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The aim of current study was to exhume the potential targets and molecular mechanisms of oxyresveratrol, a structurally re-constructed resveratrol, for treating liver cancer through bioinformatics investigation and experimentative validation. To start with, the network pharmacology approach and molecular docking technology were used to uncover all candidate targets of oxyresveratrol to treat liver cancer, accompanied with identified anti-liver cancer targets including estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In addition, more pharmacological mechanisms of oxyresveratrol against liver cancer were revealed in details. In experimental verification, the clinical samples of liver cancer showed elevated ESR1, EGFR mRNA expressions. The in-vitro data indicated that intracellular contents of ESR1, EGFR mRNAs in oxyresveratrol-treated liver cancer cells were reduced. Taken together, the bioinformatics and validated findings have highlighted detailed pharmacological targets and molecular mechanisms of oxyresveratrol for treating liver cancer. Following with experimental verification, the identified genes of ESR1, EGFR may function as potential screening anti-liver cancer markers.

This study was designed to understand the pivotal anti-cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI) targets and pathways of calycosin through network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses. In this study, bioinformatics tools were employed to characterize and identify the pharmacological functions and mechanisms of calycosin for CIRI management. The network pharmacology data identified potential, merged CIRI-associated targets of calycosin including tumor protein p53 (TP53), protein kinase B (AKT1), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1). Molecular docking analysis indicated the binding efficacy of calycosin with three of the targets, namely TP53, AKT1, and VEGFA. The biological processes of calycosin for the treatment of CIRI are mainly involved in the improvement of endothelial cell proliferation and growth, inflammatory development, and cellular metabolism. In addition, the anti-CIRI actions of calycosin were primarily through suppression of the toll-like receptor, PI3K-AKT, TNF, MAPK, and VEGF signaling pathways. Taken together, the current bioinformatic findings revealed pivotal targets, biological functions, and pharmacological mechanisms of calycosin for the treatment of CIRI. In conclusion, calycosin, a functional phytoestrogen, can be potentially used for the treatment of CIRI in future clinical trials.

A unique composite cathode structure for Li-ion batteries, designated LT-LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (or LT-NMC111), has been prepared by flame spray pyrolysis and subsequent annealing between 400 and 650 °C. It is composed predominantly of structurally-integrated and partially-disordered lithiated-spinel and layered components, both of which can be broadly described as partially-disordered rock salt constituents. The paper describes the evolution of the LT-NMC111 structure as a function of the synthesis method, annealing temperature, and electrochemical properties in the context of other recently reported “low-temperature” (LT) materials, such as LT-LiCo1−xAlxO2 and LT-LiMn0.5Ni0.5O2 or, in spinel notation, LT-Li2Co2–2xAl2xO4 and LT-Li2MnNiO4, respectively.

The incorporation of superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) fibers into engineered cementitious composite (ECC) materials can provide high seismic energy dissipation and deformation self-centering capabilities for ECC materials. Whether the SMA fibers can be sufficiently bonded or anchored in the ECC matrix and whether the mechanical properties of the SMA fibers in the ECC matrix can be effectively utilized are the key scientific issues that urgently need to be studied. In order to study the mechanical behavior of SMA fiber embedded in ECC matrix, four groups of semi-dog-bone pullout specimens were fabricated, and the cyclic pullout tests were conducted in this paper. The pullout stress, displacement, and self-centering capability were analyzed, and different influencing factors were discussed. The results show that the knotted ends can provide sufficient anchorage force for SMA fibers, and the maximum pullout stress of SMA fiber can reach 1100 MPa, thus the superelasticity can be effectively stimulated. The SMA fibers show excellent self-centering capability in the test. The minimum residual deformation in the test is only 0.29 mm, and the maximum self-centering ratio can reach 0.93. Increasing bond length can increase the ultimate strain of SMA fibers with knotted ends, but reduce the maximum pullout stress. Increasing fiber diameter can increase both the ultimate strain and the maximum stress of knotted end SMA fibers. While neither bond length nor fiber diameter has significant effect on the self-centering ratio. This paper provides a theoretical basis for further study of the combination of SMA fibers and ECC materials.

The aim of current study was to exhume the potential targets and molecular mechanisms of oxyresveratrol, a structurally re-constructed resveratrol, for treating liver cancer through bioinformatics investigation and experimentative validation. To start with, the network pharmacology approach and molecular docking technology were used to uncover all candidate targets of oxyresveratrol to treat liver cancer, accompanied with identified anti-liver cancer targets including estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In addition, more pharmacological mechanisms of oxyresveratrol against liver cancer were revealed in details. In experimental verification, the clinical samples of liver cancer showed elevated ESR1, EGFR mRNA expressions. The in-vitro data indicated that intracellular contents of ESR1, EGFR mRNAs in oxyresveratrol-treated liver cancer cells were reduced. Taken together, the bioinformatics and validated findings have highlighted detailed pharmacological targets and molecular mechanisms of oxyresveratrol for treating liver cancer. Following with experimental verification, the identified genes of ESR1, EGFR may function as potential screening anti-liver cancer markers.

Introduction: Patients with cardiac amyloidosis light chain (AL) present with negative Tc-99m pyrophosphate (PYP) scintigraphy (absent or mild heart uptake). On the contrary, patients with cardiac amyloidosis transthyretin (ATTR) present with positive Tc-99m PYP scanning (intensive heart uptake). We present a false positive Tc-99m PYP scintigraphy (grade 2, the heart-to-contralateral ratio is 1.65) in a patient with AL. Patient concerns: A 42-year-old Chinese man complained of effort intolerance, chest discomfort, and short of breath progressively over 1 year. New York Heart Association Class III. Physical examination showed legs swelling. Laboratory revealed elevated brain natriuretic peptide of 23,031 ng/mL (0–88) and Troponin-T of 273.4 ng/mL (0–14). Diagnosis: Cardiac amyloidosis light chain. Evidences: free light chains (FLCs): decreased serum free kappa/lambda ratio of 0.043 (0.31–1.56). Immunofixation electrophoresis: a positive lambda light chain monoclonal protein. Cardiac biopsy: HE: Ambiguity Congo red strain. Myocardial immunofluorescence: positive lambda light chain. Myocardial immunohistochemistry: positive lambda light chain, negative kappa light chain, and TTR. Interventions: Furosemide 40 mg qd, torasemide 20 mg qd, spirolactone 20 mg qd, potassium chloride 10 mL per 500 mL urine, atorvastatin calcium tablet 20 mg qd, aspirin enteric-coated tablets 100 mg qd during the 2-weeks in-hospital. Outcomes: The patient died 2 months later after discharge. Conclusion: False positive Tc-99m PYP scintigraphy may rarely presented in patients with cardiac amyloidosis light chain. So, the clonal plasma cell process based on the FLCs and immunofixation is a base to rule out AL cardiac amyloidosis when we interpret a positive Tc-99m PYP scintigraphy.

Copper is an inexpensive replacement for silver in electronic applications such as solar cell metallization, electromagnetic interference packaging, and printable electronics. However, copper has a...

Summary Recent breakthroughs in aqueous electrolytes made highly safe 3.0 V class aqueous Li-ion batteries possible. However, the formed solid-electrolyte interphase therein still cannot effectively support the desired energy-dense anode and cathode materials. In this work, we report a new class of electrolytes, by hybridizing aqueous with non-aqueous solvents, that inherits the non-flammability and non-toxicity characteristics from aqueous and better electrochemical stability from non-aqueous systems. The secondary interphasial ingredient (alkylcarbonate) introduced by non-aqueous component helps to expand the electrochemical window of the hybridized electrolyte to 4.1 V, which supports the operation of a 3.2 V aqueous Li-ion battery based on Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 and LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 to deliver a high energy density of 165 Wh/kg for >1,000 cycles. The understanding of how a better interphase could be tailored by regulating the inner-Helmholtz interfacial structures of the hybridized electrolyte provides important guidelines for designing future electrolytes and interphases for new battery chemistries.

LncRNAs are increasingly verified to be aberrantly expressed in cancers. The abnormal expression of lncRNAs has turned out to be closely related to tumorigenesis or tumor progression. It has been reported that lncRNA OPI5-AS1 serves as a crucial regulator in tumors. However, the specific function of OIP5-AS1 on the progression of lung adenocarcinoma is still uncertain. In this paper, we mainly elucidated that OIP5-AS1 exerts oncogenic functions in human lung adenocarcinoma through targeting miR-448. We inspected that the expression of OIP5-AS1 was definitely high in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and cells, while miR-448 was sluggishly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma. OIP5-AS1 and miR-448 was negatively related to each other, the result was obtained from Pearson correlation analysis. We discovered a fact that OIP5-AS1 could directly sponge miR-448 through using dual luciferase reporter assay, RIP assay and RNA pull-down assay. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were restrained after we disrupted the expression of OIP5-AS1 in lung adenocarcinoma. We also certified that OIP5-AS1 could sponge and regulate miR-448 to affect cell function in lung adenocarcinoma. MiR-448 could target Bcl-2 and affect the expression of Bcl-2. Then, we discovered that the expression of OIP5-AS1 and Bcl-2 was positively related. So we affirmed that lncRNA OIP5-AS1 modulated the expression of Bcl-2 by targeting miR-448 in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Traditional detection method of data breakpoint in computer communication network has some disadvantages, such as time consuming, etc. Firstly, the data of computer transmission breakpoints are stored based on cloud framework, and the density distribution characteristics of the region are extracted according to the breakpoint data. Then the optimal data breakpoint detection path is selected. Finally, the similarity of each data breakpoint is detected by the computer, so that the detection of data breakpoints is realized by computer. After experiments, the data breakpoint detection is realized, the results show that the designed method can detect data breakpoints accurately, which is time-saving and has a certain significance of popularization.

Artificial photosynthesis uses a catalyst to convert CO2 into valuable hydrocarbon products by cleaving the C=O bond. However, this technology is strongly limited by two issues, namely insufficient catalytic efficiency and complicated catalyst-fabrication processes. Herein, we report the development of a novel spray-drying photocatalyst-engineering process that addresses these two issues. Through one-step spray drying, with a residence time of 1.5 s, nanocomposites composed of tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles and edge-oxidized graphene oxide (eo-GO) sheets were fabricated without post-treatment. These nanocomposites exhibited 28-fold and five-fold enhancements in photocatalytic efficiency during CO2 reduction compared to SnO2 and commercialized TiO2 (P25), respectively, after irradiation with simulated sunlight for 4 h. This scalable approach, based on short residence times and facile equipment setup, promotes the practical application of artificial photosynthesis through the potential mass production of efficient photocatalysts.

Melanin, the main photoreceptor in living organics, is largely abundant in pigmented hair tissues. Its promising properties have been widely studied in order to fully explore the corresponding applications. However, the photodegradating and aggregating natures of melanin, to some extent, restrict the development of this eco-friendly biomaterial. This study is conducted to overcome both disadvantages by a mature method that coating the original melanin nanoparticles with silica as shells. The results revealed that the aggregation of the melanin/silica nanoparticles (MSNP) was decreased obviously by a 5 h coating and appeared a uniformly mono-dispersed solution. The MSNP that coated for 20 h provided an efficient protection on the photodegradation of the melanin with a 50% maintenance of the melanin content compared with 16% of original melanin and 2% of MSNP-5 h.

A cost-effective, environmentally friendly and industrialized method of using low-grade sources to prepare high-performance anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density and long cycle life is both appealing and challenging. Herein, we present a low-cost, scalable and controllable approach for preparing unique sub-micrometer core-shell structure nanocrystal-FeSi-embedded Si/SiOx (FSO) anode material directly from a low-grade Fe-Si alloy. The sub-micrometer FSO anode materials are controlled by in-situ reaction of the Fe-Si-O in the Fe-Si alloy according to the phase diagram. The XRD and Rietveld refinement results indicate that when the treatment temperature increase, (i) FeSi phase appears together with Si and FeSi2, and then (ii) Fe3Si phase appears together with Si and FeSi. Most importantly, benefited from the formation of the amorphous SiOx as buffer layer and self-conductive nanocrystal-FeSi as a robust skeleton to mechanically support the large volume change of Si during cycling, the sub-micrometer core-shell structure FSO anode exhibits a high capacity (931.3 mA h g−1) at 50 mA g−1 and a prolonged cycle performance with 86% capacity retention over 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1. The full cell with prelithiated FSO as the anode and commercial LiCoO2 as the cathode delivers a high energy density of 467.5 W h kg−1 at the 0.05 C. This work provides a promising route for commercial production of high-performance Si/SiOx-based anode materials in LIBs.

Solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs) have been regarded as one of the next-generation energy storage systems. With the adoption of solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) and lithium metal anodes, SSLBs enable higher energy density and more reliable safety than the state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. Among potential SSEs, the cation-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is promising for its high ionic conductivity (~10 −3 S cm−2) at room temperature and high stability with Li metal anode. However, the storage of doped LLZO in the ambient condition suffers the aging effect, including the structural transition (i.e. low-temperature cubic form) and the stoichiometric changes (i.e. Li2CO3). These changes are detrimental to LLZO ionic conductivity and interfacial stability in SSLBs. To this end, we are motivated to investigate the structural and stoichiometric reversibility of aged LLZO during thermal treatment. With the help of an in-situ synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffraction technique, our experiments revealed that the LLZO powders became a low-temperature cubic phase when exposed to the ambient condition for an extended period of time. A high temperature cubic form can be restored after a thermal treatment of the aged LLZO powder, regardless of the type of dopant . However, the restoration of the stoichiometry remained a challenge, and the degree of the restoration showed a clear dependence on the dopant chemistry.

Micron-sized solid Cu–Sn particles have been considered as a replacement for more expensive materials (e.g., Ag, Pd, and Au) in conductive pastes used in printed electronics, solar cell metallization, and interference packaging. With the formation of a tin oxide layer, Cu–Sn particles could combine relatively low electrical resistivity with high oxidation resistance. However the oxidation behavior of this system is not well understood. Here, the oxidation of CuSny solid particles, fabricated by spray pyrolysis without direct addition of H2, was investigated. Our experimental results and theoretical analysis suggest that at a low oxidation temperature (300 °C), the migration of O2− through the oxide layer controls the oxidation. At high temperature (500 °C), the grain growth of the oxide layer is believed to be the rate-limiting step. Among the CuSny particles tested, CuSn0.1 powders exhibited the best particle structure (solid and spherical) and highest oxidation resistance.

Cu-Sn binary particles were generated via spray pyrolysis from metal salt precursors with ethylene glycol as the co-solvent and reducing agent. The morphology, crystallinity, and elemental distribution of particles were tunable by changing the reaction temperature, residence time, and quench gas flow rate. Hollow porous particles were fabricated with a higher Sn concentration on the particle surface when the furnace set point was 500°C, while solid particles with a lower surface Sn concentration were generated when the furnace set point was 1000°C. Particles with spherical morphologies were obtained at long residence time conditions (4.5 s). Cu-Sn binary particles with irregular structures (e.g., pores on the particle surface, fragmented spherical particles, and lamellar fragments) were formed at short residence time conditions (0.92 s). A possible spray pyrolysis mechanism was proposed that incorporates chemical reaction steps and structural progression. By this mechanism, the metal salts are believed to sequentially undergo hydrolysis to metal hydroxides, decomposition to metal oxides, reduction to metals, and finally diffusion of Sn into the Cu matrix to generate the Cu-Sn solid solution. Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research

Melanin has attracted researchers’ attention in recent years due to its intriguing properties and various applications in different fields. Here, we fabricated a highly efficient photocatalytic material through utilizing the natural melanin (NM) isolated from textile scraps like yak hair wastes. A simple one-step process was employed to synthesize titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles on the surface of NM. The synthesized NM/TiO2 hybrids exhibited prominent photocatalytic activity for the simultaneous removal of methyl orange (MO) and hexavalent chromium ions (Cr (VI)) under visible light irradiations, which constitute ∼45 % of the solar light. Our results revealed that NM served as a base material with abundant catechol groups to form C-O-Ti bonds with TiO2 nanoparticles, which narrowed the band gap and broadened the light response of the hybrids. The working mechanism of NM/TiO2 hybrids for the simultaneous removal of dyes (MO) and heavy metal ions (Cr (VI)) was thoroughly explored and proposed. This work highlighted the potential of the NM/TiO2 hybrids for textile dyeing effluent treatment with more efficient utilization of solar spectrum. Our work also opens a pathway for the design of advanced NM-based functional materials from various NM-enriched wastes such as human hair wastes, squid ink, etc.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is actively transcribed from human genome and has been considered to participate in many processes of various cancers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of LncRNA AFAP1-AS1 and its prognostic value in NSCLC. LncRNA AFAP1-AS1 expression was detected by qRT-PCR which demonstrated that the expression was significantly increased in tumor tissues compared with the adjacent non-cancerous tissues and healthy tissues. The clinical stage, smoking history, infiltration degree, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis were all proved to impact the expression of LncRNA AFAP1-AS1 (P

Copper is an inexpensive replacement for silver in electronic applications such as solar cell metallization, electromagnetic interference packaging, and printable electronics. However, copper has a characteristically low reduction potential under ambient conditions, favoring formation of non-conducting copper oxides. Here, a spray pyrolysis method of producing oxidation resistant copper particles with surfaces rich in zinc, without need for post-fabrication modifications is described. The effects of precursor and reactor parameters on the particle surface composition with respect to the bulk composition are explored. At reactor temperature conditions of 1000 °C with a precursor containing 90 at% copper–10 at% zinc, the formation of desired morphologies was achieved, smooth dense particles with surfaces enriched in zinc. Increasing the concentration of zinc in the precursor did not improve enrichment, and instead led to the formation of a zinc diamine chloride [Zn(NH3)2Cl2] byproduct. © 2018 American Association for Aerosol Research

Organic compounds are desirable alternatives for sustainable lithium-ion battery electrodes. However, the electrochemical properties of state-of-the-art organic electrodes are still worse than commercial inorganic counterparts. Here, a new chemistry is reported based on the electrochemical conversion of nitro compounds to azo compounds for high performance lithium-ion batteries. 4-Nitrobenzoic acid lithium salt (NBALS) is selected as a model nitro compound to systemically investigate the structure, lithiation/delithiation mechanism, and electrochemical performance of nitro compounds. NBALS delivers an initial capacity of 153 mAh g-1 at 0.5 C and retains a capacity of 131 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles. Detailed characterizations demonstrate that during initial electrochemical lithiation, the nitro group in crystalline NBALS is irreversibly reduced into an amorphous azo compound. Subsequently, the azo compound is reversibly lithiated/delithiated in the following charge/discharge cycles with high electrochemical performance. The lithiation/delithiation mechanism of azo compounds is also validated by directly using azo compounds as electrode materials, which exhibit similar electrochemical performance to nitro compounds, while having a much higher initial Coulombic efficiency. Therefore, this work proves that nitro compounds can be electrochemically converted to azo compounds for high performance lithium-ion batteries.

Nanoparticle self-assembly promises scalable fabrication of composite materials with unique properties, but symmetry control of assembled structures remains a challenge. By introducing a governing force in the assembly process, we develop a strategy to control assembly symmetry. As a demonstration, we realize the tetragonal superlattice of octagonal gold nanorods, breaking through the only hexagonal symmetry of the superlattice so far. Surprisingly, such sparse tetragonal superstructure exhibits much higher thermostability than its close-packed hexagonal counterpart. Multiscale modeling reveals that the governing force arises from hierarchical molecular and colloidal interactions. This force dominates the interactions involved in the assembly process and determines the superlattice symmetry, leading to the tetragonal superlattice that becomes energetically favorable over its hexagonal counterpart. This strategy might be instructive for designing assembly of various nanoparticles and may open up a new avenue for realizing diverse assembly structures with pre-engineered properties., Shape complementarity is the primary way to control the symmetry of nanoparticle assemblies. Here, the authors introduce a governing force that dominates symmetry control of nanorod superlattices, using it to obtain an unexpected and highly thermostable tetragonal lattice.

With the emergence of electronic commerce enterprises, express delivery industry rapidly developed according to its fast and convenient services. However, it is difficult for users to accurately predict the distribution time, which resulting in problems such as the goods cannot be picked up in time when they are distributed. To solve the information asymmetry problems, this paper designed a set of new distribution process, which helps delivery companies to predict their distribution lead time. Customers can be informed ahead of time to choose their preferred receiving time, which enables the users to accurately predict the goods' arrival time and prepare for this. In this paper, the delivery companies' existing organizational structure and business processes are analyzed and optimized. System requirement is analyzed with the tool UML, which makes clear the functions and relationships for each business modules and provides conditions for further system development.

The relationship between excision repair cross-complementing group 5 (ERCC5) rs17655 polymorphism and lung cancer risk remains controversial. To clarify the association, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of all published case–control studies. PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI were searched to identify the possibly eligible publications. Pooled odds ratio (OR) was estimated using the fixed effect model. Q test and I 2 index were used to evaluate heterogeneity between studies, and Egger’s and Begg’s tests were utilized to assess publication bias. Meta-analysis of nine case–control studies including 4,044 cases and 5,100 controls indicated that there was no global association between rs17655 polymorphism and lung cancer risk. Subgroup analyses according to ethnicity and histologic type revealed similar results. In summary, our meta-analysis suggests that ERCC5 rs17655 polymorphism may not contribute to genetic susceptibility for lung cancer.