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The development of advanced composite solid-solid phase change materials (SSPCMs) is urgent to explore for improving solar energy harvesting and storage. Herein, novel composite SSPCMs with synergetic cross-linking structure were fabricated through polymerization using GO and TiO2 constructed on the polyurethane framework skeleton. GO and TiO2 synergetic enhanced polymer framework played a role as skeletal structure to encapsulate PEG in the molecular chains, and provided as highly thermal conductive pathways for the composite SSPCMs. TiO2 nanoparticles performed as extended surface on the skeletal structure for further improvement in thermal conductivity. The composite SSPCMs exhibited a remarkably improved thermal conductivity as high as 0.7 W/(m‧K) and fast thermal response rate. The good light adsorption property of TiO2 enhanced the light absorbance efficiency of the composite SSPCMs by 94.4%. And the photo-thermal conversion efficiency of the composite SSPCMs highly reached 93.5%. Meanwhile, the composite SSPCMs exhibited excellent anti-leakage performance and shape stability under high temperature. Consequently, the as-prepared composite SSPCMs possessed a potential for applications in thermal energy storage and solar energy utilization systems.

Abstract Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), a special sort of three‐dimensional crystalline porous lattices composed of organic multi‐site connectors and metal nodes, are characterized by unique porosity and high specific surface area, which have attracted a wide range of interest as electrode materials for the electrochemical energy storage devices in recent years. In this contribution, we outline the current research progress on the construction of pristine MOFs, MOF composites, and MOF derivatives and their applications as electrode materials in supercapacitors (SCs) and lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Specifically, we discuss the shortcomings of MOFs‐based electrode materials for SCs and LIBs. The innovative work on performance improvements by combining MOFs with other conductive materials and derivating MOFs into metal sulfides, metal oxides, metal phosphides, and porous carbon is also presented in detail. Finally, our perspectives on the challenges in the future for a grasp of the potential mechanisms are tentatively provided. This review will inspire more developments and applications of MOFs‐based electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage.

Abstract Background The effectiveness of ketogenic diet (KD) in ameliorating fatty liver has been established, although its mechanism is under investigation. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) positively regulates obesity-associated metabolic disorders and is elevated by KD. FGF21 conventionally initiates its intracellular signaling via receptor β-klotho (KLB). However, the mechanistic role of FGF21-KLB signaling for KD-ameliorated fatty liver remains unknown. This study aimed to delineate the critical role of FGF21 signaling in the ameliorative effects of KD on hepatic steatosis. Methods Eight-week-old C57BL/6 J mice were fed a chow diet (CD), a high-fat diet (HFD), or a KD for 16 weeks. Adeno-associated virus-mediated liver-specific KLB knockdown mice and control mice were fed a KD for 16 weeks. Phenotypic assessments were conducted during and after the intervention. We investigated the mechanism underlying KD-alleviated hepatic steatosis using multi-omics and validated the expression of key genes. Results KD improved hepatic steatosis by upregulating fatty acid oxidation and downregulating lipogenesis. Transcriptional analysis revealed that KD dramatically activated FGF21 pathway, including KLB and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1). Impairing liver FGF21 signaling via KLB knockdown diminished the beneficial effects of KD on ameliorating fatty liver, insulin resistance, and regulating lipid metabolism. Conclusion KD demonstrates beneficial effects on diet-induced metabolic disorders, particularly on hepatic steatosis. Liver FGF21-KLB signaling plays a critical role in the KD-induced amelioration of hepatic steatosis.

Abstract Hills and mountain fields have a high proportion in coastal areas around the world. Especially in China, lots of low-rise buildings are in complex mountain terrain. Compared with the flat topography under typhoons, due to the change caused by complex topography, the damage ratio of low-rise buildings is much larger. This paper investigates the wind pressure distribution in three different configurations of typical mountain terrain on low-rise buildings in coastal areas by wind tunnel tests. At the same time, the results are compared with the wind pressure distribution of low-rise buildings without surrounding structures. The variation of the average pressure coefficient and shape coefficient with the change of hillside height under a wind attack angle of 0° and the trends of average wind pressure coefficients of a low-rise building under wind attack angles of 0° – 90° are studied. The results show that the distribution of pressure in low buildings is significantly affected by the height of the mountain. When the hillside height is half of the scale physical model, the influence coefficient from the mountain to each surface of the whole building is within 50%. When the hillside height is four times that of the model, the influence factor from the mountain to each surface of the whole building is obvious and is most significantly influenced by the leeward roof. The mean design criteria of the low-rise building, such as windward midline, leeward roof, and windward roof in these three typical mountain terrains, should be designed for their higher absolute value of the average pressure coefficient. The mean pressure coefficient under different wind angles and mountain environments has a significant relationship. The most unfavorable wind angle of wind load calculations should be considered when designing low-rise buildings.

ABSTRACTThe predictive analysis of solar flux distribution on the receiver surface is critical in optimizing the concentration processes of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants. Due to the difficulties of directly measuring the solar flux distribution of the heliostat field, tracking the Moon and measuring the lunar concentration ratio distribution become a promising option. However, many factors affect the flux distribution of a heliostat field. To obtain an accurate predictive model for the solar flux distribution, we propose a deep-learning method using conditional generative adversarial networks (cGAN) and lunar concentration images. The method can take account of tracking errors of individual heliostats, defects of reflecting surfaces, as well as atmospheric attenuation effects, and has the potential to give a reliable prediction of solar flux distribution. Mathematical relations between the solar flux distribution and the solar concentration ratio distribution are discussed in the paper. Experiments have been designed and carried out with an ordinary heliostat at the Beijing Badaling solar concentrating power station. Experimental results show that the AI-generated solar concentration ratio distributions are very close to the actual solar concentration ratio distributions, demonstrating the feasibility of AI models for the prediction of solar flux distribution.

Abstract Aim This Study Aimed to Assess the Intention to Have a Third Child among Millennial Parents (25–40 years old) with Two Children in a City in Eastern China and to Explore the Influencing Factors Related to Fertility Intention. Design A cross‐sectional design study. Methods A convenience sampling method was used to enrol participants of childbearing age who visited two tertiary hospitals in Hang zhou, a city in eastern China, from June 2021 to March 2022. We conducted a face‐to‐face questionnaire survey with 520 participants and calculated the prevalence of intention‐related factors. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse the independent influencing factors of fertility intention. Results In total, 105 (20.2%) participants had the intention to have a third child. The results showed that ‘employment status’, ‘age’, ‘reasons for wanting a third child’, the considered ‘biggest barrier to having a third child’, ‘views on the three‐child policy’, ‘desired free services’, ‘supporting work policies’ and ‘assistance policies’ were significant independent influencing factors of intention to have a third child (p‐value

This study theoretically and numerically examines the differences in shear performance between tapered and prismatic girder configurations with corrugated steel webs (CSWs) and investigates the influence of the Resal effect on the shear performance of tapered girders with CSWs. The vertical components of the inclined bottom slab forces (which are zero in prismatic cases) may decrease or increase the effective shear force on the CSWs, reflecting the positive and negative influences of the Resal effect. Based on these influences, this study introduces the concepts of positive and negative Resal effects and proposes an improved shear method to predict the effective shear forces acting on tapered CSWs. The results of the theoretical and finite element (FE) analyses show that the traditional shear method, which assumes CSWs bear all the shear force, is not applicable to tapered girders. The improved shear method significantly reduced the error in predicting shear forces within the CSWs, decreasing the maximum error from 42.25% (traditional method) to 7.71% (improved method) in specific sections. Quantitative analyses of three different types of girders with CSWs indicate that the Resal effect is influenced by both the internal forces and the structural form of the box girder. In cases of a positive Resal effect, the inclined bottom slab shares a considerable portion of the shear force with CSWs, resulting in a surplus shear capacity in the CSWs; conversely, under a negative Resal effect, there is an increase in the effective shear force on the web, which could lead to an overestimation of the shear buckling strength of CSWs. These findings highlight the necessity of incorporating Resal effects for accurate shear force predictions in tapered girders. By accurately predicting shear forces, engineers can enhance the performance and reliability of these structures, avoiding both overestimation and underestimation of shear capacities.

Urea–formaldehyde (UF) resin is the most widely used adhesive resin. However, it is necessary to improve its flame-retardant performance to expand its applications. In this study, exploiting electrostatic interactions, anionic phytic acid and cationic chitosan were combined to form a bio-based intumescent flame-retardant, denoted phytic acid–chitosan polyelectrolyte (PCS). The molecular structure of the urea–formaldehyde resin was optimized by crosslinking with melamine and plasticizing with polyvinyl alcohol-124. Thus, by combining PCS with the urea–formaldehyde resin and with ammonium polyphosphate and ammonium chloride as composite curing agents, flame-retardant urea–formaldehyde resins (FRUFs) were prepared. Compared to traditional UF resin, FRUF showed excellent flame retardancy and not only reached the UL-94 V-0 level, but the limit of oxygen index was also as high as 36%. Compared to those of UF, the total heat release and peak heat release rate of FRUF decreased by 86.44% and 81.13%, respectively. The high flame retardancy of FRUF originates from the combination of oxygen and heat isolation by the dense carbon layer, quenching of phosphorus free radicals, and dilution of oxygen by a non-flammable gas. In addition, the mechanical properties of the FRUF remained good, even after modification. The findings of this study provide a reference for the flame-retardant application of FRUF for applications in multiple fields.

To broaden the applications of wood, it is necessary to prepare flame-retardant coatings that can protect wood substrates during combustion. In this study, a bio-based, intumescent, flame-retardant phytic acid–melamine polyelectrolyte (PM) was prepared using phosphorus-rich biomass phytic acid and nitrogen-rich melamine as raw materials through an ion crosslinking reaction. Subsequently, a series of bio-based, flame-retardant wood coatings were prepared by optimizing the structure of urea–formaldehyde resin with the addition of melamine, sodium lignosulfonate, and PM as a flame-retardant curing agent. Woods coated with PM-containing coatings displayed significantly improved flame-retardant performances in comparison to uncoated woods. For PM-cured woods, the measured values of total heat release and total smoke production were 91.51% and 57.80% lower, respectively, compared with those of uncoated wood. Furthermore, the fire growth index decreased by 97.32%, indicating a lower fire hazard. This increase in flame retardancy and smoke suppression performance is due to the dense expanded carbon layer formed during the combustion of the coating, which isolates oxygen and heat. In addition, the mechanical properties of the flame-retardant coatings cured with PM are similar to those cured with a commercial curing agent, NH4Cl. In addition, the prepared flame-retardant coating can also stain the wood. This study proves the excellent flame-retarding and curing effect of ammonium phytate in urea–formaldehyde resin coatings and provides a new approach for the application of bio-based flame retardants in wood coatings.

The utilization of an appropriate collector or surfactant is crucial for the beneficiation of low-rank coal. However, in previous studies, the selection of surfactants was primarily based on flotation procedures, which hinders the understanding of the interaction mechanism between surfactant groups and oxygen-containing functional groups at the surface of low-rank coal. In this study, we investigate the flotation of low-rank coal in the presence of a composite collector by using a combined theoretical and experimental approach. The maximum flotation mass recovery achieved was 82.89% using a 3:1 mixture of dodecane and castor oil acid. Fourier-transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses showed that castor oil acid was effectively adsorbed onto the surface of low-rank coal, enhancing the hydrophobicity of the coal. In addition, the diffusion coefficient of water molecules in the water-composite collector-coal system was greater than that in the dodecane system. Moreover, due to the presence of castor oil acid in the flotation process, the adsorption distance of dodecane and low-rank coal became shorter. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the diffusion and interaction of surfactant molecules at the interface of low-rank coal particles and water was enhanced because the adsorption of the dodecane-castor oil acid mixture is primarily controlled by hydrogen bonds and electrostatic attraction. Based on these results, a better surfactant for flotation of low-rank coal is also proposed.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist exenatide (exendin-4) has potential protective capabilities against diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. The expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) is upregulated during DKD progression by histone acetylation. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a deacetylase and is decreased in DKD, which indicates that it may regulate Txnip in this disease. Here, we used whole-body heterozygous Sirt1 knockout (Sirt1+/-) and kidney-specific Sirt1 knockout (KSK) mice to investigate whether SIRT1 regulates Txnip via histone deacetylation in DKD and exenatide-alleviated DKD. Exenatide substantially improved renal pathological damage, decreased the albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), upregulated SIRT1 expression, and downregulated Txnip expression in kidneys of high-fat diet-treated C57BL/6J mice. However, these effects diminished in Sirt1+/- and KSK mice under exenatide treatment. The downregulation of Txnip expression by exendin-4 in high-glucose-treated SV40 MES13 cells was hampered during Sirt1 knockdown. These results demonstrate that kidney SIRT1 is indispensable in exenatide-improved DKD and downregulation of Txnip expression. Exendin-4 mechanistically downregulated Txnip histone 3 lysine 9 acetylation (H3K9ac) in a SIRT1-dependent manner and decreased spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1s) recruitment to the Txnip promoter. These findings provide epigenetic evidence elucidating the specific mechanism for exenatide-mediated DKD alleviation and highlight the importance of Txnip as a promising therapeutic target for DKD.

The utilisation of box girders with corrugated steel webs (CSWs) represents an innovative approach to bridge superstructure design that has garnered substantial popularity worldwide, with a notable prevalence in both Asia and Europe. Compared with traditional box girders, they avoid web cracking, improving the prestressing efficiency and bridge spanning ability. As an innovative box girder, a corrugated web can increase the cantilever length and transverse stiffness, and at the same time, it reduces the dead weight of the bridge deck. However, little research has been conducted on the mechanical properties of this novel spine-like box girder with CSWs, especially its transverse performance, although it has been used in many applications. In this paper, the effect of the web form on the behaviour of box girders is introduced. Therefore, three representative three-dimensional (3D) finite-element models (i.e., corrugated web box girder, flat web box girder, and ordinary equivalent concrete web box girder) have been established to quantitatively investigate the influence of corrugated web stiffness on transverse stress under the action of gravity and vehicle loads. Generally, significant differences in the mechanical performance of box girders with CSWs have been observed compared with conventional box girders with concrete webs. Additionally, parametric studies to investigate the influences of the corrugation dimensions (in term of the corrugation height, web thickness, panel width, web height and elastic modulus) on the transverse stiffness of such bridges are analyzed. The results show that a new stiffness formula can be put forward to consider the effect of web height, and a high-strength steel web needs to be developed urgently for box girders with CSWs in the near future. Overall, the results of this investigation can be used as a reference for transverse designing and segmental construction of similar projects.

Gust fronts (GFs) belong to the boundary layer convergence system. A strong GF can cause serious wind disasters, so its automatic monitoring and identification are very helpful but difficult in daily meteorological operations. By collecting convective weather processes in Hubei, Jiangsu, and other regions of China, 1422 GFs from 106 S-band new-generation weather radar (CINRAD/SA) volume scan data are labeled as positive samples by means of human–computer interaction, and the same number of negative samples are randomly tagged from no GF radar data. A deep learning dataset including 2844 labels with a positive and negative sample ratio of 1:1 is constructed, and 80%, 10%, and 10% of the dataset are separated as training, validation, and test sets, respectively. Then, the training dataset is expanded to 273,120 samples by data augmentation technology. Since the height of a GF is generally less than 1.5 km, three deep-learning-based models are trained for GF automatic recognition according to the distance from the radars. Three models (M1, M2, M3) are trained with the data at a 0.5° elevation angle from 65 to 180 km away from the radars, at 0.5° and 1.5° angles from 40 to 65 km, and at 0.5°, 1.5°, and 2.4° angles within 40 km, respectively. The precision, confusion matrix, and its derived indicators including receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and the area under ROC (AUC) are used to evaluate the three models by the test set. The results show that the identification precisions of the models are 97.66% (M1), 90% (M2), and 90.43% (M3), respectively. All the hit rates are over 89%, the false positive rates are less than 11%, and the critical success indexes (CSIs) surpass 82%. In addition, all the optimal critical points on the ROC curves are close to (0, 1), and the AUC values are above 0.93. These results suggest that the three models can effectively achieve the automatic discrimination of GFs. Finally, the models are demonstrated by three GF events detected with Qingpu, Nantong, and Cangzhou radars.

Abstract The leakage of organic phase change materials (OPCMs) at temperatures above their melting point severely limits their large‐scale application. The introduction of porous supports has been identified as an efficient leakage‐proofing method. In this study, a novel carbonized Cu‐coated melamine foam (MF)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) framework (MF/rGO/Cu‐C) is constructed as a support for fabricating stabilized multifunctional OPCMs. MF serves as the supporting material, while rGO and Cu act as functional reinforcements. As a thermal energy storage material, polyethylene glycol (PEG) is encapsulated into MF/rGO/Cu‐C through a vacuum‐assisted impregnation method to obtain PEG@MF/rGO/Cu‐C composite with excellent comprehensive performance. PEG@MF/rGO/Cu‐C exhibits high phase change enthalpies of 148.3 J g−1 (melting) and 143.9 J g−1 (crystallization), corresponding to a high energy storage capability of 92.7%. Simultaneously, MF/rGO/Cu‐C endues the composite with an enhanced thermal conductivity of 0.4621 W m−1 K−1, which increases by 463% compared to that of PEG@MF. Furthermore, PEG@MF/rGO/Cu‐C displays great light‐to‐thermal and electric‐to‐thermal conversion capabilities, thermal cycle stability, light‐to‐thermal cycle stability, and shape stability, showing promising application prospects in different aspects.

Summary: Protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) participate in important bioactive regulatory processes and therefore can help elucidate the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here, we investigate the involvement of PTMs in ketogenic diet (KD)-improved fatty liver by multi-omics and reveal a core target of lysine malonylation, acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase 1 (ACC1). ACC1 protein levels and Lys1523 malonylation are significantly decreased by KD. A malonylation-mimic mutant of ACC1 increases its enzyme activity and stability to promote hepatic steatosis, whereas the malonylation-null mutant upregulates the ubiquitination degradation of ACC1. A customized Lys1523ACC1 malonylation antibody confirms the increased malonylation of ACC1 in the NAFLD samples. Overall, the lysine malonylation of ACC1 is attenuated by KD in NAFLD and plays an important role in promoting hepatic steatosis. Malonylation is critical for ACC1 activity and stability, highlighting the anti-malonylation effect of ACC1 as a potential strategy for treating NAFLD.

Due to the strong oxidizing properties of H2O2, excessive discharge of H2O2 will cause great harm to the environment. Moreover, H2O2 is also an energetic material used as fuel, with specific attention given to its safety. Therefore, it is of great importance to explore and prepare good sensitive materials for the detection of H2O2 with a low detection limit and high selectivity. In this work, a kind of hydrogen peroxide electrochemical sensor has been fabricated. That is, polypyrrole (PPy) has been electropolymerized on the glass carbon electrode (GCE), and then Ag and Cu nanoparticles are modified together on the surface of polypyrrole by electrodeposition. SEM analysis shows that Cu and Ag nanoparticles are uniformly deposited on the surface of PPy. Electrochemical characterization results display that the sensor has a good response to H2O2 with two linear intervals. The first linear range is 0.1–1 mM (R2 = 0.9978, S = 265.06 μA/ (mM × cm2)), and the detection limit is 0.027 μM (S/N = 3). The second linear range is 1–35 mM (R2 = 0.9969, 445.78 μA/ (mM × cm2)), corresponding to 0.063 μM of detection limit (S/N = 3). The sensor reveals good reproducibility (σ = 2.104), repeatability (σ = 2.027), anti-interference, and stability. The recoveries of the electrode are 99.84–103.00% (for 0.1–1 mM of linear range) and 98.65–104.80% (for 1–35 mM linear range). Furthermore, the costs of the hydrogen peroxide electrochemical sensor proposed in this work are reduced largely by using non-precious metals without degradation of the sensing performance of H2O2. This study provides a facile way to develop nanocomposite electrochemical sensors.

Abstract Cancer-associated lymphedema frequently occurs following lymph node resection for cancer treatment. However, we still lack effective targeted medical therapies for the treatment or prevention of this complication. An in-depth elucidation of the cellular alterations in subcutaneous adipose tissues of lymphedema is essential for medical development. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of 70,209 cells of the stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissues from lymphedema patients and healthy donors. Four subpopulations of adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) were identified. Among them, the PRG4 +/CLEC3B + ASC subpopulation c3 was significantly expanded in lymphedema and related to adipose tissue fibrosis. Knockdown of CLEC3B in vitro could significantly attenuate the fibrogenesis of ASCs from patients. Adipose tissues of lymphedema displayed a striking depletion of LYVE + anti-inflammatory macrophages and exhibited a pro-inflammatory microenvironment. Pharmacological blockage of Trem1, an immune receptor predominantly expressed by the pro-inflammatory macrophages, using murine LR12, a dodecapeptide, could significantly alleviate lymphedema in a mouse tail model. Cell–cell communication analysis uncovered a perivascular ligand-receptor interaction module among ASCs, macrophages, and vascular endothelial cells. We provided a comprehensive analysis of the lineage–specific changes in the adipose tissues from lymphedema patients at a single-cell resolution. CLEC3B was found to be a potential target for alleviating adipose tissue fibrosis. Pharmacological blockage of TREM1 using LR12 could serve as a promising medical therapy for treating lymphedema.

Abstract Background Patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 (PNPLA3) is the main nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) susceptibility. Its expression is regulated tightly by nutritional and energy status, but the mechanism of epigenetic regulation of PNPLA3 gene by nutritional dietary factors has not been reported. Here, we investigated the effect and mechanism of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) regulated H3K9 deacetylation on PNPLA3 transcriptional expression in vivo and in vitro. Methods Mouse models of fasting/re-feeding transition and nonalcoholic fatty liver induced by high Sucrose diet were constructed; and HepG2 cells were treated with serum- and glucose-free medium or exposed to high glucose and high insulin, to generate fasting and high-glucose-induced lipid deposition cell states. Enrichment levels of histone H3K9 acetylation and sterol responsive element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) at the PNPLA3 promoter were observed by ChIP-qPCR. PNPLA3 gene expression was detected by real-time PCR; SIRT1 protein expression was detected by western blot. And lipid deposition was detected by Oil Red O. Results H3K9ac levels at SRE regions of PNPLA3 promoter were found to be decreased in mice during fasting and increase during refeeding, and increased in mice with NAFLD induced by high-sucrose diet. The change pattern of PNPLA3 promoter H3K9Ac physiologically (fasting/refeeding) and pathologically was consistent with that of PNPLA3 gene expression, but opposite to that of SIRT1 protein expression. In HepG2 cells, overexpression of SIRT1 inhibited high-glucose induced hyper-acetylation of H3K9 at PNPLA3 promoter, and silent expression of SIRT1 suppressed fasting-induced hypo-acetylation of H3K9. Overexpression of SIRT1 prevented basal and SREBP-1c-driven PNPLA3 gene expression and also prevented the endogenous binding of SREBP-1c to PNPLA3. Conclusions We first preliminarily revealed SIRT1 may regulate PNPLA3 gene expression by affecting SREBP-1-driven transcription via acetylation modification of H3K9.

Background. Patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) is a major susceptibility gene for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and its rs738409 (I148M) polymorphism is associated with the occurrence and progression of NAFLD. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related hepatocyte lipoapoptosis contributes to the progress of NAFLD. PNPLA3 is also known as a member of the calcium-independent phospholipase A2ε family, which can hydrolyze fatty acids to generate lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) that induces ER stress-related hepatocyte lipoapoptosis. Whether the PNPLA3 risk genotype 148M/M is involved in more severe ER stress-associated lipoapoptosis is unclear. Methods. A PNPLA3148I knock-in HepG2 cell model was constructed based on HepG2 expressing PNPLA3 148M/M using the Cas9/sgRNA system. PNPLA3 148M/M, I/M, and I/I cells were treated with 0.3 mM palmitic acid (PA) for 24 h to induce lipid deposition. Cellular lipid deposition was detected by oil red staining. Apoptosis was observed by TUNEL. LPC was determined by ELISA, and the expression of PNPLA3, the ER stress marker Bip, molecules involved in the ER stress PERK/elF-2a pathway, and its downstream C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP)-mediated apoptotic pathway were detected by western blot. Results. The results showed no difference in PNPLA3 basal expression and basal hepatocyte lipid content between the three genotypes of cells. Lipid deposition and apoptosis were more severe in PNPLA3 148M/M and 148I/M cells than in I/I cells after PA treatment. PA-induced upregulation of protein expression of Bip, ER stress-responsive PERK pathway molecules p-PERK, p-eIF2α, CHOP, and CHOP-associated apoptotic molecules PUMA and Bax were more pronounced in PNPLA3 148M/M cells than in PNPLA3 148I/I cells. The basal LPC levels and the PA-treated increase of LPC levels in the cell culture supernatants did not differ between the three genotypic cells. Conclusion. PNPLA3 148M/M cells were more susceptible to PA-induced lipid deposition and ER stress-related apoptosis than 148I/I cells, and the proapoptotic susceptibility of PNPLA3 148M/M is independent of LPC.

The precise liquidus projection of the V-Ti-Fe system are crucial for designing high-performance hydrogen permeation alloys, but there are still many controversies in the research of this system. To this end, this article first uses the CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) method to reconstruct the alloy phase diagram and compares and analyses existing experimental data, confirming that the newly constructed phase diagram in this article has good reliability and accuracy. Second, this obtained phase diagram was applied to the subsequent development process of hydrogen permeation alloys, and the (Ti65Fe35)100−xVx (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 25) alloys with dual-phase {bcc-(V, Ti) + TiFe} structure were successfully explored. In particular, the alloys with x values equal to 2.5 at.% and 5 at.% exhibit relatively high hydrogen permeability. Third, to further increase the H2 flux permeation through the alloys, a 500-mm-long tubular (Ti65Fe35)95V5 membrane for hydrogen permeation was prepared for the first time. Hydrogen permeation testing showed that this membrane had a very high H2 flux (4.06 mL min−1), which is ca. 6.7 times greater than the plate-like counterpart (0.61 mL min−1) under the same test conditions. This work not only indicates the reliability of the obtained V-Ti-Fe phase diagram in developing new hydrogen permeation alloys, but also demonstrates that preparing tubular membranes is one of the most important means of improving H2 flux.

Squall line (SL) is a convective weather process that often causes disasters. The automatic recognition and early warning of SL are important objectives in the field of meteorology. By collecting the new-generation weather RADARs (CINRAD/SA and CINRAD/SAD) base data during 12 SL weather events occurred in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong, Hebei, and other regions of China from 2019 to 2021, the dataset has a total of 49,920 samples with a window size of 40 km. The 40 km area was labeled by employing manual classification and data augmentation to construct the deep learning dataset with a positive and negative sample ratio of 1:1, of which 80% and 20% are separated as the training and test set, respectively. Based on the echo height of each elevation beam at different distances, three deep learning-based models are trained for SL automatic recognition, which include a near-distance model (M1) trained by the data in nine RADAR elevation angles within 45 km from RADARs, a mid-distance model (M2) by the data in six elevations from 45 to 135 km, and a far-distance model (M3) by the data in three elevations from 135 to 230 km. A confusion matrix and its derived metrics including receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) are introduced as the indicators to evaluate the models by the test dataset. The results indicate that the accuracy of models are over 86% with the hit rates over 87%, the false alarm rates less than 21%, and the critical success indexes (CSI) surpass 78%. All the optimal critical points on the ROC curves are close to (0, 1), and the AUC values are above 0.95, so the three models have high hit rates and low false alarm rates for ensuring SL discrimination. Finally, the effectiveness of the models is further demonstrated through two SL events detected with Nanjing, Yancheng and Qingpu RADARs.

At present, the V-Ti-Co phase diagram is not established, which seriously hinders the subsequent development of this potential hydrogen permeation alloy system. To this end, this article constructed the first phase diagram of the V-Ti-Co system by using the CALculation of PHAse Diagrams (CALPHAD) approach as well as relevant validation experiments. On this basis, hydrogen-permeable VxTi50Co50−x (x = 17.5, 20.5, …, 32.5) alloys were designed, and their microstructure characteristics and hydrogen transport behaviour were further studied by XRD, SEM, EDS, and so on. It was found that six ternary invariant reactions are located in the liquidus projection, and the phase diagram is divided into eight phase regions by their connecting lines. Among them, some alloys in the TiCo phase region were proven to be promising candidate materials for hydrogen permeation. Typically, VxTi50Co50−x (x = 17.5–23.5) alloys, which consist of the primary TiCo and the eutectic {bcc-(V, Ti) and TiCo} structure, show a high hydrogen permeability without hydrogen embrittlement. In particular, V23.5Ti50Co26.5 exhibit the highest permeability of 4.05 × 10−8 mol H2 m−1s−1Pa−0.5, which is the highest value known heretofore in the V-Ti-Co system. The high permeability of these alloys is due in large part to the simultaneous increment of hydrogen solubility and diffusivity, and is closely related to the composition of hydrogen permeable alloys, especially the Ti content in the (V, Ti) phase. The permeability of this alloy system is much higher than those of Nb-TiCo and/or Nb-TiNi alloys.

The rapid development of industry has emphasized the importance of phase change materials (PCMs) with a high latent-heat storage capacity and good thermal stability in promoting sustainable energy solutions. However, the inherent low thermal conductivity and poor thermal-cycling stability of PCMs limit their application. In this study, we constructed three-dimensional (3D) hybrid graphene aerogels (GBA) based on synergistic assembly and cross-linking between GO and modified hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Highly thermally conductive GBA was utilized as the supporting optimal matrix for encapsulating OD, and further implied that composite matrix n-octadecane (OD)/GBA composite PCMs were further prepared by encapsulating OD within the GBA structure. Due to the highly thermally conductive network of GBA, the latent heat of the composite PCMs improved to 208.3 J/g, with negligible changes after 100 thermal cycles. In addition, the thermal conductivity of the composite PCMs was significantly enhanced to 1.444 W/(m·k), increasing by 738% compared to OD. These results sufficiently confirmed that the novel GBA with a well-defined porous structure served as PCMs with excellent comprehensive performance offer great potential for thermal energy storage applications.

Adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) is the energy currency in cells. It is involved in numerous cellular life activities and exhibits a close association with the development of certain diseases. Thus, the precise detection of ATP within cells holds immense significance in understanding cell biological events and related disease development. Fluorescent probes have obvious advantages in imaging ATP in cells and in vivo due to their high sensitivity, good selectivity, real-time imaging, and good biocompatibility. Thus far, an extensive array of fluorescent probes targeting ATP has been formulated to enable the visualization of ATP within cells and in vivo. This review summarizes the recent advances in ATP fluorescent probes according to different design strategies, mainly including those based on organic small molecules, metal complexes, and water-soluble conjugated polymers. In addition, the practical applications of ATP fluorescent probes in the imaging of target organelles, cell biological events, and disease markers are highlighted. Finally, the challenges and future trends of ATP detection based on fluorescent probes are discussed.

Abstract The 2014–2015 “Monster”/“Super” El Niño failed to be predicted one year earlier due to the growing importance of a new type of El Niño, El Niño Modoki, which reportedly has much lower forecast skill with the classical models. In this study, we show that, so far as of today, this new El Niño actually can be mostly predicted at a lead time of more than 10 years. This is achieved through tracing the predictability source with an information flow-based causality analysis, which has been rigorously established from first principles during the past 16 years (e.g., Liang in Phys Rev E 94:052201, 2016). We show that the information flowing from the solar activity 45 years ago to the sea surface temperature results in a causal structure resembling the El Niño Modoki mode. Based on this, a multidimensional system is constructed out of the sunspot number series with time delays of 22–50 years. The first 25 principal components are then taken as the predictors to fulfill the prediction, which through causal AI based on the Liang–Kleeman information flow reproduces rather accurately the events thus far 12 years in advance.

Summary: Liver fibrosis is a severe stage of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is closely associated with the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and their interaction with macrophages. Exosomes can mediate crosstalk between macrophages and HSCs in NAFLD-associated fibrosis. We found that M2 macrophage-derived exosomes significantly inhibit HSCs activation. RNA-seq studies revealed that miRNA-411-5p was decreased in serum exosomes of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients as compared with that in healthy controls. Besides, miR-411-5p and M2 macrophage markers are decreased in the liver of the NASH model. We further proved that exosomal miR-411-5p from M2 macrophages inhibit HSCs activation and miR-411-5p directly downregulated the expression of Calmodulin-Regulated Spectrin-Associated Protein 1 (CAMSAP1) to inactivate stellate cells. Importantly, knockdown of CAMSAP1 also inhibited HSCs activation. This study contributes to understanding the underlying mechanism of HSCs activation and indicates CAMSAP1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for NASH.

As traditional energy structures transition to new sources, hydrogen is receiving significant research attention owing to its potential as a clean energy source. The most significant problem with electrochemical hydrogen evolution is the need for highly efficient catalysts to drive the overpotential required to generate hydrogen gas by electrolyzing water. Experiments have shown that the addition of appropriate materials can reduce the energy required for hydrogen production by electrolysis of water and enable it to play a greater catalytic role in these evolution reactions. Therefore, more complex material compositions are required to obtain these high-performance materials. This study investigates the preparation of hydrogen production catalysts for cathodes. First, rod-like NiMoO4/NiMo is grown on NF (Nickel Foam) using a hydrothermal method. This is used as a core framework, and it provides a higher specific surface area and electron transfer channels. Next, spherical NiS is generated on the NF/NiMo4/NiMo, thus ultimately achieving efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution. The NF/NiMo4/NiMo@NiS material exhibits a remarkably low overpotential of only 36 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 in a potassium hydroxide solution, indicating its potential use in energy-related applications for HER processes.

Solar conversion devices are generally connected with energy storage systems to overcome the influence of sunlight variability. Developing an integrated solar energy conversion and storage device is an attractive approach to compensate for the energy loss of directly connecting these separate devices. In this work, a photocapacitive device is developed based on the Cu2O/CuO heterostructure, with Cu2O as a light absorber and CuO providing a platform for electron and ion storage. The coupling of Cu2O and CuO leads to a high specific capacitance of 135 mF/cm2 under bias and an open-circuit potential of 0.62 VRHE. A photo-charge and dark-discharge ability of Cu2O/CuO system under zero-bias is also discovered and explained based on the concept of Faradaic junction. This work presents an avenue for the investigation of high-performance Cu2O-based solar energy storage devices.

Abstract Used as high‐performance electrodes, both structural and compositional alterations of carbon materials play very important roles in energy conversion/storage devices. Especially in supercapacitors, hierarchical pores and heteroatom doping in carbon materials are indispensable. Here the rambutan‐like hierarchically porous carbon microspheres (PCMs) have been constructed via a hydrothermal treatment, followed by carbonization/activation. The hierarchically porous microstructure is composed of three‐dimensional porous carbon networks, which give rise to a large surface area. Moreover, N and O functional groups are introduced in the as‐prepared samples, which could generate the extra pseudocapacitance. Benefitting from the interconnected hierarchical and open structure, PCM exhibits outstanding capacitive performance, for example, superior specific capacitance and rate capability (397 and 288 F g−1 at 0.5 and 20 A g−1, respectively), as well as long cycling stability (about 95% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles). These encouraging results may pave an efficient way to fabricate advanced supercapacitors in the future.

Abstract. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, placing an increasing burden on human health. NAFLD is a complex multifactorial disease involving genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors. It is closely associated with metabolic syndrome, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, of which insulin resistance is the main pathophysiological mechanism. Over the past few decades, investigation of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatments has revealed different aspects of NAFLD, challenging the accuracy of definition and therapeutic strategy for the clinical practice. Recently, experts reach a consensus that NAFLD does not reflect the current knowledge, and metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is suggested as a more appropriate term. The new definition puts increased emphasis on the important role of metabolic dysfunction in it. Herein, the shared features and potential changes in epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and pharmacotherapy of the newly defined MAFLD, as compared with the formerly defined NAFLD, are reviewed for updating our understanding.

Advancements in inexpensive, efficient, and durable oxygen reduction catalysts is important for maintaining the sustainable development of fuel cells. Although doping carbon materials with transition metals or heteroatomic doping is inexpensive and enhances the electrocatalytic performance of the catalyst, because the charge distribution on its surface is adjusted, the development of a simple method for the synthesis of doped carbon materials remains challenging. Here, a non-precious-metal tris (Fe/N/F)-doped particulate porous carbon material (21P2-Fe1-850) was synthesized by employing a one-step process, using 2-methylimidazole, polytetrafluoroethylene, and FeCl3 as raw materials. The synthesized catalyst exhibited a good oxygen reduction reaction performance with a half-wave potential of 0.85 V in an alkaline medium (compared with 0.84 V of commercial Pt/C). Moreover, it had better stability and methanol resistance than Pt/C. This was mainly attributed to the effect of the tris (Fe/N/F)-doped carbon material on the morphology and chemical composition of the catalyst, thereby enhancing the catalyst’s oxygen reduction reaction properties. This work provides a versatile method for the gentle and rapid synthesis of highly electronegative heteroatoms and transition metal co-doped carbon materials.

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a kind of porous coordination polymer supported by organic ligands with metal ions as connection points. They have a controlled structure and porosity and a significant specific surface area, and can be used as functional linkers or sacrificial templates. However, long diffusion pathways, low conductivity, low cycling stability, and the presence of few exposed active sites limit the direct application of MOFs in energy storage applications. The targeted design of MOFs has the potential to overcome these limitations. This study proposes a facile method to grow and immobilize MOFs on layered double hydroxides through an in situ design. The proposed method imparts not only enhanced conductivity and cycling stability, but also provides additional active sites with excellent specific capacitance properties due to the interconnectivity of MOF nanoparticles and layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets. Due to this favorable heterojunction hook, the NiMo-LDH@NiCo-MOF composite exhibits a large specific capacitance of 1536 F·g−1 at 1 A·g−1. In addition, the assembled NiMo-LDH@NiCo-MOF//AC asymmetric supercapacitor can achieve a high-energy density value of 60.2 Wh·kg−1 at a power density of 797 W·kg−1, indicating promising applications.

Background: Obesity is associated with the development and progression of c hronic kidney disease. Emerging evidence suggests that glucagon-like p eptide-1 receptor agonist could reduce renal damage and albuminuria. Sirtuin 1 (S IRT1) was considered as a crucial regulator in metabolism-related kidney disease. He rein, the role of SIRT1 in liraglutide-ameliorated high-fat diet (HFD)-induced kidney injury was illustrated. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were fed HFD for 20 weeks to induce kidney injury that was then treated with liraglutide for 8 weeks to estimate its prote ctive effect on the kidney. Also, the mechanism of the drug in SV40 MES 13 (SV40) mouse mes angial cells was elucidated. Results: Liraglutide treatment ameliorated HFD-induced metabolic disorders, including hyperglycemia, increasing body weight, and insulin resistance. In addition, kidney weight, urine albumin-to-creatinine, and kidney morphological changes such as vacuolated tubules, glomerulomegaly, thickened glomerular basement membrane, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis were also significantly ameliorated. Furthermore, apoptotic cells and apoptosis markers were downregulated in the kidney of liraglutide-treated mice. In addition, the expression of SIRT1 protein was upregula ted, whereas thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), which serves as a mediator of oxid ative stress and apoptosis in metabolism disease, was downregulated by liraglutide. In SV4 0 cells, the effect of liraglutide on reversing the upregulation of cleaved caspase-3 induced by high glucose (30 mM) was hampered when SIRT1 was knocked down; also, the dow nregulation of TXNIP by liraglutide was blocked. Conclusions: Liraglutide might have a beneficial effect on metabolism-relate d kidney damage by inhibiting apoptosis via activation of SIRT1 and supp ression of TXNIP pathway.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a global epidemic nowadays. Although the pathogenesis of NAFLD remains to be uncovered, it is highly correlated with the changing of environment as other metabolic diseases. Epigenetics is the study on the differences of gene expression not caused by the changes in DNA sequencing. The epigenetics is considered to link the environment factors and the onset and development of NAFLD. As an increasing number of researches on epigenetics have emerged in recent years, our understanding of how epigenetic factors take part in the pathogenesis of NAFLD has been improved. This article reviews the recent studies on important epigenetic factors contributing to the progression of NAFLD including the DNA methylation, modification of histones and non-coding RNAs. It may give us a hint to discover novel diagnosis methods and drug targets for NAFLD.

Abstract This research investigated the viscosity, thermal, thermomechanical, and microstructural properties of potato starch–wheat gluten composite systems with different starch/gluten ratios under mechanical shear and heating conditions. Results showed that the peak, trough, and final viscosities increased with the increase in potato starch fraction. The breakdown and setback values of samples decreased with increasing gluten content, and the endothermic enthalpy showed a similar variation trend. The gelatinization temperature of the samples increased significantly as the gluten proportion increased. Morphological observation showed that the gluten protein was wrapped around potato starch granules and the starch granules have a diluting effect on gluten network. Moreover, gluten formed a water diffusion barrier out of the starch granules, this barrier effect and the competitive hydration between starch and gluten could primarily explain the delayed gelatinization temperatures.

Abstract Background Conventional pharmacologic therapies aim to reduce fluid overload in advanced heart failure (HF) represented by intravenous (IV) loop diuretics (LDs) have sometimes not so efficacious and been reported to have side effects such as unpredictable removal of water and sodium and electrolyte disturbance. It is not certain whether early ultrafiltration (UF) is effective than LDs in relieving edema. Given the weakness of evidence for early UF in patients with fluid overload, recommendations of UF in guidelines is considered as second-line therapy only for patients with refractory congestion, who failed to respond to LD-based strategies. Methods The early continuous ultrafiltration in Chinese patients with congestive heart failure (EUC-CHF) trial is an open-label, registry-based, prospective study, recruiting patients with severe acute decompensated HF who are hospitalized for HF worsening due to overt fluid overload 24 h from hospital admission. Forty patients will be enrolled to two treatment groups (n = 20 for each group). The primary outcomes are the changes of weight loss and dyspnea severity score after treatment, as well as the occurrence of clinically overt major bleeding. Discussion EUC-CHF trial was primarily designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of early UF in patients with acute decompensated HF to reduce volume overload and improve clinical outcome. The trial aims to determine if early UF in acute HF is superior to IV LDs in clinical parameter improvement without adverse events and prevents rehospitalization up to 30 days. Also the trial is expected to establish a scoring system based on Chinese population to guide early UF treatment in appropriate patients. EUC-CHF is one of the first controlled trials tailored to determine the benefit of UF with 24 h from hospital admission. Trial registration www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR1800019556. Registered on 18 November 2018.

This study aimed to assess the effects of the antidiabetic drug Exendin-4 (Exe-4), a GLP-1 receptor agonist, on the response of human endometrial cancer cells to chemotherapy under high glucose (HG) conditions. Cell viability was detected using a cell counting kit (CCK)-8. Cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured by flow cytometry. Gene expression was evaluated by real-time PCR and immunoblotting. The chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin (DDP) dose-dependently inhibited both human endometrial adenocarcinoma Ishikawa and HEC1B cells, a response reversed by HG. Meanwhile, Exe-4 attenuated hyperglycemia’s effect by elevating intracellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and ROS production. Similarly, DDP-induced elevation of intracellular rhodamine123 was attenuated by HG, and Exe-4 reversed HG’s impact. The chemoresistance genes multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) and P-glycoprotein (Pgp) were upregulated. At the same time, topoisomerase II (TOPO II) was downregulated under HG conditions, suggesting HG-induced chemoresistance. Exe-4 did not significantly influence the above genes. DDP downregulated Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL and upregulated Bax, cytosolic cytochrome c, and PARP under normal glucose (NG) versus HG conditions, and Exe-4 attenuated these effects. Upstream of Bax/Bcl, acetylated P53 was upregulated by DDP and downregulated by HG, whose effect was reversed by Exe-4. DPP treatment significantly induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the S phase under NG, and HG reduced these effects. Prolonged exposure to HG induces DDP chemoresistance in human endometrial cancer cells but is alleviated by Exe-4.

Phase change materials (PCMs) are widely used to improve energy utilization efficiency due to their high energy storage capacity. In this study, double-shell microencapsulated PCMs were constructed to resolve the liquid leakage issue and low thermal conductivity of organic PCMs, which also possess high thermal stability and multifunctionality. We used assembly to construct an inorganic–organic double shell for microencapsulate PCMs, which possessed the unprecedented synergetic properties of a cadmium sulfide (CdS) shell and melamine–formaldehyde polymeric shell. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images confirmed the well-designed double-shell structure of the microcapsules, and the CdS was successfully assembled as the second shell on the surface of the polymer shell. The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) showed that the double-shell microcapsules had a high enthalpy of 114.58 J/g, which indicated almost no changes after experiencing 100 thermal cycles, indicating good thermal reliability. The microcapsules also showed good shape stability and antileakage performance, which displayed no shape change and leakage after heating at 60 °C for 30 min. In addition, the photothermal conversion efficiency of the double-shell microcapsules reached 91.3%. Thus, this study may promote the development of microencapsulated PCMs with multifunctionality, offering considerable application prospects in intelligent temperature management for smart textiles and wearable electronic devices in combination with their solar thermal energy conversion and storage performance.

Porous carbon materials derived from waste biomass have received broad interest in supercapacitor research due to their high specific surface area, good electrical conductivity, and excellent electrochemical performance. In this work, Momordica grosvenori shell-derived porous carbons (MGCs) were synthesized by high-temperature carbonization and subsequent activation by potassium hydroxide (KOH). As a supercapacitor electrode, the optimized MGCs-2 sample exhibits superior electrochemical performance. For example, a high specific capacitance of 367 F∙g−1 is achieved at 0.5 A∙g−1. Even at 20 A∙g−1, more than 260 F∙g−1 can be retained. Moreover, it also reveals favorable cycling stability (more than 96% of capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 5 A∙g−1). These results demonstrate that porous carbon materials derived from Momordica grosvenori shells are one of the most promising electrode candidate materials for practical use in the fields of electrochemical energy storage and conversion.

In this work, three additives BiOX (BiOI, BiOBr, and BiOF) for Al-H2O reaction have been synthesized using chemical methods. SEM analysis shows that the structure of BiOF is nanoparticles, while BiOBr and BiOI have flower-like structures composed of nanosheets. Then, Al-BiOI, Al-BiOBr, and Al-BiOF composites have been prepared using the ball milling method. The effect of halogen ions on the performance of hydrogen generation from Al hydrolysis has been explored. The results indicate that the conversion yields of Al-BiOBr, Al-BiOI, and Al-BiOF for hydrogen generation are 96.3%, 95.3%, and 8.9%, respectively. In particular, the maximum hydrogen generation rate (MHGR) of Al-BiOI is as high as 3451.8 mL g−1 min−1, eight times higher than that of Al-BiOBr. Furthermore, the influence rule of BiOX (X = F, Cl, Br, and I) on Al-H2O reaction has been studied using density functional theory. The results illustrate that HI can be more easily adsorbed on the Al surface as compared with HF, HCl, and HBr. Meanwhile, the bond length between halogen ions and the Al atom increased in the order of F−, Cl−, Br−, and I−. Therefore, the dissociation of I− from the Al surface becomes easier and will expose more active sites to enhance the reaction activity of Al. In summary, the BiOI has the most favorable performance to Al-H2O reaction.

To effectively utilize coal gangue (CG) with low Al/Si ratio, the thermal activation method was used. The activated CG, as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), was added into ordinary Portland cement (OPC) to study its physical properties. The XRD results show that CG undergoes a phase transition from kaolinite to metakaolinite during activation. The NMR tests reveal that the low polymerization state Q3 is continuously broadened, and the Al coordination gradually changes from Al VI to Al V and Al IV. The CG particles are scale-like and glassy with a loose structure. By mixing the activated CG (under 800 °C) with cement (mass ratio = 3:7), the water demand of normal consistency increases by 7.2% and the initial and final setting times extend by 67 min and 81 min, respectively. The rough surface and loose structure of activated CG are the main factors contributing to the higher water demand of normal consistency. The micro-aggregate effect of the activated CG reduces the contact rate between the cement particles and water, and the interparticles, thus slowing down the process of hydration reaction, and leading to longer setting times.

Regenerative endodontic procedures using autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can improve the biologic outcome of treatment. However, its mechanism of action on improving pulp regeneration is not fully elucidated. Autophagy was recently shown to be related to tissue repair and osteogenesis. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of PRP in dental pulp regeneration and to elucidate the role of autophagy involved in this process. Human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) were isolated from healthy dental pulp and co-cultured with an increasing concentration of PRP. Cellular migration and proliferation were determined by scratch assay, transwell assay, and cell-counting kit 8 assay. Osteogenic differentiation was clarified by using alkaline phosphatase staining, alizarin red staining, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to measure the gene expression levels of alkaline phosphatase, collagen-1, osteocalcin, dentin matrix protein 1, and dentin sialophosphoprotein. Autophagic bodies were observed by transmission electron microscopy and the expression of autophagy marker light chain 3B (LC3B) was determined by immunofluorescence staining. The mRNA and protein expression level of LC3B and Beclin-1 were quantified by qRT-PCR and western blotting. The effect of PRP on cellular migration, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation was further investigated in the milieu of autophagy activator, rapamycin, and inhibitor, 3-methyladenine. Results showed that PRP promoted cell migration, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation. Autophagic bodies were strongly activated and the expression level of LC3B and Beclin-1 was significantly promoted by PRP. Autophagy inhibition suppressed PRP-induced hDPCs migration, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation, whereas autophagy activator substantially augmented PRP-stimulated migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Taken together, these findings suggested that PRP could effectively promote regenerative potentials associated with autophagy.

Metformin is the first-line anti-diabetic drug for type 2 diabetes. It has been found to significantly reduce liver aminotransferase in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, whether metformin improves NAFLD progression remains controversial. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), an NAD+-dependent deacetylase, plays a vital role in hepatic steatosis and inflammation. Here, we investigated the effect of metformin on steatohepatitis and the role of SIRT1 in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. The results showed that metformin significantly reduced body weight and fat mass of DIO mice. In addition, metformin also alleviated adiposity and hepatic steatosis, and greatly upregulated uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in adipose tissues of DIO mice. Unexpectedly, the effects of metformin on reducing body weight and alleviating hepatic steatosis were not impaired in Sirt1 heterozygous knockout (Sirt1+/−) mice. However, SIRT1-deficiency remarkably impaired the effects of metformin on lowering serum transaminases levels, downregulating the mRNA expression of proinflammatory factors, and increasing the protein level of hepatic Cholesterol 25-Hydroxylase (CH25H), a cholesterol hydroxylase in cholesterol catabolism. In summary, we demonstrated that metformin alleviates steatohepatitis in a SIRT1-dependent manner, and modulation of M1 polarization and cholesterol metabolism may be the underlying mechanism.

Abstract Rational structure design is a successful approach to develop high‐performance composite solid electrolytes (CSEs) for solid‐state Li metal batteries. Herein, a novel CSE membrane is proposed, that consists of interwoven garnet/polyethylene oxide‐Li bis(trifluoromethylsulphonyl)imide (LLZO/PEO‐LiTFSI) microfibers. This CSE exhibits high Li‐ion conductivity and exceptional Li dendrite suppression capability, which can be attributed to the uniform LLZO dispersion in PEO‐LiTFSI and the vertical/horizontal anisotropic Li‐ion conduction in the CSE. The uniform LLZO particles can generate large interaction regions between LLZO and PEO‐LiTFSI, which thus form continuous Li‐ion transfer pathways, retard the interfacial side reactions and strengthen the deformation resistance. More importantly, the anisotropic Li‐ion conduction, that is, Li‐ion transfers much faster along the microfibers than across the microfibers, can effectively homogenize the electric field distribution in the CSE during cycling, which thus prevents the excessive concentration of Li‐ion flux. Finally, solid‐state Li||LiFePO4 cells based on this CSE show excellent electrochemical performances. This work enriches the structure design strategy of high‐performance CSEs and may be helpful for further pushing the solid‐state Li metal batteries towards practical applications.

Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is considered a good candidate for hydrogen generation from hydrolysis because of its high hydrogen storage capacity (10.8 wt%) and environmentally friendly hydrolysis products. However, due to its sluggish hydrogen generation (HG) rate in the water, it usually needs an efficient catalyst to enhance the HG rate. In this work, graphene oxide (GO)-modified Co-B-P catalysts were obtained using a chemical in situ reduction method. The structure and composition of the as-prepared catalysts were characterized, and the catalytic performance for NaBH4 hydrolysis was measured as well. The results show that the as-prepared catalyst with a GO content of 75 mg (Co-B-P/75rGO) exhibited an optimal catalytic efficiency with an HG rate of 12087.8 mL min−1 g−1 at 25 °C, far better than majority of the findings that have been reported. The catalyst had a good stability with 88.9% of the initial catalytic efficiency following 10 cycles. In addition, Co-, B-, and P-modified graphene showed a synergistic effect improving the kinetics and thermodynamics of NaBH4 hydrolysis with a lower activation energy of 28.64 kJ mol−1. These results reveal that the GO-modified Co-B-P catalyst has good potential for borohydride hydrolysis applications.

Sodium borohydride (NaBH4), with a high theoretical hydrogen content (10.8 wt%) and safe characteristics, has been widely employed to produce hydrogen based on hydrolysis reactions. In this work, a porous titanium oxide cage (PTOC) has been synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method using NH2-MIL-125 as the template and L-alanine as the coordination agent. Due to the evenly distributed PtNi alloy particles with more catalytically active sites, and the synergistic effect between the PTOC and PtNi alloy particles, the PtNi/PTOC catalyst presents a high hydrogen generation rate (10,164.3 mL∙min−1∙g−1) and low activation energy (28.7 kJ∙mol−1). Furthermore, the robust porous structure of PTOC effectively suppresses the agglomeration issue; thus, the PtNi/PTOC catalyst retains 87.8% of the initial catalytic activity after eight cycles. These results indicate that the PtNi/PTOC catalyst has broad applications for the hydrolysis of borohydride.

Background: As the inflammatory regulators, Resistin-like molecule β (RELMβ) and Resistin might be potential biomarkers of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), while thrombocytopenia is often related to the severity of NEC, clinical observation suggests that thrombocytopenia might be an early biomarker of NEC. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether RELMβ, Resistin and thrombocytopenia could be biomarkers for early diagnosis of NEC in preterm infants. Methods: From January 2016 to March 2018, twenty-nine NEC preterm infants who were diagnosed with NEC (Bell's stage ≥Ⅱ) by two independent neonatologists and twenty-nine non NEC preterm infants at neonatal intensive care unit in our hospital were enrolled in this case-control study. Preterm infants with a history of serious infections (sepsis, pneumonia), asphyxia, and congenital malformations were excluded from the study. The plasma RELMβ and Resistin were evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and serum platelet levels were measured directly by ordinary light microscope at the diagnosis of NEC (Bell's stage ≥Ⅱ). Results: Plasma RELMβ levels in NEC group were significantly higher than control group (P 0.05). If platelet level was less than 157 × 109/L, the sensitivity and specificity were 69.34% and 82.87%, respectively. Interestingly, the combination of RELMβ and thrombocytopenia increased sensitivity and specificity to 82.89% and 93.21%, respectively. Conclusion: The combination of RELMβ and thrombocytopenia was a reliable biomarker for the early diagnosis of NEC in this study with 82.89% sensitivity and 93.21% specificity, respectively. Key Words: necrotizing enterocolitis, preterm infants, resistin, resistin-like molecule β, thrombocytopenia

Abstract Stem cell transplantation (SCT) has become a promising way to treat ischemic heart failure (IHF). We performed a large-scale meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials to investigate the efficacy and safety of SCT in IHF patients. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving stem cell transplantation for the treatment of IHF were identified by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, SpringerLink, Web of Science, and Cochrane Systematic Review databases as well as from reviews and the reference lists of relevant articles. Fourteen eligible randomized controlled trials were included in this study, for a total of 669 IHF patients, of which 380 patients were treated with SCT. The weighted mean difference (WMD) was calculated for changes in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (LVEDV and LVESV), and Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) angina grade using a fixed effects model, while relative risk (RR) was used for mortality. Compared with the control group, SCT significantly lowered the NYHA class (MD = − 0.73, 95% CI − 1.32 to − 0.14, P 0.05) and mortality (RR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.66, P > 0.05) did not differ between the two groups. This meta-analysis suggests that SCT may contribute to the improvement of LVEF, as well as the reduction of the NYHA class, CCS grade, and LVESV. In addition, SCT does not affect mortality.

Abstract Background Human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) are an important source of cells for regenerative medicine. Evidence of extensive interactions with the surrounding microenvironment has led researchers to focus more on hADSCs as activating agents of regenerative pathways, rather than simply replacing damaged cells. Several studies have found that functional miRNAs can be packaged into exosomes and transferred from donor cells into recipient cells, indicating that transported miRNAs may be a new class of cell-to-cell regulatory species. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the exosome-derived miRNAs secreted by hADSCs are capable of influencing angiogenesis, a key step in tissue regeneration. Methods Exosomes were purified from hADSCs followed by the characterization of their phenotype and angiogenic potential in vitro. RNA sequencing was performed to detect the miRNAs that were enriched in the hADSC-derived exosomes. A miRNA-mimic experiment was used to detect the key miRNAs in the proangiogenic activity of hADSC-derived exosomes. Results Exosomes isolated from hADSCs were characterized as round membrane vesicles with a size of approximately 100 nm and were positive for CD9 and flotillin. The exosomes were internalized by primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and stimulated HUVEC proliferation and migration. Remarkably, the exosomes promoted vessel-like formation by HUVECs in a dose-dependent manner, and their maximum activity (10 μg/mL) was comparable with that of 5% FBS. The RNA-seq bioinformatics analysis predicted 1119 gene targets of the top 30 exosomal miRNAs in Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and the pathway involved in the angiogenesis was among the top KEGG pathways. Moreover, intact miR-423-5p was further demonstrated to be transferred into HUVECs via exosomes and to exert its angiogenic function by targeting Sufu. Conclusions Exosomal miR-423-5p mediated the proangiogenic activity of hADSCs by targeting Sufu, which may contribute to the exploitation of exosomes from hADSCs as a therapeutic tool for regenerative medicine.