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The ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide is a crucial route for producing biodegradable polylactides (PLAs). Developing an efficient catalyst for this process poses significant challenges. Herein, we report the successful incorporation of nickel during the crystallization of ZIF-67, the derivation of the abundant and stable CoO source, to obtain the composite magnetic Ni@CoO@ZIF-67 using the solid-state thermal (SST) method. The characterization of the resulting materials revealed that nickel atoms are well dispersed in the composite CoO@ZIF-67, imparting additional magnetic properties. The composite Ni@CoO@ZIF-67 demonstrated superior performance as a heterogeneous catalyst for the ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide compared to reference materials such as Ni-Hmim, CoO, ZIF-67, and CoO@ZIF-67. Furthermore, the magnetic property of Ni@CoO@ZIF-67 offers practical advantages, enabling easier separation and recycling of the catalyst. Notably, the SST method facilitates the single-step synthesis of composite magnetic Ni@CoO@ZIF-67 under solvent-free conditions, representing a significant advancement in catalyst development. This approach not only simplifies the synthesis process but also inspires further developments of heterogeneous magnetic catalysts for a variety of effective and diverse reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near‐infrared (NIR)‐triggered shape memory hydrogels with promising mechanical strength hold immense potential in the field of biomedical applications and soft actuators. However, the optical and mechanical properties of currently reported hydrogels usually suffer from limited solubility and dispersion of commonly used photothermal additives in hydrogels, thus restricting their practical implementations. Here,, a set of NIR‐responsive shape memory hydrogels synthesized by polyaddition of diisocyanate‐terminated poly(ethylene glycol), imidazolidinyl urea (IU), and p‐benzoquinone dioxime (BQDO) is reported. The introduction of IU, a hydrogen bond reinforcing factor, significantly enhances the mechanical properties of the hydrogels, allowing for their tunable ranges of the ultimate tensile strength (0.4–2.5 MPa), elongation at break (210–450%), and Young's modulus (190–850 kPa). The unique hydrogels exhibit an intrinsic photothermal effect because of the covalently incorporated photothermal moiety (BQDO), and the photothermal supramolecular hydrogel shows controllable shape memory capabilities characterized by rapid recovery speed and high recovery ratio (>90%). This design provides new possibilities for applying shape memory hydrogels in the field of soft actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age is a significant contributing factor to the occurrence and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Pharmacological treatment can effectively alleviate CVD symptoms caused by aging. However, 90% of the drugs have failed in clinics because of the loss of drug effects or the occurrence of the side effects. One of the reasons is the disparity between animal models used and the actual physiological levels in humans. Therefore, we integrated multiple datasets from single‐cell and bulk‐seq RNA‐sequencing data in rats, monkeys, and humans to identify genes and pathways with consistent/differential expression patterns across these three species. An approach called "Cross‐species signaling pathway analysis" was developed to select suitable animal models for drug screening. The effectiveness of this method was validated through the analysis of the pharmacological predictions of four known anti‐vascular aging drugs used in animal/clinical experiments. The effectiveness of drugs was consistently observed between the models and clinics when they targeted pathways with the same trend in our analysis. However, drugs might have exhibited adverse effects if they targeted pathways with opposite trends between the models and the clinics. Additionally, through our approach, we discovered four targets for anti‐vascular aging drugs, which were consistent with their pharmaceutical effects in literatures, showing the value of this approach. In the end, software was established to facilitate the use of "Cross‐species signaling pathway analysis." In sum, our study suggests utilizing bioinformatics analysis based on disease characteristics can help in choosing more appropriate animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The link between dietary fiber intake and Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is under exploration, yielding inconsistent findings. Considering the limitations of previous research and the significance of dietary fiber in hepatic steatosis, this study investigates the association between dietary fiber intake and Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) among 5935 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Materials and methods: Multivariable regression was used to evaluate the association between dietary fiber intake and CAP. Smoothed curve fitting and threshold effect analysis techniques were applied to illustrate non-linear relationships. Results: After adjusting for other variables, a negative correlation emerged between dietary fiber intake and CAP. Subgroup analysis by gender and race/ethnicity revealed a sustained negative association between dietary fiber intake and CAP among females and Whites. Additionally, an inverted U-shaped relationship was observed between dietary fiber intake and CAP among women and other race, with inflection points at 13.80 g/day and 33.45 g/day, respectively. Conclusion: Our research indicates that in the majority of Americans, there is an inverse relationship between dietary fiber intake and hepatic steatosis. This relationship exhibits an inverted U-shaped curve in women and other race, with a threshold effect. The findings of this study hold potential significance for clinical nutrition interventions, personalized dietary guidance, and advancing research into the diet-disease mechanism relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To observe the effect of curcumin on a C57BL/6J mouse liver cancer model induced by N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) combined with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), and to explore its mechanism. METHODS: Forty young male C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with DEN (25 mg/kg) 14 d after birth and randomly divided into the following 4 groups at the 4th week (10 in each group) : model control group and curcumin (100, 200 and 400 mg/ kg) groups. Ten male mice of the same age were used as normal control group. The mice in model group and curcumin groups were gavaged with 10% CCl4 (5 mL/kg) twice a week from the 8th week on. At the same time, the mice in curcumin groups were gavaged with curcumin, and the mice in normal control group were gavaged with the same volume of distilled water once a day for 14 weeks. After administration, the mice were sacrificed, the liver surface was observed, and the number of tumor nodules was compared. The activity of alanine aminotransferase ( ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum was detected by an automatic biochemical instrument. The pathological changes of liver tissues were observed by HE staining. The mRNA expression levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) were detected by RT-qPCR, and the protein expression levels of HO-1, NQO1 and Ki67 were detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Compared with normal control group, the body weight of the mice in model group was decreased significantly (P<0. 01), the liver index was increased significantly (P<0. 01), and the serum levels of ALT and AST were increased obviously (P<0. 01). There was no significant difference in the mRNA expression levels of HO-1 and NQO1 (P>0. 05), the protein levels of HO-1 and NQO1 were increased distinctly (P<0. 05), and the positive expression rate of Ki67 was increased significantly (P<0. 05). After curcumin treatment, the body weight of the mice was significantly increased (P<0. 01), the liver index was not changed (P>0. 05), and the number of tumor nodules in the liver was decreased significantly (P<0. 05 or P<0. 01). The serum level of AST was decreased significantly (P< 0. 01), the mRNA and protein expression levels of HO-1 and NQO1 were decreased significantly (P<0. 05), and the positive expression rate of Ki67 was decreased significantly (P<0. 05). CONCLUSION: Curcumin significantly protects against liver cancer in a C57BL/6J mouse model induced by DEN combined with CCl4, and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of HO-1 and NQO1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With rapid urban sprawl, growing people are living in the vicinity of major roadways. However, little is known about the relationship between residential proximity to major roadways and hearing impairment (HI). Methods: We derived data from the 2018 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, and included 13,775 participants aged 65 years or older. Multivariate logistic regressions were employed to examine the association between residential proximity to major roadways and HI. The effects of corresponding potentially modifiable factors were studied by three-way interaction analyses. Sensitivity analyses were performed to verify the robustness of the results. Results: The prevalence of HI was 38.3%. Participants living near major roadways were more likely to have a higher socioeconomic status. An exposure-response relation between residential proximity to major roadways and HI was observed (Ptrend < 0.05). Compared with individuals living > 300 m away from major roadways, the adjusted odds ratios (OR) were 1.07 (95% CI: 0.96–1.24), 1.15 (95% CI: 1.07–1.34), and 1.12 (95% CI: 1.01–1.31) for those living 101–200 m, 50–100 m, and < 50 m away from the roadways, respectively. Particularly, the association was more pronounced among individuals exposed to carbon monoxide (CO) pollution or opening windows frequently (Pinteraction < 0.05). Three-way interaction analyses confirmed that participants exposed to CO pollution and frequently leaving windows open had the highest OR of 1.73 (95% CI: 1.58–1.89). Conclusions: This nation-wide cohort study suggested that residential proximity to major roadways was significantly associated with an increased exposure-response risk of HI in Chinese older adults. Exposure to CO pollution and opening windows frequently might strengthen the relations. Key Points: • An inverse exposure-response relation between residential proximity to major roadways and hearing impairment was observed. • Exposure to carbon monoxide pollution and opening windows frequently might synergistically intensify this relation. • Our findings supported city planners to consider locating housing developments away from the most heavily trafficked major roadways on a public policy level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modular multilevel converter (MMC) in a high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission system consists of an electric-coupled physical system and a communication-coupled cyber system, leading to a cyber-physical system (CPS). Such a CPS is vulnerable to false data injection attacks (FDIA), which are the main category of cyberattacks. FDIAs can be launched by injecting false data into the control or communication system of the MMC to change the submodule (SM) capacitor voltage seen by the central controller. Consequently, the capacitor voltage of the attacked SM will deviate from its normal value and thus threaten the safe operation of the converter. Stealthy FDIAs characterized by elaborated attack sequences are more dangerous because they can deceive and bypass the attack detector presented in the existing literature for the MMC. To address this issue, this paper proposes a stealthy FDIA detection method to obtain the real SM capacitor voltages. Thus, the attacked SM can be located by comparing its real capacitor voltage with prespecified thresholds. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed detection and protection strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether the green bond policies of major Chinese financial regulators' have a direct and positive impact on the green bond market. Using Chinese green bond issuances from 2012 to 2019, we analyze green bond issuer response to top-down regulatory policies post 2014. Using a difference-in-difference model, we find a direct positive influence of green bond regulatory policies on issuance amounts. Additional analysis shows that specific issuer characteristics like ownership type (government-owned), industry type (green industry), and sector type (financial issuer) have a stronger positive reaction to policy announcements and led to the issuance of more green bonds. Our results highlight the supporting role of financial regulators in advancing the green finance agenda in China. Key policy insights Green bond policies implemented by Chinese financial market regulators have been an effective means to increase overall green bond issuances Certain issuer types react more positively by increasing their green bond issuances following the announcement of green bond policies Pro-active participation by key financial regulators in the form of harmonized definitions, consistent engagement, and alignment with international best practices can be beneficial for stimulating green finance growth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1) is the first identified protein whose function is affected by its abnormal interaction with mutant huntingtin (mHTT), which causes Huntington disease. However, the expression patterns of Hap1 and Htt in the rodent brain are not correlated. Here we found that the primate HAP1, unlike the rodent Hap1, is correlatively expressed with HTT in the primate brains. CRISPR/Cas9 targeting revealed that HAP1 deficiency in the developing human neurons did not affect neuronal differentiation and gene expression as seen in the mouse neurons. However, deletion of HAP1 exacerbated neurotoxicity of mutant HTT in the organotypic brain slices of adult monkeys. These findings demonstrate differential HAP1 expression and function in the mouse and primate brains, and suggest that interaction of HAP1 with mutant HTT may be involved in mutant HTT-mediated neurotoxicity in adult primate neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and employing Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) measures, this study explores the correlation between vitamin E (VE) intake and hepatic steatosis and its impact on different subsets. Materials and methods: We selected 5757 participants with CAP data from the 2017–2020 NHANES dataset. Daily VE intake was assessed by a 24-hour dietary recall. Hepatic fat content was quantified using transient elastography to measure CAP. Stratified multivariable regression analysis investigated relationships in different subsets, and a generalized additive model identified nonlinear relationships and thresholds. Results: After adjusting for confounders, higher VE intake correlated with lower CAP levels. Subgroup analyses and tests for interaction revealed a significantly stronger negative correlation between VE intake and CAP in obese individuals. Further analysis indicated a curvilinear relationship between VE intake and the severity of liver fat degeneration in both the general study population and the obese subgroup, demonstrating a threshold effect. In the general population, VE intake below the threshold (6.58 mg/day) is positively correlated with CAP levels, whereas intake above this threshold shows a negative correlation. For obese individuals, the threshold is set at 7.37 mg/day, above which the negative correlation with CAP is even more pronounced. Conclusion: Our study revealed a negative correlation between VE intake and hepatic fat content, highlighting the potentially crucial role VE plays in obese fatty liver patients. Importantly, we identified threshold effects of VE intake in both general and obese populations. Our results support clinical nutritional interventions, personalized dietary guidance, and the development of drugs to combat fatty liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is the fourth most prevalent neoplasm in men and is associated with high tumour recurrence rates, leading to major treatment challenges. Lysine-specific demethylase 6A (KDM6A) is frequently mutated in several cancer types; however, its effects on tumour progression and clinical outcome in BC remain unclear. Here, we explored the potential role of KDM6A in regulating the antitumor immune response.Methods: We mined The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases for somatic mutation and clinical data in patients with BC.Results: We found frequent mutations in 12 genes in both cohorts, including TP53, KDM6A, CSMD3, MUC16, STAG2, PIK3CA, ARID1A, RB1, EP300, ERBB2, ERBB3, and FGFR3. The frequency o KDM6A mutations in the TCGA and ICGC datasets was 25.97 and 24.27%, respectively. In addition, KDM6A mutation was associated with a lower number of tumour-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) and indicated a state of immune tolerance. KDM6A mutation was associated with lower KDM6A mRNA level compared with that in samples carrying the wild-type gene. Further, survival analysis showed that the prognosis of patients with low KDM6A expression was worse than that with high KDM6A expression. Using the CIBERSORT algorithm, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource site, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, we found that KDM6A mutation downregulated nine signalling pathways that participate in the immune system and attenuated the tumour immune response.Conclusion: Overall, we conclude that KDM6A mutation is frequent in BC and promotes tumour immune escape, which may serve as a novel biomarker to predict the immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N‐type conjugated polymers as the semiconducting component of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are still undeveloped with respect to their p‐type counterparts. Herein, we report two rigid n‐type conjugated polymers bearing oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chains, PgNaN and PgNgN, which demonstrated an essentially torsion‐free π‐conjugated backbone. The planarity and electron‐deficient rigid structures enable the resulting polymers to achieve high electron mobility in an OECT device of up to the 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1 range, with a deep‐lying LUMO energy level lower than −4.0 eV. Prominently, the polymers exhibited a high device performance with a maximum dimensionally normalized transconductance of 0.212 S cm−1 and the product of charge‐carrier mobility μ and volumetric capacitance C* of 0.662±0.113 F cm−1 V−1 s−1, which are among the highest in n‐type conjugated polymers reported to date. Moreover, the polymers are synthesized via a metal‐free aldol‐condensation polymerization, which is beneficial to their application in bioelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N‐type conjugated polymers as the semiconducting component of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are still undeveloped with respect to their p‐type counterparts. Herein, we report two rigid n‐type conjugated polymers bearing oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) side chains, PgNaN and PgNgN, which demonstrated an essentially torsion‐free π‐conjugated backbone. The planarity and electron‐deficient rigid structures enable the resulting polymers to achieve high electron mobility in an OECT device of up to the 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1 range, with a deep‐lying LUMO energy level lower than −4.0 eV. Prominently, the polymers exhibited a high device performance with a maximum dimensionally normalized transconductance of 0.212 S cm−1 and the product of charge‐carrier mobility μ and volumetric capacitance C* of 0.662±0.113 F cm−1 V−1 s−1, which are among the highest in n‐type conjugated polymers reported to date. Moreover, the polymers are synthesized via a metal‐free aldol‐condensation polymerization, which is beneficial to their application in bioelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) open-circuit faults severely affect the reliable operation of modular multilevel converters (MMCs). The existing literatures have not provided an effective diagnosis algorithm for MMCs when multiple IGBT open-circuit faults simultaneously appear in one arm. This article presents a diagnosis strategy to handle that condition. Fault detection and estimation of the faulty submodule (SM) number is implemented by checking the value of the arm voltage error. The faulty SMs are located by observing when the transition of their switching functions leads to an obvious change of the arm voltage error. Meanwhile, the errors between the measured and predicted capacitor voltages are utilized to accelerate the localization. All of the faulty SMs can be quickly located one by one within several control cycles by using the proposed localization method. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed diagnosis strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article first analyzes the effect of the level-increased nearest level modulation (NLM) to the circulating current of the modular multilevel converter (MMC). The total inserted submodule (SM) number in one phase-leg of the MMC is variable using the level-increased NLM, which can significantly increase the peak-to-peak value of the circulating harmonic currents. Then, a circulating harmonic currents suppression method is proposed by applying deadbeat control for the MMC with level-increased NLM. Compared with the existing direct circulating current control approaches for the MMC, the proposed method presents specific extension and adjustment principle of the total inserted SM number. Therefore, the proposed method can improve the dynamic control performance and handle large circulating harmonic currents at steady state. And it can well coordinate the modulation and circulating harmonic currents suppression stages to avoid disturbing the ac-side output voltage while regulating the circulating current. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated by a single-phase industrial-level simulated MMC system and a laboratory experimental platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing noble‐metal‐free electrocatalysts is important to industrially viable ammonia synthesis through the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). However, the present transition‐metal electrocatalysts still suffer from low activity and Faradaic efficiency due to poor interfacial reaction kinetics. Herein, an interface‐engineered heterojunction, composed of CoS nanosheets anchored on a TiO2 nanofibrous membrane, is developed. The TiO2 nanofibrous membrane can uniformly confine the CoS nanosheets against agglomeration, and contribute substantially to the NRR performance. The intimate coupling between CoS and TiO2 enables easy charge transfer, resulting in fast reaction kinetics at the heterointerface. The conductivity and structural integrity of the heterojunction are further enhanced by carbon nanoplating. The resulting C@CoS@TiO2 electrocatalyst achieves a high ammonia yield (8.09×10−10 mol s−1 cm−2) and Faradaic efficiency (28.6 %), as well as long‐term durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing noble‐metal‐free electrocatalysts is important to industrially viable ammonia synthesis through the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). However, the present transition‐metal electrocatalysts still suffer from low activity and Faradaic efficiency due to poor interfacial reaction kinetics. Herein, an interface‐engineered heterojunction, composed of CoS nanosheets anchored on a TiO2 nanofibrous membrane, is developed. The TiO2 nanofibrous membrane can uniformly confine the CoS nanosheets against agglomeration, and contribute substantially to the NRR performance. The intimate coupling between CoS and TiO2 enables easy charge transfer, resulting in fast reaction kinetics at the heterointerface. The conductivity and structural integrity of the heterojunction are further enhanced by carbon nanoplating. The resulting C@CoS@TiO2 electrocatalyst achieves a high ammonia yield (8.09×10−10 mol s−1 cm−2) and Faradaic efficiency (28.6 %), as well as long‐term durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report a novel transition-metal-based electrocatalyst, Sb2S3 nanoparticles, which exhibits electrocatalytic activity toward ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions. These Sb2S3 nanoparticles are further anchored on SnO2 nanofibers, which act as an active substrate to prevent them from aggregation while enhancing the electrocatalytic activity. The obtained Sb2S3@SnO2 nanofibers deliver excellent ammonia yield (22.0 μg h−1 mgcat−1) and faradaic efficiency (15.1%) at −0.4 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M Na2SO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) govern gene expression by competitively binding to microRNA response elements (MREs). Although they were initially considered as transcriptional noise, lncRNAs have attracted increased attention in oncology. Dysregulation of lncRNAs occurs in various types of human tumor, including esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). However, the functions of these cancer-associated lncRNAs and of their related competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network in EAC remains unknown. To determine the relevant potential mechanisms, the present study analyzed the transcriptome sequencing data and clinical information of 79 patients with EAC, including 79 tumor samples and 11 normal samples, which were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas esophageal cancer project. The edgeR v3.25.0 software was used for differential gene expression analysis. The results exhibited 561 cancer-associated lncRNAs with a >2.0-fold change and a false discovery rate-adjusted P<0.01. Among these lncRNAs, 26 were significantly associated with patient overall survival. According to data from bioinformatics databases and differentially expressed RNAs, an lncRNA-regulated ceRNA network for EAC was constructed. The results demonstrated that the aberrantly expressed lncRNA-associated ceRNA network included 37 EAC cancer-associated lncRNAs, five miRNAs and 13 mRNAs. In conclusion, the present study identified novel lncRNAs as candidate prognostic biomarkers and revealed a potential regulatory network of gene expression in EAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared transmitting materials (IRTMs) are prone to mechanical and corrosion damage during long‐time exposure to harsh outside environments. However, conventional IRTMs frequently lack self‐repairability that limit their lifespan. To address the limitation, thioctic acid‐based epoxy resins (TAEs) are developed from natural thioctic acid and commercial epoxy monomers. The double ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) reactions of thioctic acid and epoxy groups result in dual dynamic covalent bonds with varying bond energies containing relatively weak disulfide bonds and strong ester bonds. As compared with conventional covalent adaptable networks (CANs) that present rapid creep properties when heated, TAEs maintain their geometric stability during rapid self‐repairing at a mild temperature of 80 °C by enhancing network integrity through stable ester crosslinking points. The feature renders TAEs self‐repairing capability while maintaining precise geometrical dimensions, which is suitable for infrared transmitting devices. On the other hand, TAEs exhibit high near‐infrared transmittance (>80%). Therefore, TAEs with self‐repairability and high infrared transmittance demonstrate they can be used as superior polymeric IRTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mammals, STAT3 (Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) plays an absolutely vital role in response to cytokines and growth factors. In mammals, IL-6/JAK/STAT3 pathway is closely linked to immune response and promotes cell proliferation, survival and metastasis. Some recent studies have already demonstrated that STAT3 regulates autophagy. As a downstream target gene of STAT3, Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) not only participates in regulating apoptosis, but also responds to autophagy. STAT3 regulates autophagy through Bcl-2. In general, the generation of autophagy is always accompanied by the change of apoptosis, and the occurrence of apoptosis is often accompanied by the decreased of cell viability. In grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), LPS-induced autophagy is involved in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, only the relationship between autophagy and cytokines was illustrated, in which the signaling pathways were not discussed. In the present study, we found that the autophagy inducer, Tunicamycin (Tm), can induce C.Idella Kidney cells (CIK) autophagy. When the cells were incubated with the recombinant human IL-6 (rIL-6) for a short period of times, the mRNA expression level of C.Idella IL-6R and STAT3 were increased. At the same time, the number of GFP-LC3 puncta and the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I were both decreased obviously in cells. It indicated that the rIL-6 can significantly alleviate autophagy induced by Tm. We speculated that CiSTAT3 may play a key role in the process. To confirm this hypothesis, we performed a rIL-6 activating CiSTAT3 assay. The result demonstrated that rIL-6 can induce CiSTAT3 to form homologous dimmer. The activated CiSTAT3 regulated the transcription activity of CiBcl-2 , finally led to a decrease of autophagy. In addition, when cells were in the state of autophagy, apoptosis was increased and cell viability was decreased. When CiSTAT3 was activated, cell apoptosis weakened and cell viability was increased. The results suggest that CiSTAT3 plays an important role in maintaining the normal physiological process of cells. • Grass Carp STAT3 can respond autophagy. • Grass Carp STAT3 can form the homodimer after incubation of rIL-6. • The activation of CiSTAT3 can decreased apoptosis and enhance cell viability. • Grass Carp STAT3 up-regulate the transcriptional levels of Grass Carp Bcl-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is considerable to reduce the computation load while keeping a good total harmonic distortion (THD) performance for the modular multilevel converter (MMC) with model predictive control (MPC). In this paper, the discrete-time mathematical model of the MMC is derived and the output voltage ripples of the cascaded submodules (SMs) are analyzed in detail. Accordingly, a modified increased-level MPC method A (IL-MPC-A) is proposed with 2N + 1 ac-side output voltage levels. The computation load is significantly reduced without losing the harmonic circulating currents suppression and capacitor voltage ripples compensation capabilities. In this method, the cost function minimization step and capacitor voltage sorting algorithm are combined to determine the optimal control option. In addition, to avoid the selection of weighting factors and further reduce the computation load as the increasing of the SM number, another modified IL-MPC-B is proposed by directly calculating the optimal ac-side output voltage level and arm summation voltage according to the discrete-time mathematical model. As a result, the ac-side output current and circulating current controls are decoupled. Furthermore, the capacitor voltages are balanced with a proposed control scheme by adjusting the circulating current reference. The effectiveness of the proposed MPC methods is verified by simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Left-behind children in China offers "natural experiments" of maternal separation. • Parent-child separation in early childhood associated with shorter telomere length. • Shortened TL partially explained adverse effects of separation on psychopathology. • Shortened TL could also be a consequence of psychopathology associated with separation. Abstract Background Given the ethical limitations of exposing children to experimentally manipulated adverse experiences, evidence of the effects of parent-child separation on subsequent psychopathology are based mostly on animal studies. Left-behind children phenomenon resulting from rural-urban mobility in China offers unique "natural experiments" to explore the long-term physical and mental health consequences of parent-child separation in childhood. Objective To test the associations between parent-child separation with telomere length (TL) and psychopathology during adolescence. Method A total of 710 adolescents (age: M = 16.86, SD = 1.52) were recruited from local schools in rural area of Fuyang, one of the top inland areas for outward migration in Anhui province, China. Parent-child separation was collected through face to face interview. The MacArthur Health & Behavior Questionnaire (HBQ) was used to assess internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure buccal TL. Results Nearly 60% (399/695) of the participants experienced separation from both parents. Childhood or persistent separation from parents was associated with increased internalizing symptoms (childhood: β = 0.13, 95% CI : 0.02, 0.23; persistent: β = 0.23, 95% CI : 0.14, 0.31), increased externalizing symptoms (childhood: β = 0.17, 95% CI : 0.03, 0.32; persistent: β = 0.23, 95% CI : 0.10, 0.35) and shorter telomere length (childhood: β = −0.16, 95% CI : −0.26, −0.05; persistent: β = −0.13, 95% CI : −0.22, −0.03). Shortened TL was estimated to explain 15.2% and 12.7% of the total effect of separation on internalizing and externalizing symptoms, while internalizing and externalizing symptoms explained 23.4% and 12.3% of the effect of separation on shortened TL. Conclusion Childhood and persistent parent-child separation, as experienced by rural left-behind children in China, associates with increased vulnerability for psychopathological symptoms and makers of cellular aging. The challenge for future research is to determine whether short telomere length is in fact a long-term consequence or an underlying vulnerability factor for future mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms underlying cardiorenal syndromes are complex and not fully understood; Fibrosis seems to be a primary driver of the diseases' pathophysiology. Spironolactone can reduce cardiac or renal fibrosis by inhibiting endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). Spironolactone protection may rely on activation of adenosine receptors, but the role of the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) is unclear. We hypothesize that spironolactone may modulate A2AR to suppress EndMT and reduce cardiorenal remodeling. A model of renal injury followed by heart failure was established by subcutaneous administration of isoprenaline (Iso) to rats. Assessment of cardiac and renal function, fibrosis, EndMT markers, adenosine and A2AR expression was performed. TGF-β was used to induce EndMT in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Rats or cells were divided into four groups: those that treated with spironolactone alone or in combination with A2AR antagonist ZM241385 or neither, and compared to normal controls. Isoprenaline-treated rats exhibited cardiac and renal fibrosis, impaired cardiac and renal function, enhanced EndMT, and lower A2AR expression. Spironolactone significantly up-regulated A2AR expression and inhibited EndMT in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, spironolactone improved cardiorenal remodeling and reduced dysfunction. These changes were exacerbated by administration of ZM241385. Together, these findings show that spironolactone up-regulated A2AR to reduce EndMT and ameliorate cardiorenal fibrosis. The anti-fibrotic effects of spironolactone may partly depend on the up-regulation of A2AR, and that A2AR might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiorenal syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nuciferine, a major bioactive component from the lotus leaf, has been reported to have notable anti-inflammatory activities such as renal inflammation and acute lung injury in previous studies. Mastitis is one of the most prevalent diseases in the dairy cattle, which causes large economic losses for the dairy industry. However, the effects of nuciferine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mastitis have not been reported.Methods and results: Here, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of nuciferine on LPS-induced mastitis in mice and illuminated its potential mechanism on the TLR4-mediated signaling pathway in mouse mammary epithelial cells (mMECs). Histopathological changes and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity assay showed that nuciferine treatment significantly alleviated the LPS-induced injury of mammary gland flocculus, inflammatory cells infiltration. qPCR and ELISA assays indicated that nuciferine dose-dependently reduced the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β, which indicated that nuciferine might have therapeutic effects on mastitis. Furthermore, nuciferine treatment significantly decreased the expression of TLR4 in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, nuciferine was also found to suppress LPS-induced NF-κB activation.Conclusion: These findings indicate that nuciferine potently ameliorates LPS-induced mastitis by inhibition of the TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, based on the finite-time unknown input observer (FT-UIO), the problem of distributed fault diagnosis (FD) for multi-agent systems (MAS) with actuator faults and disturbances is investigated. Firstly, using the communication topology and local information, the global multi-agent system dynamics are represented with respect to a certain agent. Then, in order to construct a FT-UIO at the selected agent, the system will be decomposed into three subsystems after coordinate transformation. Furthermore, constituted by two distinct observers, the FT-UIO is designed to converge in a pre-assigned finite time, which is chosen as the time delay of the observers. With the state estimation obtained from the FT-UIO in the selected agent, a FD algorithm is also proposed to diagnose the faults occurred in its neighbor agents. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed FT-UIO-based distributed FD scheme for MAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the effect of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in patients with stage II-III triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and modified radical mastectomy (MRM). Patients and methods: A total of 104 women with stage II-III TNBC who received NAC and MRM at our institution between January 2000 and July 2007 were identified. Patients were divided into 2 groups (PMRT and non-PMRT) for statistical analysis. Results: The median follow-up time was 64 months (range 12-123 months). The 5 year cumulative locoregional recurrence (LRR) and disease recurrence (DR) rates were 26.5% and 49.6%, respectively. Despite their more adverse prognostic features, patients with PMRT had lower 5 year cumulative LRR and DR rates than those without PMRT (LRR: 18.3% vs 52.2%, respectively, p=0.0005; DR: 45% vs 69.1%, p=0.0334, respectively). On multivariate analysis of the entire study cohort, forgoing PMRT was significantly associated with developing LRR and DR. Subset analysis revealed that PMRT significantly reduced the 5 year LRR rate in patients with pre-chemotherapy clinical stages IIA (8.3% vs 46.2%, p=0.019) and IIIA (16% vs 66.7%, p=0.003). PMRT also significantly reduced the 5 year DR rate in patients with pre-chemotherapy clinical stage IIA (24.5% vs 69.3%, p=0.0151) and ⋝IIIB (70.8% vs 100%, p=0.0481). Conclusion: In our cohort of patients with TNBC treated with NAC and MRM, PMRT significantly improved locoregional control and disease-free survival in the entire cohort as well as in patients with stage IIA disease. Our results may help in tailoring adjuvant treatment decisions for these particular patient populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large discharge of chromium and chloride is a severe pollution source in conventional leather-making industry, which hinders the sustainable development of leather industry and affects human life greatly. Aiming at minimizing the emissions of chromium and chloride, novel materials rich in sulfonic acid group were synthesized and optimized in salt-free pickling and less chrome tanning process. The results showed that, the novel method would improve the chromium absorption and distribution in crust leather from 7 1 .6% to 98.6%, in comparison with conventional pickling chrome tanning, and the concentration of residual chromium in spent liquor was decreased to 45 mg/L. The SEM indicated that the resulting leather treated with novel salt-free pickling showed clean pores and well-dispersed fibrils. Further experiment proved this novel salt-free pickling and less chrome tanning method is feasible in terms of organoleptic and physical mechanical properties. The financial assessment showed that the novel method is 46.9% cheaper than conventional approach. This novel pickling chrome tanning method can successfully solve the emission of chromium and chloride as well as obtain cleaner products in leather-making industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient bifunctional catalysts for reversible oxygen electrodes, for electrocatalysis of both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reactions (OER) are envisioned to make a significant contribution towards the need for environmentally friendly and renewable energy systems. Despite tremendous efforts, there is still need for further development of bifunctional catalysts to achieve low-cost catalysts with stable satisfactory long-term performance, enhanced kinetics of the ORR and OER and high round-trip electrolytic-galvanic mode voltage efficiency. Herein, we demonstrate a simple one-pot procedure for synthesis of a bifunctional catalyst comprised of a composite of cobalt/cobalt oxide and N-doped graphene (denoted as Co/Co3O4-N-graphene), which exhibits very good performance in the electrocatalysis of both ORR and OER in alkaline solution. The prepared composite was characterized by TEM, SEM, Raman, XRD and XPS, to give insight of its structure-performance correlation. The results reveal that the structure of N-doped graphene is preserved and that both metallic Co and its oxide form of Co3O4 co-existed in the prepared composite, with metallic Co being predominant crystalline component. Generally, a high ratio of Co in the prepared composite led to improvement of the onset potential for the OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two kinds of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA) with different vinyl acetate (VA) contents were modified by plasma technique. The surface hydrophobic recovery and the nanostructure of the samples were evaluated by water contact angle measurement and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, respectively. The water contact angle results indicated that higher VA content would result in faster hydrophobic recovery after plasma modification. The positron annihilation results indicated that two kinds of EVA samples exhibited similar o‐Ps lifetime, and EVA with higher VA content showed higher o‐Ps intensity. The results implied that the faster hydrophobic recovery after plasma modification should be contributed to the easier relaxation of chain segments for the EVA with higher VA content. Plasma modification is a powerful tool for surface modification, but the hydrophobic recovery limits the application of this technique. Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers with different vinyl acetate (VA) contents were modified by plasma, and the hydrophobic recovery was evaluated by water contact angle measurement. It was found that higher VA content can lead to more free volume concentration, resulting in easier chain segment relaxation, which is in the charge of faster hydrophobic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to pre-CRT in patients of stage II/III rectal cancer. Materials and Methods. Questionnaires regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pre-CRT were mailed to 145 rectal cancer patients in II/III stage between January 2012 and December 2014, and 111 agreed to participate and returned completed questionnaires to the researcher. Logistic regression model was used to compare sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitude with practice, respectively. Results. A total of 145 patients were approached for interview, of which 111 responded and 48.6% (54) had undergone pre-CRT. Only 31.5% of the participants knew that CRT is a treatment of rectal cancer and 39.6% were aware of the importance of CRT. However, the vast majority of participants (68.5%) expressed a positive attitude toward rectal cancer. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that knowledge level (p=0.006) and attitudes (p=0.001) influence the actual practice significantly. Furthermore, age, gender, and income were potential predictors of practice (all p<0.05). Conclusion. This study shows that, despite the fact that participants had suboptimal level of knowledge on rectal cancer, their attitude is favorable to pre-CRT. Strengthening the professional health knowledge and realizing the importance of attitudes may deepen patients’ understanding of preoperative therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal is an earth-abundant energy resource, however, its direct combustion results in serious environmental pollution. Therefore, it becomes important to design value-added products from coal and to maximize its value chain. Herein, brown coal was used to develop non-precious metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells as green energy conversion systems. The brown coal was first pretreated with different acids, followed by N-doping at 800 °C in a stream of NH 3 . A trace amount of Fe was further added to improve the electrocatalytic performance of the prepared catalyst towards ORR. The prepared coal-derived N-doped carbon further modified with 0.5% Fe exhibited onset potential of 0.92 V vs. RHE at a current density of −0.1 mA cm −2 and a predominantly 4-electron transfer pathway of oxygen to water in 0.1 M NaOH, which was evaluated by RDE and RRDE. The prepared electrocatalysts were further characterized by elemental analysis, XRD, Raman and XPS. The results suggest that the coal-derived ORR catalyst have convoluted graphitic and amorphous carbon structures. The N-content increased after acid-pretreatment and subsequent functionalization with nitrogen, while it slightly decreased after Fe incorporation apparently due to coordination of Fe with N. ORR activity enhancement after the incorporation of Fe is expected to mainly arise from a synergetic effect involving the interaction of Fe with N groups distributed in the carbon matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conjugated polymers are essential for solution-processable organic opto-electronic devices. In contrast to the great efforts on developing new conjugated polymer backbones, research on developing side chains is rare. Herein, we report branched oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) as side chains of conjugated polymers. Compared with typical alkyl side chains, branched OEG side chains endowed the resulting conjugated polymers with a smaller π-π stacking distance, higher hole mobility, smaller optical band gap, higher dielectric constant, and larger surface energy. Moreover, the conjugated polymers with branched OEG side chains exhibited outstanding photovoltaic performance in polymer solar cells. A power conversion efficiency of 5.37 % with near-infrared photoresponse was demonstrated and the device performance could be insensitive to the active layer thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conjugated polymers are essential for solution-processable organic opto-electronic devices. In contrast to the great efforts on developing new conjugated polymer backbones, research on developing side chains is rare. Herein, we report branched oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) as side chains of conjugated polymers. Compared with typical alkyl side chains, branched OEG side chains endowed the resulting conjugated polymers with a smaller π-π stacking distance, higher hole mobility, smaller optical band gap, higher dielectric constant, and larger surface energy. Moreover, the conjugated polymers with branched OEG side chains exhibited outstanding photovoltaic performance in polymer solar cells. A power conversion efficiency of 5.37 % with near-infrared photoresponse was demonstrated and the device performance could be insensitive to the active layer thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scattering spectra and intensity of gold nanorods placed at varied distances above gold films have been simulated and measured under various conditions, demonstrating that scattering characteristics of the nanorod-film system are highly dependent on illumination conditions. Studying the surrounding electric fields of nanorods reveals that the illumination-dependent properties of the system are induced by the interference in the nanorod-film system. Both simulations and experiments show that optimising the nanorod-film distance can greatly enhance scattering magnitudes up to ~20 times for certain illumination conditions. We propose an application of the studied system in facilitating photo-thermal conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalysts that can reversibly reduce oxygen and oxidise water are of prime importance for the advancement of new emerging electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. We present in this work the application of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) for characterisation of bifunctional catalysts. By using model bifunctional catalysts based on oxides of cobalt (CoO) and nickel (NiO) embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon (NC), we specifically show the unique ability of using SECM to determine a range of the important electrocatalytic parameters including the selectivity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the initial mechanistic steps during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and the onset potential for both ORR and OER in a single experiment. We were able to observe directly that prior to oxygen evolution, local depletion of oxygen occurs at the SECM tip during redox transition accompanying most likely metal oxyhydroxide formation thus enabling direct in situ observation of the initial mechanistic steps of the OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructures with various configurations have been extensively used to engineer the emission properties of embedded fluorophores, but lack the flexibility to dynamically control fluorescence. Here we report a thin-film cavity system, comprising a quarter wavelength thick dye-doped dielectric coating on a reflecting surface, in which the fluorescence enhancement and directionality can be significantly modified by altering the illumination angle. The configuration of the cavity yields absorption properties that are highly dependent on illumination angles, due to the coupling between molecular absorption and Fabry-Perot resonances. Therefore the fluorescence intensity relating to the angle-dependent absorbing efficiency varies with illumination angles. In addition, as a result of synergy between intrinsic absorption of the reflecting surface, Fabry-Perot and surface-plasmon-polariton resonances and illumination-angle dependent excitation efficiencies for differently located molecules, the global emission intensity, including emission from dyes at all locations, can be directionally redistributed by altering the illumination angle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NO absorption by using deep eutectic solvents (DESs) from flue gas has become one of great research interest. In this work, different DESs were prepared with acetylcholine chloride as a hydrogen‐bond acceptor. The effect of molar ratio of the hydrogen‐bond acceptor and different hydrogen‐bond donor, temperature, and different hydrogen‐bond donors on NO absorption by acetylcholine chloride DESs was investigated systematically. The absorption experiment of NO by acetylcholine‐methyl urea DES at an absorption capacity of 0.119 (g NO/g DES) when the molar ratio of acetylcholine chloride to methyl urea was 1 : 2 at 30–40 °C. The absorption mechanism of NO by acetylcholine chloride DESs was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance combined with quantum chemical calculation. The results indicated that NO with acetylcholine‐methyl urea DESs by chemical absorption to form NONO structure, nitrogen‐oxygen double bonds (N=O), nitrogen‐oxygen single bonds (N−O), and nitrogen‐nitrogen single bonds (N−N). The simulation results showed that nitric oxide formed two hydrogen bonds with N atoms on methyl urea: C−N⋅⋅⋅N and O=N⋅⋅⋅N=O. Thermodynamic properties showed that the ▵rHom for NO absorption in acetylcholine‐chloride‐type DES was −15.39 kJ/mol, which was more efficient for NO absorption/desorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus was listed as the 2nd common food-borne pathogens, resulting in diseases such as pneumonia, pseudomembranous colitis, pericarditis and even sepsis. A rapid, simple and sensitive detection method is required to monitor food in cases of contamination by S. aureus. Hence, a novel immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS), based on the two-component reaction (i.e. digoxigenin and anti-digoxigenin, quantum dots-conjugated streptavidin and biotin) in test line with QDs as indicator, was developed for the rapid and sensitive detection of S. aureus. Genomic DNA from bacteria lysis by boiling was extracted easily and rapidly with silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles, and a species-specific gene was amplified by PCR using digoxigenin/biotin-labeled primers. The fluorescence of captured QD labels on the test line and control line served as signals was observed by UV light. The sensitivity and specificity of the ICTS were estimated using bacteria spiked food samples (artificially mixed with cell counts (108 CFU/mL for each bacterium) of Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Lactobacillus plantarum). The limit of detection for S. aureus was 3 × 100 CFU/mL and 3 × 101 CFU/g in spiked milk powder and meat samples, respectively, which was not affected by those non-S. aureus strains. Our results showed that QDs-based ICTS was promising for rapid and sensitive detection of S. aureus within 2 h. Hence, this protocol might be useful for screening and monitoring the contamination of S. aureus in food products, and helpful for promoting the prevention and control of communicable disease caused by food-borne pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After flower induction, some longan trees can successfully blossom and bear fruit, while others with similar tree body status can only sprout leaf buds. In order to investigate the main reason for these differences, in this study, off-season flowering and non-flowering longan trees were used as experimental materials to analyze the changes of carbon content in mature leaves, tender leaves, mature shoots, tender shoots and terminal buds of longan trees after flower induction by potassium chlorate. The result showed that carbon content played an important role in flowering process. Off-season longan trees with carbon content in mature leaves reached 50.93 mg/g could successfully blossom, but those with carbon content in mature leaves lower than 37.40 mg/g were usually difficult to blossom. In addition, the maturity of tender leaves posed great influence on flowering. Specifically, tender leaves with a higher maturity contained higher carbon content and could easily blossom, which could be used as a new indicator to evaluate flower induction in off-season longan trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels with outstanding mechanical characteristics, remoldability, and self-healability possess vast potentials in biomedical applications and flexible sensors. However, it is still difficult to prepare hydrogels with integrated mechanical characteristics straightforwardly. Herein, we proposed to introduce a hydrogen bonding reinforced factor, imidazolidinyl urea (IU), to the polymerization of acrylamide for the construction of multi-functional hydrogels in one pot. There are multiple hydrogen bonding donors and receptors in IU, which can interact with polyacrylamide through multiple hydrogen bonds to form the hydrogel networks. The break strength, fracture elongation, and compressive strength of the IU-included hydrogels could be adjusted in the range of 18.8–23.8 kPa, 305%–560%, and 2.0–3.9 MPa, respectively. The hydrogels featured outstanding fatigue resistance, and the obvious loss of compressive strength was not observed even after 50 cycles of loading-unloading under 85% strain. Moreover, the IU-based hydrogels not only showed promising self-healing and remodeling abilities but also exhibited nonconventional emission behaviors. Our work offers a facile strategy for the construction of multi‑hydrogen bond crosslinked hydrogels and may inspire researchers to explore new supramolecular systems using the hydrogen bonding reinforced factor (IU). [Display omitted] • Hydrogen-bonding reinforced factor (imidazolidinyl urea) is employed to prepare non-covalent crosslinked hydrogels. • The mechanical properties can be facilely adjusted through the change of IU content. • The resulting hydrogels show outstanding fatigue resistance, promising remoldability and self-healability. • The resulting hydrogels feature nonconventional emission behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An intrinsic black covalent adaptable network using NIR to trigger reversible exchange is reported. • Facile welding and selective shape memory recovery of the thermoset was achieved by the irradiation of NIR. • Light response smart switches were fabricated based on the solid plasticity and shape memory property. Fabrication of covalent adaptable networks with the combination of intrinsic photothermal responsiveness, NIR-triggered welding, multiple-shape memory, and selective shape memory recovery remains a challenge. Herein, we developed a series of poly(urea-oxime urethane) thermosets (PUOUs) based on 1,4-benzoquinone dioxime, Jeffamine D230, and hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer using an organic bismuth compound (U600) as the catalyst. The inherently strong photothermal effect of the PUOUs could trigger and manipulate the dynamic exchange of oxime-carbamate bonds to undergo rapid welding by near-infrared laser (NIR, λ = 808 nm) irradiation. The lap shear strength of the two PUOUs with an overlapped area of 4 cm × 4 cm reached 1.2 MPa after irradiation by a NIR laser for 150 s with an irradiation intensity of 2.7 W/cm2. Due to the two independent glass transition temperatures of the PUOUs, triple shape memory property was detected and selective shape memory recovery could achieve in the area subjected to NIR irradiation. Hence, the PUOUs show vast potential for the construction of weldable thermosets and may find applications in intelligent shape-memory devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to evaluate and identify patterns of failure and prognostic factors for locoregional recurrence (LRR) that could justify postmastectomy radiotherapy after modified radical mastectomy in patients with early stage triple-negative breast cancer. METHODS Between January 2000 and July 2007, the authors retrospectively analyzed 390 patients who had triple-negative breast cancer with T1/T2 tumors and from zero to 3 positive lymph nodes (pathologic T1-T2N0-N1) who underwent modified radical mastectomy without postmastectomy radiotherapy at the author's institution. The 5-year cumulative incidence for events was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis, and subgroups were compared using the log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS Overall, 86.4% of patients received chemotherapy. At a median follow-up of 60.5 months, the 5-year cumulative rates of local recurrence, regional recurrence, LRR, and distant metastasis were 5.4%, 4.7%, 8%, and 13.4%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, age <50 years, the presence of lymphovascular invasion, grade 3 tumor, and 3 involved lymph nodes were associated significantly with an increased risk of LRR. The 5-year LRR rate for patients who had 0 or 1 risk factor, 2 risk factors, and 3 or 4 risk factors was 4.2%, 25.2%, and 81% ( P < .0001), respectively. The presence of lymphovascular invasion and having 3 involved lymph nodes were statistically significant predictors of regional recurrence, and the patients who had regional recurrence had a significantly greater risk of distant metastases compared with patients who had local recurrence (59.1% vs 20.9%; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Several risk factors were identified in this study that correlated independently with a greater incidence of LRR in patients who had early stage triple-negative breast cancer. The current results indicated that postmastectomy radiotherapy should be considered for those patients who have 2 or more of these factors. Cancer 2013;119:2366-2374. © 2013 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly ash was used as the raw material to prepare coal fly ash‐based NaP zeolite using the microwave‐ultrasonic‐hydrothermal method. The obtained NaP zeolite has a completed crystal structure, regular surface morphology, uniform particle size (about 1.6 um), large specific surface area (48.85 m2/g) and good thermal stability. Under microwave and ultrasonic external fields, the coal fly ash‐based NaP zeolite crystals grow in an S‐shape, achieving single crystal growth and uniform crystal growth size. The activation energy of NaP zeolite crystal growth Ea is 2.08 kJ/mol, the pre‐exponential factor A is 85.63. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hap1 was originally identified as a neuronal protein that interacts with huntingtin, the Huntington's disease (HD) protein. Later studies revealed that Hap1 participates in intracellular trafficking in neuronal cells and that this trafficking function can be adversely affected by mutant huntingtin. Hap1 is also present in pancreatic β-cells and other endocrine cells; however, the role of Hap1 in these endocrine cells remains unknown. Using the Cre-loxP system, we generated conditional Hap1 knockout mice to selectively deplete the expression of Hap1 in mouse pancreatic β-cells. Mutant mice with Hap1 deficiency in pancreatic β-cells had impaired glucose tolerance and decreased insulin release in response to intraperitoneally injected glucose. Using cultured pancreatic β-cell lines and isolated mouse pancreatic islets, we confirmed that decreasing Hap1 could reduce glucose-mediated insulin release. Electron microscopy suggested that there was a reduced number of insulin-containing vesicles docked at the plasma membrane of pancreatic islets in Hap1 mutant mice following intraperitoneal glucose injection. Glucose treatment decreased the phosphorylation of Hap1A in cultured β-cells and in mouse pancreatic tissues. Moreover, this glucose treatment increased Hap1's association with kinesin light chain and dynactin p150, both of which are involved in microtubule-dependent trafficking. These studies suggest that Hap1 is important for insulin release from β-cells via dephosphorylation that can regulate its intracellular trafficking function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sewage sludge as waste of the wastewater treatment process contains toxic substances, and its conversion into sludge biochar-based catalysts is a promising strategy that merges the merits of waste reutilization and environmental cleanup. This study aims to systematically recapitulate the published articles on the development of sludge biochar-based catalysts in different advanced oxidation processes of wastewater, including sulfate-based system, Fenton-like systems, photocatalysis, and ozonation systems. Due to abundant functional groups, metal phases and unique structures, sludge biochar-based catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic behavior for decontamination in advanced oxidation systems. In particular, the combination of sludge and pollutant dopants manifests a synergistic effect. The catalytic mechanisms of as-prepared catalysts in these systems are also investigated. Furthermore, initial solution pH, catalyst dosage, reaction temperature, and coexisting anions have a vital role in advanced oxidation processes, and these parameters are systematically summarized. In summary, this study could provide relatively comprehensive and up-to-date messages for the application of sludge biochar-based catalysts in the advanced oxidation processes of wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used as substrate for the growth of secondary carbon nanotubes. Iron was applied as catalyst, and cyclohexane was used as carbon source. The iron nanoparticles were synthesized from iron sulfate by electrodeposition on the primary CNTs by ramping the potential from 0 V to −0.75 V. The influence of subsequent calcination and reduction on the Fe/CNT samples was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Calcination in air at 400 °C was identified as a key step to improve the dispersion of the iron nanoparticles, presumably due to solid- and gas-phase reactions on the Fe–C interface, where iron acts as the gasification catalyst. Secondary CNTs were grown catalyzed by the highly dispersed iron nanoparticles at 700 °C in a hot-wall reactor. Nitrogen physisorption isotherms demonstrated the formation of inter-nanotube pores due to the growth of the secondary CNTs into the voids between the primary CNTs. The resulting specific surface area was found to be significantly enhanced by a factor of 6. The obtained hierarchical carbon nanocomposite is very promising as structured catalyst support in fuel cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]