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• Oxidative stress and biochemical alteration first appeared in hippocampus after 4-weeks exposure. • HFD-fed mice displayed long-term memory impairment, but had no effect on short-term memory. • HFD decrease in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. • Abnormal expression of proteins associated with synaptic function was observed in response to HFD in the hippocampus. Excessive dietary fat intake is considered a great risk factor for metabolic disorders as well as cognitive dysfunction. However, the potential mechanisms underlying the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) on the brain remain rather obscure. The purpose of this study was to address how early exposure to HFD induces biochemical changes in different brain regions and affects short- and long-term memory. Mice were fed HFD or normal chow for 4 or 7 weeks beginning in adulthood. Our results showed that oxidative stress and biochemical alterations first appeared in the hippocampus after 4 weeks of exposure and were aggravated by a longer exposure time. Additionally, the HFD-fed mice displayed long-term memory impairments, but the performance of the mice in both the HF-4W and HF-7W groups on behavioral tests relying on short-term memory was not affected. The effect of HFD on the brain was also assessed by electrophysiology, which detected a gradual decrease in long-term potentiation in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. The abnormal expression of proteins associated with synaptic function, e.g. synaptophysin, CaMKII, CaMKIV, calcineurin A, ERK and c-fos, was observed in the hippocampus in response to HFD. These results indicate that HFD elicits rapid biochemical and neurological abnormalities in the hippocampus that contribute to cognitive defects and are potentially connected to the HFD-induced suppression of brain activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineralogical, petrographical, geochemical analyses, and fluid inclusions petrography and microthermometry were combined to investigate the basic properties of the source rock (organic matter content, kerogen type, and thermal maturity) and sandstone reservoirs (composition, pore systems, porosity, and permeability), the hydrocarbon origin, and the formation mechanisms of the deep (>3.5 km) petroleum system in the Upper Paleogene Es1 (the uppermost member of the Shahejie Formation) in the No. 3 Structural Belt in the Nanpu Sag, Bohai Bay Basin. The results indicate that the Es1 source rock is primarily composed of dark gray mudstone and presents a set of high-quality source rocks (>500 m, average total organic carbon (TOC) 1.38%, in a mature stage (maximum pyrolysis yield of 430 °C–460 °C)). The Es1 sandstone is composed of lithic arkose formed in a braided river delta and has low porosity (average 13.4%) but moderate-high permeability (average 184.9 mD). The hydrocarbons originated from the Es1 source rocks in the Caofeidian subsag during two charging periods: 10 Ma and 3 Ma. The key factors controlling the formation of the deep petroleum system are as follows: (a) High-quality hydrocarbon supply, (b) Medium-high permeability reservoirs, (c) A favorable configuration of the source rock and reservoirs (self-generated and self-accumulated), and (d) Late hydrocarbon charging; the second factor is the most important. The medium-high permeability reservoirs are attributed to a high-energy depositional environment (distributary channels of braid delta front), a high content of rigid detrital grains (mainly quartz and metamorphic rock fragments) provided by the Archean granite provenance, and the secondary pores formed by feldspar dissolution. This study provides a new example for revealing the formation mechanisms of deep (>3.5 km) petroleum systems in the terrestrial rift basin across the Bohai Bay Basin. • Properties of sandstones and source rocks of a deep petroleum system are investigated. • The hydrocarbon origin of the deep petroleum system is revealed. • Controlling factors of high-quality sandstones are summarized. • Formation mechanisms of deep petroleum systems of the Bohai Bay Basin are detailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean waves are one of the most power dense energy sources in the environment. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been demonstrated to effectively harvest mechanical energy carried by low frequency, random/irregular actuation, such as from ocean waves. In this work, a novel design of triboelectric nanogenerator based on the Pelamis snake energy harvester is presented. The sea snake based TENG, with its lightweight structure, was able to harvest energy effectively at low amplitude ocean wave by utilizing charged polytetrafluroethylene balls that would roll due to the wave's curvature. With the integration of springs to connect different segments, the segments are able to bend easily, allowing the enclosed balls to move faster, producing higher output power. The design of an air gap structure allows each segments of the sea snake based TENG to minimize electrostatic induction from ions in sea water, and solve the effect of dielectric shielding from the water on the device performance, as the water, if it is close to the TENG's electrodes, has a detrimental effect causing an increase of the TENG's internal capacitance, which would result in a low voltage with the same amount of charge being transformed. Thus, this illustrates the importance of the air gap structure to minimize low voltage due to high internal capacitance. This further shows the sea snake based triboelectric nanogenerator could be used in actual ocean conditions, such as in high salinity water environment. The added tampered spring to replace the air gap was able to allow the balls on the TENG to move more quickly, as it increased the rotational angle, and the TENG has a maximum power density of 3 W/m 3 under actuation. Due to the minimization of dielectric shielding of device performance, the sea snake TENG exhibits a high voltage in simulated water wave conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of miniaturized, wearable, and implantable electronics has increased the demand for small stand-alone power modules that have steady output and long life-time. Given the limited capacity of energy storage devices, one promising solution is to integrate energy harvesting and storage materials to efficiently convert ambient mechanical energy to electricity for direct use or to store the harvested energy by electrochemical means. Here, a highly compact self-charging power unit is proposed by integrating triboelectric nanogenerator with MXene-based microsupercapacitors in a wearable and flexible harvester-storage module. The device can utilize and store the random energy from human activities in a standby mode and provide power to electronics when active. As a result, our microsupercapacitor delivers a capacitance of 23 mF/cm 2 with 95% capacitance retention after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles, while the triboelectric nanogenerator exhibits a maximum output power of 7.8 µW/cm 2 . Given the simplicity and compact nature, our device can be integrated with a variety of electronic devices and sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic aerobic exercise training exhibits blood pressure protective effects, but the mechanism in metabolic level remains largely unclear. This study aims to investigate the effect of exercise training from serum metabolic profiles on the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Exercise training was performed, and the serum metabolites were measured by integrating gas chromatography–mass spectrometer and correlation-based network analysis. After a period of 6 weeks of chronic aerobic exercise training, systolic blood pressure was significant lower in the exercise training group (SHR + EX) rats than the control group (SHR). Principal component analysis indicated a clearly separation of metabolomic profiles between SHR + EX and SHR. Nineteen of 63 metabolites in serum were identified ( P < .05, variable importance in projections > 1, false discovery rate < 0.1), including fatty acids, amino acids, and others. Lower levels of six fatty acids were observed in SHR + EX. Besides, pathway analysis indicated a significant alteration of fatty acid metabolism. The correlation-based (Pearson correlation coefficient > 0.83) network of serum metabolites revealed a decreased correlation linkage of SHR + EX than SHR rats. Higher activities of hexokinase, citrate synthase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were detected in liver, left ventricle, and skeletal muscle of SHR + EX groups. In summary, these findings provided essential biochemistry information about the metabolic alteration to exercise training in SHR, which may in part explain the protective effect of exercise in hypertensive individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Most deep gases in east China are consisted of coal-type and oil-type gases. [•] Isotopic reversal among gas hydrocarbon components is very common in eastern Chinese. [•] Coal has high gas generation potential and major contribution to deep gas reservoirs. [•] Faults and unconformities are major emigrational pathways of deep gases in east China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An efficient solar reflective thermal insulating coatings (SRCs) based on Y-stabilized Sb2O3 nanoparticles has been prepared via a facile one-pot ball-milling route. Y-stabilized Sb2O3 have smaller particle size (about 5nm), disperse more evenly in coating films and exhibit higher solar reflectance compared with pure Sb2O3. Y-stabilized Sb2O3 SRCs have the reflectance of more than 90% in the region 450–1600nm and more than 80% in the region 1600–2200nm and excellent thermal insulating properties. The observed solar reflectance properties of Y-stabilized Sb2O3 SRCs were explained on the basis of the electronic structure of the material and physical parameters such as mean particle size (crystallite size) and refractive index. Due to its high solar reflectance and excellent thermal insulation properties, as-prepared Y-stabilized Sb2O3 SRCs maybe a promising candidate for the energy saving applications in the constructions and industry furnishment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Heterojuncted p-Si/n-ZnO NWs is developed for functioning as self-powered UV sensor. • The photoresponsivity of the UV sensor is significantly improved by 1304% under 77 K. • The UV sensor still functions well even the temperature is elevated to 85 °C. Self-powered pn-juncted devices fabricated with pyroelectric semiconductor have attached much attention as active ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs), featuring with energy-efficient, active functionality and ultrafast response speed. Herein, the pyroelectric ZnO nanowires (NWs) grown on p-Si are functioned as a self-powered UV PD. Without an external voltage, the fabricated device exhibits a stable and uniform UV sensing ability with high photoresponsivity and fast response and decay time. Furthermore, the effects of ambient temperature on the self-powered UV PD are systematically investigated. Under the temperature of 77 K, the current response of the UV PD is significantly improved by over 1304%, while it is only increased by 532.6% at RT. Under the temperatures above RT, the UV PD functions well in a self-powering and stable manner even the temperature is elevated to 85 °C from RT, exhibiting good photoresponsivity of 17.0 mA/W and fast response time of 700 μs at the rise edge. By analyzing energy diagrams of the pn junction, the underlying physical mechanism of the self-powered UV PDs is carefully illustrated. This study provides guiding significance for research of high-performances UV sensing and ultrafast optoelectronic communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration signal processing has been an effective way of monitoring mechanical equipment for many years. However, mechanical vibration signal are usually masked by significant background noise, which have motivated many studies into developing denoising methods. In this paper, the quantum theory is introduced for proposing a quantum Hadamard transformation based denosing algorithm (QHTDA) used for mechanical vibration signal under fault condition. Compared with other signal processing methods, QHTDA offers the advantage of superposition analysis by effectively quantizing vibration signal and computing the quantum Hadamard probability (QHP) of the fault information and noise information. In doing so, denoising formula can be related to the dynamic information of nonlinear and nonstationary signal, rather than a purely mathematical operation. Therefore, the proposed algorithm has potential to greatly facilitate noise suppression of target signals. Experimental results demonstrate that QHTDA can successfully reduce noise of the measured signals during the bearing fault diagnosis task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K) is importantly involved in the regulation of development, DNA damage response, and several human diseases. The molecular mechanisms that control the expression of hnRNP K are largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the detailed mechanism of the transcriptional regulation of human hnRNP K gene. Two activating and one repressive elements located in the proximal segment of the transcriptional initiation site were identified in hnRNP K gene. A 19 bp-region was responsible for the inhibitory activities of the repressor element. Twenty proteins were identified by DNA-affinity purification and mass spectrometry analyses as binding partners of the primary activating element in the hnRNP K promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and EMSA analysis confirmed the binding of Sp1 with hnRNP K promoter. Sp1 enhanced the promoter activity, increased the expression of hnRNP K, and reduced the mRNA level of angiotensinogen, a gene known to be negatively regulated by hnRNP K. In summary, the current study characterized the promoter elements that regulate the transcription of human hnRNP K gene, identified 20 proteins that bind to the primary activating element of hnRNP K promoter, and demonstrated a functional effect of Sp1 on hnRNP K transcription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Flat sheet asymmetric PSf/clay nanocomposite membranes with different clay dosage were prepared by phase inversion method. Dimethyl acetamide was used as a solvent and water was used as a coagulant. PEG 400 was used as a pore forming additive in the casting solution. The morphology and structure of membranes were analyzed by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer. The performance of membranes was evaluated in terms of pure water flux (PWF), protein rejection, porosity, contact angle, tensile strength and elongation at break respectively. Results showed that clay had a good dispersion in the PSf matrix. The addition of clay additive increased the ratio of large pore in the skin layer and weakened the tensile strength. PWF and porosity of membranes increased with the increase of clay dosage. With increase in clay dosage from 0wt.% to 6wt.%, the PWF increased from 342Lm−2 h−1 to 382Lm−2 h−1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation techniques, such as time-of-flight diffraction (ToFD) for which the arrival times of waves diffracted from crack tips are analysed to locate and size defects, are well understood for smooth defects. In environments where extreme changes in temperature and pressure occur, the damage that may arise is often non-uniform and more difficult to characterise when designing and qualifying an inspection. This article investigates the implementation of ToFD methods for sizing rough defects using a purely theoretical approach. High-fidelity finite element modelling and stochastic Monte Carlo methods are used to provide physical and statistical insights for the dependence on both incident beam angle and degree of roughness for the case of planar defects. Optimal incident angles for ultrasonic ToFD techniques were determined in the 1980s but largely based on theoretical and experimental investigations for smooth defects. However, rough defects produce tip-diffracted signatures that are more complicated than for their smooth counterparts, largely due to multiple scattering effects related to mode conversion and propagation of surface waves along the rough surface. It is shown that roughness may cause larger diffraction amplitude values at different angles, which leads to increased uncertainty when sizing, with illustrative examples and physical interpretations provided. Comparisons of amplitudes for smooth and rough defects of the same size are also demonstrated. The ToFD method, using envelope peak detection and autocorrelation approaches, is implemented to estimate the size of rough cracks, and the effects of roughness on the accuracy of this sizing are investigated with statistical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been debated whether visual attention span deficit was independent from phonological deficit in alphabetic developmental dyslexia. Yet, this issue has never been examined in Chinese developmental dyslexia.Aim: The aim of the present study was to concurrently investigate visual attention span deficit and phonological deficit in Chinese developmental dyslexia, and examine the relationship between them.Methods: A total of 45 Chinese dyslexic and 43 control children aged between 8 and 11 years old participated in this study. A visual one-back paradigm with both verbal stimuli (character and digit strings) and nonverbal stimuli (color dots and symbols) was employed for measuring visual attention span. Phonological skills were measured by three dimensions: phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and verbal short-term memory.Results: Chinese dyslexic children showed deficits in verbal visual attention span and all three dimensions of phonological skills, but not in nonverbal visual attention span. Phonological skills significantly contributed to explaining variance of reading skills and classifying dyslexic and control memberships. Almost all Chinese dyslexic participants who showed a deficit in visual attention span also showed a phonological deficit.Conclusion: The study suggests that visual attention span deficit is not independent from phonological deficit in Chinese developmental dyslexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No completely effective pharmacotherapies have been developed to improve the outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Given the reporting of cohort studies suggesting that preinjury statin use may reduce TBI-associated mortality, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of statin use in patients with TBI. This study was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched from inception until April 13, 2021, using a search strategy that included 2 main terms: "statins" and "traumatic brain injury." The outcomes were mortality, hospital length of stay, and intensive care unit length of stay, which were evaluated using a random-effects model and represented by the pooled risk ratio with 95% confidence intervals. The search results identified 7 eligible studies, with a total of 111,935 patients with brain injury. Preinjury statin use in patients with TBI was associated with a significantly decreased risk of mortality compared with that in nonusers (risk ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.59–0.94; I 2 = 53%). Subgroup analysis showed that statin withdrawal might increase mortality. Sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable and robust. Preinjury statin use may contribute to mortality reduction in patients with TBI, whereas statin withdrawal might increase mortality. In clinical management, statin use should not be discontinued after TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High salt induced renal disease is a condition resulting from the interactions of genetic and dietary factors causing multiple complications. To understand the metabolic alterations associated with renal disease, we comprehensively analyzed the metabonomic changes induced by high salt intake in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats using GC-MS technology and biochemical analyses. Physiological features, serum chemistry, and histopathological data were obtained as complementary information. Our results showed that high salt (HS) intake for 16 weeks caused significant metabolic alterations in both the renal medulla and cortex involving a variety pathways involved in the metabolism of organic acids, amino acids, fatty acids, and purines. In addition, HS enhanced glycolysis (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase) and amino acid metabolism and suppressed the TCA (citrate synthase and aconitase) cycle. Finally, HS intake caused up-regulation of the pentose phosphate pathway (glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase), the ratio of NADPH/NADP+, NADPH oxidase activity and ROS production, suggesting that increased oxidative stress was associated with an altered PPP pathway. The metabolic pathways identified may serve as potential targets for the treatment of renal damage. Our findings provide comprehensive biochemical details about the metabolic responses to a high salt diet, which may contribute to the understanding of renal disease and salt-induced hypertension in SS rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial oils and rock extracts from the Nanpu Sag (Huanghua Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China) were characterized by negative-ion electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Molecular composition of neutral nitrogen and acidic oxygen compounds, mainly by N 1 , O 1 , and O 2 species were investigated in the samples. Increases in relative abundance and molecular condensation degree of oxygen-containing compounds and a decrease in the carbon number range of N 1 species were observed with the changes of kerogen from Type I to III for both the source rock extracts and the relevant oils, which indicates the influence of source input and discrimination potential. We also observed an apparent increase in the condensation degree and a decrease in the carbon number of the N 1 , O 1 and N 1 O 1 species with increasing maturity. The carbon numbers and double bond equivalent (DBE) values of the N 1 and N 1 O 1 species in the extracts showed a positive relationship (an approximately linear distribution) during thermal evolution. These results indicate that thermal maturity has a crucial influence on the composition. The relative abundance ratios of N 1 and O 1 species with specific DBE values and carbon number ranges, C 16–20 /C 21–50 -DBE 12 -N 1 , C 20–24 /C 25–50 -DBE 15 -N 1 , C 11–15 /C 16–27 -DBE 4 -O 1 , DBE 12 /DBE 9 -N 1 , and DBE 8–9 /DBE 4 -O 1 are proposed as thermal maturity indicators for the evaluation of mature and post-mature source materials. A strong primary migration fractionation effect on the heteroatom compounds was also observed, implying that these compounds can be used as migration auxiliary proxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, great breakthroughs in natural gas exploration have been achieved in the Nanpu Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China; however, the genetic type and formation mechanisms of the gas are still unclear, impeding further exploration. Chemical and isotopic compositions were investigated to determine the origins for the gas. Three groupings of the natural gases are recognized: oil-type gas, coal-type gas, and mixed-source gas. The oil-type gases are relatively depleted in 13 C (δ 13 C 1 < −43‰); δ 13 C 2 < −29‰ and low wetness (0.60–0.89). The coal-type gases are enriched in 13 C (δ 13 C 1 > −40‰; δ 13 C 2 > −28‰) with higher wetness (0.80–0.95). The third grouping of gases exhibits intermediate molecular and isotopic values. Most of the gases in the shallow layers of the No. 1 and 4 structural belts have δ 13 C values similar to those of underlying gases and display evidence for microbial alteration. Primary cracking of kerogen is responsible for the generation of most of this gas. Pyrolysis of the source rocks combined with maturity estimations revealed that the relatively shallow oil-type gas was derived primarily from Oligocene and Eocene (Ed 3 –Es 1 ) source rocks bearing Type I–II 1 kerogen, whereas the coal-type gas was generated from the Eocene (Es 2+3 ) source rocks containing II 2 –III kerogen. We concluded that the kerogen type and maturity of the source rocks and the activity of source-connecting faults primarily controlled the distribution of the different gases. We suggest that there is significant deep gas potential in the Nanpu Sag, perhaps even over the whole Bohai Bay Basin, that would be prospective for further deep gas exploration in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dose-dependent effect of MPS on E. gracilis was reflected by photosynthetic indices. • MPS reduced the photosynthetic electron transport and promoted energy dissipation. • Internalization of MPS in the cells and chloroplasts was involved in adverse effects. • Both photosynthesis and motility has its own advantage on toxicity evaluation of MPS. In this study, effects of polystyrene microplastics (MPS) on Euglena gracilis were investigated via examination on its photosynthesis and motility, two typical properties of the protozoan. No adverse effects were observed after 4-d exposure except for decrease in motility at two high MPS concentrations (5 and 25 mg/L). After 8-d duration, MPS at 1 mg/L had no obvious effects on E. gracilis, but two higher concentrations (5 and 25 mg/L) of MPS inhibited protozoan growth, motility, and photosynthesis. The reduced protozoan photosynthetic activity was reflected by changes in F v / F m (the maximum photochemical yield of PSII), Δ F IP (difference between F P and F I) and PI ABS (the performance index), indicative of reduced quantum yield of electron transport and enhanced energy dissipation. A dose-dependent effect of MPS on E. gracilis was found in protozoan growth, photosynthesis and motility, especially photosynthetic indices. MPS of small size (75 nm) seemed more toxic to the protozoa than large size (1000 nm). Internalization of MPS in the cells and chloroplasts was observed clearly for the first time, likely responsible for their toxicity. Analysis on photosynthetic process and motility of E. gracilis could provide more comprehensive understanding of MPS toxicity in the aquatic environment, and may potentially serve as a biomonitoring tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]