Aqueous rechargeable microbatteries are promising on-chip micropower sources for a wide variety of miniaturized electronics. However, their development is plagued by state-of-the-art electrode ...materials due to low capacity and poor rate capability. Here we show that layered potassium vanadium oxides, K
V
O
·nH
O, have an amorphous/crystalline dual-phase nanostructure to show genuine potential as high-performance anode materials of aqueous rechargeable potassium-ion microbatteries. The dual-phase nanostructured K
V
O
·nH
O keeps large interlayer spacing while removing secondary-bound interlayer water to create sufficient channels and accommodation sites for hydrated potassium cations. This unique nanostructure facilitates accessibility/transport of guest hydrated potassium cations to significantly improve practical capacity and rate performance of the constituent K
V
O
·nH
O. The potassium-ion microbatteries with K
V
O
·nH
O anode and K
MnO
·nH
O cathode constructed on interdigital-patterned nanoporous metal current microcollectors exhibit ultrahigh energy density of 103 mWh cm
at electrical power comparable to carbon-based microsupercapacitors.
Linguistic interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets, as an extension of interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets, have strong practical value in the management of complex uncertainty system with ...qualitative evaluation information. This study focuses on the development of several linguistic interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy Hamacher (LIVIFH) aggregation operators based on the extended Hamacher t-norm and s-norm. First, the extended Hamacher t-norm and s-norm, which are applicable to linguistic information environment, are applied to define the linguistic interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy Hamacher operational laws. Second, based on the proposed operational laws, this study defines the linguistic interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy Hamacher weighted average (LIVIFHWA) operator and the linguistic interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy Hamacher weighted geometric (LIVIFHWG) operator, and then investigates their properties. Furthermore, the degeneracy and monotonicity of the proposed operators with respect to the adjustable parameter are explored. Finally, a multiple attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) approach is developed based on the proposed LIVIFH aggregation operators, and then this approach is applied to a supplier selection problem. Parameter analysis indicates that the adjustable parameter in the proposed LIVIFH aggregation operators could reflect the attitudes of decision makers. The LIVIFHWA operator would be more appropriate to optimistic decision makers, and the LIVIFHWG operator to pessimistic decision makers. In addition, as the adjustable parameter increasing, both attitudes tend to be neutral. The proposed method is also compared with two other approaches to show its feasibility and efficiency.
Among the researches on hepatic fibrosis, great attention was paid to both hepatocytes and extracellular matrix (ECM). However, little focus was drawn on reticular fibrous network, which is important ...for demarcation and support of hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the change pattern of reticular fibers in hepatic fibrosis/cirrhosis and its underlying mechanism. In this study, thioacetamide (TAA) and bile duct ligation (BDL) were utilized to induce rat hepatic fibrosis respectively, and Human liver cirrhotic microassay was analyzed with IHC to confirm the results in animal experiment and to detect the metalloproteinases (MMPs) expressions. As a result, the reticular fibers decreased markedly after 1 week in TAA and 1 day in BDL treated rats. Multiple representative regulators of MMPs and MMPs increased significantly in their expressions and activities. Further more, in human liver cirrhotic microassay, MMPs expressions also showed similar patterns as that of animal experiment. In Conclusions: Degradation or collapse of reticular fibers in hepatic sinusoid can be considered as a pathological feature during the initiation and/or progression of hepatic fibrosis. Moreover, such degradation is associated with and probably caused by the over/dysregulated expression of MMPs.
To obtain a battery-type ceramic electrode material for supercapacitors, we used a metal-organic framework (HKUST-1) as a template to prepare ceramic material Cu9S8@C. Firstly, we adopted the ...calcination–vulcanization method to synthesize Cu9S8@C. Then we deposited it onto a carbon fiber cloth and employed it. Moreover, polypyrrole PPy/Cu9S8@C-CC nanocomposite electrodes were prepared via electrochemical deposition. By means of high-temperature calcination and vulcanization, the copper atoms of HKUST-1 were successfully transformed into Cu9S8 nanoparticles, and the organic ligand was carbonized into amorphous carbon in Cu9S8@C. The results showed that the PPy/Cu9S8@C-CC electrode presented a specific capacitance of 270.72F/g at a scan speed of 10 mV/s in a 1 M KCL aqueous solution. This value was much higher than that of Cu9S8@C-CC and Cu9S8-CC electrodes, as confirmed by the results of electrochemical test. At a scan rate of 10 mV/s, the capacitance retention rate for PPy/Cu9S8@C-CC after 3000 cycles was 80.36%, indicating its superior cycle characteristics. Moreover, PPy/Cu9S8@C-CC exhibited good frequency response. These results indicate that PPy/Cu9S8@C is an ideal electrode material for energy storage and conversion applications.
•The feasibility of detecting steel fiber content by eddy current method was explored.•The electromagnetic field numerical model of steel fiber reinforced concrete was established.•The relationship ...between the electrical parameters of the excitation coil and the fiber content was established.
Steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) has been widely used in construction engineering due to its superior crack resistance and flexural capacity. Its mechanical properties mainly depend on the distribution of fibers, and the uneven distribution will reduce the structural performance. Therefore, this paper proposed a fast non-destructive testing method for steel fiber content evaluation based on magnetization loss. This method could solve the problem that the traditional methods were difficult to detect in situ. It is found that the higher the steel fiber content, the greater the magnetic loss and electrical loss of the fiber under sinusoidal excitation, resulting in the changes of the excitation coil impedance. Based on this phenomenon, the impedance difference modulus and quality factor evaluation index of the excitation coil are proposed, which can be used to accurately estimate the internal fiber content of concrete in-situ detection. The feasibility of the method is verified by experiments, which is of great significance to the quality control in the manufacturing process of SFRC.
Inflammation marks all stages of atherogenesis. DNA hypermethylation in the whole genome or specific genes is associated with inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we aimed to study ...whether inhibiting DNA methylation by DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) ameliorates atherosclerosis in low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (Ldlr−/−) mice. Ldlr−/− mice were fed an atherogenic diet and adminisered saline or 5-aza-dC (0.25 mg/kg) for up to 30 weeks. 5-aza-dC treatment markedly decreased atherosclerosis development in Ldlr−/− mice without changes in body weight, plasma lipid profile, macrophage cholesterol levels and plaque lipid content. Instead, this effect was associated with decreased macrophage inflammation. Macrophages with 5-aza-dC treatment had downregulated expression of genes involved in inflammation (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and inducible nitric oxidase) and chemotaxis (CD62/L-selectin, chemokine C-C motif ligand 2/MCP-1 CCL2/MCP-1, CCL5, CCL9, and CCL2 receptor CCR2). This resulted in attenuated macrophage migration and adhesion to endothelial cells and reduced macrophage infiltration into atherosclerotic plaques. 5-aza-dC also suppressed macrophage endoplasmic reticulum stress, a key upstream signal that activates macrophage inflammation and apoptotic pathways. Finally, 5-aza-dC demethylated liver X receptor α (LXRα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ1 (PPARγ1) promoters, which are both enriched with CpG sites. This led to overexpression of LXRα and PPARγ, which may be responsible for 5-aza-dC's anti-inflammatory and atheroprotective effect. Our findings provide strong evidence that DNA methylation may play a significant role in cardiovascular diseases and serve as a therapeutic target for prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.
Sanwei-Tanxiang powder (SWTX), a traditional Mongolian and Tibetan medicine containing a cocktail of active molecules, relieves angina pectoris and improves recovery in patients with coronary heart ...disease (CHD). The pharmacological effect of SWTX on CHD was analyzed at a systemic point of view in our previous studies. The bioinformatics prediction showed that the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway was one of important pathways of SWTX on treatment of coronary heart disease. Based on it, the aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of SWTX in acute myocardial ischemic-reperfused (MIR) rat in vivo and H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells under oxidative stress induced by H
O
in vitro, and further investigate the involvement of PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway in these processes. Ex vivo, under physiological conditions, SWTX did not show any modification in the heart rate and contraction amplitude. However, against a MIR injury, SWTX pretreatment provided significant protection, including reduced ST-segment elevation, pathological changes and myocardial infarct size in vivo, meanwhile, some monomers of SWTX showed antioxidant capacity and inhibited cardiomyocytic apoptosis in vitro. The effect was correlated with the activation of the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a signaling pathway downstream and the regulation of downstream pro-apoptotic Bim of FoxO3a experimental verified by qRT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescent assay. In vitro, blocking Akt and p-FoxO3a activation with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 effectively suppressed the protective effects of several active monomers (including quercetin, macelignan,methyleugenol and Santol) of SWTX against H
O
-induced injury. Collectively, these results suggest that SWTX decreases I/R injury, and the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway takes part in protection during this process, gallogen (G3) and quercetin (G8) of GZ, methyleugenol (R2) and macelignan (R7) of RDK, santol (T1) of TX are responsible at least in part for SWTX's cardioprotection effect.
Titanium alloys own a series of advantages such as low density, high specific strength, and biocompatibility. However, the poor wear resistance of titanium alloys impedes their wide applications in ...industry. In this study, we show that the wear resistance of the Ti6Al4V alloy can be greatly improved by a combined method of magnetron sputtering and plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). An ~13 μm pure aluminum layer was first applied on the Ti6Al4V alloy by magnetron sputtering and then PEO was employed for the second step treatment of the Al coated Ti6Al4V alloy. The PEO of the Al coated Ti6Al4V was carried out in aluminate (32 g l−1) and silicate (16 g l−1) electrolytes, respectively. Ball-on-disc tribological tests with an applied load of 10 N against a Cr steel ball were used to evaluate the wear performances of the samples. The coating formed in 32 g l−1 aluminate electrolyte for 4 min shows superior wear performance, which sustained 1800 s sliding time against the steel ball and the wear rate is non-detectable. In contrast, the coating formed in the silicate electrolyte for 15 min has been destroyed during the tribological test, showing a wear rate of ~3.9 × 10−4 mm3/(N·m). The excellent wear performance of the coatings formed in the aluminate electrolyte can be attributed to its high growth rate and homogeneity in microstructure. The coating growth mechanisms have also been discussed.
•Wear protection to Ti6Al4V alloy via combined method of magnetron sputtering and PEO•The combined methods significantly improved the wear performance of the alloy.•Best protection was afforded by PEO in a concentrated aluminate electrolyte.
Starting with a bare nucleon-nucleon interaction, for the first time the full relativistic Brueckner Hartree-Fock equations are solved for finite nuclei in a Dirac-Woods-Saxon basis. No free ...parameters are introduced to calculate the ground-state properties of finite nuclei. The nucleus 160 is investigated as an example. The resulting groundstate properties, such as binding energy and charge radius, are considerably improved as compared with the non-relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock results and much closer to the experimental data. This opens the door for ab initio covariant investigations of heavy nuclei.
Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is an important mechanism in the progression of chronic and acute liver diseases, especially in the progression and recovery of liver fibrosis. Excessive and ...long-term ER stress induces apoptosis. ER stress-induced apoptosis is considered to be an important pathway in the development of liver fibrosis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) induction is also closely related to ER stress. In our previous studies, we showed that celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, improves liver fibrosis and portal hypertension. However, the role and mechanism of celecoxib in alleviating liver fibrosis remain unclear.
To investigate whether celecoxib alleviates liver fibrosis by inhibiting hepatocyte apoptosis
the ER stress response.
Cirrhosis was induced by intraperitoneal injections of thioacetamide (TAA) for 16 wk (injection dose is 200 mg/kg per 3 d for the first 8 wk and 100 mg /kg per 3 d after 8 wk). Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, namely, control group, TAA group, and TAA + celecoxib group. In the last 8 wk, TAA-induced cirrhotic rats received celecoxib (20 mg/kg/day) or the vehicle by gastric gavage. After 16 wk, the rats were sacrificed, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and albumin (ALB) were detected. The hepatic fibrosis areas were evaluated by Sirius red staining and the degree of fibrosis was assessed by measuring the level of hydroxyproline. ER stress levels were evaluated by detecting the marker proteins glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), PKR-like ER protein kinase (PERK), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), and inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α). Apoptosis levels were evaluated by detecting caspase-12 and caspase-3.
The serum ALT and AST levels in the liver were significantly reduced by celecoxib; however, the serum ALB had no significant changes. Celecoxib significantly reduced the degree of liver fibrosis and the levels of hydroxyproline (-38% and -25.7%, respectively,
< 0.01). Celecoxib ameliorated ER stress by reducing the level of GRP78 compared to the TAA group (
< 0.05). Consistently, after celecoxib administration, the upregulation of TAA-induced hepatic apoptosis markers (caspase-12 and caspase-3) and CHOP were significantly inhibited. In addition, after celecoxib treatment, the expression of key molecules associated with ER stress (PERK, ATF6, and IRE1) was decreased (
< 0.05).
Therapeutic administration of celecoxib effectively reduces hepatic apoptosis in TAA-induced cirrhotic rats. The mechanism of action may be attributed to the suppression of CHOP expression, which subsequently inhibits ER stress.