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To study the sharing behavior of private charging piles of electric vehicles, an asymmetric evolutionary game model is constructed based on the formation of respective investment costs and benefits of charging service operators and private charging pile owners; and considering the interactive factors such as the investment scale of shared charging platform construction and the number of private charging piles participating in sharing, this study explores the evolution process of value co-creation between the two parties in the private pile sharing mode, analyzes the evolution mechanism of their respective strategy choices, and explains the impact of sudden variable interference such as investment scale, sharing quantity, marginal cost, and income on the evolution results. The simulation results show that (1) the spillover effect of value co-creation between operators and private pile owners is the fundamental reason affecting the strategic choice of both sides. The initial willingness of both sides to cooperate will affect the evolution path of value co-creation, and the evolution speed of operators is the fastest; (2) under certain conditions, there is an optimal investment scale for both shared charging platform and the private pile, but the increase of marginal cost of both sides will lead to the dilemma of value co-creation, and the marginal cost of operation platform has a greater impact on value co-creation than the private pile; and (3) there is an optimal bearing quantity in the number of shared private piles, and the ratio of marginal cost to income is the key factor affecting value co-creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoFe/N-doped mesoporous carbon hybrids are synthesized by a simple pyrolysis of Prussian blue analogue (PBA) and melamine, in which the structure is rationally designed by controlling the weight ratio of PBA/melamine and annealing temperature. By applying the composite as the cathode material for lithium-sulfur batteries, it demonstrates outstanding electrochemical performances including a high reversible capacity (1315 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C), excellent rate capability (724 and 496 mAh g−1 at 2 and 5 C rates, respectively) and superior cycling stability (528 and 367 mAh g−1 at 2 and 5C after 500 cycles, respectively). The synergetic effect of the mesoporous carbon matrix, uniform sized CoFe nanoparticles and N heteroatoms simultaneously contributes to the confinement of sulfur species. The presence of abundant mesopores and micropores can physically confine sulfur species. The formed CoFe-N x moieties can not only improve the electronic conductivity of the as-prepared composites, but also offer highly effective active sites for chemical absorption and catalytic transformation of polysulfides to suppress any shuttle effect. In addition, the mesoporous structure can effectively alleviate the volume changes resulted from charge–discharge process. The strategy developed in this work proposes an alternative way to obtain N-doped mesoporous carbon matrix modified with CoFe nanoparticles for high performance cathode materials of lithium-sulfur batteries. • CoFe/N-doped mesoporous carbon was derived from Prussian blue analogue and melamine. • The CoFe/N-doped carbon composite has abundant mesopores and micropores. • The CoFe-N x moieties could act as active sites to trap and catalyze polysulfides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum sulfide (MoS 2) is considered as a promising catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), originated from its abundant hydrogen evolution active sites. However, the HER performance of MoS 2 is currently hindered by the limited exposed density of the active sites and low conductivity. Herein, we report a facile and scalable electrospinning technique to fabricate 2D MoS 2 nanoplates doped with phosphorus within one-dimensional nitrogen doped-carbon nanofibers (NCNFs-MoS 2 |P) as a highly efficient HER catalyst. The space-confined growth with the presence of NCNFs avoided the stacking and aggregation of the MoS 2 nanoplates, resulting in more exposed edge sites. The introduction of phosphorus atoms further activated the surface of MoS 2 and enhanced the electron transfer. The overpotential of NCNFs-MoS 2 |P reached 98 mV at 10 mA cm−2, exhibiting excellent HER catalytic activity. Besides, almost no decay was observed after the stability test (5000 cycles or 20 h). The density functional calculations (DFT) elucidated that the incorporation of phosphorus atoms significantly improved the electrical conductivity and decreased the H adsorption energy barrier on MoS 2 , leading to a high catalytic performance of NCNFs-MoS 2 |P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Hollow CeO 2 nanospheres coated with graphitic carbon delivered a high specific capacitance, a high energy/power density, excellent rate capability and long cycle life owing to its unique architecture. Highlights • Hollow CeO 2 nanospheres conformally coated with graphitic carbon (H-CeO 2 @GC). • H-CeO 2 @GC delivered 501F∙g−1 at 1 A∙g−1 and retained 85% capacitance at 15 A∙g−1. • H-CeO 2 @GC delivered a high energy density with a high power density. • H-CeO 2 @GC exhibited an excellent cycling stability. Abstract Electrode material is essential for supercapacitors which are an important energy storage device that can deliver high power. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of hollow CeO 2 nanospheres conformally coated with graphitic carbon (H-CeO 2 @GC) via a facile hydrothermal method as a kind of electrode materials of supercapacitors. The as-prepared H-CeO 2 @GC hollow spheres presented a high specific surface area (153 m2∙g−1), a well-defined hollow structure (a monodisperse size of ∼260 nm with inner diameter of ∼200 nm and shell thickness of ∼30 nm), and nanocrystals of CeO 2 (∼10 nm) conformally encapsulated in ultra-thin graphitic carbon layers. When applied in supercapacitors, the H-CeO 2 @GC hollow spheres delivered a high specific capacitance of 501 F∙g−1 at a current density of 1 A∙g−1, a high energy/power density, excellent rate capability and long cycle life owing to its unique architecture. In particular, an energy density of 17.2 Wh∙kg−1 with a power density of 2600 W∙kg−1 was achieved. The supercapacitors retained 85% of the specific capacitance (refer to 1 A∙g−1) even at a high current density of 15 A∙g−1 and exhibited excellent cycling stability with 93% of the capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 10 A∙g−1. This work offers a new approach to developing high-performance supercapacitors using the strategy of combining hollow nanosphere architecture and conductive graphitic carbon nanocoating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical outcome of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has improved dramatically since the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib mesylate (IM). However, approximately 20-30% of patients experience IM resistance. SH-4-54, which targets the SH2 domains of both proteins STAT3 and STAT5, has been reported to exhibit anticancer activity in solid tumors. However, the roles of SH-4-54 in CML remain unclear. The aim was to explore whether SH-4-54 could overcome IM resistance and identify novel targets for CML. Cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assays after treatment of K562 and K562R cells with different concentrations of SH-4-54. Annexin V-FITC and PI were applied to assess the effects of SH-4-54 on cell apoptosis. Effects of SH-4-54 on the expression of proteins downstream of BCR::ABL1 were assessed by western blotting (WB). Effects of SH-4-54 on gene expression profile of CML cells were analyzed by Next generation sequence (NGS). SH-4-54 inhibited the growth of CML cell lines with increasing concentration. SH-4-54 cytotoxic effects correlated with a significant induction of apoptosis. The results of WB analysis showed the downstream proteins of BCR::ABL1, such as STAT3 and STAT5, decreased after SH-4-54 treatment; moreover, the phosphorylation of both proteins were inhibited in dose-dependent manner. Using NGS, we obtained Mrna expression profiles in SH-4-54 treated K562 and K562R cells and identified differentially expressed mRNAs. Among these, STAT3 and STAT5 were markedly downregulated. SH-4-54 may overcome IM resistance and represent a promising novel approach to improve the outcome of CML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macromolecular antioxidant due to its low physical loss, high thermal stability, and good compatibility has been considered to be a promising candidate to inhibit polymer aging. In this study, thermo-oxidative aging resistance and antioxidative mechanism of a macromolecular hindered phenol antioxidant, namely, polyhydroxylated polybutadiene containing thioether binding 2, 2'-thiobis (4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol) (PHPBT-b-TPH) for natural rubber (NR) vulcanízate was studied in detail by oxidation induction time and accelerated thermal aging tests. The results showed that the antioxidative efficiency of PHPBT-b-TPH was very high. When the amount of PHPBT-b-TPH was only 1 phr, the NR vulcanizate could exhibit excellent thermo-oxidative aging resistance, obviously higher than that of NR vulcanizate with low-molecular-weight antioxidant TPH. After aged at 100°C for 168 h, the retentions of tensile strength and elongation at break of NR vulcanizate with PHPBT-b-TPH were 43.6% and 58.6%, respectively. However, those of NR vulcanizate with TPH were 35.6% and 54.5%. In addition, it was found that both thioether and urethane groups in PHPBT-b-TPH had antioxidative ability and had synergistic effect with hindered phenol. Through our findings, new strategy to design and synthesize the macromolecular antioxidant with multi-antioxidative groups for rubber materials and other polymer materials could be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable self-reinforcement organic filler, which does not contribute to environmental pollution, has been realized in the rubber industry as an alternative to modifying inorganic fillers with coupling agents or preparing rubber fillers, such as carbon black, with petrochemical products that cause environmental problems. In this work, tannic acid (TA), the world's third largest class of plant components that are easily available, is used as a self-reinforcing organic filler to prepare nitrile–butadiene rubber/TA (NBR/T) composites. Results show that TA can melt partially under vulcanization to assemble a weak interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structure by hydrogen bonds under cooling, which is responsible for the dramatic increase in the mechanical and flexible properties of NBR/T composites even at low TA dosage. This finding provides a new perspective in preparing high-performance and sustainable rubber composites without sacrificing fossil fuels or non-renewable environmental resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] TiO2 nanobelts decorated with Bi2WO6 nanocrystals have been prepared. [•] The introduction of Bi2WO6 nanocrystals can induce red-shift of absorption edge. [•] The Bi2WO6/TiO2 composites show higher photocatalytic activity than TiO2 nanobelts. [•] The Bi2WO6/TiO2 composites have long-time recyclable ability of photodegradation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel macromolecular hindered phenol antioxidant with high antioxidative efficiency, polyhydroxylated polybutadiene (PHPB)-bound 2, 2′-thiobis (4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol) (PHPB-b-TPH), was prepared by binding 2, 2′-thiobis (4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol) (TPH) onto PHPB with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), using dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) as catalyst, via a two-step nucleophilic addition reaction. The PHPB was first synthesized from hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and 2-mercaptoethanol via a thiol-ene click reaction. The PHPB-b-TPH was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), andthermal gravimetric analysis(TGA). The thermo-oxidative aging resistance of natural rubber (NR) with PHPB-b-TPH was evaluated by an accelerated thermal aging test and the oxidation induction time (OIT). The results showed that the −OH groups of PHPB first reacted with highly active secondary −NCO groups of IPDI at 35°C to form the adduct PHPB-NCO, and the PHPB-b-TPH was successfully obtained by one of the phenolic −OH in TPH reacting with the primary −NCO groups of PHPB-NCO at 70°C. The PHPB-b-TPH had better thermal stability and thermo-oxidative aging resistance for NR than TPH. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recently, the membrane separation materials show promising applications in the fields of crude oil removal because of their low energy consumption and less secondary pollution. However, the membrane separation materials suffer problem of low separation efficiency due to the high viscosity of crude oil. Here, a superhydrophobic material with Joule heat and photothermal effect was prepared by decorating the delignified wood with reduced graphene oxide (GSH) and vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (V-PDMS) through thiol-ene click reaction. The prepared PDMS@GSH wood exhibited stable superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 156°. Meanwhile, the GSH layer provided promising electrothermal effect that endowed the PDMS@GSH wood with excellent crude oil/water separation capability under the Joule heat with a surface temperature of 139 °C and separation rate of 1.78 × 105 kg m−3 h−1. Besides, the PDMS@GSH wood displayed a good photothermal effect that assisted with the Joule heat to heat the wood for crude oil removal to save energy. More importantly, the PDMS was crosslinked with GSH on the wood via thiol-ene click reaction, leading to the stable superhydrophobicity and electrical conductivity in strong acid or alkali environment. This material has broad application prospects in crude oil clean-up due to its high separation speed and easy large-scale production. [Display omitted] • A new strategy for fabricating superhydrophobic wood with heating property is proposed. • The wood presents stable superhydrophobicity and electrical conductivity. • The wood shows excellent Joule heat and photothermal effect. • The wood exhibits high separation rate for viscous crude oil wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyhydroxylated polybutadiene (PHPB) was synthesized via a thiol-ene click reaction between hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) with 2,2’-azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. Effects of AIBN content, reaction time and temperature on the click reaction were investigated by determining hydroxyl value of the PHPB. The PHPB was characterized by FT-IR,1H-NMR,13C-NMR and GPC. Relative reactivity of three types of C˭C double bonds (1,2-vinyl, 1,4-cis and 1,4-trans units) in the HTPB reacting with the ME was discussed. The results showed that the optimal reaction conditions were that the AIBN content, reaction time and temperature were 2.0 wt%, 180 min and 70°C, respectively. Under these conditions, the hydroxyl value of the PHPB was 3.12 mmol·g−1when the HTPB/ME mass ratio was 10:2. All three types of C˭C double bonds in the HTPB could react with the ME and the reactivity order was: 1,2-vinyl unit > 1,4-cis unit > 1,4-trans unit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] Different water dosages can produce silver nanoparticles with controllable shapes. [•] Granule-like silver nanoparticles possess relatively high absorption. [•] Plate-like particles have relatively high transmittance. [•] Silver nanoparticles with different shapes show selective SERS enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of ultraviolet (UV) curable waterborne polyurethane-acrylate (WPUA) with different average functionalities were synthesized in new methods. The chemical structures of WPUA were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and the effect of average functionality on properties of WPUA was systemically investigated. It was found that the average functionality had a positive effect on the water resistance and tensile strength of WPUA, to make optimal formation of WPUA molecule chains available, whereas the increasing of average functionality decreased the viscosity and extension of WPUA samples. Besides, through the investigation on the UV curing kinetics, it was found that the average functionality too high or too low was unfavorable for the increase of unsaturation conversion. The morphology and microstructure of WPUA films were also comprehensively discussed with WAXD patterns and fractured surface observed from SEM images. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) templated mesoporous indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on quartz plates by an evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process using a dip coating method. The starting solution was prepared by mixing indium chloride, tin chloride, and CTAB dissolved in ethanol. Five to fifty mole percent Sn-doped ITO films were prepared by heat-treatment at 400°C for 5h. The structural, adsorptive, electrical, and optical properties of mesoporous ITO thin films were investigated. Results indicate that the mesoporous ITO thin films have an ordered two-dimensional hexagonal (p6mm) structure, with nanocrystalline domains in the inorganic oxide framework. The continuous thin films have highly ordered pore sizes (>20Å), high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area up to 340m2/g, large pore volume (>0.21cm3/g), outstanding transparency in the visible range (>80%), and show a minimum resistivity of ρ =1.2×10−2 Ωcm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of continuous, crack-free, highly ordered amino-functionalized mesoporous silica thin films have been directly synthesized by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) in the presence of cationic CH3(CH2)15N+(CH3)3Br− (CTAB), nonionic C16H33(OCH2CH2)10OH (Brij-56) or triblock copolymer H(OCH2CH2)20(OCH(CH3)CH2)70(OCH2CH2)20)OH (P123) surfactant species under acidic conditions by sol–gel dip-coating. The molar ration of APTES/(TEOS+APTES) in the starting sol attains a value of 0.4. The effect of the sol aging on the mesostructure of thin films is systematically studied, and the optimal sol aging time is obtained for different surfactant systems. The amino-functionalized mesoporous silica thin films exhibit long-range ordering of 2D hexagonal (p6mm) and 3D cubic (Fm3m) pore arrays of size range from 2.2 to 8.3nm following surfactants extraction as demonstrated by XRD, TEM and physical adsorption techniques. Based on BET surface area and weight loss, the surface coverage of amino-groups for thin films prepared using different surfactants is calculated to be 3.2 and above amino-groups per nm2, which is very useful and promising for incorporating inorganic ions and biomolecules into these mesoporous silica materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on the scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations, it is confirmed that the nacre is composed of aragonite crystals and organic matrix with interlaced arrangement, showing ordered "brick-mortar" structure. The dynamic analysis of preferential orientation of aragonite crystals in the nacre from the abalone (Haliotis diverscolor supertexta) with different shell ages is systematically investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). Experiments reveal that, in the nacre from the juvenile mollusk shell, there exist three kinds of orientations of aragonite crystals: (113), (002) and (012). However, along with the growing of the mollusk shell, the intensity of (012) and (113) becomes weak, and the (002) becomes the preferred crystal orientation of aragonite in the nacre from the adult mollusk shell, which means that the c axis of aragonite crystals is perpendicular to the nacreous layers. The results obtained show that the nacre possesses a highly ordered structure at the micrometer/nanometer multiscale levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) templated mesoporous silica thin films were deposited on glass slides by evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process using a dip-coating method. The effects of sol aging on the mesophase structure of the thin films organization were investigated. Identification of the structures was accomplished by coupling X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) investigations, and corresponding sol was characterized by 29Si solution state nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si NMR) and UV–Vis spectrophotometer for studying the mesophase structure evolution. Results indicate that sol aging has great effects on the mesophase structure of the films organization, which includes degree of order and phase transformation of mesoporous silica thin films. To obtain a better understanding of the effects of sol aging on the mesophase structure, the theories of apparent mass fractal dimension and charge density matching were introduced to explain the self-assembly process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • A controllable hydrophilic/superhydrophobic patterned coating is reported. • The superhydrophobic pattern presents rough ridge-like microstructures and opaque state. • The hydrophilic pattern exhibits water-triggered opaque to translucent transition. • The patterned coating is successfully applied in optical information encryption/decryption. • The information revealing demonstrates long-term stability and great reusability. Anti-counterfeiting technologies are crucial for securing the authenticity and proof of commodities, in which the optical information encryption/decryption has attracted extensive attention for its overriding advantages of visibility and convenience. Inspired by the unique transparency transformation phenomenon of Diphylleia grayi petals, a controllable hydrophilic/superhydrophobic patterned coating with water-triggered opaque to translucent transition is proposed through the construction of a superhydrophobic coating, subsequent air plasma etching under a mask, and final hydrophilic modification to introduce stable invisible patterns. The superhydrophobic region exhibits great water repellency with a water contact angle (WCA) at 157°, while the hydrophilic region quickly absorbs water with a WCA at 61°. The patterned coating presents an opaque state for the serious light scattering induced by the rough microstructure and large refractive index difference between the coating and air, while the hydrophilic patterns on the coating transform to translucent after water infiltration for the reduced roughness and close refractive indexes of the coating and water. The information revealing is rapid and reversible, and demonstrates heat and long-term stability and great reusability. The findings conceivably stand out as a new methodology to fabricate controllable superwettable coatings with optical information encryption/decryption capability for application in anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection, monitoring and estimation of bioaerosol concentration have become increasingly important for several reasons, particularly for environmental quality monitoring and public health concerns on these materials. Bioaerosol concentration is highly variable and noisy, influenced by many factors including meteorological parameters. Directly predicting bioaerosol concentration with noisy data gives erroneous results. As such, we developed a facile approach to forecast bioaerosol concentration using the Wavelet De-noising-based Back Propagation (WDBP) neural network model. We used meteorological data for Changsha gathered from 1 November 2018 to 1 April 2019 to demonstrate the efficiency of WDBP neural network in forecasting atmospheric bioaerosol concentration. The superiority of the new approach over the single Back Propagation (BP) neural network was also validated using real dataset. Overall, the performance of WDBP neural network was satisfactory, underlying potential practical application of the method in forecasting bioaerosol concentration. This work provides a prospective model, useful in monitoring environmental quality and atmospheric bio-threats to public health. Copyright © 2020 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, Sporosarcina pasteurii (S. pasteurii) has become one of the most popular bacteria in microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). Various applications have been developed based on the efficient urease that can induce the precipitation of calcium carbonate. However, the metabolic mechanism related to biomineralization of S. pasteurii has not been clearly elucidated. The process of bacterial culture and biomineralization consumes a large amount of urea or ammonium salts, which are usually used as agricultural fertilizers, not to mention probable environmental pollutions caused by the excessive use of these raw materials. Therefore, it is urgent to reveal the mechanism of nitrogen utilization and metabolism of S. pasteurii. In this paper, we compared the growth and gene expression of S. pasteurii under three different culture conditions through transcriptome analyses. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that both ammonium and urea were direct nitrogen sources of S. pasteurii, and the bacteria could not grow normally in the absence of ammonium or urea. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first one to reveal the nitrogen utilization mechanism of S. pasteurii through transcriptome methods. Furthermore, the presence of ammonium might promote the synthesis of intracellular ATP and enhance the motility of the bacteria. There should be an ATP synthesis mechanism associated with urea hydrolysis catalyzed by urease in S. pasteurii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rather than preventing the dissolution and diffusion of polysulfides, promoting polysulfide conversion through improved polysulfide redox is another promising strategy to suppress the dissolution of polysulfides and enhance the cycle life of sulfur cathodes. We demonstrated that VO 2 -rGO not only facilities liquid-involving polysulfide redox (Li 2 S 8 →Li 2 S 6 →Li 2 S 4), but also promotes the effective decompositions of lithium sulfide (Li 2 S). As evidenced by the visual experiments and DFT calculation, VO 2 -rGO has strong affinity for polysulfides species. With sulfur loading of 2.15 mg cm−2 and sulfur content of 76 wt%, the reversible capacity retained at 896 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles. • Highly porous structure is generated after VO 2 nanorods are embedded in rGO. • VO 2 can efficiently promote the phase transformation of polysulfide. • This electrode can last for 200 cycles with reversible capacity of 896 mAh g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacterial small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) have emerged as important elements in diverse physiological processes, including growth, development, cell proliferation, differentiation, metabolic reactions and carbon metabolism, and attract great attention. Accurate prediction of sRNAs is important and challenging, and helps to explore functions and mechanism of sRNAs. Results: In this paper, we utilize a variety of sRNA sequence-derived features to develop ensemble learning methods for the sRNA prediction. First, we compile a balanced dataset and four imbalanced datasets. Then, we investigate various sRNA sequence-derived features, such as spectrum profile, mismatch profile, reverse compliment k-mer and pseudo nucleotide composition. Finally, we consider two ensemble learning strategies to integrate all features for building ensemble learning models for the sRNA prediction. One is the weighted average ensemble method (WAEM), which uses the linear weighted sum of outputs from the individual feature-based predictors to predict sRNAs. The other is the neural network ensemble method (NNEM), which trains a deep neural network by combining diverse features. In the computational experiments, we evaluate our methods on these five datasets by using 5-fold cross validation. WAEM and NNEM can produce better results than existing state-of-the-art sRNA prediction methods. Conclusions: WAEM and NNEM have great potential for the sRNA prediction, and are helpful for understanding the biological mechanism of bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐step conversion of methane to methanol in the gaseous phase is required for high value added application of methane and environmental protection, but it is challenging. Here, direct oxidation of methane to methanol under gaseous condition on iridium promoted Cu/CeO2 catalyst, prepared using a sol‐gel method, is investigated. The addition of iridium can effectively upgrade the redox properties and oxygen storage capacity due to intense metal interaction, stimulating a prominent catalytic performance for methane conversion to methanol on Cu−Ir@CeO2 catalyst. Approximately 26.2 μmol/gcat methanol yield and 68 % methanol selectivity are achieved on the trimetallic 5Cu0.5Ir@CeO2 catalyst at 550 °C in 2 h. Consequences of the analysis of XRD, SEM, HRTEM, Raman, FI‐IR and XPS demonstrate that highly‐dispersed Ir and Cu species are uniformly distributed on CeO2 surface, and partial Cu or Ir atoms replace Ce4+ in CeO2 lattice due to the metal interaction in the colloidal structure, which can impact the catalyst's electronic properties. H2 temperature‐programmed reduction (H2‐TPR) and CH4 temperature‐programmed desorption (CH4‐TPD) results disclose that the unique ternary surface exhibits excellent redox properties and strong adsorption capacity for methane, which can activate the first C−H bond of methane to methyl species, and then react with OH− to form methanol. The good stability in cyclic operation is an additional attribute, rendering this type of catalyst a "front‐runner" in future catalyst development for direct methane‐to‐methanol. This composite catalyst design provides hope for developing ternary metal‐oxide catalysts for functionalization of methane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cristaria plicata, a bivalve widespread in Eastern Asia fresh water, is utilized as the freshwater pearl mussel in China. With a high economic value in pearl production, it is also an ideal object used for the studies on biomineralization in freshwater. In the research, we performed a large-scale sequencing of Cristaria plicata mantle transcriptome using Illumina HiSeq™ 2500, obtaining 98,501 unigenes with 67,817,724 bases. 22.28 and 16.64% of the unigenes were annotated in the NR and Swiss-Prot databases, respectively. Most of the annotated unigenes were homologous with proteins of Crassostrea gigas (47.4%) and some were similar to proteins of Aplysia californica (16.7%). Here, we identified 109 homologous unigenes of 15 decided shell matrix proteins, including nacrein, Pif, perlucin, tyrosinase (Tyr), PfN44, PUSP1, chitinase, shell matrix protein, MSI80, fibronectin type III, AmOxCo, perlwapin, BMSP, PfCHS1 and CaLP. Two other mantle transcriptomes of Pinctada margaritifera and Pinctada fucata were also analyzed to perform a biomineralization protein comparison of the three molluscan transcriptomes. All the three compared mollusks shared four proteins, including nacrein, Pif, Tyr and PfCHS1. It was also discovered that Cristaria plicata shared more biomineralization proteins with Pinctada fucata than that with Pinctada margaritifera. Our study explored a whole draft of mantle transcriptome of freshwater mussel and unraveled genes involved in the formation of shell and pearl, making it possible to identify massive novel biomineralization proteins in mollusks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some cephalopods (squids, octopuses, and cuttlefishes) produce dynamic structural colors, for camouflage or communication. The key to this remarkable capability is one group of specialized cells called iridocytes, which contain aligned membrane-enclosed platelets of high-reflective reflectins and work as intracellular Bragg reflectors. These reflectins have unusual amino acid compositions and sequential properties, which endows them with functional characteristics: an extremely high reflective index among natural proteins and the ability to answer various environmental stimuli. Based on their unique material composition and responsive self-organization properties, the material community has developed an impressive array of reflectin- or iridocyte-inspired optical systems with distinct tunable reflectance according to a series of internal and external factors. More recently, scientists have made creative attempts to engineer mammalian cells to explore the function potentials of reflectin proteins as well as their working mechanism in the cellular environment. Progress in wide scientific areas (biophysics, genomics, gene editing, etc.) brings in new opportunities to better understand reflectins and new approaches to fully utilize them. The work introduced the composition features, biochemical properties, the latest developments, future considerations of reflectins, and their inspiration applications to give newcomers a comprehensive understanding and mutually exchanged knowledge from different communities (e.g., biology and material). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic coatings that effectively prevent viscous oil contamination have been of considerable interest for the great potential in oil spill remediation and oilfield wastewater treatment. In the present work, a protonated cross-linkable nanocomposite coating with robust underwater superoleophobicity and intensified hydration capability is proposed through the synthesis of active polymeric nanocomplex (PNC), cross-linking reaction between PNC and hydrophilic chitosan (CS), and final protonation to further improve water affinity. Benefiting from the hierarchical structure and strong hydration capability induced by electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bondings, the nanocomposite coating coated textile exhibits excellent superhydrophilicity (within 0.28 s with water contact angle reaching 0°), underwater superoleophobicity (underwater crude oil contact angle at 160°), and ultralow oil adhesion even to highly viscous silicone oil. Moreover, the nanocomposite coating presents a robust chemical resistance, mechanical tolerance, and storage stability. Simultaneously, the nanocomposite coating adapts well to various porous substrates (e.g., stainless steel mesh and Ni sponge) with great anti-oil-fouling and self-cleaning performances. Importantly, the coating coated textile is successfully applied in crude oil/water separation with excellent efficiency and repeatability. The findings conceivably stand out as a new methodology to fabricate superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic materials with outstanding anti-viscous oil-fouling property for practically treating oily wastewater. [Display omitted] • A protonated cross-linkable nanocomposite coating with underwater superoleophobicity is reported. • The PPNC-CS coating presents an outstanding hydration capability induced by charges. • The PPNC-CS coating exhibits ultralow oil adhesion even to viscous silicone oil. • The PPNC-CS adapts well to various porous substrates with great anti-oil-fouling performance. • The PPNC-CS coated textile is successfully applied in crude oil/water separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although controlled wrinkling is demonstrated to be a powerful tool for micro/nanofabrication, large‐area fabrication of microarchitecture arrays on curved substrates by surface wrinkling still remains challenging. Inspired by the cortical folding, a facile method for transforming graphene oxide (GO) patterns into multiscale microarchitecture arrays on curved substrates is developed. Mass production of hierarchical GO papillae arrays can be realized by homogeneous compression of patterned GO/rubber bilayers. The reduced GO (rGO) papillae arrays show superhydrophobicity with tunable adhesion to water, enabling good performance in microdroplet manipulation. Besides, the papillae are capable of regulating the formation of microcracks in the rGO films upon stretching. Similar to the mechanical sensing system of spiders, a crack‐based strain sensor with high gauge factor (≈81), good linearity (0–15%), and fast responding speed (<40 ms) is demonstrated. In addition, the strain sensor is capable of detecting and recognizing multiple deformation modes including stretching, poking, and touching. This work reveals novel cortical folding morphology and provides a simple fabrication method for multifunctional hierarchical microarchitectures on curved substrates, which may find applications in biomimetic microstructures, smart wetting surfaces, and wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A glucose biosensor was developed via direct immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD) by self-assembled cysteamine monolayer on Au electrode surface followed by coating chitosan on the surface of electrode. In this work, chitosan film was coated on the surface of GOD as a protection film to ensure the stability and biocompatibility of the constructed glucose biosensor. The different application ranges of sensors were fabricated by immobilizing varied layers of GOD. The modified surface film was characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the fabrication process of the biosensor was confirmed through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of ferrocyanide. The performance of cyclic voltammetry (CV) in the absence and presence of 25mM glucose and ferrocenemethanol showed a diffusion-controlled electrode process and reflected the different maximum currents between the different GOD layers. With the developed glucose biosensor, the detection limits of the two linear responses are 49.96μM and 316.8μM with the sensitivities of 8.91μAmM−1 cm−2 and 2.93μAmM−1 cm−2, respectively. In addition, good stability (up to 30 days) of the developed biosensor was observed. The advantages of this new method for sensors construction was convenient and different width ranges of detection can be obtained by modified varied layers of GOD. The sensor with two layers of enzyme displayed two current linear responses of glucose. The present work provided a simplicity and novelty method for producing biosensors, which may help design enzyme reactors and biosensors in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Natural wood, with its unique porous structure, has been widely modified for separating oil-water mixtures. However, the separation efficiency is often unsatisfactory, and little attention is focused on mitigating secondary pollution after its usable lifespan. Here, a superhydrophobic material consisting of delignified wood coated with titanium dioxide (TiO 2) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was prepared. The resulting PDMS@TiO 2 wood possessed outstanding superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle of 160o. Owing to its longitudinal channels and excellent water repellency, the wood was successfully used to separate oil-water mixtures, with a high permeation flux of up to 6111 L·m−2·h−1 and separation efficiency of up to 93.4%. Importantly, PDMS and other oil pollutants were capable of being largely degraded after use via photocatalysis of the TiO 2 layer, and the degradation reached 8.56 wt% within 30 days. The results from this study provide a method for fabricating functional superhydrophobic wood with photocatalytic degradation ability for efficient oily wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • A new strategy for fabricating superhydrophobic wood with anisotropic porous structure is reported. • The wood presents excellent separation flux in oil-water separation. • The wood exhibits great photocatalytic degradation ability for post-treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A flexible thermoelectric nanocoating with layered heterostructure was constructed. • The nanocoating exhibited accurate detection capability for the temperature rise stage of a fire. • The nanocoating triggered fire-warning within 1.5 s when encountering fire. • The coated polymer materials were difficult to be ignited during burning tests. Thermoelectric materials have attracted considerable interest in the field of fire warning because of the accuracy and repeatability of their thermoelectric effect. Nevertheless, the incompatibility between high thermoelectric efficiency and flexibility restricts their application in flexible electronic materials. Herein, the dilemma was overcome by constructing a flexible thermoelectric nanocoating with layered heterostructure through the co-assembly of thermoelectric graphene (TEG) nanosheets and carboxymethyl cellulose (CCS). Layered heterostructure not only exhibited exceptional flexibility, but also enabled repeatable sensitive thermosensation of the nanocoating. The nanocoating could accurately monitor the temperature rise stage (50–350 ℃) of a fire, and trigger the fire-warning within 1.5 s when encountering flame. Even it was reburned, the nanocoating still triggered the fire-warning within 2.6 s. Besides, the compact layered structure endowed the nanocoating with efficient flame retardancy. The coated polyester film reached a limiting oxygen index of 33.7 % and self-extinguished in vertical burning test. This flexible thermoelectric nanocoating may pave the way toward high fire safety for flexible electronic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nacre is composed of about 95 vol.% aragonite and 5 vol.% biopolymer and famous for its “brick and mortar” microstructure. The phase transition temperature of aragonite in nacre is lower than the pure aragonite.In situXRD was used to identify the phase transition temperature from aragonite to calcite in nacre, based on the analysis of TG-DSC of fresh nacre and demineralized nacre. The results indicate that the microstructure and biopolymer are the two main factors that influence the phase transition temperature of aragonite in nacre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the late phase of ischemic preconditioning is known to be mediated by increased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity, controversy persists regarding the role of iNOS in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and, specifically, whether this protein is protective or detrimental. We hypothesized that iNOS is protective in myocytes but detrimental in inflammatory cells. To test this hypothesis, we created chimeric mice with iNOS-deficient peripheral blood cells by transplanting iNOS knockout (KO) bone marrow in wild-type (WT) mice after lethal irradiation. 2 months later, the mice underwent a 30-min coronary occlusion followed by 24 h of reperfusion. In WT naïve mice (iNOS naïve; group I, n = 17), infarct size was 56.9 ± 2.8% of the risk region. In iNOS KO naïve mice with whole-body iNOS deletion (iNOS naïve; group II, n = 10), infarct size was comparable to group I (53.4 ± 3.5%). When irradiated WT mice received marrow from WT mice (iNOS chimera; group III, n = 10), infarct size was slightly reduced versus group I (44.3 ± 3.2%), indicating that irradiation and/or transplantation slightly decrease I/R injury. However, when WT mice received marrow from iNOS KO mice (iNOS chimera; group IV, n = 14), infarct size was profoundly reduced (22.8 ± 2.1%, P < 0.05 vs. group III), indicating that selective deletion of iNOS from peripheral blood cells (with no change in myocardial iNOS content) induces protection against myocardial infarction. Together with our previous work showing the cardioprotective actions of NO donors, iNOS gene therapy, and cardiac-specific overexpression of iNOS, these data support a complex, dual role of iNOS in myocardial infarction (i.e., protective in myocytes but deleterious in blood cells). To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify a critical role of iNOS in peripheral blood cells as a mediator of myocardial I/R injury. The results support heretofore unknown differential actions of iNOS depending on cell source and have important translational implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The immobilization and electrochemistry of cytochrome c (cyt c) on amino-functionalized mesoporous silica thin films are described. The functionalized silica films with an Im3m cubic phase structure were deposited on conducting ITO substrate by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) in the presence of Pluronic F127 under acidic conditions. The high specific surface area, large pore size and functional inner surface of mesoporous silica thin films result in a high cyt c loading, and the cyt c immobilization on this silicate framework is stable. After adsorption of cyt c, the ordered cubic structure of mesoporous silica and the redox activity of immobilized cyt c are retained as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and cyclic voltammetry. The redox behavior of the cyt c/silica film-modified ITO electrode is a surface-controlled quasi-reversible process for the experimental conditions used in this work and the electron transfer rate constant is calculated is 1.33s−1. The ITO electrode modified by cyt c/silica film possesses a high stability; even cyt c retains its redox activity following immobilization for several months. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic activities of the modified ITO electrode to hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid have been studied. Since these behaviors are quite pronounced, the modified electrode can be used for detection of hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The present study attempts to incorporate acrylate-based polymers into ordered lamellar organic–inorganic nanocomposite thin films composed of alternating Poly(TPGDA)/ITO layers. The films were prepared by dip-coating from a homogeneous solution containing the soluble inorganic metal salts (InCl3·4H2O and SnCl2·2H2O), surfactant, cross-linkers, organic monomers, and initiators, thus leading to composite lamellar nanocomposite materials through evaporation-induced self-assembly method. The final polymer/ITO nanocomposite thin film was obtained by a separate free-radical polymerization step, initiated by UV exposure. Structures and composition of the films were characterized using FTIR, XRD, UV–Vis spectrophotometer and TEM. The results indicated that the films were composed of organic and inorganic layers with orderly interlaced arrangement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The meshes separated water/oil mixture with high separation efficiency and flux. • The meshes showed stable separation flux and better anti-oil fouling property. • The mechanism of anti-fouling pollution property of hydrophilic mesh was proposed. In this study, hydrophilic stainless steel meshes for water/oil separation were successfully prepared through the etching and subsequent modification of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–sodium silicate (Na 2 SiO 3) composite. The effects of the surface structure and component on the wetting behavior, separation efficiency, and separation flux were investigated. The long-term stability and anti-abrasion property were also studied. Furthermore, the separation mechanism of the hydrophilic mesh for water/oil separation was proposed based on investigations of the surface roughness, wetting behavior, separation efficiency, and separation flux. The results revealed that Na 2 SiO 3 and PVA-Na 2 SiO 3 coated meshes exhibit superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity (water contact angle (WCA): <10°, underwater oil contact angle (UOCA): >150°). Most of the prepared meshes could be used for the gravity-driven separation of the water/oil mixture and were characterized by a high separation efficiency (>97.0 %) and a high separation flux (over 1450 L/m2 h). However, during the repetition separation, the superhydrophilic meshes exhibited more stable water films and higher separation fluxes than the other meshes, reflecting the superior anti-oil pollution property of the superhydrophilic meshes. Furthermore, the increase in the roughness of the hydrophobic surface would lead to oil accumulation and growing oil pollution, thereby yielding a considerable decrease in the separation flux after 10-cycle repetition separation. A stable UOCA was obtained for the prepared meshes after abrasion testing. However, compared with the other meshes, the meshes with poor hydrophilicity and a small pore size were more easily polluted by oil and were characterized by lower separation flux during the repetition separation. The results of the mechanism study revealed that the separation efficiency and the separation flux were mainly influenced by the surface roughness, wetting behavior, and water-absorption ability of the surface. Hence, the water film strength was vital for the anti-oil pollution property of the water-removing separation mesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic materials possess prospective applications of oily wastewater treatment due to their high efficiency and easy operation. Nevertheless, most superhydrophobic materials are difficult to separate oil-water emulsion, especially for highly viscous water-in-crude oil emulsion. Herein, a superhydrophobic wood with excellent Joule heat and demulsification was proposed by chemically treating the natural wood and subsequent coating of the carboxyl-modified carbon nanotubes (cCNTs) for providing conductive pathways, polyethylenimide (PEI) for supporting demulsification and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for hydrophobic modification. The fabricated superhydrophobic PDMS@PEI-cCNTs wood displayed a water contact angle of 155o and great compression property with a nearly undamaged structure at a strain of 40 % after 50 compression tests, which could separate and recover oil from the oil-water mixture via absorption-extrusion process. Besides, due to the filtration and electrostatic interaction of the PDMS@PEI-cCNTs wood, the water-in-oil emulsion was demulsified quickly with a separation efficiency greater than 99.7 %. Meanwhile, the PDMS@PEI-cCNTs wood showed a good Joule heat capability, and the surface temperature reached 160 °C at 35 V of voltage within 120 s, which largely reduced the viscosity of water-in-crude oil emulsion. Thus, the PDMS@PEI-cCNTs wood was successful in separating the water-in-crude oil emulsion via Joule heat capability with a separation rate of 4.33 × 104 kg·m−3·h−1 and a separation efficiency of 93.4 %. The material developed in this study has wide range of applications in treating the stable crude oil-water emulsion with high viscosity. [Display omitted] • A new strategy for fabricating superhydrophobic wood for various oil-water emulsions separation is proposed. • The wood presents stable superhydrophobicity and good electrical conductivity. • The wood shows excellent demulsification capability via charge action, absorption and gathering. • The wood exhibits great Joule heat to promote separating viscous water-in-crude oil emulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the crude oil spill has brought inevitable harm to the global ecological environment. Due to the high-viscosity crude oil, it is wise to take advantage of the photothermal/electrothermal effects of the membrane to separate the crude oil from the water. However, the functional separation membrane always suffers from low photothermal/electrothermal effects and poor stability. Herein, the vinyl polyvinylidene fluoride/mercapto carbon nanotubes@vinyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PVDF-a/CNT-s@PDMS) membrane with fast photothermal/electrothermal effects and organic absorption property was successfully prepared by electrospinning and multi-layer loading method. The prepared PVDF-a/CNT-s@PDMS membrane resisted a variety of liquids and had stable superhydrophobicity (WCA = 156°). Furthermore, the membrane maintained superhydrophobicity even suffer from water and milk under the applied voltage condition. After 100 wear resistance tests, the membrane maintained stable superhydrophobicity and the separation rate remained unchanged. The surface temperature of the membrane rapidly approached to the maximum temperature in 30 s, showing a rapid photothermal/electrothermal effects, and the average separation rate of crude oil was 1185 kg m−2 h−1·bar−1. Meanwhile, the membrane exhibited outstanding efficiency for separate immiscible oil-water mixtures. Importantly, the incorporation of the sulfhydryl group enhanced the special ability of the composite membrane to adsorb organic dyes from oil phase. Therefore, the PVDF-a/CNT-s@PDMS membrane has a wide range of potential application in the domain of oil-water separation. [Display omitted] • The superhydrophobic membrane exhibited high stability toward abrasion. • The obtained membrane possessed fast photothermal/electrothermal response. • The membrane effectively achieved various oil/water mixture separation. • The membrane possessed ability for the adsorption of organic dyes from the oil phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioaerosol in the atmosphere plays a very important role in environment and public health. To forecast the bioaerosol concentration, the correlation between bioaerosol concentration and meteorological factors was discussed, and a Back Propagation (BP) neural network with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method was utilized in this study. The proposed method works in three steps. The first step is to compute the correlation between bioaerosol concentration and meteorological factors, which consists of analyzing correlation and selecting meteorological factors applied to the study of forecast model. The second step is to use PCA analysis to reduce the dimensions of meteorological dataset. The third step is to use BP neural network, setting up, training BP neural network and proving the feasibility of forecast model included. The results of our model in forecasting bioaerosol concentration show 10.55% of average relative error, 2.80 pieces/L (pcs/L) of average absolute error, and 84.01 grade of forecast accuracy, providing a promising model for the forecasting of bioaerosol concentration. Unlabelled Image • Forecasting bioaerosol concentration effectively by BP neural network model • Finding effects and interrelation of the meteorological factors on bioaerosol • Filling the data gap in long-term bioaerosol monitoring in South Central China [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barnacles are notorious marine fouling organisms. Their successful attachment to a substrate requires that they search for an appropriate habitat during their cyprid stage. A chemical cue called SIPC (Settlement-Inducing Protein Complex) has been shown to play a key role in the induction of cyprid gregarious settlement; however, the underlying biochemical mechanism remains unclear. Here, RNA-seq was used to examine the gene expression profiles of Amphibalanus amphitrite cyprids in response to SIPC and to identify SIPC-activated intracellular signaling pathways. A total of 389 unigenes were differentially expressed in response to SIPC, and cement protein genes were not among them. KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that SNARE interactions in the vesicular transport pathway were significantly influenced by SIPC treatment, indicating a possible role for SIPC in triggering protein transportation and secretion. Several genes with specific functions in metamorphosis were found among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were significantly enriched in enamel mineralization pathways, suggesting that SIPC may also be involved in the activation of mineralization. • We observed the behaviors of cyprid antennules in SIPC supplemented FSW. • The expression of cement protein genes was not remarkably influenced by SIPC treatment. • SIPC induces highly expression of genes involved in SNARE interactions in the vesicular transport pathway. • GPCR may initiate the signal transduction cascade leading to settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: An overview of the formation mechanisms, fabrication methods, and applications of bioinspired wrinkling patterns on curved substrates is provided. The effect of substrate curvature is described in detail to clarify the difference of wrinkling patterns between planar and curved substrates. Opportunities and challenges of the surface wrinkling in the biofabrication, three-dimensional micro/nano fabrication, and four-dimensional printing are discussed.The surface wrinkling of biological tissues is ubiquitous in nature. Accumulating evidence suggests that the mechanical force plays a significant role in shaping the biological morphologies. Controlled wrinkling has been demonstrated to be able to spontaneously form rich multiscale patterns, on either planar or curved surfaces. The surface wrinkling on planar substrates has been investigated thoroughly during the past decades. However, most wrinkling morphologies in nature are based on the curved biological surfaces and the research of controllable patterning on curved substrates still remains weak. The study of wrinkling on curved substrates is critical for understanding the biological growth, developing three-dimensional (3D) or four-dimensional (4D) fabrication techniques, and creating novel topographic patterns. In this review, fundamental wrinkling mechanics and recent advances in both fabrications and applications of the wrinkling patterns on curved substrates are summarized. The mechanics behind the wrinkles is compared between the planar and the curved cases. Beyond the film thickness, modulus ratio, and mismatch strain, the substrate curvature is one more significant parameter controlling the surface wrinkling. Curved substrates can be both solid and hollow with various 3D geometries across multiple length scales. Up to date, the wrinkling morphologies on solid/hollow core–shell spheres and cylinders have been simulated and selectively produced. Emerging applications of the curved topographic patterns have been found in smart wetting surfaces, cell culture interfaces, healthcare materials, and actuators, which may accelerate the development of artificial organs, stimuli-responsive devices, and micro/nano fabrications with higher dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generate hydrogen fuel from electrochemical water splitting has been considered as a promising approach. However, to obtain the low-cost and high performance catalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) which can be applied in both alkaline and acid solution remains a challenge. Herein, we synthesized an active and stable HER catalyst composed of Mo 2 C nanocrystals embedded in the nanocarbon layers (Mo 2 C@C) by using MoO 3 nanorods as precursor. Benefiting from the porous one dimensional structure and ultrafine Mo 2 C nanocrystals, Mo 2 C@C exhibits high HER catalytic activity for 10 mA cm−2 with the overpotential of 119 mV in 1 M KOH solution and 170 mV in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 solution, respectively. Moreover, Mo 2 C@C displays long durability during the HER process with almost no decay and maintains the porous one dimensional architecture after the HER stability test. This study offers the guideline for the further design and fabrication of the nanostructured HER electrocatalysts in wide pH range. • The porous Mo 2 C nanorods are synthesized through a simple and efficient method. • The porous Mo 2 C nanorods show well HER performances both in acid and alkaline solutions. • The nanorods show excellent stability with no decay in performance after 1000 cycle test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquitoes transmit many harmful diseases that seriously threaten public health. The mosquito's olfactory system is of great significance for host selection. Inotropic receptors (IRs) and olfactory receptors (ORs) have been demonstrated to be capable of odorant molecular recognition. Analyzing the molecular principles of mosquito olfaction facilitates the development of prevention and therapy techniques. Advances in the understanding of IRs have been seriously inadequate compared to those of ORs. Here, we provide evidence that 35 Anopheles sinensis IR (AsIR) genes are expressed, 7 of which are in the antennae and 2 have expression levels that are upregulated with a blood meal. A homologous analysis of the sequences showed that AsIRs are a subfamily of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGLURs). This is the first that time IRs have been identified in Anopheles sinensis in vitro. The ultrastructure of the antennae supports the theory that diverse sensilla are distributed in the antennae. The results here may facilitate the revelation of the regulation mechanism in AsIRs, which could mitigate the transmission of diseases by mosquitoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sodium-sulfur (Na/S) batteries have caused widespread concern owing to the advantages of low cost and high energy density, these advantages make them promising in the large-scale energy storage system. But the research progress in this field is still at the beginning stage and confronts with tough challenges, for example, the low sulfur conductivity and polysulfide shuttle effect. Considering Na/S battery is a complicated system whose reaction mechanism between sulfur and sodium is different from the operating temperatures, positive electrode hosts and electrolytes, thus a comprehensive understanding about the electrochemistry of the Na/S batteries that operating in high-temperature, intermediate-temperature and room-temperature is necessary. In addition, the critical factors (positive electrodes, electrolytes, separators) associated with the development of high energy density and high performance Na/S battery, it also need to be analysed for the successful application in the near future. In this review, the working methods of high-temperature Na/S (HT-Na/S) battery, intermediate-temperature Na/S (IT-Na/S) battery and room-temperature Na/S (RT-Na/S) battery will be compared, and also focus on the latest progress of positive electrodes, electrolytes and separators in Na/S batteries. Finally, we provide an outlook on the state of the art for the production of more efficient and reliable Na/S batteries with rational technique. Image 1 • Analyse the reaction mechanisms, merits and drawbacks of three different types of Na-S batteries. • Summarize the latest progress of positive electrode materials and discuss the underlying problems of Na-S battery. • Analyse the basic function of separators in Na-S battery and further discuss the importance of separators. • Contrast Na-S batteries with other secondary batteries from the perspective of commercial application. • Analyse the future research direction of each type of factors and provide a vision of efforts for Na-S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Olfactory receptors (OR), a group of classic membrane proteins, plays a vital role in insect reproduction and acclimatization. Deciphering the molecular mechanism of insect olfaction could enhance pest control and environmental protection. Studies on ORs have faced a major bottleneck due to the notoriously strong hydrophobicity of ORs, which results in difficult expression in heterologous cell systems. Here, we demonstrated that insect ORs could be functionally produced using the E. coli cell-free protein synthesis system (CFPS), in which the highest yield of total ORs is 350 μg per 1 ml reaction. We tested the effects of detergent types and concentrations on soluble expression of ORs. The ORs showed a classic α-helical infrared spectrum. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was used to demonstrate that ORs fold correctly and respond to their ligands. This is the first report that insect OR42a could be functionally produced in vitro. This approach may facilitate the development of biomimetic olfactory biosensors and may also be utilized for drug positioning and development, environmental protection and agriculture. Highlights • ORCO and OR42a can be high-level expressed by an E. coli cell-free protein synthesis system. • Brij35 and Brij58 can increase soluble cell-free production for ORCO and OR42a. • ORCO and OR42a exhibit a classic α-helix secondary structure by FTIR. • Propyl acetate is able to be specifically recognized by the QCM sensor coated with ORCO and OR42a in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tremendous efforts are devoted to developing advanced electrode materials with superior electrochemical performance, high energy density, and high power density for energy storage and conversion. Two‐dimensional (2D) materials, owing to their unique properties, have shown great potential for energy storage. Following the discovery of graphene, a new family of 2D transition metal carbides/nitrides, MXenes, derived from MAX phase precursors, have attracted extensive attention in recent years. The superior physical and chemical properties of MXenes include high mechanical strength, excellent electrical conductivity, multiple possible surface terminations, hydrophilic features, superior specific surface area, and the ability to accommodate intercalants. When applied as electrodes in lithium‐based batteries, MXenes have demonstrated excellent performance. In this progress report, the authors summarize the recent advances of MXenes and MXene‐based composites in terms of synthesis strategies, morphology engineering, physical/chemical properties, and their applications in lithium‐ion batteries and lithium–sulfur batteries. Furthermore, challenges and perspectives for MXenes and MXene‐based composites for lithium‐based energy storage devices are also outlined. MXenes, as a new family of two‐dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides, have exhibited great potential as advanced electrode materials for lithium‐based batteries. This report summarizes the recent advances of MXenes in terms of synthesis strategies, morphology engineering, physical and chemical properties, and development of lithium‐based batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Latent infection of Propionibacterium acnes was considered as a new pathogeny for low back pain (LBP); however, there is no credible animal evidence or mechanism hypothesis. This study proved that P. acnes is a causative pathogen of bacteria-induced LBP and investigated its underlying mechanism. For this, P. acnes was firstly identified in patients' degenerated intervertebral disc (IVDs) samples. The results of patients' Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores indicated that P. acnes-positive patients showed more severe LBP and physical disability. Then, a P. acnes-inoculated lumbar IVDs model was established in rats. The results of paw/foot withdrawal threshold and qRT-PCR indicated that P. acnes-inoculated rats had obvious LBP in behavioral evaluation and over-expression of substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in IVDs. Subsequently, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results demonstrated that increased expression of IL-8 or CINC-1 (the homolog of IL-8 in rats) in the P. acnes-positive IVDs of human and rats. The CINC-1 injected animal model proved that the cytokines were able to induce LBP. Finally, the co-culture experiments showed that nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) were able to respond to P. acnes and secreted IL-8/CINC-1 via TLR-2/NF-κB p65 pathway. In conclusion, P. acnes had strong association with LBP by stimulating NPCs to secrete pro-algesic factor of IL-8/CINC-1 via TLR2/NF-κBp65 pathway. The finding may provide a promising alternative therapy strategy for LBP in clinical.Key messages: Patients with P. acnes-positive IVDs tended to have more severe LBP, physical disability, and increased IL-8 expressions.P. acnes can induce LBP via IL-8/CINC-1 in IVDs.P. acnes stimulate the NPCs to secrete pro-algesic factor of IL-8/CINC-1 via TLR2/NF-κBp65 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two types of vertebrate cryptochromes (Crys) are currently recognized. Type 2 Crys function in the molecular circadian clock as light-independent transcriptional repressors. Type 4 Crys are a newly discovered group with unknown function, although they are flavoproteins, and therefore, may function as photoreceptors. It has been postulated that Crys function in light-dependent magnetoreception, which is thought to contribute towards homing and migratory behaviors. Here we have cloned and annotated the full-length pigeon ClCry1, ClCry2, and ClCry4 genes, and characterized the full-length proteins and several site-directed mutants to investigate the roles of these proteins. ClCry1 and ClCry2 are phylogenetically grouped as Type 2 Crys and thus are expected to be core components of the pigeon circadian clock. Interestingly, we find that ClCry4 is properly annotated as a Type 4 Cry. It appears that many birds possess a Type 4 Cry which, as in pigeon, is misannotated. Like the Type 2 Crys, ClCry4 is widespread in pigeon tissues. However, unlike the Type 2 Crys, ClCry4 is cytosolic, and purified ClCry4 possesses FAD cofactor, which confers characteristic UV-Vis spectra as well as two photochemical activities. We find that ClCry4 undergoes light-dependent conformational change, which is a property of insect Type 1 Crys involved in the insect-specific pathway of photoentrainment of the biological clock. ClCry4 can also be photochemically reduced by a mechanism common to all FAD-containing Cry family members, and this mechanism is postulated to be influenced by the geomagnetic field. Thus pigeon Crys control circadian behavior and may also have photosensory function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • In-situ grafting-neutralization reaction is introduced into SBR/FA/SA composites. • An immobilized rubber layer is formed on the surface of FA particles. • Great enhancement is observed in mechanical properties of SBR/FA/SA composites. • It is the first time to use of FA in rubber composites on a large scale. Abstract A growing increase in fly ash (FA) becomes a serious problem for environmental protection. In order to alleviate this problem, many people have tried to use FA to prepare polymer composites. However, due to the lack of hydroxyl groups on the surface of FA, the conventional surface treatment method for FA, such as silane or titanate coupling agent modification, is unacceptable and application of FA in the polymer industry is still a huge challenge. In this work, in-situ grafting-neutralization reaction takes place within styrene butadiene rubber/FA/sorbic acid (SBR/FA/SA) composites during the vulcanization process. Experimental data show an immobilized rubber layer is established on the surface of FA, which originates from strong interactions among SBR, FA and SA. As a consequence, the tensile strength of SBR/FA/15SA composite is about 215% higher than that of SBR/FA composite, along with larger elongation at break and modulus, which suggests stronger reinforcing effect of FA/SA for SBR composites and opens a new road to use FA in the polymer industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LncRNA-protein interactions play important roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation, poly-adenylation, splicing and translation. Identification of lncRNA-protein interactions helps to understand lncRNA-related activities. Existing computational methods utilize multiple lncRNA features or multiple protein features to predict lncRNA-protein interactions, but features are not available for all lncRNAs or proteins; most of existing methods are not capable of predicting interacting proteins (or lncRNAs) for new lncRNAs (or proteins), which don’t have known interactions. In this paper, we propose the sequence-based feature projection ensemble learning method, “SFPEL-LPI”, to predict lncRNA-protein interactions. First, SFPEL-LPI extracts lncRNA sequence-based features and protein sequence-based features. Second, SFPEL-LPI calculates multiple lncRNA-lncRNA similarities and protein-protein similarities by using lncRNA sequences, protein sequences and known lncRNA-protein interactions. Then, SFPEL-LPI combines multiple similarities and multiple features with a feature projection ensemble learning frame. In computational experiments, SFPEL-LPI accurately predicts lncRNA-protein associations and outperforms other state-of-the-art methods. More importantly, SFPEL-LPI can be applied to new lncRNAs (or proteins). The case studies demonstrate that our method can find out novel lncRNA-protein interactions, which are confirmed by literature. Finally, we construct a user-friendly web server, available at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic material has great potential applications in the field of anti-icing due to its special wettability. However, the poor wear resistance of the material has restricted its practical applications. Based on this, a simple two-step spray method was used to prepare a self-healing and robust superhydrophobic coating with excellent photothermal/electrothermal effect for anti-icing using epoxy modified ethylene octene copolymer (POEG) resin as the substrate layer and the fluorinated carbon black as the top coating. Results showed that the obtained composite coating showed multi-level rough structure and possessed excellent superhydrophobicity toward water droplets with different pH. Meanwhile, the composite coating could resist abrasion and kept superhydropbobicity even 250 cycles abrasion test with a water contact angle higher than 150o. When the surface was subjected to the intense abrasion, the rough structure and the superhydrophobic property of the surface were destroyed. However, it could be restored by the abrasion of the rougher surface. In addition, the scratches on the surface could be completely repaired by the heat treatment, indicating the good self-healing performance of the composite coating. Due to the existence of the carbon black particles, the superhydrophobic coating had good photothermal/electrothermal effects, which endowed the surface with excellent anti-icing performance of removing the icing under the conditions of electrothermal and light. This paper provides a simple and convenient way to prepare functional self-healing superhydrophobic coating, and a new idea for the preparation of anti-icing coating. [Display omitted] • The stable superhydrophobic coating showed excellent abrasion resistance performance. • The damaged composite coating could be easily repaired by heating self-healing. • The superhydrophobic coating possessed excellent electrothermal/photothermal effects. • The superhydrophobic coating showed excellent anti-icing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]