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To inhibit the agglomeration of tin-based nanomaterials and simplify the complicated synthesis process, a facile and eco-friendly self-formed template method is reported to synthesize tin submicron spheres dispersed in nitrogen-doped porous carbon (Sn/NPC) by pyrolysis of a mixture of disodium stannous citrate and urea. The vital point of this strategy is the formation of Na2CO3 templates during pyrolysis. This self-formed Na2CO3 acts as porous templates to support the formation of NPC. The obtained NPC provides good electronic conductivity, ample defects, and more active sites. Serving as anode for Li-ion batteries, the Sn/NPC electrode obtains a stable discharge capacity of 674.1 mAh/g after 150 cycles at 0.1 A/g. Especially, a high discharge capacity of 331.2 mAh/g can be achieved after 1100 cycles at 3 A/g. Additionally, a full cell coupled with LiCoO2 as cathode yields a discharge capacity of 524.8 mAh/g after 150 cycles at 0.1 A/g. In-situ XRD is implemented to investigate the alloying/dealloying reaction mechanisms. Density functional theory calculation ulteriorly explicates that NPC heightens intrinsic electronic conductivity, and NPC especially pyrrolic-N and pyridinic-N doping facilitates the Li-adsorption ability. Climbing image nudged elastic band method reveals low Li+ diffusion energy barrier in presence of N atoms, which accounts for the terrific electrochemical properties of Sn/NPC electrode.

N-doped carbon-based single-atom catalysts (NC-SACs) are widely researched in various electrochemical reactions due to high metal atom utilization and catalytic activity. The catalytic activity of NC-SACs originates from the coordinating structure between single metal site (M) and the doped nitrogen (N) in carbon matrix by forming M-Nx-C structure (1≤ x≤ 4). The M-N4-C structure is widely considered to be the most stable and effective catalytic site. However, there is no in-depth research for the “x” modulation in Pt-Nx-C structure and the corresponding catalytic properties. Herein, atomically dispersed Pt on N-doped carbon (Pt-NC) with Pt-Nx-C structure (1≤ x≤ 4), as a research model, is fabricated by a ZIF-8 template and applied to catalytic oxygen reduction. Different carbonization temperatures are used to control N loss, and then modulate the N coordination of Pt-Nx-C structure. The Pt-NC has the predictable low half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.72 V vs RHE compared to the Pt/C 20% of 0.81V due to low Pt content. Remarkably, the Pt-NC shows a high onset potential (1.10 V vs RHE, determined for j = -0.1 mA cm2) and a high current density of 5.2 mA cm−2, more positive and higher than that of Pt/C 20% (0.96 V) and 4.9 mA cm−2, respectively. As the structural characterization and DFT simulation confirmed, the reducing Pt-N coordination number induces low valence of Pt atoms and low free energy of oxygen reduction, which is responsible for the improved catalytic activity. Furthermore, the Pt-NC shows high mass activity (172 times higher than that of Pt/C 20%), better stability and methanol crossover resistance.

Landfill leachate is a type of complex organic wastewater, which is prone to cause serious negative impacts on the ecological environment and human health. Using fuel cells to remove the organic matter in landfill leachate is an efficient and feasible approach. The fuel cells are primarily limited by the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with sluggish kinetics, which requires catalysts with high electrochemical properties to improve ORR activity. Herein, Pt-Te nanowires (NWs) with high activity and durability were synthesized. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) images indicated that Pt nanoparticles were uniformly decorated in the Te nanowires to form active sites. The electrochemical activities of the catalysts were investigated using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) system. Compared with Pt/C and pure Te NWs catalysts, the Pt-Te NWs exhibited a stronger reduction peak and higher current density for ORR. Additionally, the fuel cell coupled with Pt-Te NWs possessed a high performance on the removal of the organic matter.

Manmade high-performance polymers are typically non-biodegradable and derived from petroleum feedstock through energy intensive processes involving toxic solvents and byproducts. While engineered microbes have been used for renewable production of many small molecules, direct microbial synthesis of high-performance polymeric materials remains a major challenge. Here we engineer microbial production of megadalton muscle titin polymers yielding high-performance fibers that not only recapture highly desirable properties of natural titin (i.e., high damping capacity and mechanical recovery) but also exhibit high strength, toughness, and damping energy — outperforming many synthetic and natural polymers. Structural analyses and molecular modeling suggest these properties derive from unique inter-chain crystallization of folded immunoglobulin-like domains that resists inter-chain slippage while permitting intra-chain unfolding. These fibers have potential applications in areas from biomedicine to textiles, and the developed approach, coupled with the structure-function insights, promises to accelerate further innovation in microbial production of high-performance materials., Here, the authors engineer microbial production of muscle titin fibers with highly desirable mechanical properties and provide structural analyses that explain the molecular mechanisms underlying high performance of this polymer with potential uses in biomedicine and textile industries, among others.

Polyphosphazene microspheres (PZS) multispectral encoded by fluorescence and surface enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) were prepared and used as solid phase carrier of capture antibody for antibody detection. A variety of fluorescent encoded polyphosphazene microspheres (FPZS) incorporating single and multiple fluorescent molecules were prepared. Multiple SERS encoded polyphosphazene microspheres (SPZS) were obtained by modification of different Raman reporters on the surface of PZS@Ag, which were fabricated with rough morphology through in situ deposition of Ag nanoparticles. Fluorescence and SERS spectral combined encoded polyphosphazene microspheres (FSPZS) were prepared by encoding of fluorescent molecules and SERS reporters. The optical signals in the two independent detection channels were separable and ensured the accuracy for the encoding method. Immunoassays of goat IgG, rabbit IgG and mouse IgG were performed by the as-prepared FPZS, SPZS and FSPZS as solid phase carrier of capture antibody and fluorescent labeled second antibody, using sandwich immunoassay method. The immunoassay results showed that the multiple-spectra encoded microspheres have stable and distinguishable encoding signals, large encoding volume and multiplexed analytical capability in sandwich immunoassays.

Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. var. major) is an edible and medicinal fruit that is very common in food and traditional Chinese medicine. Corosolic acid (CA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, which is an active component of hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge. var. major), has been exhibiting various pharmacological activities such as antidiabetic, antibacterial, anticancer, antiinflammatory, and antioxidant effects. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of CA on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in mice induced by 60 kcal% high-fat diet (HFD) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ). CA lowered liver index and serum AST, ALT, TG, and TC levels compared to those in the model group. Histological analyses of the liver tissues of mice treated with CA revealed significantly decreased number of lipid droplets and alleviated inflammation and fibrosis. CA inhibited the transcripts of pro-fibrogenic markers (including α-SMA, collagen I, and TIMP-1) and the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-α, IL-1β, caspase-1, and IL-6) associated with hepatic fibrosis, and NF-κB translocation and TGF-β1/Smad2 and AMPK pathways. In addition, CA reduced lipid accumulation via the regulation of AMPK and NF-κB activation in FFA-induced steatotic HepG2 cells. CA also decreased α-SMA, collagen I expressions, and Smad2 phosphorylation, which were reduced by TGF-β1 treatment in LX2 cells. Our results suggested that CA ameliorated NASH through regulating TGF-β1/Smad2, NF-κB, and AMPK signaling pathways, and CA could be developed as a potential health functional food or therapeutic agent for NASH patients.

The objectives of this study were to explore the effects of bulking agent and nutrients on the pore characteristics, remediation efficiency, and biotoxicity of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. Furthermore, the correlation among the three characteristic indices was studied. Three pilot-scale biopiles were constructed to treat aged petroleum-contaminated soil. Micro-CT was applied to obtain the pore characteristics of piles. The results showed that the addition of bulking agent had a positive effect on the pore development of the biopile. The porosity of the pile was increased from 0.33 to 3.32% of the control pile to 4.41 to 26.93%, and the addition of bulking agent showed a significant positive effect on the Feret diameter. However, the addition of nutrients had no significant effect on the porosity and Feret diameter. Besides, the total petroleum hydrocarbon removal rate of bulking agent pile (36.82–49.18%) was significantly higher than that of nutrient piles (20.07–23.43%) and control piles (17.57–27.08%). The bulking agent pile had the lowest toxicity. The porosity of the pile, total petroleum hydrocarbons removal rate, and the characteristic values of biotoxicity (EC50) showed a positive correlation. Bulking agents might promote gas circulation by improving the pore structure of the biopile. And the metabolic activity of microorganisms increased as a result of the promotion of the microbial habitat. The higher biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons was achieved. However, the main finding of this research is that adding bulk agent to petroleum-contaminated soil significantly increases biodegradation of petroleum. This may be inapplicable to other soils with a different clay content or porosity.

Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cells are regarded as a promising photovoltaic technology owing to the non-toxic and earth-abundant constitutes. With the application of scalable and low-cost solution methods, the possibility of its commercialization can be further increased. This work explores preparing prominent CZTS films by an economically feasible successive ionic adsorption and reaction (SILAR) synthesis method. The obtained precursor with the Mo/ZnS/Cu2SnS3 structure requires appropriate substantial annealing under a chalcogen atmosphere to form kesterite CZTS films. The annealing process is therefore optimized to improve the film quality and the performance of solar cells. Specifically, the optimal annealing condition is determined by adjusting the annealing temperature and holding time, respectively. The CZTS film annealed at 580 °C for 60 min demonstrates better film quality in terms of surface morphology, crystallinity, and phase purity. Consequently, CZTS solar cells fabricated with the optimal absorber exhibit a preferable efficiency of up to 4.26%.

In this work, the binary nanocomposite of crosslinked polyaniline nanorods (CPANINRs) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is first synthesized by in situ polymerization, and CPANINRs/MoS2 on functionalized carbon cloth (CPANINRs/MoS2/FCC) is facilely constructed by a drop-casting method. The composition, morphology, and structure of the CPANINRs, MoS2, and CPANINRs/MoS2 binary nanocomposite are characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The electrochemical properties of the MoS2/FCC, CPANINRs/FCC, and CPANINRs/MoS2/FCC are tested by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD). The experiment results show that the CPANINRs/MoS2/FCC exhibits excellent stability and high specific capacitance, and its specific capacitance reaches 618.75 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. The CPANINRs/MoS2/FCC has a long cycling life and the capacity retention of 91.46% is obtained after 2000 cycles at a large current density of 10 A g−1. Moreover, the CPANINRs/MoS2/FCC-based symmetric supercapacitor also exhibits excellent rate performance and good cycling stability. The specific capacitance based on the total mass of the two electrodes is 106.4 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 and the capacitance retention of 93.6% is obtained after 2000 cycles.

The effects of different activation temperatures (Ta), ranging from 300 to 750 °C, on the ash content, yield, ignition point, microcrystalline structure, surface functional group, pore structure, and adsorption performance of activated carbon in preparing activated carbon by phosphoric acid (H3PO4) were systematically studied. The yield and volatile content of activated carbon decreased with the increase of Ta, while the ash content, ignition point, and graphitization degree showed the opposite results. The turning point of ash content increasing rate of activated carbon occurred at 500 °C. The thermal decomposition temperature of phosphonate compounds was approximately 450 °C. With increased Ta, micropores were generated first, followed by mesopores. The ignition point of activated carbon was related to the volatile content and the degree of graphitization. Activated carbon with low ash content, high yield, well-developed pore structure and good adsorption performance was prepared at 350 to 425 °C. With increased Ta, the volatile content decreased, and the ignition point of activated carbon increased. At Ta higher than 500 °C, the aromatic and condensed ring structure, graphitization degree, and mesopore ratio of the activated carbon increased, yielding decreased adsorption performance.

Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been frequently reported to be involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and progression. However, the role of circRNAs in hepatic fibrosis (HF) is still unclear. Our previous high-throughput screen revealed changes in many circRNAs in mice with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced HF. For instance, the expression of circPSD3, a circRNA derived from the Pleckstrin and Sec7 domain-containing 3 (PSD3) gene, was considerably downregulated in primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and liver tissues of mice with CCl4-induced HF compared to those in the vehicle group. In vivo overexpression of circPSD3 using AAV8-circPSD3 arrested the deterioration of CCl4-induced HF as indicated by reduced serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) content, liver hydroxyproline level, collagen deposition, and pro-fibrogenic gene and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Moreover, in vitro loss-of-function and gain-of-function analyses suggested that circPSD3 inhibited the activation and proliferation of HSCs. Mechanistically, circPSD3 served as a sponge for miR-92b-3p, subsequently promoting the expression of Smad7. In conclusion, our present findings reveal a novel mechanism by which circPSD3 alleviates hepatic fibrogenesis by targeting the miR-92b-3p/Smad7 axis, and they also indicate that circPSD3 may serve as a potential biomarker for HF., Graphical Abstract, Jun Li and colleagues found that circPSD3 regulates the activation and proliferation of HSCs in hepatic fibrosis through modulating the miR-92b-3p/Smad7 axis. This study suggests the therapeutic potential of circPSD3 in hepatic fibrosis and provides a novel idea for treating hepatic fibrosis.

The essential human O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) is the sole enzyme responsible for modifying thousands of intracellular proteins with the monosaccharide O-GlcNAc. This unique modification plays crucial roles in human health and disease, but the substrate recognition of OGT remains poorly understood. Intriguingly, the only human enzyme reported to remove this modification, O-GlcNAcase (OGA), is O-GlcNAc modified. Here, we exploited a GlcNAc electrophilic probe (GEP1A) to rapidly screen OGT mutants in a fluorescence assay that can discriminate between altered OGT-sugar and -protein substrate binding to help elucidate the binding mode of OGT toward OGA protein substrate. Since OGT tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain plays a key role in OGT-OGA binding, we screened 30 OGT TPR mutants, which revealed 15 "ladder like" asparagine or aspartate residues spanning TPRs 3-7 and 10-13.5 that affect OGA O-GlcNAcylation. By applying a truncated OGA construct, we found that OGA's N-terminal region or pseudo histone acetyltransferase domain is not required for its O-GlcNAcylation, suggesting OGT functionally interacts with OGA through its catalytic and/or stalk domains. This work represents the first effort to systemically investigate each OGT TPR and our findings will facilitate the development of new strategies to investigate the role of substrate-specific O-GlcNAcylation.

Catalytic ceramic oxygen ionic conducting membrane reactors have great potential in the production of high value-added chemicals as they can couple chemical reactions with separation within a single unit, allowing process intensification. This review summarizes the recent progress on catalytic ceramic oxygen ionic conducting membrane reactors in ethylene production; predominantly, the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) and the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODE) by thermal catalysis and thermoelectric catalysis are discussed. The influences of oxygen permeability, reaction temperature, the concentration of the reactants, catalysts, and current/voltage on the conversion of reactants and the selectivity of ethylene are discussed in detail. Moreover, the current problems are analyzed and the potential areas for breakthrough are considered. These membrane reactor technologies for ethylene production offer the advantages of energy saving compared with traditional steam cracking, which may provide alternative strategies to achieve green and sustainable chemistry.

A green and facile strategy was designed to fabricate Ni3S2-doped carbon nanosheets (Ni3S2@CN). In this strategy, sodium lignosulfonate was introduced as a sulfur source and carbon source to form the Ni3S2-doped carbon nanosheets. Nickel nitrate hexahydrate was added as a nickel source, and boric acid was used as a template agent for the formation of carbon nanosheets. As the supercapacitor electrode, Ni3S2@CN-0.4-600 exhibited a specific capacitance of 374.5 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1, and achieved cyclic stability (82.9%) after 5000 charge/discharge cycles. The advantage of Ni3S2-doped carbon nanosheets compared to conventional products lies in its simplicity of the synthesis process and easily available biomass-feedstock. On the other hand, waste liquid discharge and process costs were further reduced by the recycling of boric acid templates, which provided a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly way to prepare carbon nanosheets. The facile and green one-step preparation of the Ni3S2-doped carbon nanosheet has been rarely reported previously. Thus, we wish to report the novel design and efficient electrocatalytic performance of the Ni3S2-doped carbon nanosheet in this work.

Thin-film solar cells, due to their low material usage and flexible substrates compatibility, have the potential to fill market niches for photovoltaic (PV) technologies. Among them, the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cell is a widely deployed mature technology. However, the usage of scarce material like Ga and In is considered a major hindrance for its further scaling up. The commercial opportunity of its promising counterpart Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) with a similar structure but low-cost potential, has not yet been fully recognized. In this paper, the bottom-up approach is used to build models of cost analysis for CZTS on the different substrates with their probability distribution simulated by the Monte Carlo method. The resulting production costs are $41–52 per m2, making them economically attractive. Prospective strategies for further cost reduction are also suggested. The fundamental technical features of CZTS are reviewed, identifying the large efficiency potential of this PV technology. Analysis of different market opportunities is performed to fit the market demands better. Moreover, possible constraints and promising pathways towards the commercialization of the emerging CZTS technology are proposed.

ALKBH5 is the main enzyme for m6A-based demethylation of RNAs and it has been implicated in many biological and pathophysiological processes. Here, we aimed to explore the potential involvement of ALKBH5 in osteosarcoma and decipher the underlying cellular/molecular mechanisms. We discovered downregulated levels of demethylase ALKBH5 were correlated with increased m6A methylation in osteosarcoma cells/tissues compared with normal osteoblasts cells/tissues. ALKBH5 overexpression significantly suppressed osteosarcoma cell growth, migration, invasion, and trigged cell apoptosis. In contrast, inhibition of ALKBH5 produced the opposite effects. Whereas ALKBH5 silence enhanced m6A methylations of pre-miR-181b-1 and YAP-mRNA exerting oncogenic functions in osteosarcoma. Moreover, upregulation of YAP or downregulation of mature miR-181b-5p displayed a remarkable attenuation of anti-tumor activities caused by ALKBH5. Further results revealed that m6A methylated pre-miR-181b-1 was subsequently recognized by m6A-binding protein YTHDF2 to mediate RNA degradation. However, methylated YAP transcripts were recognized by YTHDF1 to promote its translation. Therefore, ALKBH5-based m6A demethylation suppressed osteosarcoma cancer progression through m6A-based direct/indirect regulation of YAP. Thus, ALKBH5 overexpression might be considered a new approach of replacement therapy for osteosarcoma treatment.

Green synthesis of porous anode materials with high performance and low cost remains a great challenge for the lithium-ion battery industry at present. Herein, we propose a green strategy to synthesize Sn submicron spheres/porous carbon (denoted as Sn/PC) composites by the direct carbonization of disodium stannous citrate, which is composed of Sn submicron spheres supported by porous carbon. Self-generated Na2CO3 during carbonization serves as the template to support the formation of porous carbon. The obtained porous carbon can efficaciously constrain the aggregation of Sn and prevent the volume expansion of Sn submicron spheres. Such particular structural characteristics endow the Sn/PC electrode with high discharge capacity (588 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 100 mA g−1) and long cycle life (431.8 mA h g−1 after 2000 cycles at 1200 mA g−1). Meanwhile, the full cell paired with the LiCoO2 cathode affords a high discharge capacity of 511.4 mA h g−1. The in-depth insights into the lithium storage mechanisms of the electrode are investigated by in situ XRD technique. The conductivity performance for the heterointerface of Sn and C is systematically studied by density functional theory calculations. This green strategy can initiate new horizons for fabricating other anode materials with conspicuous volume expansion.

Background Favism is an acute hemolytic syndrome caused by fava bean (FB) ingestion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible influences of FB on the metabonomic profile of erythrocytes in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-deficient (G6PDx) and wild-type (WT) mice. Results Ninety-two metabolites were identified in the comparison of the G6PDx and WT groups. Eighty-seven metabolites were identified in the erythrocytes of WT and G6PDx mice after FB ingestion. Thirty-eight metabolites were identified in the comparison of the FB-treated G6PDx and the FB-treated WT mouse groups. Among them, the number of glycerophospholipids (GPLs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) changed significantly, which suggests that GPLs and PUFAs may be responsible for FB stress. Conclusion This study demonstrates that G6PD deficiency might affect the metabonomic profile of erythrocytes in response to FB. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

The synthesis of C-ring quinoxaline-substituted sinomenine 1,2,3-triazole derivatives at the 4-OH via click reactions is accomplished, and a total of 16 novel sinomenine double N-heterocyclic derivatives are obtained in 74%–95% yields. The C-ring is first transformed into a 1,2-diketone structure under the action of hydrochloric acid, and then reacted with o-phenylenediamine to obtain a C-ring quinoxaline-substituted structure. The 4-OH of sinomenine reacts with chloropropyne to give an alkynyl sinomenine, and then reacts with sodium azide and various benzyl chlorides to give the target compounds. All the synthesized derivatives are characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, high resolution mass spectrometry, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopy.

Because of the special lamellar structure, numerous pores, and large effective specific surface area, the two-dimensional porous carbon material is very beneficial for the storage and transmission of energy. Herein, a facile method for preparing two-dimensional porous carbon nanosheets from sodium lignosulfonate with excellent electrochemical performance is reported. In this study, porous carbon nanosheets (PCNs) were obtained by the carbonization of the material, in which sodium lignosulfonate was coated on the boric acid surface, followed by activation by potassium hydroxide. By changing the thickness of the lamella structure and the subsequent activation process, the hierarchical pore structure was prepared in an effectively controlled manner. When the ratio of boric acid to sodium lignosulfonate was 4 : 1, the material possessed an ideal architecture and the best electrochemical performance. Porous carbon nanosheets with reasonable pore size distribution could increase the electron transfer rate between the electrolyte and the electrode material. The capacitance of PCN-4 was found to be 198 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and could still maintain about 90% when the current density was increased to 20 A g−1. In addition, excellent cycling stability was obtained, and the capacitance retention was more than 91% after 5000 cycles under 10 A g−1. Thus, this research discovered a facile way to utilize sodium lignosulfonate, which is used for biomass conversion and renewable energy utilization.

A novel structure of sinomenine isoxazole derivatives is synthesised from sinomenine hydrochloride and aromatic aldehydes and requires six steps. 19 target compounds have been obtained in good yields. The sinomenine hydrochloride transforms to 4-alkynyl sinomenine, which is a key intermediate product to synthesise the target sinomenine isoxazole compounds, after a neutralisation reaction with ammonia and substitution reaction with 3-chloropropyne. Another key intermediate product is 1,3-dipole, which can be obtained from aromatic aldehyde. After treatment with hydroxylamine hydrochloride and then sodium carbonate solution, aromatic aldehyde is converted to aldehyde oxime, which reacts with N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) to afford aryl hydroximino chloride. 1,3-Dipole is eventually formed in situ while triethylamine (TEA) in DMF is added dropwise. Then 4-alkynyl sinomenine is added to provide the sinomenine isoxazole derivative via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction as the key step. All the target compounds are characterised by melting point, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HRMS and FT-IR spectroscopy.

Since the gas–slag–metal three-phase transfer mechanism of nitrogen is not suitable to account for the nitrogen pickup during pressurized electroslag remelting process, the laboratory experiments have been carried out to study the transfer mechanism of nitrogen using different nitrogen partial pressures and electrode immersion depths. Then, two possible transfer mechanisms of nitrogen have been proposed, and a 2D transient numerical model has been developed to investigate the behavior of nitrogen based on the new proposed mechanisms. The simulated results are compared with the experiment to validate the feasibility of new proposed mechanism. The results show that the nitrogen content in ingot increases with the increasing nitrogen partial pressure and decreasing electrode immersion depth. At the current experimental condition, the electrode immersion depth seems to play a more important role in the nitrogen pickup than the nitrogen partial pressure. Due to the limits of thermodynamic and kinetic conditions, the nitrogen pickup is negligible via the transfer from gas to liquid metal through molten slag whether nitrogen chemically or physically dissolves into slag. The mechanism that nitrogen directly reacts with the partially exposed liquid metal film under the electrode tip due to the fluctuation of gas/slag interface could reasonably account for the experimental results. Furthermore, based on the mechanism, the predicted variation tendency of nitrogen content in ingot is in agreement with the experiment.

Neuroinflammation has been involved in pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized neuropathologically by progressive dopaminergic neuronal loss in the substantia nigra (SN). We recently have shown that helper T (Th)17 cells facilitate dopaminergic neuronal loss in vitro. Herein, we demonstrated that interleukin (IL)-17A, a proinflammatory cytokine produced mainly by Th17 cells, contributed to PD pathogenesis depending on microglia. Mouse and rat models for PD were prepared by intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) or striatal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), respectively. Both in MPTP-treated mice and MPP+-treated rats, blood-brain barrier (BBB) was disrupted and IL-17A level increased in the SN but not in cortex. Effector T (Teff) cells that were adoptively transferred via tail veins infiltrated into the brain of PD mice but not into that of normal mice. The Teff cell transfer aggravated nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration, microglial activation and motor impairment. Contrarily, IL-17A deficiency alleviated BBB disruption, dopaminergic neurodegeneration, microglial activation and motor impairment. Anti-IL-17A-neutralizing antibody that was injected into lateral cerebral ventricle in PD rats ameliorated the manifestations mentioned above. IL-17A activated microglia but did not directly affect dopaminergic neuronal survival in vitro. IL-17A exacerbated dopaminergic neuronal loss only in the presence of microglia, and silencing IL-17A receptor gene in microglia abolished the IL-17A effect. IL-17A-treated microglial medium that contained higher concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α facilitated dopaminergic neuronal death. Further, TNF-α-neutralizing antibody attenuated MPP+-induced neurotoxicity. The findings suggest that IL-17A accelerates neurodegeneration in PD depending on microglial activation and at least partly TNF-α release.

Downsizing the catalyst to atom scale offers an effective way to maximize the atom utilization efficiency for electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Herein, single-atomic ruthenium (Ru) anchored on a chemically activated Ti 3 C 2 with O-terminated groups (Ti 3 C 2 O) is designed to catalyze the NRR process . The catalyst achieves a superior activity and selectivity with ammonia yield rate of 27.56 µg h -1 mg -1 and Faradaic efficiency of 23.3% at a low potential of -0.20 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. According to the atomic resolution images from aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, Ru sites on Ti 3 C 2 O achieve well dispersion in atomic scale. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis further demonstrates that the O-termination groups are successfully activated. Density functional theory calculations combined with experiments reveal that single Ru sites binding to four oxygen are the main reaction centers that permit the hydrogenation of *NNH 2 to *NHNH 2 in a novel distal/alternating hybrid path with reducing the energy barrier of the potential-limiting step to 0.78 eV from 0.96 eV in distal path alone or 1.18 eV in alternating path alone , thereby significantly promoting the NRR dynamics.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the most common and serious ocular complication, recently has been perceived as a neurovascular inflammatory disease. However, role of adaptive immune inflammation driven by T lymphocytes in DR is not yet well elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the role of interleukin (IL)-17A, a proinflammatory cytokine mainly produced by T lymphocytes, in retinal pathophysiology particularly in retinal neuronal death during DR process. Ins2Akita (Akita) diabetic mice 12 weeks after the onset of diabetes were used as a DR model. IL-17A-deficient diabetic mice were obtained by hybridization of IL-17A-knockout (IL-17A-KO) mouse with Akita mouse. Primarily cultured retinal Müller cells (RMCs) and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were treated with IL-17A in high-glucose (HG) condition. A transwell coculture of RGCs and RMCs whose IL-17 receptor A (IL-17RA) gene had been silenced with IL-17RA-shRNA was exposed to IL-17A in HG condition and the cocultured RGCs were assessed on their survival. Diabetic mice manifested increased retinal microvascular lesions, RMC activation and dysfunction, as well as RGC apoptosis. IL-17A-KO diabetic mice showed reduced retinal microvascular impairments, RMC abnormalities, and RGC apoptosis compared with diabetic mice. RMCs expressed IL-17RA. IL-17A exacerbated HG-induced RMC activation and dysfunction in vitro and silencing IL-17RA gene in RMCs abolished the IL-17A deleterious effects. In contrast, RGCs did not express IL-17RA and IL-17A did not further alter HG-induced RGC death. Notably, IL-17A aggravated HG-induced RGC death in the presence of intact RMCs but not in the presence of RMCs in which IL-17RA gene had been knocked down. These findings establish that IL-17A is actively involved in DR pathophysiology and particularly by RMC mediation it promotes RGC death. Collectively, we propose that antagonizing IL-17RA on RMCs may prevent retinal neuronal death and thereby slow down DR progression.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a recurrent chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting up to 30% of the children population, and immuno-regulatory therapy that could modify the course of disease is urgently needed. Probiotics have demonstrated therapeutic effects on AD and could potentially regulate the disease process. However, the efficacy of probiotics for AD is inconsistent among different studies, which is mainly due to the elusive mechanism and different species and (or) strains used. In this study, we designed a mixture of five strains of probiotics (named IW5) and analyzed the effect and mechanism of IW5 on calcipotriol (MC903)-induced AD-like dermatitis. We found that IW5 significantly alleviated skin inflammation of the MC903-induced AD in mice. Administration with IW5 induced increased production of regulatory T cells and regulatory dendritic cells (DCregs) in the mesenteric lymph nodes. We also found that the diversity of the gut microbiota in the mice with MC903-induced dermatitis was increased after IW5 administration, and the level of butyrate in the gut was elevated. In cell culture, butyrate induced the production of DCregs. Our study revealed the therapeutic effects of a newly designed probiotics mixture and uncovered a possible mechanism, providing a foundation for future clinical studies.

Liver fibrosis is a reversible wound healing reaction characterized by abnormal accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in response to liver injury. Recent studies have shown that it can be epigenetically regulated, especially by microRNAs (miRNAs). It has been acknowledged that activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a pivotal step in the initiation and progression of liver fibrosis. Notably, our results showed that miR-195-3p was increased in HSCs isolated from CCl4-treated mice and that the increase was more pronounced as the degree of liver fibrosis increased. Moreover, treatment of LX-2 cells, a human immortalized hepatic stellate cell line, with TGF-β1 resulted remarkable upregulation of miR-195-3p. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments have suggested that the increased levels of miR-195-3p inhibit the expression of phosphatase and tension homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), a negative regulator of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in liver fibrosis, thereby contributing to HSC activation and proliferation and promoting the expression of profibrotic genes, such as α-SMA and collagen I, in LX-2 cells, which accelerates the accumulation of fibrous extracellular matrix deposition in the liver, while knockdown of miR-195-3p induced the opposite effect. Taken together, these results provide evidence for the harmful role of miR-195-3p in CCl4-treated mouse liver fibrosis.

Metal halide perovskite quantum dots, with high light-absorption coefficients and tunable electronic properties, have been widely studied as optoelectronic materials, but their applications in photocatalysis are hindered by their insufficient stability because of the oxidation and agglomeration under light, heat, and atmospheric conditions. To address this challenge, herein, we encapsulated CsPbBr3 nanocrystals into a stable iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF) with mesoporous cages (∼5.5 and 4.2 nm) via a sequential deposition route to obtain a perovskite-MOF composite material, CsPbBr3@PCN-333(Fe), in which CsPbBr3 nanocrystals were stabilized from aggregation or leaching by the confinement effect of MOF cages. The monodispersed CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (4-5 nm) within the MOF lattice were directly observed by transmission electron microscopy and corresponding mapping analysis and further confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption characterizations. Density functional theory calculations further suggested a significant interfacial charge transfer from CsPbBr3 quantum dots to PCN-333(Fe), which is ideal for photocatalysis. The CsPbBr3@PCN-333(Fe) composite exhibited excellent and stable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic activities in aprotic systems. Furthermore, CsPbBr3@PCN-333(Fe) composite worked as the synergistic photocathode in the photoassisted Li-O2 battery, where CsPbBr3 and PCN-333(Fe) acted as optical antennas and ORR/OER catalytic sites, respectively. The CsPbBr3@PCN-333(Fe) photocathode showed lower overpotential and better cycling stability compared to CsPbBr3 nanocrystals or PCN-333(Fe), highlighting the synergy between CsPbBr3 and PCN-333(Fe) in the composite.

The cooling system is an important subsystem of an internal combustion engine, which plays a vital role in the engine’s dynamical characteristic, the fuel economy, and emission output performance at each speed and load. This paper proposes an economical and precise model for an electric cooling system, including the modeling of engine heat rejection, water jacket temperature, and other parts of the cooling system. This model ensures that the engine operates precisely at the designated temperature and the total power consumption of the cooling system takes the minimum value at some power proportion of fan and pump. Speed maps for the cooling fan and pump at different speeds and loads of engine are predicted, which can be stored in the electronic control unit (ECU). This model was validated on a single-cylinder diesel engine, called the DK32. Furthermore, it was used to tune the temperature of the water jacket precisely. The results show that in the common use case, the electric cooling system can save the power of 255 W in contrast with the mechanical cooling system, which is about 1.9% of the engine’s power output. In addition, the validation results of the DK32 engine meet the non-road mobile machinery China-IV emission standards.

Cinnabar has been used for treatment of various disorders for thousands of years. The medical use of cinnabar, however, has been controversial because of its heavy metal mercury content. A large quantity of studies indicate that the toxicity of cinnabar is far below other inorganic or organic mercury-containing compounds. Yet, the underlying molecular basis has remained unresolved. Here, we investigated the beneficial effects of cinnabar on serum-nutrient starvation-elicited cell injury. Our findings showed that treatment of human renal proximal tubular cells (HK-2) with 4 nM cinnabar effectively inhibited nutrient deprivation induced apoptosis, reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species generation and increased GSH content, which was contrary to the exacerbated apoptotic cell death and oxidative stress in cells treated with HgCl2 at equal mercury concentration. In addition, cinnabar exerted robust antioxidative and antiapoptotic effects in cells under dual challenges of nutrient deprivation and treatment of H2O2. The protein expression levels of both CHOP and PERK were remarkably down-regulated in the cells treated with cinnabar compared to the control cells or cells treated with HgCl2. Overall, our data indicates that cinnabar at low concentration exerts anti-oxidative stress and anti-apoptosis effects by inhibiting the expression of the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway proteins CHOP and PERK.

Chlorella pyrenoidosa was exposed to nonylphenol (NP) to investigate the tolerance, antioxidant response, removal efficiency, and biodegradation mechanism. We conducted studies on algal biomass, chlorophyll a content, and photosynthetic activity, and found that C. pyrenoidosa exhibited a high tolerance even at 8 mg L−1 of NP. Changes in peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities indicated that the NP-induced oxidative stress caused oxidant damage, which increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content. After culturing for 120 h, the NP removal efficiency of C. pyrenoidosa was 89%, 59%, 49%, and 48% in the 2, 4, 6, and 8 mg L−1 treatment groups, respectively. Degradation intermediates determined by GC–MS suggested that the biodegradation of NP in C. pyrenoidosa originated from the long alkyl chain. In addition, transcriptome analysis indicated that NP affected photosynthesis, antioxidase, and oxidoreductase activity-related genes. In summary, our results indicated that C. pyrenoidosa is a species that exhibits high tolerance and biodegradation capacity toward NP.

A photocatalyst with high reactivity was prepared in liquid phase through the in situ deposition of TiO2 on cellulose-based graphitic material that had been oxidized via Hummers’ method that was followed by a heating treatment at 200 °C. The composite had excellent photocatalytic activity for degrading methyl orange (MO), and reducing hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) under ultraviolet irradiation as well as the reported graphene oxide/TiO2 composite. Under the optimal condition, the reaction rates for treating MO and Cr(VI) using the new catalyst system were 4.6 and 1.6 times higher, respectively, than that of commercial TiO2 (P25). In addition, the composite had good catalytic activity in acid solutions. Unlike the reported graphene oxide/TiO2 composite, TiO2 nanoparticles in the prepared composite aggregated to large particles of approximately 1 μm in size on the carbon substrate. When synthesized in the same procedure from other biomass materials, such as lignin, walnut shell, or fir sawdust, the composite had much lower reactivity, similar to that of neat TiO2; the lower graphitic degree of those materials might be the reason for the disparity in reactivity.

With supercapacitors application promotion, looking for simple, energy efficient and environment-friendly method for expandable production of carbon materials with uniform heteroatoms doping as high-performance electrode materials for supercapacitors becomes the keystone of current research. Here, we present a simple, not costly, low environmental pollution method for preparation of nitrogen and oxygen dual-doped activated carbons via one step direct carbonization of natural, renewable and abundant amaranthus followed by ultrasonic treatment with nitric acid. Most noteworthy is XC-700-50, which exhibits high conductivity, moderate surface area, reasonable pore size distribution and high O and N doping contents (12.05% and 5.31% respectively). Benefiting from these features, it displays high gravimetric capacitance (326 F g−1 and 294 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and 1 A g−1, respectively), good rate capability, as well as excellent cycling stability (about 97.1% and 94.4% of capacitance retention after 10000 cycles at 2 A g−1 and 10 A g−1, respectively) in the high mass loading electrode (8 mg cm−2), making it a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

The present research was to study the toxicology of artificially added Zn, Se and Sr in water. Specifically, we investigated the mortality and liver toxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio), caused by different water concentrations of zinc sulfate (ZnSO4), sodium selenite (Na2SeO3), and strontium chloride hexahydrate (6H2O·SrCl2). Adult and embryo-larval zebrafish were used in the experiment. Analysis was performed of mortality, liver area and impermeability, delayed absorption area of the yolk sac, and liver tissue structure. The concentration change of sodium selenite exerted the most significant effect on the mortality of adult zebrafish, followed by that of strontium chloride hexahydrate, and zinc sulfate. Elevated strontium chloride hexahydrate concentration was associated with liver toxicity in zebrafish in the preliminary experiment. However, embryo-larval zebrafish were observed to die when the concentration of Zn2+ or Se4+ increased to a certain extent, without obvious liver toxicity. Our results indicated strontium chloride hexahydrate was hepatotoxic to embryo-larval zebrafish, which was manifested mainly as hepatomegaly and delayed absorption of the yolk sac. In addition, the artificially added strontium chloride hexahydrate destroyed liver tissue structure, resulting in hepatocyte enlargement, cell nucleus enlargement, blurred cytoplasmic boundaries, and formation of a vacuolar liver. These findings suggest the amount of strontium chloride hexahydrate added in soft drinks should be limited to certain levels.

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; nos. 21875112 and 21576139), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20180154), the National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

Organic matter (OM) is widely accepted to be the trigger for arsenic (As) mobilization from sediments into groundwater. Identifications of reactivity and sources of organic matter responsible for driving As liberation remain unresolved. To address these issues, we provide the extensive characterization of OM in shallow groundwater, surface water, and sediments near a permanent wetland and a dried wetland in the Hetao basin with high As groundwater and low As groundwater, respectively, using fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Dissolved organic matter (DOM) of shallow groundwater and sediments near the permanent wetland had higher biological index (BIX), and more protein-like components and microbially-derived components relative to that near the dried wetland, showing higher bioreactivity. Fingerprint of water stable isotopes and higher water levels of wetland than shallow groundwater pointed to the recharge of wetland water into shallow groundwater. Laboratory incubations of the sediment with more bioreactive OM obtained near the permanent wetland mobilized more As. Both DOM properties and laboratory incubations indicate that OM with high bioreactivity promoted As mobility mainly by fuelling microbial respiration of Fe oxide reduction. Recharge of wetland water into shallow groundwater introduced bioreactive DOM into shallow aquifer. Groundwater DOM near the permanent wetland was typically sourced from both wetland DOM and sedimentary OM with high bioreactivity. However, sedimentary OM was the major source of groundwater DOM near the dried-wetland. It suggested that downward infiltration of surface-derived OM and perturbations of aquifer sediments by changing groundwater flow regimes increase bioreactivity of groundwater DOM and therefore enhance As mobility.

Background Fava beans (FBs) have long been used as food, and their principal disadvantage is derived from their haemotoxicity. We hypothesized that FB ingestion alters the intestinal gene expression pattern, thereby inducing an immune response. Results In-depth sequence analysis identified 769 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with the intestine in FB-treated DBA/1 mouse intestines. The identified genes were shown to be associated with biological processes (such as response to stimulus and immune system processes), human disease pathways (such as infectious diseases, endocrine and metabolic diseases, and immune diseases), and organismal system pathways (such as the digestive system, endocrine system, environmental adaptation, and immune system). Moreover, plasma total immunoglobulin E (IgE), histamine, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 levels were significantly increased when the mice were treated with FBs. Conclusions These results demonstrated that FBs affect the intestinal immune response and IgE and cytokine secretion in DBA/1 mice. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40659-019-0216-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The activity of electrocatalysts determines the performance of the oxygen reduction reaction, the cathodic reaction of regenerative fuel cells. In this article, an N-doped hierarchical porous assembly of carbon dots and carbon sheets, BMNC, was synthesized using spikes of cattail as raw material via a hydrothermal reaction in dilute phosphoric acid, carbonization at 900 °C, chemical activation and N-doping at 650 °C. Its optical spectra exhibit a strong UV-visible absorption from 200 to 800 nm and fluorescence emission peaks at 404, 463 and 524 nm, showing that a large conjugated system of carbon dots exists in the matrix. BMNC has a high surface area of 2260 m2 g−1 with abundant micropores and possesses lots of carbon defects and three kinds of nitrogen atom: pyridinic, pyrrolic, and graphitic N. BMNC shows high electrocatalytic activity for ORR with a higher stability and better immunity to methanol than 20% Pt/C. The onset and half-wave potential of ORR are 0.81 and 0.73 V vs. RHE in alkaline solution. The characterization of BMNC after reaction in alkaline solution indicates that the carbon defects are active sites for ORR. This assembly provides a reference direction for the preparation of new structural nanocarbon materials as high-efficiency and low-cost electrocatalyst for ORR.

O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) glycosylates numerous proteins and is implicated in many diseases. To date, most OGT inhibitors lack either sufficient potency or characterized specificity in cells. We report the first targeted covalent inhibitor that predominantly reacts with OGT but does not affect other functionally similar enzymes. This study provides a new strategy to interrogate cellular OGT functions and to investigate other glycosyltransferases.

Wide band gap pure sulphide kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 is a promising environmentally friendly and low-cost photovoltaic material, which has attracted intense research interest. However, the record efficiency of solar cells based on Cu2ZnSnS4 absorbers just overcame the benchmark 10%, being far from the efficiency requirement for industrial-scale deployment. Recombination at the heterojunction interface accounts for a large proportion of the performance loss. Here we report a substantial improvement of the Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cell efficiency to over 10% enabled by modifying the Cu2ZnSnS4/Zn1−xCdxS heterojunction interface. We found that the introduction of the ammonium hydroxide during the Zn1−xCdxS deposition process can lead to a significant reduction of Zn related hydroxide and oxide impurities. The modified chemistry environment at the heterojunction interface facilitates the decrease of interface defects and promotes the interface microstructure quality. The improved heterojunction interface with suppressed interface recombination contributes to the enhanced open circuit voltage, fill factor and overall device performance.

Hierarchical HBEA catalysts were fabricated through alkaline treatment and evaluated in a fixed-bed reactor. The relative crystallinity, pore property, Si/Al molar ratio, coke formation and structure of catalysts were investigated by the methods including X-ray diffraction, N2 physisorption, X-ray fluorescence, thermogravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscope, respectively. The acidity of catalysts was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry using pyridine as the probe molecule. These results demonstrated that pure NaOH treatment improved the mesoporosity of catalyst, while decreased the β-methylnaphthalene selectivity and catalyst stability due to the partially destroyed framework and an increase in the concentration of Lewis acid sites. The Lewis acid sites are responsible for the hydride transfer and subsequent reaction that form coke. In contrast, the presence of tetra-propyl-ammonium hydroxide in the mixed-alkali treatment resulted in regular mesopores development, preserved intrinsic zeolite properties and Lewis sites proportion, leading to the maintained β-MN selectivity and coke deposition rate. The increased mesoporosity and strong Bronsted acid sites amount per number of coke were responsible for the improved coke tolerance of mixed-alkali treated HBEA, and thus its deactivation rate was 41.7% lower than that of HBEA catalyst.