Tailoring Thermal Transport Properties of Graphene Paper by Structural Engineering.

As a two-dimensional material, graphene has attracted increasing attention as heat dissipation material owing to its excellent thermal transport property. In this work, we fabricated sisal nanocrystalline cellulose/functionalized graphene papers (NPGs) with high thermal conductivity by vacuum-assisted self-assembly method. The papers exhibit in-plane thermal conductivity as high as 21.

Selective ratiometric fluorescence detection of hypochlorite by using aggregation-induced emission dots.

The development of simple and effective tools for selective ratiometric detection of hypochlorite (ClO) is one of the most important goals for elucidating the biofunction of ClO in associated diseases. However, most developmental probes suffer from the notorious aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect that greatly limits their applications. Herein, we report on novel aggregation-induced emission dots (AIED) for ratiometric detection of ClO via a co-precipitation strategy.

GABA and glutamate neurons in the VTA regulate sleep and wakefulness.

We screened for novel circuits in the mouse brain that promote wakefulness. Chemogenetic activation experiments and electroencephalogram recordings pointed to glutamatergic/nitrergic (NOS1) and GABAergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Activating glutamatergic/NOS1 neurons, which were wake- and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-active, produced wakefulness through projections to the nucleus accumbens and the lateral hypothalamus.

Fiber-Optic Magnetic Field Sensing Based on Microfiber Knot Resonator with Magnetic Fluid Cladding.

A kind of all-fiber magnetic field sensing structure is proposed and demonstrated here. The sensing element includes a microfiber knot resonator (MKR) cladded with magnetic fluid (MF). The low-index MgF₂ slab is adopted as the substrate.

X-ray absorption spectrum combined with deep neural network for on-line detection of beverage preservatives.

Aiming at the problem that the common preservative detection methods are too cumbersome and costly, a rapid on-line detection method based on X-ray absorption spectrum (XAS) for beverage preservatives is proposed. Benzoic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium dehydrogenate, and propyl -hydroxybenzoate were selected to form standard concentration and excess concentration solutions. XAS data were collected by an X-ray spectrum detection system, and the leave one out cross-validation method was used to divide the data set.

The biotechnological potential of anaerobic fungi on fiber degradation and methane production.

Anaerobic fungi (phylum Neocallimastigomycota), an early branching family of fungi, are commonly encountered in the digestive tract of mammalian herbivores. To date, isolates from ten described genera have been reported, and several novel taxonomic groupings are detected using culture-independent molecular methods. Anaerobic fungi are recognized as playing key roles in the decomposition of lignocellulose (up to 50% of the ingested and untreated lignocellulose), with their physical penetration and extracellular enzymatical secretion of an unbiased diverse repertoire of cell-wall-degrading enzymes.

A robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic chitosan/nanofibrillated cellulose aerogel for highly efficient oil/water separation.

Marine pollution caused by frequent oil spill accidents has already produced catastrophic influence on marine ecological environments. Even though traditional superhydrophobic/superoleophilic surface-coated materials have demonstrated to be effective for oil/water separation, they still suffer from complicated fabrication procedures, mechanical damages and loss of their superoleophobicity in high-salinity environments. Herein, a robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic aerogel was introduced for highly efficient oil/seawater separation, which was fabricated by incorporating nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) into chitosan (CS) matrix through freeze-drying method.

RhERF113 Functions in Ethylene-Induced Petal Senescence by Modulating Cytokinin Content in Rose.

In rose (Rosa hybrida), flower senescence is accelerated by ethylene and delayed by cytokinins (CTKs). However, the effectors that regulate these processes are not currently understood. In this study, we identified an APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor (AP2/ERF) gene, RhERF113, which was induced by ethylene and up-regulated during flower senescence in most floral organs, including sepal, petal, stamen and pistil.

Toxic effects of zearalenone on gametogenesis and embryonic development: A molecular point of review.

Zearalenone is commonly generated from moldy cereal grain, which is toxic to the development of gametogenesis and embryo in human and animals. The zearalenone-induced reproductive damage is mainly attributed to four mechanisms. Firstly, zearalenone as an oestrogen-like compound binds to estrogen receptor and causes damage to germ cells and testicular structure.

Optimized Multi-Spectral Filter Array Based Imaging of Natural Scenes.

Multi-spectral imaging using a camera with more than three channels is an efficient method to acquire and reconstruct spectral data and is used extensively in tasks like object recognition, relighted rendering, and color constancy. Recently developed methods are used to only guide content-dependent filter selection where the set of spectral reflectances to be recovered are known a priori. We present the first content-independent spectral imaging pipeline that allows optimal selection of multiple channels.

Influence of potassium hydroxide activation on characteristics and environmental risk of heavy metals in chars derived from municipal sewage sludge.

To investigate the influence of KOH activation on characteristics and environmental risk of heavy metals in chars, sludge was pyrolyzed with varying amount of KOH. The analyzation of characteristics and potential ecological risk evaluation of heavy metals were conducted by surface area analyzer, FTIR, XRD and BCR sequential extraction. The activated chars have higher surface area and lower content of silica compared to those without being activated.

Rab18 promotes lipid droplet (LD) growth by tethering the ER to LDs through SNARE and NRZ interactions.

Lipid incorporation from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to lipid droplet (LD) is important in controlling LD growth and intracellular lipid homeostasis. However, the molecular link mediating ER and LD cross talk remains elusive. Here, we identified Rab18 as an important Rab guanosine triphosphatase in controlling LD growth and maturation.

A Combined Self-Consistent Method to Estimate the Effective Properties of Polypropylene/Calcium Carbonate Composites.

In this work, trying to avoid difficulty of application due to the irregular filler shapes in experiments, self-consistent and differential self-consistent methods were combined to obtain a decoupled equation. The combined method suggests a tenor independent of filler-contents being an important connection between high and low filler-contents. On one hand, the constant parameter can be calculated by Eshelby's inclusion theory or the Mori⁻Tanaka method to predict effective properties of composites coinciding with its hypothesis.

Water-Induced shape memory effect of nanocellulose papers from sisal cellulose nanofibers with graphene oxide.

A novel water-induced shape memory nanocomposites were prepared by introducing graphene oxide (GO), which was based on microcrystalline cellulose nanofibers (MSF-g-COOH) extracting from sisal fibers. The results showed that the water-induced shape memory properties of MSF-g-COOH were significantly improved by the strong hydrogen bonding interaction between MSF-g-COOH and GO, It leads to some additional physically cross-linked points in MSF-g-COOH. On the other hand, at 0.

Effects of deficiency on emotional-like behaviors in mice under chronic immobilization stress.

Background: Histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (HINT1) is regarded as a haplo-insufficient tumor suppressor and is closely associated with diverse neuropsychiatric diseases. Moreover, HINT1 is related to gender-specific acute behavior changes in schizophrenia and in response to nicotine. Stress has a range of molecular effects in emotional disorders, which can cause a reduction in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus, resulting in hippocampal atrophy and neuronal cell loss.

Entropy of surface EMG reflects object weight in grasp-and-lift task.

Fingertip force coordination is crucial to the success of grasp-and-lift tasks. In the development of motor prosthesis for daily applications, the ability to accurately classify the desired grasp-and-lift from multi-channel surface electromyography (sEMG) is essential. In order to extract reliable indicators for fingertip force coordination, we searched an extensive set of sEMG features for the optimal subset of relevant features.

Facile Cellulose Dissolution and Characterization in the Newly Synthesized 1,3-Diallyl-2-ethylimidazolium Acetate Ionic Liquid.

A facile cellulose solvent 1,3-diallyl-2-ethylimidazolium acetate ([AAeim][OAc]) with high electrical conductivity has been designed and synthesized for the first time, via a quaternization reaction and ion exchange method. The dissolution characteristics of cellulose in this solvent were studied in detail. Meanwhile, the co-solvent system was designed by adding an aprotic polar solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in [AAeim][OAc].

A robust superhydrophobic TiO NPs coated cellulose sponge for highly efficient oil-water separation.

Oil-water separation has recently become a worldwide concern because of the increasing oil spill accidents and industrial oily wastewater generation. Herein, a facile method with the combined superhydrophobic coating and adhesive was used to fabricate superhydrophobic TiO NPs coated cellulose sponge. The developed materials exhibited excellent superhydrophobicity (WCA = 171°) and superoleophilicity (OCA = 0°), which can separate a variety of oil-water mixtures, including chloroform, toluene, kerosene and other contaminations.

The large-area multi-wire proportional counting system for 2π alpha and beta emission measurement at the NIM China.

An alpha/beta emission rate counting system which comprises of a large-area windowless multi-wire proportional counter and a digital pulse processing module has been established at the National Institute of Metrology of China, aiming at realizing the absolute measurement of emission rate for alpha and beta sources. Performance of the detector, including high-voltage plateaus and uniformity were measured. Measured emission rates for large-area Am and Sr/Y sources when compared with certificated values showed difference within 1.

Hypoxia downregulates the angiogenesis in human placenta via Notch1 signaling pathway.

Placentation, which is critical for maternal-fetal exchange of nutrients and gases, is a complicated process comprising stepwise vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Hypoxia caused by impaired trophoblast invasion may cause various angiogenic abnormalities in human placenta. The Notch1 signaling pathway plays an important role in the regulation of angiogenesis.

[Mechanism of heat shock protein 90 for regulating 26S proteasome in hyperthermia].

Objective: To investigate the mechanism by which heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) regulates 26S proteasome in hyperthermia.

Methods: Hyperthermic HepG2 cell models established by exposure of the cells to 42 degrees celsius; for 3, 6, 12, and 24 h were examined for production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell proliferation, and the changes in Hsp90α and 26S proteasome were analyzed.

Results: ROS production in the cells increased significantly after hyperthermia (F=28.

Development of Defatted Soy Flour-Based Adhesives by Acid Hydrolysis of Carbohydrates.

Soy-based adhesives are attracting increasing attention in recent years because they are a renewable and environmentally friendly raw material. Defatted soy flour (DSF), comprised of 50% protein and 40% carbohydrate, is the most widely used raw material for the preparation of soy-based adhesives that are unfortunately hampered by poor gluability and water resistance. In the present study, we developed a self-crosslinking approach to prepare a formaldehyde-free defatted soy flour-based adhesive (SBA).

A robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic alginate/graphene oxide aerogel for efficient oil/water separation in marine environments.

Marine pollution caused by frequent oil spill accidents has brought about tremendous damages to marine ecological environment. Therefore, the facile large-scale preparation of three-dimensional (3D) porous functional materials with special wettability is in urgent demand. In this study, we report a low-cost and salt-tolerant superoleophobic aerogel for efficient oil/seawater separation.

New insight into binary TiO@C nanocomposites: the crucial effect of an interfacial microstructure.

Combining with carbon materials is a common and efficient strategy to improve the photocatalytic performance of TiO. But the fundamental nature of the interfacial microstructures between carbon and TiO and how they affect the photocatalysis process remain controversial. In this work, hybrid TiO@C nanocomposites with different carbon contents are synthesized.

3D printed fluidics with embedded analytic functionality for automated reaction optimisation.

Additive manufacturing or '3D printing' is being developed as a novel manufacturing process for the production of bespoke micro- and milliscale fluidic devices. When coupled with online monitoring and optimisation software, this offers an advanced, customised method for performing automated chemical synthesis. This paper reports the use of two additive manufacturing processes, stereolithography and selective laser melting, to create multifunctional fluidic devices with embedded reaction monitoring capability.