A high-response-frequency bimodal network polyacrylate elastomer with ultrahigh power density under low electric field.

Dielectric elastomers, used as driver modules, require high power density to enable fast movement and efficient work of soft robots. Polyacrylate elastomers usually suffer from low power density under low electric fields due to limited response frequency. Here, we propose a bimodal network polyacrylate dielectric elastomer which breaks the intrinsic coupling relationship between dielectric and mechanical properties, featuring relatively high dielectric constant, low Young's modulus, and wide driving frequency bandwidth (~200 Hz) like silicones.

Glucocorticoids promote lung metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells through enhancing cell adhesion, migration and invasion.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are the important stress hormones and widely prescribed as drugs. Although stress has been suggested as a promoter of tumor progression, the direct influence of GCs on metastasis of tumor is not fully understood. Metastasis is a major cause of death in pancreatic cancer patients.

Suppressing the Loss of Polymer-Based Dielectrics for High Power Energy Storage.

Polymer-based dielectrics have received intensive interest from academic community in the field of high-power energy storage owing to their superior flexibility and fast charge-discharge ability. Recently, how to suppress the loss of polymer-based dielectrics has been increasingly recognized as a critical point to attain a high charge-discharge efficiency in the film capacitors. Some achievements are made in analyzing the source of loss and suppressing loss via Edison's trial and error method.

Soft, tough, and fast polyacrylate dielectric elastomer for non-magnetic motor.

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) with large electrically-actuated strain can build light-weight and flexible non-magnetic motors. However, dielectric elastomers commonly used in the field of soft actuation suffer from high stiffness, low strength, and high driving field, severely limiting the DEA's actuating performance. Here we design a new polyacrylate dielectric elastomer with optimized crosslinking network by rationally employing the difunctional macromolecular crosslinking agent.

Flexible and Stretchable Capacitive Sensors with Different Microstructures.

Recently, sensors that can imitate human skin have received extensive attention. Capacitive sensors have a simple structure, low loss, no temperature drift, and other excellent properties, and can be applied in the fields of robotics, human-machine interactions, medical care, and health monitoring. Polymer matrices are commonly employed in flexible capacitive sensors because of their high flexibility.

The Roles of in Improving Salt Tolerance and Decreasing ABA Sensitivity in Soybean.

Abscisic acid (ABA) mediates various abiotic stress responses, and ethylene responsive factors (ERFs) play vital role in resisting stresses, but the interaction of these molecular mechanisms remains elusive. In this study, we identified an ABA-induced soybean ERF gene that was highly up-regulated by ethylene (ET), drought, salt, and low temperature treatments. Subcellular localization assay showed that the GmERF135 protein was targeted to the nucleus.

Up-regulation of Rho-associated kinase 1/2 by glucocorticoids promotes migration, invasion and metastasis of melanoma.

Although glucocorticoids (GCs) regulate proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of tumor cells, their influence on metastasis of tumor cells is poorly understood. Melanoma is a type of skin cancers with high metastasis. We investigated the effect of GCs on metastasis of melanoma cells and its mechanism.

[The application of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology in viral infection diseases].

The RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease from microbial clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) adaptive immune system has been used to facilitate efficient genome engineering in eukaryotic cells. The specific targeted genome is recognized and cut by gRNA-directed CRISPR/Cas9 complex, specifically by the endonuclease Cas9. The targeted gene locus could be repaired either by homology-directed repair or nonhomologous end joining, thus achieving a desired editing outcome.

Correlation between activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and prognosis of breast cancer in Chinese women.

Background: Abnormal activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR (PAM) pathway, caused by PIK3CA mutation, KRAS mutation, PTEN loss, or AKT1 mutation, is one of the most frequent signaling abnormalities in breast carcinoma. However, distribution and frequencies of mutations in PAM pathway are unclear in breast cancer patients from the mainland of China and the correlation between these mutations and breast cancer outcome remains to be identified.

Methods: A total of 288 patients with invasive ductal breast cancer were recruited in this study.

[Effect of clinical pathway management on pediatric pneumonia].

Objective: To investigate effect of clinical pathway management on pediatric pneumonia.

Method: Data were colleted from children hospitalizated with bronchial pneumonia, bronchiolitis, mycoplasma pneumonia in Center of Respiratory Disorders in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2011 to December 2012. According to implement of clinical pathway management, all patients were divided into pathway management group (n = 405) and non-pathway management group (n = 503).

Two wheat glutathione peroxidase genes whose products are located in chloroplasts improve salt and H2O2 tolerances in Arabidopsis.

Oxidative stress caused by accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is capable of damaging effects on numerous cellular components. Glutathione peroxidases (GPXs, EC 1.11.

[Mixed infection and risk factors in children with severe adenovirus pneumonia].

Objective: To investigate the mixed infection and analyze risk factors in children with severe adenovirus pneumonia.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 756 children with adenovirus pneumonia between June 2009 and June 2011. Pathogens and risk factors were studied in 216 severe cases.

Up-regulation of stomatin expression by hypoxia and glucocorticoid stabilizes membrane-associated actin in alveolar epithelial cells.

Stomatin is an important lipid raft-associated protein which interacts with membrane proteins and plays a role in the membrane organization. However, it is unknown whether it is involved in the response to hypoxia and glucocorticoid (GC) in alveolar epithelial cells (AEC). In this study we found that hypoxia and dexamethasone (dex), a synthetic GC not only up-regulated the expression of stomatin alone, but also imposed additive effect on the expression of stomatin in A549 cells, primary AEC and lung of rats.