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To achieve temperature-control or intelligent-release objectives, a slow-release salt-storage snowmelt agent (TSSA) microcapsule was prepared by UV-irradiation grafting method. Combined with swelling and contraction properties of a temperature-sensitive hydrogel, the TSSA exhibited a temperature sensitive slow-release function, excellent permeability and release difference at about 25°C. Conductivity test of its asphalt concrete sample mixed with TSSA (named AC-TSSA) showed that, by adding 4 wt% TSSA equal volume replacement of mineral powders, the conductivity of the soaking solution of AC-TSSA decreased by 56.1% after soaking for 10 days. After 10 days soaking of AC-TSSA, the increase rate of conductivity was stabled at 0.09 mS·cm−1·h−1. The high temperature stability and water stability of AC-TSSA with 5 wt% TSSA equal volume replacement of mineral powders showed that the dynamic stability and residual strength ratio increased by 1.3% and 1.1%, respectively. Accordingly, the utilization rate of snowmelt agent is expected to be significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an efficient and non-destructive separation route of road marking from asphalt pavement was reported firstly via microwave directional heating. By accurately focusing microwave energy on a thin film and making it high temperature, the markings can be easily separated from the pavement surface. Microwave heating test results showed that when 25%wt composite microwave absorbent were added to the bonding layer and impedance-matching layer respectively, the heating rate of impedance-matching marking specimen surface was 34.56℃/min, 73.72% higher than that of the control group. The marking removal efficiency was calculated via Matlab digital image processing technology, showed that the average removal efficiency of impedance-matching marking specimens were 100.00%. The above findings show that marking removal method proposed in this study could significantly reduce the difficulty of removing markings on asphalt pavements and greatly improve the removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease of humans caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma, the only dioecious parasitic flatworm. Although aspects of sex determination, differentiation and reproduction have been studied in some Schistosoma species, almost nothing is known for Schistosoma japonicum, the causative agent of schistosomiasis japonica. This mainly reflects the lack of high‐quality genomic and transcriptomic resources for this species. As current genomes for S. japonicum are highly fragmented, we assembled and report a chromosome‐level reference genome (seven autosomes, the Z‐chromosome and partial W‐chromosome), achieving a substantially enhanced gene annotation. Utilizing this genome, we discovered that the sex chromosomes of S. japonicum and its congener S. mansoni independently suppressed recombination during evolution, forming five and two evolutionary strata, respectively. By exploring the W‐chromosome and sex‐specific transcriptomes, we identified 35 W‐linked genes and 257 female‐preferentially transcribed genes (FTGs) from our chromosomal assembly and uncovered a signature for sex determination and differentiation in S. japonicum. These FTGs clustering within autosomes or the Z‐chromosome exhibit a highly dynamic transcription profile during the pairing of female and male schistosomula, thereby representing a critical phase for the maturation of the female worms and suggesting distinct layers of regulatory control of gene transcription at this development stage. Collectively, these data provide a valuable resource for further functional genomic characterization of S. japonicum, shed light on the evolution of sex chromosomes in this highly virulent human blood fluke, and provide a pathway to identify novel targets for development of intervention tools against schistosomiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerin is an inner nuclear envelope protein encoded by the EMD gene, mutations in which cause Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy type 1 (EDMD1). Cardiac involvement has become a major threat to patients with EDMD1; however, the cardiovascular phenotype spectrums of emerinopathy and the mechanisms by which emerin regulates cardiac pathophysiology remain unclear. Here, we identified a novel nonsense mutation (c.C57G, p.Y19X) in the EMD gene in a Han Chinese family through high‐throughput sequencing. Two family members were found to have EDMD1 with muscle weakness and cardiac arrhythmia. Mechanistically, we first discovered that knockdown of emerin in HL‐1 or H9C2 cardiomyocytes lead to impaired mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation capacity with downregulation of electron transport chain complex I and IV and upregulation of complex III and V. Moreover, loss of emerin in HL‐1 cells resulted in collapsed mitochondrial membrane potential, altered mitochondrial networks and downregulated multiple factors in RNA and protein level, such as PGC1α, DRP1, MFF, MFN2, which are involved in regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, fission and fusion. Our findings suggest that targeting mitochondrial bioenergetics might be an effective strategy against cardiac disorders caused by EMD mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient blue thermally-activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter is still a challenge in solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this contribution, two asymmetric molecules, TTT-Ac and TTT-2Ac were synthesized and characterized, in which the tris(triazolo)triazine (TTT) fragment is used as the acceptor core and different numbers of acridine (Ac, one or two) units are considered as the donor unit. Both compounds display clear TADF character, concomitant with the emission between 420 and 450 nm in a doped PMMA film. Compared to TTT-2Ac, TTT-Ac shows blue-shifted emission due to its weaker intramolecular charge transfer effect. The solution-processed OLEDs achieve a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 9.26% and 8.10% with the emission peak at about 470 nm for TTT-Ac and TTT-2Ac, respectively. Furthermore, the TTT-Ac-based solution-processed OLED exhibits an EQEmax of 10.01% after optimization of the emitter thickness. This research focuses on the molecular structure–property relationship of TTT-based molecules, which enriches the TTT-based solution-processable sky-blue TADF emitter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common disease in which vertigo is the main clinical manifestation, and it has become a global medical problem, affecting a wide range of areas and seriously affecting the quality of human life., Objective: This article presents an analysis of the current characteristics of BPPV-related research and summarizes the current hot topics and trends, with the goal of inspiring future research into the prevention and treatment of BPPV, thereby improving the differential diagnosis and prevention of peripheral vertigo., Methods: A bibliometric approach was used to collect 1,219 eligible studies on BPPV from four databases-PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science-published between 1974 and 2022. The characteristics and status of the accumulated scientific output were processed using R and VOSviewer so that we could visualize any trends or hotspots., Results: The results showed a significant increase in the annual number of publications, with an average annual growth rate of 21.58%. A possible reason for the especially pronounced peak in 2021 was an increase in the prevalence of BPPV as a result of COVID-19. The new coronavirus became a focus of research in 2021. A total of 3,876 authors (of whom 1,097 were first authors) published articles in 307 different journals; 15.7% of the articles were published in Acta Oto-Larygologica, Otology and Neurotology , and Frontiers in Neurology . Acta Oto-Laryngologica was well ahead of the other journals in terms of growth rate and number of articles published. American scholars generated the largest number of articles overall, and the USA was involved in the greatest number of international collaborations, followed by Italy and China. The themes of the research centered around three topics, namely the treatment of BPPV, its influencing factors, and diagnosis., Conclusions: There has been a major increase in BPPV-related research over the last 50 years, leading to an increase in related articles and rapid development of the field. Key directions for future research include the improvement of individualized treatment for residual symptoms after initial treatment of BPPV among the elderly; effective control of comorbidities such as osteoporosis; and secondary inner ear disease, such as Ménière's disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hu, Lu, Wang, Quan, Ren, Rong, Pan, Lu, Chen, Tian and Lei.)