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Developing the superior electrode materials with large reversible capacity, excellent rate capability and long cycling stability for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is highly desirable for electric vehicles and hybrid electronic vehicles. Herein, three-dimensional N-doped carbon (NC)-coated Zn-Sn mixed oxide (ZTO) cubes dispersed on reduced graphene oxide (ZTO@NC/RGO) composite are synthesized via a facile strategy combined with the hydrothermal treatment and carbonization of conductive polypyrrole. In this unique architecture, the ultrathin NC shells are interconnected through RGO and construct a continuous 3D conductive network, which provides a very efficient channel for electron transport. Furthermore, the flexible and high-conducting reduced graphene oxide and carbon shells can accommodate the mechanical stress induced by the volume change of ZTO cubes during lithiation as well as prohibit the aggregation of ZTO cubes, which would maintain the structural and electrical integrity of the ZTO@NC/RGO electrode during the lithiation/delithiation processes. Benefiting from the advantages of intrinsic architecture, as LIBs anodes, ZTO@NC/RGO exhibits enhanced lithium storage properties, delivering a large specific capacity of 732.8 mAh g at a current density of 100 mA g after 50 cycles, and presenting good rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analytical model (AM) of suspension force in a bearingless flywheel machine has model mismatch problems due to magnetic saturation and rotor eccentricity. A numerical modeling method based on the differential evolution (DE) extreme learning machine (ELM) is proposed in this paper. The representative input and output sample set are obtained by finite-element analysis (FEA) and principal component analysis (PCA), and the numerical model of suspension force is obtained by training ELM. Additionally, the DE algorithm is employed to optimize the ELM parameters to improve the model accuracy. Finally, absolute error (AE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) are introduced as evaluation indexes to conduct comparative analyses with other commonly-used machine learning algorithms, such as k-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), the back propagation (BP) algorithm, and support vector machines (SVMs). The results show that, compared with the above algorithm, the proposed method has smaller fitting and prediction errors; the RMSE value is just 22.88% of KNN, 39.90% of BP, and 58.37% of SVM, which verifies the effectiveness and validity of the proposed numerical modeling method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A heterogeneous catalyst (HPW/mpg‐C3N4) for the alkylation of o‐xylene and styrene reaction was acquired by the immobilization of phosphotungstic acid (HPW) on mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg‐C3N4) through electrostatic interaction. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) proved that HPW was successfully immobilized on the protonated mpg‐C3N4 by electrostatic interaction. The textural properties and morphology of HPW/mpg‐C3N4 were characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Among them, 40% HPW/mpg‐C3N4 displays the best catalytic performance in the alkylation reaction with 91.8% yield and 96.5% selectivity to 1, 2‐diphenylethylane. Moreover, protonated mpg‐C3N4 not only displays as a support to facilitate great dispersion of HPW but also promotes the alkylation product diffusion effectively. Besides, the HPW/mpg‐C3N4 catalyst could be recycled easily without significant loss of catalytic activity, which is demonstrate by the recyclability of HPW/mpg‐C3N4 catalyst test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.), a leading sugar and energy crop, is seriously impacted by drought stress. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying sugarcane drought resistance, especially the functions of epigenetic regulators, remain elusive. Here, we show that a S. spontaneum KDM4/JHDM3 group JmjC protein, SsJMJ4, negatively regulates drought-stress responses through its H3K27me3 demethylase activity. Ectopic overexpression of SsJMJ4 in Arabidopsis reduced drought resistance possibly by promoting expression of AtWRKY54 and AtWRKY70 , encoding two negative regulators of drought stress. SsJMJ4 directly bound to AtWRKY54 and AtWRKY70 , and reduced H3K27me3 levels at these loci to ensure their proper transcription under normal conditions. Drought stress down-regulated both transcription and protein abundance of SsJMJ4, which was correlated with the reduced occupancy of SsJMJ4 at AtWRKY54 and AtWRKY70 chromatin, increased H3K27me3 levels at these loci, as well as reduced transcription levels of these genes. In S. spontaneum , drought stress-repressed transcription of SsWRKY122 , an ortholog of AtWRKY54 and AtWRKY70 , was associated with increased H3K27me3 levels at these loci. Transient overexpression of SsJMJ4 in S. spontaneum protoplasts raised transcription of SsWRKY122 , paralleled with reduced H3K27me3 levels at its loci. These results suggest that the SsJMJ4-mediated dynamic deposition of H3K27me3 is required for an appropriate response to drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spermatogenesis is critical for insect reproduction and the process is regulated by multiple genes. Glycosyltransferases have been shown to participate in the development of Drosophila melanogaster; however, their role in spermatogenesis is still unclear. In this study, we found that α1,4‐galactosyltransferase 1 (α4GT1) was expressed at a significantly higher level in the testis than in the ovary of Drosophila. Importantly, the hatching rate was significantly decreased when α4GT1 RNA interference (RNAi) males were crossed with w1118 females, with only a few mature sperm being present in the seminal vesicle of α4GT1 RNAi flies. Immunofluorescence staining further revealed that the individualization complex (IC) in the testes from α4GT1 RNAi flies was scattered and did not move synchronically, compared with the clustered IC observed in the control flies. Terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase (TdT)‐mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay showed that apoptosis signals in the sperm bundles of α4GT1 RNAi flies were significantly increased. Moreover, the expression of several individualization‐related genes, such as Shrub, Obp44a and Hanabi, was significantly decreased, whereas the expression of several apoptosis‐related genes, including Dronc and Drice, was significantly increased in the testes of α4GT1 RNAi flies. Together, these results suggest that α4GT1 may play dual roles in Drosophila spermatogenesis by regulating the sperm individualization process and maintaining the survival of sperm bundles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tone mapping operator (TMO) is a module in the image signal processing pipeline that is used to convert high dynamic range images to low dynamic range images for display. Currently, state-of-the-art TMOs typically take complex algorithms and are implemented on graphics processing units, making it difficult to run with low latency on edge devices, and TMOs implemented in hardware circuits often lack additional noise suppression because of latency and hardware resource constraints. To address these issues, we proposed a low-latency noise-aware TMO for hardware implementation. Firstly, a locally weighted guided filter is proposed to decompose the luminance image into a base layer and a detail layer, with the weight function symmetric concerning the central pixel value of a window. Secondly, the mean and standard deviation of the basic layer and the detail layer are used to estimate the noise visibility according to the human visual characteristics. Finally, the gain for the detail layer is calculated to achieve adaptive noise suppression. In this process, luminance is first processed by the log2 function before being filtered and then symmetrically converted back to the linear domain by the exp2 function after compression. Meanwhile, the algorithms within the proposed TMO were optimized for hardware implementation to minimize latency and cache, achieving a low latency of 60.32 μ s under video specification of 1080 P at 60 frames per second and objective metric smoothness in dark flat regions could be improved by more than 10% compared to similar methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the U.S. and Canada, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) use has become increasingly common; Chinese immigrants have particularly high rates of TCM use. In this study, we used a cross sectional survey study design to assess the specific types of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM) used, the concurrent use of TCHM and conventional cancer treatment, and communication with providers about TCHM use, among Chinese immigrant cancer patients in New York City (NYC). We surveyed 114 patients from several community and clinical settings in NYC. The mean age was 63, 59% were female, and 83% originated from mainland China. Breast (18%) and lung (21%) cancer were the most common cancer diagnoses, and 60% were receiving conventional cancer treatment at the time of the survey. 75% reported ever using TCHM since their most recent primary cancer diagnosis. 68% of those who used herbs reported concurrent use of TCHM with conventional cancer treatment. Only 13% of those who used herbs reported sharing TCHM use with a provider, and only 19% reported that a provider had ever discussed TCHM use with them. Our findings demonstrated an alarmingly high rate of concurrent use of TCHM and conventional cancer treatment and low rate of communication with providers about TCHM use. A wide variety of herbs were used, including those with potentially negative interactions with conventional treatment. This study highlights the urgent need for the development of interventions to assist providers and patients in improving communication around this important topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lithium storage performance of Co 9 S 8 suffers from the poor cycling performance due to the inferior electron conductivity, huge volume expansion and structure deterioration during cycling. Herein, we develop a new approach to prepare the Co 9 S 8 embedded in bifunctional N/S co-doped carbon/carbon (Co 9 S 8 /NSC@C) via the pyrolysis of S- and Co(II)-containing polypyrrole precursor accompanied by Ethanol Steam Reforming. The process simultaneously restricted the Co 9 S 8 grains growth and conducted carbon deposition on the outer surface of Co 9 S 8 nanoparticles. Such unique structure of the Co 9 S 8 /NSC@C electrode material exhibits superior lithium storage performance, delivering a high reversible specific capacity of 580 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.1 A g−1 for half-cell and a good rate capability with a reversible capacity of 159 mAh g−1 at various current densities after 60 cycles for full-cell. The function-oriented design of Co 9 S 8 /NSC@C might open new avenues for the preparation of similar electrode materials. Co 9 S 8 nanoparticles embedded in bifunctional N/S co-doped carbon/carbon are fabricated via the pyrolysis of S- and Co(II)-containing polypyrrole precursor accompanied by Ethanol Steam Reforming. Due to the synergetic effect of the dual carbon protection and heteroatoms doping, the Co 9 S 8 /NSC@C shows the excellent electrochemical performance for half/full cells, which might be a promising candidate for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Unlabelled Image • Co 9 S 8 /NSC@C is fabricated by a facile and scalable method. • A green carbonization with ESR is employed for the formation of dual-carbon. • High content of Co 9 S 8 nanoparticles are confined in N/S co-doped carbon/carbon. • Co 9 S 8 /NSC@C delivers a superior lithium-storage performance for half/full cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to assess a key risk factor for lung cancer, smoking, in a vulnerable group, Chinese livery drivers in New York City (NYC). This is a nested cohort study conducted in the summer/fall of 2014 within a larger NIMHD-funded R24 program, the Taxi Network. The Taxi Network Needs Assessment (TNNA) survey was administered to a broad demographic of drivers. This study reports on the TNNA survey smoking-related results among NYC Chinese livery drivers. 97 drivers participated. Mean age was 44.7 years, 2.1% were English proficient, and 23.4% were living below the poverty line. Most were insured (82.5%), had a PCP (82.5%), and had had a routine check-up within the past year (79%). 73% were current or former smokers. Culturally and linguistically tailored smoking cessation interventions, strategies to mitigate exposure to air pollution, and programs to facilitate lung cancer screening should be developed and implemented for high-risk Chinese livery drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Tin-based materials have been considered as promising anode materials for their high theoretical capacities in rechargeable lithium ion batteries. However, the large volume variation during repeated lithiation/delithiation processes, leads to aggregation and pulverization of active materials, which limits their practical application. Herein, a facile and effective strategy was designed to construct interconnected porous SnO x /N-doped carbon framework, using Sn(IV)-containing polypyrrole as sacrificial template/precursor followed by depositing carbonaceous species via ethanol steam reforming process. Benefiting from the synergistic effects between ultrafine SnO 2 and Sn nanocrystals, porous N-doped carbon and carbon matrices derived from polypyrrole and ethanol, respectively, the composite exhibits large reversible capacity of 728.6 mAh g−1 after 140 cycles at 100 mA g−1, and a long-term cycling performance of 435 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles even at 1000 mA g−1. The remarkable high electrochemical performance, together with the scalable production and low-cost starting materials, will advance the promising application of Sn-based composite to next generation rechargeable batteries. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • SnO x /NC/C is prepared by a facile and scalable in situ polymerization method. • Polypyrrole and ethanol are used as the carbon sources, respectively. • SnO x /NC/C-2 exhibits a highly reversible capacity of 728.6 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1. • It retains a highly stable capacity of 435 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 1000 mA g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel amine alkyl siloxane N -butyl-N-((1,1,3-trimethyl-3,3-diphenyldisiloxaneyl)methyl)butan-1-amine (BTDMBA) has low viscosity and high thermostability. • The reaction enthalpy and entropy change with SO 2 of BTDMBA are more negative than that of other absorbers. • An unexpected entropy enthalpy compensation phenomenon was discovered and the isokinetic temperature was found to be 373 K. • The highest ΔS of absorbent for industrial application was found to be −201 J·mol−1·K−1. In the present work, a kind of amine alkyl siloxane N -butyl-N-((1,1,3-trimethyl-3,3-diphenyldisiloxaneyl)methyl)butan-1-amine (BTDMBA) was synthesized and used to capture SO 2. Its thermal decomposition temperature is 160℃, which is comparable with that of Ionic liquids (ILs), but its viscosity is only 125 mPa∙s at 25℃ after the absorption of SO 2 , which is much lower than that of ILs. The reaction mechanism is that BTDMBA reacted with SO 2 to form charge transfer complex BTDMBA∙SO 2. The reaction enthalpy and entropy change are −83.95 kJ/mol and −240.48 J·mol−1·K−1, respectively, which are more negative than that of ILs. By comparing the enthalpy and entropy change of amine alkyl siloxane and absorbents reported in literatures, an unexpected entropy enthalpy compensation phenomenon was discovered and the isokinetic temperature was found to be 371 K. Based on this phenomenon and the optimization objective function, it was also found that with the decrease of entropy change, the optimal absorption and desorption temperature difference increased initially and decreased afterwards. The maximum of entropy changes is −201 J·mol−1·K−1 for absorbent to achieve recycle absorption capacity 0.79 mol/mol under the condition of absorption pressure 0.002 bar and desorption pressure 1 bar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare no competing interests.

Selectins are a group of Ca 2+ -dependent, transmembrane type I glycoproteins which attract cell adhesion and migration. E-selectin is exclusively expressed in endothelial cells, and its expression is strongly enhanced upon activation by pro-inflammatory cytokines. The interaction of E-selectin with its ligands on circulating leukocytes captures and slows them down, further facilitating integrin activation, firm adhesion to endothelial cells and transmigration to tissues. Oxidative stress induces endothelial cell injury, leading to aberrant expression of E-selectin. In addition, the elevated level of E-selectin is positively related to high risk of inflammation. Dysregulation of E-selectin has been found in several pathological conditions including acute kidney injury (AKI), pulmonary diseases, hepatic pathology, Venous thromboembolism (VTE). Deletion of the E-selectin gene in mice somewhat ameliorates these complications. In this review, we describe the mechanisms regulating E-selectin expression, the interaction of E-selectin with its ligands, the E-selectin physiological and pathophysiological roles, and the therapeutical potential of targeting E-selectin., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhang, Huang, Zhu, Gatt and Liu.)

Netrin-4 (NTN4), a secreted protein from the Netrin family, has been recognized for its role in vascular development, endothelial homeostasis and angiogenesis. Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin is a specialized adhesion protein located at the intercellular junctions of endothelial cells (ECs), and regulates migration, proliferation and permeability. To date, the relationship between NTN4 and VE-cadherin in ECs remains unclear. In the present study, human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) were transfected with NTN4 overexpression plasmid, resulting in NTN4 overexpression. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to determine gene and protein expression. CCK8, wound healing, and Transwell assays were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, migration and permeability. NTN4 overexpression decreased HUVEC viability and migration. In addition, NTN4 overexpression increased the expression of VE-cadherin and decreased the permeability of HUVECs. Subsequent studies showed that NTN4 overexpression increased the NF-κB protein level and decreased IκB-α protein expression in HUVECs. In HUVECs treated with NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, the expression of VE-cadherin failed to increase with NTN4 overexpression. Taken together, the results indicated that NTN4 overexpression increased VE-cadherin expression through the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in HUVECs. The present findings revealed a novel regulatory mechanism for VE-cadherin expression and suggested a novel avenue for future research on the role of NTN4 in endothelial barrier-related diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhang et al.)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic, progressive, and lethal lung disease with few treatments. Formononetin (FMN) is a clinical preparation extract with extensive pharmacological actions. However, its effect on COPD remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the effect and underlying mechanisms of FMN on COPD. A mouse model of COPD was established by exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) for 24 weeks. In addition, bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells were treated with CS extract (CSE) for 24 h to explore the in vitro effect of FMN. FMN significantly improved lung function and attenuated pathological lung damage. FMN treatment reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion. FMN also suppressed apoptosis by regulating apoptosis-associated proteins. Moreover, FMN relieved CS-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the mouse lungs. In BEAS-2B cells, FMN treatment reduced CSE-induced inflammation, ER stress, and apoptosis. Mechanistically, FMN downregulated the CS-activated AhR/CYP1A1 and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways in vivo and in vitro. FMN can attenuate CS-induced COPD in mice by suppressing inflammation, ER stress, and apoptosis in bronchial epithelial cells via the inhibition of AhR/CYP1A1 and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, suggesting a new therapeutic potential for COPD treatment., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Pre-exposing plants to abiotic stresses can induce stress memory, which is crucial for adapting to subsequent stress exposure. Although numerous genes involved in salt stress response have been identified, the understanding of memory responses to salt stress remains limited., Results: In this study, we conducted physiological and transcriptional assays on maize plants subjected to recurrent salt stress to characterize salt stress memory. During the second exposure to salt stress, the plants exhibited enhanced salt resistance, as evidenced by increased proline content and higher POD and SOD activity, along with decreased MDA content, indicative of physiological memory behavior. Transcriptional analysis revealed fewer differentially expressed genes and variations in response processes during the second exposure compared to the first, indicative of transcriptional memory behavior. A total of 2,213 salt stress memory genes (SMGs) were identified and categorized into four response patterns. The most prominent group of SMGs consisted of genes with elevated expression during the first exposure to salt stress but reduced expression after recurrent exposure to salt stress, or vice versa ([+ / -] or [- / +]), indicating that a revised response is a crucial process in plant stress memory. Furthermore, nine transcription factors (TFs) (WRKY40, WRKY46, WRKY53, WRKY18, WRKY33, WRKY70, MYB15, KNAT7, and WRKY54) were identified as crucial factors related to salt stress memory. These TFs regulate over 53% of SMGs, underscoring their potential significance in salt stress memory., Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that maize can develop salt stress memory, and the genes identified here will aid in the genetic improvement of maize and other crops., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) is known to participate in the molecular etiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, its role in granulosa cell (GC) pyroptosis remains unclear. This study sought to investigate the mechanism of HDAC1 in PCOS-induced GC pyroptosis through histone modification. Clinical serum samples and the general data of study subjects were collected. PCOS mouse models were established using dehydroepiandrosterone and cell models were established in HGL5 cells using dihydrotestosterone. Expressions of HDAC1, H19, miR-29a-3p, and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) and pyroptosis-related proteins and levels of hormones and inflammatory cytokines were determined. Ovarian damage was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Functional rescue experiments were conducted to verify the role of H19/miR-29a-3p/NLRP3 in GC pyroptosis in PCOS. HDAC1 and miR-29a-3p were downregulated whereas H19 and NLRP3 were upregulated in PCOS. HDAC1 upregulation attenuated ovarian damage and hormone disorders in PCOS mice and suppressed pyroptosis in ovarian tissues and HGL5 cells. HDAC1 inhibited H3K9ac on the H19 promoter and H19 competitively bound to miR-29a-3p to improve NLRP3 expression. Overexpressed H19 or NLRP3 or inhibited miR-29a-3p reversed the inhibition of GC pyroptosis by HDAC1 upregulation. Overall, HDAC1 suppressed GC pyroptosis in PCOS through deacetylation to regulate the H19/miR-29a-3p/NLRP3 axis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that there is no conflict of interests in this study., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)