Influence of Different Environmental Factors on the Aging of Corn Straw/Polycarbonate (PPC)/Polylactic Acid (PLA) Composite Materials.

This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of different environmental factors on the mechanical properties, surface morphology, and microstructure of corn straw/polycarbonate/poly(lactic acid) composite materials. Three different aging methods, namely wet heat aging, natural aging, and oxidative thermal aging, were used to investigate the effects of high temperature, humidity, and light on the mechanical properties, surface morphology, and microstructure of the composite materials. The surface morphology, chemical, thermal properties, and crystallization behavior of aged samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and multifunctional X-ray diffraction, respectively.

Enhancing Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution by Regulating H and OH Binding Strength through Strong Metal-Support Interactions.

Establishing optimized metal-support interaction (MSI) between active sites and the substrate is essential for modulating the adsorption properties of key reaction intermediates during catalysis, thereby enhancing the catalytic performance. In this study, catalyst composites with varying degrees of MSI are constructed using ruthenium (Ru) and different carbon nanotubes, and their performance for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is systematically investigated. Detailed kinetic assessments reveal that catalysts with a strong MSI exhibit superior HER activity.

Study on Water Damage of Asphalt-Aggregate Based on Molecular Dynamics.

To investigate the water damage at the interface between emulsified asphalt and aggregate under the action of external water infiltration, firstly, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was used as an emulsifier to prepare emulsified asphalt in the laboratory, and its basic properties were tested. Then, based on molecular dynamics, an emulsified asphalt-aggregate interface model with different water contents was constructed to calculate the adhesion work of the emulsified asphalt-aggregate interface. The results show that the simulated values of emulsified asphalt density, cohesive energy density, and solubility are in good agreement with the experimental values.

Microsporidian Nosema bombycis secretes serine protease inhibitor to suppress host cell apoptosis via Caspase BmICE.

Microsporidia are a group of intracellular pathogens that actively manipulate host cell biological processes to facilitate their intracellular niche. Apoptosis is an important defense mechanism by which host cell control intracellular pathogens. Microsporidia modulating host cell apoptosis has been reported previously, however the molecular mechanism is not yet clear.

[Identification and Analysis of Irregular Antibodies in Hospitalized Patients Prepared to Accept Blood Transfusion].

Objective: To analyze the type and distribution characteristics of irregular antibodies in 71 847 hospitalized patients who prepared to accept blood transfusion, and to explore their role in safe blood transfusion.

Methods: 71 847 patients who applied for red blood transfusion from January 2020 to October 2023 were selected. All specimens were screened and identified for the irregular antibody by microcolumn gel antiglobulin technique.

A novel ATP-binding cassette protein (NoboABCG1.3) plays a role in the proliferation of Nosema bombycis.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins, one of the largest families of membrane transport proteins, participate in almost all biological processes and widely exist in living organisms. Microsporidia are intracellular parasites; they can reduce crop yields and pose a threat to human health. The ABC proteins are also present in microsporidia and play a critical role in their proliferation and energy transport.

Ru-Catalyzed C-H Alkylation of 4-Aryl-pyrrolo[2,3-]pyrimidines with Diazo Compounds: An Access to Fluorescent Fused Heteroarenes.

A Ru(II)-catalyzed migratory insertion of carbene into C-H bonds of 4-aryl-pyrrolo[2,3-]pyrimidines has been developed. This transformation endows the facile fabrication of C-C bonds with high atom economy, good regioselectivity, and wide functional group tolerance, exploiting the directing properties of pyrimidinic nitrogen. In addition, the planar polycyclic pyrrolo-pyrimido-isoindole framework has been accomplished from a cascade reaction of bromination, cyclization, and decarboxylation of synthesized products.

Tillandsia-Inspired Ultra-Efficient Thermo-Responsive Hygroscopic Nanofibers for Solar-Driven Atmospheric Water Harvesting.

Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) is a promising approach for supplying water in off-grid arid regions. However, it is difficult to improve the SAWH efficiency because water undergoes multiple phase transformations, such as water vapor-water (desorption and condensation) in the desorption phase. To address this issue, an ultrahygroscopic temperature-responsive hydrogel nanofiber inspired by Tillandsia is developed, comprising poly N-isopropylacrylamide, poly N-dimethylacetamide, and carbon nanotubes and impregnated with lithium chloride (PCP@LiCl).

Validation of a single specimen pneumatic tube system in the clinical laboratory.

The single-specimen pneumatic tube (PTS) is a commonly used rapid specimen delivery system in modern clinical laboratories. However, its impact on sample integrity and laboratory test results remains controversial. The installation and configuration of single-specimen PTS are unique to their institution.

Mannitol mediates the mummification behavior of larvae infected with .

Introduction: Parasites can facilitate their own spread and reproduction by manipulating insect hosts behavior, as seen in the interaction between and . Infection by leads to the mummification of larvae, but the underlying mechanisms remain mysterious.

Methods: The morphology of infected larvae and fungal growth were first observed.

Epicardial adipose tissue thickness associated with preeclampsia and birth weight in early pregnancy.

Objective: Preeclampsia (PE) increases the risk of many adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. This study was to investigate the correlation between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and PE and birth weight.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study, 221 patients with PE were selected, and 81 women without hypertension and proteinuria were selected as a comparison.

Neurotransmitter acetylcholine mediates the mummification of -infected larvae.

Parasites can manipulate host behavior to facilitate parasite transmission. One such host-pathogen interaction occurs between the fungus and the ghost moth is involved in the mummification process of infected host larvae. However, the underlying molecular and chemical mechanism for this phenomenon is unknown.

EGCG Suppresses Adipogenesis and Promotes Browning of 3T3-L1 Cells by Inhibiting Notch1 Expression.

Background: With the changes in lifestyle and diet structure, the incidence of obesity has increased year by year, and obesity is one of the inducements of many chronic metabolic diseases. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is the most abundant component of tea polyphenols, has been used for many years to improve obesity and its complications. Though it has been reported that EGCG can improve obesity through many molecular mechanisms, EGCG may have many mechanisms yet to be explored.

Development of a high-speed and ultrasensitive UV/Vis-CM for detecting total triterpenes in traditional Chinese medicine and its application.

This study proposes a novel colorimetric method based on the ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry-colorimetric method (UV/Vis-CM) for detecting and quantifying total triterpenoids in traditional Chinese medicine. By incorporating the colourants 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde and concentrated sulfuric acid, triterpenoid compounds colour development became more sensitive, and the detection accuracy was significantly improved. 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde and concentrated sulfuric acid were incorporated in a 1:3 vol ratio at room temperature to react with the total triterpenes for 25 min, incorporated to an ice bath for 5 min, and then detected at the optimal absorption wavelength.

Whole-genome sequence of sp. F41, a potent insecticidal isolated from soil in Sichuan, China.

sp. F41 is a potent insecticidal metabolite producing actinomycetes isolated from the topsoil, and the complete genome sequence was determined. The genome consists of 8,343,496 bp, with 7,221 genes and a GC content of 71.

Observation of giant non-reciprocal charge transport from quantum Hall states in a topological insulator.

Symmetry breaking in quantum materials is of great importance and can lead to non-reciprocal charge transport. Topological insulators provide a unique platform to study non-reciprocal charge transport due to their surface states, especially quantum Hall states under an external magnetic field. Here we report the observation of non-reciprocal charge transport mediated by quantum Hall states in devices composed of the intrinsic topological insulator Sn-BiSbTeS, which is attributed to asymmetric scattering between quantum Hall states and Dirac surface states.

Eco-friendly green synthesis of N‑pyrazole amino chitosan using PEG-400 as an anticancer agent against gastric cancer cells via inhibiting EGFR.

The present study was conducted to develop a green process that provides access to the development of Schiff base derivatives of chitosan with the heterocyclic moiety as a novel class of anti-gastric cancer agent. In the present study, we have synthesized these derivatives by reacting various pyrazoles with chitosan using CAN in PEG400. The compounds were synthesized in 20 min in excellent yield by using CAN at 5% in PEG400 at 80°C in the shortest reaction time of 20 min.

Transcriptomic changes in the microsporidia proliferation and host responses in congenitally infected embryos and larvae.

Congenital infection caused by vertical transmission of microsporidia N. bombycis can result in severe economic losses in the silkworm-rearing industry. Whole-transcriptome analyses have revealed non-coding RNAs and their regulatory networks in N.

Vaccine design via antigen reorientation.

A major challenge in creating universal influenza vaccines is to focus immune responses away from the immunodominant, variable head region of hemagglutinin (HA-head) and toward the evolutionarily conserved stem region (HA-stem). Here we introduce an approach to control antigen orientation via site-specific insertion of aspartate residues that facilitates antigen binding to alum. We demonstrate the generalizability of this approach with antigens from Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza viruses and observe enhanced neutralizing antibody responses in all cases.

A Method for Measuring Shaft Diameter Based on Light Stripe Image Enhancement.

When the workpiece surface exhibits strong reflectivity, it becomes challenging to obtain accurate key measurements using non-contact, visual measurement techniques due to poor image quality. In this paper, we propose a high-precision measurement method shaft diameter based on an enhanced quality stripe image. By capturing two stripe images with different exposure times, we leverage their different characteristics.

Microsporidia dressing up: the spore polaroplast transport through the polar tube and transformation into the sporoplasm membrane.

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites that infect a wide variety of hosts including humans. Microsporidian spores possess a unique, highly specialized invasion apparatus involving the polar filament, polaroplast, and posterior vacuole. During spore germination, the polar filament is discharged out of the spore forming a hollow polar tube that transports the sporoplasm components including the nucleus into the host cell.

Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing Using Receptor-Mediated Ovary Transduction of Cargo (ReMOT) Control in .

Lepidoptera is one of the most speciose insect orders, causing enormous damage to agricultural and forest crops. Although genome editing has been achieved in a few Lepidoptera for insect controls, most techniques are still limited. Here, by injecting female pupae of the Lepidoptera model species, , gene editing was established using the Receptor-Mediated Ovary Transduction of Cargo (ReMOT) control technique.

Microsporidian Nosema bombycis hijacks host vitellogenin and restructures ovariole cells for transovarial transmission.

Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular parasites that infect almost all animals, causing serious human diseases and major economic losses to the farming industry. Nosema bombycis is a typical microsporidium that infects multiple lepidopteran insects via fecal-oral and transovarial transmission (TOT); however, the underlying TOT processes and mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we characterized the TOT process and identified key factors enabling N.