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Abstract Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a transcription factor responsible for mounting an anti-oxidation gene expression program to counter oxidative stress. Under unstressed conditions, Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), an adaptor protein for CUL3 E3 ubiquitin ligase, mediates NRF2 ubiquitination and degradation. We show here that the deubiquitinase USP25 directly binds to KEAP1 and prevents KEAP1’s own ubiquitination and degradation. In the absence of Usp25 or if the DUB is inhibited, KEAP1 is downregulated and NRF2 is stabilized, allowing the cells to respond to oxidative stress more readily. In acetaminophen (APAP) overdose-induced oxidative liver damage in male mice, the inactivation of Usp25, either genetically or pharmacologically, greatly attenuates liver injury and reduces the mortality rates resulted from lethal doses of APAP.

A new series of 2-(5-methyl-2,3-dioxoindolin-1-yl)acetamide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsive activity in a pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-evoked convulsion model and antidepressant activity in the forced swimming test (FST) model. Eleven synthesized compounds were found to be protective against PTZ-induced seizure and showed the anticonvulsant activity. In addition, four of the synthesized compounds (4l, 4m, 4p and 4q) showed potent antidepressant-like activity. Among these compounds, compound 4l was found to have the most potent antidepressant-like activity, and significantly reduced the duration of immobility time at 100 mg/kg dose level when compared to the vehicle control, which is similar to the reference drug fluoxetine.

Exploring advanced thermoelectric materials, especially flexible thermoelectric fibers, is promising for wearable devices. The thermoelectric properties of these fibers are evaluated using the figure of merit ZT value. However, there is a lack of empirical research on the properties of microscale thermoelectric fibers, necessitating the development of precise measurement methods. In addition, since the properties of micro- and nanofiber materials can be affected by the microstructure, separate measurements of electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity before calculating the ZT values can lead to large errors in the final calculations. In this study, Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 thermoelectric fibers are prepared and measured by using a thermally drawn method and an in situ method, respectively. The in situ measurements are carried out using a self-developed instrument capable of measuring temperatures from room temperature up to 1,200 K, suitable for sample sizes ranging from micro- to nanoscale. The uncertainty of the measurement exhibits less than 6.36%. The results indicate that the thermal drawing process influences crystal growth, enhancing the Seebeck coefficient and reducing electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. Moreover, the accuracy of the measurement method is verified by pure Pt wire. The integrated in situ measurement effectively reduces experimental errors due to sample differences when calculating parameters for multiple samples measured individually, and the maximum error that can be reduced is 19.5%. This research contributes a practical measurement method of thermoelectric fibers and advances the development of wearable thermoelectric devices.

The improvement of thermoelectric performance of materials by reducing lattice thermal conductivity is challenging. Here, the authors find the side chains covalent modification of transition metal disulfides reducing the lattice thermal conductivity.

Abstract As the fundamental building block of optical fiber communication technology, thermally drawn optical fibers have fueled the development and prosperity of modern information society. However, the conventional step‐index configured silica optical fibers have scarcely altered since their invention. In recent years, thermally drawn multifunctional fibers have emerged as a new yet promising route to enable unprecedented development in information technology. By adopting the well‐developed preform‐to‐fiber manufacturing technique, a broad range of functional materials can be seamlessly integrated into a single fiber on a kilometer length scale to deliver sophisticated functions. Functions such as photodetection, imaging, acoustoelectric detection, chemical sensing, tactile sensing, biological probing, energy harvesting and storage, data storage, program operation, and information processing on fiber devices. In addition to the original light‐guiding function, these flexible fibers can be woven into fabrics to achieve large‐scale personal health monitoring and interpersonal communication. Thermally drawn multifunctional fibers have opened up a new stage for the next generation of information technology. This review article summarizes an overview of the basic concepts, fabrication processes, and developments of multifunctional fibers. It also highlights the significant progress and future development in information applications.

Sintering characteristics, phase evolutions, microstructures, and microwave dielectric properties have been investigated for BaTi4O9 ceramics prepared by traditional low temperature sintering using CuO–TiO2 (CT) additions as aids. The sintering temperature of BaTi4O9 ceramics was found to evidently reduce from 1350 °C to about 1100 °C with a very small amount of 0.5 wt% CT addition. When the CT addition increased to beyond 0.5 wt%, however, it was not expected to further lower the sintering temperature. Meantime, the secondary phases of Ba4Ti13O30, BaTiO3, and TiO2 were observed in these BaTi4O9-based ceramics when the CT content was beyond 2 wt%. With the introduction of the CT addition, the permittivity (ε) had little enhancement, and the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency (τf) was improved to near zero. The BaTi4O9 ceramics with 0.5 wt% CT additions, sintered at 1100 °C, exhibited excellent microwave dielectric properties, such as ε = 36.9, Q × f = 23100 GHz, and τf = 2.5 ppm/°C. In addition, the densification mechanism and variations of the microwave dielectric properties have also been discussed with the crystal phase and microstructure’s evolution.

Abstract Er3+-doped Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.9Zr0.1O3 (xEr-BCTZ, x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.015) multifunctional thick films were prepared by the tape-casting method, using sol-gel-derived nano-sized powders as the matrix material. The surface morphologies, photoluminescence, and electrical properties were investigated. Dense microstructures with pure perovskite structure were obtained in the thick films. By doping an appropriate amount of Er3−, the samples exhibit superior up-conversion photoluminescence performance and simultaneously enhanced electrical performances. In addition, relatively higher texture fractions (with the largest value of 83.5%) were realized through introducing plate-like BaTiO3 templates to make the thick film grow by the [001]c orientation. And the ferro-/piezoelectric properties of the thick films were further improved, showing potential in the applications of micro-optoelectronic devices.

Modern electronics not only require the thermal management ability of polymer packaging materials but also need anti-voltage and mechanical properties. Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS), an ideal thermally conductive and high withstand voltage (800 kV/mm) filler, can meet application needs, but the complex and low-yield process limits their large-scale fabrication. Herein, in this work, we prepare sucrose-assisted ball-milled BN(SABM-BN)/polyetherimide (PEI) composite films by a casting-hot pressing method. SABM-BN, as a pre-ball-milled filler, contains BNNS and BN thick sheets. We mainly investigated the thermal conductivity (TC), breakdown strength, and mechanical properties of composites. After pre-ball milling, the in-plane TC of the composite film is reduced. It decreases from 2.69 to 2.31 W/mK for BN/PEI composite film at 30 wt% content; however, the through-plane TC of composites is improved, and the breakdown strength and tensile strength of the composite film reach the maximum of 54.6 kV/mm and 102.7 MPa at 5 wt% content, respectively. Moreover, the composite film is used as a flexible circuit substrate, and the working surface temperature is 20 ℃, which is lower than that of pure PEI film. This study provides an effective strategy for polymer composites for electronic packaging.

With the rapid development of wearable electronics, looking for flexible and wearable generators as their self-power systems has proved an extensive task. Fiber-based thermoelectric generators (FTEGs) are promising candidates for these self-powered systems that collect energy from the surrounding environment or human body to sustain wearable electronics. In this work, we overview performances and device structures of state-of-the-art fiber-based thermoelectric materials, including inorganic fibers (e.g., carbon fibers, oxide fibers, and semiconductor fibers), organic fibers, and hybrid fibers. Moreover, potential applications for related thermoelectric devices are discussed, and future developments in fiber-based thermoelectric materials are also briefly expected.

Bike sharing systems (BSSs) are widely adopted in major cities of the world due to traffic congestion and carbon emissions. Although there have been approaches to exploit either bike trailers via crowdsourcing or carrier vehicles to reposition bikes in the “right” stations in the “right” time, they did not jointly consider the usage of both bike trailers and carrier vehicles. In this paper, we aim to take advantage of both bike trailers and carrier vehicles to reduce the loss of demand by determining whether bike trailers or carrier vehicles (or both) should be used. In addition, we also would like to maximize the overall profit with regard to the crowdsourcing of bike trailers and the fuel cost of carrier vehicles. In the experiment, we exhibit that our approach outperforms baselines in multiple data sets from bike sharing companies.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks significant expression of the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, and of human epidermal growth factor receptor. It is the most aggressive and malignant of all breast cancers, and for which, there are currently no effective targeted therapies. We have shown previously that the RecQ helicase family member RECQL5 is essential for the proliferation and survival of TNBC cells; however, the mechanism of its involvement in cell viability has not been shown. Here, we report that the expression of RecQ family helicases, including RECQL5, is regulated by the deubiquitinase USP28. We found using genetic depletion or a small molecule inhibitor that like RECQL5, USP28 is also essential for TNBC cells to proliferate in vitro and in vivo. Compromising the function of USP28 by shRNA knockdown or the inhibitor caused TNBC cells to arrest in S/G2 phases, concurrent with DNA-damage checkpoint activation. We further showed that the small molecule inhibitor of USP28 displayed anti-tumor activity against xenografts derived from TNBC cells. Our results suggest that USP28 could be a potential therapeutic target for triple negative breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]