Flexible vibration sensors can not only capture broad classes of physiologically relevant information, including mechano-vibration signatures of body processes and precision kinematics of core-body ...motions, but also detect environmental seismic waves, providing early warning to wearers in time. Spider is one of the most vibration-sensitive creatures because of its hairlike sensilla and lyriform slit structure. Here, a spider-inspired ultrasensitive flexible vibration sensor is designed and fabricated for multifunctional sensing. The vibration sensitivity of the flexible sensor is increased over 2 orders of magnitude from 0.006 to 0.5 mV/g, and the strain sensitivity is hugely enhanced from 0.08 to 150 compared to a plain sensor counterpart. It is shown that the synergistic effect of cilium arrays and cracks is the key for achieving the greatly enhanced vibration and strain sensitivity. The dynamic sensitivity of 0.5 mV/g outperforms the corresponding commercial vibration sensors. The flexible sensor is demonstrated to be generally feasible for detecting vibration signals caused by walk, tumble, and explosion as well as capturing human body motions, indicating its great potential for applications in human health-monitoring devices, posture control in robotics, early earthquake warning, and so forth.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
A simple and sensitive liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for simultaneous quantification of paeoniflorin, albiflorin, oxypaeoniflorin, liquiritin, ...liquiritigenin, glycyrrhetinic acid, and glycyrrhizin in rat plasma after oral administration of Shaoyao‐Gancao decoction, which is traditionally used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome. The plasma samples were pretreated with methanol as precipitant. The method exhibited good linearity (correlation coefficient (R2) > 0.99) with lower quantification limits of 0.595–4.69 ng/mL for all analytes. Intra‐ and interbatch precision, accuracy, recovery, and stability of the method were all within accepted criteria. The results showed that the pharmacokinetic behaviors of the seven compounds were altered in the pathological status of polycystic ovary syndrome. Furthermore, a total of 36 metabolites were structurally identified based on their accurate masses and fragment ions. The major metabolic pathway involves phase I metabolic reactions (such as hydroxylation), phase II metabolic reactions (such as sulfation and glucuronidation conjugation) as well as the combined multiple‐step metabolism. This study is the first report on the pharmacokinetic and metabolic information of Shaoyao‐Gancao decoction in both normal and model rats, which would provide scientific evidences for the bioactive chemical basis of herbal medicines and also promote the clinical application of Shaoyao‐Gancao decoction for treating polycystic ovary syndrome.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
While double patterning lithography (DPL) has been widely recognized as one of the most promising solutions for the sub-22 nm technology node to enhance pattern printability, triple patterning ...lithography (TPL) will be required for gate, contact, and metal-1 layers which are too complex and dense to be split into only two masks, for the 15 nm technology node and beyond. Nevertheless, there is very little research focusing on the layout decomposition for TPL. Recent work proposed the first systematic study on the layout decomposition for TPL. However, the proposed algorithm extending a stitch-finding method used in DPL may miss legal stitch locations and generate conflicts that can be resolved by inserting stitches for TPL. In this paper, we point out two main differences between DPL and TPL layout decompositions. Based on the two differences, we propose a novel TPL layout decomposition algorithm. We first present two new graph reduction techniques to reduce the problem size without degrading overall solution quality. We then propose a stitch-aware mask assignment algorithm, based on a heuristic that finds a mask assignment such that the conflicts among the features in the same mask are more likely to be resolved by inserting stitches. Finally, stitches are inserted to resolve as many conflicts as possible. Experimental results show that the proposed layout decomposition algorithm can achieve around 56% reduction of conflicts and more than 40X speed-up, as compared to the previous work.
Thermal conductivity and thermal dissipation are of great importance for modern electronics due to the increased transistor density and operation frequency of contemporary integrated circuits. Due to ...its exceptionally high thermal conductivity, graphene has drawn considerable interests worldwide for heat spreading and dissipation. However, maintaining high thermal conductivity in graphene laminates (the basic technological unit) is a significant technological challenge. Aiming at highly thermal conductive graphene films (GFs), this prospective review outlines the most recent progress in the production of GFs originated from graphene oxide due to its great convenience in film processing. Additionally, we also consider such issues as film assembly, defect repair and mechanical compression during the post-treatment. We also discuss the thermal conductivity in in-plane and through-plane direction and mechanical properties of GFs. Further, the current typical applications of GFs are presented in thermal management. Finally, perspectives are given for future work on GFs for thermal management.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Development of transparent material derived from fast-growing natural bamboo is a promising and sustainable alternative for traditional glass materials. Here, we propose an effective strategy to ...prepare a transparent bamboo composite via lignin-modification and epoxy infiltration. This lignin-modification method can well maintain the integrity of natural bamboo, which provides a robust framework for the epoxy infiltration. The lignin-modified bamboo shows a high whiteness with significantly reduced light absorbance from 3 to 0.8 compared with natural bamboo. The above two aspects guarantee that the transparent bamboo composite obtained offers a high optical transparency of 87% over the visible wavelength range and a high tensile strength of 118 MPa simultaneously. Compared with conventional glasses, the as-prepared transparent bamboo composite has higher overall performance. Specifically, the transparent bamboo composite demonstrates the following advantages: (1) high optical haze (90%), which is beneficial to creating uniform indoor light distribution; (2) high toughness (4.5 MJ/m3), which is helpful to absorbing energy; (3) low density (1.2 g/cm3), which is good to lowering weight, and (4) low thermal conductivity (around 0.33 W/mK), which is only one third of conventional glasses and good for thermal insulation. The transparent bamboo composite with excellent overall performance has great potential in engineering applications, particularly for energy-efficient buildings.
•A transparent bamboo composite was fabricated via lignin-modification and epoxy infiltration using natural bamboo as starting material.•Lignin-modification strategy could effectively bleach the natural bamboo and maintain its structural integrity simultaneously.•Compared with the conventional glasses, the transparent bamboo composite demonstrates higher haze and toughness, lower density and thermal conductivity.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Abstract
Neocortical vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing (VIP+) interneurons display highly diverse morpho-electrophysiological and molecular properties. To begin to understand the function ...of VIP+ interneurons in cortical circuits, they must be clearly and comprehensively classified into distinct subpopulations based on specific molecular markers. Here, we utilized patch-clamp RT-PCR (Patch-PCR) to simultaneously obtain the morpho-electric properties and mRNA profiles of 155 VIP+ interneurons in layers 2 and 3 (L2/3) of the mouse somatosensory cortex. Using an unsupervised clustering method, we identified 3 electrophysiological types (E-types) and 2 morphological types (M-types) of VIP+ interneurons. Joint clustering based on the combined electrophysiological and morphological features resulted in 3 morpho-electric types (ME-types). More importantly, we found these 3 ME-types expressed distinct marker genes: ~94% of Sncg+ cells were ME-type 1, 100% of Mybpc1+ cells were ME-type 2, and ~78% of Parm1+ were ME-type 3. By clarifying the properties of subpopulations of cortical L2/3 VIP+ interneurons, this study establishes a basis for future investigations aiming to elucidate their physiological roles.
To investigate the beneficial effects of oridonin, a diterpenoid compound isolated from Rabdosia rubescens, on the inflammatory response in TNBS-induced post-inflammatory irritable bowel syndrome ...(PI-IBS) model and the underlying mechanism. Using the PI-IBS rat model and Caco-2 cell lines, we found that intestinal barrier function reflected by lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio and tight junction protein level was significantly ameliorated by oridonin. We also demonstrated that oridonin abrogated inflammation through inhibiting the phosphorylation of NF-κBp65 as well as its downstream gene (iNOS, COX-2, IL-1β, and IL-6) level. Molecular docking studies confirmed the good binding activity between oridonin and PXR. In Caco-2 cell lines, oridonin markedly inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB activation in a PXR-dependent manner. Meanwhile, PXR and its target genes CYP3A4 and P-gp were induced by oridonin, which was associated with the decreased expression of NF-κB and the recovery of intestinal barrier. This study indicated that the therapeutic effect of oridonin on experimental PI-IBS through repairing intestinal barrier function may be closely associated with the regulatory role of PXR/NF-κB signaling pathway. Oridonin may serve as a PXR ligand for the development of drugs in the therapy for PI-IBS.
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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
Various human motions yield stimuli from low-pressure (0–10 kPa) to high-pressure level (100–300 kPa). However, previous flexible pressure sensors are unable to detect various human motions from low ...to high-pressure stimuli, thus are unfavorable for the facile and integrated design of sensing system. Herein a novel flexible pressure sensor with a tunable and large pressure-detecting range is produced by simply infusing magnetic carboxyl iron particle (CIP)/silicone resin into carbon sponge (CS). Attributed to the magnetorheological effect, the upper pressure-detecting limit of the CS/CIP/silicone sensor in a frequency of 0.01–5 Hz is significantly increased from 180 to 330 kPa in the presence of magnetic field, while a lower pressure-detecting limit of 70 Pa is obtained in the absence of magnetic field, thus covering the whole pressure-detecting range for various human activities. The CS/CIP/silicone sensor in monitoring various human motions with low to high-pressure stimuli is demonstrated by recording breathing, arm movement, walking, lifting and grasping, consecutively. Characterized by high flexibility, low cost and easy manufacturing, the current strategy is highly provoking for the development of pressure sensors adapted to human motions of different pressure levels in a wide range.
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•A novel flexible pressure sensor with a tunable and large pressure-detecting range was produced.•The upper detecting limit of the sensor is significantly improved by the presence of magnetic field.•The sensor is capable of monitoring various human activities from low to high pressure level stimuli.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The enterohepatic circulation of bile acids (BAs) critically depends on BA transporters and enzymes, which can be affected by inflammatory bowel disease. Diarrhea in colitis is believed to result in ...part from BA malabsorption. The work aimed to investigate whether diarrhea in colitis was associated with the expression of BA transporters, enzymes, and nuclear receptors. RT-qPCR and Western blot techniques were used to evaluate the gene and protein levels of Cyp7a1, Asbt, SHP, FXR, Ostβ in a 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic-acid-induced rat model of colitis. The total BAs (TBAs) levels were assayed using ELISA kits, and the individual BAs were measured by LC–MS/MS. Results showed that the fecal excretions of TBAs were significantly increased by 1.6-fold in acute stage of colitis. In ileum, Asbt was significantly decreased; however, there was a compensatory increase in Cyp7a1 level in liver. Moreover, FXR has a decreased tendency and the downstream target gene SHP was downregulated. Contrary to acute stage, molecular changes were completely reversible during the remission phase. Our results indicated that the expression of Asbt and Cyp7a1 were altered in acute colitis, which performed vital roles in maintaining BA homeostasis. Early medical manipulation of BA transporters and enzymes may help prevent diarrhea.
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DOBA, FSPLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
For Codonopsis Radix polysaccharides (CRPs), oral administration is generally considered the most convenient route for patients. However, the details of its absorption and transport mechanisms remain ...unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the oral absorption of CPA (an inulin-type fructan extracted from CRPs) in mice and Caco-2 cells. It was labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate, and the fluorescence derivative (FCPA) was used to trace the behavior of CPA. The results showed that FCPA could be absorbed after oral administration and has a wide tissue distribution, including in the stomach, intestine, kidneys, and liver. FCPA was poorly absorbed, and its internalization was time- and energy-dependent, as well as dependent on cholesterol- and dynamin-mediated endocytosis. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed successful cellular internalization of FCPA from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. In addition, we found that FCPA was trafficked to endosomes and lysosomes, and that tubulin was required for its intracellular transport. These findings add new details to our knowledge of the internalization and transport mechanisms of CPA, which may prove useful to the development and application of oral formulations of CRPs.
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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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