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Although thyroid hormone (TH) plays important roles in regulating ovarian development, the mechanism are still unclear. Cytochrome P450 lanosterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) is a key enzyme in sterols and steroids biosynthesis that involved in folliculogenesis and oocyte maturation, which is regulated by follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). However, the effect of TH on CYP51 expression in ovarian cells is unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of TH on CYP51 in rat ovary. Hypothyroidism rats were induced by 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU), genes expressions in ovary were analyzed by Western blot or qRT-PCR. The data showed that CYP51 was significantly decreased in hypothyroidism, which was accompanied by the down-regulation of mRNA level. Meanwhile, similar tendency was also showed in FSHR expression in hypothyroidism. To evaluate the effect of the gonadotropin on CYP51 and FSHR expression in ovarian cells in vivo, hypo rats were injected subcutaneously with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) respectively. The results showed that eCG reversed CYP51 and FSHR expression in hypo group. Moreover, FSH-induced CYP51 expression was meditated by FSHR. In addition, serum concentration of FSH and E2 were also decreased in hypothyroidism, and E2 was up-regulated by eCG treatment. These results indicate that hypothyroidism changes CYP51 and FSHR expression in ovary, which are regulated by gonadotropin. Moreover, genes changes in ovary are at least partially attributed to steroids biosynthesis.

Exposure to early adversity increases vulnerability to psychiatric disorders in later life. Microglia-mediated inflammation has been linked to psychopathology, so such inflammation may be a target for treating depression. Using a model of depression involving adolescent male C57BL/6J mice subjected to maternal separation, we explored whether using minocycline to mitigate inflammation can alleviate depression-like behaviors. Between postnatal days 1 and 14, male mice were separated from their mothers for 3 h per day. Minocycline (20 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally once daily for 2 weeks starting one week after weaning. Then the male mice were subjected to a second stress for 2 weeks. Results from the sucrose preference test, forced swimming test, and open field test showed that maternal separation did not obviously alter behavior of the male mice, but it did increase the risk of depression-like behaviors following a second stress. This increased risk disappeared if minocycline was given preemptively before the second stress. Maternal separation and second stress up-regulated pro-inflammatory markers and down-regulated anti-inflammatory markers in the hippocampus, and they activated microglia and promoted pro-inflammatory transitions in microglia. All these effects were reversed by minocycline. These changes in inflammatory processes correlated with changes in neurogenesis and BDNF expression in the hippocampus. Our results in this mouse model suggest the potential of minocycline for treating psychiatric disorders induced by early adversity.

Maternal infection during pregnancy is an important factor involved in the pathogenesis of brain disorders in the offspring. Mounting evidence from maternal immune activation (MIA) animals indicates that microglial priming may contribute to neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the offspring. Because peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) activation exerts neuroprotective effects by regulating neuroinflammatory response, it is a pharmacological target for treating neurogenic disorders. We investigated the effect of PPARγ-dependent microglial activation on neurogenesis and consequent behavioral outcomes in male MIA-offspring. Pregnant dams on gestation day 18 received Poly(I:C) (1, 5, or 10 mg/kg; i.p.) or the vehicle. The MIA model that received 10 mg/kg Poly(I:C) showed significantly increased inflammatory responses in the maternal serum and fetal hippocampus, followed by cognitive deficits, which were highly correlated with hippocampal neurogenesis impairment in prepubertal male offspring. The microglial population in hippocampus increased, displayed decreased processes and larger soma, and had a higher expression of the CD11b, which is indicative of the M1 phenotype (classical activation). Activation of the PPARγ pathway by pioglitazone in the MIA offspring rescued the imbalance of the microglial activation and ameliorated the MIA-induced suppressed neurogenesis and cognitive impairments and anxiety behaviors. In an in vitro experiment, PPARγ-induced M2 microglia (alternative activation) promoted the proliferation and differentiation of neural precursor cells. These results indicated that the MIA-induced long-term changes in microglia phenotypes were associated with hippocampal neurogenesis and neurobehavioral abnormalities in offspring. Modulation of the microglial phenotypes was associated with a PPARγ-mediated neuroprotective mechanism in the MIA offspring and may serve as a potential therapeutic approach for prenatal immune activation-induced neuropsychiatric disorders.

Recent research has examined how the concept of institutional capacity relates to the ability of organisations to deliver industrial symbiosis, and in particular how that ability itself can develop over time. One approach to developing industrial symbiosis has been to build a network of local bodies to work together to this end. Terming such a body an industrial symbiosis coordination network, this study innovatively applies institutional capacity building theory in the context of a Chinese eco-industrial park. It examines how the coordination network developed the expertise to encourage local companies to engage in industrial symbiosis. This research consisted of a qualitative study, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis to analyse the development of an industrial symbiosis coordination network in Tianjin Binhai New Area. It is found that the network increased institutional capacity for local IS development by promoting relational links across organisational divisions and governance levels, and by increasing various types of knowledge for coordinating IS. The concept of institutional capacity building is shown to have cross-cultural applicability. Reflections on this study indicate that local government can play a vital role in building and maintaining an IS coordination network in the Chinese context, but that other bodies are also needed to mobilise institutional capacity for IS development.

Aerogels with low density, high porosity and exceptional mechanical properties have attracted great interest as adsorbents. Preparing bio-based aerogels with high porosity and outstanding mechanical performance via a facile and green strategy is in a growing demand. In this paper, an effective approach was put forward to prepare porous lightweight bio-aerogels by introducing extensive microbubbles during gelation of gelatin, which not only endows aerogels with abundant and interconnected pores to ensure the low density and high adsorption capability, but also improves the elastic resilience and fatigue resistance of the formed aerogels. In addition, after further going through silylation treatment, the hydrophobically modified porous aerogels maintain the good mechanical stability, and efficiently collect oils/organic solvents from water. Considering the low-cost, greenness of the preparation process and high performance of the prepared aerogels, this approach holds a promising potential in preparing porous bio-based aerogels with excellent mechanical properties for controlling environmental pollution caused by petroleum products and toxic organic solvents.

The combination of semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) and graphene in the form of composite aerogels has become a valid strategy for improving the photocatalytic performance. However, the disorderly aggregation of NPs and the complexity of the synthesis process remain as great challenges limiting the applications. Herein, we put forward a graphene hydrogel template for convenient and accurate synthesis of three-dimensional ZnO/nitrogen-doped (N-doped) graphene aerogel by well regulating the reduction process of graphene oxide (GO) flakes based on thermodynamic analysis. The control-formed hydrogel template with moderate reduction degree retains adsorption sites for Zn2+, assuring the formation of well-distributed ZnO NPs on the three-dimensional N-doped graphene network. Owing to the synergistic effect between ZnO NPs and graphene network, the composite shows excellent photocatalytic performance under visible light. Besides, by pre-introducing common polymer fibers into the preparation system, big size composite aerogel could be easily produced, which ensures the facility for the large-scale practical applications.

Various applications of CO2 have received extensive attention, especially those realizing the reuse of the greenhouse gas and meeting the application requirements simultaneously, of which the CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and enhanced gas recovery (EGR) approaches is a paradigm. In recent years, the applications of CO2 foam as flooding or fracturing system are both of the research hotspots. Since conventional surfactants are generally poor in stabilizing CO2 foam, the exploration of CO2 foam stabilizer is of great significance, while it is also a difficult problem. In this work, a kind of hydrophobically modified water-soluble polyelectrolyte (HMPE) was used in the stabilization of CO2 foam containing millimeter-sized and micron-sized bubbles, which both exhibit high stability and perfect foam viscoelasticity, due to the enhancement of the mechanical strength of the foam films through HMPE absorbed at the gas/liquid interfaces. The interaction between the CO2 bubbles and ceramiste particles was investigated, the mechanism of the excellent sand-carrying performance of the CO2 foam system was discussed. Based on the comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the properties, the HMPE-CO2 foam system has bright potential being used in the CO2-foam fracturing.

Recently, microbubbles with diameters ranging from a few to tens of microns have an increasing attractive attention in various applications. For microbubbles, exploring convenient and reliable fabrication approach is crucial, in particular achieving stable microbubbles filled with diverse gas. In this work, the baffled high intensity agitation (BHIA) cell was utilized to generate bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated microbubbles. The characteristics of generated air-filled microbubbles was explored by adjustment of operating parameters. It was found that the microbubble size mainly depends on employed agitation speed. Microbubbles filled with different gas, such as N2, O2, and CO2, also were successfully obtained and show good stability at room temperature due to the formation of thick and elastic BSA shell. It was interestingly observed that a large number of regular BSA particles scattered around the trajectory of microbubble interfaces by scanning electron microscopy, which was obviously different from the particles formed from BSA solution in absence of microbubbles. The mechanism behind the phenomenon was investigated, and it was found that the abundant gas-liquid interface introduced by microbubbles is responsible for triggering the oriented aggregation of BSA molecules. The founding may reveal a spur significant for the effect of gas-liquid interface on the formation of protein crystals.