dots (CDs) have a profound effect on elimination of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but the lack of an exact mechanism to interact with bacterial cells limits their development. Herein, we separated the CDs derived from chlorhexidine gluconate into three groups with uniformly small-scale, middle-scale, and large-scale particle sizes by using different molecular weight cut-off membranes. These positively charged particles exhibit significant antibacterial activity against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus ; they can cause an increase in bacterial cell permeability, synergistic destabilization, and broken integrity of the plasma membrane. Impressively, we found that antibacterial activity increases as the size of the CDs decreases. This phenomenon may stem from the differences in cellular uptake and distribution of CDs in the plasma membrane or restriction between the polar functional group and DNA molecule. Our study of the size effect as a target may improve the understanding of killing microorganisms by antibacterial CD drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact model of an inertia asymmetric rotor with blade off is derived and extends the stationary beam impact model. • The modified criterion of the plastic hinge in the cylinder rotor is applied to consider the local plastic deformation. • The gyroscopic moment can suppress the wave propagation characteristics of the impact energy for the rotor. • The bending moment in the rotor is determined by gyroscopic moment and bending deformation. A theoretical model of an elastic supported rotor system under impact by blade off is established based on d'Alembert principle. The gyroscopic moment of the blade-disk with asymmetrical inertia is considered in the dynamic model. The formation criterion of the plastic hinge in the cylinder rotor are derived and applied in the dynamic model to consider the local plastic deformation of the rotor with large deformation. This model extends the impact model of non-rotating beam with rigid support to the rotating beam and can describe the main mechanical properties of the rotor with blade off. The influence of the main factors, such as sudden unbalance, gyroscopic moment, geometric dimensions and concentrated mass, on the propagation of the impact energy in the rotor are analyzed. The gyroscopic moment can suppress the wave propagation characteristics of the impact energy in a rotating beam, resulting in an overall bending deformation, compared with the wave propagation characteristics of the impact energy in the non-rotating beam. Larger local concentrated mass can reduce the effect of impact, and increasing the cross-section size can significantly improve the plastic limit bending moment of the rotor. The variation of the bending moment in the low-pressure rotor is mainly determined by gyroscopic moment and bending deformation. Due to the constraint of the 1# and 2# pivots, the strain energy generated by fan blade off is mainly distributed in the shaft segment in front of the 2# pivot. Therefore, the impact resistance of this shaft segment should be improved to fulfill the safety design requirement of fan blade off failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]