Dynamic Response of CFRP Reinforced Steel Beams Subjected to Impact Action Based on FBG Sensing Technology.

The in-situ health condition of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforced structures has become an important topic, which can reflect the structural performance of the retrofitted structures and judge the design theory. An optical fiber-based structural health monitoring technique is thus suggested. To check the effectiveness of the proposed method, experimental testing on smart CFRP reinforced steel beams under impact action has been performed, and the dynamic response of the structure has been measured by the packaged FBG sensors attached to the surface of the beam and the FBG sensors inserted in the CFRP plates.

Erratum: A smart bilayered scaffold supporting keratinocytes and muscle cells in micro/nano-scale for urethral reconstruction.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7150/thno.22080.

A smart bilayered scaffold supporting keratinocytes and muscle cells in micro/nano-scale for urethral reconstruction.

In urethral tissue engineering, the currently available reconstructive procedures are insufficient due to a lack of appropriate scaffolds that would support the needs of various cell types. To address this problem, we developed a bilayer scaffold comprising a microporous network of silk fibroin (SF) and a nanoporous bacterial cellulose (BC) scaffold and evaluated its feasibility and potential for long-segment urethral regeneration in a dog model. The freeze-drying and self-assembling method was used to fabricate the bilayer scaffold by stationary cultivation G.

Robust microscale superlubricity under high contact pressure enabled by graphene-coated microsphere.

Superlubricity of graphite and graphene has aroused increasing interest in recent years. Yet how to obtain a long-lasting superlubricity between graphene layers, under high applied normal load in ambient atmosphere still remains a challenge but is highly desirable. Here, we report a direct measurement of sliding friction between graphene and graphene, and graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) under high contact pressures by employing graphene-coated microsphere (GMS) probe prepared by metal-catalyst-free chemical vapour deposition.

Bacterial Cellulose-Based Biomimetic Nanofibrous Scaffold with Muscle Cells for Hollow Organ Tissue Engineering.

In this study, we built a bilayer nanofibrous material by utilizing the gelatinization properties of potato starch (PS) to interrupt bacterial cellulose (BC) assembly during static culture to create more free spaces within the fibrous network. Then, muscle cells were cultured on the loose surface of the BC/PS scaffolds to build biomaterials for hollow organ reconstruction. Our results showed that the BC/PS scaffolds exhibited similar mechanical characters to those in the traditional BC scaffolds.

Urethral reconstruction with a 3D porous bacterial cellulose scaffold seeded with lingual keratinocytes in a rabbit model.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of urethral reconstruction with a three-dimensional (3D) porous bacterial cellulose (BC) scaffold seeded with lingual keratinocytes in a rabbit model. A novel 3D porous BC scaffold was prepared by gelatin sponge interfering in the BC fermentation process. Rabbit lingual keratinocytes were isolated, expanded, and seeded onto 3D porous BC.

Up-regulated miR-199a-5p in gastric cancer functions as an oncogene and targets klotho.

Background: Recent studies have shown that miR-199a-5p plays opposite roles in cancer initiation and progression of different cancer types, acting as oncogene for some cancer types but as tumor suppressor gene for others. However, the role and molecular mechanism of miR-199a-5p in gastric cancer are largely unknown.

Methods: In this study, miR-199a-5p expression level in gastric cancer was first analyzed by qPCRand then validated in 103 gastric cancer patients by in situ hybridization (ISH).

Unstable Supramolecular Structure of [Bmim][BF ] in Aqueous Solution.

To unravel the exact composition and structure of aggregates in an aqueous solution of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([Bmim][BF ]), we performed static and dynamic light-scattering measurements, as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results from this work show that the aggregates are vesicles and unstable; herein, we discuss the driving force behind the self-assembly. Apart from the van der Waals forces and repulsive electrostatic interactions between adjacent cation clusters, the hydrogen-bonding forces as well as counterion effects might also contribute to this driving force.

Do we understand the recyclability of ionic liquids?

Recyclability is one of the reasons why ionic liquids (ILs) are attracting the attention of a growing number of scientists and engineers, but do we understand the recyclability of ILs in a real sense? For this purpose, this review focuses on the methods need for their separation from their "working" environment. Here we proposed that the appropriate separation method should be selected according to different systems. To better understand the separation of ILs, fundamental research on the existence forms (ions, ion pairs or supermolecule) of ILs in solvents is vitally important.