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In this study, three types of wear-resistant materials including high-chromium cast iron (HCCI), medium-chromium cast steel (MCCS), and low-chromium cast steel (LCCS), with similar macroscopic hardness but distinct microstructures and impact toughness have been prepared. The wear behavior of these three materials under different loads were investigated by impact wear experiments under dynamic load and three-body wear experiments under static load. The results revealed that the almost fully martensitised MCCS had the least mass loss under low dynamic impact load wear conditions. The brittleness associated with large carbides intensified with increasing impact load, culminating in a significant reduction in the impact wear resistance of HCCI. The residual austenite rapidly transformed into martensite, thereby effectively improving the wear resistance of the LCCS. Comparatively, the experimental steels were all characterized by fatigue wear of the abrasive on the material surface under static wear conditions at low loads and showed similar wear resistance. Conversely, the large carbides demonstrated superior wear resistance under conditions of high static load, and HCCI had the best wear resistance.

This paper investigates the practical scalability of wavelength selective switching technology for the emerging multi-band and space-division-multiplexed (SDM) networks. Wavelength selective switching architectures are introduced for multi-band SDM networks. The switching capacity is analyzed for both weakly coupled and strongly coupled SDM networks. Key bottlenecks for scaling up toward multi-band and more spatial modes are identified. Contrary to the conventional view that liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) was the only technological obstacle, the manufacturability of free-space optics with high numerical apertures and constraints on the optical dimensions also brought significant challenges for the development of highly integrated wavelength selective switches for multi-band SDM networks.

Next-generation wireless networks are expected to support delay-sensitive applications such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). In AR/VR applications, computational jobs are offloaded to the edge computing server. Such offloading process requires transmissions of large data packets with low latency. Terahertz (THz) band can provide hundreds of GHz bandwidth and thus is promising in enabling ultra-high speed data transmissions. However, THz transmission distance is limited due to its inherently severe propagation loss. This paper considers to improve THz transmission distance with the help of mobile computing. The key idea is that, if mobile devices can handle partial computational jobs, the data transmission rate requirement is lowered, which in turn helps to improve THz transmission distance. Specifically, we aim to maximize THz transmission distance by jointly optimizing users' job offloading decisions and transmission carrier frequencies. To that end, we first introduce a delay-violation probability to characterize the delay constraints for delay-sensitive services. Based on the derived delay-violation probability, we formulate a THz transmission distance maximization (THz-TDM) problem. This THz-TDM problem is non-convex. To solve this issue, we derive in closed-form the expression of the achievable transmission distance with respect to carrier frequency and data rate. Subsequently, we propose a Hungarian-ADMM based iterative algorithm (HAB) and a low-complexity Rearrangement Inequality-like algorithm (RIL). The proposed RIL involves no iterations but only applies to the case where the edge computing server queue stability constraint is relaxed. Numerical results show that the developed schemes can effectively improve THz transmission distance.

•BTH treatment induced the disease resistance against Colletotrichum musaein banana fruit.•BTH treatment delayed fruit ripening and induced the transcripts related to disease resistance.•WRKY transcription factors played important role in the disease resistance .•BTH treatment increased the flavonoid metabolites after C. musaeinfection.

ABSTRACTAnti-oxidation coatings of MoSi2-SiC-Si-ZrB2were prepared on the graphite surface by laser cladding. The XRD, scratching bonding force, SEM and isothermal oxidation tests were used to investigate the microstructure and properties of the coatings. The coating with 40 wt% ZrB2added (MoSi2:SiC:Si:ZrB2 = 16:4:5:16.6) has the lowest degree of oxidation, the best oxidation resistance and the highest bonding strength between coating and matrix. The scratching bonding force still maintained at about 9.9 N after laser ablation, and there were no obvious destructive defects but some pores and cracks on the coating. After a Si-enriched amorphous layer was formed, the relative oxygen permeability was significantly decreased and the oxidation of the coating was passivated, which prevented the matrix from further oxidation.

This letter considers a scenario in which the Terahertz (THz) transmitter equipped with a linear antenna array wishes to focus its beam to a desired spatial region in the array near-field. The goal is to compute the achievable spatial region and determine how the system parameters such as the carrier frequency, the array dimension and the user’s location affect its beam focusing performance. First, based on a theorem from analytic geometry, we show that the achievable focusing spatial region constitutes a rotated ellipse, with the ${x}$ and ${y}$ coordinates denoting the range and angle, respectively. In this way, the determination of the spatial region is reduced to a problem of deriving the coverage of an ellipse. The achievable coverage is then obtained in closed form, and the construction of carrier frequency offsets that can analytically control the beam focusing performance is provided. Numerical results validate the theoretical findings and demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.

Anti-oxidation coatings of MoSi2-SiC-Si-ZrB2were prepared on the graphite surface by laser cladding. The XRD, scratching bonding force, SEM and isothermal oxidation tests were used to investigate the microstructure and properties of the coatings. The coating with 40 wt% ZrB2added (MoSi2:SiC:Si:ZrB2?=?16:4:5:16.6) has the lowest degree of oxidation, the best oxidation resistance and the highest bonding strength between coating and matrix. The scratching bonding force still maintained at about 9.9 N after laser ablation, and there were no obvious destructive defects but some pores and cracks on the coating. After a Si-enriched amorphous layer was formed, the relative oxygen permeability was significantly decreased and the oxidation of the coating was passivated, which prevented the matrix from further oxidation.

Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) are heterogeneous; thus, their roles in tumor development could vary depending on the cancer type. Here, we showed that TANs affect metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis hepatocellular carcinoma (MASH-related HCC) more than viral-associated HCC. We attributed this difference to the predominance of SiglecFhi TANs in MASH-related HCC tumors. Linoleic acid and GM-CSF, which are commonly elevated in the MASH-related HCC microenvironment, fostered the development of this c-Myc–driven TAN subset. Through TGFβ secretion, SiglecFhi TANs promoted HCC stemness, proliferation, and migration. Importantly, SiglecFhi TANs supported immune evasion by directly suppressing the antigen presentation machinery of tumor cells. SiglecFhi TAN removal increased the immunogenicity of a MASH-related HCC model and sensitized it to immunotherapy. Likewise, a high SiglecFhi TAN signature was associated with poor prognosis and immunotherapy resistance in HCC patients. Overall, our study highlights the importance of understanding TAN heterogeneity in cancer to improve therapeutic development.

Solid polymer electrolyzer (SPE), which directly uses pure water as electrolyte, holds great promise for green hydrogen production, yet developing a durable and active electrocatalyst for a proton-rich anode remains a bottleneck issue owing to the high catalyst dissolution under polarization potential. Here, proton and electron co-doping was employed to construct an Ru-O-H···O bond within RuO2lattice, and the hydrogen binding modes not only engineered the electronic interaction between Ru and O atoms but also formed a hydrogen bond, which was demonstrated to be an effective way to increase the electrocatalytic activity and stabilize the lattice oxygen. The intrinsic activity of representative 75-H-RuO2loaded on a glassy carbon electrode was almost ten times that of the pristine one, only requiring an overpotential of 200 mV (@10 mA cm−2). Moreover, it demonstrated ideal stability (@0.5 A cm−2) in the SPE device.

Studies have confirmed the relationship between dysregulated long noncoding RNAs and melanoma pathogenesis. However, the regulatory functions of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1291 (LINC01291) in melanoma remain unknown. Therefore, we evaluated LINC01291 expression in melanoma and explored its roles in regulating tumor behaviors. Further, the molecular events via which LINC01291 affects melanoma cells were investigated. LINC01291 expression in melanoma cells was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas database and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Functional assays, including the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, cell migration and invasion assays, and tumor xenograft models, were used to examine LINC01291’s role in melanoma cells. Additionally, bioinformatics analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporter assay, and western blotting were conducted to determine the tumor-promoting mechanism of LINC01291. LINC01291 was upregulated in melanoma tissues and cell lines. Following LINC01291 knockdown, cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion were diminished, whereas apoptosis was enhanced and the cell cycle was arrested at G0/G1. In addition, loss of LINC01291 decreased the chemoresistance of melanoma cells to cisplatin. Furthermore, LINC01291 interference inhibited melanoma tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, LINC01291 functions as a competing endogenous RNA by sponging microRNA-625-5p (miR-625-5p) in melanoma cells and maintaining insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) expression. Rescue experiments revealed that the roles induced by LINC01291 depletion in melanoma cells could be reversed by suppressing miR-625-5p or overexpressing IGF-1R. Our study identified the LINC01291/miR-625-5p/IGF-1R competing endogenous RNA pathway in melanoma cells, which may represent a novel diagnostic biomarker and an effective therapeutic target for melanoma.

ABSTRACTTo evaluate the immunogenicity of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines administered at different intervals. Subjects who had received two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines at an interval of 21 days or 1–7 months were selected to collect 5 ml of venous blood after the second dose for the detection of specific IgG antibody against SARS-CoV-2 using the chemiluminescent immunoassay. Blood samples were collected from 348 and 174 individuals vaccinated at an interval of 21 days or 1–7 months, respectively. Seropositive rate 2 weeks after two doses of vaccination at 21-days and 1–7 months interval was 95.7% and 97.1%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference. The post-vaccination antibody level was 23.7 with 21-days interval, higher than 14.2 with 1–7 months interval. Among the individuals vaccinated with two doses more than 1-month apart, seropositive rate was 98.5%, 90.0%, 91.7%, and 100% with 1- month (1–2 months, 2 months was not included, the same below), 2- month, 3- month, and 4–7 months of interval, respectively, and no statistically significant difference was observed. Appropriate extension of the vaccination interval between two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine does not affect the production of specific IgG antibodies. The inactivated COVID-19 vaccine should be administered in accordance with the recommended vaccination schedule, and the vaccination interval can be extended appropriately under special circumstances.

Two-dimensional layered materials commonly face hindered electron transfer and poor structure stability, thus limiting their application in high-rate and long-term sodium ion batteries. In the current study, we adopt finite element simulation to guide the rational design of nanostructures. By calculating the von Mises stress distribution of a series of carbon materials, we find that the hollow biconcave structure could effectively alleviate the stress concentration resulting from expansion. Accordingly, we propose a biconcave-alleviated strategy based on the Aspergillus niger-derived carbon (ANDC) to construct ANDC/MoS2with a hollow biconcave structure. The ANDC/MoS2is endowed with an excellent long-term cyclability as an anode of sodium ion batteries, delivering a discharge capacity of 496 mAh g–1after 1000 cycles at 1 A g–1. A capacity retention rate of 94.5% is achieved, an increase of almost seven times compared with the bare MoS2nanosheets. Even at a high current density of 5 A g–1, a reversible discharge capacity around 400 mAh g–1is maintained after 300 cycles. ANDC/MoS2could also be used for efficient lithium storage. By using in situTEM, we further reveal that the hollow biconcave structure of ANDC/MoS2has enabled stable and fast sodiation/desodiation.

ABSTRACTIn the ethylene signalling pathway, EIN2is an essential signal transducer linking ethylene perception on endoplasmic reticulum to transcriptional regulation in the nucleus, EIN3/EIL1transcription factors initiate various responses leading to an ethylene response, and EBFsfunction in ethylene perception by regulating EIN3/EIL1turnover. In this work, we isolated and characterised three EIN3homologs (CpEIN3a, CpEIN3b, and CpEIL1), and two EBFhomologs (CpEBF1and CpEBF2) from papaya fruits. During the fruit development, the transcripts of all these genes were accumulated at a low level before reaching a maximum in the third month, then showed a decrease. Exogenous ethylene application and 1-MCP treatment had different effects on the expression of these genes. The correlations between various physiological characteristics with the gene expressions showed that CpEIN3b, CpEIL1, and CpEBF1/2were negative regulators in terms of papaya fruit ripening under exogenous ethylene treatment while CpEIN3awas a positive one, CpEIN3awas negatively correlated with the respiration rate and ethylene production of papaya fruits under 1-MCP treatment. It is suggested that CpEIN2, CpEIN3a/b, CpEIL1, and CpEBF1/2are development- and ripening-related genes in papaya fruits. These results provide new insights into the understanding of the ethylene signalling cascade in papaya fruit development and ripening.

Unraveling the underlying thermodynamic principles governing the sustainable conventional layered cathodes at the electron-scale remains a critical challenge, yet it is essential for advancing Li-ion batteries toward a high energy density future. In this context, the layered LixNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2is taken as an example to disclose the intricate connection among the structural disorders, electronic transfer, redox chemistry, and performance degradation using ab initio calculations. During cation disordering, the dramatic picture of electronic reshuffling is sculpted by the appearance of electron trapping centers/parasitic holes in the local TM-rich domain, as well as the O:2p lone-pairs in the local Li-rich domain. Distinct redox processes emerge wherein the parasitic holes can effectively couple with the adjacent transition metal (TM:d electron) and/or the oxygen ions (O:2p lone-pairs) depending on the states of charge. Regarding the structural stability, the electronic reshuffling induces a reciprocal relationship between cation disorder and oxygen stability, posing a concealed threat of reversibility. A new self-sustaining process is conceived as the primary pathway for severe layered damages and degradation. Notably, the cation disorder triggered-electronic reshuffling exhibits strict regularity that depends on the relative energies of the TM:d and O:2p states, holding promise for the reasonable design of sustainable layered cathodes. The theoretical framework provides a novel and self-consistent description of the thermodynamic conditions toward the reversible electrochemical process for conventional layered cathodes.

ABSTRACTBackgroud: Beijing was hyper-endemic for hepatitis A until the 1990s and has been vaccinating against hepatitis A since 1994. The objective is to study the epidemiology and changes of antibody level of hepatitis A from 1990 to 2017.Methods: A multistage randomized cluster sampling serological cross-sectional study was conducted in individuals over one year old in 1992, 2006 and 2014 in Beijing. Venous blood samples were collected to test anti-HAV antibody. The incidence data of hepatitis A were obtained from National Notifiable Disease Reporting System (NNDRS) and CDC statistics in Beijing. The vaccination data of hepatitis A immunization were acquired from Beijing Immune Information System.Results: From 1990 to 2017, the reported incidence rate of HAV in Beijing declined from 59.41/100,000 in 1990 to 0.80/100,000 in 2017. The average age of HAV infection was postponed from individuals under 20 years old to individuals over 20 years old. After hepatitis A vaccine was introduced to Beijing, the outbreak of hepatitis A decreased sharply. Adjusted anti-HAV positive rate in general population was 68.23%, 81.73% and 82.47% respectively in 1992, 2006 and 2014. Due to hepatitis A vaccination conducted in children, the anti-HAV positive rate in individuals under 20 years old increased from 1992 to 2014, while in individuals over 20, this rate was barely changed. The coverage rate in target population was higher than 99% after hepatitis A vaccine was integrated into Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).Conclusion: Incidence rate of hepatitis A in Beijing has decreased dramatically from 1990 to 2017. Hepatitis A vaccine plays an important role in protecting individuals under 20 years old. A higher proportion of adults will be susceptible to hepatitis A virus due to the decay of antibodies as they grow up from childhood to adulthood, which may result in possible outbreak of hepatitis A.

Objective: Gallstone formation is a pathological process of mineralization in the human body. Determination of the morphology and ultrastructure of gallstones holds the key to understanding the pathophysiology of gallbladder disease. Synchrotron radiation phase-contrast Xray microtomography is a novel technology, which is designed for comprehensive analysis of gallstone ultrastructure. Materials and Methods: Nine human gallstones were obtained from the Department of Pathology, Qingpu branch of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University (China), and scanned by synchrotron radiation μCT (SR μCT). The imaging data generated by SR μCT scan were analyzed. Results: The three-dimensional ultrastructure of human gallstones corresponding to their cholesterol and bile pigment composition was determined. Conclusions: The ultrastructure of gallstones exhibits considerable diversity and complexity. The synchrotron radiation phase-contrast X-ray microtomography is a valuable tool for in-depth study of human gallstones.

In electrochemical ethanol oxidation reactions (EOR) catalyzed by Pt metal nanoparticles through a C2 route, the dissociation of the C–C bond in the ethanol molecule can be a limiting factor. Complete EOR processes producing CO2were always exemplified by the oxidative dehydrogenation of C1 intermediates, a reaction route with less energy utilization efficiency. Here, we report a Pt3Ga/C electrocatalyst with a uniform distribution of Ga over the nanoparticle surface for EOR that produces CO2at medium potentials (>0.3 V vs SCE) efficiently through direct and sustainable oxidation of C2 intermediate species, i.e., acetaldehyde. We demonstrate the excellent performance of the Pt3Ga-200/C catalyst by using electrochemical in situ Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy (FTIR) and an isotopic labeling method. The atomic interval structure between Pt and Ga makes the surface of nanoparticles nonensembled, avoiding the formation of poisonous *CHxand *CO species via bridge-type adsorption of ethanol molecules. Meanwhile, the electron redistribution from Ga to Pt diminishes the *O/*OH adsorption and CO poisoning on Pt atoms, exposing more available sites for interaction with the C2 intermediates. Furthermore, the dissociation of H2O into *OH is facilitated by the high hydrophilicity of Ga, which is supported by DFT calculations, promoting the deep oxidation of C2 intermediates. Our work represents an extremely rare EOR process that produces CO2without observing kinetic limitations under medium potential conditions.

Identifying signals that govern the differentiation of tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells (CD8+TILs) toward exhaustion can improve current therapeutic approaches for cancer. Here, we show that type I interferons (IFN-Is) act as environmental cues, enhancing terminal CD8+T cell exhaustion in tumors. We find enrichment of IFN-I-stimulated genes (ISGs) within exhausted CD8+T cells (Tex cells) in patients across various cancer types, with heightened ISG levels correlating with poor response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. In preclinical models, CD8+TILs devoid of IFN-I signaling develop less exhaustion features, provide better tumor control, and show greater response to ICB-mediated rejuvenation. Mechanistically, chronic IFN-I stimulation perturbs lipid metabolism and redox balance in Tex cells, leading to aberrant lipid accumulation and elevated oxidative stress. Collectively, these defects promote lipid peroxidation, which potentiates metabolic and functional exhaustion of Tex cells. Thus, cell-intrinsic IFN-I signaling regulates the extent of CD8+TIL exhaustion and has important implications for immunotherapy.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone essential for plants to respond to various environmental stresses, and abscisic acid-insensitive 5 (ABI5) is a basic leucine zipper transcription factor of the ABA signaling pathway. Exogenous ABA induces cold tolerance in bananas; however, the role of MaABI5-like in ABA-induced cold tolerance remains unexplored. The present study found that exogenous ABA alleviated chilling injury of ‘Fenjiao’ banana, induced the accumulation of endogenous ABA, unsaturated fatty acids, and flavonoid content, and reduced the saturated fatty acid content. Moreover, ABA treatment upregulated the transcription levels of MaABI5-like, fatty acid desaturation genes, and flavonoid synthesis-related genes during cold storage. More interestingly, MaABI5-like directly interacted with the promoter of genes related to fatty acid desaturation (MaFAD3-1, MaFAD3-4, MaFAD3-5, MaFAD6-2, MaFAD6-3) and flavonoid synthesis (MaPAL-like, MaPAL-like1, MaC4H-like3, Ma4CL-like1, Ma4CL-like10, MaCHS6-4-like, and MaFLS) and activated their expressions. Furthermore, the transient overexpression of MaABI5-likein ‘Fenjiao’ banana fruit and ectopic expression in tomato plants enhanced cold tolerance and upregulated fatty acid desaturation and flavonoid synthesis-related gene transcript levels. The reduced expression of MaABI5-likeby virus-induced gene silencing in ‘Fenjiao’ banana increased chilling injury and downregulated the expression of fatty acid desaturation and flavonoid synthesis-related genes. Thus, the study indicates that MaABI5-like regulates ABA-induced cold tolerance by increasing unsaturated fatty acid and flavonoid content.

The wide angular range of the treelike structure in Morpho butterfly scales was investigated by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD)/particle-swarm-optimization (PSO) analysis. Using the FDTD method, different parameters in the Morpho butterflies’ treelike structure were studied and their contributions to the angular dependence were analyzed. Then a wide angular range was realized by the PSO method from quantitatively designing the lamellae deviation (Δy), which was a crucial parameter with angular range. The field map of the wide-range reflection in a large area was given to confirm the wide angular range. The tristimulus values and corresponding color coordinates for various viewing directions were calculated to confirm the blue color in different observation angles. The wide angular range realized by the FDTD/PSO method will assist us in understanding the scientific principles involved and also in designing artificial optical materials.

Hemoperfusion, as one of the methods of blood purification, could effectively treat endotoxemia. Electrospun fiber membranes were widely used in the field of hemoperfusion because of the high porosity and specific surface area. In this study, a novel endotoxin removal polyethersulfone (PES) electrospun fiber membrane was manufactured by immobilizing l-serine (L-Ser) onto PES fiber membrane, where polydopamine (PDA) as a mediated active coating. The morphology and structural characterization exhibited the successful modification of PDA and immobilization of L-Ser. The adsorption kinetics and isothermal adsorption of the PES/PDA-Ser fiber membrane demonstrated an adsorption capacity of 1.28 EU/mg with the equilibrium adsorption time about 1 h, which indicated a great adsorption performance. In addition, the PES/PDA-Ser fiber membrane displayed an excellent selectively endotoxin removal efficiency of 0.85 EU/mg and anti-protein adsorption capacity in serum system. Besides, hemolysis, coagulation and protein assays showed that the PES/PDA-Ser fiber membrane had a good hemocompatibility and excellent anti-protein adsorption performance. These results illustrated the promising application potential of the PES/PDA-Ser fiber membrane for the treatment of endotoxemia.

Ethylene plays a pivotal role in climacteric fruit ripening; whereas 1-MCP, a non-toxic antagonist of ethylene, prevents ethylene-dependent responses and fruit ripening. In this study, a short-term treatment (1 h) with 400 nL L−11-MCP delayed the ripening of harvested papaya. However, long-term application of 1-MCP (400 nL L−1, 16 h) resulted in abnormal fruit ripening, with the fruits exhibiting normal yellowing without softening, significantly higher cellulose and lignin contents, and intact cell walls (CW). Furthermore, we found that long-term treatment with 1-MCP significantly inhibited the expression of CpEBF1, an EIN3-binding F-box-1 gene. A protein interaction analysis using yeast two-hybrid, BiFC and GST pull-down assays showed that CpEBF1 interacts with the CpMADS1/3 and CpEIL1 proteins. The interaction of CpEBF1 with CpMADS1/3 further activated the activities of CW-degradation gene promoters. Subcellular localization showed that these proteins were localized in the nucleus. Additionally, the expression levels of CpMADS1/3, CpEIL1, and several CW-degradation-related genes were significantly downregulated by long-term 1-MCP treatment. Therefore, we propose that the inhibited expression of CpEBF1and CpMADS1/3resulted in the repressed activation of CW-degradation-related genes via their interaction, thereby resulting in fruit softening disorders.