Numerical Study on the Static Bending Response of Cracked Wind Turbine Blades Reinforced with Graphene Platelets.

With the growing demand for wind energy, the development of advanced materials for wind turbine support structures and blades has garnered significant attention in both industry and academia. In previous research, the authors investigated the incorporation of graphene platelets (GPLs) into wind turbine blades, focusing on the structural performance and cost-effectiveness relative to conventional fiberglass composites. These studies successfully demonstrated the potential advantages of GPL reinforcement in improving blade performance and reducing the blade's weight and costs.

In-Depth Study on the Application of a Graphene Platelet-reinforced Composite to Wind Turbine Blades.

Graphene platelets (GPLs) are gaining popularity across various sectors for enhancing the strength and reducing the weight of structures, thanks to their outstanding mechanical characteristics and low manufacturing cost. Among many engineering structures, wind turbine blades are a prime candidate for the integration of such advanced nanofillers, offering potential improvements in the efficiency of energy generation and reductions in the construction costs of support structures. This study aims to explore the potential of GPLs for use in wind turbine blades by evaluating their impact on material costs as well as mechanical performance.

Exploratory Study on the Application of Graphene Platelet-Reinforced Composite to Wind Turbine Blade.

With the growth of the wind energy market and the increase in the size of wind turbines, the demand for advanced composite materials with high strength and low density for wind turbine blades has become imperative. Graphene platelets (GPLs) stand out as highly premising reinforcements due to their exceptional physical properties, resulting in their widespread adoption in the composite industry in recent years. The present study aims to analyze the applicability of a graphene-platelet-reinforced composite (GPLRC) to wind turbine blades in terms of structural performance.

Effects of Graphene Reinforcement on Static Bending, Free Vibration, and Torsion of Wind Turbine Blades.

Renewable energy markets, particularly wind energy, have experienced remarkable growth, predominantly driven by the urgent need for decarbonization in the face of accelerating global warming. As the wind energy sector expands and turbines increase in size, there is a growing demand for advanced composite materials that offer both high strength and low density. Among these materials, graphene stands out for its excellent mechanical properties and low density.

Inhibition of TBL1 cleavage alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocytes death by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway.

Aims: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used anthracycline anticancer agent; however, its irreversible effects on the heart can result in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DICT) after cancer treatment. Unfortunately, the pathophysiology of DICT has not yet been fully elucidated, and there are no effective strategies for its prevention or treatment. In this investigation, the novel role of transducin beta-like protein 1 (TBL1) in developing and regulating DICT was explored.

Stable Zinc Electrode Reaction Enabled by Combined Cationic and Anionic Electrolyte Additives for Non-Flow Aqueous Zn─Br Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-bromine batteries hold immense promise for large-scale energy storage systems due to their inherent safety and high energy density. However, achieving a reliable zinc metal electrode reaction is challenging because zinc metal in the aqueous electrolyte inevitably leads to dendrite growth and related side reactions, resulting in rapid capacity fading. Here, it is reported that combined cationic and anionic additives in the electrolytes using CeCl can simultaneously address the multiple chronic issues of the zinc metal electrode.

Assembling PNIPAM-Capped Gold Nanoparticles in Aqueous Solutions.

Employing small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we explore the conditions under which assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) grafted with the thermosensitive polymer poly(-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) emerges. We find that short-range order assembly emerges by combining the addition of electrolytes or polyelectrolytes with raising the temperature of the suspensions above the lower-critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM. Our results show that the longer the PNIPAM chain is, the better organization in the assembled clusters.

Requirements for anti-aquaporin 5 autoantibody production in a mouse model.

Several oral bacteria, including Prevotella melaninogenica (Pm), have aquaporin (AQP) proteins homologous to human AQP5, a major water channel protein targeted in Sjogren's syndrome. This study aimed to understand the antigenic characteristics that induce autoantibodies against an AQP5 "E" epitope (AQP5E) in a mouse model using C57BL/6 mice. Immunization with a PmE-L peptide derived from Pm AQP, which contains amino acid mismatches both at the B- and T-cell epitopes, efficiently induced anti-AQP5E autoantibodies accompanied by increased germinal center (GC) B and follicular helper T cells in the draining lymph nodes.

SeriesSleepNet: an EEG time series model with partial data augmentation for automatic sleep stage scoring.

We propose an automatic sleep stage scoring model, referred to as SeriesSleepNet, based on convolutional neural network (CNN) and bidirectional long short-term memory (bi-LSTM) with partial data augmentation. We used single-channel raw electroencephalography signals for automatic sleep stage scoring. Our framework was focused on time series information, so we applied partial data augmentation to learn the connected time information in small series.

Two-dimensional assembly of gold nanoparticles grafted with charged-end-group polymers.

Hypothesis: Introducing charged terminal groups to polymers that graft nanoparticles enable Coulombic control over their assembly by tuning the pH and salinity of their aqueous suspensions.

Experiments: Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are grafted with poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) terminated with (charge-neutral), (negatively charged) or groups (positively charged), and characterized with dynamic light scattering, ζ-potential, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Liquid surface X-ray reflectivity (XR) and grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) are used to determine the density profile and in-plane structure of the AuNPs assembly at the aqueous surface.

Novel Mg- and Ga-doped ZnO/Li-Doped Graphene Oxide Transparent Electrode/Electron-Transporting Layer Combinations for High-Performance Thin-Film Solar Cells.

Herein, a novel combination of Mg- and Ga-co-doped ZnO (MGZO)/Li-doped graphene oxide (LGO) transparent electrode (TE)/electron-transporting layer (ETL) has been applied for the first time in Cu ZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) thin-film solar cells (TFSCs). MGZO has a wide optical spectrum with high transmittance compared to that with conventional Al-doped ZnO (AZO), enabling additional photon harvesting, and has a low electrical resistance that increases electron collection rate. These excellent optoelectronic properties significantly improved the short-circuit current density and fill factor of the TFSCs.

Structural basis for recognition of transcriptional terminator structures by ProQ/FinO domain RNA chaperones.

The ProQ/FinO family of RNA binding proteins mediate sRNA-directed gene regulation throughout gram-negative bacteria. Here, we investigate the structural basis for RNA recognition by ProQ/FinO proteins, through the crystal structure of the ProQ/FinO domain of the Legionella pneumophila DNA uptake regulator, RocC, bound to the transcriptional terminator of its primary partner, the sRNA RocR. The structure reveals specific recognition of the 3' nucleotide of the terminator by a conserved pocket involving a β-turn-α-helix motif, while the hairpin portion of the terminator is recognized by a conserved α-helical N-cap motif.

Inhibition of Zinc Dendrites Realized by a β-P(VDF-TrFE) Nanofiber Layer in Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries.

Uncontrollable Zn dendrite formations and parasitic side reactions on Zn electrodes induce poor cycling stability and safety issues, preventing the large-scale commercialization of Zn-ion batteries. Herein, to achieve uniform Zn deposition and suppress side reactions, an electrospun ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride--trifluoroethylene) copolymer, a P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber layer, is introduced as an artificial solid-electrolyte interface on a Cu substrate acting as a current collector. The aligned molecular structure of β-P(VDF-TrFE) can effectively suppress localized current density on the Cu surface, lead to uniform Zn deposition, and suppress side reactions by preventing direct contact between electrodes and aqueous electrolytes.

Correction: Privacy-preserving parallel kNN classification algorithm using index-based filtering in cloud computing.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Practical Approaches to Apply Ultra-Thick Graphite Anode to High-Energy Lithium-Ion Battery: Carbonization and 3-Dimensionalization.

Lithium-ion batteries with ultra-thick electrodes have high energy density and low manufacturing costs because of the reduction of the inactive materials in the same battery volume. However, the partial usage of the full capacity and the low rate capability are caused by poor ionic and electronic conduction. In this work, the effects of two approaches, such as electrode binder carbonization by heat treatment and 3-dimensionalization by the laser structuring of ultra-thick graphite anodes to lithium-ion batteries for high energy density, are investigated.

Privacy-preserving parallel kNN classification algorithm using index-based filtering in cloud computing.

With the development of cloud computing, interest in database outsourcing has recently increased. In cloud computing, it is necessary to protect the sensitive information of data owners and authorized users. For this, data mining techniques over encrypted data have been studied to protect the original database, user queries and data access patterns.

Binary Superlattices of Gold Nanoparticles in Two Dimensions.

We have created two-dimensional (2D) binary superlattices by cocrystallizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of two distinct sizes into √3 × √3 and 2 × 2 complex binary superlattices, derived from the hexagonal structures of the single components. The building blocks of these binary systems are AuNPs that are functionalized with different chain lengths of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The assembly of these functionalized NPs at the air-water interface is driven by the presence of salt, causing PEG-AuNPs to migrate to the aqueous surface and assemble into a crystalline lattice.

Effect of Polymer Chain Length on the Superlattice Assembly of Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles.

We report on the assembly of gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) superlattices at the liquid/vapor interface and in the bulk of their suspensions. Interparticle distances in the assemblies are achieved on multiple length scales by varying chain lengths of surface grafted AuNPs by polyethylene glycol (PEG) with molecular weights in the range 2000-40,000 Da. Crystal structures and lattice constants in both 2D and 3D assemblies are determined by synchrotron-based surface-sensitive and small-angle X-ray scattering.

Seven-day triple therapy is sufficient to eradicate infection caused by Helicobacter pylori without 23S rRNA point mutation.

Tailored therapy based on dual priming oligonucleotide-based polymerase chain reaction (DPO-PCR) can be considered an alternative to overcome the low eradication rate in high clarithromycin-resistance areas. The triple therapy (TT) duration of the tailored approach in most studies was 7 days for patients without point mutation. However, recent western guidelines have recommended a treatment duration of 14 days.

Silymarin inhibits proliferation of human breast cancer cells via regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway and induction of apoptosis.

Silymarin is a purified mixture of four isomeric flavonoids extracted from the seeds and fruit of the milk thistle plant, (L.). Silymarin exhibits a wide variety of biological effects and is commonly used in traditional medicine.

Improving Ultraviolet Responses in CuZnSn(S,Se) Thin-Film Solar Cells Using Quantum Dot-Based Luminescent Down-Shifting Layer.

Quantum dot (QD)-based luminescent down-shifting (LDS) layers were deposited on CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) solar cells via the drop-casting method. The LDS layers can easily widen the narrow absorption wavelength regions of single-junction solar cells and enable improvement of the short-circuit current. The optical properties of LDS layers deposited on glass and containing different QD contents were analyzed based on their transmittance, reflectance, and absorbance.

The Effects of Temperature on the Assembly of Gold Nanoparticle by Interpolymer Complexation.

Using synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering techniques, we demonstrate that poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized gold nanoparticles (PEG-AuNPs) are assembled into close-packed structures that include short-range order with face-centered cubic structure, where crystalline qualities are varied by controlling the electrolyte concentration, pH, and temperature of the suspensions. We show that interpolymer complexation with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) is induced by lowering the pH level of the PEG-AuNPs suspensions, and furthermore, increasing the temperature of the suspension strengthens interparticle attraction, leading to improved supercrystal structures. Our results indicate that this strategy creates robust nanoparticle superlattices with high thermal stability.

The immune-enhancing effect of anthocyanin-fucoidan nanocomplex in RAW264.7 macrophages and cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice.

Aronia, a healthy fruit well known as black chokeberry, has health-promoting effects on hypertension, oxidative stress, and diabetes. Despite many reports of bioactivities of aronia, there is little scientific research on the potential for immune-enhancement. So, anthocyanin-fucoidan nanocomplex (AFNC, a nanocomplex of aronia extract and fucoidan) has been developed to improve immune-enhancement.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-grafted gold nanoparticles at the vapor/water interface.

Hypothesis: Grafting nanoparticles surfaces with water-soluble polymers modify interparticle interactions that are pivotal for assembling them into ordered phases. By manipulating salt concentrations of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) that are grafted with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM-AuNPs), we hypothesize that various aggregated phases form at the suspension/vapor interface or in the bulk that depend on the molecular weight (MW) of PNIPAM and on salt concentrations.

Experiments: AuNPs are grafted with thiolated PNIPAM of molecular weights of 3 or 6 kDa, and grafting is confirmed by dynamic light scattering.