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The article focuses on enhancing Cross-domain Named Entity Recognition (NER) by recognizing the discrepant transferability between entity detection and type prediction tasks. It introduces a novel paradigm called divide-and-transfer, employing separate functional modules for each task to improve domain transfer effectiveness.

Oxpecker, the homolog of Rhino/HP1D, exclusively expressed in Drosophila ovaries, belongs to the Heterochromatin Protein 1 family, as does Rhino. Rhi recognizes piRNA clusters enriched with the heterochromatin marker H3K9me3 via its N-terminal chromodomain and recruits Deadlock via its C-terminal chromoshadow domain, further recruits Moonshiner, a paralog of the TATA box-binding protein-related factor 2 large subunits, to promote transcription of piRNA precursors, thereby protecting the genome. Despite Oxp possessing only the chromodomain, its loss leads to the upregulation of transposons in the female germline. In this study, we solved the crystal structure of the Oxp chromodomain in complex with the histone H3K9me3 peptide. As the Oxp chromodomain dimerizes, two H3K9me3 peptides bind to the Oxp chromodomain in an antiparallel manner. ITC experiments and site-directed mutagenesis experiments showed that E44 determines Oxp's five-fold stronger binding ability to H3K9me3 than that of Rhi. In addition, we found that Oxp and Rhi can form a heterodimer, which may shed light on the molecular mechanism by which Oxp regulates transposon silencing in the absence of CSD. • Oxp CD prefers to bind H3K9me3. • Crystal structure of Oxp CD in complex with H3K9me3. • Oxp CD exists as a dimer in crystal and in solution. • E44 is key residue in recognition of H3K9me3. • Oxp CD and Rhi CD can form heterodimer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2015, China began to promote eco-sustainability in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through not only vision statements but also specific guidelines and governance initiatives. What has driven these policy changes? Bringing together theories of norm localization, norm subsidiarity, and policy deliberation, we argue that China's move toward green BRI began as a norm localization process where environmental norms emerged in the open policy space created by China's top leaders carrying the ambition to make the BRI a new global governance model. After adopting a broad norm on environmental stewardship, state bureaucracies found opportunities to create procedural and operational rules. A novel procedural rule-making methodology emphasizing inclusive dialogue with host countries has emerged, driven by top leaders' pursuit of international leadership and preexisting local norms guiding South–South cooperation. With operational rules, different actors follow their preferences to localize existing international standards or develop new ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keratins are one of the major components of cytoskeletal network and assemble into fibrous structures named intermediate filaments (IFs), which are important for maintaining the mechanical properties of cells and tissues. Over the past decades, evidence has shown that the functions of keratins go beyond providing mechanical support for cells, they interact with multiple cellular components and are widely involved in the pathways of cell proliferation, differentiation, motility and death. However, the structural details of keratins and IFs are largely missing and many questions remain regarding the mechanisms of keratin assembly and recognition. Here we briefly review the current structural models and assembly of keratins as well as the interactions of keratins with the binding partners, which may provide a structural view for understanding the mechanisms of keratins in the biological activities and the related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes an analytical framework on China's engagement with international ideas that stresses the crucial role of Chinese bureaucracies' deliberation. It argues that bureaucratic deliberation is influenced by three factors: orthodox bureaucratic norms, candidate ideas' performance in policy experimentation, and bureaucratic interests. When orthodox norms decline, bureaucracies become more open to novel ideas. But only when policy experiments with a novel idea generate positive performance and when the new policy fits bureaucratic interests, can the idea be adopted. China's adoption of Carbon Emissions Trading (ET) was influenced by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the deliberation within which was influenced by the change of China's defensive position in climate governance, the unsatisfactory performance of command-and-control measures, and the NDRC's political interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zero-valent metal (ZVMs)-based persulfate activation systems are extensively applied for the elimination of organic pollutants in aqueous environments. In this study, for the first time, zero-valent copper (ZVC) was employed as the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator for the efficient degradation of Orange G (OG). The physicochemical properties of ZVC were systematically characterized by FESEM, EDX, TEM, XRD and XPS measurements. Furthermore, the effects of catalyst loading, PMS dosage, OG concentration and inorganic anions on the ZVC/PMS system were, respectively, investigated and explicated. The formation of •OH and SO4•− in the system was verified by quenching experiments and then the possible reaction mechanism was proposed. This work can provide insight into water treatment technology based on ZVMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel as-cast magnesium-strontium (Mg- x Sr, x = 0.2, 1.0 and 2.0 wt.%) anodes for Mg-Air cells are systematically investigated by microstructure characterization, self-discharge experiments, electrochemical techniques and discharge tests. With Sr added in magnesium alloy, granular and strip Mg 17 Sr 2 -phases precipitate at grain interior and boundaries, respectively. Mg 17 Sr 2 -phase acts as a weak anode with α-Mg in micro-galvanic couple, promoting the formation of initial discharge sites; meanwhile, Sr element modifies the composition and morphology of passivation film and discharge products. However, with Sr content increasing, continuously distributed coarse-second-phases produce stronger micro-galvanic corrosion effect and priority discharge at grain boundaries, enhancing the parasitical self-discharge hydrogen evolution rate (HER) and "Chunk effect" (CE). Mg-0.2Sr exhibits the highest anodic efficiency of 60.18 % and specific capacity of 1342.28 mA h g−1 at 20 mA cm−2, which is attributed to the even distribution of fine Mg 17 Sr 2 and the uniform dissolution of α-Mg matrix. Therefore, Sr is an optional micro-alloying element for improving discharge performance of Mg-anode for Mg-Air cells. • Mg 17 Sr 2 -phase acts as a weak anode in the micro-galvanic couple of α-Mg/Mg 17 Sr 2. • Smoother and easily cracked discharge product layers due to Sr addition. • Low Sr content favors uniform dissolution of matrix and inhibits hydrogen evolution. • Mg-0.2Sr shows a peak anodic efficiency of 60.18 % at 20 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's approach to International Development Cooperation (IDC) has been one of continuous evolution. The 2000s version of Chinese IDC applied a request-/project-centrism methodology, focused on the infrastructure sector, and mixed aid with business. Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the methodological dimension of the existing IDC model has changed by virtue of a growing emphasis on top-level design, sectoral programmes, and high standards for project implementation. How to explain these changes? Different from the conventional material-functionalist approaches, this article attributes the development of China's IDC to cognitive evolution—an intra-community collective learning mechanism that drives changes in norms and practices. Cognitive evolution consists of the following three interconnected processes: uncertainty build-up; experimentation; and selection. Three factors that may shape the trajectories of cognitive evolution are as follows: the legacy of orthodox norms; the availability of transferable local ideas; and the communal interpretation of candidate ideas' performance. The IDC model of the 2000s was constructed based on critical reflections on the internationalist foreign aid model of the Mao era and on the IDC policy community's interpretation and transplantation of China's development experience. The methodology of this IDC model—request-/project-centrism—has come under new pressure for change due to the BRI's ambition to engender more substantial and sustainable developmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional nanolayers have found increasingly widespread applications in modern flexible electronic devices. Their adhesion with neighbouring layers can significantly affect the mechanical stability and the reliability of those devices. However, the measurement of such adhesion has been a great challenge. In this work, we develop a new and simple methodology to measure the interfacial adhesion between a mica nanolayer (MNL) and a single-layer graphene (SLG) supported by a SiO2 substrate. The method is based on the well-known Obreimoff method but integrated with innovative nanomanipulation and profile measuring approaches. Our study shows that the adhesion energy of MNLs on the SLG/SiO2 substrate system is considerably lower than that on the SiO2 substrate alone. Quantitative analyses reveal that the wrinkles formed on the SLG can considerably lower the adhesion. This outcome is of technological value as the adhesion maybe tailored by controlling the wrinkle formation in the graphene layer in a flexible electronic device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chopped basalt fibre (BF)-reinforced silicone rubber/fluorine rubber composites were investigated to improve their mechanical and thermal properties, in which the blend of silicone rubber (MVQ) and fluorine rubber (FKM) was used as a matrix of the composites, the BF was used as a reinforcement, and the coupling agents of KH550 (3-amino propyltriethoxysilane), KH590 (3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane) and Si69 (bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulfane) were used as the compatibiliser. The effect of length and content of the BF, and the type of coupling agent on the mechanical properties of composites were discussed. The results confirm that the mechanical and thermal properties of the KH590-BF/MVQ/FKM composites were optimal when the BF was 7 phr (parts per hundred rubber) with a length of 12 mm, and treated with coupling agent KH590 of 2.0 phr. Further compatibility between the BF and MVQ/FKM was optimum. The glass transition temperature (Tg) reduced from − 19.2 °C to − 28.0 °C, while the application range of KH590-BF/MVQ/FKM composites was widened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of retained species during the whole methanol-to-olefins process was revealed with the aid of GC-MS, thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Precise routes for the transformation of retained methylbenzenes to methylnaphthalenes were proposed, based on the direct capture of three possible organic intermediates, to explain the catalyst deactivation procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) is a member of the mannose receptor family. Recent evidence shows that PLA2R is a major autoantigen causing idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), which is an autoimmune disease and one of the most common causes for nephrotic syndrome in adults. The epitope mapping data suggest that the major epitopes of PLA2R locate at the CysR, CTLD1 and CTLD7 domains. However, due to the lack of the high-resolution structural information, it is unclear how the autoantibodies interact with PLA2R. Here we determine the crystal structure of the CTLD7 domain of PLA2R at 1.8 Å, showing that it adopts a typical CTLD fold, and the structural alignments also provide hints for the potential antibody binding regions. In addition, the high-resolution structural information of CTLD7 could be applied to identify the epitopes for autoantibodies, which would facilitate the therapeutic strategies against IMN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a member of Hepacivirus and belongs to the family of Flaviviridae. HCV infects millions of people worldwide and may lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV envelope proteins, E1 and E2, play critical roles in viral cell entry and act as major epitopes for neutralizing antibodies. However, unlike other known flaviviruses, it has been challenging to study HCV envelope proteins E1E2 in the past decades as the in vitro expressed E1E2 heterodimers are usually of poor quality, making the structural and functional characterization difficult. Here we express the ectodomains of HCV E1E2 heterodimer with either an Fc-tag or a de novo designed heterodimeric tag and are able to isolate soluble E1E2 heterodimer suitable for functional and structural studies. Then we characterize the E1E2 heterodimer by electron microscopy and model the structure by the coevolution based modeling strategy with Rosetta, revealing the potential interactions between E1 and E2. Moreover, the E1E2 heterodimer is applied to examine the interactions with the known HCV receptors, neutralizing antibodies as well as the inhibition of HCV infection, confirming the functionality of the E1E2 heterodimer and the binding profiles of E1E2 with the cellular receptors. Therefore, the expressed E1E2 heterodimer would be a valuable target for both viral studies and vaccination against HCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The morphology of PLA microspheres could be varied through the formation of PLA stereocomplex. • By simply changing the ratio of PLLA and PDLA in solution, the porosity of the microspheres could be varied. • The drug release rate of the PLLA/PDLA microspheres can be easily tuned from slow to fast with slight initial burst. Abstract The applications of Polylactide (PLA) microspheres in biomedical areas are greatly determined by the size, morphology and internal structure. Taking advantage of the formation of stereocomplex (SC) crystallites between poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA), we propose a facile strategy to prepare PLA microspheres with tunable morphology and crystalline structure by compounding PLLA and PDLA. With increasing PDLA content, the crystallinity of SC-PLA rose gradually until the ratio of PLLA and PDLA reached 1:1 and then fell. Correspondingly, the morphology of the microspheres were varied (smooth, porous, golf-ball like, guava like) and higher crystallinity of SC-PLA would lead to a more coarse and porous structure. Finally, three typical kinds of Rifampicin-loaded microspheres with different ratio of PLLA and PDLA (7:3, 3:7, 10:0, sorted by porosity from high to low) were prepared and the release behavior was compared. At 30 h, the cumulative release of 7:3, 3:7 and 10:0 microspheres were 32.6%, 17.8% and 6.0% respectively, indicating that the release profiles were generally determined by the porosity of the microspheres. Our findings not only provide a new strategy to prepare PLA microspheres with controllable morphology but offer additional possibilities for the applications of SC-PLA products in biomedical area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three Mg–1Ca–1Zn (wt.%) alloy anodes with distinct microstructure characteristics (As-cast, water-cooled (WC) and furnace-cooled (FC)) are prepared by casting and homogenization treatment followed by different cooling methods. The relationship between microstructure and discharge behavior is systematically investigated. Due to the severe self-corrosion and discharge products adhesion caused by the formation of a large number of micro-galvanic couples, the As-cast anode shows the worst discharge performance. After homogenization treatment, the FC anode possesses an increased peak anodic efficiency of 56.6% and discharge capacity of 1250.11 mAh g−1 at 10 mA cm−2, however, the "chunk effect" induced by the linkage of discharge channels at the triple line boundary restricts cell efficiency. The WC anode exhibits the highest cell voltage at all discharge current densities, which is attributed to the high electrochemical activity and easily exfoliated discharge product layers. A novel discharge mechanism of the linear dissolution of α-Mg across grain boundaries results in uniform dissolution of the anode matrix, mitigative hydrogen evolution and smooth discharge pits. The WC anode exhibits the highest anodic efficiency of 62.9% and specific capacity of 1388.9 mA h g−1 at 10 mA cm−2, making it a promising anode material for Mg-air cells. • A novel mechanism of α-Mg linear discharge across grain boundaries. • Effect of synergy and interaction between two second-phases on discharge behavior. • Three distinct discharge mechanisms are clarified. • The WC (water-cooling state) anode shows superior anodic efficiency of 62.9%. • Loose discharge products stabilize the cell voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a traditional general plastic, polypropylene (PP) has been widely used in daily life. Glass fibers are often used to further reinforce the properties of PP for its application in engineering area. However, there are still some drawbacks existing for glass fibers filled polypropylene composites, such as high filler content, easy fracture of glass fibers and damage to the machines during processing. Therefore, organic fibers are considered as an ideal candidate to replace glass fibers. In this work, short Kevlar fibers (KFs) modified by ball milling in phosphoric acid and surface hydrolyzation were introduced to PP matrix to improve the interfacial interaction and mechanical properties. It is found that KFs were exfoliated into several flaky microfibers and then broken into pieces during the ball milling process. With the aid of phosphoric acid, the KFs can be split further thereby increasing specific surface area greatly. Then the original and milled KFs were hydrolyzed by NaOH aqueous solution in order to introduce OH group on the surface of KFs. The dispersion and mechanical properties of PP reinforced with various KFs, including original, ball milled, and hydrolyzed, were investigated and compared. It was found that the combination of ball milling in phosphoric acid and surface hydrolyzation is the most effective way for enhancement of interfacial reaction and mechanical properties. Adding 10 wt. % of KFs could lead to an increase of tensile strength of PP from 30 MPa to 47 MPa, which only can be achieved by adding at least of 25 wt. % of glass fibers. The tensile test shows that hydrolyze of KFs surface are a more important factor to promote the interfacial interaction between fibers and matrix. Our work demonstrates that PP can be enhanced efficiently by the introduction of hydrolyzed and microfibrillated KFs. Although KFs are expensive compared with glass fiber at this moment, their high reinforcement efficiency and toughness could make them competitive as reinforcing filler for the preparation of advanced polymer composites with excellent mechanical and processing properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coseismic faulting may activate complicated physicochemical processes in the fault zone through both mechanical deformation and frictional heating. While plenty of work emphasizes the great importance of thermal effects on dynamic fault weakening, less attention has been paid to the mechanochemical effects. We study the effects of mechanochemical changes of chlorite on its dynamic weakening process via low- and high-velocity friction experiments, simultaneous thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, microstructural observation, and numerical modeling in this work. With higher degrees of deformation, the experimentally sheared chlorite samples generally show more pronounced reductions in the onset temperature of thermal decomposition (T d 0 ; from 561 °C to 189 °C in the extreme case) and more striking increases in the reaction rate. The exponential-decay formula can well describe the relation between T d 0 and the mechanical work (integral of shear stress with respect to displacement) in the shear deformation. Moreover, the presence of pore water and the variation in chlorite content could significantly affect the mechanochemical changes of the sheared chlorite-bearing samples. Taking the markedly lowered T d 0 as the characteristic temperature leading to thermal softening of asperity contacts, numerical modeling shows that flash weakening of chlorite-rich samples can be significantly promoted, dwarfing the thermochemical pressurization that is also enhanced by mechanochemical effects though. This is largely supported by high-velocity experiments (∼m/s) performed on the pre-deformed chlorite samples, which show both lower peak friction and fracture energy, and earlier activation of dynamic weakening. Clearly, shear deformation plays a key role in aiding thermally-activated mechanisms in weakening faults and facilitating rupture propagation during earthquakes. • Shear deformation markedly reduces thermal decomposition temperature of chlorite. • Pre-deformed chlorite shows lower fracture energy and quicker dynamic weakening. • Shear deformation may significantly promote flash weakening in clay-rich faults. • Shear-enhanced thermochemical pressurization aids dynamic fault weakening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are principally two mechanisms to improve the impact resistance of polymer-based composites, intrinsic toughening and extrinsic toughening. But the interplay between them is far from being well understood. Here, glass fiber was incorporated into polypropylene to promote extrinsic toughening mechanism, while addition of elastomer and annealing were adopted for intrinsic toughening. In this way, the interaction among glass fiber, elastomer and annealing could be discussed based on various characterizations, and their combined effect on mechanical properties of the composites could be determined. The results show that the intrinsic toughening mechanism of elastomer will be suppressed by glass fiber irrespective of the support of annealing, though annealing could work synergistically with glass fiber to toughen polypropylene. The possible structure-property relations are discussed. This work will provide deeper insight into the toughening behavior of polymer composites and practical guidance for the design of composites with excellent stiffness-toughness balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel is one of the most commonly used catalysts for the growth of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Nevertheless, the chemical state of nickel catalyst, which may be metallic nickel (Ni), nickel subcarbide (Ni 3 C 1-x ) and nickel carbide (Ni 3 C) during the growth process of CNFs, remains a longstanding issue. We report here the catalytic growth of CNFs by CVD at temperatures ranged from 300 to 600 °C. It is demonstrated that the nickel catalyst has different chemical states during the catalytic growth, including Ni 3 C at 300 °C, composite Ni–Ni 3 C 1-x from 400 to 500 °C and metallic Ni at 600 °C, which is clearly dependent on the growth temperature. Our findings reconcile the longstanding debate on the contradictory models (i.e. Ni-assisted growth, Ni 3 C 1-x -assisted growth and Ni 3 C-assisted growth) for the catalytic growth CNFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a novel thermoplastic elastomer, olefin block copolymers (OBCs) show a tremendous application potential in many areas. However, the practical use of OBCs is mainly restricted to the low load-bearing environments because of its poor low-strain mechanical strength and stiffness. In this work, short Kevlar fiber was introduced into OBC matrix to improve its mechanical properties. The results show that introduction of pristine Kevlar fiber only gives rise to a slight increase in tensile strength of OBC owing to the poor interfacial strength, regardless of the presence of compatibilizer maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MA-g-PP). However, a largely enhanced tensile strength can be easily obtained when hydrolyzed or polydopamine-coated Kevlar fiber was incorporated into the OBC matrix using the MA-g-PP as the reactive compatibilizer. More importantly, the tensile strength can be further enhanced with the orientation of Kevlar fiber in the composites. As compared with compression molded composites with randomly orientated fibers, injection molded composites with highly oriented fibers exhibit a significantly higher tensile strength at the same composition. Moreover, it is interesting to observe that Kevlar fiber can be easily exfoliated into several microfibers during melt-mixing with OBC, but the exfoliation has no evident effect on the reinforcement effect possibly because of the poor interfacial strength between the newly-formed microfibers and the OBC matrix. Our work demonstrates that mechanical performance of short fiber reinforced elastomer composites could be significantly improved by enhancing interfacial strength and fiber orientation using a facile surface modification strategy and conventional melt-processing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is an important mechanism by which tumour cells resist stressful environments and maintain malignant proliferation. However, the mechanism by which the PPP regulates these processes in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains elusive. Methods: Closely related PPP genes were obtained from the TCGA and GEO databases. The effect of ATP13A2 on CRC cell proliferation was evaluated by performing in vitro assays. The connection between the PPP and ATP13A2 was explored by assessing proliferation and antioxidative stress. The molecular mechanism by which ATP13A2 regulates the PPP was investigated using chromatin immunoprecipitation and dual luciferase experiments. The clinical therapeutic potential of ATP13A2 was explored using patient‐derived xenograft (PDX), patient‐derived organoid (PDO) and AOM/DSS models. Findings: We identified ATP13A2 as a novel PPP‐related gene. ATP13A2 deficiency inhibited CRC growth and PPP activity, as manifested by a decrease in the levels of PPP products and an increase in reactive oxygen species levels, whereas ATP13A2 overexpression induced the opposite effect. Mechanistically, ATP13A2 regulated the PPP mainly by affecting phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD) mRNA expression. Subsequent studies showed that ATP13A2 overexpression promoted TFEB nuclear localization by inhibiting the phosphorylation of TFEB, thereby enhancing the transcription of PGD and ultimately affecting the activity of the PPP. Finally, ATP13A2 knockdown inhibited CRC growth in PDO and PDX models. ATP13A2−/− mice had a lower CRC growth capacity than ATP13A2+/+ in the AOM/DSS model.Our findings revealed that ATP13A2 overexpression‐driven dephosphorylation of TFEB promotes PPP activation by increasing PGD transcription, suggesting that ATP13A2 may serve as a potential target for CRC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper-carbon core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized on a large scale by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition using copper (II) acetylacetonate as precursor. It was shown that the thickness of carbon shell and the diameter of copper cores could be easily tuned from 1.5 to 7.9 nm and from 15 to 21 nm, respectively, by controlling the reaction temperature and the flow of carrier gas in the synthesis process. The ultraviolet-visible absorption and fluorescence spectral analyses demonstrated that the thickness and crystallinity of the carbon shells had a significant effect on the surface-plasmon resonance band and the fluorescence emission properties of the copper nanocores, which suggested that the carbon shells could remarkably change the surface electronic states of the copper cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High temperature resistant re-crosslinkable preformed particle gel (HT-RPPG) can form a rubber-like bulky material after placement and reduce the water production. • HT-RPPG has kept thermostable at 100 to 130 ˚C for over 10 months. • A breakthrough pressure of 427 psi/ft was reached during the blocking performance test in the void-space conduit (VSC) model. Gel treatment has been widely applied to control conformance for improving oil recovery and control water production in mature oil fields. However, most of the hydrogel systems are limited when being applied in the harsh environments of high temperatures. A systematic evaluation was conducted in this study to evaluate a modified PPG product, the high temperature resistant re-crosslinkable preformed particle gel (HT-RPPG) which can re-crosslink to form a bulky material and keep thermostable in the large-opening features after placement. This material was developed to overcome the limitations of conventional PPGs in the reservoirs with large- opening features such as open fractures, void conduits, wormholes, and so on. The HT-RPPG can swell up to 18 times of its original size at room temperature (23˚C), and the swelling ratio is independent of brine concentration and types. We conducted a series of experiments to evaluate the effect of particle size, temperatures, swelling ratios, brine types on re-crosslinking time, as well as the gel strength, blocking performance and thermostability after re-crosslinking. Smaller particle sizes result in the HT-RPPGs swell and re-crosslink much faster. Higher temperatures increase the swelling and re-crosslinking rate, while the larger swelling ratios (more feeding brine) can slow down the re-crosslinking time. HT-RPPG re-crosslinking process can be delayed when the particles contact with Ca2+. Additionally, the re-crosslinking of HT-RPPG is a temperature-responsive reaction which can only start after reaching the target temperature of 100 °C or above. The HT-RPPG has kept its volume and strength stable at 100 to 130 °C for over 10 months so far. A blocking performance test was conducted by using the tubing model to simulate void-space conduit (VSC), and breakthrough pressure reached to 427 psi/ft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The expression of a variety of microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes in gastric cancer is dysregulated and affects the progression of gastric cancer but has not been fully clarified, while bioinformatics is expected to become a method to reveal the relationship and function between them. Thus, through a variety of bioinformatics analyses and experiments, we confirmed that miR-137-3p played a tumor-suppressive role in gastric cancer, and its target gene COL5A1 could reversely sponge miR-137-3p to relieve its targeted inhibition of FSTL1, which may promote the progression of gastric cancer by affecting immune infiltration. These results may provide new ideas for the treatment and future research of gastric cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes have been shown to play an important role in gastric cancer but have not been fully clarified. Therefore, our goal was to identify the key miRNA–mRNA regulatory network in gastric cancer by utilizing a variety of bioinformatics analyses and experiments. A total of 242 miRNAs and 1080 genes were screened from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), respectively. Then, survival-related differentially expressed miRNAs and their differentially expressed target genes were screened. Twenty hub genes were identified from their protein–protein interaction network. After weighted gene co-expression network analysis was conducted, we selected miR-137-3p and its target gene, COL5A1, for further research. We found that miR-137-3p was significantly downregulated and that overexpression of miR-137-3p suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration of gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, we found that its target gene, COL5A1, could regulate the expression of another hub gene, FSTL1, by sponging miR-137-3p, which was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assays. Knockdown of COL5A1 inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of gastric cancer cells, which could be rescued by the miR-137-3p inhibitor or overexpression of FSTL1. Ultimately, bioinformatics analyses showed that the expression of FSTL1 was highly correlated with immune infiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the 1 s 2 s 1 , 3 S states of the two-electron three-dimensional quantum dot with a Gaussian one-body potential, - V 0 exp (- λ r 2) . For a single electron, a simple scaling relation allows the reduction into a one-parameter problem in terms of V 0 λ . However, for the two-electron system, the interelectronic repulsion term, 1 r 12 , frustrates this simple scaling transformation, so we face a genuine two-parameter system. We pay particular attention to the location and nature of the critical well-depths, at which the binding energy of the second electron vanishes. Several observations are noteworthy: For all λ , the triplet critical well-depth is lower than that in the singly excited singlet state. Hence, there exists a finite range of well-depths for which the triplet is bound and the singlet is not, a feature that can possibly be applied in some device. Above its critical well-depth, the triplet state energy is always lower than that of the singly excited singlet. Both well-depths are considerably higher than the critical well-depth in the ground state. The expectation value of the interelectronic repulsion is always lower in the triplet, like the harmonic quantum dot but unlike He-like atoms, the two-particle Debye (Yukawa) atom, or the confined He atom. In the infinite well-depth ( V 0 ) limit, keeping the well-width 1 λ constant, the energies and other expectation values of the bound states of the two-electron Gaussian quantum dot approach those of a non-interacting harmonic two-electron system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The detection rate of Rocahepevirus was 12.95 % (36/278) in animals of order rodentia. • All Rocahepevirus sequences amplified in this study belong to HEV-C1. • HEV-C1 was isolated in one Niviventer Fulvescens for the first time. • The HEV-C1 isolated in this study remained phylogenetically distant from HEV-C1 in North America and Europe. The Rocahepevirus ratti hepatitis E virus genotype C1 (HEV-C1) has been documented to infect humans. However, the understanding of HEV-C1 remains constrained. This study aims to determine the prevalence and genomic characteristics of HEV-C1 in small animals in Yunnan province of southwestern China. A total of 444 liver tissues were collected from animals covering the orders Rodentia, Soricomorpha, Scandentia and Erinaceomorpha in three regions in Yunnan. Then Paslahepevirus balayani and Rocahepevirus were examined using RT-qPCR. The detection rate of Rocahepevirus was 12.95 % (36/278) in animals of order Rodentia, with 14.77 % (35/237) in Rattus tanezumi and 33.33 % (1/3) in Niviventer fulvescens. No Paslahepevirus balayani was detected. Additionally, two full-length Rocahepevirus sequences (MSE-17 and LHK-54) and thirty-three partial ORF1 sequences were amplified and determined to be HEV-C1. MSE-17 and LHK-54 shared moderate nucleotide identity (78.9 %-80.3 %) with HEV-C1 isolated in rats and humans. The HEV-C1 isolated from Niviventer fulvescens demonstrated a 100 % nucleotide identity with that from Rattus tanezumi. The rat HEV-C1 sequences isolated in our study and other Asian HEV-C1 sequences were phylogenetically distant from those isolated in North America and Europe. Furthermore, the two full-length sequences isolated in our study had less amino acid substitutions in the motifs of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain (F 204 L and L 238 F), compared with other Asian sequences. In summary, HEV-C1 commonly spreads in rats in Yunnan province of China. Our findings suggest a spatially associated phylogeny, and potential cross-species transmission of HEV-C1. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modulated synthesis and isoreticular expansion of Th-MOFs enable the stepwise construction of hierarchical complexes in which porosity and functionality can be fine-tuned, affording new Th-MOFs with a record high void space (74.0%), the largest surface area (3396.5 m2 g−1) among thorium materials, and excellent adsorption capacities toward radioactive iodine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic magnesium sulfate cement (BMSC) is a kind of magnesium oxide (MgO)–magnesium sulfate (MgSO4)–water (H2O) modified ternary cementitious material prepared from light burned magnesia, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, water and additives. The effects of α-magnesium oxide/magnesium sulfate ratio (MO/MS), water/magnesium sulfate ratio (W/MS), sand-to-binder ratio (s/b) and superplasticiser dosage (SPD) on the performance of BMSC mortar were studied for the first time in this work. The results showed that for, optimal 28-day flexural strength, α-MO/MS = 10:1, W/MS = 16:1, s/b = 0.8 and SPD = 0.3%. For optimal 28-day compressive strength, α-MO/MS = 8:1, W/MS = 14:1, s/b = 0.6 and SPD = 0.4%. For best water resistance, α-MO/MS = 12.5:1, W/MS = 14:1, s/b = 0.2 and SPD = 0.1%. Based on these results, the basic mix proportion ranges of BMSC mortar should be α-MO/MS = 8:1–12.5:1, W/MS = 14:1–16:1, s/b = 0.2–0.6 and SPD = 0.1–0.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental study on the emergence of the central recirculation zone (CRZ) in a basic V-shaped premixed swirling flame, using simultaneous measurement of particle image velocimetry and CH* chemiluminescence. Unlike most previous works that explored CRZ formation controlled by vortex breakdown (VB), the present experiment maintains a constant swirl intensity to rule out the influence of VB. We find that the CRZ characteristics and its emergence are strongly affected by the strength of the inner shear layer (ISL) surrounding the CRZ. However, the critical ISL intensity corresponding to CRZ emergence varies with the Reynolds number (R e) and the equivalence ratio (Φ). Upon employing dimensional analysis, the underlying mechanism can be interpreted with a non-dimensional parameter, R e s = γ max D / ν s , defined based on the maximum ISL intensity ( γ max) , the exit diameter (D) , and the kinematic viscosity (ν s ) of the burnt gas. The resultant γ max D − ν s regime diagram demonstrates the collapse of the critical R e s value for various cases with and without CRZ. The R e s mechanism explains the dependence of the critical ISL intensity on the equivalence ratio, further emphasizing the non-negligible roles of both the ISL intensity and the viscosity of the burned gas, in addition to VB, in determining the emergence of CRZ for V-shaped swirling flames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-term traffic volume forecasting is one of the most essential elements in Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) by providing prediction of traffic condition for traffic management and control applications. Among previous substantial forecasting approaches, K nearest neighbor (KNN) is a nonparametric and data-driven method popular for conciseness, interpretability, and real-time performance. However, in previous related researches, the limitations of Euclidean distance and forecasting with asymmetric loss have rarely been focused on. This research aims to fill up these gaps. This paper reconstructs Euclidean distance to overcome its limitation and proposes a KNN forecasting algorithm with asymmetric loss. Correspondingly, an asymmetric loss index, Imbalanced Mean Squared Error (IMSE), has also been proposed to test the effectiveness of newly designed algorithm. Moreover, the effect of Loess technique and suitable parameter value of dynamic KNN method have also been tested. In contrast to the traditional KNN algorithm, the proposed algorithm reduces the IMSE index by more than 10%, which shows its effectiveness when the cost of forecasting residual direction is notably different. This research expands the applicability of KNN method in short-term traffic volume forecasting and provides an available approach to forecast with asymmetric loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault tolerance is increasingly important in high-performance computing due to the substantial growth of system scale and decreasing system reliability. In-memory/diskless checkpoint has gained extensive attention as a solution to avoid the IO bottleneck of traditional disk-based checkpoint methods. However, applications using previous in-memory checkpoint suffer from little available memory space. To provide high reliability, previous in-memory checkpoint methods either need to keep two copies of checkpoints to tolerate failures while updating old checkpoints or trade performance for space by flushing in-memory checkpoints into disk. In this paper, we propose a novel in-memory checkpoint method, called self-checkpoint, which can not only achieve the same reliability of previous in-memory checkpoint methods, but also increase the available memory space for applications by almost 50 percent. To validate our method, we apply self-checkpoint method to an important problem: High-Performance Linpack (HPL) with fault tolerance. We implement a scalable and fault tolerant HPL based on this new method, called SKT-HPL, and validate it on two large-scale systems. Experimental results with 24,576 processes show that SKT-HPL achieves over 95 percent of the performance of the original HPL. Compared to the state-of-the-art in-memory checkpoint method, it improves the available memory size by 47 percent and the performance by 5 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-assisted thermal chemical vapor deposition (TCVD) is one of the most common techniques for the growth of carbon nanofibres/nanotubes (CNFs/CNTs). However, some fundamental issues related to the catalytic growth of CNFs/CNTs, such as the low-limit growth temperature, the limiting steps and the state of Ni, are still controversial. Here, we report the growth of CNFs at 300 °C; that is the lowest temperature for the growth of CNFs by TCVD using Ni as the catalyst so far. The results showed that the Ni existed in rhombohedral Ni3C, not in the normal form of face-centered cubic Ni, and the C atoms for building the CNFs were precipitated from the (001) planes of the faceted Ni3C nanoparticles. The CNFs are believed to be formed by the decomposition-formation cycle of metastable Ni3C that has a low-limit decomposition temperature of about 300 °C. Our results strongly suggest that TCVD is a valuable tool for the synthesis of CNFs/CNTs at temperatures below 400 °C, which is generally considered as the upper-limit temperature for fabricating complementary metal oxide semiconductor devices but is the low-limit temperature for growing CNFs/CNTs by TCVD at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rheological properties of warm-mix recycled asphalt binders are critical to enhancing design quality and interpreting the performance mechanisms of the corresponding mixtures. This study investigated the rheological behavior of warm-mix recycled asphalt binders with high percentages of RAP binder. The effects of two warm-mix additives [wax-based Sasobit (S) and surfactant-based Evotherm-M1 (E)], a rejuvenating aging [ZGSB (Z)], four RAP binder contents (0%, 30%, 50% and 70%), and three aging states (unaged, short-term aged and long-term aged) were evaluated in detail using the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), bending beam rheometer (BBR) and Brookfield rotational viscometer tests as well as conventional performance tests over the whole range of temperatures. The results showed that the rejuvenating agent Z effectively alleviated the aging effect of the RAP binder; however, it could hardly eliminate entirely this negative impact, especially at higher RAP binder contents. The addition of S remarkably lowered the apparent viscosity of the warm-mix recycled binders by up to 35.0%, whereas E had little influence on the binder viscosity due to its surfactant nature. Besides, S performed much better in improving rutting resistance (with the increase of up to 411.3% in |G*|/sinδ) than E, while E exhibited superior fatigue performance (with the reduction of up to 42.3% in |G*|·sinδ) to that of S. In terms of the thermal cracking resistance, E had very slight influence and S even yielded an adverse impact (with the increase of up to 70.2% in Sa and the decrease of up to 34.1% in m-value). Further, S broadened the ranges of pavement service temperatures by about 12 °C, whereas E almost did not change the PG grades of the binders. Finally, regarding the characteristics of viscoelastic master curves, S considerably improved the dynamic modulus and lowered the phase angle of the binders over a wide range of frequencies and temperatures but led to the failure of the time-temperature superposition principle due to its thermorheologically complex nature. Nevertheless, in this regard, the effect of E was found very mild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. In this study, we aimed to determine the biological function and regulatory mechanism of GMEB2 in CRC. We found that GMEB2 was highly expressed in CRC and significantly promoted the growth of CRC in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, GMEB2 acted as a transcription factor to activate ADRM1/NF-κB signalling and was upregulated by YTHDF1 through enhancing its mRNA stability. Our findings suggest that GMEB2 may serve as a new therapeutic target for CRC treatment in the future. Transcription factors are frequently aberrantly reactivated in various cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, as a transcription factor, the role of GMEB2 in cancer is still unclear, and further studies are needed. Here, we aimed to identify the function and mechanism of GMEB2 in regulating the malignant progression of CRC. GMEB2 was found to be highly expressed in online data analyses. We demonstrated that GMEB2 was markedly upregulated at both the mRNA and protein levels in CRC cells and tissues. GMEB2 knockdown inhibited CRC cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, as a transcription factor, GMEB2 transactivated the ADRM1 promoter to increase its transcription. Rescue experiments showed that ADRM1 downregulation partially reversed the promoting effects of GMEB2 on CRC growth in vitro. Moreover, the GMEB2/ADRM1 axis induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB, thus activating NF-κB signalling. Finally, we further revealed that YTHDF1 recognized and bound to the m6A site on GMEB2 mRNA, which enhanced its stability. Taken together, our findings reveal the crucial role and regulatory mechanism of GMEB2 in CRC for the first time and provide a novel potential therapeutic target for CRC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut microbiota is known to be associated with the regulation of many neurological diseases and behaviors, including chronic pain. However, it is unclear whether the gut microbiota is critical to the itch sensation. In this study, we investigated the effects of gut microbiota depletion on acute itch. First, an antibiotic cocktail was orally administered to deplete the gut microbiota in male C57BL/6 mice. Then, pruritogens were intradermally injected to induce acute itch behavior. In addition, antibiotic-treated mice received transplantation of fecal microbiota from untreated mice, followed by tests for acute itch. The changes in c-Fos expression in trigeminal ganglia (TG) neurons were also investigated by immunofluorescence staining. Our results indicated that chronic antibiotic treatment significantly reduced the diversity and richness of the gut microbiota of mice. Compared to vehicle-treated mice, antibiotic-treated mice showed reductions in acute itch behavior induced by compound 48/80, chloroquine (CQ), and serotonin (5-HT), respectively. Moreover, repositioning of microbiota reversed the reductions in acute itch behavior in antibiotic-treated mice. In addition, immunofluorescence staining revealed that antibiotic-treated mice displayed decreased c-Fos expression in ipsilateral TG compared to controls. Our study, for the first time, discovered that antibiotic-induced gut microbiota depletion could reduce acute itch behavior, which may be connected with decreased TG neuronal activity. • Chronic antibiotic treatment depleted gut microbiota in mice. • Antibiotic treatment reduced acute itch behavior induced by compound 48/80, CQ and 5-HT. • Reposition of microbiota reversed the inhibition of acute itch behavior induced by antibiotic treatment. • Antibiotic treatment suppressed the increase in c-Fos expression induced by pruritogens in TG neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fc-fused receptor binding domain (RBD-Fc) vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 has garnered significant attention for its capacity to provide effective and specific immune protection. However, its immunogenicity is limited, highlighting the need for improvement in clinical application. Nanoparticle delivery has been shown to be an effective method for enhancing antigen immunogenicity. In this study, we developed bivalent nanoparticle recombinant protein vaccines by assembling the RBD-Fc of SARS-CoV-2 and Fc-binding homo-oligomers o42.1 and i52.3 into octahedral and icosahedral nanoparticles. The formation of RBD-Fc nanoparticles was confirmed through structural characterization and cell binding experiments. Compared to RBD-Fc dimers, the nanoparticle vaccines induced more potent neutralizing antibodies (nAb) and stronger cellular immune responses. Therefore, using bivalent nanoparticle vaccines based on RBD-Fc presents a promising vaccination strategy against SARS-CoV-2 and offers a universal approach for enhancing the immunogenicity of Fc fusion protein vaccines. • RBD-Fc based nanoparticle vaccines are assembled using designed Fc-binding homo-oligomers. • RBD-Fc nanoparticle vaccines enhance the humoral and cellular immune response induced by RBD-Fc. • This study provides a feasible method for enhancing the immunogenicity of Fc fusion antigens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metasurfaces consisting of an array of planar sub-wavelength structures have shown great potentials in controlling thermal infrared radiation, including intensity, coherence, and polarization. These capabilities together with the two-dimensional nature make thermal metasurfaces an ultracompact multifunctional platform for infrared light manipulation. Integrating the functionalities, such as amplitude, phase (spectrum and directionality), and polarization, on a single metasurface offers fascinating device responses. However, it remains a significant challenge to concurrently optimize the optical, electrical, and thermal responses of a thermal metasurface in a small footprint. In this work, we develop a center-contacted electrode line design for a thermal infrared metasurface based on a gold nanorod array, which allows local Joule heating to electrically excite the emission without undermining the localized surface plasmonic resonance. The narrowband emission of thermal metasurfaces and their robustness against temperature nonuniformity demonstrated in this work have important implications for the applications in infrared imaging, sensing, and energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropeptide FF (NPFF) plays a critical role in various physiological processes through the activation of neuropeptide FF receptor 1 and 2 (NPFFR1 and NPFFR2). Numerous evidence has indicated that NPFF exhibits opposite opioid-modulating effects on opioid-induced analgesia after supraspinal and spinal administrations, while the detailed role of NPFFR1 and NPFFR2 remains unclear. In this study, we employed pharmacological and genetic inhibition of NPFFR to investigate the modulating roles of central NPFFR1 and NPFFR2 in opioid-induced analgesia and hyperalgesia, using a male mouse model of acute fentanyl-induced analgesia and secondary hyperalgesia. Our findings revealed that intrathecal (i.t.) injection of the nonselective NPFFR antagonist RF9 significantly enhanced fentanyl-induced analgesia, whereas intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection did not show the same effect. Moreover, NPFFR2 deficient (npffr2 −/−) mice exhibited stronger analgesic responses to fentanyl compared to wild type (WT) or NPFFR1 knockout (npffr1 −/−) mice. Intrathecal injection of RF9 in npffr1 −/− mice also significantly enhanced fentanyl-induced analgesia. These results indicate a crucial role of spinal NPFFR2 in the enhancement of opioid analgesia. Contrastingly, hyperalgesia induced by fentanyl was markedly reversed in npffr1 −/− mice but remained unaffected in npffr2 −/− mice. Similarly, i.c.v. injection of the selective NPFFR1 antagonist RF3286 effectively prevented fentanyl-induced hyperalgesia in WT or npffr2 −/− mice. Notably, co-administration of i.c.v. RF3286 and i.t. RF9 augmented fentanyl-induced analgesia while reducing hyperalgesia. Collectively, these findings highlight the modulating effects of blocking spinal NPFFR2 and supraspinal NPFFR1 on fentanyl-induced analgesia and hyperalgesia, respectively, which shed a light on understanding the pharmacological function of NPFF system in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite materials have outstanding optical and electronic properties. In recent years, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in the laboratory has raised rapidly from 3.8% to 25.5%. It has the potential to further improve the PCE of solar cells and approach the Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit. For preparing high-efficiency PSCs, the chemical composition tuning and morphology improvement of the perovskite absorption layer, the energy level matching of the interface, the extraction and transport rate of carriers in the transport layer are focused widely. Many methods such as additive engineering, defect passivation, interface engineering, and transmission material optimization are suggested. This review summarizes efficiency improvement effort of perovskite solar cell from the three dimensions of perovskite absorption layer, charge transport layer and interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HCV cell-culture system uses hepatoma-derived cell lines for efficient virus propagation. Tumor cells cultured in glucose undergo active aerobic glycolysis, but switch to oxidative phosphorylation for energy production when cultured in galactose. Here, we investigated whether modulation of glycolysis in hepatocytes affects HCV infection. We showed HCV release, but not entry, genome replication or virion assembly, is significantly blocked when cells are cultured in galactose, leading to accumulation of intracellular infectious virions within multivesicular body (MVB). Blockade of the MVB-lysosome fusion or treatment with pro-inflammatory cytokines promotes HCV release in galactose. Furthermore, we found this glycometabolic regulation of HCV release is mediated by MAPK-p38 phosphorylation. Finally, we showed HCV cell-to-cell transmission is not affected by glycometabolism, suggesting that HCV cell-to-supernatant release and cell-to-cell transmission are two mechanistically distinct pathways. In summary, we demonstrated glycometabolism regulates the efficiency and route of HCV release. We proposed HCV may exploit the metabolic state in hepatocytes to favor its spread through the cell-to-cell transmission in vivo to evade immune response. Author summary: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive-stranded RNA virus that causes acute and chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV infectious cycle comprises viral entry, uncoating, translation and replication of viral RNA, assembly into new virions and release. Establishment of HCV cell culture system (HCVcc) has yielded many insights into complete HCV infectious cycle in Huh7 cell and Huh7-derived human hepatoma cell lines. However, because hepatoma-derived cell lines and hepatocytes vary in metabolism, HCV infectious cycle in tumor cell lines and the patient's liver may also be different. Therefore, we explored the alterations of HCV infectious cycle by forcing the tumor cell lines to switch their glycometabolic pathways. We found that HCV release can be blocked by culturing cells in galactose-containing medium, leading to accumulation of intracellular infectious virions within MVB. Moreover, we provided new evidence to suggest that HCV cell-to-cell transmission may be mechanistically distinct from cell-to-supernatant release. Finally, we proposed a new concept that HCV release from hepatocytes into circulation may be naturally inefficient due to the metabolic state in liver that may favor more HCV cell-to-cell transmission. This strategy would allow HCV to effectively evade neutralizing antibodies to establish persistent infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Isorhapontigenin (ISO) has been shown to have antioxidant activity. This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant effects of ISO on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and its possible molecular mechanisms. Methods: Focal cerebral ischemia‐reperfusion injury (MCAO/R) model and primary cortical neurons were established an oxygen‐glucose deprivation (OGD / R) injury model. After 24 hr of reperfusion, the neurological deficits of the rats were analyzed and HE staining was performed, and the infarct volume was calculated by TTC staining. In addition, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rat brain tissue, the content of 4‐Hydroxynonenal (4‐HNE), and 8‐hydroxy2deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG) were detected. Neuronal cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Western blot analysis was determined for protein expression. Results: ISO treatment significantly improved neurological scores, reduced infarct volume, necrotic neurons, ROS production, 4‐HNE, and 8‐OHdG levels. At the same time, ISO significantly increased the expression of Nrf2 and HO‐1. The neuroprotective effects of ISO can be eliminated by knocking down Nrf2 and HO‐1. In addition, knockdown of the PKCε blocked ISO‐induced nuclear Nfr2, HO‐1 expression. Conclusion: ISO protected against oxidative damage induced by brain I/R, and its neuroprotective mechanism may be related to the PKCε/Nrf2/HO‐1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt wastes containing halides from the molten salt reactor system are unstable during storage. These waste should be immobilized. In this paper, a glass–ceramic wasteform containing SrF2 is prepared from iron phosphate glass and fluorapatite (FAP) ceramic powder by a two-step sintering process. The results of XRD and SEM showed that main crystalline phase in samples is fluorapatite with Sr, and a large number of amorphous phase wrapped around the FAP. The result of product consistency test showed that the glass–ceramic sample has a good leaching resistance for wasteform long-term storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-based slurries with silica (SiO 2) nanoparticles, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and GO/SiO 2 hybrid nanostructures as abrasives were synthesised in order to achieve a high-efficiency and low-damage lapping. Tribological characteristics of SiO 2 , GO and GO/SiO 2 nanoslurries were systematically investigated to optimise slurry formulae, and the lubricating mechanisms involved were revealed based on the analyses of worn surfaces and used slurries. Machining performance of the optimised slurries was then examined in the fixed abrasive lapping of glass substrates in terms of surface quality and material removal. The GO/SiO 2 slurry of 0.16 wt.% at a mass ratio of 1:1 generated a lubricating layer consisting of C deposited and SiO 2 dynamic films at the rubbing interface. This improved friction and wear conditions at the contact, producing a significantly lower COF and a better worn surface quality than those slurries containing only GO or SiO 2. The lapping with the GO/SiO 2 slurry thus reduced the surface damage on glass and achieved a crack-free subsurface. In comparison with a conventional lapping, the new lapping process resulted in a 35% reduction in surface roughness, but a 28% increase in material removal rate. Such improvements were attributed to the synergistic lubrication behaviour of the formed nanostructures of GO/SiO 2 in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the complex solidification behaviour of Al 2 O 3 –Y 3 Al 5 O 12 eutectics prepared by laser engineered net shaping. Colony structure consisting of coupled irregular eutectic was dominant at interior region of as-fabricated specimens, and its growth behaviour was depicted by Magnin–Kurz model. In each deposited layer, The Y 3 Al 5 O 12 phase within irregular eutectic grew through a competitive mechanism from random to oriented, whereas the orientation of Al 2 O 3 remained unchanged. Transition from anomalous to colony coupled eutectics occurred at the bottom of each layer, and irregular to regular eutectics transition was recognized at outer region of as-built sample. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional expanded graphite (EG) films exhibit excellent electric and thermal conductivities, due to weak oxidation degree induced low defect density. However, the stiff sheet structure makes EG films very brittle, which greatly limits its applications in next generation flexible electric devices. To overcome this challenge, ammonium persulfate ((NH 4) 2 S 2 O 8) is employed as both expansion agent and weak oxidation agent. As a result, the weak oxidation can effectively reduce the surface energy mismatching between EG and water, making it possible for EG to be exfoliated in water by high-speed shearing combined with sonication. Most particularly, the expansion step introduces plenty of wrinkles into the EG sheets, which notably improve the flexibility of EG films. Besides, using raw graphite with large lateral size and less (NH 4) 2 S 2 O 8 can greatly improve the final overall performances. The prepared EG films exhibit good electric and thermal conductivities of 2977 S/cm, 854 W/mK, respectively. 33.1 dB EMI shielding property is obtained with the film thickness of only 10 μm. Moreover, 800 times direct bending can be overcome without any structure break. This facial large scale and environmentally friendly method endows the films with great potential applications in flexible electric devices. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Develop an integrated life-cycle habitat suitability model. • Devise a pulsation-inclusive outflow strategy to safeguard hydrological and hydrodynamic-sensitive fish. • Develop a nested reservoir operation model with synchronized biorhythms. The construction of dams has brought many benefits to human society. However, it has also altered the natural hydrological regime, affected aquatic organisms' habitat conditions and decreased important fishery resources. In the post-dam construction era, it has become crucial to evaluate the ecological flow requirements for all stages of fish life and ensure the provision of dynamic flow pulsation, particularly during the spawning stage. Here, we proposed a Reservoir Operation Model for Fish Habitat across Life Stages (ROM-FHLS) to reconcile the apparent contradiction between fish habitat preservation and hydropower generation in the Yangtze River Basin. Compared with the conventional outflow conditions, our model demonstrated significant improvements in power generation and suitable habitat area during the migration, spawning and incubation, and juvenile periods. Specifically, we observed average increases of 15.2%, 13.1%, and 6.7% in power generation, and enhancements of 16.5%, 17.3%, and 1.8% in suitable habitat area, respectively. Our approach advocates for the comprehensive protection of fish throughout their entire life cycle while highlighting the feasibility of enhancing fish habitats without compromising power generation. Furthermore, we proposed an outflow scheme that incorporates pulsation patterns into reservoir operations to effectively stimulate fish spawning activities. This study presents a fresh perspective on comprehending the intricate interplay among dam-controlled hydrological processes, river hydrodynamic environment, and fish behavior. The findings have the potential to enhance fish spontaneous reproduction and aid in the recovery of aquatic populations in large dammed rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Syntenin is a key determinant of the efficiency of E2-coated exosome production. • E2-coated exosome biogenesis is independent of HCV infectious lipo-viral-particle production. • Robust E2-coated exosome production assists HCV infection in the presence of neutralizing antibody. Assembly of infectious hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles is known to involve host lipoproteins, giving rise to unique lipo-viro-particles (LVPs), but proteome studies now suggest that additional cellular proteins are associated with HCV virions or other particles containing the viral envelope glycoprotein E2. Many of these host cell proteins are common markers of exosomes, most notably the intracellular adaptor protein syntenin, which is required for exosome biogenesis. We aimed to elucidate the role of syntenin/E2 in HCV infection. Using cell culture-derived HCV, we studied the biogenesis and function of E2-coated exosomes in both hepatoma cells and primary human hepatocytes (PHHs). Knockout of syntenin had a negligible impact on HCV replication and virus production, whereas ectopic expression of syntenin at physiological levels reduced intracellular E2 abundance, while concomitantly increasing the secretion of E2-coated exosomes. Importantly, cells expressing syntenin and HCV structural proteins efficiently released exosomes containing E2 but lacking the core protein. Furthermore, infectivity of HCV released from syntenin-expressing hepatoma cells and PHHs was more resistant to neutralization by E2-specific antibodies and chronic-phase patient serum. We also found that high E2/syntenin levels in sera correlate with lower serum neutralization capability. E2- and syntenin-containing exosomes are a major type of particle released from cells expressing high levels of syntenin. Efficient production of E2-coated exosomes renders HCV infectivity less susceptible to antibody neutralization in hepatoma cells and PHHs. This study identifies a key role for syntenin in the regulation of E2 secretion via exosomes. Efficient production of E2-coated exosomes was shown to make hepatitis C virus less sensitive to antibody neutralization. These results may have implications for the development of a hepatitis C virus vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of large graphene oxide (GO) sheets is often limited by the huge diffusion resistance for oxidizing agents caused by the structural uniformity of large raw graphite flakes. Previous methods often rely on the thermal or microwave, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) expansion to overcome the large diffusion resistance. However, the pretreatment is usually energy consuming and costs extra acid which may cause more environmental risks. Here, we discovered that adding ammonium persulfate ((NH 4) 2 S 2 O 8) to concentrated sulfuric acid as gas expansion agent for the pretreatment of graphite flakes can lead the graphite to form a porous structure and effectively improve the specific surface area of graphite, providing more contact area for graphite with oxidizing agents due to the rapid gas release. Thus, the diffusion resistance for oxidizing agents is remarkably reduced. As a result, graphite oxide with pretreatment shows higher oxidation degree (C/O ratio: 1.7) compared with graphite oxide without pretreatment (C/O ratio: 2.3). Besides, without any exfoliation method, the as obtained uniformly oxidized graphite oxide can self-exfoliate into monolayer GO sheets with a weight average size of 1263 μm2. Moreover, the vacuum filtrated GO films exhibit superior mechanical properties (Tensile strength: 80.9 MPa). Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]