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Vanadium-based oxides have captured considerable attention as ZIB cathodes benefiting from their rich valences and superior theoretical capacity.

Background Although it is only a small redox protein, Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) can have a significant impact in many biological processes. In recent years, studies on the increased Trx-1 expression in different solid tumors have gradually increased, but its clinical and diagnostic significance in gastric cancer (GC) have not been confirmed. HIF-1α (Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α) plays an active role in many tumors’ metabolism, while the relevance between its expression levels and clinical value in GC remains to be investigated. Methods: Western blot (WB) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to detect HIF-1α and Trx-1 mRNA and protein level in 20 freshly frozen GC and corresponding normal-tissues. In addition, the protein level of Trx-1 and HIF-1α in 162 GC were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) test. The relevance between HIF-1α and Trx-1 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics in GC was assessed as well. And Cox proportional risk model was applied to determine independent prognostic indicators. Results: When HIF-1α level increased, the Trx-1 mRNA and protein levels increased obviously in GC tissues, and they both were related to a bad prognosis (P

An improvement of lignin depolymerization while reducing cellulose losses during the pretreatment by microorganisms gains an interest in the highly efficient utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Here, a strain isolated from activated sludge could utilize lignin as the sole carbon source and identify as Acinetobacter sp. B213. By measuring the growth curve, degradation characteristic and lignolytic enzymes activity of Acinetobacter sp. B213, the culture medium and inoculum size were optimized. The optimal medium was sodium lignosulfonate LB medium and the optimal inoculum size was 8%. After the biological pretreatment of corn straw under the optimized conditions, the cellulose retention rate and lignin degradation rate were 98.51% and 12.02%, respectively. Approximately 10.53% increase in cellulose retention rate and 20.36% decrease in lignin degradation rate was observed compared with the chemical pretreatment (87.98% and 32.38%), respectively. After 24 h hydrolysis, the glucose yield of biological pretreatment corn straw was 100%, which was 14.25% higher than that of the chemical pretreatment. These results indicated that the biological pretreatment with selective lignin degradation has an advantage in the hydrolysis of cellulose and produces glucose, although the lignin degradation efficiency was lower than chemical pretreatment.

Chemoresistance is one of the main factors of treatment failure of cervical cancer (CC). Here, we intended to discover the role and mechanism of miR-509-5p in the paclitaxel chemoresistance of CC cells. RT-PCR was conducted to verify miR-509-3p expression. HCC94 and C-33A paclitaxel-resistant CC cell models were constructed. Additionally, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry were performed to verify the viability and apoptosis of HCC94 and C-33A cells after upregulating miR-509-3p. Besides, the downstream target of miR-509-3p was analyzed by bioinformatics, and the targeted relationship between miR-509-3p and RAC1 was identified by the dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Further, the expression of apoptotic proteins (Bcl2, Bax, and Caspase3) and the RAC1/PAK1/LIMK1/Cofilin pathway was monitored by Western blot. The result showed that upregulating miR-509-3p markedly inhibited the viability and promoted the apoptosis of CC cells. On the other hand, miR-509-3p was distinctly downregulated in paclitaxel-resistant HCC94 and C-33A cells (vs. normal cells). The transfection of miR-509-3p mimics notably increased their sensitivity to paclitaxel. Meanwhile, RAC1 was found as the potential target of miR-509-3p in bioinformatics analysis. Moreover, the RAC1/p21 (RAC1) activated kinase 1 (PAK1)/LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1)/Cofilin pathway was significantly activated in paclitaxel-resistant HCC94 and C-33A cells, while miR-509-3p overexpression significantly inactivated this pathway. Additionally, downregulation of RAC1 also partly reversed the paclitaxel-resistance of CC cells and inhibited PAK1/LIMK1/Cofilin. All in all, miR-509-3p enhances the apoptosis and chemosensitivity of CC cells by regulating the RAC1/PAK1/LIMK1/Cofilin pathway.

The interferometric fiber-optic gyroscope (IFOG) is widely used in the fields of inertial navigation and rotational seismology. A direct way to improve the sensitivity of the IFOG is to increase the length of the sensing fiber, but this increases the cost and size of the gyroscope. Here, we propose an IFOG based on mode-division multiplexing (MDM), which exhibits relatively high performance. The experimental results show that, the proposed IFOG is improved to twice as much in terms of sensitivity, angle random walk, and bias instability with the use of MDM. This research provides a novel, to the best of our knowledge, solution for the design and implementation of low-cost, high-sensitivity IFOGs, which could contribute to their application in a wider range of fields.

The dual-polarization interferometric fiber optic gyroscope (IFOG) has been studied for many years and achieved remarkable performance. In this study, we propose a novel dual-polarization IFOG configuration based on a four-port circulator, in which the polarization coupling errors and the excess relative intensity noise are well handled meanwhile. Experimental measurements of the short-term sensitivity and long-term drift using a fiber coil with a length of 2 km and a diameter of 14 cm show that the angle random walk of 5.0×10−5∘/h and bias instability of 9.0 × 10−5 °/h are achieved. Moreover, the root power spectrum density of 20nrad/s/Hz is almost flat from 0.001 Hz to 30 Hz. We believe this dual-polarization IFOG is a preferred candidate for the reference-grade performance IFOG.

Temperature variation degrades the performance of fiber-optic gyroscopes. In terms of a noise mechanism, we report that thermal phase noise contributes to the dominant effect of temperature variation in large fiber-optic gyroscopes when the conventional Shupe effect is basically suppressed. High-order frequency modulation is introduced to reduce the corresponding effect of temperature variation. A time-varying temperature variation experiment has been carried out for verification. Compared with the conventional eigen frequency modulation, the temperature sensitivity is reduced by 32 times, which effectively enhances the temperature adaptability of the fiber-optic gyroscope.

The scale factor (SF) of a gyroscope is the ratio of the detection output rotational rate and the input, and is expected to be a constant. However, for open-loop interferometric fiber optic gyroscopes (IFOGs) with sinusoidal modulation, harmonic amplitudes are inevitably affected by detection defects, such as nonuniform frequency response of the photodetector or unequal gain of amplification circuits. As a result, harmonic distortion leads to SF nonlinearity, which seriously hinders the accuracy of high-precision gyroscopes. In this Letter, the theoretical form of the SF error introduced by harmonic distortion of open-loop gyroscopes is analyzed, and an effective and simple compensation method is proposed. Instead of traversing the whole dynamic range, the proposed method simplifies the calibration pretest, where only a section of the dynamic range needs to be tested. Experimental results on an open-loop IFOG prototype show that, with our proposed method, the SF nonlinear error is suppressed to 2.5 ppm within the range −300 to +300∘/s, which is 33 times less than that before compensation.

Considering the time-consuming preparation, processing and unsatisfactory desalination capacity of carbon nanomaterials, the exploration of efficient electrode materials for practical capacitive deionization (CDI) applications has gained importance yet remains a great challenge. In this paper, porous N-doped carbon quantum dots/vanadium nitride (NCQDs/VN) microflowers were prepared via a facile one-step hydrothermal method accompanied by nitrogenization using NH3 and are proposed as an advanced electrode for CDI. The hybrid microflowers assembled by well-connected nanosheets provide highly open frameworks and a hierarchically porous alignment (e.g., mesopores and macropores). Because of the specific microstructures and enhanced electrochemical conductivity arising from the synergistic effect of metallic VN and conductive NCQDs, the hybrid electrode displayed enhanced electrochemical performance and CDI behavior. The calculated GACNaCl value of NCQDs/VN reached 23.71 mg g−1 in a 500 mg L−1 NaCl solution under an external voltage of 1.4 V. Moreover, the porous NCQDs/VN-based asymmetric CDI cell demonstrated excellent durability. The desalination capacity retention was about 100% over 50 cycles, and the coulombic efficiency was relatively stable at about 90% of the initial value even after 10 000 continuous GC cycles. These impressive results validate that the NCQDs/VN hybrid microflowers have great potential for high-performance (e.g., high capacity and good stability) CDI.

Combined X-ray diffraction(XRD) profile analysis and HRTEM observation, a method for exploration of plastic deformation in pure polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) samples with sizes of primary cBN powders was developed. XRD profile results showed that the coarse-grained PcBN exhibited a larger micro-strain e, a greater deformation stacking faults probability fD, which was an order of magnitude larger than that of fine-grained PcBN, but a smaller twin stacking faults probability fT. It was deduced that the plastic deformation of the coarse-grained PcBN was dominated by stacking faults and mechanical twins mode, which would result in strain strengthening and then recrystallization. While the manner of growth twins was the mainly modes of fine-grained PcBN by phase transform, especially utilized the curled SP2 structure as a basis for a cubic structure nucleation. Fundamental plastic deformation principles of the ultrafine polycrystalline cBN was crucial for the field of high-precision cutting tools.

Two-dimensional transition-metal disulfides (TMDs) have aroused boosting attention for the capacitive deionization (CDI) application because of their amazing chemical and physical superiorities. Ne...

Metal nitride-based materials are deemed to be promising anodes for sodium ion batteries (SIBs) due to their attractive electrical conductivity and considerable theoretical capacity. However, the poor electrochemical stability of metal nitrides caused by amorphorization and pulverization during a long-term sodiation/desodiation process limits their practical applications. Herein, a combination of facile chemical binding engineering with a fast electronic/ionic transport construction strategy is firstly proposed to mitigate these problems. As a demonstration, core–shell Fe3N@C nanoparticles are chemically immobilized on three-dimensional N-doped carbon foam (3DNCF) via a straightforward and scalable adsorption–annealing route. Arising from the synergistic effects from strong chemical binding between Fe3N nanoparticles and 3DNCF, fast electronic/ionic transport pathways and a robust carbon coating layer, the flexible and self-supported Fe3N@C/3DNCF anode can maintain highly reversible crystalline-phase transformation without significant pulverization in the whole cycling process when evaluated as an anode for SIBs. As a result, Fe3N@C/3DNCF shows a remarkable capacity retention rate of 94.9% for 2000 cycles at 1.0 A g−1 with a high capacity of 374.8 mA h g−1. This work may provide an alternative strategy to design long-cycle-life conversion-type anodes for SIBs.

High-performance angular accelerometers are essential for precise dynamics control of aircraft, satellites, etc. Here, we propose, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, an angular accelerometer based on a dual-polarization fiber-optic Sagnac interferometer, which exhibits relatively high sensitivity and a broad bandwidth. The experimental results show that the angular accelerometer achieves a flat frequency response in the bandwidth range of 0.01–100 Hz. The sensitivity reaches 6.6 × 10−8 rad/s2/ Hz . In addition, the proposed fiber-optic angular accelerometer does not rely on any mechanical structure and has strong environmental adaptability. This research provides a feasible solution for the design and implementation of new high-performance angular accelerometers, which contributes to their development in the fields of inertial navigation and rotational seismology.

Lithium (Li) metal is considered as an attractive anode for next-generation energy storage systems due to its higher energy density and the lowest redox potential. However, great challenges including safety issues associated with dendrite growth and low Coulombic efficiency (CE) related to poor cycle stability, especially at high charge current densities, are still impeding its practical uses in Li metal secondary batteries. Herein we propose that an optimal amount of lithium iodide (LiI) as a functional additive in ether-based electrolyte for dendrite-free Li deposition. The additive could induce the electrolyte polymerization to in-situ form a robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer enriched with elastic oligomer on Li surface. Furthermore, the LiI in the electrolyte heightens the ionic conductive of formed SEI and facilitates the migration of Li ion, remarkably promoting the uniform deposition of Li at Li/electrolyte interface and suppressing the growth of Li dendrite. With a controlled Li deposition in an optimal amount (2 wt%) of LiI as an additive in ether-based electrolytes, a prolonged cycling lifespan (>1200 h) with a hysteresis voltage of ∼250 mV at 2 mA cm−2, as well as a very high CE up to 98.1% for 200 cycles at 0.5 mA cm−2. Moreover, the fabricated Li||Se battery system delivers an improved cycling stability and decreased polarization.

Transition-metal phosphides (TMPs) anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) usually show poor rate capability and rapid capacity degradation owing to their low electronic conductivities, huge volumetric changes, as well as inferior reversibility of the discharge product Li3P. Herein, a covalent heterostructure with TMPs quantum dots anchored in N, P co-doped carbon nanocapsules (NPC) has been prepared in which the P element in TMPs is simultaneously doped into the carbon matrix. As a proof of concept, Co2P quantum dots covalently anchored in NPC (Co2P QDs/NPC) is prepared and evaluated as an anode for LIBs. The Co2P QDs/NPC electrode not only demonstrates a high capacity and an extraordinary rate performance but also delivers an impressive cyclability with a high capacity retention of 102.5% after 1600 cycles, one of the best reported values for TMPs-based electrode materials for LIBs. The covalent heterostructure can facilitate the electron/ion transfer and maintain the structural stability during the intensive cycles. Moreover, density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the interfacial covalent coupling can enhance the electrochemical reversibility of the discharge product Li3P in the charge processes via lowering the conversion reaction energies. This work presents an effective interfacial engineering strategy for developing high-performance TMPs anodes for advanced LIBs.

Purpose: The study seeks to utilise the extensively monitored data to explore the prognostic information in the continuous ambulatory vital signs of the pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension in the ICU, aiming to bring insights to physicians on evaluation and management of these specific patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study of consecutive obstetric patients with PH admitted to ICU of the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University of China, from January 2011 to May 2020. 92 cases are analysed via time-dependent Cox regression to take account of the dynamic features of vital signs. Results: Seven out of 92 maternal deaths occurred, with most maternal deaths occurring within the first three days of admission to the ICU. The vital signs for the survived are more stable and normally ranged comparing to the death. Three vital signs are identified as risk factors in the maternal in-hospital mortality model: SpO 2 (OR,0.93;95%CI,0.89-0.98), Heart rate(OR, 0.95 ; 95%CI, 0.92-0.99), Mean blood pressure(OR, 1.1 ; 95%CI, 0.98-1). The model performance is justified by the ROC curve with AUC being 0.84. Further exploration showed that the total and the longest consecutive time ratios also affect the outcome. Conclusions: Pregnancy women with PH who dead in hospital experienced long-term abnormal fluctuations in blood pressure, heart rate and blood oxygen during ICU stay. Both dynamic and time ratios reported impacts relating to SpO 2 , heart rate and blood pressure. In general SpO 2 mitigate the hazard. Effects of the heart rate and mean blood pressure should be described combining the time ratios of hypotension and tachycardia.

Facial diagnosis is a method of diagnosing diseases based on human facial features. It can be used to pre-diagnose diseases with facial features to improve diagnosis efficiency. In order to comprehensively analyze the research dynamics and development trends of facial diagnosis, a bibliometric analysis was conducted on 532 papers in the field of facial diagnosis from 1992 to 2021 in Web of Science. On the basis of the scientometrics theory, a series of knowledge mapping studies such as co-citation analysis and cluster analysis were carried out by using the visual analysis software CiteSpace to analyze and obtain the latest trends of facial diagnosis technology, such as publication, scientific research cooperation, research hotpots and frontier trends. The aim of this study are intended to provide guidance for future theoretical research and application in facial diagnosis.

A poly(vinylidene fluoride)/ethyl cellulose and amino-functionalized nano-SiO2 (PVDF-EC-(A-SiO2)) composite coated on polyethylene (PE) is developed as the functional separator of 5 V high-voltage lithium ion batteries with enhanced performance. Compared with the PE separator, the composite membrane has a uniform interconnected structure, an increased melting temperature from 138 °C (PE) to 140.8 °C, a decreased contact angle from 49.5° to 23.2°, and higher ionic conductivity from 0.34 mS cm−1 to 0.79 mS cm−1. In particular, the electrochemical window is raised to 5.3 V (vs. Li/Li+). LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4/Li batteries with this separator display a high discharge capacity of 131.6 mAh g−1 and a superior cycling stability with a capacity retention of 95.7% after 200 cycles at 0.5 C. Those results demonstrate that the PVDF-EC-(A-SiO2)/PE composite separator exhibits a good-performance in cycling stability and thermal stability, implying promising potential application in high-voltage lithium ion batteries.

Fabry-Perot (FP) based ultrasound sensors at fiber tips performed high sensitivity, broad bandwidth, and immunity of electromagnetic interference with relatively compact size. Nevertheless, the traditional FP-based optical fiber sensor has strong reverberation due to the high-quality factor of silicon. The reverberation at fiber tips causes strong noise that degrades the sensing capability. In this work, three design approaches were proposed accordingly to reduce the reverberation, including designs with eccentric-core, absorptive shield, and arc-edge. The simulation and experimental results showed that these approaches reduced the reverberation effectively. In brief, this research provided a low noise design for fiber-optic ultrasound sensing, paving the way to low-noise optical ultrasound sensing.

Establishment of production platforms through prokaryotic engineering in microbial organisms would be one of the most efficient means for chemicals, protein, and biofuels production. Despite the fact that CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)–based technologies have readily emerged as powerful and versatile tools for genetic manipulations, their applications are generally limited in prokaryotes, possibly owing to the large size and severe cytotoxicity of the heterogeneous Cas (CRISPR-associated) effector. Nevertheless, the rich natural occurrence of CRISPR-Cas systems in many bacteria and most archaea holds great potential for endogenous CRISPR-based prokaryotic engineering. The endogenous CRISPR-Cas systems, with type I systems that constitute the most abundant and diverse group, would be repurposed as genetic manipulation tools once they are identified and characterized as functional in their native hosts. This article reviews the major progress made in understanding the mechanisms of invading DNA immunity by type I CRISPR-Cas and summarizes the practical applications of endogenous type I CRISPR-based toolkits for prokaryotic engineering.