Search

Loss of physical and emotional health due to spinal cord injury (SCI) has been rapidly increasing worldwide. Effective evaluation of the severity of SCI is crucial to its prognosis. Herein, we constructed rat models of SCI with four different degrees of injury (sham group, light injury group, moderate injury group, and heavy injury group), using the surgical approach. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, and spinal cord were sampled at the sub-acute spinal cord (72 h post-injury) from each rat. The LC–MS-based metabolic profiling of these samples was performed according to a universal metabolome standard (UMS). The results demonstrated that 130, 104, and 128 metabolites were significantly altered within the CSF, plasma, and spinal cord samples, respectively. Among them, there were four differential metabolites, including uric acid, phosphorycholine, pyridoxine, and guanidoacetic acid, which were commonly identified within the CSF, plasma, and spinal cord samples. Further pathway analysis of these differential metabolites demonstrated a disturbance in the metabolism of glyoxylate and dicarboxylate and glycine, serine, and threonine which were associated with pathophysiologic consequence of spinal cord injury. In particular, phosphorycholine, pyridoxine, and guanidoacetic acid demonstrated a relationship with SCI severity. Thus, they could be utilized as potential metabolite biomarkers for SCI severity assessment.

In this research, high-temperature in situ X-ray diffraction were used to study the high-temperature transformation behavior of the iron-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2). The results show that the pha...

High-efficiency nanotheranostic agents with multimodal imaging guidance have attracted considerable interest in the field of cancer therapy. Herein, novel silver-decorated bismuth-based heterostructured polyvinyl pyrrolidone nanoparticles (NPs) with good biocompatibility (Bi-Ag@PVP NPs) were synthesized for accurate theranostic treatment, which can integrate computed tomography (CT)/photoacoustic (PA) imaging and photodynamic therapy/photothermal therapy (PDT/PTT) into one platform. The Bi-Ag@PVP NPs can enhance light absorption and achieve a better photothermal effect than bismuth NPs. Moreover, after irradiation under an 808 nm laser, the Bi-Ag@PVP NPs can efficiently induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby synergizing PDT/PTT to exert an efficient tumor ablation effect both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, Bi-Ag@PVP NPs can also be employed to perform enhanced CT/PA imaging because of their high X-ray absorption attenuation and enhanced photothermal conversion. Thus, they can be utilized as a highly effective CT/PA imaging-guided nanotheranostic agent. In addition, an excellent antibacterial effect was achieved. After irradiation under an 808 nm laser, the Bi-Ag@PVP NPs can destroy the integrity of Escherichia coli, thereby inhibiting E. coli growth, which can minimize the risk of infection during cancer therapy. In conclusion, our study provides a novel nanotheranostic platform that can achieve CT/PA-guided PDT/PTT synergistic therapy and have potential antibacterial properties. Thus, this work provides an effective strategy for further broad clinical application prospects.

Low capacity and rate performance are important factors restricting the development of Li4Ti5O12 (LTO). The addition of an appropriate amount of polyethylene glycol (PEG) is an effective method to increase the capacity and rate performance of LTO anode material. In this study, LTO anode material was synthesised by the sol–gel method using PEG as a template agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the addition of PEG can improve the crystallinity of the material and retain the spinel lattice type of LTO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show that the addition of an appropriate amount of PEG can promote the formation of a more uniform and much finer morphology. The results of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) show that the material with PEG had good crystallinity. The charge and discharge data verify that the electrochemical performance of the material could be improved by adding PEG. P2-LTO exhibits a smaller particle size, largest capacity, best cycling performance and best rate performance. The capacity of P2-LTO at 0.2C can reach 224.3 mAgh−1, which is much higher than the theoretical specific capacity of LTO (175 mAgh−1). The discharge capacity of P2-LTO in the first cycle at 10C is 178.9 mAgh−1. The results of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) show that the electrode polarisation and electrochemical impedance of P2-LTO were lower than that of pure LTO. Better capacity and rate performance can be obtained by adding PEG as a template agent to a LTO system. It is a simple and effective method to produce high-performance LTO anode materials.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is widely used in various major industries owing to its different crystal forms and functions. Therefore, fabricating suitable crystalline TiO2 through reasonable processes is necessary. In this study, Fe-doped TiO2 precursors were prepared via hydrolysis. Further, in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to transform the synthesized precursor in its crystal form. The Rietveld full-spectrum fitting method could accurately yield two different crystal forms at instant temperatures. Additionally, the rate relation between the crystal form transformation and reaction conditions was obtained. Results showed that the addition of Fe increased the temperature of phase transition of TiO2 anatase to rutile and accelerated the anatase → rutile transformation process. Further, crystal phase transition kinetic analysis showed that the phase transition kinetic model of Fe-doped TiO2 matched the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kohnogorov (JMAK) model and that its phase transition was affected by crystal defects. Finally, Fe3+ in Fe-doped TiO2 was reduced to Fe2+ to generate oxygen vacancies, thus promoting the rate of transformation from titanium ore to rutile.

Ceria nanoparticles were facilely synthesized by a molten NaOH–KOH hydroxide flux method with the precursor of Ce(NO3)3·6H2O under different conditions in alumina crucibles or Teflon-lined stainless steel autoclave. The XRD patterns and TEM images show that both the crystal and particle sizes of synthesized nanoceria are around 10 nm. XPS results reveal that the nanoceria obtained in alumina crucible has a Ce3+ fraction of 17.1% which is higher than that of ceria synthesized in the Teflon vessel, the FTIR spectra of nanoceria prepared in alumina crucible show a stronger intensity of O–H stretching mode. UV-DRS and PL spectra results show that the nanoceria synthesized in alumina crucible with a calculated band gap of 2.9 eV has a wider responding light wavelength and a lower photogenerated electron–hole recombination rate, due to a higher concentration of oxygen vacancies (Ce3+ %). The photocatalytic results show that the degradation ratio and rate of the Rhodamine B (RhB) solution with the nanoceria synthesized in alumina crucible are 98.39% and 0.02919 min−1, both of which are larger than those of the ceria obtained from Teflon vessel. This method proves to be a simple and scalable way to synthesize nanoceria with rich oxygen vacancies and high photocatalytic activity.

The interaction between greenhouse gases (such as CH4 and CO2) and carbonate rocks has a significant impact on carbon transfer among different geochemical reservoirs. Moreover, CH4 and CO2 gases usually associate with oil and natural gas reserves, and their adsorption onto sedimentary rocks may influence the exploitation of fossil fuels. By employing the molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) methods, the adsorptions of CH4 and CO2 onto three different CaCO3 polymorphs (i.e., calcite(10.4), aragonite(011)Ca, and vaterite(010)CO3) are compared in the present work. The calculated adsorption energies (Ead) are always negative for the three substrates, which indicates that their adsorptions are exothermic processes and spontaneous in thermodynamics. The Ead of CO2 is much more negative, which suggests that the CO2 adsorption will form stronger interfacial binding compared with the CH4 adsorption. The adsorption precedence of CH4 on the three surfaces is aragonite(011)Ca > vaterite(010)CO3 > calcite(10.4), while for CO2, the sequence is vaterite(010)CO3 > aragonite(011)Ca > calcite(10.4). Combining with the interfacial atomic configuration analysis, the Mulliken atomic charge distribution and overlap bond population are discussed. The results demonstrate that the adsorption of CH4 is physisorption and that its interfacial interaction mainly comes from the electrostatic effects between H in CH4 and O in CO32–, while the CO2 adsorption is chemisorption and the interfacial binding effect is mainly contributed by the bonds between O in CO2 and Ca2+ and the electrostatic interaction between C in CO2 and O in CO32–.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy worldwide in urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Since Velcade (bortezomib) was approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory MM in 2003, we have seen considerable improvement in extending MM patient survival. However, most patients are fraught with high recurrence rate and incurability. Acupuncture is known for alleviating patient symptoms and improving the quality of life, but it is not well investigated in MM, especially in combination with bortezomib. In this study, we employed LC-MS and UHPLC-MS together with bioinformatics methods to test serum samples from 5TMM3VT MM murine model mice with four different treatments [control (C) group, bortezomib (V) treatment group, acupuncture (A) group, and combined (VA) group]. MM mice in group VA had longer survival time than mice in group A or group V. Joint pathway analysis indicated the underlying arginine and proline metabolism pathway among the 32 significantly decreased metabolites in group VA. CCK-8 assay and in vivo experiments validated that ornithine, the metabolite of arginine, promoted MM cell proliferation. In addition, gene expression omnibus (GEO) database analysis suggested that MM patients with higher ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1) expression were evidently associated with poor overall survival. In summary, this study demonstrates the synergistic effects of acupuncture and bortezomib on extending the survival of MM model mice and provides potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of MM.

SCOPE The proliferation and differentiation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are the basis of intestinal renewal and regeneration, and gut microbiota plays an important role in it. Dietary nutrition has the effect of regulating the activity of ISCs; however, the regulation effect of α-linolenic acid (ALA) has seldom been reported. METHODS AND RESULTS After intervening mice with different doses of ALA for 30 days, it is found that ALA (0.5 g kg-1 ) promotes small intestinal and villus growth by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to stimulate the proliferation of ISCs. Furthermore, ALA administration increases the abundance of the Ruminococcaceae and Prevotellaceae, and promotes the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Subsequent fecal transplantation and antibiotic experiments demonstrate that ALA on the proliferation of ISCs are gut microbiota dependent, among them, the functional microorganism may be derived from Ruminococcaceae. Administration of isobutyrate shows a similar effect to ALA in terms of promoting ISCs proliferation. Furthermore, ALA mitigates 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal mucosal damage by promoting ISCs proliferation. CONCLUSION These results indicate that SCFAs produced by Ruminococcaceae mediate ALA promote ISCs proliferation by activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and suggest the possibility of ALA as a prebiotic agent for the prevention and treatment of intestinal mucositis.

Sodium- and potassium-ion batteries are one of the most promising electrical energy storage devices at low cost, but their inferior rate and capacity have hampered broader applications such as electric vehicles and grids. Carbon nanomaterials have been demonstrated to have ultrafast surface-dominated ion uptake to drastically increase the rate and capacity, but trial-and-error approaches are usually used to find desired anode materials from numerous candidates. Here, we developed guiding principles to rationally screen pseudocapacitive anodes from numerous candidate carbon materials to create ultrafast Na- and K-ion batteries. The transition from pseudocapacitive to metal-battery mechanisms on heteroatom-doped graphene in charging process was revealed by the density functional theory methods. The results show that the graphene substrate can guide the preferential growth of K and Na along graphene plane, which inhibits dendrite development effectively in the batteries. An intrinsic descriptor is discovered to establish a volcano-shaped relationship that correlates the capacity with the intrinsic physical qualities of the doping structures, from which the best anode materials could be predicted. The predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results. The strategies for enhancing both the power and energy densities are proposed based on the predictions and experiments for the batteries.

A series of ruthenium [NNN]- or [NCN]-type complexes (3–7) bearing PPh3 ancillary ligands have been synthesized from pyridine- or phenylene-bridged bis(triazoles) 1 and 2. In the case of [NNN]-pincer complex 3, an unusual and unexpected cis-orientation adopted by two sterically demanding PPh3 ligands was observed, and such configuration proved to be unchanged in solution for a long time. By contrast and as expected, the two phosphines are found to be trans to each other in the case of [NCN]-type pincer complex 4, but an oxidation of RuII center to RuIII occurred. Complex cis-3 underwent ligand exchanges leading to the formations of diphosphine derivatives 5 and 6. As a representative, cis-3 was treated with the base in isopropanol affording a mixture of Ru–hydrido complexes with various phosphine binding modes, one of which (trans-7) bearing two trans-standing phosphines has been successfully isolated and fully characterized. The catalytic performances of all newly synthesized Ru complexes have been examined and compared in transfer hydrogenations of ketones and enones, in which mono-phosphine complexes proved to be significantly superior to their diphosphine counterparts. The catalytic process proved to involve Ru–H key intermediates, but the trans-oriented Ru–H species is unlikely to be the main catalytic contributor. In particular, the best performer cis-3 exhibits high chemoselectivity in certain cases catalyzing α,β-unsaturated ketones, whose behavior is quite different compared to most precedents.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of hyperplasia suppressor gene (HSG) overexpression on the activation of airway fibroblasts in a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and assess the underlying molecular mechanisms. The rat model of COPD was established by injection of papain and confirmed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Airway fibroblasts were identified using immunofluorescence, and HSG expression was facilitated by an HSG vector. Cell viability, apoptosis and the levels of matrix metallopeptidase‑9 (MMP‑9), platelet‑derived growth factor (PDGF), and transforming growth factor‑β1 (TGF‑β1) were measured via Cell Counting Kit‑8, flow cytometry and ELISA analyses, respectively, and potential mechanisms were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Airway fibroblasts from COPD rats were isolated and identified based on vimentin expression. Compared with the control group, HSG overexpression reduced cell viability, promoted apoptosis, and reduced the protein levels of TGF‑β1, MMP‑9 and PDGF. Additionally, HSG overexpression reduced β‑catenin and Ras homology family member A (RhoA) expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. Conversely, Wnt signaling pathway agonists lithium chloride (LiCl) and 4‑ethyl‑5,6‑dihydro‑5‑methyl‑​(1,3)dioxolo(4,5‑j)phenanthridine (HLY78), significantly reduced the effects of HSG overexpression (P

A microwave-absorbing composite with polyaniline (PANI), barium ferrite (BaFe12O19) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by co-precipitation and in situ polymerization is presented, consisting of three different microwave-absorbing materials. The structure characterization, the microstructure of the fabricated composites and their related thermal and microwave absorption properties have been investigated. The thermogravimetric analysis and vector network analyzer measurements indicated that both the thermal stabilities and the microwave-absorption properties of this ternary composite were significantly enhanced due to the synergistic effects of PANI, BaFe12O19 and rGO. The minimum reflection loss of PANI/BaFe12O19/rGO was − 22.05 dB at 8.6 GHz, and the effective microwave-absorption bandwidth for reflection loss below − 10 dB was 0.9 GHz from 8.2 GHz to 9.1 GHz with the thickness of 2.6 mm. The improved microwave-absorption properties could be mainly due to the impedance matching by integration of dielectric loss and magnetic loss, and interfacial polarization between the three components. The remarkable microwave-absorption properties suggests its promising application for microwave absorption.

In this letter, we successfully explored a cascade Pd/Cu-catalyzed intermolecular C(sp3)–H arylation of amides and intramolecular C–N coupling reaction. This method provides a one-pot strategy to synthesize 3,4-2H-quinolinone with good regioselectivity of C–H arylation and C–N coupling from C–I and C–X bonds from readily available starting materials.

Moringa oleifera Lam. (M. oleifera) is valuable plant distributed in many tropical and subtropical countries. It has a number of medicinal uses and is highly nutritious. M. oleifera has been shown to inhibit tumor cell growth, but this effect has not been demonstrated on prostate cancer cells. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of M. oleifera alkaloids (MOA) on proliferation and migration of PC3 human prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we elucidated the mechanism of these effects. The results showed that MOA inhibited proliferation of PC3 cells and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, MOA suppressed PC3 cell migration and inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9. In addition, MOA significantly downregulated the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), β-catenin, phosphorylated glycogen synthase 3β, and vascular endothelial growth factor, and suppressed production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Furthermore, FH535 (β-catenin inhibitor) and MOA reversed PGE2-induced PC3 cell proliferation and migration, and the effects of MOA and FH535 were not additive. In vivo experiments showed that MOA (150 mg/kg) significantly inhibited growth of xenograft tumors in mice, and significantly reduced the protein expression levels of COX-2 and β-catenin in tumor tissues. These results indicate that MOA inhibits the proliferation and migration, and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of PC3 cells. Additionally, MOA inhibits the proliferation and migration of PC3 cells through suppression of the COX-2 mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Sepsis is an infectious disease that seriously endangers human health. It usually leads to myocardial injury which seriously endangers to the health of human beings. H19 has been confirmed to play key roles in various diseases, including sepsis. However, its function in the progression of sepsis-induced myocardial injury remains largely unknown. H9C2 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic sepsis-induced myocardial injury in vitro. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. In addition, gene and protein expression levels in H9C2 cells were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. The levels of inflammatory cytokines in H9C2 cell supernatants were tested by ELISA. JC-1 staining was performed to observe the mitochondrial membrane potential level in H9C2 cells. H19 and SORBS2 were downregulated in H9C2 cells following LPS treatment, while miR-93-5p was upregulated. Moreover, LPS-induced cell growth inhibition and mitochondrial damage were significantly reversed by overexpression of H19. In addition, H19 upregulation notably suppressed LPS-induced inflammatory responses in H9C2 cells. Moreover, H19 sponged miR-93-5p to promote SORBS2 expression. Overall, H19 suppressed sepsis-induced myocardial injury via regulation of the miR-93-5p/SORBS2 axis. H19 attenuated the development of sepsis-induced myocardial injury in vitro via modulation of the miR-93-5p/SORBS2 axis. Thus, H19 could serve as a potential target for the treatment of sepsis-induced myocardial injury.

The pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety of single-inhaler fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI) after single and repeat dosing in healthy Chinese adults were assessed. In this open-label study (NCT02837380), subjects received once-daily FF/UMEC/VI 100/62.5/25 µg on day 1 and repeat doses on days 2-7. PK parameters (days 1 and 7) included maximum observed concentration (Cmax ) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from time zero (predose) to last time of quantifiable concentration (AUC0-t ). Terminal phase half-life (t½ ) on day 1 was estimated. The primary objective was to assess systemic exposure of FF 100 µg, UMEC 62.5 µg, and VI 25 µg following single-inhaler triple therapy on days 1 and 7. On day 1, geometric mean t½ of UMEC and VI was 0.36 and 0.52 hours, respectively; t½ of FF was not representative because of nonquantifiable concentration data. On days 1 and 7, geometric mean Cmax of FF was 10.46 and 27.32 pg/mL, respectively; Cmax of UMEC was 144.14 and 241.35 pg/mL, respectively; and Cmax of VI was 120.42 and 196.78 pg/mL, respectively. AUC0-t of FF was 1.77 and 276.96 pg·h/mL, respectively; AUC0-t of UMEC was 28.44 and 117.19 pg·h/mL, respectively; and AUC0-t of VI, 42.46 and 101.12 pg·h/mL, respectively. The PK of FF/UMEC/VI was as expected for the individual-component PK previously reported in healthy Chinese adults. No new safety signals were observed.

Autophagy has been reported to have a pivotal role in maintaining stemness, regulating immunomodulation and enhancing the survival of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, the effect of autophagy on MSC metabolism is largely unknown. Here, we report a workflow for examining the impact of autophagy on human placenta-derived MSC (hPMSC) metabolome profiling with chemical isotope labeling (CIL) LC-MS. Rapamycin or 3-methyladenine was successfully used to induce or inhibit autophagy, respectively. Then, 12C- and 13C-dansylation labeling LC-MS were used to profile the amine/phenol submetabolome. A total of 935 peak pairs were detected and 50 metabolites were positively identified using the dansylation metabolite standards library, and 669 metabolites were putatively identified based on an accurate mass match in metabolome databases. 12C/13C-p-dimethylaminophenacyl bromide labeling LC-MS was used to analyze the carboxylic acid submetabolome; 4736 peak pairs were detected, among which 33 metabolites were positively identified in the dimethylaminophenacyl metabolite standards library, and 3007 metabolites were putatively identified. PCA/OPLS-DA analysis combined with volcano plots and Venn diagrams was used to determine the significant metabolites. Metabolites pathway analysis demonstrated that hPMSCs appeared to generate more ornithine with the arginine and proline metabolism pathway and utilized more pantothenic acid to synthesize acetyl-CoA in the beta-alanine metabolism pathway when autophagy was activated. Meanwhile, acetyl-CoA conversion to fatty acids led to accumulation in the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway. In contrast, when autophagy was suppressed, a reduction in metabolites demonstrated weakened metabolic activity in these metabolic pathways. Our research provides a more comprehensive understanding of hPMSC metabolism associated with autophagy.

Thiol-epoxy elastomers were firstly prepared by thiol-epoxide nucleophilic ring-opening reaction, and the micron boron nitride (mBN) fillers were then introduced into the above system via in-situ polymerization, finally to prepare the highly thermally conductive, self-healing and recoverable mBN/thiol-epoxy elastomer composites by hot-pressing method. Results revealed that the thiol-epoxide reaction was highly efficient and stable. The obtained mBN/thiol-epoxy elastomer composite with 60 wt% mBN fillers presented the optimal thermal conductivity (λ of 1.058 W/mK), excellent self-healing effect & efficiency which is achieved via transesterification reaction (Tensile strength after self-healing could maintain at more than 85% compared to that of original composites), wonderful recoverable performance (Tensile strength after post forming could maintain over 70% compared to that of original composites) and good thermal stability (Theat-resistance index, THRI of 149.9 °C). And the improvement in λ value of the mBN/thiol-epoxy elastomer composites was beneficial to the promotion of the self-healing systems relying on thermal response.

In this study, the rolling technique of aluminum alloy was investigated, and the effects of deformation temperature on the edge cracks and mechanical properties of aluminum alloy were studied through a hot compression experiment on high magnesium aluminum alloy. Based on the test, DEFORM-3D software was introduced to optimize the selection of the influence conditions of the experiment. The research results suggested that the crack length of the as-cast aluminum alloy samples decreased with the increase of temperature when the deformation temperature was between 300 °C and 450 °C; the tensile strength and elongation after fracture increased with the increase of temperature when the deformation temperature was between 300 °C and 500 °C. Therefore it is concluded that the cracks of high magnesium aluminum alloy can be reduced through controlling deformation temperature, which provides an idea for the optimization of aluminium alloy.

We present a theoretical investigation of the reaction mechanism of TiCl4 dissociation on pyrolytic carbon surface and discuss the influence of H atom on adsorption and dissociation behaviors of TiCl4 by using density functional theory. The adsorption behaviors of TiClx (x = 4-0) and the interactions between pre-adsorbed H atom and TiClx are studied by calculating adsorption energies Eads and interaction energies HTi, respectively. The pre-adsorbed H atom significantly facilitates the adsorption of TiClx on pyrolytic carbon surface. Specially, TiCl3 adsorption on pyrolytic carbon surface converts from an endothermic process into an exothermic process due to the present of pre-adsorbed H atom. The calculation results of HTi show that the interactions between pre-adsorbed H atom and TiClx are attractive. The dissociation of TiCl4 on pre-adsorbed H pyrolytic carbon surface is an exothermic process, and TiCl4 → TiCl3 is the limited step. The dissociation barriers of each step are less than 1.5 eV except for TiCl → Ti, which does not need to overcome any barriers, that is to say, once TiCl is adsorbed on pre-adsorbed H surface the reaction of TiCl → Ti spontaneously occurs. It thus can be concluded that the dissociation of TiCl4 on pyrolytic carbon surface is a favorable process as long as H2 molecular have decomposed into atomic H and adsorbed on pyrolytic carbon surface, and the intermediate species (TiCl3, TiCl2 and TiCl) play an important role on the titanium CVD deposition. We also study the adsorption behavior of H atom and the dissociation behavior of H2 molecular on pyrolytic carbon surface.

Thermally conductive aligned cellulose/nanodiamond (CND) plastics were fabricated via gelation transition. The resulting plastics present an orderly layered structure in which cellulose is highly oriented along the in-plane direction. Nanodiamond (ND) could disperse effectively and form an orderly connection with cellulose because of hydrogen bonding. The thermal conductivity of CND plastics is 5.37 W m−1 K−1 at only 5 wt% filler content, which is a high level compared with common plastics at a filler content below 10 wt%. Moreover, the CND plastics also exhibit remarkable mechanical and insulation properties. Highly thermally conductive plastics with insulation and mechanical properties have great potential in the field of thermal management.

One of the most attractive structural features of titanium (Ti) alloys is its α + β dual-phase growth. Previous work focused on α- or β-Ti phase films, but dual-phase growth in films has not yet been studied. This paper investigates the magnetron-sputtered structures of Ti-5Al-2Sn-2Zr-4Mo-4Cr alloy as a function of substrate temperature from 125 °C to 530 °C. The film shows a phase transformation from single β to α + β growth as substrate temperature rises. We discuss the morphology and texture evolutions that arise in sputtering deposition in reference to the structure zone model. We use nanoindentation to assess the mechanical properties of the films. The phase evolution, zone 1–zone T transition, and texture growth with the increasing substrate temperature all contribute to mechanical property improvements of the films.

Marine microplastic has become an important environmental issue of global concern due to its wide distribution and harmful impacts. However, there is still insufficient information on the toxicity mechanism of microplastics to marine organisms. In this study, we developed and applied a high-coverage quantitative metabolomics technique to investigate the toxicity mechanisms of the polystyrene microspheres (micro-PS) on marine mussels (Mytilus coruscus). A total of 3599 metabolites were quantified, including 163 positively identified metabolites, 318 high-confident putatively identified metabolites, and 2602 mass-matched metabolites from the hemolymph of mussels. Metabolomics analysis indicated that micro-PS disrupted the amino acid metabolism, particularly phenylalanine metabolism, which may lead to oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. Micro-PS at environmentally relevant concentrations induced oxidative stress and immunotoxicity in mussels. After 7 days of recovery, along with the significant clearance of micro-PS by mussels, both metabolite levels and biochemical indicators generally returned to the same level as the control group. Overall, the results showed that microplastics at environmentally-relevant concentrations can cause toxic effects on mussels but these influences are reversible. We envisage the usages of high-coverage metabolomics for investigating the toxicity of various types of microplastics under many different conditions, including those relevant to the marine environment.

The molecular dynamics simulation method is used to investigate the tensile deformation mechanism of Cu-Ag core-shell nanowires. The results for the actual structure of the Cu-Ag core-shell nanowires after energy minimization processes indicate that the atoms in shell Ag are reconstructed when the shell thicknesses smaller than 1.0 nm, while the shell thickness increases from 1.0 nm to 1.5 nm, the shape of NWs change into irregular circle. And then the tension strain is performed along the [0 0 1] direction under the conditions of varying the shell thickness and the temperature, respectively. It is found that, in low temperature region

The interactions of ultrasound with biological materials are exploited for diagnostic, interventional, and therapeutic applications in humans and can improve productivity in industrial-scale generation of organic molecules such as biofuels, vaccines, and antibodies. Accordingly, there is great interest in better understanding the biological effects of ultrasound. We studied the impact of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on RNA expression and metabolism of S. cerevisiae. Although the transcript expression signature of LIPUS-treated cells does not differ significantly from that of untreated cells after 5 days, metabolomic profiling by chemical-isotopic-labeling-liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry suggests that LIPUS has an impact on the pathways of pyrimidine, proline, alanine, aspartate, glutamate, and arginine metabolism. Therefore, LIPUS triggers metabolic effects beyond reprogramming of the core pathways of carbon metabolism. Further characterization of metabolism will likely be important for elucidation of the biological effects of LIPUS.

Titanium coating was prepared on SiC fiber using titanium-iodine (Ti-I 2 ) mixture by hot-wall chemical vapor deposition. Thermodynamic analysis and experimental observation were carried out in this work. The thermodynamic analysis of the reactions in the Ti-I 2 system indicates that Ti and I 2 raw powder materials transform to titanium coating as follows: Ti + I 2 → (TiI 2 , TiI 3 ), and (TiI 2 , TiI 3 ) → Ti. In theory, the conversions of TiI 3 and TiI 2 reach the maximum when Ti:I 2 is 1:1.5, while in actual experiment that reached the maximum when Ti:I 2 was 1:2, as there existed the waste of I 2 due to sublimation. Typical deposited coating is relatively flat and uniform. However, as SiC is prone to react with Ti at high temperatures, the obtained coating contained some Si and C elements except for Ti. So the coating was not a pure Ti coating but contained some carbides and silicides. Deposition rate of the coating increased with the increase of temperature. The deposited thickness increased with the increase of heat preservation time, and achieved the maximum thickness at 90 min.

This paper focused on the correlations between the texture and mechanical properties of hexagonal Ti6Al7Nb films prepared by magnetron sputtering. The texture evolution was controlled under a combination of substrate temperature and sputtering power. It was found that the substrate temperature was the key factor to dominate the texture evolution. At constant sputtering power 275 W, the films show an increasing (0002) growth from 100 to 300 °C, and then transforms into a random growth at 500 °C. According to two kinds of structure zone models, the intrinsic image of structure evolution from zone T, zone 2, to finally zone 3 was discussed. Nanoindentation measurements indicated that the texture strengthening contributes to the improvement of mechanical properties.

An environment-friendly cerium-based conversion coating (CeCC) was prepared by alternating electric field assisted treatment for the modification of magnesium-aluminum (Mg-Al) hydrotalcite (HT) film on AZ91D Mg alloy. The influence of cerium nitrate (Ce(NO 3 ) 3 ) concentration was evaluated in terms of morphology, composition, and corrosion resistance. The results showed that deposition behavior (including deposition amount and sealing effect) of CeCC was controlled by Ce(NO 3 ) 3 concentration. The HT film treated with 10 g/L Ce(NO 3 ) 3 was better sealed; the HT film immersed in 30 g/L Ce(NO 3 ) 3 displayed larger deposition amount of CeCC. With the increase in concentration from 5 to 40 g/L, the corrosion resistance exhibited a waving trend. The treated HT film with better sealing effect or larger deposition amount revealed superior corrosion resistance.

Bi-allelic mutations in the dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) are responsible for a rare autosomal recessive primary combined immunodeficiency syndrome, characterized by atopic dermatitis, elevated serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, recurrent severe cutaneous viral infections, autoimmunity, and predisposition to malignancy. The molecular link between DOCK8 deficiency and atopic skin inflammation remains unknown. Severe atopic dermatitis (AD) and DOCK8 deficiency share some clinical symptoms, including eczema, eosinophilia, and increased serum IgE levels. Increased serum IgE levels are characteristic of, but not specific to allergic diseases. Herein, we aimed to study the metabolomic profiles of DOCK8-deficient and AD patients for potential disease-specific biomarkers using chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (CIL LC-MS). Serum samples were collected from DOCK8-deficient (n = 10) and AD (n = 9) patients. Metabolomics profiling using CIL LC-MS was performed on patient samples and compared to unrelated healthy controls (n = 33). Seven metabolites were positively identified, distinguishing DOCK8-deficient from AD patients. Aspartic acid and 3-hydroxyanthranillic acid (3HAA, a tryptophan degradation pathway intermediate) were up-regulated in DOCK8 deficiency, whereas hypotaurine, leucyl-phenylalanine, glycyl-phenylalanine, and guanosine were down-regulated. Hypotaurine, 3-hydroxyanthranillic acid, and glycyl-phenyalanine were identified as potential biomarkers specific to DOCK8 deficiency. Aspartate availability has been recently implicated as a limiting metabolite for tumour growth and 3HAA, furthermore, other tryptophan metabolism pathway-related molecules have been considered as potential novel targets for cancer therapy. Taken together, perturbations in tryptophan degradation and increased availability of aspartate suggest a link of DOCK8 deficiency to oncogenesis. Additionally, perturbations in taurine and dipeptides metabolism suggest altered antixidation and cell signaling states in DOCK8 deficiency. Further studies examining the mechanisms underlying these observations are necessary.

The deposition characteristics of titanium coating on SiC fiber using TiCl4-H2-Ar gas mixture in a cold-wall chemical vapor deposition were studied by the combination of thermodynamic analysis and experimental studies. The thermodynamic analysis of the reactions in the TiCl4-H2-Ar system indicates that TiCl4 transforms to titanium as the following paths: TiCl4 → TiCl3 → Ti, or TiCl4 → TiCl3 → TiCl2 → Ti. The experimental results show that typical deposited coating contains two distinct layers: a TiC reaction layer close to SiC fiber and titanium coating which has an atomic percentage of titanium more than 70% and that of carbon lower than 30%. The results illustrate that a carbon diffusion barrier coating needs to be deposited if pure titanium is to be prepared. The deposition rate increases with the increase of temperature, but higher temperature has a negative effect on the surface uniformity of titanium coating. In addition, appropriate argon gas flow rate has a positive effect on smoothing the surface morphology of the coating.

A key step in metabolomics is to perform accurate relative quantification of the metabolomes in comparative samples with high coverage. Hydroxyl-containing metabolites are an important class of the metabolome with diverse structures and physical/chemical properties; however, many of them are difficult to detect with high sensitivity. We present a high-performance chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique for in-depth profiling of the hydroxyl submetabolome, which involves the use of acidic liquid–liquid extraction to enrich hydroxyl metabolites into ethyl acetate from an aqueous sample. After drying and then redissolving in acetonitrile, the metabolite extract is labeled using a base-activated 12C- or 13C-dansylation reaction. A fast step-gradient LC-UV method is used to determine the total concentration of labeled metabolites. On the basis of the concentration information, a 12C-labeled individual sample is mixed with an equal mole amount of a 13C-labeled pool or...

The Yb3+ and Er3+ co-doped yttrium molybdenum oxide upconversion phosphors were prepared by the solid state combustion method using urea as fuel at ignition temperature of 550 °C. The upconversion phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), and photoluminescence spectra. XRD results revealed the samples were pure monoclinic Y2Mo4O15 phases when the sintering temperature was 700 °C. SEM micrographs illustrated particle size distribution was almost uniform with an average particle diameter of about 0.5–1.0 m. The obtained Y2Mo4O15:Yb3+, Er3+ presents bright and pure green upconversion luminescence during daylight pumping under 980 nm LD. According to the analysis of upconversion luminescent mechanism, the cross relaxation processes of Er3+ ions restrained the electron population of red emission energy level, which not only increased the green light upconversion emissions fluorescent branching ratio (IG:IR = 153:1) but also enhanced the efficiency and purity of green light emissions.

The first phthalocyanine (Pc) macrocycle-containing [FeFe]-hydrogenase model complex, (i-BuO)8PcRu(CO)(μ-PDT)[(Ph2P)2NCH2C5H4N]Fe2(CO)4 (6), has been prepared by a multistep synthetic route. The treatment of 4-picolylamine with Ph2PCl/Et3N in CH2Cl2 at room temperature gave 4-picolyl-substituted azadiphosphine (Ph2P)2NCH2C5H4N (1), whereas further treatment of 1 with diiron complex (μ-PDT)Fe2(CO)6 in refluxing o-xylene produced the 4-picolylazadiphosphine-chelated diiron complex (μ-PDT)[(Ph2P)2NCH2C5H4N]Fe2(CO)4 (2). While 3,6-dihydroxyphthalonitrile reacted with i-BuBr/K2CO3 in DMF at 80 °C to give 3,6-diisobutoxyphthalonitrile 3, further reaction of 3 with lithium wire in refluxing i-BuOH afforded isobutoxyphthalocyanine (i-BuO)8PcH2 (4). Furthermore, 4 reacted with Ru3(CO)12 in refluxing PhCN to give ruthenium phthalocyanine (i-BuO)8PcRu(CO)2 (5). Finally, CO substitution reaction of 5 with diiron complex 2 in the presence of Me3NO in CH2Cl2 resulted in formation of the targeted model complex 6. While ...

The deposition process of carbon atoms on SiC(111) substrates is simulated step by step using density functional theory calculations. Three stacking sites [center-, hollow- and top-sites on clean SiC(111)], two deposition rates (one or two carbon layers per step), two substrate areas [SiC(111) (1 × 1) and (2 × 2)], and two SiC(111) terminations (C- and Si-terminations) are considered respectively. The interfacial atomic structure, binding energy and electronic structures are calculated. The results show that interfacial carbon layers tend to epitaxially deposit on SiC(111) with ordered diamond-like stacking style. Regardless of the different deposition rates and different substrate areas, the diamond-like stacking style always exists in the equilibrium structures. However, due to the perturbations caused by uncontrolled factors, this stacking style disappears after some carbon layers deposited, and the amorphous carbon layer will form. Besides that, the deposited carbon atoms have stronger interfacial bonding on C-terminated SiC(111) than Si-terminated substrate.

In this paper, a facile co-electrophoretic/electrodeposition method is reported to simple embedding a binder-free composite of porous oxygen-functionalized graphitic carbon nitride (O@g-C3N4)/nickel hydroxide nanoparticles (Ni(OH)2 NPs) into porous nickel-foam (NF) support. The prepared samples are analyzed using FT-IR, Raman, XRD, TGA/DSC, FE-SEM and TEM techniques. The analyses results proved formation of mixed α/β-Ni(OH)2 NPs onto the surface of O@g-C3N4 layers electrophoretically embedded onto NF support. The electrochemical charge storing ability of the fabricated O@g-C3N4/Ni(OH)2/NF electrode was evaluated in KOH electrolyte, and its specific capacity value was calculated to be as high as 967 C g−1, which was higher than those of pristine Ni(OH)2/NF and O@g-C3N4/NF electrodes (i.e. 754.8 C g‒1 and 287 C g‒1, respectively). Furthermore, O@g-C3N4/Ni(OH)2/NF exhibited an outstanding cycling stability of 94.4% after 5000 cycles at 3 A g‒1, which was higher than the long-term stability delivered by Ni(OH)2/NF electrode (i.e. 77.5% at 3 A g‒1). EIS data revealed that the fabricated O@g-C3N4/Ni(OH)2/NF hybrid electrode had lower internal resistance and smaller charge transfer resistance confirming its higher charge transfer rate and better electrical conductivity in comparison to pristine Ni(OH)2/NF electrode.

Carbon-based pseudo-supercapacitors are one of the most promising electrical energy storage devices with high power density and long cycle life which is strongly desired for electric vehicles but their capacitance needs to be improved. Here, a new approach and design principle to enhance the energy density have been developed with the density functional theory methods. The results reveal that compared with pure carbon, the energy density could be enhanced significantly via heteroatom-doping. An intrinsic descriptor is discovered to establish a volcano-shaped relationship that correlates the capacitance with the heteroatom-doping structures of carbon nanomaterials, from which the best electrode structures are identified, which are in good agreement with the experimental results. Th strategies for further enhancing energy densities are proposed for rational design and fabrication of high-energy-density supercapacitors.

Al2MgC2 may form on the interface of SiC/Mg composite, and as substrate of heterogeneous nucleation, Al2MgC2 could refine α-Mg grain. So, interface system SiC/Al2MgC2/Mg is interesting to be further clarified, while the study about SiC/Al2MgC2 is still insufficient. In present work, interfacial bonding on SiC(1 1 1)/Al2MgC2(0 0 0 1) and role of carbon atoms are investigated by using density functional theory (DFT) method. Considering different interfacial termination and stacking sites, totally 18 models are examined. Si/C-terminated and top-site stacked model (denoted as Si/C_top) is identified as the most stable one. Interfacial fracture toughness is predicted as critical stress intensity factor K Ic int = 2.34∼2.99 MPa∙m1/2. Interfacial bonding mostly contributes from carbon atoms, which behave as charge acceptors, and charge transfer between interfacial C-Si atoms is confirmed. Peaks in PDOS of interfacial C atoms shift towards negative side. Especially for C atom in SiC(1 1 1), shift from −1.33 eV to less than −2.9 eV, which generates stronger interfacial bonding. For C atom in Al2MgC2(0 0 0 1), new peak forms around −8.08 eV, and mainly from C-2p2 orbital. Meanwhile, its s orbital peak negatively shifts from −9.71 eV to −11.61 eV. The interfacial Si-C covalent bonds are predominantly composed as hybridizations of C-2p2 and Si-3s2 around −8.1 eV, C-2p2 and Si-3s2 around −11.5 eV.

Accumulating evidences favor the existence of heterogeneous cellular ribosomes for versatile regulation of gene expression. Validation of distinctive ribosomal protein paralog-specific ribosomes in single cells at the protein level in nearly wild type background is essential for detailed understanding regarding the properties and functions of specialized ribosomes. Here we present results from cleanly purified RPL36 paralog-specific translating ribosomes to demonstrate they represent two distinctive populations characterized by specifically-enriched components. Under amino acid starvation, there is a dramatic reorganization in the composition of the two paralog-specific ribosomes together with reciprocal redistribution of the general translational factors and altered translational preference. pADH1-RPL36A manipulation improves the relative incompetency of the RPL36A gene; alters composition of both RPL36 paralog-specific ribosomes; reprograms genome-wide translational profile; and modifies the cellular ability to adapt to stress conditions while still preserving the paralog-specifically enriched components. Distinct folding is suggested to underlie functional differences between the paralogs.

Soil culture experiments were carried out to study the effects of the mixture of Amaranthus chinense L. straw and phosphate rock on soil pH, available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK) and DTPA-Cd content in Cd polluted soil. The results showed that: (1) 2% phosphate rock powder combined with 1%, 2%, 3% of Amaranthus chinense L. straw can significantly increase soil pH, AP and AK content. Compared with CK, pH was increased by 0.42~0.56, 0.53~0.70 and 0.47~0.73 units, respectively, and AP was increased by 19.03%~32.62%, 14.91%~43.63% and 18.88%~58.01%, respectively, and AK was increased by 201.46%~234.66%, 210.5%~266.56% and 184.07%~224.98%, respectively. (2) The DTPA-Cd content in soil decreased significantly after adding three different ratios of compound materials, which were 1.75%~9.01%, 2.86%~10.02% and 0.98%~8.7% lower than CK, respectively. In summary, the mixture of 1% Amaranthus chinense L. straw and 2% phosphate rock powder had the best passivation effect on Cd.

In this study, we took Oenanthe javanica DC. as experimental material, and we used floating-bed cultivation technique to investigate the removal effect of TN and TP in 3 kinds of eutrophic water to explore the feasibility of using Oenanthe javanica DC. in ecological remediation. The results showed that the removal rates for NH4+-N, NO3--N and PO43--P of Oenanthe javanica DC. were 94.19%-99.35%, 89.52%-98.10% and 77.63%-79.74%, respectively. The removal rates for TN and TP were 91.67%-96.93% and 72.53%-79.74%, while the contribution of Oenanthe javanica DC. to TN and TP absorption in eutrophic water were 46.43% -63.44% and 50.54%-38.08%, respectively, indicating that the purification for TN and TP in eutrophic water by Oenanthe javanica DC. was good under the experimental conditions, and Oenanthe javanica DC. uptake played an important role. Therefore, Oenanthe javanica DC. can be used for ecological restoration of eutrophic water.

In this paper, hyperaccumulator straw (Solanum nigrum L., Amaranthus chinense L., and Siegesbeckia orientalis L.) and phosphate rock powder were selected as materials, a pot experiment was used to study the effects of three compounding modifiers on the growth, nutritional quality and cadmium (Cd) content of Chinese cabbage. The results showed that: (1) The combination of Siegesbeckia orientalis + phosphate rock powder can significantly promote the growth of Chinese cabbage, while Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder and Amaranthus chinense + phosphate rock powder have no effect on the growth of Chinese cabbage. (2) The combination of Solanum nigrum and phosphate rock powder increased the content of soluble sugar, soluble protein and VC in shoots of Chinese cabbage by 64.33%, 16.27% and 2.2%, respectively, and the nitrite content decreased by 34.58%, which improved the quality of Chinese cabbage. (3) Different compounding modifiers can significantly reduce the Cd content in shoots of Chinese cabbage, and the reduction of Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder is the largest, reaching 61.29%. In conclusion, all three modifiers can improve the nutritional quality and reduce the Cd content in the shoots of Chinese cabbage, and Solanum nigrum + phosphate rock powder has the best effect.

“Ribosome code” hypothesis proposes ribosomes composed of different ribosomal protein paralogs might govern distinct functions. Identification of the regulatory elements likely involved in controlling ribosomal protein functions and the distinct composition of the correspondingly assembled paralog-specific ribosomes should be informative to this phenomenon. Here we show that modulation of different RPL36 non-coding elements can influence protein functions independently of the protein abundance. This is manifested by distinct growth rate, differential biogenesis of the 60S ribosomal subunits, and characteristic composition of the purified translating ribosomes. Proteomic analysis of highly purified paralog-specific ribosomes from strain co-expressing identical Arabidopsis RPL36B proteins from two different constructs reveals their unique composition as two distinctive classes of ribosomes characterized by specifically-enriched components. This observation is remarkably analogous to the composition of endogenous RPL36 paralog-specific ribosomes. The proposed mechanism underlying functional distinction between ribosomal protein paralogs and the significance of evolving paralog-specific ribosomes are presented.

Microenvironmental factors such as oxygen concentration mediate key effects on the biology of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Herein, we performed an in-depth characterization of the metabolic behavior of MSCs derived from the placenta, umbilical cord, and adipose tissue (termed hPMSCs, UC-MSCs, and AD-MSCs, respectively) at physiological (hypoxic; 5% oxygen [O2]) and standardized (normoxic; 21% O2) O2 concentrations using chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. 12C- and 13C-isotope dansylation (Dns) labeling was used to analyze the amine/phenol submetabolome, and 2574 peak pairs or metabolites were detected and quantified, from which 52 metabolites were positively identified using a library of 275 Dns-metabolite standards; 2189 metabolites were putatively identified. Next, we identified six metabolites using the Dns library, as well as 14 hypoxic biomarkers from the human metabolome database out of 96 altered metabolites. Ultimately, metabolic pathway analyses were performed to evaluate the associated pathways. Based on pathways identified using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, we identified significant changes in the metabolic profiles of MSCs in response to different O2 concentrations. These results collectively suggest that O2 concentration has the strongest influence on hPMSCs metabolic characteristics, and that 5% O2 promotes arginine and proline metabolism in hPMSCs and UC-MSCs but decreases gluconeogenesis (alanine-glucose) rates in hPMSCs and AD-MSCs. These changes indicate that MSCs derived from different sources exhibit distinct metabolic profiles.