Understanding the migration mechanism of hydrogen atom from the α-Fe matrix into nano-precipitates via DFT calculations

The service of high-strength steel suffers from the threat of hydrogen embrittlement and introducing nano-precipitates is an effective avenue to mitigate it. How hydrogen atoms migrate into nano-precipitates is an important question that needs to be clarified. In this study, NEB-based DFT calculations have clearly constructed the energy evolution profiles of the whole process for hydrogen atoms diffusing from α-Fe through the α-Fe/MC (M = V, Ti, Nb) coherent interfaces and finally into the nano-precipitates. The calculation results indicate that a hydrogen atom migrates with difficulty through the α-Fe/MC coherent interfaces and the diffusions in nano-precipitates follow two-step pathways. The C atom vacancy is easier to form in MC nano-precipitates. When introducing a C atom or metallic atom vacancy into the α-Fe/MC interface, the C atom vacancy is the hydrogen trapping site, while the metallic atom vacancy reduces the migration barrier. In addition, once a C atom or metallic atom vacancy is formed in the nano-precipitate, the vacancy will behave as an irreversible trapping site. Finally, electronic structure analyses and distortion energy calculations clearly reveal the effects of the local atomic environment on hydrogen diffusion from α-Fe into nano-precipitates.

Modular reprogrammable 3D mechanical metamaterials with unusual hygroscopic deformation modes

The majority of polymer-based materials demonstrate expansion upon absorbing water from the air. Mechanical metamaterials provide an interesting way to achieve unusual hygroscopic deformation. However, previous studies have only accommodated the limited tunability of negative hygroscopic expansion by theoretical analysis but have never involved other deformation modes. This work proposes modular reprogrammable 3D moisture-sensitive mechanical metamaterials with switchable hygroscopic deformation modes, which are built up of multi-material 3D-printed bi-material curved strips and cubic nodes. Depending on the geometrical parameters and spatial layouts of the curved strips, the metamaterials exhibit tunable coefficient of hygroscopic expansion from negative to positive. In addition to homogeneous deformation, complex 3D hygroscopic deformation modes can be achieved including shear and twist. More interestingly, the metamaterials are reprogrammable since all the deformation modes can be switched by modular disassembling and reassembling of the curved strips, just like LEGO building blocks. This work demonstrates a feasible approach to achieve customized 3D hygroscopic deformation through easy block building for specific engineering applications including eliminating hygroscopic stress, shape morphing structures, and smart actuators.

Unraveling the Atomic Shuffles of Twinning Nucleation in Hexagonal Close-Packed Rhenium Nanocrystals

Reining in deformation twinning is crucial for the mechanical properties of hexagonal close-packed (HCP) metals and hinges on an explicit understanding of the twinning nucleation mechanism. Unfortunately, it is often suggested rather than conclusively demonstrated that twinning nucleation can be mediated by pure atomic shuffles. Herein, by utilizing in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, we have dissected the atomic shuffling mechanism during the {101̅2} twinning nucleation in rhenium nanocrystals, which revealed the emergence of an intermediate body-centered tetragonal (BCT) structure. Specifically, the double-layered prismatic planes initially shuffle into single-layered {11̅0}BCT planes; subsequently, adjacent {22̅0}BCT planes shuffle in opposite directions to form the basal planes of the twin embryo. This shuffling mechanism is further corroborated by molecular dynamic simulations. The finding provides direct evidence of shuffle-dominated twinning nucleation with atomic details that may lead to better control of this critical twinning mode in HCP metals.

Evaluating Whether and How Public Health Event Information Frameworks Promote Pro-Environmental Behavior

The major public health emergencies (PHEs) represented by the COVID-19 pandemic, while posing a serious threat to human health, have led people to rethink about the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. It is worthy to explore whether and how the framework effect of event information can be used to turn crises into opportunities to promote public pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Through a pre-and post-test control experiment, this study took the COVID-19 pandemic as a case, to explore the effects of four PHE information frameworks on promoting PEB, coupled with two information loss-gain frameworks and two information content frameworks. The results showed that all four information frameworks contribute to the public PEB. However, there are differences: only the environmental gain information effect is significant for PEB in the private sphere. The environmental loss and health gain information are effective for PEB in organizations. However, in the public sphere, all four information frameworks significantly motivate PEB. Further factorial analysis revealed that the interaction between the information content and loss-gain framework was not significant, with the latter playing the dominant role. These findings provide a new approach to how to develop the information framework effect and turn crises into opportunities to promote public PEB in the context of major PHEs.

In situ fabrication of MIL-68(In)@ZnIn2S4 heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as a class of semiconductor-like materials, are widely used in photocatalysis. However, the limited visible light absorption and poor charge separation efficiency are the main challenges restricting their photocatalytic performance. Herein, the type II heterojunction MIL-68(In)@ZIS was successfully fabricated by in situ growth of ZnIn₂S₄ (ZIS) on the surface of a representative MOF, i.e. MIL-68(In). After composition optimization, MIL-68(In)-20@ZIS shows an extraordinary photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency of 9.09 mmol g^-1 h^-1 and good photochemical stability, which far exceeds those of most photocatalysts. The hierarchical loose structure of MIL-68(In)-20@ZIS is conducive to the adsorption of reactants and mass transfer. Meanwhile, a large number of tight 2D contact interfaces significantly reduce the obstruction of charge transfer, paving the way for high-perform photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The experimental results demonstrate that the MIL-68(In)@ZIS heterojunction achieves intensive photoresponse and effective charge separation and transfer benefiting from unique charge transport paths of a type II heterojunction. This study opens an avenue toward MOF-based heterojunctions for solar energy conversion.

Unexpected High-Performance Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution in Co@NCNT@ZnIn2 S4 Triggered by Directional Charge Separation and Transfer

The structural design of photocatalysts is highly related to the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers, which is essential for the improvement of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance. Here, the hybrid photocatalyst M@NCNT@ZIS (M: Fe, Co, Ni; NCNT: nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube; ZIS: ZnIn₂ S₄ ) with a hierarchical structure is rationally designed and precisely synthesized. The unique hollow structure with a large specific surface area offers abundant reactive sites, thus increasing the adsorption of reactants. Importantly, the properly positioned metal nanoparticles realize the directional charge migration from ZIS to M@NCNT, which significantly improves the efficiency of charge separation. Furthermore, the intimate interface between M@NCNT and ZIS effectively facilitates charge migration by shortening the transfer distance and providing numerous transport channels. As a result, the optimized Co@NCNT@ZIS exhibits a remarkable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency (43.73 mmol g^-1 h^-1 ) without Pt as cocatalyst. Experimental characterizations and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the synergistic effect between hydrogen adsorption and interfacial charge transport is of great significance for improving photocatalytic hydrogen production performance.

[A cross-sectional survey and analysis of influencing factors of humanistic of the current status of humanistic care ability of burn specialist nurses]

Objective: To investigate the current status of humanistic care ability of burn specialist nurses and to analyze the influencing factors. Methods: A single-center cross-sectional research method was conducted. From May to August 2020, 63 burn specialist nurses who met the inclusion criteria in Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were selected. Self-made general data questionnaire was used to investigate 17 indexes, including gender, age, professional title, working years, whether received humanistic care training, academic qualification, and caring ability inventory (CAI) was used to evaluate their humanistic care ability. After the nurses were classified by the general data, independent sample t test and one-way analysis of variance were performed on the data to analyze the total score of CAI. The CAI total scores and scores of cognition, courage, and patience of the nurses were compared with the international norm. The factors with statistically significant differences in unvariate analysis were selected for multiple linear regression analysis to screen the independent influencing factors of humanistic care ability of burn specialist nurses. Results: A total of 63 questionnaires were collected in this survey, all of which were valid. Among the 63 nurses, there were 4 males and 59 females, with the age mainly ranging from 20 to 30 years (30 nurses, 47.62%), the professional titles mainly being nurse practitioner (36 nurses, 57.14%), the working years mainly being more than 10 years (28 nurses, 44.44%), 32 nurses not receiving humanistic care training, and academic qualifications mostly being junior college (37 nurses, 58.73%). There were significant differences in the total scores of CAI among nurses with different ages, professional titles, working years, whether received humanistic care training, and academic qualifications (with F values of 53.95, 49.14, and 75.42, t values of 6.08 and -2.82, respectively, P<0.01). The scores of cognition, courage, and patience and the total scores of CAI of nurses in this group were significantly lower than those of international norm (with t values of -2.02, -2.04, -6.19, and -3.89, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, working years, professional title, and whether received humanistic care training were the independent influencing factors of humanistic care ability of burn specialist nurses (with 95% confidence intervals of 1.91-23.23, 16.25-31.48, 1.05-19.09, and 6.72-31.82, unstandardized coefficient values of 12.57, 23.86, 10.07, and 19.27, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusions: The humanistic care ability of burn specialist nurses is relatively weak. Age, professional title, working years, and whether received humanistic care training are the independent influencing factors of humanistic care ability of burn specialist nurses.

Moisture-sensitive mechanical metamaterials with unusual and re-programmable hygroscopic deformation modes

Mechanical metamaterials are of great interest due to their counterintuitive deformation under various physical fields. However, the research on metamaterials responding to moisture is still rare and controllable hygroscopic deformation is vital for sensoring, actuating, and stress elimination in a moisture environment. Inspired by the hygroscopic deformation of pinecones, this work studies 2D moisture-sensitive mechanical metamaterials exploiting bi-material curved strips as building blocks by simulations and experiments, which especially demonstrates repeatable programming ability to realize customized unusual hygroscopic deformations. Depending on the structural design of geometrical parameters and material configurations, the metamaterials exhibit a tunable coefficient of hygroscopic expansion from negative to positive, and unusual hygroscopic deformation modes including anisotropic, shearing, gradient, bending, and 3D deformation of 2D structures. Programmable metamaterials of arbitrary hygroscopic deformation are achieved by pixelated design and coding the building blocks. More importantly, the hygroscopic deformation is re-programmable by adopting erasable moisture-proof coatings on specific areas of metamaterials, i.e., it can continuously provide different customized deformation modes in a sample.

Mass Diffusion Metamaterials with "Plug and Switch" Modules for Ion Cloaking, Concentrating, and Selection: Design and Experiments

The outstanding abilities of metamaterials to manipulate physical fields are extensively studied in both wave-based and diffusion-based fields. However, mass diffusion metamaterials, with the ability to manipulate diffusion with practical applications associated with chemical and biochemical engineering, have not yet been experimentally demonstrated. In this work, ion cloaking, concentrating, and selection in liquid solvents are verified by both simulations and experiments, and the concept of a "plug and switch" metamaterial is proposed based on scattering cancellation (SC) to achieve switchable functions by plugging modularized functional units into a functional motherboard. Plugging in any module barely affects the environmental diffusion field, but the module choice impacts different diffusion behaviors in the central region. Cloaking strictly hinds ion diffusion, and concentrating increase diffusion flux, while cytomembrane-like ion selection permits the entrance of some ions but blocks others. In addition, these functions are demonstrated in special applications like the catalytic enhancement by the concentrator and the protein protection by the ion selector. This work not only experimentally demonstrates the effective manipulation of mass diffusion by metamaterials, but also shows that the "plug and switch" design is extensible and reconfigurable. It facilitates novel applications including sustained drug release, catalytic enhancement, bioinspired cytomembranes, etc.

Programmable Mechanical Metamaterials with Tailorable Negative Poisson's Ratio and Arbitrary Thermal Expansion in Multiple Thermal Deformation Modes

Mechanical metamaterials pave a way for designing and optimizing microstructure topology to achieve counterintuitive deformation including negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) and negative thermal expansion (NTE). Previous studies were always limited to single anomalous mechanical or thermal deformation, but current applications for high-precision mechanical or optical equipment always require their combination and customized and anisotropic deformation parameters. This work develops programmable two-dimensional (2D) mechanical metamaterials based on chiral and antichiral structures constructed with curved bimaterial strips to produce tailorable NPR and arbitrary thermal deformation. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the mechanical metamaterials is tunable on a large scale across negative, near-zero, and positive values depending on the bimaterial configurations and geometrical parameters of curved strips, while the value of NPR is mainly determined by the radian. Furthermore, it is programmable by coding the unit cells to exhibit customized and anisotropic thermal deformation combining homogeneous, gradient, and shear modes. The proposed mechanical metamaterials are fabricated by multimaterial three-dimensional (3D) printing, and the unusual deformation modes are verified experimentally, which is well in agreement with the results of finite element analysis. This work demonstrates a feasible approach to achieving customized mechanical and thermal deformation through easy block building for specific engineering applications including eliminating thermal stress, shape morphing, and smart actuators.

Atomic-scale insights on hydrogen trapping and exclusion at incoherent interfaces of nanoprecipitates in martensitic steels

Hydrogen is well known to embrittle high-strength steels and impair their corrosion resistance. One of the most attractive methods to mitigate hydrogen embrittlement employs nanoprecipitates, which are widely used for strengthening, to trap and diffuse hydrogen from enriching at vulnerable locations within the materials. However, the atomic origin of hydrogen-trapping remains elusive, especially in incoherent nanoprecipitates. Here, by combining in-situ scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, we unveil distinct scenarios of hydrogen-precipitate interaction in a high-strength low-alloyed martensitic steel. It is found that not all incoherent interfaces are trapping hydrogen; some may even exclude hydrogen. Atomic-scale structural and chemical features of the very interfaces suggest that carbon/sulfur vacancies on the precipitate surface and tensile strain fields in the nearby matrix likely determine the hydrogen-trapping characteristics of the interface. These findings provide fundamental insights that may lead to a better coupling of precipitation-strengthening strategy with hydrogen-insensitive designs.

By trapping hydrogen, nanoprecipitates can mitigate the hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steels. Here, the authors report direct evidences on the structural and chemical features underlying distinct hydrogen-trapping behaviors at the incoherent interfaces of precipitates and steel matrix.

Efficacy and Safety of Qili Qiangxin Capsule on Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 35 Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective: Qili Qiangxin Capsule (QQC), a Chinese patent medicine, is clinically effective in treating dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, the meta-analysis of QCC combined with conventional western medicine (CWM) on DCM remains unexplored. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of QCC in the treatment of DCM.

Methods: Searched the studies of the combination of QQC and CWM in the treatment of DCM, from databases like PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wan Fang Databases, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, prior to 15 January 2022. Two reviewers respectively regulated research selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. Review Manager Software 5.4 was used for meta-analysis. Furthermore, GRADE pro3.6.1 software was selected to grade the current evidence in our findings. This meta-analysis has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022297906).

Results: There were 35 studies pertaining to 3,334 patients included. The meta-analysis showed compared with CWM alone, the combination therapy had significant advantages in improving the clinical efficiency rate (RR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.29, p < 0.00001), 6 min walking distance (6MWD) (MD = 41.93, 95%CI: 39.82 to 44.04, p < 0.00001), superior in ameliorating the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (MD = 5.73, 95%CI: 4.70 to 6.77, p < 0.00001), left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) (MD = −4.09, 95%CI: −4.91 to −3.27), p < 0.00001), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD) (MD = −4.73, 95%CI: −5.63 to −3.84), p < 0.00001) and BNP (MD = −101.09, 95%CI: -132.99 to −69.18), p < 0.00001), and also superior in reducing hypersensitive-C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) (MD = −3.78, 95%CI: −4.35 to −3.21), p < 0.00001), Interleukin- 6 (IL-6) (MD = −25.92, 95%CI: −31.35 to -20.50), p < 0.00001), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (MD = -5.04, 95%CI: −6.13 to −3.95), p < 0.00001), high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) (MD = −4.34, 95%CI: −5.22 to −3.46), p < 0.00001), and adverse reactions (ARs) (RR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.51–0.97), p = 0.03). The GRADE evidence quality rating presented with moderate or low quality of evidence for the available data.

Conclusion: Compared with the control group, QQC combined with CWM may be effective in treating DCM. However, the conclusion of this study must be interpreted carefully due to the inferior quality and ambiguity of bias in the included trials.

Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier [CRD42022297906].

Ultrasensitive Frequency Shifting of Dielectric Mie Resonance near Metallic Substrate

Dielectric resonators on metallic surface can enhance far-field scattering and boost near-field response having promising applications in nonlinear optics and reflection-type devices. However, the dependence of gap size between dielectric resonator and metallic surface on Mie resonant frequency is complex and desires a comprehensive physical interpretation. Here, we systematically study the effect of metallic substrate on the magnetic dipole (MD) resonant frequency at X-band by placing a high permittivity CaTiO₃ ceramic block on metallic substrate and regulating their gap size. The simulated and experimental results show that there are two physical mechanisms to codetermine the metallic substrate-induced MD frequency. The greatly enhanced electric field pair in the gap and the coupling of MD resonance with its mirror image are decisive for small and large gaps, respectively, making the MD resonant frequency present an exponential blue shift first and then a slight red shift with increasing gap size. Further, we use the two mechanisms to explain different frequency shifting properties of ceramic sphere near metallic substrate. Finally, taking advantage of the sharp frequency shifting to small gaps, the ceramic block is demonstrated to accurately estimate the thickness or permittivity of thin film on metallic substrate through a governing equation derived from the method of symbolic regression. We believe that our study will help to understand the resonant frequency shifting for dielectric particle near metallic substrate and give some prototypes of ultrasensitive detectors.

Revealing the role of interfacial heterogeneous nucleation in the metastable thin film growth of rare-earth nickelate electronic transition materials

Although rare-earth nickelates (ReNiO₃, Re ≠ La) exhibit abundant electronic phases and widely adjustable metal to insulator electronic transition properties, their practical electronic applications are largely impeded by their intrinsic meta-stability. Apart from elevating the oxygen reaction pressure, heterogeneous nucleation is expected to be an alternative strategy that enables the crystallization of ReNiO₃ at low meta-stability. In this work, the respective roles of high oxygen pressure and heterogeneous interface in triggering ReNiO₃ thin film growth in the metastable state are revealed. ReNiO₃ (Re = Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd and Dy) thin films grown on a LaAlO₃ single crystal substrate show effective crystallization at atmospheric pressure without the necessity to apply high oxygen pressure, suggesting that the interfacial bonding between the ReNiO₃ and substrates can sufficiently reduce the positive Gibbs formation energy of ReNiO₃, which is further verified by the first-principles calculations. Nevertheless, the abrupt electronic transitions only appear in ReNiO₃ thin films grown at high oxygen pressure, in which case the oxygen vacancies are effectively eliminated via high oxygen pressure reactions as indicated by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) analysis. This work unveils the synergistic effects of heterogeneous nucleation and high oxygen pressure on the growth of high quality ReNiO₃ thin films.

Efficacy and Mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Decoction in Patients With Ischemic Heart Failure: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Combined With Proteomic Analysis

Objective: Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHW), a famous herbal prescription in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used for 200 years for treating ischemic heart failure (IHF). This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of BYHW combined with guideline-guided pharmacotherapy in patients with IHF and explore the biological mechanism by which BYHW exerts its efficacy.

Methods: In the multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, a total of 80 patients with IHF were randomized to receive BYHW or placebo for 3 months. The primary efficacy endpoints were New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, TCM syndrome scores, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP), whereas the mechanism exploration endpoints included energy metabolism parameters and coagulation function parameters. In addition, we performed the proteomic study of the serum of patients after treatment by label-free quantification technology to verify the candidate target proteins and pathways.

Results: After 3 months of treatment, the NYHA classification, TCM syndrome scores, and the percentage of subjects with at least 30% reduction in NT-ProBNP were significantly improved in the BYHW group, compared with the control group (p < 0.05); BYHW treatment also significantly regulated blood glucose, blood lipid levels, ameliorated energy metabolism and improved coagulation function parameters. There were no significant differences in safety endpoints between the two groups. In addition, we obtained 56 differentially expressed proteins by proteomics, including 20 upregulated proteins and 36 downregulated proteins. Bioinformatic analysis revealed the mechanism of BYHW treatment was significantly related to complement and coagulation cascades, cholesterol metabolism, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and metabolic pathways. Among these differentially regulated proteins, fibrinogen gamma (FGG), fibrinogen beta (FGB), Carboxypeptidase B2 (CPB2), Coagulation factor XIII A (F13A1), Intercellular adhesion molecule1 (ICAM1), Apolipoprotein C-II(APOC2), Apolipoprotein C-I(APOC1), and CD44 were found to be signature proteins associated with the efficacy of BYHW against IHF.

Conclusion: BYHW treatment can further improve cardiac dysfunction and clinical symptoms in IHF based on standard therapy without apparent adverse effects. Additionally, BYHW may play a therapeutic role in IHF by improving energy metabolism and regulating coagulation function through multiple targets and pathways.

Engineering of g-C3N4-based photocatalysts to enhance hydrogen evolution

The technology of photocatalytic hydrogen production that converts abundant yet intermittent solar energy into an environmentally friendly alternative energy source is an attractive strategy to mitigate the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), as a promising photocatalyst, has gradually received focus in the field of artificial photosynthesis due to its appealing optical property, high chemical stability and easy synthesis. However, the limited light absorption and massive recombination of photoinduced carriers have hindered the photocatalytic activity of bare g-C₃N₄. Therefore, from the perspective of theoretical calculations and experiments, many valid approaches have been applied to rationally design the photocatalyst and ameliorate the hydrogen production performance, such as element doping, defect engineering, morphology tuning, and semiconductor coupling. This review summarized the latest progress of g-C₃N₄-based photocatalysts from two perspectives, modification of pristine g-C₃N₄ and interfacial engineering design. It is expected to offer feasible suggestions for the fabrication of low-cost and high-efficiency photocatalysts and the photocatalytic mechanism analyses assisted by calculation in the near future. Finally, the prospects and challenges of this exciting research field are discussed.

Influence of Phase Transitions on Electrostrictive and Piezoelectric Characteristics in PMN-30PT Single Crystals

The ultrahigh electrostrain and piezoelectric constant (d₃₃) in relaxor piezoelectric PMN-30PT single crystals are closely related to the coexistence and transition of multiple phases at the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). However, the key mechanisms underlying the stability of the phases and their transitions are yet to be fully understood. In this work, we undertake a systematic study of the influences of phase transitions on the electrostrictive and piezoelectric behaviors in ⟨001⟩-, ⟨011⟩-, and ⟨111⟩-oriented PMN-30PT single crystals. We first classify the various phase transitions within the quasi-MPB in electric field-temperature phase diagrams as either dominated by the electric field or by temperature. We find that the electrostrain reaches a maximum at each phase transition, especially in the electric-field-dominated transitions, whereas d₃₃ only peaks at specific phase transitions. In particular, the electrostrain in the ⟨001⟩ crystal reaches a maximum of S = 0.52% at 55 °C under an external electric field with E = 15 kV/cm, primarily due to a joint contribution of the electric field-dominated rhombohedral-monoclinic and monoclinic-tetragonal phase transitions at the quasi-MPB. An ultrahigh d₃₃ (∼2460 pC/N) only occurs at the rhombohedral-monoclinic phase transition in the ⟨001⟩ crystal and at the rhombohedral-orthorhombic transition in the ⟨011⟩ crystal (d₃₃ ∼ 1500 pC/N) due to the lower energy barriers. The temperature-dominated phase transitions also contribute toward minor peaks in electrostrain and/or d₃₃. This work provides a deeper and quantitative understanding of the microscopic mechanisms underlying electrostrictive and piezoelectric behaviors relevant for the design of high-performance materials.

Ultrahigh piezocatalytic capability in eco-friendly BaTiO3 nanosheets promoted by 2D morphology engineering

Piezocatalysis, converting mechanical vibration into chemical energy, is an emerging technology to address environmental issues. In this work, we propose an efficient method to significantly improve the piezocatalytic activity by morphology engineering rather than composition design. The catalytic property in BaTiO₃ nanocrystallites with diverse morphologies is investigated by dye degradation and hydrogen production under ultrasonic vibration. The BaTiO₃ nanosheets exhibit an excellent piezocatalytic activity with a degradation rate of 0.1279 min^-1 for Rhodamine B, far beyond those in previous piezocatalytic literature and even comparable to excellent photocatalysts, and also a high hydrogen production rate of 92 μmol g^-1 h^-1. Compared with nanowires and nanoparticles, the 2D morphology greatly enhances the piezocatalytic activity in nanosheets owing to much larger piezoelectric potential. This proves that the piezocatalytic property is dominated by the morphology-dependent piezoelectricity, rather than specific surface area as other catalysis. Dominated by bending vibrating mode, the piezocatalytic activity reaches a maximum at the piezoelectric resonating frequency, and it increases with the ultrasonic power. Moreover, it has good reusability and wide versatility for catalytic degradation. This work gives an in-depth understanding of piezocatalytic mechanism and provides a way to develop high performance and eco-friendly piezocatalysts.

Dynamically Crosslinked Dry Ion-Conducting Elastomers for Soft Iontronics

Soft ionic conductors show great promise in multifunctional iontronic devices, but currently utilized gel materials suffer from liquid leakage or evaporation issues. Here, a dry ion-conducting elastomer with dynamic crosslinking structures is reported. The dynamic crosslinking structures endow it with combined advantageous properties simultaneously, including high ionic conductivity (2.04 × 10^-4 S cm^-1 at 25 °C), self-healing capability (96% healing efficiency), stretchability (563%), and transparency (78%). With this ionic conductor as the electrode, two soft iontronic devices (electroluminescent devices and triboelectric nanogenerator tactile sensors) are realized with entirely self-healing and stretchable capabilities. Due to the absence of liquid materials, the dry ion-conducting elastomer shows wide operational temperature range, and the iontronic devices achieve excellent stability. These findings provide a promising strategy to achieve highly conductive and multifunctional soft dry ionic conductors, and demonstrate their great potential in soft iontronics or electronics.

Development and implementation of a novel decision support tool on physical restraint use in critically ill adult patients

AIM

To investigate whether a novel decision support tool would effectively minimize physical restraint use in critically ill adult patients.

DESIGN

A nonequivalent quasi-experimental design combined with a descriptive qualitative approach was used.

METHODS

A Restraint Decision Tree was developed based on a qualitative study that explored the barriers to employ the Restraint Decision Wheel. During the quasi-experimental study, patients admitted to the unit between October 2017 and March 2018 were enrolled as the control group receiving the Restraint Decision Wheel (n = 528), whereas patients between April 2018 and September 2018 were enrolled as the intervention group receiving the Restraint Decision Tree (n = 564). The physical restraint rate, accidental catheter removal rate and nurses' satisfaction were compared.

RESULTS

The Restraint Decision Tree significantly decreased physical restraint use. No significant difference in the rate of accidental catheter removal was found. Nurses reported increased satisfaction with the restraint decision-making.

CONCLUSIONS

The Restraint Decision Tree could minimize physical restraint use. Physicians' involvement in the restraint decision-making and nurses' competence in delirium assessment may be essential for successful implementation of the Restraint Decision Tree.

CircRNA_0048211 protects postmenopausal osteoporosis through targeting miRNA-93-5p to regulate BMP2

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the potential influence of circular RNA (circRNA)_0048211/miRNA-93-5p/BMP2 regulatory loop in the progression of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Bone marrow samples were collected from PMOP patients (n=30) and healthy subjects (n=30) for isolating hBMSCs. Relative levels of circRNA_0048211, miRNA-93-5p, and BMP2 in hBMSCs isolated from PMOP patients and healthy controls were detected. In addition, their dynamic expressions in hBMSCs isolated from PMOP patients undergoing osteogenesis for 0, 7, 14, and 21 days were examined. Then, the interaction in the circRNA_0048211/miRNA-93-5p/BMP2 regulatory loop was verified by Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay. Next, the potential influences of circRNA_0048211/miRNA-93-5p/BMP2 regulatory loop on osteogenesis-associated gene expressions, ALP activity, and mineralization ability were assessed.

RESULTS

CircRNA_0048211 and BMP2 were downregulated, while miRNA-93-5p was upregulated in hBMSCs isolated from PMOP patients. In hBMSCs undergoing osteogenesis, circRNA_0048211, miRNA-93-5p and BMP2 were time-dependently changed. Overexpression of circRNA_0048211 upregulated RUNX2, OPN, and OCN, which also stimulated ALP activity and mineralization ability. CircRNA_0048211 could bind to miRNA-93-5p, and BMP2 was a direct target of miRNA-93-5p. In the meantime, circRNA_0048211 was negatively correlated with miRNA-93-5p, and positively correlated with BMP2. Besides, CircRNA_0048211/miRNA-93-5p/BMP2 regulatory loop was responsible for regulating osteogenesis-associated gene expressions, ALP activity, and mineralization ability in hBMSCs.

CONCLUSIONS

CircRNA_0048211 negatively targets miRNA-93-5p to upregulate BMP2, thus alleviating the progression of PMOP.

[The study of the association between lung cancer screening and smoking behavior change]

The smoking cessation rate of 1 314 people at high risk of lung cancer in the area of lung cancer screening and early diagnosis and early treatment in Sichuan Province increased from 22.37% at baseline to 41.78% after screening (χ²=227.97, P<0.001), and the smoking amount of persistent smokers decreased from 20 cigarettes per day to 15 cigarettes per day (t=11.76, P<0.001). Those with positive results in lung cancer screening were more likely to quit smoking or continue to quit smoking. Male, younger age or lower education level would increase the risk of continuous smoking or relapse (P<0.05).

Playing Ant Forest to promote online green behavior: A new perspective on uses and gratifications

The popularity of Internet technology has resulted in people's lives being increasingly embedded in this network. The rise in usage of environmental protection apps has become a powerful tool in driving offline environmental protection activities and green lifestyles. However, little is known about the public's online green behavior. To fill this gap, we took Ant Forest, the most influential online environmental protection project in China, as a case study to explore the driving psychology of Ant Forest users' continuous use behaviors (CUBs) by expanding the use and gratifications theory. The proposed hypotheses were tested using a structural equation model based on data from 951 Ant Forest users. The results showed that users' gratification is an important psychological motivation that encourages CUBs in Ant Forest, and the different dimensions of gratification have significant differences in the driving intensity of the three types of CUBs. Moreover, emotional dependence moderates the relationships between gratifications and CUBs. Finally, from the perspective of cultivating gratification, this study suggests promoting the continuous use of Ant Forest as it provides a reference for understanding and developing online green behavior.

MiR-33a inhibits the adipogenic differentiation of ovine adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction cells by targeting SIRT6

Adipose tissue is important for the regulation of energy balance through its metabolic, cellular, and endocrine functions. Furthermore, the excessive storage of subcutaneous fat can seriously affect the health and carcass traits of domestic animals. Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cell adipogenic differentiation increases the number of differentiated adipocytes and plays a role in lipid deposition. The adipogenic differentiation of SVF cells is regulated by various factors, including microRNAs and cytokines. Sirt6 and miR-33a are known to be involved in metabolism and adipogenesis, respectively; however, their effects on the adipogenic differentiation of ovine SVF cells were previously unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate this. The results showed that SIRT6 is a binding target for miR-33a. Moreover, overexpression or inhibition of miR-33a was found to change the expression of SIRT6 messenger RNA and protein. Furthermore, modulating SIRT6 altered the expression of adipogenic marker genes. In addition, miR-33a and SIRT6 were found to play opposing roles in adipogenesis. Specifically, we demonstrated that miR-33a is involved in the negative regulation of ovine SVF cell adipogenic differentiation by inhibiting the expression of SIRT6. These findings reveal a key role for miR-33a and SIRT6 in adipogenesis, which will enrich our understanding of the regulatory factors associated with SVF cell adipogenic differentiation and provide a basis for further study on this process.

Risk predictive models for delirium in the intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

An emerging approach to prevent delirium in an intensive care unit is the use of risk prediction models. At present, there is no scientific comparison of the predictive effect of the prediction model. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare the performance of available delirium risk prediction models for intensive care units.

METHODS

As of June 1st, 2019, articles on delirium prediction models of the intensive care patients were searched in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, ProQuest, and four Chinese databases. Studies describing the development or validation of risk prediction models for predicting delirium in ICU patients were included. The Prediction model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST) was used to assess the quality of included studies. A meta-analysis of the predictive performance was performed using the forest plot package in R3.6.1.

RESULTS

A total of 21 studies with 14 models were included in this article. PRE-DELIRIC, E-PREDELIRIC, and recalibrated PRE-DELIRIC model were the most popular models, which had been externally validated in at least two studies. The pooled area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.844 (95% CI: 0.793-0.896), 0.763 (95% CI: 0.680-0.846) and 0.776 (95% CI: 0.738-0.813) respectively. Most of the other models were with C-statistics above 0.7.

CONCLUSIONS

The E-PRE-DELIRIC model, PRE-DELIRIC model, or both are recommended to predict ICU delirium risk. However, the recommendation should be considered with caution because of substantial heterogeneity. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42019130802).

Stability, deformation and rupture of Janus oligomer enabled self-emulsifying water-in-oil microemulsion droplets

Microemulsions exist widely in nature, daily life and industrial manufacturing processes, including petroleum production, food processing, drug delivery, new material fabrication, sewage treatment, etc. The mechanical properties of microemulsion droplets and a correlation to their molecular structures are of vital importance to those applications. Despite studies on their physicochemical determinants, there are lots of challenges of exploring the mechanical properties of microemulsions by experimental studies. Herein, atomistic modelling was utilized to study the stability, deformation, and rupture of Janus oligomer enabled water-in-oil microemulsion droplets, aiming at revealing their intrinsic relationship with Janus oligomer based surfactants and oil structures. The self-emulsifying process from a water, oil and surfactant mixture to a single microemulsion droplet was modulated by the amphiphilicity and structure of the surfactants. Four microemulsion systems with an interfacial thickness in the range of 7.4-17.3 Å were self-assembled to explore the effect of the surfactant on the droplet morphology. By applying counter forces on the water core and the surfactant shell, the mechanical stability of the microemulsion droplets was probed at different ambient temperatures. A strengthening response and a softening regime before and after a temperature-dependent peak force were identified followed by the final rupture. This work demonstrates a practical strategy to precisely tune the mechanical properties of a single microemulsion droplet, which can be applied in the formation, de-emulsification, and design of microemulsions in oil recovery and production, drug delivery and many other applications.

Giant Electrocaloric Effect and Ultrahigh Refrigeration Efficiency in Antiferroelectric Ceramics by Morphotropic Phase Boundary Design

Electrocaloric effect (ECE) in ferroelectric (FE)/antiferroelectric (AFE) materials offers a promising high-efficient and zero-emission solid-state cooling technology, whose materials design is usually focused on the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between two FE phases. This work constructs an MPB between an orthorhombic AFE and a rhombohedral FE phase in Pb_0.97-xBa_xLa_0.02Zr_0.95Ti_0.05O₃ (PBLZT100x, x = 0-0.08) ceramics and achieves a superior ECE performance. An unprecedented high electrocaloric strength of 1.52 K·mm/kV and an ultrahigh refrigeration efficiency (coefficient of performance = 16) are obtained in PBLZT4, in the MPB near AFE end. Moreover, a large negative ECE, with the highest strength up to -0.41 K·mm/kV, is also realized due to the electric field-induced AFE-FE transition. The coexistence of giant positive and negative ECEs at adjacent temperatures can further improve the cooling capacity (∼17%) of solid-state refrigeration in a well-designed cooling cycle. This work provides a brand new materials design strategy to achieve giant positive and negative ECEs simultaneously and a novel cooling cycle to efficiently utilize the two effects.

Assessing the effect of non-financial information intervention on promoting group-level energy savings

Increasing attention has been paid to information intervention in stimulating household energy conservation. However, for group-level energy users who have no financial motivation to save energy, little is known about which types of non-financial information intervention (NFII) strategies can effectively motivate group-level energy conservation. A 14-week controlled field experiment was conducted to test the energy-saving effect of 4 types of NFII strategies. The results show that compared with the control group, the experimental group receiving normative information and group-contrast feedback decreased electricity consumption by 24.23%. Followed by the group receiving normative information and self-contrast feedback and the group receiving environmental education information and group-contrast feedback. The group receiving environmental education information and self-contrast feedback showed no significant energy savings. Analysis of variance further showed that normative information had a better energy-saving effect than environmental education information, and the energy-saving effects produced by group-contrast feedback were better than that of self-contrast feedback. These conclusions provide insights and recommendations on how to use NFII to motivate group-level energy conservation.

Effects of stacking periodicity on the electronic and optical properties of GaAs/AlAs superlattice: a first-principles study

The effects of stacking periodicity on the electronic and optical properties of GaAs/AlAs superlattice have been explored by density functional theory calculations. Among the (GaAs)m/(AlAs)m, (GaAs)1/(AlAs)m and (GaAs)m/(AlAs)1 (m = 1 to 5) superlattices, the band gaps of (GaAs)m/(AlAs)1 superlattices decrease significantly as the layer of GaAs increases, and the cut-off wavelengths are found to locate in the near infrared region. For (GaAs)m/(AlAs)1 SLs, the conduction bands shift toward Fermi level, resulting in the smaller band gap, while conduction bands of (GaAs)1/(AlAs)n SLs slightly shift to higher energy, which lead to comparable band gaps. The layer number of GaAs shows negligible effects on the reflectivity spectra of superlattice structures, while the absorption coefficient shows a red-shift with the increasing layer of GaAs, which is beneficial for the application of GaAs/AlAs superlattice in the field of near infrared detector. These results demonstrate that controlling the number of GaAs layers is a good method to engineer the optoelectronic properties of GaAs/AlAs superlattice.

Unveiling Catalytic Sites in a Typical Hydrogen Photogeneration System Consisting of Semiconductor Quantum Dots and 3d-Metal Ions

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) in conjunction with non-noble 3d-metal ions (e.g., Fe³⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺) have emerged as an extremely efficient, facile, and cost-effective means of solar-driven hydrogen (H₂) evolution. However, the exact structural change of the active sites under realistic conditions remains elusive, and the mechanism of H₂ evolution behind the remarkable activity is poorly understood. Here, we successfully track the structural variation of the catalytic sites in the typical H₂ photogeneration system consisting of CdSe/CdS QDs and 3d-metal ions (i.e., Ni²⁺ used here). That is, the nickel precursor of Ni(OAc)₂ changes to Ni(H₂O)₆²⁺ in neutral H₂O and eventually transforms to Ni(OH)₂ nanosheets in alkaline media. Furthermore, the in operando spectroscopic techniques of electron paramagnetic resonance and X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveal the photoinduced transformation of Ni(OH)₂ to a defective structure [Ni_x⁰/Ni_1-x(OH)₂], which acts as the real catalytic species of H₂ photogeneration. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further indicate that the surface Ni-vacancies (V_Ni) on the Ni(OH)₂ nanosheets enhance the adsorption and dissociation of H₂O molecules to enhance the local proton concentration, while the Ni⁰ clusters behave as H₂-evolution sites, thereby synergistically promoting the activity of H₂ photogeneration in alkaline media.

Effects of substrate and tip characteristics on the surface friction of fluorinated graphene

Maintaining the superior lubricating properties of graphene under chemical modification requires a deep understanding of the origin of its friction enhancement. In this study, the DFT calculations were performed to investigate the effects of substrate and tip characteristics on the frictional properties of fluorinated graphene (FGr) on Cu(111) and Pt(111) substrates. The calculation results indicate that the fluorination will increase the geometrical corrugation of graphene and a stronger reactivity between graphene and substrate could confine the geometrical corrugation. The indentation calculations of an Ar atom on the FGr on Cu(111) and Pt(111) illustrate that geometrical corrugation contributes dominantly to the sliding potential energy corrugation. With respect to a reactive 10-atom Ir tip sliding on the FGr on Pt(111), the F atom transfers from graphene to the tip and the friction evolves into a fluorinated Ir tip sliding on the FGr. As a result, the work against the normal load to lift the tip over the geometrical corrugation starts to play a crucial role in contributing to the surface friction. Thus, reducing the geometrical corrugation of graphene after fluorination through a stronger reactive substrate provides a feasible avenue to preserve the lubricating properties of graphene.

MiR-203 is essential for the shift from osteogenic differentiation to adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in postmenopausal osteoporosis

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate how miR-203 promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMSCs) by regulating its target gene DKK1, thereby inhibiting the occurrence of osteoporosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 60 cases with postmenopausal osteoporosis and 40 cases of normal individuals were recruited. The expression of miR-203 in serum of all cases was detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The capacity of osteogenesis and adipogenic differentiation of MSCs was determined by alizarin red staining and oil red staining, respectively. Transfection of miR-203 mimics and miR-203 inhibitor were mediated by Liposomes, and then the MSCs were induced osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. MiR-203 mimic was co-transfected with wild-type or mutant DKK1 for luciferase reporter gene detection. In the osteoporosis model of rats, the tibia was taken for micro-CT examination of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone volume/structural parameters (BV/TV), while the femur was taken for the measurement of absorption parameters (Ob.S)./BS) and the number of osteoclasts per circumference of bone (N.Oc/B.Pm).

RESULTS

The expression level of miR-203 was significantly lower in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis than that in normal individuals. The osteogenic capacity of BMSCs in these patients was reduced, while their adipogenic capacity was enhanced. MiR-203 promoted the expression of osteogenic genes and inhibited that of adipogenic genes. Knockdown of miR-203 decreased the level of osteogenic related genes but increased that of adipogenic related genes, while overexpression of miR-203 led to the opposite results. Furthermore, miR-203 inhibited the protein expression of DKK1. In addition, bone density and bone volume/structural parameters were lower in ovariectomized rats than those in normal rats. Meanwhile, bone resorption parameters and the number of osteoclasts per bone circumference in ovariectomized rats were higher than those in normal rats.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-203 can promote osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells by downregulating the gene expression of DKK1.

[Analysis of the level of the core knowledge and related factors of cancer prevention and treatment in the upper gastrointestinal cancer screening area of Sichuan Province in 2018]

Objective: To investigate the level of the core knowledge and related factors of cancer prevention and treatment among residents in the upper gastrointestinal cancer screening areas of Sichuan Province in 2018. Methods: From April to May 2018, a total of 1 386 residents from Chaotian District of Guangyuan, Enyang District of Bazhong, Nanjiang County of Bazhong, Cangxi County of Guangyuan, Shehong County of Suining, Yilong County of Nanchong, Xichong County of Nanchong and Xuanhan County of Dazhou were recruited in this study. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect basic demographic characteristics and the knowledge of cancer prevention and treatment. The level of the core knowledge of cancer prevention and treatment of different population was analyzed. A multivariate linear regression model was performed to analyze the related factors. Results: In total, 80.9% (1 120) of all subjects was 25-64 years old and 48.0% (665) were male. The total number of questions answered by the subjects was 18 018, of which 12 147 were known, and the overall awareness rate among the respondents was 67.42%. The female respondents, respondentsaged 65 years old and over, with junior college education or above, and worked in government institutions had a good performance of the core knowledge (P<0.05), about 70.11% (6 571/9 373), 69.23% (387/559), 76.05% (6 327/8 320), and 77.09% (5 602/7 267) respectively. The results of multivariate linear regression showed that the older the age [β=0.871 (95%CI: 0.623-1.119)], the higher the educational level [β=0.741 (95%CI: 0.540-0.943)], the more questions respondents could know; compared with the workers in government organization and institution, workers in enterprise [β=-2.913 (95%CI:-3.499--2.327)], farming workers [β=-0.635 (95%CI:-1.175--0.095)] and other occupation people [β=-1.126 (95%CI:-1.663--0.589)] could know fewer questions. Conclusion: In 2018, the level of the core knowledge of cancer prevention and treatment among residents in upper gastrointestinal cancer screening areas of Sichuan Province was relatively high. Age, education level and occupation were relevant factors.

Comparison of total curative effect between total hip arthroplasty and hip arthrodesis in treating coxotuberculosis

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and hip arthrodesis (HA) in treating coxotuberculosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

40 patients with coxotuberculosis treated in the Orthopedic Department in our hospital from February 2011 to February 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Comparison of total curative effect between THA and HA in treating coxotuberculosis was analyzed. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Harris hip function score (HHS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein, postoperative hip pain time (PHPT), postoperative start walking time(PSWT), postoperative start weight bearing time(PSWBT) and postoperative complications were observed and compared.

RESULTS

All patients successfully underwent successful THA or HA without major complications. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume in patients who underwent HA were better than those of patients who underwent THA (p<0.001, p=0.010, p<0.001, respectively). During the postoperative evaluation, VAS, HHS, ESR, CRP in patients who underwent THA were better than those of patients who underwent HA, and the differences were statistically significant. About the recovery, PHPT, PSWT, PSWBT in patients who underwent THA were shorter than those in patients who underwent HA (p=0.021, p=0.044, p<0.001, respectively). There was no fracture, infection, dislocation, neurological or vascular complications in THA group. No patient had subsidence, loosening or heterotopic ossification. 1 patient in HA group had a fracture of the steel plate, and 1 patient had delayed union in HA group.

CONCLUSIONS

THA is an effective treatment for advanced tuberculous arthritis. THA is superior to HA in the treatment of coxotuberculosis.

[Effect of hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5A and its domains II on hepatocyte gluconeogenesis in mice]

Objective: To investigate the role of hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) and its domains I, II, and III in regulating gluconeogenesis in mice and the underlying mechanism. Methods: A total of 60 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into six groups. Recombinant lentiviral particles with specific expression of full-length NS5A, NS5A domain I, NS5A domain II, or NS5A domain III were injected via the caudal vein to establish a mouse model, and the group without injection and the group with the injection of the lentiviral particles containing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were established as negative control. The effect of full-length NS5A protein and its domains on fasting blood glucose (FBG) and fasting serum insulin (FINS) were measured. Liver tissue was collected to prepare a paraffin section. Immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) in hepatocytes, quantitative real-time PCR and/or Western blot were used to measure the expression of NS5A, phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1), and PEPCK. Results: Compared with the group without injection and the group with the injection of the lentiviral particles containing EGFP, the groups with the injection of the lentiviral particles containing full-length NS5A and NS5A domain II had significant increases in FBG and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (P < 0.01). Immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR showed a significant increase in the expression of PEPCK, a key enzyme involved in gluconeogenesis. Western blot showed that full-length NS5A protein and NS5A domain II inhibited the level of p-AMPK and increased the levels of SREBP-1 and PEPCK. Conclusion: NS5A protein and NS5A domain II may affect glucose metabolism in hepatocytes in mice by regulating AMPK/SREBP-1/PEPCK, and NS5A domain II may play an important role in insulin resistance in hepatocytes caused by HCV infection.

B-cell translocation gene 3 overexpression inhibits proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer SW480 cells via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Increasing evidences have shown that B-cell translocation gene 3 (BTG3) inhibits metastasis of multiple cancer cells. However, the role of BTG3 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its possible mechanism have not yet been reported. In our study, we evaluated BTG3 expression in several CRC cell lines. Then, pcDNA3.1-BTG3 was transfected into SW480 cells. We found that BTG3 was upregulated in SW480 cells after overexpression plasmid transfection. BTG3 overexpression significantly inhibited cell growth and decreased PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and Ki67 levels. BTG3 overexpression markedly downregulated Cyclin D1 and Cyclin E1 levels, whereas elevated p27. Overexpression of BTG3 arrested the cell cycle at G1 phase, which was abrogated by p27 silencing. Furthermore, migration, invasion and EMT of SW480 cells were significantly suppressed by BTG3 overexpression. Further investigations showed the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. We then used GSK3β specific inhibitor SB-216763 to activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. We found that Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activation reversed the effect of BTG3 overexpression on cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, invasion and EMT. In conclusion, BTG3 overexpression inhibited cell growth, induced cell cycle arrest and suppressed the metastasis of SW480 cells via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. BTG3 may be considered as a therapeutic target in CRC treatment.

200 Developing exosomes as a mediator for CRISPR/Cas-9 delivery

CRISPR/Cas systems present a powerful gene-editing tool with the potential for widespread therapeutic use; however, current methods of in vivo delivery such as adeno-associated viruses (AAV) may stimulate an immune response, creating the need for an alternative for delivery of CRISPR/Cas9. Exosomes are small vesicles that are released by cells and serve as a delivery system for RNA, proteins, and various molecules to other cells. The focus of this project was to use exosomes as a delivery system for Cas9, exploiting their high uptake by target cells and their ability to avoid the immune system in vivo. Porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFF) were grown to 80% confluency; after 48h, exosomes were isolated and concentrated from conditioned media by filtration with a 0.22-μm filter followed by 100-kDa molecular weight cutoff filter. Transmission electron microscopy, Western blotting for presence of CD81, and an uptake assay for exosomes stained with the lipophilic dye DiI (Invitrogen/Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) were used to characterise isolated exosomes, and average particle size was evaluated by NanoSight (Salisbury, United Kingdom). After characterisation, exosomes were loaded with Cas9 (PNA Bio, Newbury Park, CA, USA) using sonication, incubation with saponin, or extrusion. For each method of loading, 1.0×1011 exosomes and 500ng of Cas9 were used. For sonication, exosomes and Cas9 were sonicated 4 times: 4s on/2s off, left on ice for 2min, and then repeated for 4 more cycles. Loaded exosomes were then incubated at 37°C for 20min. For incubation with saponin, 100μL of 0.6% saponin solution was made in PBS, mixed with exosomes and Cas9, and then incubated on a shaker at 800 rpm for 20min. For extrusion, exosomes and Cas9 were extruded (Avanti Polar Lipids, Alabaster, AL, USA) 10, 15, or 20 times through a 0.22-μm filter. To evaluate efficiency of Cas9 loading into exosomes, loaded exosome samples were split in half, with one-half receiving a proteinase K digest (100μg mL−1) to remove free Cas9 and the other receiving no treatment. Proteinase K-treated and untreated samples were then compared side by side on Western blot staining for Cas9. ImageJ software (National Institutes for Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) was used to quantify band intensity and loading efficiency. With optimal conditions, our preliminary results show loading efficiency for sonication and saponin to be 16.7 and 19.2%, respectively, whereas loading by extrusion was undetectable. For CRISPR/Cas targeting, transgenic PFF carrying one copy of H2B-GFP were used to test delivery of ribonucleotide protein complex (RNP). To verify efficiency of the guide (g)RNA targeting green fluorescent protein (GFP), cells were nucleofected with Cas9 and gRNA. The DNA was extracted, PCR amplified, and sequenced (Eton Bioscience, San Diego, CA, USA) and then evaluated for indels with TIDE, resulting in a 53.2% cleavage efficiency. Next, exosomes will be loaded with RNP to knockout GFP in H2B-GFP cells, and targeting efficiency will be evaluated by flow cytometry and TIDE. We hypothesise that based on loading efficiency and target cell uptake, exosomes will present a safe and efficient method for in vitro and in vivo delivery of Cas9. The financial support of the Comparative Medicine Institute is gratefully acknowledged.

Proton Irradiation Effects on Hardness and the Volta Potential of Welding 308L Duplex Stainless Steel

308L welding duplex stainless steel has been irradiated at 360 °C with 2 MeV protons, corresponding to a dose of 3 dpa at the maximum depth of 20 μm. Microhardness of the δ-ferrite and austenite phases was studied before and after proton irradiation using in situ nanomechanical test system (ISNTS). The locations of the phases for indentations placement were obtained by scanning probe microscopy from the ISNTS. The hardness of the δ-ferrite had a close relationship with the vacancy distribution obtained from the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) Monte Carlo simulation code. However, the hardness of the austenite phase in the maximum damage region (17–20 μm depth) from the SRIM simulation was decreasing sharply, and a hardness transition region (>20 μm and <55 μm depth) was found between the maximum damage region (17–20 μm depth) and the unirradiated region (>20 μm depth). However, the δ-ferrite hardness behavior was different. A hardness of the two phases increased on the irradiated surface and the interior due to different hardening mechanisms in the austenite and δ-ferrite phases after a long time high-temperature irradiation. A transition region (>20 μm and <55 μm depth) of the Volta potential was also found, which was caused by the deeper transfer of implanted protons measured by scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy.

MiRNA-seq reveals that miR-124-3p inhibits adipogenic differentiation of the stromal vascular fraction in sheep via targeting C/EBPα

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding 20-25 nt RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by posttranscriptional repression of messenger RNA. There have been few investigations on the profiles and functions of miRNAs in ovine subcutaneous fat; their roles in the metabolism and deposition of subcutaneous fat also remain unclear. In this study, small RNA libraries were constructed for 2 important Chinese local sheep breeds, Small-tailed Han Sheep, and Shanxi Meat Sheep Dam Line, and used for high-throughput sequencing. Differentially expressed miRNAs were identified, revealing the effect of miR-124-3p on adipogenic differentiation by targeting C/EBPα. Our results provide both a comprehensive understanding of miRNA expression patterns in sheep subcutaneous fat and an insight into the specific roles of miRNAs in adipogenesis.

Research on correlation between GALNT3 gene and osteoporosis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between GALNT3 gene and osteoporosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this study, 184 cases of osteoporosis that were treated at our hospital from 2013 to 2014 were selected as research subjects in the observation group. In addition, 84 healthy people were selected as the control group from 2013 to 2014. The bone mineral density of the observation and control groups were detected by x-rays and the expression levels and differences of mRNA of the GALNT3 gene and protein in their body was detected using fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), enzyme-linked immunoassay, and Western blotting.

RESULTS

X-ray results suggest that when compared to the healthy group, bone mineral density of patients in the observation group was significantly lower than that of research subjects in the control group, with significant differences. The fluorescence qPCR results suggest that the expression levels of mRNA of the GALNT3 gene in patients with osteoporosis were significantly lower than that in the healthy group (p<0.05). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results suggest that the expression levels of the GALNT3 gene in patients with osteoporosis (1.26±0.32) μg/L was significantly lower than that in the healthy group (12.41±0.28) μg/L, with significant differences (p<0.05). The Western blotting results agreed with the ELISA results. We also found in our research that the bone mineral density of patients with osteoporosis significantly correlated with the expression levels of the GALNT3 gene (r=0.95).

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, the GALNT3 gene significantly correlated with osteoporosis and the low expression of GALNT3 gene can promote the occurrence and deterioration of osteoporosis.

Understanding Combustion of H2/O2 Gases inside Nanobubbles Generated by Water Electrolysis Using Reactive Molecular Dynamic Simulations

This work explored the mechanism of spontaneous combustion of hydrogen-oxygen mixtures inside nanobubbles (which were generated by water electrolysis) using reactive molecular dynamic simulations based on the first-principles derived reactive force field ReaxFF. The effects of surface-assisted dissociation of H₂ and O₂ gases that produced H and O radicals were examined. Additionally, the ignition outcome and species evolution as a function of the initial system pressure (or bubble size) were studied. A significant amount of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), 6-140 times water (H₂O), was observed in the combustion products. This was attributed to the low-temperature (∼300 K) and high-pressure (2-80 atm) conditions at which the chemical reactions were taking place. In addition, the rate of consumption of H₂ and O₂ molecules was found to increase with an increase in added H and O radical concentrations and initial system pressure. The rate at which heat was being lost from the combustion chamber (nanobubbles) was also compared to the rate at which heat was being released from the chemical reactions. Only a slight rise in the reaction temperature was observed (∼68 K), signifying that, at such small scales, heat losses dominate. The resulting chemistry was quite different from macroscopic combustion, which usually takes place at a much higher temperatures of above 1000 K.

Origin of the moiré superlattice scale lateral force modulation of graphene on a transition metal substrate

The moiré superlattice formed between graphene and a transition metal substrate is capable of tuning the frictional properties of graphene. For instance, a moiré superlattice scale modulation on the lateral force will be experienced by the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM). However, the origin of this long-range force modulation still needs to be clarified. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out to investigate the indentation processes of a one-Ar-atom tip and a 10-atom Ir tip, sliding on graphene/Re(0001) and graphene/Pt(111) moiré superlattices, respectively. The calculation results indicate that the interfacial interaction between graphene and a transition metal substrate determines the morphological corrugation of graphene and the characteristics of the lateral force modulation. Moreover, when the tip-graphene interaction is strong enough, it will influence the evolutions of the adsorption energy Ead and tip sliding trajectory. Thus, the moiré superlattice scale lateral force modulation of graphene on a transition metal substrate originates from the joint effects of the graphene-substrate interfacial interaction and tip-graphene interaction.

A serine protease homologue Bombyx mori scarface induces a short and fat body shape in silkworm

Body shape is one of the most prominent and basic characteristics of any organism. In insects, abundant variations in body shape can be observed both within and amongst species. However, the molecular mechanism underlying body shape fine-tuning is very complex and has been largely unknown until now. In the silkworm Bombyx mori, the tubby (tub) mutant has an abnormal short fat body shape and the abdomen of tub larvae expands to form a fusiform body shape. Morphological investigation revealed that the body length was shorter and the body width was wider than that of the Dazao strain. Thus, this mutant is a good model for studying the molecular mechanisms of body shape fine-tuning. Using positional cloning, we identified a gene encoding the serine protease homologue, B. mori scarface (Bmscarface), which is associated with the tub phenotype. Sequence analysis revealed a specific 312-bp deletion from an exon of Bmscarface in the tub strain. In addition, recombination was not observed between the tub and Bmscarface loci. Moreover, RNA interference of Bmscarface resulted in the tub-like phenotype. These results indicate that Bmscarface is responsible for the tub mutant phenotype. This is the first study to report that mutation of a serine protease homologue can induce an abnormal body shape in insects.

[Analysis of lymph node jump metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma]

Objective:To summarize the metastatic feature of lateral neck lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma.Method:Clinical and pathological data were collected from 301 patients who were first diagnosed as PTC in our hospital. These patients were divided into positive and negative status of lateral cervical lymph nodes and lymph node jump metastasis. Chi-square test and Logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the relationship between lateral cervical lymph node status and clinicopathology.Result:Tumor size over 2cm, Unilateral thyroid gland contains multiple foci,multiple foci, capsular invasion, ultrasound feature of PTC,the main foci located in the isthmus and the pole of gland, trachea/parathyroid lymph nodes positive were associated with the lymph node jump metastasis in papillary thyroid(P<0.05).Conclusion:Multiple foci in single gland, multifocal foci, calcification and the primary tumor involving the superior pole and middle of the thyroid gland are independent influencing factors for skip lateral lymph node metastasis in PTC(P<0.05).

A theoretical study of the effect of a non-aqueous proton donor on electrochemical ammonia synthesis

Ammonia synthesis is one of the most studied reactions in heterogeneous catalysis. To date, however, electrochemical N₂ reduction in aqueous systems has proven to be extremely difficult, mainly due to the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Recently, it has been shown that transition metal complexes based on molybdenum can reduce N₂ to ammonia at room temperature and ambient pressure in a non-aqueous system, with a relatively small amount of hydrogen output. We demonstrate that the non-aqueous proton donor they have chosen, 2,6-lutidinium (LutH⁺), is a viable substitute for hydronium in the electrochemical process at a solid surface, since this donor can suppress the HER rate. We also show that the presence of LutH⁺ can selectively stabilize the *NNH intermediate relative to *NH or *NH₂via the formation of hydrogen bonds, indicating that the use of non-aqueous solvents can break the scaling relationship between limiting potential and binding energies.