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Using sensing devices for noncontact information transfer enhances data security in human‐machine interaction by eliminating direct contact between the information carrier and the communication interface. However, current contactless information transfer strategies struggle with complex application scenarios due to limitations in sensing mechanisms. Here, this work proposes an innovative noncontact information transfer approach that leverages invisible thermal radiation and the Seebeck effect, and demonstrates its feasibility by designing a high‐resolution temperature sensor based on a laminar thermoelectric aerogel of carbon nanotube/PEDOT:PSS/nanocellulose. The sensor exhibits exceptional sensitivity, ultralow detection limits (0.02 K), rapid response time, and reliable cycling stability in temperature detection without interference from pressure stimuli. This work further presents a sensor array‐based communication interface capable of extracting, decoding, and transmitting high‐capacity encrypted information contactlessly. The interface also serves as a contactless input terminal for precisely monitoring finger movements. Additionally, the sensor can convert pressure into resistance signals, functioning as tactile electronic skin in contact scenarios. This study presents a dependable strategy for transmitting information without physical contact, contributing to the development of future integrated devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High translucent zirconia (HTZ) has excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and good semitranslucency making it an ideal material for aesthetic anterior dental implant abutments without antibacterial properties. In the oral environment, the surface of the abutment material is susceptible to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation, which can lead to infection or peri-implantitis and even implant failure. This study aims to promote the formation of a biological seal at the implant-soft tissue interface by modifying the HTZ surface, using the load-bearing capacity of the aluminosilicate porous structure and the broad-spectrum antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles to prevent peri-implant bacterial infection and inflammation and to improve the success rate and prolong the use of the implant. FE-SEM (field emission scanning electron microscopes), EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy), and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) results showed that aluminosilicate non-vacuum sintering can form open micro- and nanoporous structures on HTZ surfaces, and that porous aluminosilicate coatings obtain a larger number, smaller size, and more uniformly shaped silver nanoparticles than smooth aluminosilicate coatings, and could be deposited deeper in the coating. The ICP-AES (inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy) results showed that the early silver ion release of both the smooth silver coating and the porous silver coating was obvious, the silver ion concentration released by the former was higher than that of the latter. However, the silver ion concentration released by the porous silver coating was higher than that of the smooth coating when the release slowed down. Both smooth and porous silver coatings both inhibited E. coli (Escherichia coli), S. aureus (Staphylococcus aureus), and L. acidophilus (L. acidophilus), and porous silver coatings had stronger antibacterial properties. The silver coating was successfully constructed on the surface of HTZ, through aluminium silicate sintering and silver nitrate solution impregnation. It was found that the high concentration environment of silver nitrate solution was more advantageous for nano-Ag deposition, and the non-vacuum sintered porous surface was able to obtain a larger number of nano-Ag particles with smaller sizes. The porous Ag coating exhibited superior antibacterial properties. It was suggested that the HTZ with silver coating had clinical application, and good antibacterial properties that can improve the survival rate and service life of implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the period of the super typhoon " Lekima" ( No. 19(B) landed on the coast of North China, a high-resolution numerical simulation study was carried out with the WRF model on the clouds microphysical process of heavy precipitation. The results showed that (I) the water vapor convergence tended to develop and strengthen on the way forward of typhoon center, and the evolution of water vapor convergence zone was closely related to the development of typhoon asymmetric structure, and had a good corresponding relationship with the falling zone of the rainstorm. ( 2) The eastern coast of Hebei was located in the big-value area of water vapor transport belt in the northwest quadrant of the typhoon. Below 850 hPa, northeast wind appeared, and warm humid water vapor was transported from marine area to terrestrial by typhoon. Affected by upper-level westerly trough, westerly wind was dominated above 700 hPa, and water vapor convergence was transported from low level to upper level, and several rainstorm center appeared. (3) In the spiral rain bands of typhoon, the big-value center of graupel particles cooperated with the warm cloud enriched with water content, and the ground would produce a center of heavy precipitation, and the precipitation center of pure warm cloud appeared in 117. 5° E. This phenomenon rarely occurred during continental cloud precipitation. Therefore, the contribution of warm cloud precipitation mechanism to the typhoon spiral rain belt should be emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the coating of conductive graphene onto commercial yarns is promising for scalable production, the resulting conductive yarns are susceptible to the coating detachment, causing reduced conductivity and poor stability. Herein, we propose a scalable and cost-effective interfacial enhancement strategy for fabricating highly conductive yarns with satisfactory mechanical properties by modifying polyamide yarns with polyethyleneimine to enhance their interaction with graphene oxide (GO) sheets and subsequently reducing the GO component with hydroiodic acid. Because the enhanced interfacial interactions of the polyethyleneimine-modified polyamide yarns with the GO sheets improve the loading of GO and the coating stability, the resultant yarns can withstand bending, embroidering, sewing and weaving, maintaining an extraordinary conductivity of 4.7 × 103 S m−1 after 10000-cycle bending. The conductive textiles woven by the yarns reach an excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness of 66.7 dB at the thickness of 0.615 mm along with superior hydrophobicity, satisfactory air permeability, and high electrothermal and solar-thermal energy conversion performances. The EMI shielding effectiveness of the textile is well maintained even after 5000-cycle bending, demonstrating its satisfactory stability. This work demonstrates an interfacial enhancement strategy for the large-scale fabrication of multifunctional yarns that hold great promise for EMI shielding, personal thermal regulation, and deicing applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of tumor immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has brought new life to cancer treatment, and ICIs can effectively treat various tumors. Among the immune anti-cancer therapies, PD-1 is undoubtedly the hot target after CTLA-4, but due to the ineffectiveness of PD-1 in treating certain tumors, researchers have shifted their focus to other combination targets, such as LAG-3, TIM3, IDO-1, etc. One of these promising targets is LAG-3, a target with multiple clinical trials, which has increasingly shown to be an inhibitory co-receptor that plays a vital role in autoimmunity, cancer immunity, and anti-infection immunity. Immune combination therapy with LAG-3 is a hot topic, but its limitations in clinical application are also evident. This review briefly describes the molecular structure, biological functions of LAG-3 in the immune cells and cancer cells and prognosis significance, and then an overview of relevant ongoing clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to evaluate the cerebroprotective effects of Yizhitongmai Granule and its decomposed recipes on vascular dementia (VD) rats via the Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway. Sixty rats were randomly divided into Sham, VD Model, Yizhitongmai Recipe, Bushen Recipe, Tongluo Recipe and positive control groups (n=10). From 12 d after operation, Yizhitongmai Recipe, Bushen Recipe and Tongluo Recipe groups were gavaged with corresponding drug liquid. The drugs were administered at 2 mL once a day for 28 consecutive days. The reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in hippocampal tissues were detected using biochemical methods. Tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-18 (IL-18) and IL-1ß were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blotting was performed to detect the expression levels of neuronal growth-associated protein-43 (GAP43), synaptophysin (SYN), aquaporin 4 (AQP4), NLRP3 and Caspase-1. Compared with the Model group, the number of apoptotic cells, levels of ROS, LDH, TNF-a, IL-18, IL-1ß, NLRP3 and Caspase-1 decreased, and the levels of SOD, T-AOC, GAP43, SYN and AQP4 increased in the Yizhitongmai Recipe, Bushen Recipe and Tongluo Recipe groups (P<0.05). However, the Bushen Recipe and Tongluo Recipe groups had similar indices (P>0.05). Compared with the Bushen Recipe and Tongluo Recipe groups, the Yizhitongmai Recipe group had fewer apoptotic cells, decreased levels of ROS, LDH, TNF-a, IL-18, IL-1ß, NLRP3 and Caspase-1, and increased levels of SOD, T-AOC, GAP43, SYN and AQP4 (P<0.05). Yizhitongmai Granule and its decomposed recipes can protect hippocampal neurons, relieve oxidative stress and inflammatory response caused by hypoperfusion brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the sensitivity of graphene aerogel‐based piezoresistive sensors by weakening their compressive strength while keeping their elasticity, lightweight and lamellar graphene aerogels (LGAs) with high elasticity and satisfactory electrical conductance networks are fabricated by bidirectional‐freezing of aqueous suspensions of graphene oxide in the presence of small amounts of organic solvents, followed by lyophilizing and thermal annealing. Because of the lamellar structure of the LGA, its compressive strength along the direction perpendicular to the lamellar surface is much lower than those of both isotropic and unidirectionally aligned graphene aerogels with similar apparent densities, leading to an ultrasensitive LGA‐based piezoresistive sensor with a high sensitivity of −3.69 kPa−1 and a low detection limit of 0.15 Pa. The ultrahigh sensitivity and low detection limit of LGA‐based piezoresistive sensor contribute to detecting subtle pressure at room temperature and in liquid nitrogen with ability to detect dynamic force frequency and sound vibration. Besides, thanks to the fewer junction points between the graphene lamellae, LGAs slices can be integrated as a wide‐range and sensitive bending sensor, which can detect arbitrary bending angles from 0° to 180° with a low detection limit of 0.29°, and is efficient in detecting biosignals of wrist pulse and finger bending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel and effective "two-pronged" strategy for the first time to simultaneously suppress K dendrite growth and in-situ form a dense and robust SEI layer. • The potassiophilic zinc modification can induce uniform deposition of potassium metal to achieved an ultra-long cycle lifespan of 2000 h and an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.23 %. • The spontaneous generation of K x P y between the deposited K metal and red phosphorus contributes to the robust SEI layer, which greatly improves the cycling stability of the RP-Cu@Zn-K anode. Potassium metal batteries (PMBs) have been considered as a promising energy storage devices benefiting from abundant reserves, low prices, and modest standard electrode potential of potassium (K) metal. However, the commercial development of PMBs has been severely prevented by uncontrolled dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency (CE) of K metal anode. Herein, a "two-pronged" strategy of zinc-modified copper matrix (denote as Cu@Zn) coupled with a red phosphorus derived solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer (denote as RP-Cu@Zn) is proposed to realize a dendrite-free K metal anode with high CE. Zinc acts as an active site to induce homogeneous nucleation and dendrite-free deposition of K metal, while red phosphorus film can in situ derive a stable SEI layer in situ to inhibit side reactions and dendrite growth. Benefiting from this "two-pronged" strategy, the Cu@Zn-K anode exhibits outstanding reversibility with an average CE as high as 99.23% after 1000 cycles. The RP-Cu@Zn-K anode represents an excellent cycling lifespan over 660 h at a current density of 1.0 mA cm−2 and an area capacity of 1.0 mAh cm−2. The capacity of the full cell matched with RP-Cu@Zn-K as the anode and perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) as the cathode is maintained at 72.6 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles. This work provides a brief strategy that endows the dual properties of dendrite-free and stable SEI layer to K metal anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using mesoscale numerical model WRFV3.7, simulation tests of a low-vortex rainstorm were carried out in Langfang area, and simulation results of three boundary layer parameterization schemes (MYJ, YSU, ACM2) were contrasted. The results showed that the rainstorm in Langfang area had better dynamic condition. By the influence of northeast cold vortex, cold vortex at high altitude cooperated with the surface wind speed convergence, which provided better dynamic condition for strong convective rainfall. Three boundary layer parameterization schemes all simulated surface wind speed convergence of rainstorm center. Simulation results of 24-h rainfall distribution showed that the simulation of YSU scheme was better than ACM2 and MYJ. The simulation results of flow field and temperature field also verified that YSU scheme was better than other schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressing textstreams generated by social networks can both reduce storage consumption and improve efficiency such as fast searching. However, the compression process is a challenge due to the large scale of textstreams. In this article, we propose a textstream compression framework based on compressed sensing theory and design a series of matching parallel procedures. The new approach uses a linear projection technique in the textstream compression process, achieving fast compression speed and low compression ratio. Two processes are executed by designing elaborated parallel procedures for efficient compressing and decompressing of large-scale textstreams. The decompression process is implemented for approximate solutions of underdetermined linear systems. Experimental results show that the new method can efficiently achieve the compression and decompression tasks on a large amount of text generated by social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of diamides derivatives containing nicotinamide unit were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their potential cytotoxic activities against human cancer cell lines. All the synthesized compounds were characterized using spectroscopic methods mainly including ¹H NMR, 13C NMR and MS. The bio-evaluation results indicated that some of the obtained compounds (such as 4d, 4h, 4i) exhibited good to moderate cytotoxic effects on lung cancer cell lines (NCI-H460, A549, and NCI-H1975), especially, compound 4d exhibited the highly potential inhibitory activities against NCI-H460 cell line with the IC50 values of 4.07 ± 1.30 µg/mL, which might be developed as novel lead compounds for potential cytotoxic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patulin, a potent mycotoxin, contaminates fruits and derived products worldwide, and is a serious health concern. Several yeast strains have shown the ability to effectively degrade patulin. However, the mechanisms of its biodegradation still remain unclear at this time. In the present study, biodegradation and involved mechanisms of patulin by an antagonistic yeast Candida guilliermondii were investigated. The results indicated that C. guilliermondii was capable of not only multiplying to a high population in medium containing patulin, but also effectively reducing patulin content in culture medium. Degradation of patulin by C. guilliermondii was dependent on the yeast cell viability, and mainly occurred inside cells. E-ascladiol was the main degradation product of patulin. An iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis revealed that the responses of C. guilliermondii to patulin were complex. A total of 30 differential proteins involved in 10 biological processes were identified, and more than two-thirds of the differential proteins were down-accumulated. Notably, a short-chain dehydrogenase (gi|190348612) was markedly induced by patulin at both the protein and mRNA levels. Our findings will provide a foundation to help enable the commercial development of an enzyme formulation for the detoxification of patulin in fruit-derived products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-infrared (NIR) face recognition has attracted increasing attention because of its advantage of illumination invariance. However, traditional face recognition methods based on NIR are designed for and tested in cooperative-user applications. In this paper, we present a convolutional neural network (CNN) for NIR face recognition (specifically face identification) in non-cooperative-user applications. The proposed NIRFaceNet is modified from GoogLeNet, but has a more compact structure designed specifically for the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Automation (CASIA) NIR database and can achieve higher identification rates with less training time and less processing time. The experimental results demonstrate that NIRFaceNet has an overall advantage compared to other methods in the NIR face recognition domain when image blur and noise are present. The performance suggests that the proposed NIRFaceNet method may be more suitable for non-cooperative-user applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) is a metabolic hallmark of activated T cells and has been implicated in augmenting effector T cell responses, including expression of the proinflammatory cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ), via 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR)–mediated mechanisms. Here, we show that lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) is induced in activated T cells to support aerobic glycolysis but promotes IFN-γ expression independently of its 3′UTR. Instead, LDHA maintains high concentrations of acetyl–coenzyme A to enhance histone acetylation and transcription of Ifng. Ablation of LDHA in T cells protects mice from immunopathology triggered by excessive IFN-γ expression or deficiency of regulatory T cells. These findings reveal an epigenetic mechanism by which aerobic glycolysis promotes effector T cell differentiation and suggest that LDHA may be targeted therapeutically in autoinflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The diagnostic value of procalcitonin (PCT) for patients with autoimmune diseases (AID) remains controversial and few studies focused on ICU patients. We sought to determine its diagnostic and prognostic values in this clowd. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in AID patients admitted to the ICU. Serum PCT levels were measured on ICU admission and subsequently at days 1, 3, 5 and 7, and peak PCT levels within 24 h (PCTpeak) were analyzed the utility for bacterial infection. The relationship of PCTpeak and SOFA score and severity of sepsis was performed correlation analysis. The change of PCT over time reflected as PCT clearance was compared to ICU 28-day mortality. Results: One hundred twelve patients were divided into bacterial infection group (group I, n = 54) and nonbacterial condition group (group II, n = 58). The median PCTpeak (range, µg/L) was higher in the group I than that in the group II (1.95 [0.38-37.56] vs. 0.64 [0.05-7.83], p = 0.002). PCTpeak had the best single predictor of bacterial infection (area under the curve [AUC], 0.902, p < 0.001) with a sensitivity of 79.6 % and a specificity of 89.6 % at the threshold of 0.94 µg/L. PCTpeak was also positive correlation with severity of sepsis (r= 0.731, p = 0.002), but its correlation with SOFA score was only found in subjects with bacterial infection (r= 0.798, p < 0.001). Importantly, the 5-day PCT clearance (PCTc-d5), rather than absolute PCT values, could earlier discriminate survivors (n = 73) from nonsurvivors (n = 39) (68.8 ±9.8 vs. 21.8 ±17.5 %,p< 0.001, respectively). PCTc-d5 < 50 % was an independent predictor of mortality (odds ratio 5.1, 95 % confidence interval 3.5 to 7.5; p = 0.001). Conclusions: In critically ill patients with AID, elevated PCT levels are valuable for bacterial infection and are significantly positive correlation with the septic severity. Five-day PCT clearance may provide independent prognostic information. Larger, prospective trials are warranted to confirm the benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxiredoxin (Prx) is an important peroxidase that can protect organisms against various oxidative stresses. In this study, a member of Prx family, designated LvPrx, was cloned from Litopenaeus vannamei. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses indicated that LvPrx belongs to the 2-Cys Prx (Prx IV) isoform. The recombinant LvPrx protein was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the purified LvPrx proteins were shown to reduce H 2O 2in vitro in the presence of dithiothreitol, indicating that LvPrx is a functional peroxiredoxin. Using qRT-PCR, the mRNA expression levels of LvPrx were determined in the haemocytes of L. vannameiat different stages after being challenged with WSSV and TSV at different doses. The results showed that the expression levels of LvPrx were significantly up-regulated ( P < 0 . 05 ) during 4-24 h after both WSSV and TSV challenge, suggesting that LvPrx may participate in the shrimp’s immune response to viral infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural polymers, particularly plant‐derived nanocelluloses, self‐organize into hierarchical structures, enabling mechanical robustness, bright iridescence, emission, and polarized light reflection. These biophotonic properties are facilitated by the assembly of individual components during evaporation, such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which exhibit a left‐handed helical pitch in a chiral nematic state. This work demonstrates how optically active films with pre‐programmed opposite handedness (left or right) can be constructed via shear‐induced twisted printing with clockwise and counter‐clockwise shearing vectors. The resulting large‐area thin films are transparent yet exhibit pre‐determined mirror‐symmetrical optical activity, enabling the distinction of absorbed and emitted circularly polarized light. This processing method allows for sequential printing of thin and ultrathin films with twisted layered organization and on‐demand helicity. The complex light polarization behavior is due to step‐like changes in linear birefringence within each deposited layer and circular birefringence, different from that of conventional CNC films as revealed with Muller matrix analysis. Furthermore, intercalating an achiral organic dye into printed structures induces circularly polarized luminescence while preserving high transmittance and controlled handedness. These results suggest that twisted sequential printing can facilitate the construction of chiroptical metamaterials with tunable circular polarization, absorption, and emission for optical filters, encryption, photonic coatings, and chiral sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carboxymethyl cellulose used in wounds has little antioxidant capacity. The aim of the present study was to improve the scavenging ability of carboxymethyl cellulose by modified with collagen peptide. The reaction conditions have been optimized by varying mass ratio of collagen peptide to carboxymethyl cellulose, temperature and reaction time. Antioxidant activities of carboxymethyl cellulose derivatives (CMCC) were evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, superoxide radicals and the reducing power. The effects of concentration, degree of substitution (DS) and molecular weight on three different radicals scavenging activity and reducing power were examined. Methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to evaluate the fibroblasts cells cytotoxicity of CMCC. Results showed that the scavenging effects of CMCC increased with the increasing of DS and concentration. This product of CMCC possesses a distinct antioxidant capacity on radicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pluronic/bile salt/phospholipid mixed micelles (Pluronic/BS/PS-MM) drug carrier system for solubilization hydrophobic drugs was developed. A typical hydrophobic compound, pyrene, was selected as a representative hydrophobic compound to model the hydrophobic drugs. Five Pluronics, F68, F88, F98, F108, and F127 with different PPO chain length were studied. CMC data and solubilization capacities were obtained from a pyrene solubilization method. A closed association model was used to obtain the thermodynamic parameters: Gibbs free energy (ΔG°), enthalpy, (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS°) of micellization. The results obtained from these experiments suggest that the mixed micelles was more stable and solubilize more pyrene than single one; and the solubilization of pyrene was strong effected by the PPO block size, thus accentuating synergistic interaction mechanism in Pluronic/BS/PS-MM. The study generated an important dataset so as to compare the effect of different Pluronics on solubility capacity of Pluronic/BS/PS-MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ovarian cancer is a highly lethal gynecological cancer, and its causes remain to be understood. Using a recently identified tumor suppressor gene, GT198 (PSMC3IP), as a unique marker, we searched for the identity of GT198 mutant cells in ovarian cancer. GT198 has germ line mutations in familial and early onset breast and ovarian cancers and recurrent somatic mutations in sporadic fallopian tube cancers. GT198 protein has been shown as a steroid hormone receptor coregulator and also as a crucial factor in DNA repair. In this study, using GT198 as a marker for microdissection, we find that ovarian tumor stromal cells harboring GT198 mutations are present in various types of ovarian cancer including high and low grade serous, endometri-oid, mucinous, clear cell, and granulosa cell carcinomas and in precursor lesions such as inclusion cysts. The mutant stromal cells consist of a luteinized theca cell lineage at various differentiation stages including CD133+, CD44+, and CD34+ cells, although the vast majority of them are differentiated overexpressing steroidogenic enzyme CYP17, a theca cell-specific marker. In addition, wild type GT198 suppresses whereas mutant GT198 protein stimulates CYP17 expression. The chromatin-bound GT198 on the human CYP17 promoter is decreased by overexpressing mutant GT198 protein, implicating the loss of wild type suppression in mutant cells. Together, our results suggest that GT198 mutant luteinized theca cells overexpressing CYP17 are common in ovarian cancer stroma. Because first hit cancer gene mutations would specifically mark cancer-inducing cells, the identification of mutant luteinized theca cells may add crucial evidence in understanding the cause of human ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BRCA1 promotes DNA repair through interactions with multiple proteins, including CtIP and FANCJ (also known as BRIP1/ BACH1). While CtIP facilitates DNA end resection when de-acetylated, the function of FANCJ in repair processing is less well defined. Here, we report that FANCJ is also acetylated. Preventing FANCJ acetylation at lysine 1249 does not interfere with the ability of cells to survive DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). However, resistance is achieved with reduced reliance on recombination. Mechanistically, FANCJ acetylation facilitates DNA end processing required for repair and checkpoint signaling. This conclusion was based on the finding that FANCJ and its acetylation were required for robust RPA foci formation, RPA phosphorylation, and Rad51 foci formation in response to camptothecin (CPT). Furthermore, both preventing and mimicking FANCJ acetylation at lysine 1249 disrupts FANCJ function in checkpoint maintenance. Thus, we propose that the dynamic regulation of FANCJ acetylation is critical for robust DNA damage response, recombination-based processing, and ultimately checkpoint maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay targeting a gene identified by suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was developed to detect Propionibacterium acidipropionici P169, with a threshold of 104 CFU/U of dairy feed or rumen fluid. The report is the first using a molecular marker generated by SSH to quantify a bacterial strain in environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First-principles, all-electron, ab initio calculations have been performed to construct an equivalent potential of water for the electronic structure of glycine (Gly) in solution. The calculation involved three steps. The first step was to search for the minimum-energy geometric structure of the Gly + nHO system. The second step was to calculate the electronic structure of Gly with the potential of water molecules via the self-consistent cluster-embedding method (SCCE), based on the result obtained in the first step. The last step was to calculate the electronic structure of Gly with the potential of dipoles after replacing the water molecules with dipoles. The results show that the occupied molecular orbitals of Gly are raised by about 0.0524 Ry on average due to the effect of water. The effect of water can be simulated well using the dipole potential. The equivalent potential obtained can be applied directly to electronic structure calculations of proteins in solution using the SCCE method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FcαR (CD89) plays important roles in immunoglobulin A (IgA)-mediated immune responses. Soluble forms of FcαR (sFcαR) are found in the culture supernatants of FcαR-expressing cells, in human serum and in the serum of FcαR transgenic mice, and have been suggested to be produced through a proteolytic process. However, little is known about the mechanism involved in the proteolytic release of sFcαR. In this study, we investigated the shedding mechanism of FcαR and determined the nature of the proteinase involved in FcαR shedding. In chemical inhibitor assays, shedding of FcαR was dramatically inhibited by EDTA, EGTA and a broad-spectrum metalloproteinase inhibitor, GM6001, suggesting that a metalloproteinase was responsible for FcαR shedding. Overexpression of dominant-negative mutants of ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) 10 and ADAM17 markedly inhibited the production of sFcαR. Finally, knockdown of both endogenous ADAM10 and endogenous ADAM17 inhibited FcαR shedding, demonstrating that ADAM10 and ADAM17 were involved in the shedding of FcαR. The characterization of ADAM10 and ADAM17 as sFcαR-releasing enzymes provides a novel insight into the molecular mechanism of sFcαR production and will help in further elucidation of the physiological and pathological roles of sFcαR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is an essential electron carrier in the respiratory chain whose deficiency has been implicated in a wide variety of human mitochondrial disease manifestations. Its multi-step biosynthesis involves production of polyisoprenoid diphosphate in a reaction that requires the enzymes be encoded by PDSS1 and PDSS2. Homozygous mutations in either of these genes, in humans, lead to severe neuromuscular disease, with nephrotic syndrome seen in PDSS2 deficiency. We now show that a presumed autoimmune kidney disease in mice with the missense Pdss2kd/kd genotype can be attributed to a mitochondrial CoQ biosynthetic defect. Levels of CoQ9 and CoQ10 in kidney homogenates from B6.Pdss2kd/kd mutants were significantly lower than those in B6 control mice. Disease manifestations originate specifically in glomerular podocytes, as renal disease is seen in Podocin/cre,Pdss2loxP/loxP knockout mice but not in conditional knockouts targeted to renal tubular epithelium, monocytes, or hepatocytes. Liver-conditional B6.Alb/cre,Pdss2loxP/loxP knockout mice have no overt disease despite demonstration that their livers have undetectable CoQ9 levels, impaired respiratory capacity, and significantly altered intermediary metabolism as evidenced by transcriptional profiling and amino acid quantitation. These data suggest that disease manifestations of CoQ deficiency relate to tissue-specific respiratory capacity thresholds, with glomerular podocytes displaying the greatest sensitivity to Pdss2 impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal structure of the title compound, C20H23N3OS, is stabilized by intermolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The molecule contains a planar heterocyclic ring system, which forms a dihedral angle of 65.87 (1)° with the adjacent tolyl ring. The piperidinyl ring has a distored chair conformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C21H15FN4O2, the two fused rings of pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine form a dihedral angle of 2.91 (12)°. The fluorophenyl and phenyl rings are twisted with respect to the heterocyclic pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine system, making dihedral angles of 75.23 (12) and 46.11 (14)°, respectively. The crystal packing is mainly stabilized by C—H⋯O and C—H⋯F hydrogen bonds, and π-π interactions with interplanar distances of 3.315 (1) Å between adjacent pyrrole ring centroids and 3.300 (1) Å between pyrrole and pyrimidinone rings. The ethyl group is disordered over two positions; the site occupancies are 0.65 and 0.35. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FANCJ also called BACH1/BRIP1 was first linked to hereditary breast cancer through its direct interaction with BRCA1. FANCJ was also recently identified as a Fanconi anemia (FA) gene product, establishing FANCJ as an essential tumor suppressor. Similar to other FA cells, FANCJ-null (FA-J) cells accumulate 4N DNA content in response to DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). This accumulation is corrected by reintroduction of wild-type FANCJ. Here, we show that FANCJ interacts with the mismatch repair complex MutLα, composed of PMS2 and MLH1. Specifically, FANCJ directly interacts with MLH1 independent of BRCA1, through its helicase domain. Genetic studies reveal that FANCJ helicase activity and MLH1 binding, but not BRCA1 binding, are essential to correct the FA-J cells’ ICL-induced 4N DNA accumulation and sensitivity to ICLs. These results suggest that the FANCJ/MutLα interaction, but not FANCJ/BRCA1 interaction, is essential for establishment of a normal ICL-induced response. The functional role of the FANCJ/MutLα complex demonstrates a novel link between FA and MMR, and predicts a broader role for FANCJ in DNA damage signaling independent of BRCA1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the characteristics of time transfer using global positioning system (GPS)-smoothed P3 code and International GPS Service (IGS) precise ephemerides are studied. Recently, GPS P3 code has been used in International Atomic Time (TAI) computation as a substitute for GPS C/A code; however, this observation still has large variations when satellites are at low elevation angles. For acquiring more stable time comparison results, we adopt a carrier smoothing technique to reduce this noise. The IGS precise ephemerides are also used to reduce satellite orbital errors in order to obtain better results. To test our program for use in international time transfer, we processed GPS data between various laboratories using the smoothed P3 code and IGS ephemerides. We then compared these results to those obtained using unsmoothed P3 code and broadcast ephemerides. This test shows that using the smoothed P3 code and IGS ephemerides can reduce the uncertainty of GPS time comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutant prenyltransferase-like mitochondrial protein (PLMP) and mitochondrial abnormalities in kd/kd mice. Background. Mice that are homozygous for the kidney disease ( kd) mutation are apparently healthy for the first 8 weeks of life, but spontaneously develop a severe form of interstitial nephritis that progresses to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by 4 to 8 months of age. By testing for linkage to microsatellite markers, we previously localized the kd gene to a YAC/BAC contig. Methods. The sequence of the entire critical region was examined, and candidate genes were identified. These candidate genes were sequenced in both mutant ( kd/kd) mice and normal controls. The phenotype was further characterized by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Transgenic mice were constructed that carried the wild-type allele of the prime candidate gene, and this transgene was transferred to a kd/kd background by breeding. Results. We have obtained evidence that kd is a mutant allele of a novel gene for a prenyltransferase-like mitochondrial protein (PLMP). This gene is alternatively spliced, with the larger gene product having one domain that resembles transprenyltransferase and another that is similar to geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase. The smaller gene product includes only the first domain. An antiserum to PLMP localizes to mitochondria, and ultrastructural defects are present in the mitochondria of renal tubular epithelial cells, and to a lesser extent, hepatocytes and heart cells from kd/kd mice. In a line of kd/kd mice that carried the wild-type PLMP allele as a transgene, only 1 out of 13 animals expressed the disease by 120 days of age. Conclusion. The kd allele codes for a novel protein that localizes to the mitochondria, and the kd/kd mouse has dysmorphic mitochondria in the renal tubular epithelial cells. This mouse is therefore a unique animal model for studying mechanisms that lead to tubulointerstitial nephritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The near-infrared data of the quasar 3C273 are collected from available literature and are used to analyze its variability properties. The largest amplitudes of variations are ΔJ = 1.0, ΔH = 0.9, and ΔK = 0.86. The color indices are 〈 J − H 〉= 0.82, 〈 J − K 〉= 1.96, and 〈 H − K 〉= 1.13. Analysis with the discrete correlation function (DCF) method indicates that the variability between any two infrared bands is correlated without any time lag. The relation between the color index and brightness is also investigated and the result indicates that the spectrum steepens when the source first dims, while it flattens after the source has dimmed to a some extent, suggesting that the emission of 3C 273 at near-IR consists of at least two components. Some discussions are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

MXene-based electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding nanocomposites are promising candidates to ensure the stable operation of flexible and wearable electronic devices. However, it remains a considerable challenge to develop high-performance flexible polymer/MXene composites with excellent broadband EMI shielding efficiency and healing capability. Herein, we select waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and natural rubber (NR) as the polymer matrices to fabricate flexible and healable WPU/NR/MXene composite films by forming continuous honeycomb-like conductive network using the electrostatic repulsion interaction and vacuum-assisted filtration strategy. Consequently, the WPU/NR/MXene composite films of 339 μm thick achieve an average EMI shielding performance exceeding 76.1 dB in the wide frequency range of 8.2–40.0 GHz when the MXene content is only 5.48 vol%. Compared to the WPU/NR film, the composite films show 10.3 and 8.8 times increments in tensile strength and toughness, respectively. Furthermore, the composite films can elevate their surface temperature to >114 °C under 200 mW cm−2 near-infrared light irradiation within 3 min, which can activate the PU chain segments and the hydrogen bonds between MXene and WPU to afford an interesting healable capability. Therefore, the multifunctional composite film with rapid photothermal healing property can ultimately keep its mechanical and shielding performances, and greatly extend its practical application areas. We report the fabrication of flexible and healable MXene composite films by vacuum-assisted filtration strategy. It achieves a shielding performance above 76.1 dB within 8.2–40.0 GHz, and significantly improved tensile strength and toughness. Also, the combination of MXene and polyurethane grants the composite films with an excellent photothermal healing performance. [Display omitted] • An electrostatic repulsion strategy is proposed to prepare polymer/MXene composite films. • The honeycomb-like MXene network affords outstanding electrical conductivity. • The films exhibit excellent EMI shielding performances over broad frequency range. • The composite film shows an outstanding photothermal healing capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate high-fidelity multiple beam splitting in Hermitian and non-Hermitian (NH) symmetric coupled waveguides (WGs) with one input and 2  N output WG channels. In Hermitian systems, we realize adiabatically light splitting in resonant case based on the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage and arbitrary proportion from the middle WG to outer WGs in propagation coefficients mismatch case using shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA) technique. In NH systems with even WGs being dissipative, the compact and robust beam splitting can be achieved by eliminating the non-adiabatic coupling via the NH STA method. We further verify the feasibility of our theoretical predictions by means of the beam propagation method. The suggested multiple beam splitters open new opportunities for the realization of on-chip high-bandwidth photonics with high fidelity in short distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase change materials (PCMs) have triggered considerable attention as candidates for solar‐thermal energy conversion. However, their intrinsic low thermal conductivity prevents the rapid spreading of heat into the interior of the PCM, causing low efficiencies in energy storage/release. Herein, anisotropic and lightweight high‐quality graphene aerogels are developed by directionally freezing aqueous suspensions of polyamic acid salt and graphene oxide to form vertically aligned monoliths, followed by freeze‐drying, imidization at 300 °C and graphitization at 2800 °C. After impregnating with paraffin wax, the resultant phase change composite (PCC) exhibits a high transversal thermal conductivity of 2.68 W m−1 K−1 and an even higher longitudinal thermal conductivity of 8.87 W m−1 K−1 with an exceptional latent heat retention of 98.7%. When subjected to solar radiation, solar energy is converted to heat at the exposed surface of the PCC. As a result of the PCC's high thermal conductivity in the thickness direction, heat can spread readily into the interior of the PCC enabling a small temperature gradient of <3.0 K cm−1 and a fast charging feature. These results demonstrate the potential for real‐time and fast‐charging solar‐thermal energy conversion using phase change materials with tailored anisotropy in their thermal properties. Anisotropic and high‐quality graphene aerogels are fabricated by directional‐freezing of polyamic acid salt/graphene oxide slurries, followed by freeze‐drying, imidization, and graphitization. A phase change composite derived from the aerogel exhibits both high longitudinal thermal conductivity of ≈8.87 W m−1 K−1 and excellent latent heat retention of 98.7% with satisfactory stability, and is suitable for real‐time and fast solar‐thermal energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Lamellar-structured graphene aerogels with vertically aligned and closely stacked high-quality graphene lamellae are fabricated. The superior thermally conductive capacity of the aerogel endows epoxy with a high through-plane thermal conductivity of 20.0 W m−1 K−1 at 2.30 vol% of graphene content. The nacre-like structure endows the epoxy composite with enhanced fracture toughness. Although thermally conductive graphene sheets are efficient in enhancing in-plane thermal conductivities of polymers, the resulting nanocomposites usually exhibit low through-plane thermal conductivities, limiting their application as thermal interface materials. Herein, lamellar-structured polyamic acid salt/graphene oxide (PAAS/GO) hybrid aerogels are constructed by bidirectional freezing of PAAS/GO suspension followed by lyophilization. Subsequently, PAAS monomers are polymerized to polyimide (PI), while GO is converted to thermally reduced graphene oxide (RGO) during thermal annealing at 300 °C. Final graphitization at 2800 °C converts PI to graphitized carbon with the inductive effect of RGO, and simultaneously, RGO is thermally reduced and healed to high-quality graphene. Consequently, lamellar-structured graphene aerogels with superior through-plane thermal conduction capacity are fabricated for the first time, and its superior through-plane thermal conduction capacity results from its vertically aligned and closely stacked high-quality graphene lamellae. After vacuum-assisted impregnation with epoxy, the resultant epoxy composite with 2.30 vol% of graphene exhibits an outstanding through-plane thermal conductivity of as high as 20.0 W m−1 K−1, 100 times of that of epoxy, with a record-high specific thermal conductivity enhancement of 4310%. Furthermore, the lamellar-structured graphene aerogel endows epoxy with a high fracture toughness, ~ 1.71 times of that of epoxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible and dynamic adaptive conductive composite fibers are demanded for functional fabrics and wearable devices, yet the weak interfaces often impair the critical performances for complicated application scenarios. Here, a general and scalable strategy is proposed to construct robust and reversible wrinkle structures on regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) fiber with 2D nanomaterials (i.e., MXene, graphene) by wet‐spinning technique. The dynamic conformation transition of silk fibroin and the core‐shell modulus mismatching together are responsible for the formation of wrinkled structures. Then, it effectively optimizes the interfaces between the assembled nanomaterials and fiber substrate, which significantly reinforce the fibers, complete conductive pathways, and endow exceptional robustness and durability. The MXene‐based fiber shows a high conductivity of ≈1125 S cm−1, far superior tensile strength of 214.3 ± 6.8 MPa and toughness of 15.2 ± 1.5 MJ m−3 as compared to RSF fiber. More interestingly, the transformable wrinkled structure further modulates surface behaviors and properties of the fibers, such as the switchable shielding performances from “off‐state” to “on‐state” induced by humidity. Additionally, the integration of mechanical flexibility and outstanding capacitance (≈829 F cm−3) further expects the great promise of MXene‐based fibers for self‐powered wearable electronics, and intelligent fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) rechallenge in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study included 111 patients who had previously received ICI therapy and experienced disease progression. The primary endpoints assessed were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR). Our findings revealed that the ICI rechallenge showed promising results in improving patient outcomes. OS (r) is the time from rechallenging with immune checkpoint inhibitors to the last follow-up or death from any cause. The median OS (r) was 14.3 months (95% CI 11.3–17.3 months), with a median PFS (r) of 5.9 months (95% CI 4.1–7.7 months). The ORR was 17.1%; the DCR was 82.3%. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that patients without brain or liver metastases had a longer OS (r) compared to those with metastases (21.6 vs. 13.8 months, χ2 = 3.873, P = 0.046; 20.8 vs. 9.1 months, χ2 = 10.733, P = 0.001, respectively). Moreover, patients without driver gene mutations exhibited significantly longer OS than those with mutations or wild-type patients (22.9 vs. 16.1 vs. 7.5 months, χ2 = 10.710, P = 0.005). Notably, patients who switched to a different ICI during the rechallenge had shorter OS than those who did not change medications (10.4 vs. 21.1 months, χ2 = 9.014, P = 0.003). The incidence of immune-related adverse events did not significantly differ between the two treatment phases. These findings suggest that ICI rechallenge may be a viable therapeutic strategy for select NSCLC patients. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these results and guide treatment decisions for advanced NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking advantage of the major decision to implement cross-disciplinary enrollment and concentrated training in the 2021 academic year, Sun Yat-sen University has leveraged its National Demonstration Center for Experimental Chemistry Education to establish a high-standard and highly efficient public experimental teaching platform for first-year undergraduate students. A comprehensive management system has been developed, incorporating well-defined regulations and streamlined processes. This management system is framed by statutes and regulations, guided by standardized procedures, centered on laboratory safety, and focused on achieving high-quality experimental teaching. Furthermore, it integrates elements of ideological and political education and humanistic care within the laboratory setting. After nearly four semesters of continuous improvement, both experimental teaching and laboratory management have yielded significant results, providing new insights and approaches for future management of public experimental teaching and laboratory construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of low-cost, high-purity and high-performance porous carbon is of great significance for promoting the commercial application of supercapacitors. In this paper, porous carbon spheres (PCSs) with excellent electrochemical performance were obtained by carbonization and activation of starch gel spheres as precursor which is prepared by microemulsion process. The obtained PCSs exhibit both microporous and mesoporous structure, showing a large specific surface area of 1117.0 m2 g − 1 and exhibiting a high specific capacitance of 221.3 F g − 1 at a current density of 0.5 A g − 1 in aqueous electrolyte (and still displays capacity of 146.0 F g − 1 in ion liquid electrolyte). The PCSs//PCSs symmetric supercapacitor (SSC) based on aqueous electrolyte exhibits an energy density of 10.9 Wh kg − 1 at a power density of 300.0 W kg − 1 , whereas that based on ion liquid electrolyte achieves a high energy density of 29.0 Wh kg − 1 at 650.0 W kg − 1 . The study provides a new idea to develop low-cost, high-purity and high-performance porous carbon materials for supercapacitors. Porous carbon spheres (PCSs) were obtained by carbonization and activation of starch gel spheres as precursor which were prepared by microemulsion process. It demonstrates an ideal rate performance, superior cycling stability and high energy density in both aqueous and ion liquid electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass-based activated porous carbon (PC) with large porosity and high surface area has been considered as potential electrode material for supercapacitors. The spongy-like porous-activated carbon (SPAC) was prepared from millfeed by one-step carbonization/activation with KOH treatment. It shows three-dimensional (3D) spongy-like structure and high specific surface area (1535 m2 g − 1 ). The SPAC electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance (237.9 F g − 1 at a current density of 0.5 A g − 1 ) and a superior cycle stability (the capacitance retention of 95% after 10 000 cycles at 2 A g − 1 ) in 2 M KOH electrolyte, while the SPAC reveals a high specific capacitance of 157 F g − 1 at 0.5 A g − 1 , good electrochemical stability with 93% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles in ionic liquids. Furthermore, the specific capacitance of SPAC//SPAC supercapacitor reaches 82.1 F g − 1 at a current density of 0.5 A g − 1 and achieves a high capacitance retention of 75% when the charging current increases to 10 A g − 1 in 2 M KOH electrolyte. The SPAC//SPAC supercapacitor possesses a high specific capacitance of 29.6 F g − 1 at 0.5 A g − 1 and a preeminent energy density of 27.8 Wh kg − 1 (at a power density of 640 W kg − 1 ) in ionic liquids. This paper provides a convenient approach to synthesize low-cost biomass-based carbon material for supercapacitor applications. A spongy-link porous activated carbon (SPAC) was fabricated from millfeed in one-step carbonization/activation with in situ activation of the KOH method. The concentration of KOH plays a key role in the formation of porous structure under the experimental condition. The symmetrical SPAC/SPAC supercapacitor possesses excellent cycling stability and high energy density in KOH aqueous and ionic liquid electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel "one-stone, two birds" strategy was proposed for the first time by designing 3D cross-linked porous aerogel Bi/CTG hosts and spontaneously in-situ forming a rich-inorganic SEI layer simultaneously, achieving stable and reversible cycling as well as high energy density in anode-free K metal battery. [Display omitted] • A novel "one-stone, two birds" strategy was proposed to design current collector. • The host simultaneously restrain volume variation and form rich-inorganic SEI. • The spontaneous formation of in-situ SEI was clarified by the DFT calculation. • The Bi/CTG@Cu//PB anode-free battery delivers a high energy and power density. Potassium (K) metal batteries are very promising next generation electrochemical energy storage system due to the usage of K metal with low cost and high energy density. However, the practical application of K metal batteries and even anode-free K metal batteries are still confronting huge challenges owing to the formation of "dead K" resulting from the uncontrollable growth of K dendrite and the infinite volume variation, as well as the continuous consumption of electrolyte component during charge/discharge processes. Herein, a novel "one-stone, two birds" strategy was proposed for the first time by designing a three-dimensional (3D) potassiophilic current collector composed of"Bi nanoparticles modified Ti 3 C 2 /CNT/rGO cross-linked 3D porous aerogel hosts (marked as Bi/CTG)"and spontaneously in-situ forming a rich-inorganic SEI layer simultaneously. The modification of Bi nanoparticles could improve potassiophilicity of hosts and guide uniform K metal deposition. The 3D porous structure of Bi/CTG hosts could accommodate the deposited K metal to restrain serious volume variation during K plating/stripping process. Simultaneously, the spontaneous generation of KF and K 3 Bi between the deposited K metal and Bi/CTG could contribute SEI layer and improve the stability of SEI layer. The integrated merits are conductive to realize stable and reversible cycling of anode-free K metal battery. As a result, Bi/CTG@Cu//PB anode-free K metal battery delivers extraordinary energy density of 152.8 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 6110 W kg−1. This study paves the way to realize high energy density anode-free K metal battery through a simple "one-stone, two birds" strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To remedy the drawbacks of weak solar‐thermal conversion capability, low thermal conductivity, and poor structural stability of phase change materials, pyramidal graphitized chitosan/graphene aerogels (G‐CGAs) with numerous radially oriented layers are constructed, in which the long‐range radial alignment of graphene sheets is achieved by a novel directional‐freezing strategy. A G‐CGA/polyethylene glycol phase change composite exhibits a thermal conductivity of 2.90 W m−1 K−1 with a latent heat of 178.8 J g−1, and achieves a superior solar‐thermal energy conversion and storage efficiency of 90.4% and an attractive maximum temperature of 99.7 °C under a light intensity of 200 mW cm−2. Inspired by waterlilies, solar‐responsive phase change composites (SPCCs) are designed for the first time by assembling the G‐CGA/polyethylene glycol phase change composites with solar‐driven bilayer films, which bloom by day and close by night. The heat preservation effect of the solar‐driven films leads to a higher temperature of SPCC for a longer period at night. The SPCC‐based solar–thermal–electric generator achieves output voltages of 499.2 and 1034.9 mV under light intensities of 200 and 500 mW cm−2, respectively. Even after stopping the solar irradiation, the voltage output still occurs because of the latent heat release and the heat preservation of the films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although graphene aerogels have great potentials in preparing heat dissipation composites on the basis of their continuous thermally conducting networks, their low density and isotropic architecture hinder further improvement of the thermal conductivity of their composites. Herein, highly anisotropic graphene/boron nitride (BN) hybrid aerogels with a long-range ordered architecture and moderate density are prepared for the first time by hydrothermally treating the suspension of graphene oxide sheets and BN nanoplatelets, air-drying the resultant hydrogels, and thermally annealing the highly anisotropic aerogels at 2000 °C. During the hydrothermal treatment, the chemically reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets are self-assembled into the highly anisotropic and long-range ordered network, while the BN nanoplatelets are distributed between the aligned RGO sheets to prevent the excessive volume shrinkage of the aerogel and retain its anisotropic porous structure with high porosity during the air-drying. Furthermore, the RGO/BN hybrid aerogel is thermally annealed at 2000 °C to fully remove the residual oxygen-containing groups and heal the defects on its RGO component. The thermally annealed hybrid aerogel is highly efficient in enhancing the thermal conductivity of epoxy resin, and the resultant composite exhibits an ultrahigh through-plane thermal conductivity of 11.01 W/(mK) with an excellent thermal conductivity enhancement of 277%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) presents an excellent thermal conductivity and the outstanding insulating property for electronic packaging. However, a traditional method can enhance the thermal conductivity of the composites by melt mixing fillers and polymers usually leading to composites with limited thermal conductivity. Here, BN@PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) core-shell structure particles and their composites with the 3D segregated architecture are presented. The composite achieves a high thermal conductivity of 4.15 W/mK containing 40 vol% BN, which is 16 times higher than that of PPS resin of ∼0.25 W/mK and 1.69 times higher than that PPS/BN blend composite with at the same BN loading of 2.45 W/mK. The outstanding thermally conductive property of segregated architecture PPS/BN composite is attributed to the formation of BN flakes networks in the PPS matrices, which can provide effective thermal conductive pathway. This segregated architecture composite is an optimal material for insulating electronic packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxic exposure results in the vascular dysfunction and reduction of vasomotor responses and thus disrupts or reduces blood flow in the resistance arteries. Connexin (Cx)-mediated gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) serves a critical role in the regulation of vasomotor tone and the synchronized contraction of arteries, however whether the adverse effect of hypoxia on vasomotor responses in vascular smooth muscle layer of resistance arteries is involved in changes in the GJIC and the expression of Cx43 and Cx45 remains to be elucidated. Pressure myography, whole-cell patch clamp and western blot analysis were used to investigate the differences in expression and function of gap junction (GJ) in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of the mesenteric resistance artery (MRA) from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats in normoxia and acute hypoxia groups. In the present study, whole-cell patch clamp measurements demonstrated a significant reduction in the membrane capacitance and conductance in the VSMCs of the MRAs in the acute hypoxia (5 min) group (n=13) compared with the normoxia group (n=13), which suggested that exposure to acute hypoxia of 5 min decreased the coupling of the GJ between the VSMCs of MRAs in SD rats. Pressure myographic analysis demonstrated that 0.1-100 µM phenylephrine (PE)-induced MRA vasoconstriction was less sensitive under the acute hypoxic condition (n=7) compared with the normoxia condition (n=9) following treatment with 100 µM 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate for 20 min. Compared with SD rats under normoxia, the PE-initiated vasoconstrictive frequency and amplitude under acute hypoxia for 20, 40 and 60 min in the MRAs of SD rats was markedly attenuated (n=7). The results of western blot analysis indicated that the expression levels of Cx43 and Cx45 in MRA under acute hypoxia (1 h) were lower compared with normoxia. Cx43-and Cx45-mediated GJs serve a significant role in the regulation of the vasomotor function of MRA during hypoxia and may be essential for the adjustment of vasomotor tone in response to acute hypoxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Fundamental principles for designing high-performance thermally conductive graphene-based polymer composites are reviewed in detail. The reasoning behind using the preconstructed graphene 3D networks for fabricating thermally conductive composites and recent progress are discussed in-depth. Insight into the existing bottlenecks and opportunities in developing preconstructed 3D networks of graphene and their thermally conductive composites is also presented.Electronic devices generate heat during operation and require efficient thermal management to extend the lifetime and prevent performance degradation. Featured by its exceptional thermal conductivity, graphene is an ideal functional filler for fabricating thermally conductive polymer composites to provide efficient thermal management. Extensive studies have been focusing on constructing graphene networks in polymer composites to achieve high thermal conductivities. Compared with conventional composite fabrications by directly mixing graphene with polymers, preconstruction of three-dimensional graphene networks followed by backfilling polymers represents a promising way to produce composites with higher performances, enabling high manufacturing flexibility and controllability. In this review, we first summarize the factors that affect thermal conductivity of graphene composites and strategies for fabricating highly thermally conductive graphene/polymer composites. Subsequently, we give the reasoning behind using preconstructed three-dimensional graphene networks for fabricating thermally conductive polymer composites and highlight their potential applications. Finally, our insight into the existing bottlenecks and opportunities is provided for developing preconstructed porous architectures of graphene and their thermally conductive composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the structures of known transition metal compounds, the phase stabilities and mechanical properties of iridium nitride (IrN) in nine structures are explored by using ab initio calculations. The calculation results show that MnP-structured IrN (MnP—IrN) is not only the most energetically stable, but also mechanically and dynamically stable at the ground state. The hardness is estimated to be 12 GPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mTORC1 pathway coordinates nutrient and growth factor signals to maintain organismal homeostasis. Whether nutrient signaling to mTORC1 regulates stem cell function remains unknown. Here, we show that SZT2 - a protein required for mTORC1 downregulation upon nutrient deprivation - is critical for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homeostasis. Ablation of SZT2 in HSCs decreased the reserve and impaired the repopulating capacity of HSCs. Furthermore, ablation of both SZT2 and TSC1 - 2 repressors of mTORC1 on the nutrient and growth factor arms, respectively - led to rapid HSC depletion, pancytopenia, and premature death of the mice. Mechanistically, loss of either SZT2 or TSC1 in HSCs led to only mild elevation of mTORC1 activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Loss of both SZT2 and TSC1, on the other hand, simultaneously produced a dramatic synergistic effect, with an approximately 10-fold increase of mTORC1 activity and approximately 100-fold increase of ROS production, which rapidly depleted HSCs. These data demonstrate a critical role of nutrient mTORC1 signaling in HSC homeostasis and uncover a strong synergistic effect between nutrient- and growth factor-mediated mTORC1 regulation in stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With feature size of device scaled down 45 nm technological node and beyond, the backend of the line (BEOL) faces too many problems such as resistance–capacitance (RC) delay, crosstalk noise, and power consumption. In order to improve RC delay, the SiCN dielectric constant had to further decrease through introducing C 2 H 4 gas to increase its carbon content. The SiCN kI ( k ~ 5.3) and SiCN kII ( k ~ 3.8) were characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometer, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry–hydrogen forward scattering (RBS–HFS), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), Hg probe, four point bending (4-PB) test, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results indicated that the hardness and modulus and density of the SiCN kII were lower than that of the SiCN kI . RBS–HFS and FTIR examination indicated that SiCN kII barrier film had high carbon content and terminating CH 3 group to cause low cross-linking and density of dielectric films resulting in large volume. 4-PB test combined with transmission electron microscope (TEM) examination demonstrated that the crack occurred in the interface between SiCN kII film/SiCN kI bilayer barrier film and low k film. After adding SiCNkI barrier film, no crack was found using SiCN kI /SiCN kII film/SiCN kI tri-layer barrier film. In addition, the capacitance and RC reduction ratios were improved to about 7–8% using the SiCN kII /SiCN kI bilayer barrier film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]