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Ultra-tough transparent conductive elastomers (TCEs) with self-healing performance are of great significance for research in the fields of soft robotics, optical display electronics, wearable electronic equipment and human–computer interaction. However, their limitation, such as the desolventizing process, low polymerization rate or balance between toughness and self-healing performance, cause difficulty in manufacturing by the 3D printing technique. Here, we propose a novel preparation strategy for 3D printed TCEs based on the photopolymerization of maleic acid (MA)/choline chloride (ChCl) and acrylamide (AAm)/choline chloride type polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (PDESs). PDES can polymerize into a tough and rich in hydrogen bonds poly(PDES) in a few seconds without solvent evaporation. The printed TCEs with precision of 10 µm have high transparency (95.6%) and stable electrical signals at 50% compression for 10,000 cycles. In addition, efficient self-healing performance due to the dynamic hydrogen bonds of poly(PDES) provides broad application prospects for 3D printed TCEs in long-term pressure-resistant intelligent applications.

Spent coffee ground (SCG), left over in coffee making, is the most abundant coffee byproduct, of which approximately 70% is made by cellulose and hemicellulose. Herein, we obtained a delignified SCG (D-SCG) by using an aqueous solution of 3 wt% NaOH for 1 h at 90 °C and then an aqueous solution of 3 wt% NaClO2 buffered with acetic acid at pH 4.3 for 2 h at 90 °C, respectively. Next, we used the D-SCG to fabricate holocellulose nanofibers (HCNF) suspension by TEMPO-Mediated oxidation. Finally, HCNF suspension was manufactured into superhydrophobic foams for oil-water separation through freeze-drying and hydrophobic modification. The superhydrophobic foams showed good properties of oil absorption capacity (16 g/g), separation efficiency (98.5%) and continuous separation. This work presents a novel idea for the further application of SCG and provides an eco-friendly and sustainable oil absorbent material to solve oil spill.

The bookstore is an integral part of campus public service, and it is an essential place for reading, learning and spending for teachers and students. Provided the current management and development problems faced by old campus bookstores, this article takes the old campus bookstore in the Huangjiahu campus of Wuhan University of Science and Technology as a research case while uses space syntax theory, Depthmap software, and axis models to analyzes and evaluate accessibility, and then optimize campus old location and layout of bookstores. Simultaneously, by using the analytic hierarchy process, the simulated bookstore sites of selection in the campus are tested at the target level, decision level and plan level. This article aims to propose optimization methods for the management and development of old campus bookstores from the perspective of spatial location selection through qualitative quantification and provide constructive references for similar research.

Photocaged amines (PCAs) can allow a spatiotemporal control of the highly versatile and widely implemented nucleophile-catalyzed thiol-Michael addition reaction. However, a major challenge with most PCAs is that their relatively low quantum yields easily lead to low photosensitivity, especially under the radiation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In this paper, the phototriggered base proliferation (PBP) reaction as a powerful 365 nm LED photoclick tool is presented for the nucleophile-initiated thiol-Michael addition reaction. Compared to the PCA system, the advantages of this approach lie in its enhanced photosensitivity, increased reaction rate and elevated conversion. Finally, due to the persistent interactions of the produced longeval amine, remarkable post conversion was thus initially achieved after irradiation.

Transparent conductive elastomers are an emerging platform for stretchable electronics, attractive due to their ability to sustain high physical deformations while still fulfilling optical/electrical functions. Poly(deep eutectic solvent)s (DESs) can serve as a new type of transparent conductive elastomers as a result of their low cost, green fabrication, non-toxicity and post-treatment-free advantages. Here, we report a 3D patternable (starfish type), transparent (transmittance of ∼81%), stretchable (strain up to 150%), and conductive (∼0.2 S m−1) elastomer based on the photopolymerization of the acrylic-acid/choline-chloride DES. The combination of transparency, elasticity, conductivity and patternability allows the poly(DES) elastomers to serve as flexible tactile/strain sensors. Our methodology has the potential to exploit the new application of poly(DESs), and opens up a new powerful route to fabricate all-organic transparent, conductive elastomers for a myriad of applications in future flexible electronics.

Several biological processes as well as infectious agents, physiological or environmental stress, and perturbed antioxidant response can promote oxidative stress. Oxidative stress usually happens when cells are exposed to more electrically charged reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as H2O2 or O2-. ROS are well known for being both beneficial and deleterious. Recent studies have indicated that ROS are deleterious to cells, leading to programmed cell death (PCD) at high concentrations. At low concentrations, however, ROS can act as signaling molecules in a variety of cellular processes. In this review, we present an update of our current understanding of the role and regulation of reactive oxygen species in various viral infections, cellular signaling pathways and immune responses. We then discuss how the antioxidant defense system acts as an antiviral effector to limit cell damage.

A simple triphenylphosphine-ligated cobalt catalyst is reported for the direct ortho-C-H methylation and ethylation of aromatic, heteroaromatic, alkenyl, and even aliphatic carboxamides with inexpensive organoaluminum reagents in the presence of a cheap alkyl chloride as oxidant. This reaction shows monoselectivity in contrast with previously established C-H methylation methodologies.

The design and construction of porous materials for high-efficient adsorption-based separation of CH

Nanopaper prepared from cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) is a kind of promising substrate for various high-tech devices. However, several drawbacks including poor water stability and weak corrosion resistance still remain, which limit the practical applications of the nanopaper. Herein, we present a simple and low-cost method for fabricating transparent and superhydrophobic nanopaper by spraying fluorinated silica/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SiO

The rational design of high-performance, flexible, transparent, electrically conducting sensor attracts considerable attention. However, these designed devices predominantly utilize glass and plastic substrates, which are expensive and not environmentally friendly. Here, novel transparent and conductive woods (TCWs) were fabricated by using renewable wood substrates and low-cost conductive polymers. Polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (PDES), acrylic-acid (AA)/choline chloride (ChCl), were used as backfilling agents and in situ photopolymerized in the delignified wood, which endowed the materials with high transparency (transmittance of 90%), good stretchability (strain up to 80%), and high electrical conductivity (0.16 S m-1). The retained cellulose orientation and strong interactions between the cellulose-rich template and poly(PDES) endow TCWs with excellent mechanical properties. Moreover, TCWs exhibited excellent sensing behaviors to strain/touch, even at low strain. Therefore, these materials can be used to detect weak pressure such as human being's subtle bending-release activities. This work provides a new route to fabricate functional composite materials and devices which have promising potential for electronics applications in flexible displays, tactile skin sensors, and other fields.

Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1) is a conserved chromosomal protein in eukaryotic cells that has a major role in directing heterochromatin formation, a process that requires co-transcriptional gene silencing mediated by small RNAs and their associated argonaute proteins. Heterochromatin formation requires erasing the active epigenetic mark, such as H3K4me2, but the molecular link between HP1 and H3K4 demethylation remains unclear. In a fertility screen in female Drosophila, we identified ovaries absent (ova), which functions in the stem cell niche, downstream of Piwi, to support germline stem cell differentiation. Moreover, ova acts as a suppressor of position effect variegation, and is required for silencing telomeric transposons in the germline. Biochemically, Ova acts to link the H3K4 demethylase dLsd1 to HP1a for local histone modifications. Therefore, our study provides a molecular connection between HP1a and local H3K4 demethylation during HP1a-mediated gene silencing that is required for ovary development, transposon silencing, and heterochromatin formation. Editorial note: This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (see decision letter)., eLife digest The complete set of genetic material within a cell is known as a genome. The genomes of human and other animal cells have regions of active genes interspersed with ‘dark’ regions known as heterochromatin, which contain genes and other types of genetic material that have been inactivated. Heterochromatin commonly contains sections of genetic material known as transposons. When a transposon is active it is able to move around the genome, therefore, inactivating (or ‘silencing’) transposons helps to maintain the integrity of the genetic material in a cell. It is particularly important to silence transposons in the stem cells that produce sperm and egg cells – known as germline stem cells – to ensure genetic information is faithfully passed on to the next generation. A protein called HP1a plays a major role in directing where heterochromatin forms in the genome. This process requires an enzyme called dLsd1 to remove a small tag from the genetic material but it is not clear how HP1a regulates the activity of dLsd1. To address this question, Yang et al. studied how egg cells form in fruit flies, which are often used as models of animal biology in experiments. The team screened a population of fruit flies that carried mutations in many different genes to identify genes that affect the fertility of female flies. This revealed a gene named as ovaries absent (or ova for short) is required for egg cells to form. In germline stem cells ova silences transposons and in the surrounding tissue it represses a specific signal that usually maintains stem cells to allow the stem cells to divide to make egg cells. Further experiments using biochemical techniques found that the protein encoded by ova acts as a bridge to bring HP1a and dLsd1 together to silence genes in heterochromatin. The next step would be to identify the functional counterpart of the ova gene in mammals, including humans, which may help to discover causes of infertility and develop new fertility treatment.

A series of highly porous and biocompatible poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels containing partially deacetylated α-chitin nanowhiskers (ChWs) were fabricated by the double-cross-link (DC) with glutaraldehyde (GA) and repeating freeze-thawing cycle. Then these hydrogels were used as carrier for bovine serum albumin (BSA), which served as the model drug. The nanowhiskers worked effectively to raise the mechanical property of the PVA/ChWs hydrogels. This property increased significantly from 1.55 to 26.59 MPa with the increase of the ratio of ChWs to PVA from 0% to 40%. Additionally, the morphological properties of the gel matrix were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that the novel ChWs/PVA hydrogels were facilely constructed from sequential chemical cross-linking and physical cross-linking with GA. The hydrogel with the ChWs to PVA weight ratios of 40% achieved the highest equilibrium swelling ratio, and could release more than 80% of the BSA from its gel matrix within 75 h.

// Junjie Zhao 1, 2, * , Weidong Xu 2, * , Minghui He 3 , Zhensheng Zhang 2 , Shuxiong Zeng 2 , Chong Ma 2 , Yinghao Sun 2 , Chuanliang Xu 2 1 Department of Urology, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai 264000, China 2 Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China 3 Cancer Research Department, BGI-Shenzhen, Yantian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518083, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Chuanliang Xu, email: xuchuanliang@vip.126.com Keywords: bladder cancer, tumor progression, IPO11, prognosis, whole-exome sequencing Received: July 10, 2016 Accepted: September 06, 2016 Published: ABSTRACT Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) often has a worse prognosis following its progression to muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), despite radical cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection combined with chemotherapy. Therefore, the discovery of novel biomarkers for predicting the progression of this disease and of therapeutic targets for preventing it is crucial. We performed whole-exome sequencing to analyze superficial tumor tissues (T sup ) and basal tumor tissues (T bas ) from 3 MIBC patients and identified previously unreported copy number variations in IPO11 that warrants further investigation as a molecular target. In addition, we identified a significant association between the absolute copy number and mRNA expression of IPO11 and found that high importin-11 expression was correlated with poor 3-year overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and cancer-free survival (CFS) compared with low expression in the BCa patients. Importin-11 overexpression was also an independent risk factor for CSS and CFS in the BCa patients. Our study has revealed that IPO11 copy number amplification contributes to its overexpression and that these changes are unfavorable prognostic factors in NMIBC. Thus, IPO11 copy number amplification and importin-11 overexpression are promising biomarkers for predicting the progression and poor prognosis of patients with NMIBC.

In this paper, UV-curable castor oil-based polyfunctional polyurethane acrylate (COME-PUA) was synthesized via photo-click chemistry and isocyanate polyurethane reaction. Facile and highly efficient side-chain functionalization of castor oil (CO) was first achieved via thiol-ene photo-click chemistry with β-mercaptoethanol (ME). 1 H NMR result indicated that almost 100% conversion of double-bond in CO was observed within 10 min, and the average hydroxyl functionality of the obtained polyol COME was about 6. Next, COME was modified by isocyanate polyurethane reaction with hydroxypropyl acrylate (HPA), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and PEG-200 as the chain extender in order to prepare the resin COME-PUA. Results of both 1 H NMR and FTIR revealed that the targeted COME and COME-PUA were successfully synthesized. Furthermore, UV-curing kinetic of COME-PUA was revealed by real-time FTIR, showing a higher UV-curing rate than the common CO-PUA. Finally, some physical properties of curing films were studied.

Sad-spending is a typical kind of compensatory consumption. Some scholars found that consumers would spend more money when they were sad, which is called “sad-spending” effect. Both conscious and unconscious consumption would benefit the consumers, such as emotional recovery process. Based on former studies, we examine how the sad-spending would impact emotional recovery process and subjective well-being. The results show that sad-spending could improve consumers’ positive emotions, while it’s not sure that it could decrease negative emotions. Besides, sad-spending would improve consumers’ satisfaction.

It is attractive, though it is very challenging, to synthesize conductive elastomers with high transparency and self-healing ability, simultaneously with facile and environmentally friendly preparation process. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of highly transparent, self-healing conductive elastomers based on synergistic hydrogen bonding interactions between poly(polymerizable deep eutectic solvent) (poly(PDES)) and phytic acid (PA) molecules. The hybrid network elastomers showed a fast self-healing property (within 2 s) without any other external stimuli and excellent self-healing efficiency (91.5%) within 48 h. The poly(PDES)-PA elastomers were highly transparent (an average transmittance of 93%), intrinsically conductive (an ionic conductivity of 7.8 × 10−4 S cm−1) and stretchable (strains up to 1300%). Furthermore, the abilities of healable & conductive poly(PDES)-PA elastomers to monitor the human activities retained no matter before or after being damaged. We believe this kind of dynamic bond manipulation is a powerful strategy to design and synthesize various transparent, self-healing, conductive elastomers for versatile applications.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the fourth most lethal cancer in China. However, although genomic studies have identified some mutations associated with ESCC, we know little of the mutational processes responsible. To identify genome-wide mutational signatures, we performed either whole-genome sequencing (WGS) or whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 104 ESCC individuals and combined our data with those of 88 previously reported samples. An APOBEC -mediated mutational signature in 47% of 192 tumors suggests that APOBEC-catalyzed deamination provides a source of DNA damage in ESCC. Moreover, PIK3CA hotspot mutations (c.1624G>A [p.Glu542Lys] and c.1633G>A [p.Glu545Lys]) were enriched in APOBEC -signature tumors, and no smoking-associated signature was observed in ESCC. In the samples analyzed by WGS, we identified focal ( CBX4 and CBX8 . In our combined cohort, we identified frequent inactivating mutations in AJUBA , ZNF750 , and PTCH1 and the chromatin-remodeling genes CREBBP and BAP1 , in addition to known mutations. Functional analyses suggest roles for several genes ( CBX4 , CBX8 , AJUBA , and ZNF750 ) in ESCC. Notably, high activity of hedgehog signaling and the PI3K pathway in approximately 60% of 104 ESCC tumors indicates that therapies targeting these pathways might be particularly promising strategies for ESCC. Collectively, our data provide comprehensive insights into the mutational signatures of ESCC and identify markers for early diagnosis and potential therapeutic targets.

The development of solid-state lithium-oxygen batteries is currently limited primarily by the high solid-solid interfacial resistance and the lack of efficient assembly of electrolyte and electrode. In this work, noncovalent interactions between the cations of an ammonium ionic liquid and both solid electrolytes and carbon air cathodes are introduced. The ionic liquid-based electrolytes (ILE) are solidified on Li6·40La3Zr1·40Ta0·60O12 (LLZTO) nanoparticles and gelated by multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), respectively, to construct LLZTO@ILE quasi-solid-state electrolyte (QSSE) and MWCNTs-LLZTO/ILE gel cathode (GC). The QSSE exhibits a high ionic conductivity of 1.71 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 60 °C, high Li-ion transference number of 0.56, broad electrochemical window of ~4.8 V and good thermal stability. The GC shows outstanding compatibility with QSSE. Quasi-solid-state Li–O2 batteries are assembled by integrating QSSE and GC films with a facile roll forming method, showing a low total interfacial resistance (~87 Ω cm2), and excellent reversible cycles (70 cycles) with low charge overpotential ( 70%) at 60 °C and 200 mA g−1. A 0.12 Ah pouch-type Li–O2 battery was achieved by this method. These results suggest that the noncovalent interactions initiated by IL cations could be an effective approach to solve the solid-solid interface issue and achieve high discharge capacity in solid-state energy storage devices.

Nanocomposite hydrogels consisting of a synthetic matrix reinforced by nanosized crystalline polysaccharides offer significant potential in various fields. Different from nanocellulose, the combination of nanochitin with synthetic polymers to obtain nanocomposite hydrogels has not been extensively and systematically studied. Herein, a physically and chemically dual crosslinked nanocomposite hydrogel was successfully synthesized, where chitin nanowhiskers (ChNWs) and Zn2+ were incorporated within polyacrylamide (PAAm) matrix. Nanochitin/metal ion dual reinforcement imparts increased elasticity, enhanced mechanical properties, and improved recovery performance to PAAm network. The PAAm/ChNWs/Zn2+ hydrogel could be stretched to over 13 times its original length with tensile strength of 321.9 ± 8.2 kPa, and restore its original shape rapidly even when compressed at a strain of 95% with a corresponding compressive strength of 6.95 ± 0.20 MPa. The multiple crosslinks and interactions among ChNWs, Zn2+ and synthetic polymeric network were investigated. Moreover, the hydrogel was applied in drug release and soft bioelectronics.

Developing green substrates based on cellulose to substitute synthetic plastics meet the requirement for the sustainable future. However, cellulose-based substrates supporting for building electronic devices are usually opaque and highly hydrophilic, which ultimately limits the performance of optoelectronic devices. Herein, we report a new avenue for fabrication of highly transparent, weakly hydrophilic and biodegradable cellulose film. The acquired cellulose film not only has high transparency (over 90%), but also displays weak hydrophilicity (∼79° of initial water-contact angle) and still remains 3.5 MPa of tensile strength after soaking for two days in deionized water. Additionally, the degradation half-life of cellulose film is 20 days, and the cellulose films also have better thermostability. Moreover, the flexible electroluminescent devices have been successfully constructed by using this cellulose film as a green substrate. This novel strategy will greatly enrich the applications of cellulose films for next generation green electronics.

To extend the applications of natural polymer-based hydrogels to wearable sensors, it is both important and a great challenge to improve their mechanical and electrical performance. In this work, highly stretchable, strain-sensitive, and ionic-conductive cellulose-based hydrogels (CHs) were prepared by random copolymerization of allyl cellulose and acrylic acid. The acquired hydrogels exhibit high stretchability (~142% of tensile strain) and good transparency (~86% at 550 nm). In addition, the hydrogels not only demonstrate better sensitivity in a wide linear range (0%&ndash, 100%) but also exhibit excellent repeatable and stable signals even after 1000 cycles. Notably, hydrogel-based wearable sensors were successfully constructed to detect human movements. Their reliability, sensitivity, and wide-range properties endow the CHs with great potential for application in various wearable sensors.

Nanopaper prepared from cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) is a kind of promising substrate for various high-tech devices. However, several drawbacks including poor water stability and weak corrosion resistance still remain, which limit the practical applications of the nanopaper. Herein, we present a simple and low-cost method for fabricating transparent and superhydrophobic nanopaper by spraying fluorinated silica/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SiO2/MWCNTs) composite on the nanopaper. A series of functional nanopaper were fabricated, which shows excellent performance of water repellency, chemical stability, conductivity, thermostability and self-cleaning property. Among them, the nanopaper modified with the composite containing 0.5 wt% MWCNTs has a water contact angle of about 163°, transparency of 79.96% and the sheet resistance of 3.15 × 106 Ω sq−1. The combination of the promising features in a material offers attractive prospects, and enables our nanopaper could be tailored for emerging applications such as flexible electronics, display protection and intelligent packages.

Congenital neutropenia is characterized by low absolute neutrophil numbers in blood, leading to recurrent bacterial infections, and patients often require life-long granulocyte CSF (G-CSF) support. X-linked neutropenia (XLN) is caused by gain-of-function mutations in the actin regulator Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp). To understand the pathophysiology in XLN and the role of WASp in neutrophils, we here examined XLN patients and 2 XLN mouse models. XLN patients had reduced myelopoiesis and extremely low blood neutrophil number. However, their neutrophils had a hyperactive phenotype and were present in normal numbers in XLN patient saliva. Murine XLN neutrophils were hyperactivated, with increased actin dynamics and migration into tissues. We provide molecular evidence that the hyperactivity of XLN neutrophils is caused by WASp in a constitutively open conformation due to contingent phosphorylation of the critical tyrosine-293 and plasma membrane localization. This renders WASp activity less dependent on regulation by PI3K. Our data show that the amplitude of WASp activity inside a cell could be enhanced by cell-surface receptor signaling even in the context in which WASp is already in an active conformation. Moreover, these data categorize XLN as an atypical congenital neutropenia in which constitutive activation of WASp in tissue neutrophils compensates for reduced myelopoiesis. ispartof: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION vol:128 issue:9 pages:4115-4131 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Evaluating the effect of the substituents on structural stabilities and gas adsorption properties of MOFs is fundamentally important for rational design and synthesis of new MOFs with better performance. For this purpose, three isoreticular copper-based MOFs (ZJNU-87, ZJNU-88 and ZJNU-89) with ssa-type topology were successfully constructed from bent diisophthalate ligands bearing different substituents. Permanent porosity studies reveal that the substituent has a significant effect on framework stabilities against desolvation. Utilizing nonpolar n-hexane as an activation solvent can give more optimized permanent porosity for nonpolar or less-polar substituent-modified ZJNU-88 and ZJNU-89. Furthermore, their gas adsorption properties with respect to C2H2, CO2 and CH4 were systematically investigated, revealing their promising potential for selective C2H2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 separations. In particular, methoxy-modified ZJNU-89 performs better than the methyl-modified ZJNU-88 in terms of uptake capacity and adsorption selectivity, which might be attributed to more suitable pore space of ZJNU-89.

Recently, wearable, self-powered, active human motion sensors have attracted a great deal of attention for biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology, and entertainment. Although some progress has been achieved, new types of stretchable and wearable devices are urgently required to promote the practical application. In this article, targeted at self-powered active human motion sensing, a stretchable, flexible, and wearable triboelectric nanogenerator based on kinesio tapes (KT-TENG) haven been designed and investigated systematically. The device can effectively work during stretching or bending. Both the short-circuit transferred charge and open-circuit voltage exhibit an excellent linear relationship with the stretched displacements and bending angles, enabling its application as a wearable self-powered sensor for real-time human motion monitoring, like knee joint bending and human gestures. Moreover, the KT-TENG shows good stability and durability for long-term operation. Compared with the previous works, the KT-TENG without a macro-scale air gap inside, or stretchable triboelectric layers, possesses various advantages, such as simple fabrication, compact structure, superior flexibility and stability, excellent conformable contact with skin, and wide-range selection of triboelectric materials. This work provides a new prospect for a wearable, self-powered, active human motion sensor and has numerous potential applications in the fields of healthcare monitoring, human-machine interfacing, and prosthesis developing.

Three copper-based ligand-originated MOF isomers (ZJNU-81, ZJNU-82 and ZJNU-83) derived from methyl-functionalized V-shaped diisophthalate ligands were solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the position of the methyl group in the central phenyl spacer of diisophthalate ligands exerted a significant effect on determining the final structures of the resulting MOFs, which was rationalized to result from the steric effect imposed by the methyl group controlling the conformational structures of the ligands during the self-assembly process. Furthermore, their gas adsorption properties with respect to C2H2, CO2, and CH4 were systematically investigated and comparatively analyzed. Gratifyingly, the three MOFs exhibited respectable C2H2 and CO2 uptake capacities as well as impressive C2H2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 adsorption selectivities. Although the disparity is small, the different gas uptake capacities and adsorption selectivities exhibited by the three MOFs demonstrate that the position of the methyl group has a certain impact on gas adsorption properties. This work not only reported three MOFs with promising potential for C2H2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 separations, but also more importantly afforded a fundamental understanding of the positional effect of functional groups on the structures and gas adsorption properties of the resulting MOFs, which provides valuable guidance for future design and synthesis of porous MOFs displaying better performance.

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) often presents with multiple tumours within the liver. Although recent genomic studies evaluating intratumor heterogeneity, the identification of intrapatient heterogeneity (IPH) and its impact on targeted therapy for multifocal HCC remain unclear. We aimed to characterise genomic architecture, infer the clonal evolution of multifocal HCC, and explore whether genomic profiling could help select suitable patients for targeted therapy. Methods 43 tumour samples from 11 multifocal HCC patients were employed for whole-genome sequencing, whole-exome sequencing and RNA sequencing. Somatic mutations, copy number alterations (CNAs), structural variations (SVs), hepatitis B virus integrations, as well as clonal evolution and druggable targets of each tumour were analysed. Results We identified substantial IPH in mutational profiles, CNAs, SVs and clonal evolution among tumours separated by anatomical locations within the same patient. 41 out of 43 tumour samples in our study belong to intrahepatic metastasis. Phylogenetic analysis found that only 31% of the driver alterations were truncal events, indicating evident IPH and branched tumour evolution of multifocal HCCs. Moreover, only 23% of druggable alterations were mapped to trunks. Of note, sorafenib sensitive targets were identified in the trunk of only one out of five patients. Conclusions Our study provided a detailed view of IPH and clonal evolution of multifocal HCC. Most tumours in our cohort belong to intrahepatic metastasis and follow the scenario of branched tumour evolution. Majority of druggable targets are non-truncal alterations, emphasising the importance of multiple-tumor-sampling of all foci from multifocal HCC patients for personalised targeted therapies.

Interfacial issues arising from the poor interface contact and poor interface stability between the stiff solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) and the electrodes have restricted the development of successful solid-state batteries (SSBs). Herein, we demonstrate that constructing flexible composite cathodes by introducing conductive frameworks consisting of succinonitrile and lithium salt significantly improves the contact performance and interface stability between garnet solid electrolyte and LiFePO4 cathode, enabling the resulted SSBs cycling steadily with high capacity even at room temperature. The introduction of such flexible frameworks not only enables close contact between the cathode and the stiff SSE, but also bridges every electrode and electrolyte particles together forming interconnected three-dimensional ionic conductive paths, reducing the total resistance to one-half of the batteries without such frameworks. On the other hand, the network is flexible enough to accommodate the volume change of LiFeO4 during cycling. These advantages endow that the SSBs of Li/SSE/LiFePO4 with the flexible composite cathodes demonstrate an initial discharge capacity of 149.8 mAh g−1 and the Coulombic efficiency of 99% after 100 cycles at 0.05 C under room temperature. This method demonstrated here to integrate electrodes and stiff electrolytes by introducing flexible components will provides inspirations for people to construct high-performance room-temperature SSBs.

The ligand truncation strategy provides facile access to a wide variety of linkers for the construction of MOFs bearing diverse structures and intriguing properties. In this work, we employed this strategy to design and prepare a novel bent diisophthalate ligand, and used it to successfully construct a copper-based MOF ZJNU-51 with the formula of [Cu2L(H2O)2]·5DMF (H4L = 5,5'-(triphenylamine-4,4'-diyl) diisophthalic acid), which was thoroughly characterized by various techniques including FTIR, TGA, PXRD and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. ZJNU-51 is a two-fold interpenetrated network in which the single network consists of dicopper paddlewheel units connected by the organic ligands and contains open channels as well as six distinct types of metal-organic cages. Furthermore, gas adsorption properties with respect to C2H2, CO2, and CH4 were systematically investigated, demonstrating that ZJNU-51 is a highly promising material for C2H2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 separations. Specifically, the IAST adsorption selectivity at 298 K and 1 atm reaches 35.6 and 5.4 for the equimolar C2H2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 gas mixtures, respectively. More significantly, as revealed by PXRD and N2 adsorption measurements, ZJNU-51 exhibits excellent chemical stability, which lays a good foundation for its practical application.

Ssa-type MOFs constructed from dicopper paddlewheels and bent diisophthalate ligands exhibit a promising potential for gas adsorption which benefits from their rich open copper sites and polyhedron-based cages with suitable sizes. However, the rational construction of such types of MOFs is exceedingly challenging because the bent diisophthalate ligands employed are inclined to exhibit various conformations and thus are prone to form MOFs with varied topologies. In this work, by pre-organizing the ligand's conformation, we successfully targeted an ssa-type MOF ZJNU-57 from a bent diisophthalate ligand. More significantly, ZJNU-57 exhibits excellent hydrolytic stability and high C2H2 and CO2 uptake capacities as well as impressive C2H2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 adsorption selectivities, indicating its promising potential for C2H2/CH4 and CO2/CH4 separation, which are relevant to acetylene production and natural gas purification. This work not only provides a rare water-stable MOF based on the Cu2(COO)4 cluster for highly selective adsorption of C2H2 and CO2 from CH4, but also demonstrates that the ligand conformation-controlled assembly strategy may be an efficient approach toward the construction of MOF materials with definite topologies for specific applications.

The paper intended to research the influences of paper in UV ink-jet printer, mainly including the height and glossiness. Results proved that infiltrations had all appeared between three selected substrates of paper, on which the paper roughness and bulkiness had a linear effect. And the infiltration on the first layer of ink was bigger than those on other layers of ink. It is too stable to not be changed by the paper that the infiltrations between two layers of ink. As we knew, paper roughness and bulkiness would reduce the glossiness. There existed ink sticks on the third layer of ink and more, even some ink holes when the infiltrations were too big because of the substrate of paper had a bigger roughness and bulkiness. Therefore, the substrates used for UV ink-jet 3D printing should have a property of tight and smooth, and the first layer of ink must not be calculated in the whole height of model, so that the printing result would be satisfied.

Free radical reaction of thiol-ene photo click reaction is not ideal click chemistry type, there is monomer homopolymerization and low monomer conversion existing, as well as uncontrollable, it is difficult to obtain the target product. In this paper, the phototriggered base proliferation and UV photopolymerization were introduced into thiol-ene reaction. We synthesized photobase generator 2-(2-nitrophenyl) propyl oxycarbonyl-hexylamine (NPPOC-HA) and amine amplifier. NPPOC-HA has UV absorption above 300 nm, and photolysis products are amine and styrene, no free radical produced. Next, we used phototriggered amine proliferation initiated via UV light to control the thiol-ene click reaction, reducing side effects. RTIR was adopted to monitor infrared absorption peaks change of –SH and –C=C, integrating peak area to verify the equal proportion reaction of thiol-ene. UV phototriggered base proliferation reaction, which integrated the safety and strong penetrating ability of UV photopolymerization as well as Domino free radical photopolymerization based on phototriggered base proliferation reaction, is expected to expand the application of thiol-ene Michael addition reaction.

DNA N

Benzoylformamide (BFA) derivatives are proposed as new photocaged bases with good solubility in epoxy resin. Initially their structures were confirmed by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and elemental analysis. Next, we detail their thermal stability, solubility behavior, and photolysis products. Furthermore, the model photo-latent anion polymerization (AP) of epoxide system in the presence of BFA-dBA ( N , N -dibenzyl-2-oxo-2-phenylacetamide) as a photocaged base has been investigated, and excellent photopolymerization profile is obtained.

Thioxanthone-based N -phthalimidoamino acid ammonium salt (thioxanthen-DBU) as a photocaged base was synthesized and characterized. The photochemical properties and initiation mechanism were analyzed. It was found that the compound absorbs over the UV and visible region with relatively high absorption coefficients. Furthermore, the covalent binding of N -phthalimidoamino acid and type II chromophores (thioxanthone, TX) remarkably improved the photoreactivity. Specifically, in combination with a benzoyl peroxide initiator, thioxanthen-DBU was able to initiate the amine-mediated redox photopolymerization of trimethylol propane triacrylate (TMPTA), and an excellent photopolymerization profile was obtained.

Underwater vibration detection is of great importance in personal safety, environmental protection, and military defense. Sealing layers are required in many underwater sensor architectures, leading to limited working‐life and reduced sensitivity. Here, a flexible, superhydrophobic, and conductive tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanosheets‐wrapped sponge (SCWS) is reported for the high‐sensitivity detection of tiny vibration from the water surfaces and from the grounds. When the SCWS is immersed in water, a continuous layer of bubbles forms on its surfaces, providing the sensor with two special abilities. One is sealing‐free feature due to the intrinsic water‐repellent property of SCWS. The other is functioning as a vibration‐sensitive medium to convert mechanical energy into electric signals through susceptible physical deformation of bubbles. Therefore, the SCWS can be used to precisely detect tiny vibration of water waves, and even sense those caused by human footsteps, demonstrating wide applications of this amphibious (water/ground) vibration sensor. Results of this study can initiate the exploration of superhydrophobic materials with elastic and conductive properties for underwater flexible electronic applications.

Stress-induced phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1) is an adaptor protein that bridges between HSP70 and HSP90 folding and a secretory protein which regulates malignant cell growth. However, the role of STIP1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. Here, we found high expression of STIP1 in tumors was associated with worse overall survival (41.3 vs 62.7 months, P 0.001) in 231 HCC patients. STIP1 was overexpressed in HCC tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor liver tissue (64.9% vs 4.0% P 0.001), and serum STIP1 levels of HCC patients were elevated compared to healthy controls (P 0.001). Mechanistically, STIP1 promoted HCC growth through PI3K-AKT-dependent anti-apoptotic pathway. STIP1 mediated cell growth in an autocrine fashion, which could be suppressed either by neutralizing extracellular STIP1 or by knocking down intracellular STIP1. In xenograft mouse model, knockdown of STIP1 significantly reduced tumor growth (P 0.001). In conclusion, STIP1 is upregulated in HCC and associated with poor clinical prognosis. Blocking STIP1 activity suppresses HCC cell growth, providing the rationale for STIP1 as a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

In human cells, DNA 5-methylcytosine (5mC) modification plays an important role as an epigenetic mark. However, DNA N6-methyladenine modification (6mA), which is predominantly present in prokaryotes and a limited number of eukaryotes, is considered to be absent in human genomic DNA. Here, we show that 6mA is present in human genome, and we identified 881,240 6mA sites whose density is about 0.051% of the total adenines in the human genome DNA, but more than 0.18% in the mitochondrion genome. [G/C]AGG[C/T] was the most significant motif associated with 6mA modification. 6mA sites are enriched in the exon coding regions (P=0.02) and associated with transcriptional activation (P

We combine the labeling of newly transcribed RNAs with 5-ethynyluridine with the characterization of bound proteins. This approach, named capture of the newly transcribed RNA interactome using click chemistry (RICK), systematically captures proteins bound to a wide range of RNAs, including nascent RNAs and traditionally neglected nonpolyadenylated RNAs. RICK has identified mitotic regulators amongst other novel RNA-binding proteins with preferential affinity for nonpolyadenylated RNAs, revealed a link between metabolic enzymes/factors and nascent RNAs, and expanded the known RNA-bound proteome of mouse embryonic stem cells. RICK will facilitate an in-depth interrogation of the total RNA-bound proteome in different cells and systems.

A novel multivalent cations-triggered shape memory hydrogels were synthesized in a one-pot method, and interpenetrating double network was formed by chemically cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) network and physically cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose network. The temporary shape was fixed by complexation between a native biopolymer, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and transition metal ions, specifically Fe3+, Ag+, Al3+, Cu2+, Ni2+, and Mg2+. In particular, CMC-Fe3+ hydrogel exhibits excellent shape fixity ratio (95%). Therefore, we chose PAM/CMC1.0-Fe3+ hydrogel as the model material and further investigated its shape recovery process. It was found that a wide range of molecules and anions could be applied to break off the temporary cross-links between CMC and Fe3+. The PAM/CMC composite hydrogels also exhibited excellent tunable mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of the composite hydrogel can be adjusted by changing the cross-linking densities. The presented strategy could enrich the construction as well as application of biopolymers based shape memory hydrogels.

We sought to identify genes necessary to induce cytoskeletal change in B cells. Using gene expression microarray, we compared B cells stimulated with Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and anti-CD40 antibodies that induce B cell spreading, cell motility, tight aggregates, and extensive microvilli with B cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide that lack these cytoskeletal changes. We identified 84 genes with 10-fold or greater expression in anti-CD40+IL-4 stimulated B cells, one of these encoded the guanidine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) dedicator of cytokinesis 10 (Dock10). IL-4 selectively induced Dock10 expression in B cells. Using lacZ expression to monitor Dock10 promoter activity, we found that Dock10 was expressed at all stages during B cell development. However, specific deletion of Dock10 in B cells was associated with a mild phenotype with normal B cell development and normal B cell spreading, polarization, motility, chemotaxis, aggregation, and Ig class switching. Dock10 deficient B cells showed lower proliferation in response to anti-CD40 and IL-4 stimulation. Moreover, the IgG response to soluble antigen in vivo was lower when Dock10 was specifically deleted in B cells. Together, we found that most B cell responses were intact in the absence of Dock10. However, specific deletion of Dock10 in B cells was associated with a mild reduction in B cell activation in vitro and in vivo.

Conductive paper has low-cost, lightweight, sustainability, easy scale-up, and tailorable advantages, allowing for its promising potential in flexible electronics, such as bendable supercapacitors, solar cells, electromagnetic shields, and actuators. Ionic gels, exhibiting a lower Young’s modulus together with facile manufacturing, can fully serve as the conductive component to prepare conductive paper. Herein we report a low-cost (∼1.3 dollars/m2), continuous, and high-throughput (up to ∼30 m/min) fabrication of reliable and long-term (stable for more than two months) conductive paper. As-prepared conductive paper shows a high electrical durability with negligible bending–recovering signal changes over 5000 cycles. Using this ionic gel paper (IGP) as a key component, we build a variety of proof-of-principle demonstrations to show the capacity of IGP in constructing flexible electroluminescent devices with diverse patterns, including a square, an alphabetic string, and a laughing face. Our methodology has...

Adrenal Cushing’s syndrome is caused by excess production of glucocorticoid from adrenocortical tumors and hyperplasias, which leads to metabolic disorders. We performed whole-exome sequencing of 49 blood-tumor pairs and RNA sequencing of 44 tumors from cortisol-producing adrenocortical adenomas (ACAs), adrenocorticotropic hormone–independent macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasias (AIMAHs), and adrenocortical oncocytomas (ADOs). We identified a hotspot in the PRKACA gene with a L205R mutation in 69.2% (27 out of 39) of ACAs and validated in 65.5% of a total of 87 ACAs. Our data revealed that the activating L205R mutation, which locates in the P+1 loop of the protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic subunit, promoted PKA substrate phosphorylation and target gene expression. Moreover, we discovered the recurrently mutated gene DOT1L in AIMAHs and CLASP2 in ADOs. Collectively, these data highlight potentially functional mutated genes in adrenal Cushing’s syndrome.

Nowadays biosource-based materials have received revitalized interest for their ability to substitute for petrochemical-based materials. In this paper, we report a facile synthetic method of soybean oil-based polyfunctional acrylate (PFA) for UV-curable materials. Specifically, rapid and highly efficient side-chain functionalization of soybean oil was achieved via photoclick thiol-ene reaction, soybean oil-based polycarboxylic acid (PCA) was thus obtained. Next, by DCC (N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide) catalyzed esterification reaction with hydroxypropyl acrylate, polyfunctional acrylate (PFA) was synthesized at room temperature. Real-FTIR result indicated that almost 100% conversion of double-bond within vegetable oil was observed within 16.7 min, yielding the soybean oil-based polycarboxylic acid quantitatively. Furthermore, the structure of PFA was confirmed by 1 H NMR and FTIR. Finally, the excellent UV-curing rate of PFA was revealed by real-FTIR.

A detailed evaluation of the kinetics of domino free radical photopolymerization (DFRP) based on phototriggered base proliferation reaction and redox initiation was described in the condition of eliminating the heat of polymerization via reacting in the thin polymer films. First, domino photoinitiating system made a substantial breakthrough in the photoefficiency of amine generation in contrast to photocaged base system, exhibiting marked improvement in the photosensitivity. Second, both the structural feature of base amplifier (BA) and reaction temperature as two important factors impacting the proliferation rate have been detailed. Third, different domino photoinitiating components, such as BAs, peroxides, and acrylates, were investigated in the thin polymer films. It is shown that both primary and secondary BAs are efficient catalysts for DFRP. Furthermore, polymerization rate shows a consistent dependence on the pKa value of the proliferated amine. Finally, remarkable post conversion after irradiation was achieved in DFRP. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 1560–1569

N-Phthaloyltranexamic acid ammonium salt derivatives integrating with peroxides can invoke redox photopolymerization and propagating polymerization. A series of N-phthaloyltranexamic acid ammonium salt derivatives based on benzophenone, thioxanthen, and naphtha chromophores as novel photocaged bases were synthesized and characterized. In combination with a benzoyl peroxide initiator, these structures were able to initiate the amine-mediated redox photopolymerization of acrylates. In particular, the covalent binding of N-phthalimidoamino acid and type II chromophores (thioxanthone, benzophenone) improved remarkably the photoreactivity of photocaged bases (thioxanthen-DBU and benzophenone-DBU) compared to the parent compound. Furthermore, naphthal-DBU matches well the emission spectra of the mercury lamp with a dominant emission wavelength at 365 nm. More importantly, phthal-DBU & BPO as a new photocaged redox combination can invoke controlled redox polymerization within an irradiation time of 3 min. Finally, due to the persistent interaction of the produced longeval amine with peroxides, remarkable post conversion after irradiation, which is significant for preparation of photo-screened materials, was thus initially achieved in the redox photopolymerization.