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Diabetic kidney disease is associated with the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and its metabolites. db/db mice were fed chow diet with or without 0.4% resveratrol for 12 weeks, after which the gut microbiota, faecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and renal fibrosis were analysed. Resveratrol ameliorated the progression of diabetic kidney disease and alleviated tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Further studies showed that gut microbiota dysbiosis was modulated by resveratrol, characterised by the expansion of SCFAs-producing bacteria Faecalibaculum and Lactobacillus, which increased the concentrations of SCFAs (especially acetic acid) in the faeces. Moreover, microbiota transplantation experiments found that alteration of the gut microbiota contributed to the prevention of diabetic kidney disease. Acetate treatment ameliorated proteinuria, glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in db/db mice. Overall, resveratrol improved the progression of diabetic kidney disease by suppressing tubulointerstitial fibrosis, which may be involved, at least in part, in the regulation of the gut microbiota-SCFAs axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous investigations mainly focused on the associations of dietary fatty acids with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, which ignored gene‐environment interaction and mechanisms interpretation. We conducted a case‐control study (751 cases and 3058 controls) and a prospective cohort study (125 021 participants) to explore the associations between dietary fatty acids, genetic risks, and CRC. Results showed that high intake of saturated fatty acid (SFA) was associated with a higher risk of CRC than low SFA intake (HR =1.22, 95% CI:1.02‐1.46). Participants at high genetic risk had a greater risk of CRC with the HR of 2.48 (2.11‐2.91) than those at low genetic risk. A multiplicative interaction of genetic risk and SFA intake with incident CRC risk was found (PInteraction = 7.59 × 10−20), demonstrating that participants with high genetic risk and high SFA intake had a 3.75‐fold greater risk of CRC than those with low genetic risk and low SFA intake. Furthermore, incorporating PRS and SFA into traditional clinical risk factors improved the discriminatory accuracy for CRC risk stratification (AUC from 0.706 to 0.731). Multi‐omics data showed that exposure to SFA‐rich high‐fat dietary (HFD) can responsively induce epigenome reprogramming of some oncogenes and pathological activation of fatty acid metabolism pathway, which may contribute to CRC development through changes in gut microbiomes, metabolites, and tumor‐infiltrating immune cells. These findings suggest that individuals with high genetic risk of CRC may benefit from reducing SFA intake. The incorporation of SFA intake and PRS into traditional clinical risk factors will help improve high‐risk sub‐populations in individualized CRC prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies show an association between low body selenium and the risk of hypertension. However, whether selenium deficiency causes hypertension remains unknown. Here, we report that Sprague-Dawley rats fed a selenium-deficient diet for 16 weeks developed hypertension, accompanied with decreased sodium excretion. The hypertension of selenium-deficient rats was associated with increased renal angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT 1 R) expression and function that was reflected by the increase in sodium excretion after the intrarenal infusion of the AT 1 R antagonist candesartan. Selenium-deficient rats had increased systemic and renal oxidative stress; treatment with the antioxidant tempol for 4 weeks decreased the elevated blood pressure, increased sodium excretion, and normalized renal AT 1 R expression. Among the altered selenoproteins in selenium-deficient rats, the decrease in renal glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) expression was most prominent. GPx1, via regulation of NF-κB p65 expression and activity, was involved in the regulation of renal AT 1 R expression because treatment with dithiocarbamate (PDTC), an NF-κB inhibitor, reversed the up-regulation of AT 1 R expression in selenium-deficient renal proximal tubule (RPT) cells. The up-regulation of AT 1 R expression with GPx1 silencing was restored by PDTC. Moreover, treatment with ebselen, a GPX1 mimic, reduced the increased renal AT 1 R expression, Na+-K+-ATPase activity, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) generation, and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 protein in selenium-deficient RPT cells. Our results demonstrated that long-term selenium deficiency causes hypertension, which is due, at least in part, to decreased urine sodium excretion. Selenium deficiency increases H 2 O 2 production by reducing GPx1 expression, which enhances NF-κB activity, increases renal AT 1 R expression, causes sodium retention and consequently increases blood pressure. [Display omitted] • Long-term selenium deficiency causes hypertension. • Selenium deficiency increases renal AT 1 R expression and sodium retention. • Selenium deficiency elevates NF-κB activity via GPx1/H 2 O 2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We assessed the function and mechanism of RNA binding motif protein 15 (RBM15) silencing in lung cancer development. Methods: The effects of RBM15 knockdown on A549 and H1299 cells were evaluated by MTT, EdU, wound healing, and transwell assay. We then detected the functions of RBM15 silencing on lipid peroxidation, labile iron pool (LIP), ferrous iron (Fe2+), and ferroptosis‐related genes. RNA sequencing was performed after RBM15 knockout in lung cancer cells, followed by differentially expressed genes (DEGs), Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed. Finally, the expression of RBM15 and pathway‐related genes was determined by western blot. Results: RBM15 was highly expressed in lung cancer cells. RBM15 silencing reduced the viability, inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, and suppressed tumor growth in the xenograft mouse model. Knockout of RBM15 regulated ferroptosis‐related gene expression. LIP, Fe2+, and lipid peroxidation were distinctly increased by the knockout of RBM15. RNA‐seq sequencing revealed that there are 367 up‐regulated and 368 down‐regulated DEGs, which were enriched in molecular functions, biological processes, and cellular components. RBM15 silencing reduced the expression of TGF‐β/Smad2, and TGF‐β activator (SRI‐011381) reversed the inhibitory effect of RBM15 silencing on tumor cell growth. Conclusion: We demonstrated that RBM15 silencing promoted ferroptosis in lung cancer cells by TGF‐β/Smad2 pathway, thereby inhibiting lung cancer cell growth, which may provide new light for lung cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new nanoscale metal Ti particle-reinforced Mg-3Al-1Zn matrix composite was successfully designed and prepared, which is mainly characterized by the fact that in addition to the "light" advantages of magnesium matrix composite, it also realizes bidirectional improvement of strength and ductility of the composite, and can be used as an alternative material for military light vehicle armor and individual armor. The SEM test shows that the nano-Ti particles are uniformly distributed at the grain boundary under the extruded state, which nails the grain boundary, inhibits the grain growth, and significantly refines the grain. XRD tests show that the addition of nano-Ti particles increases the crystallinity of the composite, which is consistent with the SEM test results. In addition, the EBSD test shows that the weakening of the texture of Ti/Mg-3Al-1Zn matrix composites and the increase in the starting probability of slip system are the main reasons for the improvement in ductility. Mechanical tests show that the yield strength, tensile strength, and elongation of the 0.5 wt% Ti/Mg-3Al-1Zn matrix composites exceed the peak values of ASTM B107/B107M-13 by 38.6%, 26.7%, and 20%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The copper-clad magnesium composite wire with a diameter of 3.12 mm and good interface bonding was prepared by cold rotary swaging. The effects of cold rotary swaging and annealing temperature on microstructure and properties of the wire were studied by electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, as well as mechanical and electrical properties tests. The results show that the multi-pass cold rotary swaging composite has a great effect on grain refinement, microstructure recovery and structural unit reorientation, and can also make the wire obtain good interfacial bonding quality, improve mechanical properties, and the tensile strength can reach 289 MPa. The width of the interface layer widened with the increase of temperature, and the increase improved significantly at annealing temperatures of 450 °C and 500 °C, and the intermetallic compounds Mg2Cu and MgCu2 were found in the longitudinal section of the wire, respectively. After a reasonable annealing process of 400 °C/1 h, the interface layer did not thicken significantly, and the ductility and conductivity of the wire were the best, and the elongation after fracture and conductivity could reach 17% and 81.1% IACS, which increased by 15.2% and 3.8% compared with before annealing, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous construction of both rings of indole from primary amines and MBH acetate of cyclohexenone is established. This method employed montmorillonite K10 as a cheap catalyst and diethyl carbonate as a green solvent. The scope of the reaction was scouted, in which 37 N-substituted indoles including 1,1′-bisindole were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial evidence highlighted the critical role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) in driving hepatocarcinogenesis. We hypothesized that functional variants in genome-wide association studies (GWASs) associated loci might alter the expression levels of lncRNAs and contribute to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we prioritized potentially cis -expression quantitative trait loci-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-lncRNA association together with the physical interaction by the analyses from Hi-C data in GWAS loci of chronic hepatitis B and HCC. Subsequently, by leveraging two-stage case-control study (1738 hepatitis B [HBV]) related HCC cases and 1988 HBV persistent carriers) and biological assays, we identified that rs2647046 was significantly associated with HCC risk (odds ratio = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.43, P = 4.14 × 10−4). Luciferase reporter assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that rs2647046 A allele significantly increased transcriptional activity via influencing transcript factor binding affinity. Allele-specific chromosome conformation capture assays revealed that enhancer with rs2647046 interacted with the HLA-DQB1-AS1 promoter to allele-specifically influence its expression by CTCF-mediated long-range loop. Cell proliferation assays indicated that HLA-DQB1-AS1 is a potential oncogene in HCC. Our study showed HLA-DQB1-AS1 regulated by a causal SNP in a long-range interaction manner conferred the susceptibility to HCC, suggesting an important mechanism of modulating lncRNA expression for risk-associated SNPs in the etiology of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This thesis investigates a novel solar‐assisted heat pump integrated phase change energy storage system. The defrosting performance of this system was studied experimentally and the results were compared with two traditionally used methods: reverse cycle defrosting (RCD) method and hot gas bypass defrosting (HGBD) method. The results show that the phase change energy storage system has superior performance compared with traditional defrosting methods. The indoor temperature drop recorded was relatively small and the defrosting time was 75% of the RCD system and 53% of HGBD system. The phase change energy storage system increased the condensation temperature which consequently increased the temperature difference of heat transfer resulting in higher conductivity in the defrosting progress. Compared with the method of RCD and the method of HGBD, the recovery time of the system was shortened by 90 and 160 seconds, respectively. The system works with low‐temperature heat source and circulating water, which considerably reduces energy consumption, thereby improving the performance of the defrosting system. A further experimental study was also conducted on the heating performance and the results also indicated that the value of COP can reach up to 3.6 in daytime, and the indoor temperature can be stably maintained above 18°C throughout the day. Novelty Statement: A new defrosting method for energy storage defrosting is proposed, and the defrosting performance is compared with two common defrosting methods. In addition, the performances of the heating system over the day were experimentally investigated. The experimental results show the system meets the heating needs of the building. Finally, the influence of the outdoor temperature on the exergy efficiency of the system was discussed. It shows that this system can improve the operational stability, the system economy and energy saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the reformation of energy market and the development of energy intelligent technology, regional integrated energy system, as an important direction of energy system development, is tending to play an important role in the field of energy supply and demand response program. This paper presents an optimal operation model of an integrated energy system considering the response of energy price. In this paper, the typical structure of the integrated energy system and the model of each system module are first introduced in detail, and the system model presented includes three subsystems: power supply, heating, and cooling. Second, a complete scheduling scheme is built based on the energy consumption characteristics and system operation characteristic of the integrated energy system. The model presented could reduce the cost of system without causing a significant amount of environmental pollutions, and improve the energy efficiency of the system efficiently. Besides, the scheduling strategy proposed could also provide support for the operation strategy of the integrated energy system under the energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability and electronic properties of the defective nanotube-like fullerenes C 58+10n obtained by removing a 5–6 bond closest to the poles of C 60+10n and their derivatives C 58+10n Cl 8 (n = 1, …, 10) have been investigated by using the density functional theory method. For each system, two isomer structures (the nonclassical fullerene with a heptagon and non-IPR fullerene with two pentagon pairs) and two electronic states (singlet and triplet) were examined. The results show that the non-IPR fullerenes C 58+10n with two pentagon pairs are more stable than their nonclassical isomer with a heptagon. Both the relative energies and the gap energies between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) reveal that the ground state for non-IPR C s -C 68 , C s -C 98 , C s -C 128 , and C s -C 158 is the triplet state, whereas the singlet state is the ground state for non-IPR C s -C 78 , C s -C 88 , C s -C 108 , C s -C 118 C s -C 138 , and C s -C 148 . Further chlorination on non-IPR fullerenes enhances the stability of chlorofullerenes. Especially, C s -C 68 Cl 8, C s -C 98 Cl 8 , C s -C 128 Cl 8 , and C s -C 158 Cl 8 have the most enhance stability both thermodynamically and kinetically exhibiting high negative reaction energies and large HOMO-LUMO gap energies. In addition, the nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) analysis shows that the triplet spin state is more aromatic than the corresponding singlet spin state for non-IPR C s -C 68 , C s -C 98 , C s -C 128 , and C s -C 158 . All derivatives C 58+10n Cl 8 are also aromatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal stabilities and electronic properties of the three C 56 fullerenes ( #916 C 56 , #864 C 56 , and #913 C 56 ), their chlorinated derivatives, and the corresponding chlorofullerene oxides are investigated and compared using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. #916 C 56 is the most stable isomer, but #916 C 56 and #864 C 56 possess almost degenerate energies (relative total energy 0.03 kcal/mol). The three experimentally observed C 56 chlorides display the rather high chemical stabilities with the high exothermicities of their chlorination reactions (reaction energy between −38.86 and −48.89 kcal/mol), large HOMO-LUMO energy gaps (between 2.69 and 3.24 eV), and the aromatic character (nucleus independent chemical shifts between −13.6 and −17.6 ppm). Further addition of oxygen atom to the active sites of C 56 chlorofullerenes results in the large stabilities of chlorofullerene oxides. Highly exothermic oxidation addition reactions (reaction energy between −83.66 and −87.24 kcal/mol) along with large HOMO-LUMO gaps (between 2.82 and 3.38 eV) indicate that these three chlorofullerene oxides are stable molecules. Similar to C 56 chlorofullerenes, all investigated chlorofullerene oxides also possess aromatic nature. Hence, #864 C 56 Cl 12 O and #916 C 56 Cl 12 O like the well-known #913 C 56 Cl 10 O can be isolated experimentally. The IR spectra have also been computed to assist future experimental characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sheet-on-sheet and metal-free graphene/C 3 N 4 /carbon dots (GR/C 3 N 4 /CDots) ternary heterostructure with efficient visible-light photocatalysis for pollutants degradation has been reported. Via a convenient and hydrothermal method, large-sized GR nanosheets can serve as substrate for monodispersed dispersion of C 3 N 4 nanosheets. A subsequent loading of very small amount of CDots (1 wt%, 2–5 nm) onto sheet-on-sheet heterostructure significantly enhance visible-light-driven photoredox performances of catalysts, including oxidation of organics pollutant (RhB, 96.0%) and reduction of heavy metals [Cr(VI), 83.6%]. Excellent catalytic properties of GR/C 3 N 4 /CDots heterostructure can be predominantly ascribed to the intimate interfacial contact among constructing ingredients, increased specific surface area and enhanced light adsorption derived from GR and CDots carbon materials. Particularly, the synergistic sheet-on-sheet interaction between C 3 N 4 and carbon materials (GR and CDots) remarkably accelerate the electrons/holes separation, giving rise to significantly enhanced photoredox performances of GR/C 3 N 4 /CDots in comparison with other counterparts. The synergism effect between organic contaminants and heavy metals also contributed to the efficient performance of GR/C 3 N 4 /CDots, wherein the O 2− and OH were the main active species in the photoredox reactions. This metals-free heterostructure shows favorable photostability in cyclic experiments. We anticipate that our work could provide a classical paradigm for rational design of efficient and visible-light-driven photocatalysts for their sustainable applications in wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption of one hydrogen atom on the surface of (5, 5) single-walled silicon carbide nanotube (SiCNT) and (5, 5) SiCNTs with two types of Stone-Wales defects (labeled as SW1 and SW2) has been investigated employing density functional theory. The reaction energy values for the hydrogenation at various sites were obtained at the UB3LYP/6-31G∗ level. It is shown that hydrogen can chemically adsorb on carbon sites or silicon sites on pristine (5, 5) SiCNT, with the reaction energies ranging from −34.7 to −36.6 kcal/mol. The introduction of a SW defect on the (5, 5) SiCNT shows an enhanced interaction of hydrogen with the defective SiCNTs compared to that with the pristine SiCNT. The computed reaction energies range from −39.9 to −67.9 kcal/mol for (5, 5) SW1 and from −33.6 to −69.8 kcal/mol for (5, 5) SW2 SiCNTs. Furthermore, the adsorption of two hydrogen atoms has also been explored. It is found that the system is more energetically favorable for both perfect and SW defective (5, 5) SiCNTs. The electronic properties analysis indicates that single hydrogen atom chemisorption can reduce the HOMO-LUMO gap of corresponding nanotubes, but not for double hydrogen chemisorbed SW defective nanotube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of suitable high-performance cathode materials has become the major barrier to their applications in future advanced communication equipment and electric vehicle power systems. In this paper, we have developed a layer-by-layer self-assembly approach for fabricating a novel sandwich nanoarchitecture of multilayered LiV3O8 nanoparticle/graphene nanosheet (M-nLVO/GN) hybrid electrodes for potential use in high performance lithium ion batteries by using a porous Ni foam as a substrate. The prepared sandwich nanoarchitecture of M-nLVO/GN hybrid electrodes exhibited high performance as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, such as high reversible specific capacity (235 mA h g−1 at a current density of 0.3 A g−1), high coulombic efficiency (over 98%), fast rate capability (up to a current density of 10 A g−1), and superior capacity retention during cycling (90% capacity retention with a current density of 0.3 A g−1 after 300 cycles). Very significantly, this novel insight into the design and synthesis of sandwich nanoarchitecture would extend their application to various electrochemical energy storage devices, such as fuel cells and supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The D 5h and I h isomers of Sc3NC@C80 and Sc3N@C80 have been comparatively studied based on DFT calculations. [•] The encapsulated Sc3NC cluster within the D 5h C80 cage adopts a planar structure as characterized in I h Sc3NC@C80. [•] The adiabatic electron affinity, adiabatic ionization potential and Raman spectra are calculated. [•] D 5h Sc3NC@C80 should be as synthetically approachable as D5h Sc3N@C80. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, we study the existence of non-trivial solutions for a class of second-order difference equations with resonance at both infinity and zero by using the critical point theory, the minimax methods and the Morse theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]