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When the wireless charging is working, the problem of voltage variation at both ends of the load may occur due to the coil offset conditions. In order to ensure that wireless charging has a better anti-offset ability, this article uses an optimized fuzzy controller to control the voltage at both ends of the load to keep the charging voltage stable. The regular fuzzy controllers usually adopt fixed expert rules, sometimes it cannot achieve the desired control effect when the situations change. Hence, a rule transfer-based fuzzy controller optimization method is proposed; first, a fuzzy control rule suitable for new situations is generated by rule transfer, and then a new fuzzy controller is applied to control the receiving part of the offsetting coil to keep the charging voltage stable. In the optimization of the fuzzy controller based on the rule transfer, the transfer mechanism and multifactorial evolutionary algorithm (MFEA) are adopted to update parameters, which can realize the transfer of knowledge from the standard domain to the variable domain, and significantly improve the performance of the variable domain. Through carrying out MATLAB/Simulink simulation experiments and designing hardware experiments, they indicate that when the coil offset conditions occur, the rule transfer-based fuzzy controller optimization method can effectively control both ends of the load to reach the desired voltage.

With the development of wireless power transfer (WPT), dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) has become a key technology for solving the low driving range of electric vehicles. This study aims to alleviate the output fluctuation of the power supply rail of a bipolar transmitter during DWPT, and to meet the wide output voltage range requirement at the receiving end. Specifically, a cascaded interleaved three-level buck converter is developed as a power topology at the receiving end to effectively reduce the electrical stress of the switching device. In addition, a control method that combines active disturbance rejection control and a disturbance observer is proposed to suppress the output fluctuation of the coupling coil at the receiving end and to improve the dynamic response speed, which effectively enhances the output stability of the DWPT system. In this paper, a 30 kW DWPT experimental platform is established to verify the superiority of the cascaded three-level buck converter and the effectiveness of the proposed control method. The proposed control method has a 40% higher fluctuation suppression capability when compared with the traditional control method.

Bronze phase titanium dioxide (TiO2(B)) could be a promising high-power anode for lithium ion battery. However, TiO2(B) is a metastable material, so the as-synthesized samples are inevitably accompanied by the existence of anatase phases. It has been found that the TiO2(B)'s purity is positively correlated with its electrochemical performance. Herein, we have established an accurate quantification of the TiO2(B)/anatase ratio, by figuring out the function between the purity of TiO2(B) phase in the high purity range and its Raman spectra features in combination of the calibration by the synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (XRD). Compared with the time-consuming electrochemical method, the rapid, sensitive and non-destructive features of Raman spectroscopy have made it a promising candidate for determining the purity of TiO2(B). Further, the correlations developed in this work should be instructive in synthesizing pure TiO2(B) and furthermore optimizing its electrochemical charge storage properties.

Mantle convection manifests in the subduction of cold slabs and the upwelling of hot plumes, driving both near-surface processes such as volcanism and seismicity and the chemical evolution of the Earth’s interior. Phase transitions of mantle minerals at high pressure are associated with changes in density and viscosity. Mantle convection is either enhanced or impeded depending on the sign of the slope of the phase transition boundary (the temperature dependence of transition pressures). Accurately determining phase boundary slopes is, therefore, essential for understanding mantle dynamics. Here we identified the phase boundary of the post-garnet phase transition—the breakdown of garnet to bridgmanite plus corundum—under mantle conditions using in situ X-ray diffraction multi-anvil techniques that can accurately determine phase stability. We find that the post-garnet phase boundary has a downward-convex shape: the slope changes from negative to positive with increasing temperature. The negative slope at low temperatures would impart upward buoyancy on cold slabs that is significantly larger than that by thermal expansion. This could impede slab downwelling and may explain slab stagnation between 660 and 1,000 km depth. In contrast, the positive slope at high temperatures would impart upward buoyancy on hot plumes and enhance their upwelling, which may account for the invisibility of plumes in seismic observations above 1,000 km depth.

The loading, delivery, and release of Pt(IV) precursors in living organisms are important aspects of exploring the development of platinum drugs. In recent years, the biological application of the fluorescent sensors to platinum drugs has been insufficient to meet the study of Pt(IV) precursors. It is urgent to design and develop a biocompatible, multifunctional fluorescent sensor for the study of loading, transport, and release of Pt(IV) ions. Herein, we report a fluorescent molecule (E)-6-(diethylamino)-N′-(4-(diphenylamino) benzylidene)-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3 carbohydrazide (CHTPA). CHTPA has good sensitivity and selectivity to Pt(IV) when the water content is 5%, and significant increase of the fluorescence emission intensity of CHTPA is observed with Pt(IV) concentration. The sensing mechanism is attributed to photo-induced electron transfer, which is verified by X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy spectra, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectra, and Fourier transform infrared spectra. Furthermore, the CHTPA–Pt(IV) complex is able to release Pt(IV) in aqueous solution, and the green fluorescence of CHTPA based on the aggregation-induced emission effect can be observed. Inspired by these, the amphiphilic block copolymer poly(ethyloxide)-block-polystyrene (PEO-b-PS) is used to prepare the nonconjugated polymer dots (Pdots). The experimental results show that Pdots can effectively slow down the release speed of Pt(IV) in aqueous solution and it has a great monodispersity in aqueous solution. Meanwhile, Pdots show low cytotoxicity, and this is favorable for intracellular applications. The investigation of cellular imaging indicates that these Pdots can act as a carrier to deliver Pt(IV) into MCF-7 cells for visualized delivery and sustained release of platinum(IV) ions. Therefore, this study provides a new avenue to design and develop a biocompatible multifunctional fluorescent sensor for studying the loading, delivery, and release of Pt(IV) in cells.

Bacterial invasion and proliferation on various surfaces pose a serious threat to public health worldwide. Conventional antibacterial strategies that mainly rely on bactericides exhibit high bacteria-killing efficiency but might trigger the well-known risk of antibiotic resistance. Here, we report a superhydrophobic mechano-bactericidal surface with photodynamically enhanced antibacterial capability. First, bioinspired nanopillars with polycarbonate as the bulk material were replicated from anodized alumina oxide templates via a simple hot-pressing molding method. Subsequently, a facile bovine serum albumin phase-transition method was used to introduce chlorin e6 onto the nanopillar-patterned surface, which was then perfluorinated to render the surface superhydrophobic. Benefiting from its strong liquid super-repellency and photodynamically enhanced mechano-bactericidal properties, the superhydrophobic nanopillar-patterned surface exhibits 100% antibacterial efficiency after 30 min visible light irradiation (650 nm, 20 mW cm–2). More strikingly, the surface exhibited impressive long-lasting antimicrobial performance, maintaining a very high bactericidal efficiency (≥99%) even after 10 cycles of bacterial contamination tests. Also, the superhydrophobic nanopillar-patterned surface displays good hemocompatibility with a much lower than the 5% hemolysis rate. Overall, this work offers a new method for significantly enhancing the antibacterial efficiency of structural antimicrobial surfaces without involving any bactericidal agents, and this functional surface shows great potential in the field of advanced medical materials and hospital surfaces.

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) home to the bone marrow via, in part, interactions with vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM1)1–3. Once in the bone marrow, HSCs are vetted by perivascular phagocytes to ensure their self-integrity. Here we show that VCAM1 is also expressed on healthy HSCs and upregulated on leukaemic stem cells (LSCs), where it serves as a quality-control checkpoint for entry into bone marrow by providing ‘don’t-eat-me’ stamping in the context of major histocompatibility complex class-I (MHC-I) presentation. Although haplotype-mismatched HSCs can engraft, Vcam1deletion, in the setting of haplotype mismatch, leads to impaired haematopoietic recovery due to HSC clearance by mononuclear phagocytes. Mechanistically, VCAM1 ‘don’t-eat-me’ activity is regulated by β2-microglobulin MHC presentation on HSCs and paired Ig-like receptor-B (PIR-B) on phagocytes. VCAM1 is also used by cancer cells to escape immune detection as its expression is upregulated in multiple cancers, including acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), where high expression associates with poor prognosis. In AML, VCAM1 promotes disease progression, whereas VCAM1 inhibition or deletion reduces leukaemia burden and extends survival. These results suggest that VCAM1 engagement regulates a critical immune-checkpoint gate in the bone marrow, and offers an alternative strategy to eliminate cancer cells via modulation of the innate immune tolerance.

Synergetic self-healing anticorrosion behaviors, by forming a self-assembly protective layer and repairing coating passive barrier, exhibit great potential in handling the notorious metal corrosion phenomenon. Herein, we developed a nanofiber-supported anticorrosion coating with synergistic protection effects of both self-healing and active corrosion inhibition, via a facile electrospinning combined coating technique. Polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber integrated with 2-mecapobenzothiazole-loaded halloysite nanotubes (HNTs-MBT) is directly deposited on the surface of metal substrate, forming an interconnected fiber network framework. The encapsulated corrosion inhibitor MBT can be released by a pH-triggered manner to realize instant corrosion protections. Additionally, coating defects could be repeatedly repaired by continuous polymer fiber upon heat treatment and the anticorrosion efficiency effectively remained, even after three cycles of damage–healing. Moreover, the repaired coating also exhibited durable anticorrosion performance, mainly attributed to the synergetic effects of both thermal-triggered bulk healing and active corrosion inhibition. This type of dual-functional coating provides efficient anticorrosive performances and may show great promise in long-term corrosion protection.

Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) incorporating metal–organic framework crystalline fillers as heterogeneous catalysts for organic transformation reactions have attracted more attention in catalysis science. Herein, a new 3D cadmium metal–organic framework (H3O)·[Cd(dppa)] (1) was first synthesized using the rigid 4-(3,5-dicarboxylphenyl)picolinic acid (H3dppa) as an organic ligand under solvothermal conditions, exhibiting a novel 6,6-connected network and good tolerance to various solvents. After activation, 1showed good catalytic reactivity and selectivity for the synthesis of benzimidazole derivatives, affording solvent-dependent catalytic activity. Then, using the microcrystals of 1and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) as raw materials, 1@PVDF MMMs were successfully prepared by polymer solution casting. Notably, the integration of MOF and PVDF endows the mixed-matrix membrane 1@PVDF with great advantages in terms of more dispersive Lewis acid catalytic sites and recyclability. As expected, 1@PVDF not only displays good catalytic activity comparable to that of activated 1but also exhibits remarkable recyclability and continuous usability for the production of benzimidazole and α- or β-amino acid derivatives. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a Cd-based MOF and MMMs have been applied as a catalyst for the production of a β-amino acid. The combination of catalytic MOF and PVDF provides a way to simplify the design of a flow reactor and reduce the costs of manufacturing.

Using AMA nanosheets and Nafion as raw materials, several AMA-x@Nafion composite membranes were successfully synthesized by polymer solution casting and corresponding mechanical property, proton conductivity, water uptake and swelling, methanol permeability, and single-cell performance were investigated. It was found that AMA nanosheets were well dispersed in the matrix of the Nafion membrane due to strong electrostatic interactions among functional groups, including −SO3H and −NH2, overcoming the problem of poor dispersion of the composite membrane. Moreover, the content of AMA nanosheets had an important influence on the membrane performances, especially for methanol permeability. Among the prepared composite membranes, AMA-2.0@Nafion showed improved cell performance in contrast to recast Nafion. Notably, freezing water existed in the confined environment of the prepared composite membrane, which was significantly different from normal hydrocarbon-based PEMs. This provided a new idea and reference for the development of DMFCs used for a low-temperature cold startup.

Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies in the head and neck. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOXA11-AS is proven to function as an oncogene and a therapeutic target in various tumors. Our previous study and others have demonstrated that HOXA11-AS is one of the most upregulated lncRNAs in HSCC. However, the role of HOXA11-AS in HSCC has not yet been identified. The current study demonstrated that the expression of HOXA11-AS was significantly upregulated in HSCC tumors and was positively associated with lymph node metastasis. Moreover, functional experiments revealed that HOXA11-AS knockdown suppressed the proliferation and migration potential in FaDu cells. Furthermore, luciferase reporter gene assay combined with cellular functional experiments demonstrated that HOXA11-AS functioned as a molecular sponge for miR-155, and inhibition of miR-155 attenuated the suppressive effect of HOXA11-AS knockdown on the aggressive phenotype in HSCC. This study identifies a tumor-promoting role of HOXA11-AS in HSCC and suggests HOXA11-AS might be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for HSCC.

The Hall–Petch relationship, according to which the strength of a metal increases as the grain size decreases, has been reported to break down at a critical grain size of around 10 to 15 nanometres1,2. As the grain size decreases beyond this point, the dominant mechanism of deformation switches from a dislocation-mediated process to grain boundary sliding, leading to material softening. In one previous approach, stabilization of grain boundaries through relaxation and molybdenum segregation was used to prevent this softening effect in nickel–molybdenum alloys with grain sizes below 10 nanometres3. Here we track in situ the yield stress and deformation texturing of pure nickel samples of various average grain sizes using a diamond anvil cell coupled with radial X-ray diffraction. Our high-pressure experiments reveal continuous strengthening in samples with grain sizes from 200 nanometres down to 3 nanometres, with the strengthening enhanced (rather than reduced) at grain sizes smaller than 20 nanometres. We achieve a yield strength of approximately 4.2 gigapascals in our 3-nanometre-grain-size samples, ten times stronger than that of a commercial nickel material. A maximum flow stress of 10.2 gigapascals is obtained in nickel of grain size 3 nanometres for the pressure range studied here. We see similar patterns of compression strengthening in gold and palladium samples down to the smallest grain sizes. Simulations and transmission electron microscopy reveal that the high strength observed in nickel of grain size 3 nanometres is caused by the superposition of strengthening mechanisms: both partial and full dislocation hardening plus suppression of grain boundary plasticity. These insights contribute to the ongoing search for ultrastrong metals via materials engineering.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1)is a transcriptional regulator that mediates cellular adaptive responses to hypoxia. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) is involved in the development of ascites syndrome (AS) in broiler chickens. Therefore, studying the effect of HIF-1αon the cellular transcriptome under hypoxic conditions will help to better understand the mechanism of HIF-1αin the development of AS in broilers. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression profile of the Chicken fibroblast cell line (DF-1) under hypoxic conditions by RNA-seq. Additionally, we constructed the HIF-1αknockdown DF-1 cell line by using the RNAi method and analyzed the gene expression profile under hypoxic conditions. The results showed that exposure to hypoxia for 48 hours had a significant impact on the expression of genes in the DF-1 cell line, which related to cell proliferation, stress response, and apoptosis. In addition, after HIF-1αknockdown more differential expression genes appeared than in wild-type cells, and the expression of most hypoxia-related genes was either down-regulated or remained unchanged. Pathway analysis results showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in pathways related to cell proliferation, apoptosis, and oxidative phosphorylation. Our study obtained transcriptomic data from chicken fibroblasts at different hypoxic times and identified the potential regulatory network associated with HIF-1α. This data provides valuable support for understanding the transcriptional regulatory mechanism of HIF-1αin the development of AS in broilers.

Background: Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are associated with increased risk of tendon injury but comparative risk versus other antibiotic options for the same indication has yet to be evaluated.Objective: Describe the incidence (relative risk) of any tendon injury in patients receiving FQ compared with other (non-FQs) antibiotics for treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).Methods: A retrospective propensity score weighted cohort study was performed to evaluate the association between FQ antibiotics and tendon injury risk at 2 time points (within 1 month and within 6 months of use) compared with non-FQ regimens for treatment of CAP. The evaluation was performed using the CCAE (MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters) and COB (Medicare Supplemental and Coordination of Benefits) databases from 2014 to 2020. Patients with ICD (International Classification of Diseases) 9/10 coding for outpatient pneumonia who were >18 years and without history of tendon injury were included. Patients with history of tendon injury, who received multiple antibiotic therapies for recurrent pneumonia, or who received both FQ and non-FQ regimens during the study period were excluded. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for selection bias due to contributing risk factors, including demographics (age, sex), comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease), and concurrent medications (corticosteroids).Results: At 1 month, the odds of tendon injury were estimated to be significantly higher (41.9%) in patients receiving FQs compared with those receiving a non-FQ-based regimen (odds ratio [OR] = 1.419, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.188-1.698]). The odds of tendon injury were also estimated to be higher (OR = 1.067, 95% CI = [0.975-1.173]) in the FQ population within 180 days, but this effect was not statistically significant. The most frequent sites of tendon injuries were rotator cuff, shoulder, and patellar tendon.Conclusions and Relevance: Prescribers should recognize the risk of tendon injury within 1 month of FQ use when considering treatment regimens for CAP and use alternative options with lower risk whenever possible.

Abstract

A well-known deep-blue emitting iridium(III) complex was selected for deuterium isotope effect evalua-tion, both on deuterated locations and numbers, through theoretical investigation. It was revealed that the containment of the dsite deuteriation of ancillary ligand picolinate enabled the non-radiative deactivation process to be repessed, and thereby improving the quantum efficiency through such a simple and controllable approach.

Aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is associated with a decline in their regenerative capacity and multilineage differentiation potential, contributing to the development of blood disorders. The bone marrow microenvironment has recently been suggested to influence HSC aging, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here we show that HSC aging critically depends on bone marrow innervation by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), as loss of SNS nerves or adrenoreceptor β3 signaling in the bone marrow microenvironment of young mice led to premature HSC aging, as evidenced by appearance of HSC phenotypes reminiscent of physiological aging. Strikingly, supplementation of a sympathomimetic acting selectively on adrenoreceptor β3 to old mice significantly rejuvenated the in vivo function of aged HSCs, suggesting that the preservation or restitution of bone marrow SNS innervation during aging may hold the potential for new HSC rejuvenation strategies. Loss of sympathetic nerve innervention of the bone marrow contributes to the aging of hematopoietic stem cells, which can be rejuvenated using an adrenergic receptor agonist.

Using the rigid 3,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-tritylphenyl)isoindolin-1-one with polar functional groups as a building block and formaldehyde dimethyl acetal(FDA) as a crossinglinker, a new hyper-crosslinked polymer (HCP) was synthesized viaFriedel-Crafts alkylation reaction promoted by anhydrous FeCl3. The synthesized HCP is insoluble in boiled water and common organic solvents. Moreover, it shows a good CO2capture capacity even if its surface area is not very high, and the absolute CO2uptake capacity of it is 3.05 mmol/g. This can be attributed to the introduction of polar hydroxyl and lactam groups into the skeleton of the polymer which provides effective adsorption sites for CO2. In addition, the synthesized HCP also exhibits good adsorption capacity for organic dyes in water, especially for crystal violet.

Background:Adherence to antihypertensive medication is a key component of hypertension management. Insurance claims data provide an opportunity to examine and monitor patients’ adherence rate to prescribed medications. However, patients may take multiple drugs or drug classes simultaneously to control high blood pressure. Little is known regarding the differences between algorithms used to measure adherence to antihypertensive medications using claims database.Hypothesis:We hypothesize that different algorithms, number of drug classes and observation periods lead to different medication adherence estimates.Methods:Using the 2017-2019 IBM MarketScan Medicare supplement claims database, we conducted retrospective analysis of 107,194 insured members with hypertension diagnosis and were taking anti-hypertensive drugs (e.g., angiotensin II inhibitors, ACE inhibitors, Beta Blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers, Antihypertensive combinations, Alpha Blockers, Diuretics). We calculated medication adherence rates using the proportion of days covered (PDC) for 6 months and 12 months among polytherapy users who use more than one antihypertensive drug classes. Three PDC algorithms were used and compared, including (1) number of days covered by at least 1 antihypertensive medication class (“maximum”) in 6 months and 12 months; (2) number of days covered by all antihypertensive medication classes after they are prescribed in 6 months and 12 months (“minimum”); (3) the average number of days covered by each medication class measured separately in 6 months and 12 months (“average”).Results:The proportion of patients who took two, three, or four or more antihypertensive drug classes was 26.96%, 9.44%, and 3.21% for the 6-month observation period, and was 26.73%, 9.37%, and 3.21% for the 12-month observation period. The mean PDC estimate and standard deviation (SD) using the “maximum” algorithm was 89% (0.2) for 6-month and 88% (0.2) for 12-month observation period, respectively. The mean PDC estimate and SD using the “minimum” algorithm was 45% (0.33) and 45% (0.33) for 6- and 12-month observation period, respectively. And the mean PDC estimate and SD using the “average” algorithm was 68% (0.23) and 67% (0.23) for 6- and 12-month observation period, respectively.Conclusions:There is a lack of consensus on the algorithms to measure adherence to anti-hypertensive medications based on pharmacy claims data. The PDC estimates based on the “average” algorithm was less dependent on the number of antihypertensive drug classes, and the 6- and 12-month observation period did not significantly influence PDC estimates.

Introduction:Adherence to anti-hypertensive drugs, which is sub-optimal despite public health and policy efforts, is essential in controlling high blood pressure. Medicare Advantage plans are gaining popularity, partly due to their managed care designs that held promise to improve chronic disease management.Hypothesis:We assessed the hypothesis that hypertensive patients with a managed care plan have higher adherence to antihypertensive drugs than those with a non-managed care plan.Methods:We analyzed medication adherence – measured using proportion of days covered (PDC) over 12 months for antihypertensive drugs – among 174,172 patients with a hypertension diagnosis from the medical and pharmacy claims and benefits data in the 2017-2019 IBM MarketScan Research Database. We fitted separate generalized linear regression models among monotherapy (use of one class of antihypertensive drugs) and polytherapy (combined use of at least two classes of antihypertensive drugs) users and computed postestimation margins with the best-fitted model to compare medication adherence by plan type: 1) Managed Care exclusive provider organization and health management organization (EPO/HMO) plan, 2) Managed Care point-of-service plan, 3) Managed Care preferred provider organization plan, 4) non-Managed Care comprehensive plan, 5) non-Managed Care consumer driven health plan / high deductible health plan. Other patient characteristics included in the analyses were age, age-squared, sex, comorbidities, census region, and their interaction terms.Results:The average PDC among Medicare patients on monotherapy was 0.53 and among those on polytherapy was 0.74. Patients with a managed-care EPO/HMO plan had the highest PDC (0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.52, 0.54 among monotherapy users and 0.73, 95% CI: 0.72, 0.74 among polytherapy users, respectively) and those with a non-managed care comprehensive plan had the lowest PDC (0.42, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.43 among monotherapy users and 0.62, 95% CI: 0.61, 0.63 among polytherapy users, respectively). By census region, patients living in the North Central region with a managed care EPO/HMO plan had the highest average PDC (0.71, 95% CI: 0.70, 0.72 among monotherapy users and 0.85, 95% CI: 0.84, 0.86 among polytherapy users, respectively). Other factors such as age, sex, and number of chronic conditions were significantly associated with PDC.Conclusions:In conclusion, with an increase in the proportion of older adults enrolled in Medicare Advantage insurance, managed care models may play a more important role in influencing adherence to essential drugs such as anti-hypertensive drugs among Medicare beneficiaries. Future research should investigate factors that promote adherence to medications across different managed care plan designs.

Exploring highly efficient microwave absorption (MA) materials with a facile preparation method is of great significance for tackling electromagnetic pollution and remains a challenge. Herein, ternary MoO2/Mo2C/Mo2N composites with porous structures are fabricated by a simple precursor pyrolysis process. The unique structure and multiple components, which could generate sufficient heterogeneous interfaces, are conducive to improve impedance matching, trigger polarization loss, and strengthen conduction loss. Profiting from the synergistic effect of multiple dissipation mechanisms, the composites exhibit exceedingly good MA performance. The minimum reflection loss value reaches −38.0 dB at 10.4 GHz when the thickness is 2.0 mm, and the maximum effective absorbing bandwidth is 4.11 GHz ranged from 12.41 to 16.52 GHz when the thickness is 1.5 mm. These strategies pave opportunities for rational design of Mo-related composites for high-efficiency electromagnetic-wave absorption performance.

A complete open-circuit voltage (OCV) curve plotted against the state of charge (SOC) for degrading batteries, as a core indicator for battery state estimation and health diagnostics, is very important for whole-life management of battery. Unfortunately, such a curve is almost impossible to obtain in online battery management systems. Due to the uncontrollable OCV sample opportunities, only a series of isolated curve fragments consisting of scarce and discrete OCV-SOC points can be collected. Due to the unavoidable SOC estimation error, the relative position between fragments is uncertain. In order to reconstruct a complete OCV-SOC curve utilizing these isolated OCV curve fragments, an online and training-free curve reconstruction method is developed in this paper. Using this method, all isolated fragments from an online dataset are adaptively rearranged and uniquely located based on the positional interlock between different fragments, and fragments with abnormal state of health (SOH) or measurement errors are screened out. The test results demonstrated that the reconstruction method has a good stability, rapidity, and accuracy. The root mean square error of the curve reconstruction is well controlled within 5 mV throughout the battery's entire lifetime.

A novel heterometallic-organic framework(HMOF), namely [ZnBa(1,3-BDC)2(DMA)2]n(1)(DMA=N,Ndimethylacetamide), was synthesized by means of solvothermal method from isophthalic acid(1,3-BDC) ligand and relevant metal salts as raw materials. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis result demonstrates that compound 1is a three-dimensional(3D) framework including heterometallic tetranuclear [Zn2Ba2(COO)8] clusters as building subunits, which could be simplified into an eight-connected body-centered cubic(bcu) topological net. At room temperature, compound 1displays strong blue luminescence in solid state. Furthermore, the quantum yield and luminescent lifetime of compound 1were also measured.

The cycle life of a lithium-ion battery pack is much shorter than that of a single cell because of their different external operating environments and internal characteristic parameters. Equalisation management is essential for reducing the difference between battery cells, improving capacity, and prolonging the cycle life. Passive equalisation is also widely used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems because of its comparative advantages including the low cost, simple structure, and easy control. Compared with the mature development of the passive equalisation hardware circuits, the evolution of high-performance equalisation strategies is relatively backward. Along these lines, a multiple time scale state-of-charge (SOC) and capacity-based equalisation strategy for lithium-ion battery packs with passive equalisers was proposed in this work. Firstly, the minimum-capacity differential model (MCDM) consisting of a cell minimum-capacity model (CMCM) and a cell differential model (CDM) was established to improve the computational efficiency and accuracy of the dynamic behaviour of the minimum-capacity cell, as well as all the other cells in a battery pack. Secondly, the SOC and capacity of a battery pack were estimated on multiple time scales with the use of a dual extended Kalman filter and MCDM. The fast time scale based on CMCM and the slow time scale based on CDM can balance the efficiency and accuracy of the estimation algorithm. Based on the accurate estimation of both SOC and capacity, a SOC-and-capacity-based equalisation strategy was designed. Finally, a high-fidelity multicell model was used to simulate and verify the proposed equalisation strategy under the guidance of actual battery pack degradation data. The extracted experimental results show that the proposed method can efficiently and accurately estimate the SOC and capacity of new and aged batteries while a high-accuracy estimation in the entire life cycle is achieved. Compared with the traditional voltage-based and SOC-based strategies, the proposed SOC-and-capacity-based strategy can reconcile the maximization of battery pack capacity, the minimization of equalisation energy consumption, and the-equalisation duration to achieve high-efficiency balancing in the entire life cycle.

Fermentation is a promising method to improve the utilization of soybean meal (SM) by fish, and strain is the core of fermentation process. In this study, the effects of Lactobacillus paracaseifermentation on the SM quality were investigated. Also, an 8-week feeding trial was conducted to compare the performance of SM and L. paracaseifermented SM (LPFSM) in diets for turbot. Juvenile turbots (13.50 ± 0.13 g) were randomly divided into nine treatments fed on diets with 0% (FM, control), 15% (S15/L15), 30% (S30/L30), 45% (S45/L45), and 60% (S60/L60) of fishmeal protein replaced by SM or LPFSM respectively. The results showed that fermentation remarkably increased the lactic acid and decreased the anti-nutritional factors in SM. Furthermore, fishmeal could be replaced by SM up to 30% or by LPFSM up to 45% based on the growth performance. Typical groups (FM, S45, and L45) with significant differences in growth were selected for further analysis. Reduced villus height and widened lamina propria were observed in the S45 group, while no significant pathological symptom was found in the L45 group. The mRNA levels of the apoptosis-related genes (bax, p53, and caspase3) and tight junction-related gene (tricellulin) in the S45 group were significantly up-regulated or down-regulated, respectively, while the L45 group remained similar to the FM group. The mRNA levels of tight junction-related genes (zo-1and occludin) were significantly down-regulated in both S45 and L45 groups compared to the FM group. Furthermore, dietary LPFSM modified the intestinal microbiota by regulating the dominant bacterial phyla (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria) and genera (Cobetia, Pseudomonas, and Lactobacillus), and making the overall microbiota profile more coherent with FM-fed fish. Collectively, L. paracaseifermentation significantly improved the SM quality, and fishmeal could be replaced by LPFSM up to 45% without adverse effects on growth and intestinal health of turbot.

•A fast diagnostic method for accelerated degradation fault is proposed.•A novel fault feature for accelerated degradation fault is established.•Fault mechanism of accelerated degradation fault is revealed.•Battery performance for accelerated degradation fault is emphasized.•Diagnostic method is verified by large number retired LiFePO4batteries.

Numerous studies have shown that there are complex interactions between silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and humic acid (HA) in the natural ecosystem. However, little is known about the interaction between AgNPs and HA in terms of molecular mechanisms. It is well-accepted that aromatics substituted by phenolic hydroxyl (Ar−OH) and carboxyl (−COOH) groups are primary constituents of HA. In this research, we proved that five benzene series (phenol, BA, OHBA, MHBA and PHBA) have different adsorption capacity sequences with AgNPs by experimental adsorption coefficient in UV–vis. Subsequently, FTIR analysis indicated the weak interaction in molecules is the main adsorption mechanism. Based on these facts, the weak interaction of Ar−OH and −COOH with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was systematically investigated by the first-principles calculations using density functional theory (DFT). The structure optimization and energy calculation demonstrated that the Ar−OH and −COOH groups on the benzene ring had the greatest influence on the AgNPs adsorption site, energy and deformation when they are in adjacent positions. Furthermore, the calculations of electronic structure, Density of states (DOS) and crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) provided evidence that the charges in C and H atoms were transferred to O atoms after the adsorption. Whereas, there was little charge transfer from AgNPs to benzene series. This study is hoped to provide a useful theoretical reference for the evaluation of HA and AgNPs in the water environment.

A series of new and significative bifunctional compounds containing two pyrazolo3,4bpyridine moieties has been synthesized through a rapid onepot threecomponent reaction of dialdehyde, 5amino3methyl1phenylpyrazole and active methylene compounds in glycol under microwave irradiation without catalyst. The method has the advantages of good yield 8598, short route and reaction time 45300s, wide reaction scope and easy workup procedure.

A novel cascade reaction of Schiffs base was described. The products afforded in the reaction depended on the ratio of the two starting materials. A possible mechanism of the reactions is proposed, which underwent the breaking and new formation of the bond between carbon atom and nitrogen atom.

A series of Ncarboxymethylacridine1,8dione derivatives were synthesized by onepot reaction of aldehyde, dimedone and glycine in glycol under microwave irradiation without catalyst with excellent yields 7892 and short reaction time 48min. And the reaction was not only suitable for aromatic monoaldehyde, but also aromatic dialdehyde.

Abstract: Two new zinc(II) compounds, [Zn(nba)2(phen)(H2O)] (1) and [Zn(nip)(phen)] n (2) [nba  = 4-nitrobenzoic acid, nip = 5-nitroisophthalic acid, phen  = 1,10-phenanthroline] have been hydrothermally synthesized by reaction of zinc acetate and phen with the ligands nba and nip, respectively. Compound (1) consists of mononuclear zinc(II) molecules which forms a 2D supramolecular structure based on hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups (and aromatic groups as well) and carboxylate oxygen atoms. Compound (2) displays 1D zigzag chains which are combined to 1D supramolecular double-chains by π–π stacking and further assembled into a 3D supramolecular framework through hydrogen bonds.

Fourcomponent cyclocondensation of aromatic aldehydes, malononitrile, dimedone and ammonium acetate proceeds under microwave irradiation in solvent free conditions to give highly functionalized hexahydroquinolines in excellent yields.

A series of 5aryl substituted 2amino5,8dihydropyrido2,3dpyrimidin4,7diones were synthesized through onepot condensation of 2,6diaminopyrimidin4one, aldehyde and Meldrums acid using glycol as energy transfer agent under microwave irradiation without catalyst. The onepot protocol in the absence of catalyst has the advantage of good yield 8695, short route and reaction time 36 min and environmentally friendly.

Brønsted acid−base ionic liquids (GILs) based on guanidine and acetic acid are efficient reaction media for palladium-catalyzed Heck reactions. They offer the advantages of high activity and reusability. GIL2 plays multiple roles in the reaction:  it could act as solvent, as a strong base to facilitate β-hydride elimination, and as a ligand to stabilize activated Pd species.

A series of new Ncyclopropyldecahydroacridine1,8dione derivatives were synthesized by onepot reaction of aromatic aldehyde, dimedone or 1,3cyclohexanedione and cyclopropanamine in solution of glycol and water under microwave irradiation with excellent yields 7894 and short reaction time 510 min.

Abstract Protein phosphatase 3 (PPP3, formerly PP2B, Calcineurin), a serine/ threonine protein phosphatase, is a heterodimer composed of one catalytic subunit (PPP3C, Calcineurin A) and one regulatory subunit (PPP3R, Calcineurin B). PPP3R, an EF-hand Ca2+ binding protein, contains four high-affinity EF-hand calcium-binding sites, indicating that PPP3 plays critical roles in many calcium-mediated signal transduction pathways. PPP3R has two isoforms, PPP3R1 (also known as PP2Bß1) and PPP3R2 (also known as PP2Bß2). While PPP3Rl is ubiquitously expressed in different tissues, PPP3R2 is exclusively expressed in testis. PPP3R2 has only been identified in rat and mouse. Here we report a human homologue of PPP3R2, which is designated PPP3RL (PPP3R like protein). PPP3RL gene was predicated to encode 171 amino acid residues with four EF-hand calcium-binding domains and this putative protein shares 82.9% and 80.5% identity with PPP3R2 of rat and mouse, respectively. Our results show that PPP3RL gene localizes to human chromosome 9q22 and transcripts of PPP3RL gene are specifically expressed in the testis, moreover, this tissue-specific expression is due to demethylation of its promoter region in testis.

A complex oxide of Cu2(OH)PO4has been successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method, and its structure was investigated by X-ray analysis. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group of Pnnmwith a=8.058(2), b=8.393(2), and c=5.889(2) Å. Furthermore, the sample was characterized by thermal analysis (DTA and TG), and these results indicated that the sample was stable below 650°C. After calcination at 850°C, Cu2(OH)PO4was dehydrated to form Cu4O(PO4)2. The sample isotherm for N2showed that there wre no micropores or mesopores, and the surface area was only at 1.4 m2/g when the particle size of the sample was 150 μm. Moreover, when this sample was used as a catalyst for phenol hydroxylation by H2O2, the catalytic data showed high activity, which was comparable to that of TS-1. Various factors that influence this catalytic reaction, such as the solvent, reaction temperature, reaction time, catalyst size, catalyst amount, molar ratio of phenol to H2O2, and mode of H2O2addition, were investigated intensively. Additionally, this catalytic reaction was characterized by electron spin resonance (ESR), and it was found that on the Cu2(OH)PO4catalyst hydroxyl radicals possibly resulting from Cu2+and H2O2were important intermediates for formation of catechol and hydroquinone from hydroxylation phenol.

Objective To examine the role of the long noncoding RNA LINC01296 in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and to explore the underlying mechanism.Methods We detected LINC01296 expression levels in a cohort of 51 paired CRC and normal tissues. We also assessed the effects of LINC01296 on cell proliferation and apoptosis in CRC cells in vitro, and measured its effect on tumor growth in an in vivomouse model. We identified the potential downstream targets of LINC01296 and assessed its regulatory effects.Results Expression levels of LINC01296 were elevated in 37/51 CRC tissues compared with the corresponding normal tissues and were significantly associated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. Knockdown of LINC01296 using antisense oligonucleotides inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of colon cancer cells in vitroand inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Knockdown of LINC01296 also significantly increased the gene expression of p15 in colon cancer cells. LINC01296-specific suppression of p15 was validated by the interaction between enhancer of zeste homolog 2 and LINC01296.Conclusion Overexpression of LINC01296 suppressed the expression of p15 leading to CRC carcinogenesis. These findings may provide the basis for novel future CRC-targeted therapies.

Wei: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Inc: Patents & Royalties. Verma:Janssen: Research Funding; Stelexis: Equity Ownership, Honoraria; Acceleron: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; BMS: Research Funding. Frenette:Cygnal Therapeutics: Equity Ownership; Ironwood Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Inc: Patents & Royalties; Pfizer: Consultancy.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) home to the bone marrow (BM) via, in part, the interactions with Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM1). Upon migrating into the BM, HSCs are vetted by perivascular phagocytes to ensure their self-integrity. Here, we show that VCAM1 is also expressed on healthy Lineage−c-Kit+Sca1+CD48−CD150+HSCs and upregulated on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells where it serves as a quality-control checkpoint for entry into BM by providing ‘don't-eat-me’ stamping in the context of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I presentation. Using a line in which HSCs are hemizygous for MHC (H-2b/H-2q) and Vcam1can be conditionally deleted by breeding Vcam-1floxed (Vcam1fl/fl) mice with a Csf1r-iCre transgenic line (referred to as Vcam1cKO), we find that Vcam1deletion in HSCs leads to striking defects in hematopoietic recovery when donor and recipients are mismatched (donor H-2b/q; recipient H-2b). Remarkably, wild-type donor BM cells with haplotype-mismatched genotype exhibit engraftment and survival similar to their syngeneic (H-2b) Vcam1fl/fl(control) and Vcam1cKOcounterparts. In vivophagocytic assays show that Vcam1cKO;H-2b/qHSCs are phagocytosed by host H-2bimmune phagocytes whereas Vcam1-sufficient H-2b/qHSCs are not targeted. Clearance is not dependent on irradiation-induced damage since the same phenotype is observed in parabiotic mice where Vcam1cKO;H-2b/qHSCs are not able to engraft their wild-type (H-2b) parabiont partner. Mechanistically, we show that MHC-mismatched HSCs are recognized at least in part by paired Ig-like receptor-B (PIR-B), a negative regulator of immune cells upon recognition of MHC-I molecules, expressed on α4β1+murine phagocytic myeloid cells. Transplantation assays revealed that in absence of PIR-B inhibitory signals, Vcam1deletion leads to significant reductions (~60%) in the early engraftment of syngeneic Vcam1cKO;H-2b/bcells compared to Vcam1fl/fl;H-2b/bcells, suggesting that the absence of VCAM1 also promotes cell clearance by syngeneic Pirb-/-phagocytes. That VCAM1 expression can provide innate immune tolerance indicates that this pathway may be of use for cancer cells. Indeed, alterations in VCAM1 expression has been reported in various cancer cell types, including AML. To evaluate the effect of genetic Vcam1deletion and MHC-mismatch on AML progression, we have transduced Vcam1cKO;H-2b/qand Vcam1fl/fl;H-2b/qcells with the pMSCV-MLL-AF9-GFP oncogene. Strikingly, analysis of primary AML recipient BM reveals a marked reduction (>99%) of phenotypic Vcam1cKOleukemic stem cells compared to Vcam1fl/flcontrol. Accordingly, the survival of secondary AML recipient mice is significantly prolonged in mice harboring Vcam1cKOAML cells relative to Vcam1fl/flAML. Leukemia progression is markedly enhanced by phagocyte depletion (using clodronate liposomes), and the engraftment defect of Vcam1cKOAML cells is completely rescued, indicating an important role for phagocytes in the establishment of Vcam1-deficient AML. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA) database reveals that high VCAM1 expression is associated with the poor prognosis of patients with AML (P=0.03). In addition, VCAM1 is significantly overexpressed in Lineage−CD34+CD38−CD90−short-term repopulating HSCs from sorted human AML BM samples. VCAM1 overexpression in human AML MOLM13 cancer cells promotes disease progression and significantly (P=0.005) shorter survival. Furthermore, VCAM1 blockade using novel monoclonal antibodies after implantation of primary human AML into immunodeficient mice blunts disease progression, and extends survival of mice. Altogether, these results suggest that VCAM1 engagement serves as a quality-control checkpoint for entry into BM by providing ‘don't-eat-me’ stamping, allowing HSCs to migrate and engraft, and offers a novel strategy to eliminate cancer cells via modulation of the innate immune tolerance.

In the version of this article originally published, the key for Fig. 4c was incorrect. The symbols for ‘Sham’ and ‘Den’ were reversed. The error has been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the manuscript.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.