•Machine learning methods were used to predict the thermal conductivity of polymers.•The training dataset was generated by large-scale molecular dynamics computations.•Machine learning models the ...polymers structure-thermal conductivity relationships.•Polymers containing chemical groups with strong bond strength give rise to high TC.•Polymer chains with well-ordered spatial structures usually present higher TC.
The ability to efficiently design new and advanced polymers with functional thermal properties is hampered by the high-cost and time-consuming experiments. Machine learning is an effective approach that can accelerate materials development by combining material science and big data techniques. Here, machine learning methods were used to predict the thermal conductivity of various single-chain polymers, and the relationship between molecular structures of polymer repeating units and thermal conductivity was also been investigated. The predict model starts from a benchmark dataset generated by large-scale molecular dynamics computations. In predict models, the polymers were ‘fingerprinted’ as simple, easily attainable numerical representations, which helps to develop an on-demand property prediction model. Further, potential quantitative relationship between molecular structures of polymer and thermal conductivity property was analyzed, and hypothetical polymers with ideal thermal conductivity were identified. The methods are shown to be general, and can hence guide the screening and systematic identification of high thermal conductivity.
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•Lycium ruthenicum is the plant with the highest anthocyanin content, and the total anthocyanin content reached 24.04 ± 0.07 mg/g.•Purified anthocyanins from L. ruthenicum (LRPA) ...showed a significant ameliorative effect on atherosclerosis in rats.•The potential mechanism of LRAP to ameliorate atherosclerosis involved modulation of gut microbiota, inflammatory response and lipid metabolism disorders.
Lycium ruthenicum is a natural functional food rich in anthocyanins, and anthocyanins have been reported to possess anti-oxidation and hypolipidemic effects. Therefore, ameliorative effect and potential mechanism of purified anthocyanins from L. ruthenicum (LRPA) on atherosclerosis (AS) were investigated. The experimental AS rats were induced by intraperitoneal injection of vitamin-D3 and a high-fat diet for 8 weeks. Oral treatment with LRPA significantly decreased serum TG, TC, LDL-C, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels and atherogenic index while increasing HDL-C concentrations. Histological abnormalities of the aorta, liver and small intestine were obviously alleviated. Moreover, LRPA treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Roseburia, Akkermansia, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and decreased Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, which was accompanied by upregulating the expression of NF-κB, VCAM-1, CYP7A1, and downregulating SREBP-2. These results indicated LRPA ameliorated AS by reshaping the destructed gut microbiota community and modulation of the signaling pathways of arterial inflammation (NF-κB) and hepatic lipid metabolism (SREBP-2).
•A superhydrophobic coating with high DC flashover voltage was developed.•The ZnO and CNT introduce deep interfacial traps and enhance surface conductivity.•The coating significantly improves ...flashover voltage of various dielectrics.•The coating exhibits superhydrophobic, self-cleaning and good abrasive resistance.
In high voltage power equipment especially those for outdoor applications, the surface of dielectrics suffers from various problems such as flashover, raining, contamination, and ultraviolet illumination, which becomes the weak link in the whole insulating system. However, a high-throughput, flexible, and low-cost approach to simultaneously improve these properties of surface insulation was not reported yet. Here, a “binding polymer + nanofillers” based multifunctional nanocoating was fabricated by spray-coating of ZnO particles and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) dispersed in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomer solution. The ZnO/MWCNT/PDMS coating plays multiple roles including inhibiting charge injection from electrodes due to the introduced deep interfacial traps, accelerating charge dissipation for the enhanced surface conductivity, and forming a micro-nanoscale hierarchical surface structure. As a result, the coatings endowed various dielectric materials such as epoxy resin, polymethyl methacrylate and silicone rubber with multifunctionality of high DC flashover strength (maximum 54% flashover voltage increase), superhydrophobic surface (water contact angle >150°), self-cleaning capability, good abrasive resistance, ultraviolet-resistance, and anti-icing performances. The ZnO/MWCNT/PDMS coating is well suitable for the surface modification of dielectrics in both indoor and outdoor HVDC insulating system. The present approach provides a new insight for simultaneously improving the multiple surface properties of dielectric insulation.
Aim
To compare the efficacy and safety of synthetic and biological meshes in ventral hernia repair (VHR) and abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR).
Methods
We screened all clinical trials that reported ...the application of synthetic and biological meshes in VHR and AWR using Medline, Web of Science, and Embase (Ovid). Only comparative studies with similar baselines such as age, sex, body mass index, degree of wound contamination, and hernia defects between the intervention and control groups were included. Effect sizes with 95% confidence were pooled using a random- or fixed-effects model based on the size of heterogeneity. A sensitivity analysis was performed to test the stability of the results.
Results
Ten studies with 1305 participants were included. Biological meshes were associated with significantly higher recurrence rate (OR, 2.09; 95% CI 1.42–3.08;
I
2
= 50%), surgical site infection (OR, 1.47; 95% CI 1.10–1.97;
I
2
= 30%), higher re-admission rate (OR, 1.51; 95% CI 1.05–2.17;
I
2
= 50%), and longer length of hospital stay (SMD, 0.37; 95% CI 0.10–0.65;
I
2
= 72%). Similar surgical site occurrence, re-operation rate, and mesh explantation rate were observed among biological and synthetic meshes. Biological meshes have no difference in recurrence rate as compared to synthetic meshes, between the clean-contaminated, and contamination-infected fields (OR, 1.41; 95% CI 0.41–4.87 vs 3.00; 95% CI 1.07–8.46;
P
= 0.36).
Conclusion
Synthetic meshes are a safe alternative to biological meshes for VHR and AWR. Considering the high cost of biological meshes, synthetic meshes are more appropriate for the VHR and AWR.
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•Total anthocyanin content of purple cauliflower is higher than the usual vegetable.•The PAPC was first found to ameliorate the depression in mice.•PAPC ameliorated depression by ...increase neurotransmitters and BDNF expression.
Anthocyanin is a plant-specific secondary metabolite with various bioactivities. Purple cauliflower is an emerging vegetable which rich in anthocyanins by breed improvement in recent years. In this study, effects and relevant mechanisms of purified anthocyanin from purple cauliflower (PAPC) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced mice model of depression were investigated. After three weeks of CUMS induced, the mice were intragastric administration with PAPC for six weeks. The results showed that PAPC treatment significantly improved depression-like behaviors in mice following CUMS, increased monoamine neurotransmitter content and inhibited monoamine oxidases (MAO) in the brain. It also increased the expression of tyrosine receptor kinase B, brain-derive neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phosphorylation levels of extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and cAMP-responsive binding element (CREB) in hippocampus. And PAPC treatment increased numbers of nestin- and doublecortin-positive cells, as well as spine density and total dendritic length in hippocampus. We proposed that PAPC ameliorated depression by inhibiting MAO activity, thus increasing monoamine neurotransmitter content and mediating the ERK/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway to up-regulate expression of BDNF, which also promotes neurogenesis and dendrite development in hippocampus.
Blue phosphorene (BlueP), a theoretically proposed phosphorous allotrope with buckled honeycomb lattice, has attracted considerable interest due to its intriguing properties. Introducing chirality ...into BlueP can further enrich its physical and chemical properties, expanding its potential for applications. However, the synthesis of chiral BlueP remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate the growth of large-area BlueP films on Cu(111), with lateral size limited by the wafer dimensions. Importantly, we discovered that the BlueP is characterized by an ultraflat honeycomb lattice, rather than the prevailing buckled structure, and develops highly ordered spatial chirality plausibly resulting from the rotational stacking with the substrate and interface strain release, as further confirmed by the geometric phase analysis. Moreover, spectroscopic measurements reveal its intrinsic metallic nature and different characteristic quantum oscillations in the image-potential states, which can be exploited for a range of potential applications including polarization optics, spintronics, and chiral catalysis.
Intramolecular oxidative C−H amination of 2‐aminobenzophenones was achieved in the presence of potassium tert‐butoxide and dimethyl sulfoxide. A series of functionalized acridones were prepared in ...moderate to excellent yields in a mild, efficient, and transition‐metal‐free manner.
Content. The water and ethanol extracts of Torreya grandis (T. grandis) have antioxidant, antibacterial, and hypolipidemic effects. Objective. The hypoglycemic effect and mechanism of the n-butanol ...fraction of the 75% ethanol extract of T. grandis leaves (BFTL) on rats with streptozotocin- and high-fat diet-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were investigated. Materials and Methods. Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, T2DM, metformin, high-dose BFTL (800 mg/kg), middle-dose BFTL (400 mg/kg), and low-dose BFTL (200 mg/kg). After 4 weeks of BFTL treatment, the correlations of serum indicators with protein expression in tissue were determined, and pathological changes in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas were analyzed. Results. Compared with the results in the T2DM group, serum fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, malondialdehyde, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase levels were significantly decreased (p<0.05), whereas superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase levels were significantly increased (p<0.05) in the high-, middle-, and low-dose BFTL groups. The treatment also improved oral glucose tolerance. In addition, the pathological changes of the liver, kidney, and pancreas were improved by BFTL treatment. Cytochrome and caspase-3 expression in pancreatic was significantly decreased (p<0.05) by BFTL treatment, whereas the Bcl-2/Bax ratio was significantly increased (p<0.05). Discussion and Conclusion. BFTL exerted significant hypoglycemic effect on T2DM model rats, and its mechanism involved the suppression of blood glucose levels and oxidative stress by improving the metabolism of blood lipids and antioxidant capacity, boosting β-cell function, and inhibiting β-cell apoptosis.
Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most effective and widely used chemotherapeutic drugs. However, DOX resistance is a critical risk problem for breast cancer treatment. Previous studies have ...demonstrated that metadherin (MTDH) involves in DOX resistance in breast cancer, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase (QPCT) was a MTDH DOX resistance-related downstream gene in breast cancer. Elevated expression of QPCT was found in the GEPIA database, breast cancer tissue, and breast cancer cells. Clinical data showed that QPCT expression was positively associated with poor prognosis in DOX-treated patients. Overexpression of QPCT could promote the proliferation, invasion and migration, and reduce DOX sensitivity in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Mechanistically, MTDH positively regulates the expressions of NF-κB (p65) and QPCT, and NF-κB (p65) directly regulates the expression of QPCT. Therefore, MTDH/NF-κB (p65)/QPCT signal axis was proposed. Collectively, our findings delineate the mechanism by which the MTDH/NF-κB (p65) axis regulate QPCT signaling and suggest that this complex may play an essential role in breast cancer progression and affect DOX sensitivity.
The comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder and anxiety is common, but the underlying circuitry is poorly understood. Here, Tmem74
mice showed autism- and anxiety-like behaviors along with increased ...excitability of pyramidal neurons (PNs) in the prelimbic cortex (PL), which were reversed by Tmem74 re-expression and chemogenetic inhibition in PNs of the PL. To determine the underlying circuitry, we performed conditional deletion of Tmem74 in the PNs of PL of mice, and we found that alterations in the PL projections to fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs) in the dorsal striatum (dSTR) (PL
-dSTR
) mediated the hyperexcitability of FSIs and autism-like behaviors and that alterations in the PL projections to the PNs of the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (BLA) (PL
-BLA
) mediated the hyperexcitability of PNs and anxiety-like behaviors. However, the two populations of PNs in the PL had different spatial locations, optogenetic manipulations revealed that alterations in the activity in the PL-dSTR or PL-BLA circuits led to autism- or anxiety-like behaviors, respectively. Collectively, these findings highlight that the hyperactivity of the two populations of PNs in the PL mediates autism and anxiety comorbidity through the PL-dSTR and PL-BLA circuits, which may lead to the development of new therapeutics for the autism and anxiety comorbidity.
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