The deep sea remains the largest unknown territory on Earth because it is so difficult to explore
. Owing to the extremely high pressure in the deep sea, rigid vessels
and pressure-compensation ...systems
are typically required to protect mechatronic systems. However, deep-sea creatures that lack bulky or heavy pressure-tolerant systems can thrive at extreme depths
. Here, inspired by the structure of a deep-sea snailfish
, we develop an untethered soft robot for deep-sea exploration, with onboard power, control and actuation protected from pressure by integrating electronics in a silicone matrix. This self-powered robot eliminates the requirement for any rigid vessel. To reduce shear stress at the interfaces between electronic components, we decentralize the electronics by increasing the distance between components or separating them from the printed circuit board. Careful design of the dielectric elastomer material used for the robot's flapping fins allowed the robot to be actuated successfully in a field test in the Mariana Trench down to a depth of 10,900 metres and to swim freely in the South China Sea at a depth of 3,224 metres. We validate the pressure resilience of the electronic components and soft actuators through systematic experiments and theoretical analyses. Our work highlights the potential of designing soft, lightweight devices for use in extreme conditions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ
In the recent outbreak of novel coronavirus infection worldwide, the risk of thrombosis and bleeding should be concerned. We aimed to observe the dynamic changes of D-dimer levels during disease ...progression to evaluate their value for thrombosis. In this study, we report the clinical and laboratory results of 57 patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia and 46 patients with confirmed community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CAP). And their concentrations of D-dimer, infection-related biomarkers, and conventional coagulation were retrospectively analyzed. The Padua prediction score is used to identify patients at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The results found that, on admission, both in COVID-19 patients and CAP patients, D-dimer levels were significantly increased, and compared with CAP patients, D-dimer levels were higher in COVID-19 patients (P < 0.05). Besides, we found that in COVID-19 patients, D-dimer were related with markers of inflammation, especially with hsCRP (R = 0.426, P < 0.05). However, there was low correlation between VTE score and D-dimer levels (Spearman’s R = 0.264, P > 0.05) weakened the role of D-dimer in the prediction of thrombosis. After treatments, D-dimer levels decreased which was synchronous with hsCRP levels in patients with good clinical prognosis, but there were still some patients with anomalous increasing D-dimer levels after therapy. In conclusion, elevated baseline D-dimer levels are associated with inflammation but not with VTE score in COVID-19 patients, suggesting that it is unreasonable to judge whether anticoagulation is needed only according to D-dimer levels. However, the abnormal changes of D-dimer and inflammatory factors suggest that anticoagulant therapy might be needed.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Maximizing platinum's atomic utilization and understanding the anchoring mechanism between platinum moieties and their supports are crucial for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Using density ...functional theory, we investigate the catalyst of a Pt monolayer on the two-dimensional Mo 2 TiC 2 substrate (Pt ML /Mo 2 TiC 2 ) for the reaction. This Pt monolayer shows a Pt(111)-like pattern, with its Pt–Pt bond elongated by about 0.1 Å compared to Pt(111); charge transfer from Mo 2 TiC 2 to the Pt monolayer leads to significant charge accumulation on Pt. This substantial monolayer metal–support interaction optimizes hydrogen adsorption toward optimal HER activity under both constant charge and potential conditions, making Pt ML /Mo 2 TiC 2 a promising HER catalyst. Detailed studies reveal that the dominant Volmer–Tafel mechanism in the HER occurs on the 1 monolayer hydrogen-covered Pt ML /Mo 2 TiC 2 surface. The surface Pourbaix diagram identifies this as the stable surface termination under the electrochemical reaction conditions. These findings provide insights into designing stable, efficient, and low platinum-loaded HER catalysts.
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To develop low-cost, high-capacity and long-life anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, glucose-C and F-doped C coated SiO composites with adjustable pore structure ...(p-SiO@gl-C@F-doped C) are synthesized by facile and scalable methods. The combination of the heterogeneous dual-carbon shells and porous structure significantly promotes the reaction kinetics of the electrode, effectively suppresses and buffers the volume expansion of SiO, and largely enhances the stability of solid electrolyte interface of the electrode. In a half cell, the optimized p-SiO@gl-C@F-doped C (7:3) composite shows a stable discharge capacity of 785 mAh g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1. The discharge capacity is maintained at 772 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles. At a current density of 400 mA g−1, the electrode shows a discharge capacity of 633 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles, with a capacity degradation of ∼0.0096% per cycle from the 2nd cycle to the 500th cycle. The full cell which is composed of the commercial LiFePO4 as a cathode and the optimized composite as an anode, exhibits high capacity and good cycling stability.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Effectiveness and mechanism of cadmium (Cd) sorption on original, acidified and ball milling nano-particle red muds were investigated using batch sorption experiments, sequential extraction analysis ...and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The maximum sorption capacity of Cd was 0.16, 0.19, and 0.21
mol/kg for the original, acidified, and nano-particle red muds at pH 6.5, respectively. Both acidification and ball-milling treatments significantly enhanced Cd sorption and facilitated transformation of Cd into less extractable fractions. The Cd
L
III
-edge XANES analysis indicated the formation of inner-sphere complexes of Cd similar to XCdOH (X represents surface groups on red mud) on the red mud surfaces although outer-sphere complexes of Cd were the primary species. This work shed light on the potential application of red mud to remediate Cd-contaminated soils and illustrated the promising tool of XANES spectroscopy for speciation of multicomponent systems of environmental relevance.
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► Red mud has a strong affinity for Cd contaminants. ► Ball-milling treatments significantly enhance Cd sorption on red mud. ► Cadmium partially formed inner-sphere complexes on the red mud surfaces. ► Red mud can be used to remediate Cd contaminated soils effectively.
Cadmium can be strongly sorbed and partially forms inner-sphere complexes on red mud.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Background/Aims. Obesity, which is related to increased oxidative stress in various tissues, is a risk factor for male infertility. Metformin is reported to have an antioxidant effect; however, the ...precise role of metformin in obesity-induced male infertility remains unknown. The current study is aimed at exploring the effects of metformin and characterizing its underlying mechanism in the fertility of obese males. Methods. An obese male mouse model was generated by feeding mice with a high-fat diet; then, the mice were administered metformin in water for 8 weeks. Reproductive ability, metabolic parameters, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were assessed by cohabitation, enzymatic methods, and ELISA, respectively. Damage to the integrity of the blood-testis barrier (BTB), which ensures spermatogenesis, was assessed by transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence with a biotin tracer. Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were employed for the assessments of oxidative stress. BTB-related proteins were measured by immunoblotting. Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) was assessed by immunofluorescence. Results. High-fat-diet-fed mice presented evident lipid metabolic disturbances, disrupted BTB integrity, and decreased reproductive function. Metformin alleviated the decrease in male fertility, decreased ectopic lipid deposition in the testis, and increased serum FSH levels. A further mechanistic analysis revealed that metformin ameliorated the high-fat-diet-induced injury to the BTB structure and permeability and restored the disordered BTB-related proteins, which might be associated with an improvement in oxidative stress and a recovery of NF-κB activity in Sertoli cells (SCs). Conclusion. Metformin improves obese male fertility by alleviating oxidative stress-induced BTB damage. These findings provide new insights into the effect of metformin on various diseases and suggest future possibilities in the treatment of male infertility.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Because of some similarities in organ involvement, clinical manifestations, and histopathological features, IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) may occur concurrently with some clinicopathologic variants ...of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). An overlap syndrome of IgG4-RD and AAV has recently been proposed in clinical and/or histopathological studies, indicating that there may be some potential pathophysiological associations between the two disease entities; however, the mechanisms underlying these are incompletely understood. Here, we describe a rare case of a 63-year-old man with IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis (IgG4-TIN) and microscopic polyangiitis-associated glomerulonephritis (MPA-GN) overlap syndrome. The clinical diagnosis of MPA was based on the 2022 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatology (EULAR) classification criteria. Remission induction therapy with intravenous methylprednisolone was initiated, followed by oral prednisone maintenance therapy with gradual tapering. The patient remained asymptomatic and his renal function was essentially normalized within 3.5 months of follow-up. The serum IgG4 levels decreased to 5 g/L. We also conducted a literature review to identify clinical findings, treatment options, and outcomes of patients with concurrent IgG4-RD and MPA and briefly discussed the potential pathophysiological association between IgG4-RD and MPA. Our findings enrich the database of this rare overlap syndrome and provide a basis for the diagnosis and early intervention in both diseases. These results provide some insights for clinicians to recognize and treat this overlap syndrome.
Key Points
• We report a unique case that enriches the database of this rare overlap syndrome and provides a basis for the outcome and early intervention in both diseases.
•Several studies have suggested that IgG4-RD and MPA have a potential association, and we describe the pathophysiological mechanism of the overlap syndrome for the first time.
• There have been no standardized diagnostic criteria for MPA for over 30 years; the 2022 ACR/EULAR classification criteria are expected to solve this problem.
• We provide some clues for the diagnosis and treatment of this overlap syndrome based on the literature review.
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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
Hybrid beamforming is critical for massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) to achieve high spectral efficiency at reduced hardware cost. Existing hybrid beamforming schemes either design the ...analog beamforming and digital beamforming separately, or jointly optimize them through alternating optimization. Such strategies incur non-negligible performance degradation or huge computational complexity in optimization, which is especially evident with the partially connected architecture. In this work, we consider a general downlink multi-user MIMO orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system with the hybrid beamforming architecture, where finite-resolution phase shifters are adopted. We propose an efficient beamforming strategy on the sum rate maximization criterion. Rather than eliminating the interference entirely by digital beamforming, we optimize the analog beamforming by considering the interference at the same time. We consider a fixed digital beamforming structure to reduce the overall complexity. Given the fact of finite-resolution phase shifters, the analog beamforming is optimized over discrete phase values. Compared to existing hybrid beamforming designs, the proposed algorithm achieves much improved performance. By applying the average channel covariance to the analog beamforming design, the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm is further reduced. Meanwhile, the proposed algorithm is applicable to both fully and partially connected architectures.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Neutrophils and monocytes (N/Ms) are potential candidates for the delivery of therapeutic agents to the tumor microenvironment (TME) because of their tumor-accumulating nature. L-selectin and ...Siglec-1, receptors for sialic acid (SA), are highly expressed in circulating neutrophils and monocytes, respectively, in tumor-bearing mice, and N/Ms are recruited to tumors in response to inflammatory cytokines secreted by the TME, promoting tumor growth and invasion. Therefore, we constructed a drug delivery nano-platform using N/Ms as vehicles. SA-stearic acid conjugate was synthesized and utilized to modify epirubicin-loaded liposomes (EPI-SL) for enhanced endocytosis of liposomes by circulating N/Ms. Cellular uptake studies showed that SA modification improved the accumulation of EPI in N/Ms and did not alter the inherent chemotaxis of N/Ms. In tumor-bearing mice, EPI-SL significantly improved the tumor-targeting efficiency and therapeutic efficacy of EPI compared to other preparations and even eradicated tumors because of the tumor-accumulating and inhibitory effects of N/Ms containing EPI-SL. Our research showed, for the first time, that as an N/M-based drug delivery platform, EPI-SL remedied the limited tumor targeting in the conventional EPR effect-based treatment strategy, contributing to the exploitation of a new drug delivery platform for cancer treatment.
Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) and macrophages (TAMs) are closely associated with tumor growth and invasion, and therefore the development of therapeutic strategies targeting TANs and TAMs is crucial for tumor treatment. Given that most TANs and TAMs are derived from peripheral blood neutrophils and monocytes (N/Ms), respectively, we synthesized sialic acid-stearic acid conjugates that specifically bind N/Ms for the surface modification of liposomal epirubicin (EPI-SL). The N/Ms loaded with EPI-SL maintained their inherent chemotaxis toward the tumor. Additionally, EPI-SL significantly improved the survival of tumor-bearing mice and even eradicated tumors. These findings suggested that EPI-SL has substantial potential for clinical application by compensating for the previous low efficacy of ex vivo transformed cell infusion and improving the tumor-targeting efficiency.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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