Cadmium exposure induced spleen inflammation by activating the MAPK/NF-κB/ NLRP3 signaling pathway and the intervention effect of astilbin.

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant with strong immunotoxicity effects. Despite this, the mechanisms by which Cd causes spleen damage in chickens are not well understood. Astilbin (ASB) is a dihydroflavone glycoside with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation properties.

Regulating the Intralayer Cation Disorder in Layered Lithium-Rich Cathodes to Improve Cycle Performance.

The Li/Mn ordered structure of lithium-rich (LR) cathodes leads to the heterogeneous LiMnO and LiTMO components, readily triggering structural degeneration and performance degradation in long-term cycling. However, the lack of guiding principles for promoting cation disorder within the transition metal (TM) layers has posed a persistent challenge in designing homogeneous layered LR cathodes. Herein, the (Li + Mn) content in the TM layer as a criterion for the design of cation-disordered layered LR cathodes is proposed.

Self-Regulated Assembly and Disassembly of Gold Nanoparticles for Low-Temperature Time Indication.

The color-changing self-assembly and autonomous disassembly of colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is reported by simply mixing negatively charged phosphine ligand-capped AuNPs with partially oxidized polyethylene glycol (PEG). The assembly of AuNPs is initiated by PEG adsorption, which disrupts the hydration layer of AuNPs, leading to depletion attraction and reduction of hydration repulsion among the AuNPs. The oxidative species in PEG subsequently oxidize and remove the charged ligands from the AuNP surface, resulting in a decrease and reversal of the negative surface charge.

Case report: Diagnosis and surgical treatment of delayed traumatic diaphragmatic hernia with hepatothorax and enterothorax in a small dog.

An 8-year-old castrated male teddy bear dog presented to our clinic with a persistent cough. The sick dog suffered from vehicular trauma 6 months prior to the visit and had imaging and exploratory laparotomy. Imaging and exploratory laparotomy at the time showed no significant damage.

The antagonism mechanism of astilbin against cadmium-induced injury in chicken lungs via Treg/Th1 balance signaling pathway.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Treg/Th1 imbalance in cadmium-induced lung injury and the potential protective effect of astilbin against cadmium-induced lung injury in chicken. Cadmium exposure significantly decreased T-AOC and GSH-Px levels and SOD activity in the chicken lung tissues. In contrast, it significantly increased the MDA and NO levels.

Tumor-associated macrophage-derived exosomal miR21-5p promotes tumor angiogenesis by regulating YAP1/HIF-1α axis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have recently received increasing attention as essential mediators of communication between tumor cells and their microenvironments. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a proangiogenic role in various tumors, especially head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and angiogenesis is closely related to tumor growth and metastasis. This research focused on exploring the mechanisms by which EVs derived from TAMs modulate tumor angiogenesis in HNSCC.

A Finite Element Model for Predicting the Static Strength of a Composite Hybrid Joint with Reinforcement Pins.

This paper presents a finite element model for predicting the performance and failure behaviour of a hybrid joint assembling fibrous composites to a metal part with reinforcement micro pins for enhancing the damage tolerance performance. A unit-strip model using the cohesive elements at the bond interface is employed to simulate the onset and propagation of debonding cracks. Two different traction-separation laws for the interface cohesive elements are employed, representing the fracture toughness properties of the plain adhesive bond and a pin-reinforced interface, respectively.

University-industry collaboration: The impact of postdoctoral workstations on labor investment efficiency.

This paper investigates whether managers use knowledge transferred from university-industry collaboration when making investment decisions on labor. To establish causality, we use a difference-in-difference method based on the staggered establishment of postdoctoral workstations in Chinese firms. We find that postdoctoral workstations enable managers to improve labor investment efficiency and thus help mitigate over- and under-investment problems in labor, and the higher the operational quality of the workstation, the more significant the increase in investment efficiency.

Characteristics of sludge-based pyrolysis biochar and its application of enhancing denitrification.

A modified biochar for enhanced denitrification was developed through a facile pyrolysis method using sewage sludge as raw material and melamine as nitrogen source. Through electrochemical analysis, sludge-based pyrolysis biochar (SPBC) has superior electrical conductivity and poor redox activity. SPBC can increase the electron transfer through the geoconductor mechanism.

Investigation of Adhesive Joining Strategies for the Application of a Multi-Material Light Rail Vehicle.

To meet the high demand for lightweight energy-efficient and safe structures for transport applications, a current state-of-the-art light rail vehicle structure is under development that adopts a multi-material design strategy. This strategy creates the need for advanced multi-material joining technologies. The compatibility of the adhesive with a wide range of material types and the possibility of joining multi-material structures is also a key advantage to its success.

Fluorine-mediated synthesis of anisotropic iron oxide nanostructures for efficient -weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

Herein, we developed a novel strategy for the shape-controlled synthesis of iron oxide nanostructures with superior r2 values through the introduction of fluoride ions as a morphology controlling agent and dopant. The selective adsorption of fluoride ions onto the specified crystal planes of iron oxide nanocrystals leads to the formation of octapod nanoparticles (ONPs) and cubic nanocrystal clusters (CNCs). Both ONPs and CNCs present high r2 values (526.

Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation Strongly Allied with Genetic Male Sterility Convertible to Cytoplasmic Male Sterility in Kenaf.

Male sterility (MS) plays a key role in the hybrid breed production of plants. Researchers have focused on the association between genetic male sterility (GMS) and cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) in kenaf. In this study, P9BS (a natural GMS mutant of the kenaf line P9B) and male plants of P9B were used as parents in multiple backcross generations to produce P9SA, a CMS line with stable sterility, to explore the molecular mechanisms of the association between GMS and CMS.

Activatable NIR-II Plasmonic Nanotheranostics for Efficient Photoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Cancer Therapy.

Precise manipulation of optical properties through the structure-evolution of plasmonic nanoparticles is of great interest in biomedical fields including bioimaging and phototherapy. However, previous success has been limited to fixed assembled structures or visible-NIR-I absorption. Here, an activatable NIR-II plasmonic theranostics system based on silica-encapsulated self-assembled gold nanochains (AuNCs@SiO ) for accurate tumor diagnosis and effective treatment is reported.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis between a Novel Allohexaploid Cotton Progeny CMS Line LD6A and Its Maintainer Line LD6B.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is an important agronomic feature and provides an effective tool for heterosis utilization of crops. This study reports the comparative transcriptomic sketches between a novel allohexaploid cotton progeny CMS line LD6A and its maintainer line LD6B using de novo transcriptome sequencing technology at the pollen abortion stage. A total of 128,901 Unigenes were identified, in which 2007 were upregulated and 11,864 were downregulated.

Fluorine-assisted structural engineering of colloidal anatase TiO hierarchical nanocrystals for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Anatase TiO2 materials are well-known for their photocatalytic properties and their structure-performance relationship has been intensively studied over the past few decades. In this study, we report a versatile strategy to control the geometric and electronic structure of hierarchical anatase TiO2 nanocrystals via a colloidal synthesis technique in order to optimize their photocatalytic performances. The synthesis is modified from a classical nonaqueous sol-gel approach in which titanium alkoxides and long carbon chain carboxylic acids are used as titanium sources and hydrolysis/capping agents, respectively.

Synthesis Of PEG-Coated, Ultrasmall, Manganese-Doped Iron Oxide Nanoparticles With High Relaxivity For T/T Dual-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background: Beyond magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which has been widely used clinically, molecular MRI (mMRI) can further provide qualitative and quantitative information at the cellular and molecular levels. However, the diagnostic accuracy may not be satisfactory via single-contrast mMRI due to some interferences in vivo. T/T dual-contrast MRI using the same contrast agent (CA) could significantly improve the detection accuracy.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Cause for Accumulation of Reactive Oxygen Species During Pollen Abortion in Cytoplasmic Male-Sterile Kenaf Line 722HA.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a maternally inherited trait used for hybrid production in plants, a novel kenaf CMS line 722HA was derived from the thermo-sensitive male-sterile mutant 'HMS' by recurrent backcrossing with 722HB. The line 722HA has great potential for hybrid breeding in kenaf. However, the underlying molecular mechanism that controls pollen abortion in 722HA remains unclear, thus limiting the full utilization of this line.

Migration of Iron Oxide Nanoparticle through a Silica Shell by the Redox-Buffering Effect.

This study demonstrates that mineral redox buffer, an important concept in geology, can be used to manipulate the migration of nanoparticles and produce nanostructures of unexpected morphologies. Using a silica shell as a redox buffer, we show that iron oxide nanoparticles can be relocated from inside to the outer surface of the silica shell. The migration of iron oxide through silica was initiated by manipulation of the oxygen fugacity conditions at an elevated temperature.

Comparative Analysis of the Cytology and Transcriptomes of the Cytoplasmic Male Sterility Line H276A and Its Maintainer Line H276B of Cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.).

In this study, the tetrad stage of microspore development in a new cotton ( L.) cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) line, H276A, was identified using paraffin sections at the abortion stage. To explore the molecular mechanism underlying CMS in cotton, a comparative transcriptome analysis between the CMS line H276A and its maintainer line H276B at the tetrad stage was conducted using an Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform.

Correlation between social proximity and mobility similarity.

Human behaviors exhibit ubiquitous correlations in many aspects, such as individual and collective levels, temporal and spatial dimensions, content, social and geographical layers. With rich Internet data of online behaviors becoming available, it attracts academic interests to explore human mobility similarity from the perspective of social network proximity. Existent analysis shows a strong correlation between online social proximity and offline mobility similarity, namely, mobile records between friends are significantly more similar than between strangers, and those between friends with common neighbors are even more similar.

Magnetically tunable colloidal micromirrors.

Herein we demonstrate a method for decorating highly reflective 2D gold microplates with magnetic nanoparticles to produce an optical colloid that can be actuated using an applied magnetic field. These magnetic micromirrors can be rapidly rotated and exhibit a strong contrast in reflectance between the "on" and "off" states.

High-yield halide-free synthesis of biocompatible Au nanoplates.

We communicate an unconventional synthesis of Au nanoplates with high yield and excellent reproducibility through polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted H2O2 reduction. Unlike the ones prepared using halide-based surfactants, the PVP-capped Au nanoplates are found to afford fairly easy bio-functionalization, suggesting a vastly expanded spectrum of applications in bio-related fields.

Stabilization of ultrafine metal nanocatalysts on thin carbon sheets.

A novel strategy was proposed to anchor ultrafine metal nanoparticles (NPs) on thin carbon sheets for highly stable and efficient heterogeneous catalysts. In this facile approach, a dense monolayer of ultrafine AuNPs was sandwiched between a silica core and a resin shell, followed by carbonization of the shell at a high temperature and then selective removal of the silica core. The shrinkage of the shells during carbonization facilitates partial embedment of the AuNPs on the carbon shell surface and provides superior stability against particle sintering during high temperature/mechanical post-treatments and catalytic reactions.

Seed-Mediated Growth of Anatase TiO2 Nanocrystals with Core-Antenna Structures for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

We demonstrate that anatase TiO2 nanocrystals composed of a nanocrystal core and nanorod antennas can be produced via a nonaqueous colloidal seed-mediated growth method. Anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with defined morphologies were first prepared as seeds, and then secondary anatase TiO2 nanorods were grown on the defined facets of the seeds under appropriate conditions. Systematic studies on the growth mechanism reveal that the formation of core-antenna nanocrystals involves an epitaxial growth process with specific orientational preference governed by both thermodynamic and kinetic factors.

A pressure sensor based on the orientational dependence of plasmonic properties of gold nanorods.

A novel pressure sensor has been developed by taking advantage of the orientational dependence of localized surface plasmon resonance of gold nanorods embedded in a polymer matrix. This stress-responsive material can be used to record the distribution and magnitude of pressure between two contacting surfaces by outputting optical response.