Adrenomedullin (ADM) exerts anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects in Leydig cells. However, the role and mechanism of ADM in the pyroptosis of Leydig cells are poorly understood. ...This study first showed the protective effects of ADM on the pyroptosis and biological functions of Leydig cells exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by promoting autophagy. Primary rat Leydig cells were treated with various concentrations of LPS and ADM, together with or without N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) or 3-methyladenine (3-MA). Cell proliferation was detected through CCK-8 and BrdU incorporation assays, and ROS level was measured with the DCFDA assay. Real-time PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, TUNEL and flow cytometry were performed to examine ADM's effect on the pyroptosis, autophagy and steroidogenic enzymes of Leydig cells and AMPK/mTOR signalling. Like NAC, ADM dose-dependently reduced LPS-induced cytotoxicity and ROS overproduction. ADM also dose-dependently ameliorated LPS-induced pyroptosis by reversing the increased expression of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18, GSDMD, caspase-3, caspase-7, TUNEL-positive and PI and active caspase-1 double-stained positive rate, DNA fragmentation and LDH concentration, which could be rescued via co-incubation with 3-MA. ADM dose-dependently increased autophagy in LPS-induced Leydig cells, as confirmed by the increased expression of LC3-I/II, Beclin-1 and ATG-5; decreased expression of p62 and autophagosomes formation; and increased LC3-II/LC3-I ratio. However, co-treatment with 3-MA evidently decreased autophagy. Furthermore, ADM dose-dependently rescued the expression of steroidogenic enzymes, including StAR, P450scc, 3β-HSD and CYP17, and testosterone production in LPS-induced Leydig cells. Like rapamycin, ADM dose-dependently enhanced AMPK phosphorylation but reduced mTOR phosphorylation in LPS-induced Leydig cells, which could be rescued via co-incubation with 3-MA. In addition, pyroptosis was further decreased, and autophagy was further promoted in LPS-induced Leydig cells upon co-treatment with ADM and rapamycin. ADM may protect the steroidogenic functions of Leydig cells against pyroptosis by activating autophagy via the ROS-AMPK-mTOR axis.
Hydrogen is a promising candidate for clean and sustainable energy resources to substitute fossil fuels to mitigate global environmental issues. Electrochemical hydrogen production has been regarded ...as a viable and promising strategy. The overall water splitting is currently the predominant electrochemical hydrogen production method, which could be driven by renewable energy to achieve sustainable production. However, the current challenges are the intrinsically sluggish and energy-intensive oxygen evolution reduction (OER) at the anode and the expensive noble metal-based catalysts for overall water splitting, which limit the practical applications. Extensive efforts have been made to develop bifunctional non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts to boost hydrogen production efficiency and lower the cost. Meanwhile, alternative oxidation reactions with faster kinetics and less energy requirement than OER are being explored as the anodic reaction to couple with the hydrogen evolution reaction for energy-saving hydrogen production. In this review, the non-noble metal-based bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting, as well as other novel energy-saving hydrogen productions have been introduced and summarized. Current challenges and outlooks are commented on at the end of the article.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
An ongoing outbreak of severe respiratory pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus has recently emerged in China. Here we report the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and radiological ...characteristics of 19 suspect cases. We compared the positive ratio of 2019-nCoV nucleic acid amplification test results from different samples including oropharyngeal swab, blood, urine and stool with 3 different fluorescent RT-PCR kits. Nine out of the 19 patients had 2019-nCoV infection detected using oropharyngeal swab samples, and the virus nucleic acid was also detected in eight of these nine patients using stool samples. None of positive results was identified in the blood and urine samples. These three different kits got the same result for each sample and the positive ratio of nucleic acid detection for 2019-nCoV was only 47.4% in the suspect patients. Therefore, it is possible that infected patients have been missed by using nucleic acid detection only. It might be better to make a diagnosis combining the computed tomography scans and nucleic acid detection.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Core-shell nanostructure represents a unique system for applications in electrochemical energy storage devices. Owing to the unique characteristics featuring high power delivery and long-term cycling ...stability, electrochemical capacitors (ECs) have emerged as one of the most attractive electrochemical storage systems since they can complement or even replace batteries in the energy storage field, especially when high power delivery or uptake is needed. This review aims to summarize recent progress on core-shell nanostructures for advanced supercapacitor applications in view of their hierarchical architecture which not only create the desired hierarchical porous channels, but also possess higher electrical conductivity and better structural mechanical stability. The core-shell nanostructures include carbon/carbon, carbon/metal oxide, carbon/conducting polymer, metal oxide/metal oxide, metal oxide/conducting polymer, conducting polymer/conducting polymer, and even more complex ternary core-shell nanoparticles. The preparation strategies, electrochemical performances, and structural stabilities of core-shell materials for ECs are summarized. The relationship between core-shell nanostructure and electrochemical performance is discussed in detail. In addition, the challenges and new trends in core-shell nanomaterials development have also been proposed.
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•Recent advances of core-shell nanomaterials for supercapacitors are summarized.•Various core-shell nanostructures are presented for advanced supercapacitors.•Significances of developing core-shell nanostructure are discussed.•Development trends in core-shell nanomaterials for supercapacitors are proposed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Elucidating atmospheric oxidation mechanisms is necessary for estimating the lifetimes of atmospheric species and understanding secondary organic aerosol formation and atmospheric oxidation capacity. ...We report an unexpectedly fast mechanistic pathway for the unimolecular reactions of large stabilized Criegee intermediates, which involves the formation of bicyclic structures from large Criegee intermediates containing an aldehyde group. The barrier heights of the mechanistic pathways are unexpectedly low - about 2-3 kcal/mol - and are at least 10 kcal/mol lower than those of hydrogen shift processes in large syn Criegee intermediates; and the calculated rate constants show that the mechanistic pathways are 10
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times faster than those of the corresponding hydrogen shift processes. The present findings indicate that analogous low-energy pathways can now also be expected in other large Criegee intermediates and that oxidative capacity of some Criegee intermediates is smaller than would be predicted by existing models.
Generating circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with simultaneous high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and dissymmetry factor (glum) is difficult due to usually unmatched electric ...transition dipole moment (μ) and magnetic transition dipole moment (m) of materials. Herein we tackle this issue by playing a “cascade cationic insertion” trick to achieve strong CPL (with PLQY of ~100 %) in lead‐free metal halides with high glum values reaching −2.3×10−2 without using any chiral inducers. Achiral solvents of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and N, N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) infiltrate the crystal lattice via asymmetric hydrogen bonding, distorting the perovskite structure to induce the “intrinsic” chirality. Surprisingly, additional insertion of Cs+ cation to substitute partial (CH3)2NH2+ transforms the chiral space group to achiral but the crystal maintains chiroptical activity. Further doping of Sb3+ stimulates strong photoluminescence as a result of self‐trapped excitons (STEs) formation without disturbing the crystal framework. The chiral perovskites of indium‐antimony chlorides embedded on LEDs chips demonstrate promising potential as CPL emitters. Our work presents rare cases of chiroptical activity of highly luminescent perovskites from only achiral building blocks via spontaneous resolution as a result of symmetry breaking.
Playing a “cascade cationic insertion” trick to achieve strong CPL (with PLQY of ~100 %) in lead‐free metal halides with simultaneous high glum values reaching −2.3×10−2 from only achiral building blocks.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The China sports lottery contributes to sports and welfare causes. This study aims to construct a macro forecasting model supporting its sustained growth aligned with Vision 2035.
The modeling ...employed a distributional regression. Sales data of the China sports lottery from 2011 to 2022 were chosen as the response variable, alongside various macro- and event-level explanatory factors.
A gamma distribution best fit the data. In the stable model spanning 2011-2019, urbanization, population dynamics, and FIFA emerged as significant contributors (Chi-square p < 0.05) to the location shift parameter. These three factors retained their significance in the 2011-2022 shock model, where shock itself notably impacted sales (p < 0.001). Utilizing the shock model, we simulated the trajectory of the China sports lottery up to 2035. China's demographics changes are poised to create structural headwinds starting in 2026, leading to an anticipated decline in sales driven by population shifts from 2032 onward. However, the FIFA effect is projected to continue fortifying this sector.
Beyond offering original insights into the sales trajectory until 2035, specifically concerning new urbanization, negative population growth, and the FIFA effect, this macro forecasting framework can assist in addressing the policy priority of balancing growth with risk mitigation. We recommend policymakers connect market development with mass sports, potentially garnering a dual boost from the growing population of older consumers and the inherent benefits of a "FIFA (mass sports)" effect. A people-centered approach to the China sports lottery could significantly contribute to the long-range objectives of achieving common prosperity outlined in Vision 2035.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Graphene is an appealing two-dimensional material with superior mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Mass production of high-quality graphene is attracting more and more researchers' ...attention in recent years. Most of the current methods for synthesizing graphene use purified chemical reagents that could be expensive for large-scale production. In this study, we have developed a less expensive method to synthesise high-quality graphene sheets from wheat straw via a combined hydrothermal and graphitization approach. The resulting graphene sheets show favorable features such as ultrathin nanosheet frameworks (2–10 atomic layers), high graphitization (up to 90.7%), graphite-like interlayer spacing (0.3362nm), and the mesoporous structure. When used as an anode material for lithium ion batteries, the few-layer graphene delivers high reversible capacity (502mAhg−1 at 0.1 C), superior rate capability (463.5, 431.4, and 306.8mAhg−1 at 1, 2, and 5 C, respectively), and good cycling performance (392.8mAhg−1 at 1 C after 300cycles). The wheat straw-derived graphene sheets also display the relatively flat voltage profiles with a negligible charge/discharge voltage hysteresis. Moreover, this low-cost, highly efficient, and catalyst-free technique is a significant milepost towards environmentally-sustainable, commercially feasible fabrication of carbon nanomaterials from renewable natural resources.
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•A facile and novel approach for the preparation of few-layer graphene.•The process is simple, eco-friendly, cost-effective, and highly efficient.•The resulting few-layer graphene sheets show many favorable features.•The few-layer graphene anode exhibits superior electrochemical properties.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Single-atom catalysts are of great interest and importance for designing new high-performance low-cost catalysts. We investigated CO oxidation catalyzed by single gold atoms supported on thoria ...（Au/ThO2） and doped ThO2 using density functional theory with Hubbard-type on-site Coulomb interaction （DFT ＋ U）. The calculation results show that the Au-doped THO2（111） catalyst exhibits remarkable catalytic activity for CO oxidation via the Eley-Rideal mechanism in three steps, where the rate-determining step is decomposition of the OCOO＋ intermediate with an energy barrier of 0.58 eV. Moreover, our results also reveal a new mechanism of CO oxidation on a gold adatom supported by THO2（111）, where O2 is adsorbed only at the Th site on the surface, and the gas-phase CO then reacts directly with the activated O2＋ to form CO2, which is the rate-limiting step, with a barrier of 0.46 eV. It is found that CO oxidation can occur without CO and O2 coadsorption on Au, which was previously considered a key intermediate. Therefore, these results provide new insights into CO oxidation on isolated gold atoms supported by the 5f-element compound THO2（111）. This mechanism can help clarify the catalytic cycle of CO oxidation, support the design of high- performance low-cost catalysts, and elucidate the redox properties of actinide oxides.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Although increased accumulation of neutrophils has been noted in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), the function and regulation of neutrophils in CRS are largely unknown. IL-36 family cytokines may play ...an important role in neutrophilic inflammation.
This study sought to investigate the expression and function of IL-36 cytokines in CRS.
Quantitative RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and ELISA were used to investigate the expression of IL-36 cytokines and IL-36 receptor (IL-36R) in sinonasal mucosa. The expression of IL-36R on neutrophils in polyps and blood was measured by flow cytometry. Purified blood neutrophils were cultured to investigate the regulation of IL-36R expression. The cleavage of IL-36γ was detected by Western blotting. Dispersed nasal polyp cells were treated with IL-36γ with or without elastase inhibitor and dexamethasone.
Neutrophil infiltration and expression of IL-36 cytokines and IL-36R were upregulated in both CRS with and without nasal polyps. IL-36γ was the most abundant isoform and mainly expressed by epithelial cells in CRS. Neutrophils were the principal IL-36R+ cell type in polyps. IL-36R expression was almost absent in blood neutrophils and upregulated by IL-6, IL-1β, and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus group 1. Elastase activity was increased in polyps and degraded full-length IL-36γ. Consistently, the levels of cleaved IL-36γ were increased in polyps. Full-length IL-36γ promoted the production of matrix metalloproteinase 9; IL-17A; and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligands 1, 2, and 8 from dispersed nasal polyp cells, which was abolished by elastase inhibitor. The proinflammatory effect of IL-36γ was not suppressed by dexamethasone.
Increased production and activation of IL-36γ may act on neutrophils and further exaggerate neutrophilic inflammation in CRS.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
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