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A homologous RuO2–Ru heterostructure, constructed by an in situ carbothermal reduction method, is demonstrated as an efficient catalyst for ethanol upgrading.

Conducting polymers (CPs) with high conductivity and solution processability have made great advances since the pioneering work on doped polyacetylenesup1-3/sup, thus creating the new field of 'organic synthetic metals,sup4/sup. Various high-performance CPs have been realized, which enable the applications of several organic electronic devicessup5,6/sup. Nevertheless, most CPs exhibit hole-dominant (p-type) transport behavioursup7,8/sup, whereas the development of n-type analogues lags far behind and only a few exhibit metallic state, typically limited by low doping efficiency and ambient instability. Here we present a facilely synthesized highly conductive n-type polymer poly(benzodifurandione) (PBFDO). The reaction combines oxidative polymerization and in situ reductive n-doping, greatly increasing the doping efficiency, and a doping level of almost 0.9 charges per repeating unit can be achieved. The resultant polymer exhibits a breakthrough conductivity of more than 2,000 S cmsup-1/supwith excellent stability and an unexpected solution processability without extra side chains or surfactants. Furthermore, detailed investigations on PBFDO show coherent charge-transport properties and existence of metallic state. The benchmark performances in electrochemical transistors and thermoelectric generators are further demonstrated, thus paving the way for application of the n-type CPs in organic electronics.

IntroductionThe peat carbon pool stores 30% of the total global soil carbon accounting for 3–4% of the global land surface. The stability of the peatland carbon pool is a key factor affecting global carbon cycling that is seriously disturbed by climate change and regional human activities. However, the impact of these factors on carbon pool stability remains poorly understood.MethodsBased on the physicochemical properties and carbon compounds of 973 peat samples from Jilin Province (China), which are widely distributed in different altitude regions of the Changbai Mountains, we investigated the stability of the carbon pool in different dominant plants and degradation types of peatlands and assessed the effects of regional environmental factors on the peatland carbon pool.Results and DiscussionOur results showed that the carbohydrate content of peat soils in different peatland types ranged from 33.2 ± 6.9% to 40.5 ± 4.8%, and the aromatic content ranged from 19.8 ± 1.2% to 22.7 ± 2.3%. Bulk density is the most important physicochemical factor, and annual average temperature is the most important environmental factor that influences carbon stability. The effects of selected environmental factors on the peatland carbon pool covered by different plants were different, and the carbon stability in shrub peatlands is more sensitive to climate characteristics than in peatlands dominated by the other two plant types. Peatland degradation decreases the carbon stability in herb and herb/shrub peatlands and increases the carbon stability in shrub peatlands, leading the peatland carbon pool to be more easily influenced by regional human activities than natural peatlands.

Piperine (1-piperoylpiperidine) is the major pungent component of black pepper (Piper nigrum) and exhibits a spectrum of pharmacological activities. The molecular bases for many of piperine’s biological effects are incompletely defined. We noted that the chemical structure of piperine generally conforms to a pharmacophore model for small bioactive molecules that activate mitofusin (MFN)-mediated mitochondrial fusion. Piperine, but not its isomer chavicine, stimulated mitochondrial fusion in MFN-deficient cells with EC50 of ~8 nM. We synthesized piperine analogs having structural features predicted to optimize mitofusin activation and defined structure-activity relationships (SAR) in live-cell mitochondrial elongation assays. When optimal spacing was maintained between amide and aromatic groups the derivatives were potent mitofusin activators. Compared to the prototype phenylhexanamide mitofusin activator, 2, novel molecules containing the piperidine structure of piperine exhibited markedly enhanced passive membrane permeability with no loss of fusogenic potency. Lead compounds 5 and 8 enhanced mitochondrial motility in cultured murine Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (CMT2A) neurons, but only 8 improved mitochondrial transport in sciatic nerve axons of CMT2A mice. Piperine analogs represent a new chemical class of mitofusin activators with potential pharmaceutical advantages.

Non-small-cell lung carcer (NSCLC), the main histological subtype of lung cancer, is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Telocinobufagin, an active compound of the Chinese traditional medicine ChanSu, has antitumor effects, but its mechanism of action remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effect of telocinobufagin on NSCLC growth and metastasis and its possible mechanism of action

Using potentiodynamic polarization and immersion corrosion and sacrificial anode material discharge performance testing methods studied the dissolution behavior of aluminum anode material in the working condition of simulated Northwest oilfield corrosion conditions. The research results show that carbon can reduce the corrosion potential of aluminum anode material and anode current density increase, which can improve the material corrosion dissolution performance. Immersion corrosion test results show that with the carbon content in ascension, to enhance the anode material of aluminum anode material of uniform dissolving ability, passivation phenomenon was significantly suppressed. Adding carbon anode materials to add up the uniform’s ability to dissolve, eliminate the phenomenon of local corrosion of anode material and the discharge efficiency is greatly increased, effectively solve the aluminum anode material in high temperature environment to serve the current efficiency degradation of field engineering problems.

Assessment of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) expression could be a unique tool to determine the neuroinflammatory status for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Our preclinical results indicate that PET imaging with [(11)C]CS1P1 radiotracer can quantitatively measure S1PR1 expression changes in different animal models of inflammatory diseases. Here we developed a multiple step F-18 labeling strategy to synthesize the radiotracer [(18)F]FS1P1, sharing the same structure with [(11)C]CS1P1. We explored a wide range of reaction conditions for the nucleophilic radiofluorination starting with the key ortho-nitrobenzaldehyde precursor 10. The tertiary amine additive TMEDA proved crucial to achieve high radiochemical yield of ortho-[(18)F]fluorobenzaldehyde [(18)F]12 starting with a small amount of precursor. Based on [(18)F]12, a further four-step modification was applied in one-pot to generate the target radiotracer [(18)F]FS1P1 with 30∼50% radiochemical yield, >95% chemical and radiochemical purity, and a high molar activity (37∼166.5 GBq/μmol, decay corrected to end of synthesis, EOS). Subsequently, tissue distribution of [(18)F]FS1P1 showed a high brain uptake (ID%/g) of 0.48 ± 0.06 at 5 min, and bone uptake of 0.27 ± 0.03, 0.11 ± 0.02 at 5, and 120 min respectively, suggesting no in vivo defluorination. MicroPET studies showed [(18)F]FS1P1 has high macaque brain uptake with a standard uptake value (SUV) of ~2.3 at 120 min. Radiometabolite analysis in nonhuman primate plasma samples indicated that [(18)F]FS1P1 has good metabolic stability, and no major radiometabolite confounded PET measurements of S1PR1 in nonhuman primate brain. Overall, [(18)F]FS1P1 is a promising F-18 S1PR1 radiotracer worthy of further clinical investigation for human use.

Background Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common lung cancer with high mortality across the world, but it is challenging to develop an effective therapy for NSCLC. Celastrol is a natural bioactive compound, which has been found to possess potential antitumor activity. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of celastrol activity in NSCLC remain elusive. Methods Cellular function assays were performed to study the suppressive role of celastrol in human NSCLC cells (H460, PC-9, and H520) and human bronchial epithelial cells BEAS-2B. Cell apoptosis levels were analyzed by flow cytometry, Hoechst 33342, caspase-3 activity analysis, and western blot analysis. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscope. Expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related proteins and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (P-STAT3) were identified via western blot analysis. A heterograft model in nude mice was employed to evaluate the effect of celastrol in vivo. Results Celastrol suppressed the growth, proliferation, and metastasis of NSCLC cells. Celastrol significantly increased the level of intracellular ROS; thus, triggering the activation of the ER stress pathway and inhibition of the P-STAT3 pathway, and eventually leading to cell apoptosis, and the effects were reversed by the pre-treatment with N-Acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC). Celastrol also suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion The outcomes revealed that celastrol plays a potent suppressive role in NSCLC in vitro and in vivo. Celastrol induces apoptosis via causing mitochondrial ROS accumulation to suppress the STAT3 pathway. Celastrol may have potential application prospects in the therapy of NSCLC.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is ubiquitously expressed among all tissues and plays key roles in many physiological and cellular processes. In the central nervous system (CNS), S1PR1 is expressed in different types of cells including neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocyte precursor cells. S1PR1 has been recognized as a novel therapeutic target in multiple sclerosis and other diseases. We previously reported a promising S1PR1-specific radioligand, [(11)C]CS1P1 (previously named [(11)C]TZ3321), which is under clinical investigation for human use. In the current study, we performed a detailed characterization of [(3)H]CS1P1 for its binding specificity to S1PR1 in CNS using autoradiography and immunohistochemistry in human and rat CNS tissues. Our data indicate that [(3)H]CS1P1 binds to S1PR1 in human frontal cortex tissue with a K(d) of 3.98 nM and a B(max) of 172.5 nM. The distribution of [(3)H]CS1P1 in human and rat CNS tissues is consistent with the distribution of S1PR1 detected by immunohistochemistry studies. Our microPET studies of [(11)C]CS1P1 in a nonhuman primate (NHP) show a standardized uptake value of 2.4 in the NHP brain, with test–retest variability of 0.23% among six different NHPs. Radiometabolite analysis in the plasma samples of NHP and rat, as well as in rat brain samples, showed that [(11)C]CS1P1 was stable in vivo. Kinetic modeling studies using a two-compartment tissue model showed that the positron emission tomography (PET) data fit the model well. Overall, our study provides a detailed characterization of [(3)H]CS1P1 binding to S1PR1 in the CNS. Combined with our microPET studies in the NHP brain, our data suggest that [(11)C]CS1P1 is a promising radioligand for PET imaging of S1PR1 in the CNS.

In the last decade, the marine industry has been pursuing higher combustion pressure and higher fuel economy, which makes the thermal load on the piston will increase significantly. Therefore, the efficient cooling of the piston is a crucial factor for reliable operation of the diesel engine. There are different types of cooling cavities inside the piston, which is usually cooled by "cocktail shaker" cooling mechanism. In the previous studies, simplified models were mostly used instead of complex actual models, and very few experiments were studied to investigate the multi-cavity with long-strokes, making it a challenge to analyze the gas-liquid two-phase flow in the complex piston cooling cavity. In this paper, a visualization test rig of a real-size marine piston model was built to observe the complex multi-cavity flow by using high-speed camera equipment. Flow mechanism of two-phase flow inside the multi-cavity piston is revealed, the variation of flow patterns with the rotational speed and the filling rate is also studied. It is found that swirl flow exists inside the multi-cavity piston, which was mostly neglected in previous studies. Experimental observations are also verified by extended simulation investigation of the flow field. Results of this paper reveal the full flow mechanism of a typical marine multi-chamber piston, and provide foundation and reference to the cooling mechanism study and optimal design of piston cooling system.

Fish not only constitute an important trophic level in aquatic ecosystems but also serve as an important source of protein for human beings. The health of fish is related to the sustained and healthy development of their entire aquatic ecosystem. Due to the widespread use, mass production, high disposal frequency, and degradation resistance of plastics, these pollutants are released into aquatic environments on a large scale. They have become one of the fastest growing pollutants and have a substantial toxic effect on fish. Microplastics have intrinsic toxicity and can absorb heavy metals discharged into water. The adsorption of heavy metals onto microplastics in aquatic environments is affected by many factors and serves as a convenient way for heavy metals to migrate from the environment to organisms. Fish are exposed to both microplastics and heavy metals. In this paper, the toxic effects of heavy metal adsorption by microplastics on fish are reviewed, and the focus is on the toxic effects at the individual (survival, feeding activity and swimming, energy reserves and respiration, intestinal microorganisms, development and growth, and reproduction), cellular (cytotoxicity, oxidative damage, inflammatory response, neurotoxicity, and metabolism) and molecular (gene expression) levels. This facilitates an assessment of the pollutants’ impact on ecotoxicity and contributes to the regulation of these pollutants in the environment.

The inflow uniformity before selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst carrier is a major issue for DeNO x capability of diesel engine after-treatment. Through the construction of the numerical model and CFD simulation of six perforated plate variations with different structural and positional characteristics, the influence of perforated plates on the uniformity of the airflow velocity at the inlet of the SCR catalyst carrier was analyzed. Comparison of different perforated plate variations shows that the encircling flow is a major hindrance to achieve higher inflow uniformity. Enclosed flow passage can remove the encircling flow and increase inflow uniformity at the cost of increased pressure drop. Rational layout of the perforated plate can achieve uniformity increase, while decrease pressure drop. High-velocity exhaust coupled with larger holes can improve both uniformity and pressure drop. The uniformity index increased from 97.6% of the original design to 98.7% of the optimized design, while pressure drop increased from 11.20 to 12.09 kPa. Weighing the relationship between inflow uniformity and pressure drop is an issue worthy of attention.

Background Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is a promising prognostic marker and therapeutic target in cancers. Bufalin is an effective anti-tumour agent; however, the clinical application of bufalin is limited due to its high toxicity. Acetyl-bufalin, the bufalin prodrug, was designed and synthesised with higher efficiency and lower toxicity. Methods Three non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, a xenograft model and a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model were used to examine the effects of acetyl-bufalin. CDK9/STAT3 involvement was investigated by knockdown with siRNA, proteome microarray assay, western blot analysis and co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Acute toxicity test and pharmacokinetics (PK) study were conducted to assess the safety and PK. The human NSCLC tissues were analysed to verify high CDK9 expression. Results We showed that CDK9 induced NSCLC cell proliferation and that this effect was associated with STAT3 activation, specifically an increase in STAT3 phosphorylation and transcription factor activity. Acetyl-bufalin is an effective and safety inhibitor of the CDK9/STAT3 pathway, leading to the impediment of various oncogenic processes in NSCLC. Molecular docking and high-throughput proteomics platform analysis uncovered acetyl-bufalin directly binds to CDK9. Consequently, acetyl-bufalin impaired the complex formation of CDK9 and STAT3, decreased the expressions of P-STAT3, and transcribed target genes such as cyclin B1, CDC2, MCL-1, Survivin, VEGF, BCL2, and it upregulated the expression levels of BAX and caspase-3 activity. Acetyl-bufalin inhibited tumour growth in NSCLC xenograft and PDX models. Conclusions Acetyl-bufalin is a novel blocker of the CDK9/STAT3 pathway thus may have potential in therapy of NSCLC and other cancers.

There are four sets of source rocks from Carboniferous (C) to Permian in Mahu Sag, and the paleoenvironment is the decisive factor for the differences of source rocks. In order to study the control...

In recent years, studies conducted on foam stabilization have focused on nanoparticles by generating strong adsorption at the interface to stabilize the foam under harsh reservoir conditions. Meanwhile, the selection of a gas source is also of great importance for foam performance. In this study, a mixed system of surfactants was selected, and the foamability and foam stability of nitrogen and methane were evaluated according to the improved jet method. After adding modified SiO2 nanoparticles, the foam-related parameters were analyzed. The plugging abilities of the different foams were compared through core-flooding experiments, and the oil displacement effects of the different foams were compared through microfluidic experiments. The results show that the amphoteric surfactant betaine has an excellent synergistic effect on the anionic surfactant SDS. The methane foam produced using the jet method has a larger initial volume than the nitrogen foam, but its stability is poor. The half-life of the nitrogen foam is about two times that of the methane foam. After adding 1.0 wt % SiO2 nanoparticles to the surfactant solution, the viscosity and stability of the formed foam improve. However, the maximum viscosity of the surfactant nanoparticle foam (surfactant-NP foam) is 53 mPa·s higher than that of the surfactant foam. In the core-flooding experiment, the plugging performance of the methane foam was worse than that of the nitrogen foam, and in the microfluidic experiment, the oil displacement abilities of the methane foam and the nitrogen foam were similar. The plugging performance and the oil displacement effect of the foam are greatly improved by adding nanoparticles. The surfactant-NP foam flooding has a better oil displacement effect and can enhance the recovery factor by more than 30%. Under actual high-pressure reservoir conditions, although the stability of the methane foam is weaker than that of the nitrogen foam, some methane may be dissolved in the crude oil to decrease the viscosity after the foam collapses, which leads to the methane foam being the preferred method in oilfields.

Packing densification of mono-sized regular dodecahedral particles subjected to 3D vibrations was studied through systematical physical experiments. The influences of various vibration conditions and container size on the packing density were analyzed and the operating parameters were optimized. The obtained microstructures of different packings were characterized through 3D CT non-destructive inspection. The results show that by properly controlling the vibration conditions, the transition from initial loose to final dense packing structure of mono-sized regular dodecahedral particles can be reproduced. A maximum packing density of 0.709, which is the currently obtainable densest random packing structure of mono-sized regular dodecahedral particles in physical experiments, can be realized by extrapolating the packing densities obtained in different sized containers. Microscopic analyses on the 3D computer re-constructed packing structures from experiments clearly demonstrate the specific characteristics of the generated initial loose and final dense packings. The obtained results can enhance the deep understanding of packing behavior of dodecahedral particles and provide researchers with valuable reference to the design and fabrication of some new materials.

The random packings of binary tetrahedron-sphere mixtures were numerically reproduced by DEM simulations. The influences of particle shape (characterized by eccentricity ζ and height ratio η), particle size, and composition on the packing density of binary tetrahedron-sphere mixtures were systematically investigated. The properties of equivalent packing diameter are identified by both macroscopic and microscopic parameters. The results show that the equivalent packing diameter of tetrahedra is independent of the particle shape (ζ and η) deviation. The minimal specific volume variations ΔV are negative for each case with the size ratio ranging from 0.5 to 1 caused by the shape particularity of tetrahedra. The overall mean coordination number (CN) obtained at r = 1 (here, r = ds/dte, ds and dte are respectively sphere diameter and equivalent volume sphere diameter of tetrahedral particles) is almost identical and does not change with the variation of composition. The mean stress analysis shows that the equivalent packing diameter is not only universal for the microstructure parameters, but also for the mechanical properties of tetrahedron-sphere binary packings.

Packings of different mono-sized tetrahedral particles under 3D vibrations were studied by physical experiments and DEM simulations. The effects of vibration conditions and particle shape on the packing densification were comprehensively investigated and optimized. Corresponding characteristic microscopic properties such as coordination number (CN), particle contact type, radial distribution function (RDF), and particle orientations were numerically characterized and analyzed. The results show that the DEM model can be well validated by physical experiments. Microscopic analysis indicates that the minimum mean CN appears for tetrahedral particles with regular shape. The RDF shows that as the shape deviates from regular tetrahedral particles, the frequency of face-face, vertex-face and edge-edge contacts all decreases while that of edge-face contact increases. The cluster evolutions demonstrate that the reduction or disappearance of two important local clusters (dimer and wagon wheel structures) is one of the main reasons for the decrease of packing density of irregular tetrahedral particles.

Acid fracturing is a key measure to increase production of fracture-cavity reservoirs. Affected by the fracture-cavity system, hydraulic fractures will not propagate in a plane, and the mechanism of hydraulic fracture propagation is complicated. Therefore, considering the characteristics of hydraulic fracture propagation in fracture-cavity reservoirs, we established an extended finite element (XTEM) model for hydraulic fractures in fracture-cavity reservoirs. The simulation discussed hydraulic fracture extension in cases of a single cave and a single natural fracture and revealed the mechanism of dynamic propagation and extension of hydraulic fractures. The results indicated severe stress concentrations near caves, resulting in deflections of the fracture propagation direction. In the case of a single cave, upon shifts of shafts from the central line of the cave, the conditions of penetration of the cave by hydraulic fractures were investigated. It was shown that in the case of small approaching angles, the hydraulic fractures tend to deflect and join natural fractures; also, the hydraulic fractures can deflect and join natural fractures with large approaching angles and weak cementation. Generally small approaching angles and long natural fractures tend to induce hydraulic fractures and assist propagation towards the caves, thus increasing the probability of cave penetration.

Lung cancer is a part of the commonest malignancies with the highest mortality rate in cancer-related deaths worldwide. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are promising prognostic marker and therapeutic target in cancers. Our previous study has demonstrated the closely relationship between CDK9 and STAT3 in lung cancer. The inhibition of cell viability and migration in vitro by AT7519 were evaluated using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, clonogenic assay and scratch wound model. The cell cycle analysis was evaluated using flow cytometry analysis and western blotting analysis. The apoptotic-induced efficiency was assessed by flow cytometry analysis, hoechst 33342 staining, caspase-3 activity analysis and western blotting analysis. The roles of STAT3 in AT7519 treatment for lung cancer were assessed by docking model and western blotting analysis. The patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models were used to investigate the effect of AT7519 in vivo. In this study, we found that AT7519, a CDK inhibitor, reduced the viability of lung cancer cells in vitro and strongly suppressed tumor growth in PDX model. AT7519 blocked cell cycle progression and induced apoptosis by inhibiting IL-6/STAT3 pathway. Taken together, AT519 exhibits great anti-tumor effects in lung cancer, and the mechanism was related closely to IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway, which suggests the important roles of STAT3 in CDKs inhibitors. AT7519 might be a novel potential therapeutic agent based on this rationale.

Background: Currently, there are many clinical markers and models for evaluating ovarian reserve. However, none of them is ideal, especially the ovarian reserve assessment model applied to Chinese women, which needs further research. It is well known that the number of clinical samples is the main factor limiting the specificity and sensitivity of markers and models. At the same time, the traditional method of recruiting subjects requires a lot of time and has a high cost.Purpose: In this study, to explore the possibility of subjects self-reporting through WeChat applets and to provide more data for further optimization of the OvAge model, we developed an ovarian age prediction model for Chinese women.Methods: This study developed an online Ovarian Age（OvAge） calculator based on the WeChat applet and applied a generalized linear model to optimize the ovarian age prediction model that meets the physiological characteristics of Chinese women.Results: Compared with traditional recruitment methods, the online OvAge calculator can collect a large number of subjects in a very short time, which is efficient and convenient. In addition, the optimized formula, OvAge=exp(3.5254-0.001*PRL-0.0231*AMH), is currently a suitable model for ovarian age assessment of healthy Chinese women. We applied the final equation to the healthy population, decreased ovarian reserve (DOR), and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) population datasets. The results show that there is no significant difference between ovarian age and chronological age in healthy people, and the prediction accuracy is high.Conclusion: The OvAge calculator based on the WeChat applet is a new type of online self-report system that can collect a large number of subjects in a short time and can continuously optimize the model and update the applet version. This model is economical and efficient, and it is worthy of [1]promotion. The optimized OvAge model also provides a reference value for the clinical evaluation of ovarian reserve.

The piston cooling of engines are usually controlled by the “cocktail shake” mechanism inside the single cooling cavity, according to most studies of piston cooling published before. This paper researched on flow in multiple cooling cavities which are extensively used on pistons of low-speed engines, revealing that the flow in multi-cavity is quite different from that in a single cooling cavity. In this work, complete reciprocating cycles are captured to study the gas-liquid two-phase flow behavior of each cavity inside the multi-cavity piston, by conducting synchronous experiments using benchmarked high-speed camera and a real size piston. The effects of different engine speeds (40–64 rpm) and different inlet pressures (0.1–0.3 MPa) were investigated. Both the inner and annular cavities are cooled mainly by cocktail shaking, but two cooling mechanisms are observed in the outer cavity, the oscillatory effect and cyclonic effect, providing further development on piston cooling studies. The cyclonic effect enhances the heat transfer capacity of the sidewall surfaces. The coupling effect between multiple cavities produces a secondary mixing effect of the liquid and improves the overall turbulence. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis of the flow mechanism within a typical multi-cavity piston is presented.

Background: The incidence of breast cancer (BC) worldwide has increased substantially in recent years. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) refers to a crucial event impacting tumor heterogeneity. Although cinobufagin acts as an effective anticancer agent, the clinical use of cinobufagin is limited due to its strong toxicity. Acetyl-cinobufagin, a pre-drug of cinobufagin, was developed and prepared with greater efficacy and lower toxicity.Methods: A heterograft mouse model using triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines, was used to evaluate the potency of acetyl-cinobufagin. Signal transducer and stimulator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/EMT involvement was investigated by gene knockout experiments using siRNA and Western blot analysis.Results: Acetyl-cinobufagin inhibited proliferation, migration, and cell cycle S/G2 transition and promoted apoptosis in TNBC cells in vitro. In general, IL6 triggered the phosphorylation of the transcription factor STAT3 thereby activating the STAT3 pathway and inducing EMT. Mechanistically, acetyl-cinobufagin suppressed the phosphorylation of the transcription factor STAT3 and blocked the interleukin (IL6)-triggered translocation of STAT3 to the cell nucleus. In addition, acetyl-cinobufagin suppressed EMT in TNBC by inhibiting the STAT3 pathway. Experiments in an animal modelof breast cancer clearly showed that acetyl-cinobufagin was able to reduce tumor growth.Conclusions: The findings of this study support the potential clinical use of acetyl-cinobufagin as a STAT3 inhibitor in TNBC adjuvant therapy.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancer, which is the deadliest form of cancer worldwide. Recent studies have shown that genes in the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family are highly mutated in lung cancer, and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) has been found to be involved in various cancers, including lung cancer, suggesting that FGFR1 is a valid therapeutic target. Hypocrellin A (HA), a molecule with multiple biological activities, has been shown to influence cancer growth, but the specific mechanisms of its antitumor action have not been fully explored.MTT, colony formation, wound healing, transwell cell invasion and EdU cell proliferation assays were performed upon HA treatment of three NSCLC cell lines, H460, PC-9 and H1975. Hoechst 33258 staining and caspase 3 activity assays were carried out to investigate the impact of HA on apoptosis in these cells. Molecular docking and surface plasmon resonance were conducted to assess binding of HA to FGFR1. A mouse tumor model was used to detect the NSCLC-inhibitory ability of HA in vivo.Through in vitro assays, HA was shown to negatively impact cell viability, migration, invasion and promote apoptosis in three human NSCLC cell line models. HA was shown to bind to FGFR1 and to inhibit its autophosphorylation and the phosphorylation of downstream signaling molecules. Inhibition of tumor growth was also demonstrated in a mouse xenograft tumor model, and no toxic effects of HA treatment were observed.HA inhibits the activity of the FGFR1 and STAT3 signaling pathways. HA thus represents a potential new FGFR1-targeted treatment for NSCLC.

Argon has organ-protective effects on animals. However, whether or how argon influences plant responses remains elusive. In this study, we discovered that the growth inhibition of hydroponically cultured alfalfa seedlings under 100 μM CdCl

Objective. To observe the clinical effects of Jiawei Danggui Beimu Kushen pills in treating prostate cancer and their influence on the expression of serum prostate specific antigen. Methods. A total of 234 prostate cancer patients were selected and randomly divided into observation group and control group, with 117 cases in each group. The control group was given oral bicalutamide tablets, while the observation group was treated with Jiawei Danggui Beimu Kushen pills on the basis of the control group. The treatment efficacy, IPSS score, TCM syndrome score, VAS score, quality-of-life score, and immune function of the two groups were compared before and after treatment. The serum PSA and f-PSA levels of patients before treatment and after 30 days, 90 days, and 180 days of treatment in the two groups were compared. The five-year cumulative survival rate and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results. After treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was 88.03% (103/117), which was higher than that of the control group 69.23% (81/117); the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the IPSS score, TCM syndrome score, and VAS score of the two groups were reduced, and those in the observation group were lower than those in the control group; the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the quality-of-life scores of the two groups increased, and the observation group was higher than the control group; the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in serum PSA levels and f-PSA levels when comparing between the two groups of patients ( P > 0.05 ). With the increase of treatment time, the two index levels of the two groups were gradually decreased. After 180 days of treatment, the two index levels of the two groups of patients were significantly lower than those before treatment, and the two index levels of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group; the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the levels of IgM and IgA in the two groups were decreased, and the level of IgG was increased. The difference between the two groups in the levels of each index before and after treatment was statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ), and the difference between the two groups in the levels of each index after treatment was also statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). The five-year cumulative survival rate of the observation group was 69.23%, and the five-year cumulative survival rate of the control group was 46.15% ( P < 0.05 ). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of dizziness, fatigue, and gastrointestinal reactions ( P > 0.05 ), but the difference in the incidence of dysuria as well as dysuria and hematuria was statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Jiawei Danggui Beimu Kushen pills are effective in treating prostate cancer, which can effectively reduce the patients’ IPSS score and TCM syndrome scores, relieve the pain, and improve the quality of life of patients. They also have a potential role in regulating serum PSA levels, clearing tumor lesions, reducing postoperative complications, and improving related symptoms.

The role of circular RNA (circRNA) pappalysin 1 (circ-PAPPA; hsa_circ_0088233) in prostate cancer (PCa) cells was explored in the current study. Circ-PAPPA abundance was markedly enhanced in PCa. Circ-PAPPA interference restrained cell viability, proliferation, motility and glycolysis while elevated the apoptosis rate of PCa cells. Circ-PAPPA negatively regulated microRNA-515-5p (miR-515-5p) abundance. MiR-515-5p silencing largely diminished circ-PAPPA knockdown-mediated effects in PCa cells. MiR-515-5p directly bound to FKBP prolyl isomerase 1A (FKBP1A). MiR-515-5p overexpression-mediated impacts were partly counteracted by FKBP1A overexpression. Circ-PAPPA silencing reduced FKBP1A protein level partly by elevating miR-515-5p expression. Circ-PAPPA knockdown significantly restrained the tumour growth in vivo. Circ-PAPPA elevated the malignant phenotypes of PCa cells by sequestering miR-515-5p to induce the expression of FKBP1A.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to play an important role in the progression of numerous types of human cancer. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of circRNA_0074027 (circ_0074027) in gastric cancer (GC), and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action. For this purpose, the expression of circ_0074027 in GC cell lines was detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The effects of circ_0074027 on the proliferation and migration of GC cells were investigated using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and Transwell assays, respectively. The Circular RNA Interactome was used to predict that eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A3 (EIF4A3) could bind to circ_0074027, which was confirmed using an RNA immunoprecipitation assay. The expression and function of EIF4A3 in GC cells were also determined using western blot analysis, as well as CCK-8, colony formation, wound-healing and Transwell assays. The results revealed that circ_0074027 was highly expressed in GC cell lines in the form of a closed loop. In addition, circ_0074027-knockdown inhibited cellular proliferation and motility. Furthermore, EIF4A3 was predicted to be targeted by circ_0074027 and a positive association was identified between them. The overexpression of EIF4A3 reversed the effects of circ_0074027 on the proliferation and motility of GC cells. In conclusion, the findings of the present study demonstrated that circ_0074027 bound to EIF4A3 and promoted the proliferation and migration capacities of GC cells.

Most of the existing non-intrusive power load decomposition systems use the active power and reactive power of the electric load as the load characteristics. In the environment with a large load type and quantity, the decomposed effect is relatively poor, the accuracy is low, and the load characteristics are seriously lost. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a non-intrusive power load decomposition method using full current waveform as the characteristic of power load system. Firstly, in the data-driven framework, using the time series data of load voltage and current, the current model of each load is obtained by training RBF neural network based on the parameter optimization of support vector machine (SVM), and the load model library is formed. Then, genetic algorithm is used to find the combination of load model which is most similar to the actual current. The optimal combination of load model is the type and quantity of the actual load. In order to make the similarity evaluation more accurate, this paper establishes the weighted value of root mean square error, correlation coefficient and correlation entropy as the evaluated basis of similarity. The experimental results show that the load model library established by the decomposition method of this paper has better generalization ability and lower error, and the accuracy of decomposition load is 99.0%, which can effectively realize load decomposition.

Since 1990s, Airborne Hyperspectral imagers have been developed in China. The Pushbroom Hyperspectral Imager (PHI) was designed with fully adjustable integration time and scan rate, low readout noise, and high high-speed frame-shifted surface array CCD, covering the visible and near-infrared spectra with spectral resolution of 5 nm (Li et al., 2006). The Operational Modular Imaging Spectrometer (OMIS) was a whiskbroom imager, covering wide domain, including near-infrared, short-wave infrared, mid-wave infrared, and thermal infrared spectra. In 2008, HyperSpectral Imager (HSI) was first equipped on satellites HJ-1A for environment and disaster monitoring, which has 110-128 spectral bands covering the 450-950 nm, with the spatial resolution of 100 m, the spectral resolution of 4.5 nm, and the swath width of 50 km. Recently, the Advanced Hyperspectral Imager (AHSI) equipped on GaoFen-5 (GF-5) was launched in May 2018, with wide coverage and spectral band (i.e., 60 km swath width and 30 m spatial resolution). The GF-5/AHSI has 150 bands in the visible and near-infrared range (400-1000 nm) with spectral resolution of 5 nm and signal-to-noise ratio between 150 and 700, and 180 bands in the short-wave infrared range (1000-2500 nm) with spectral resolution of 10 nm and signal-to-noise ratio between 150 and 500 (Liu et al. 2020).

Photogenerated electron–hole recombination significantly restricts the catalytic efficiency of titanium dioxide (TiO2). Various approaches have been developed to overcome this problem, yet it remains challenging. Recently, graphene modification of TiO2 has been considered as an effective alternative to prevent electron–hole recombination and consequently enhance the photocatalytic performance of TiO2. This study reports an efficient but simple hydrothermal method utilizing titanium (IV) butoxide (TBT) and graphene oxide (GO) to prepare TiO2-reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites under mild reaction conditions. This method possesses several advantageous features, including no requirement of high temperature for TiO2 crystallization and a one-step hydrothermal reaction for mild reduction of GO without a reducing agent, which consequently makes the production of TiO2-RGO nanocomposites possible in a green and an efficient synthetic route. Moreover, the as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by numerous advanced techniques (SEM, TEM, BET, XRD, XPS, and UV-vis spectroscopy). In particular, the photocatalytic activities of the synthesized TiO2-RGO nanocomposites were evaluated by degrading the organic molecules (methylene blue, MB), and it was found that the photocatalytic activity of TiO2-RGO nanocomposites is ~4.5 times higher compared to that of pure TiO2. These findings would be useful for designing reduced graphene oxide-metal oxide hybrids with desirable functionalities in various applications for energy storage devices and environmental remediation.

Sandpiles are ubiquitous in nature and engineering applications but still not fully understood due to the complexity of structures and materials properties. This work presents a systematic study on the piles of Platonic solids using the discrete element method (DEM), mainly focusing on the effect of particle shape on the repose angles and bottom pressure distributions of the piles. Five Platonic particles (tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron) were discharged to form wedge-shaped piles. It was found that the repose angle did not increase with the decrease of particle sphericity. The pile formed by the cubes had the maximum repose angle and its bottom stress dip phenomena were more significant in terms of dip width and depth than that of other particle piles. The pressure distributions at different heights of the piles were quite similar to those of the whole piles, while the shear stress distributions near the boundaries exhibited different characteristics for the cube piles. The analyses of packing structures in terms of coordination number, radial distribution function, as well as contact types inside the piles were discussed to understand the change of pressure dips. The influence of static friction on the repose angle was more significant and it enhanced the stress dip phenomenon.

A novel joining method called friction spot riveting (FSR) was proposed to improve mechanical properties between AA6061-T6 and polypropylene (PP) joints via improving mechanical interlocking. Under the synergistic effect of frictional heat and forging force, the plastic was heated and softened, which further flowed into the pre-fabricated holes in the metal. Sound metal/plastic joints were obtained via a rivet composed of PP plastics, while an intimate joining interface formed between AA6061-T6 and PP. The joining mechanism contained the mechanical interlocking induced by the rivet and the adhesion bonding. The tensile shear load was significant improved and the maximum value was 266 N. The tensile shear fracture were characterized by the fracture of the rivet and the failure of adhesive joining.

Background Activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been reported in a variety of cancer types, including colorectal cancer (CRC), and represents a potential chemotherapeutic drug target. EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) have been increasingly applied in the clinical treatment of CRC, but development of drug resistance during the treatment has greatly limited their application. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and its mediated signal transduction pathway play an important role in the occurrence, development and metastasis of CRC, and are related to the development of EGFR-TKI resistance in CRC. Methods Cell viability, colony formation and cellular morphology were examined to evaluate the potent antiproliferative effect of the STAT3 inhibitor napabucasin, LY5 and rhein on the human CRC cell lines HCT116, SW620, RKO and DLD-1. Flow cytometry-based analysis was employed to determine whether rhein can affect the cell cycle and apoptosis. The expression level of phosphorylated STAT3 (P-STAT3), and cell cycle- and apoptosis-related proteins BCL2, CDC2 BAX, Cyclin D1 and Cyclin B1 were detected by Western blot analysis. Results This study revealed that rhein can significantly reduce cell viability and stimulate apoptosis in human CRC cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, rhein induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase in CRC cells and dose-dependently inhibited the expression of cell cycle-related proteins. Additionally, it was found that napabucasin, LY5 and rhein considerably sensitized cells to the EGFR-TKI erlotinib, thus suppressing CRC cell proliferation. Rhein also inhibited the phosphorylation of its downstream target STAT3. Inhibition of STAT3 and EGFR phosphorylation was also observed after treatment with a combination of rhein and EGFR inhibitors. Conclusion This study confirmed the synergistic effect of STAT3 inhibitor and EGFR inhibitor in CRC cell lines. Additionally, we found that rhein sensitizes human CRC cells to EGFR-TKIs by inhibiting STAT3 pathway. When combined with EGFR-TKIs, rhein may be a novel STAT3 inhibitor in CRC.