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Self-healing coatings mainly include externally assisted self-healing coatings based on the addition of repair agent and intrinsic selfhealing coatings based on reversible bond crosslinking polymers.The intrinsic self-healing coatings have attracted extensive attention due to their multiple repairable properties.In this paper，the self-healing technology based on crosslinking polymers containing reversible covalent bonds such as reversible imine bond，reversible disulfide bond，reversible Diels-Alder reaction and reversible urea bond，as well as the selfhealing mechanism，performance characteristics and difficulties of supramolecular crosslinked polymers based on reversible non-covalent bonds such as hydrogen bond，metal-ligand coordination bond and π - π stacking were discussed in detail.Besides，the application of self-healing technology based on reversible crosslinking polymers in coatings was also discussed.

The application of nitrile rubber in the field of damping was introduced and the commonly used modification methods and mechanisms of nitrile rubber such as blending, copolymerization, filler addition and organic small molecule hybridization were reviewed with 50 references. And the development trends of damping materials were prospected.

Marital concerns can trigger emotional stress, especially among long‐term hospitalised individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, significantly affecting their treatment and recovery. Unfortunately, rehabilitation programs tend to overlook the marital needs of individuals with diagnosed schizophrenia. This research aimed to investigate the content related to marital concerns of Chinese individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia who were undergoing extended hospitalisation. Fifteen participants diagnosed with schizophrenia were recruited through purposive sampling for face‐to‐face semi‐structured interviews. The gathered data were analysed using Colaizzi's method, revealing three themes: (1) manifestations of marriage‐related concerns, (2) effects of marriage on disease progression, and (3) the need for support from family and the hospital. This study offers new insights into marital concerns among long‐term schizophrenia inpatients and underscores the significance of screening and intervention for such concerns. Healthcare professionals and family members should extend support to patients to foster confidence within their marital relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between supplier concentration and R&D investment of Chinese firms using the sample of all A-share listed companies on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange from 2008 to 2015. Empirical results present the significant negative relationship between supplier concentration and firms' R&D expenditure. Further analysis indicates that the weaker the firm's market power, the stronger the negative impact of supplier concentration on the firm's R&D investment. This paper enriches corporate R&D investments, supply chains, and market power literature. As developing countries deepen their participation in global supply chain networks and transform through technological upgrading, the findings of this paper have important practical implications for developing country firms to overcome R&D resistance and for policymakers to lead industrial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural products are a source for pesticide or drug discovery. In order to discover lead compounds with high fungicidal or herbicidal activity, new niacinamide derivatives derived from the natural product niacinamide, containing chiral flexible chains, were designed and synthesized. Their structures were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS analysis. The fungicidal and herbicidal activities of these compounds were tested. The fungicidal activity results demonstrated that the compound (S)-2-(2-chloronicotinamido)propyl-2-methylbenzoate (3i) exhibited good fungicidal activity (92.3% inhibition) against the plant pathogen Botryosphaeria berengriana at 50 μg/mL and with an EC50 of 6.68 ± 0.72 μg/mL, which is the same as the positive control (fluxapyroxad). Compound 3i was not phytotoxic and could therefore be used as a fungicide on crops. Structure-activity relationships (SAR) were studied by molecular docking simulations with the succinate dehydrogenase of the fungal mitochondrial respiratory chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The longevity phenomenon is entirely controlled by the insulin signaling pathway (IIS-pathway). Both vertebrates and invertebrates have IIS-pathways that are comparable to one another, though no one has previously described de novo transcriptome assembly of IIS-pathway-associated genes in termites. In this research, we analyzed the transcriptomes of both reproductive (primary kings "PK" and queens "PQ", secondary worker reproductive kings "SWRK" and queens "SWRQ") and non-reproductive (male "WM" and female "WF" workers) castes of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis. The goal was to identify the genes responsible for longevity in the reproductive and non-reproductive castes. Through transcriptome analysis, we annotated 103,589,264 sequence reads and 184,436 (7G) unigenes were assembled, GC performance was measured at 43.02%, and 64,046 sequences were reported as CDs sequences. Of which 35 IIS-pathway-associated genes were identified, among 35 genes, we focused on the phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (Pdk1), protein kinase B2 (akt2-a), tuberous sclerosis-2 (Tsc2), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (EIF4E) and ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) genes. Previously these genes (Pdk1, akt2-a, mTOR, EIF4E, and RPS6) were investigated in various organisms, that regulate physiological effects, growth factors, protein translation, cell survival, proliferation, protein synthesis, cell metabolism and survival, autophagy, fecundity rate, egg size, and follicle number, although the critical reason for longevity is still unclear in the termite castes. However, based on transcriptome profiling, the IIS-pathway-associated genes could prolong the reproductive caste lifespan and health span. Therefore, the transcriptomic shreds of evidence related to IIS-pathway genes provide new insights into the maintenance and relationships between biomolecular homeostasis and remarkable longevity. Finally, we propose a strategy for future research to decrypt the hidden costs associated with termite aging in reproductive and non-reproductive castes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of corneal morphological and biomechanical parameters for keratoconus and forme fruste keratoconus diagnosis. Methods: This case–control study included a total of 517 eyes from 408 keratoconus patients (KC group), 83 eyes from 83 forme fruste keratoconus patients (FFKC group), and 158 eyes from 158 patients with normal corneas (NL group). All subjects underwent routine ophthalmologic examinations. Pentacam and Corneal Visualization Scheimpflug Technology (Corvis ST) were used to obtain corneal morphological and biomechanical parameters. Differences between groups were compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: ROC analysis showed that all corneal morphological parameters and most biomechanical parameters distinguished KC from NL, with an area under the curve (AUC) greater than 0.80, of which Belin–Ambrósio enhanced ectasia total deviation index (BAD-D) and tomographic and biomechanical index (TBI) were most efficient. The AUC for distinguishing KC from NL of the BAD-D was 0.989 and the TBI was 0.993, which were not statistically significant (DeLong et al., P=.232). The BAD-D cut-off point of 1.595 provided 95.9% sensitivity for distinguishing KC from NL with 100% specificity. The TBI cut-off point of 0.515 provided 96.7% sensitivity for distinguishing KC from NL with 100% specificity. The ability of other parameters to distinguish KC from NL was lower than that of BAD and TBI. Except for central astigmatism from the anterior corneal surface (AstigF), the AUC that distinguished FFKC from NL was 0.862. The AstigF cut-off point of 4.65 provided 73.5% sensitivity for distinguishing FFKC from NL with 99.3% specificity. Other parameters distinguished FFKC from NL with low efficiency. Among them, the AUC for distinguishing FFKC from NL of the TBI was 0.722, whose cut-off point of 0.273 provided 55.4% sensitivity for distinguishing KC from NL with 79.7% specificity. Conclusion: BAD-D and TBI have the highest efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity for distinguishing KC from NL. Except for AstigF, other corneal morphological and biomechanical parameters have a relatively low ability to distinguish FFKC from NL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]