Unexpected and divergent mechanosynthesis of furanoid-bridged fullerene dimers CO and CO.

An unexpected, divergent and efficient approach toward furanoid-bridged fullerene dimers CO and CO was established under different solvent-free ball-milling conditions by simply using pristine C as the starting material, water as the oxygen source and FeCl as the mediator. The structures of CO and CO were unambiguously established by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A plausible reaction mechanism is proposed on the basis of control experiments.

Capacitive pressure sensors based on microstructured polymer-derived SiCN ceramics for high-temperature applications.

Traditional silicon-based pressure sensors cannot meet demand of pressure information acquisition in high-temperature extreme environments due to their low sensitivity, limited detection temperature and complex processing. Herein, a capacitive pressure sensor is fabricated using polymer-derived SiCN ceramics with convex microstructures via a sample replication strategy. Its performance is measured at different pressures (0-800 kPa) from room temperature to 500 °C.

Combined impact of local anaesthetic infiltration through wound catheter and epidural analgesia following surgical hepatectomy: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: A meta-analysis was performed to examine the effects of wound catheter (WC) local anaesthetic infiltration (LAI) and epidural analgesia (EA) in open hepatectomy (OH).

Material And Methods: A systematic literature review was performed, which found 350 subjects with OH at the baseline of the studies; 159 of them were treated with WC local anaesthetic infiltration, and 191 used EA.

Results: WC LAI substantially reduced the functional recovery time (MD = -0.

Preparation of a (Ca,Sr,Ba)ZrO Crucible by Slip Casting for the Vacuum Induction Melting of NiTi Alloy.

Vacuum induction melting is a more energy-efficient process for the preparation of a titanium alloy with good homogeneity and low cost. But the crucial problem for this technology is in developing a crucible refractory with high stability. In the present work, a novel (Ca,Sr,Ba)ZrO crucible was prepared by slip casting and its performance in melting NiTi alloy was studied.

Mechanism of miR-7 mediating TLR4/TRAF6/NF-κB inflammatory pathway in colorectal cancer.

This study is aimed at investigating the roles of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and microRNA-7 (miR-7) in colorectal cancer (CRC) development and progression. We assessed TLR4 and miR-7 expression in CRC cells and tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The relationship between miR-7 and TLR4 was analyzed through dual luciferase reporter assays.

Polarizable Additive with Intermediate Chelation Strength for Stable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are promising due to inherent safety, low cost, low toxicity, and high volumetric capacity. However, issues of dendrites and side reactions between zinc metal anode and the electrolyte need to be solved for extended storage and cycle life. Here, we proposed that an electrolyte additive with an intermediate chelation strength of zinc ion-strong enough to exclude water molecules from the zinc metal-electrolyte interface and not too strong to cause a significant energy barrier for zinc ion dissociation-can benefit the electrochemical stability by suppressing hydrogen evolution reaction, overpotential growth, and dendrite formation.

Association of a single amino acid replacement with dorsal pigmentation in a lizard from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Reptiles can evolve adaptive colors in different environments, but relatively little is known about the genetic mechanisms. Here, we identified the MC1R gene and its association with intraspecific color variation in the lizard Phrynocephalus erythrurus. Analysis of the MC1R sequence in 143 individuals from dark South Qiangtang Plateau (SQP) and light North Qiangtang plateau (NQP) populations, revealed two amino acid sites that showed significant differences in frequency between two areas.

Reactive Magnesium Nitride Additive: A Drop-in Solution for Lithium/Garnet Wetting in All-Solid-State Batteries.

Garnet oxides such as Li La Zr Ta O (LLZTO) are promising solid electrolyte materials for all-solid-state lithium-metal batteries because of high ionic conductivity, low electronic leakage, and wide electrochemical stability window. While LLZTO has been frequently discussed to be stable against lithium metal anode, it is challenging to achieve and maintain good solid-on-solid wetting at the metal/ceramic interface in both processing and extended electrochemical cycling. Here we address the challenge by a powder-form magnesium nitride additive, which reacts with the lithium metal anode to produce well-dispersed lithium nitride.

Targeting Annexin A1 as a Druggable Player to Enhance the Anti-Tumor Role of Honokiol in Colon Cancer through Autophagic Pathway.

Colon cancer is one of the most common digestive tract malignancies, having the second highest mortality rate among all tumors, with a five-year survival of advanced patients of only 10%. Efficient, targeted drugs are still lacking in treating colon cancer, so it is urgent to explore novel druggable targets. Here, we demonstrated that annexin A1 (ANXA1) was overexpressed in tumors of 50% of colon cancer patients, and ANXA1 overexpression was significantly negatively correlated with the poor prognosis of colon cancer.

Construction of Z-Scheme TiO/Au/BDD Electrodes for an Enhanced Electrocatalytic Performance.

TiO/Au/BDD composites with a Z-scheme structure was prepared by orderly depositing gold (Au) and titanium dioxide (TiO) on the surface of a boron-doped diamond (BDD) film using sputtering and electrophoretic deposition methods. It was found that the introduction of Au between TiO and the BDD, not only could reduce their contact resistance, to increase the carrier transport efficiency, but also could improve the surface Hall mobility of the BDD electrode. Meanwhile, the designed Z-scheme structure provided a fast channel for the electrons and holes combination, to promote the effective separation of the electrons and holes produced in TiO and the BDD under photoirradiation.

Therapeutic potential for targeting Annexin A1 in fibrotic diseases.

Annexin A1, a well-known endogenous anti-inflammatory mediator, plays a critical role in a variety of pathological processes. Fibrosis is described by a failure of tissue regeneration and contributes to the development of many diseases. Accumulating evidence supports that Annexin A1 participates in the progression of tissue fibrosis.

Sufentanil Alleviates Sepsis-Induced Myocardial Injury and Stress Response in Rats through the ERK/GSK-3 Signaling Axis.

Objective: To explore the effect and possible mechanism of sufentanil on sepsis-induced myocardial injury and stress response in rats.

Methods: The cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method was utilized to establish the sepsis model of rats to explore the effect of sufentanil pretreatment with different concentrations on myocardial injury and oxidative stress in CLP rats. Echocardiogram was applied for detecting cardiac hemodynamic parameters in rats; hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining as well as TUNEL staining was done for observing pathological changes of myocardial tissue and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats, respectively; biochemical testing and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were done for determining myocardial injury marker level in serum, oxidative stress substances in myocardial tissue, and neuroendocrine hormone level in serum of rats, respectively; finally, Western blot was performed for checking the expression level of ERK/GSK-3 signaling pathway-related proteins in myocardial tissue of rats.

Evidence for Anticancer Effects of Chinese Medicine Monomers on Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers worldwide. Although clinical reports have indicated the anticancer effects of Chinese herbal medicine, the multiple underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms of action remain to be fully characterized. Chinese medicine (CM) monomers, which are the active components of CM, serve as the material basis of the functional mechanisms of CM.

Excellent Li/Garnet Interface Wettability Achieved by Porous Hard Carbon Layer for Solid State Li Metal Battery.

Garnet-type Li La Zr Ta O (LLZTO) electrolyte is considered as a promising solid electrolyte because of its relatively high ionic conductivity and excellent electrochemical stability. The surface contamination layer and poor Li/LLZTO interface contact cause large interfacial resistance and quick Li dendrite growth. In this paper, a porous hard carbon layer is introduced by the carbonization of a mixed layer of phenolic resin and polyvinyl butyral on the LLZTO surface to improve Li/garnet interfacial wettability.

A Novel Mechanism of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress- and c-Myc-Degradation-Mediated Therapeutic Benefits of Antineurokinin-1 Receptor Drugs in Colorectal Cancer.

The neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) antagonists are approved as treatment for chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. The emerging role of the substance P-NK-1R system in oncogenesis raises the possibility of repurposing well-tolerated NK-1R antagonists for cancer treatment. This study reports that human colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with high NK-1R expression have poor survival, and NK-1R antagonists SR140333 and aprepitant induce apoptotic cell death in CRC cells and inhibit CRC xenograft growth.

Antimicrobial peptides: mechanism of action, activity and clinical potential.

The management of bacterial infections is becoming a major clinical challenge due to the rapid evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria. As an excellent candidate to overcome antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are produced from the synthetic and natural sources demonstrate a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity with the high specificity and low toxicity. These peptides possess distinctive structures and functions by employing sophisticated mechanisms of action.

High-Performance Potassium-Ion Batteries with Robust Stability Based on N/S-Codoped Hollow Carbon Nanocubes.

Currently, a big challenge for the practical use of potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) is their intrinsically poor cycling stability, due to the relatively large radius of K and sluggish kinetics for intercalation/deintercalation. Here we report the scalable fabrication of N/S-codoped hollow carbon nanocubes (NSHCCs), which have the potential as an electrode for advanced PIBs with robust stability. Their discharge and charge specific capacities are ∼560 mA h g and 310 mA h g at a current density of 50 mA g, respectively.

Robust high-temperature potassium-ion batteries enabled by carboxyl functional group energy storage.

The popularly reported energy storage mechanisms of potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are based on alloy-, de-intercalation-, and conversion-type processes, which inevitably lead to structural damage of the electrodes caused by intercalation/de-intercalation of K with a relatively large radius, which is accompanied by poor cycle stabilities. Here, we report the exploration of robust high-temperature PIBs enabled by a carboxyl functional group energy storage mechanism, which is based on an example of p-phthalic acid (PTA) with two carboxyl functional groups as the redox centers. In such a case, the intercalation/de-intercalation of K can be performed via surface reactions with relieved volume change, thus favoring excellent cycle stability for PIBs against high temperatures.

Improvement of simulating sub-daily hydrological impacts of rainwater harvesting for landscape irrigation with rain barrels/cisterns in the SWAT model.

Rain barrels/cisterns, a popular type of low impact development (LID) practice, can restore urban hydrological processes and decrease municipal water use by harvesting roof runoff for later use, such as landscape irrigation. However, tools to assist decision makers in creating efficient rainwater harvesting and reuse strategies are limited. This study improved the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in simulating the subdaily hydrological impacts of rainwater harvesting for landscape irrigation with rain barrels/cisterns, including the simulation of rainwater harvesting with rain barrels/cisterns, rainwater reuse for auto landscape irrigation, evapotranspiration, initial abstraction, impervious area, soil profile, and lawn management operation.