A highly effective zirconium-modified carbon nanotube (Zr-CNTs) adsorbent was prepared to remove phosphate (PO4 3–) from solution in batch mode. Characterizations of Zr-CNTs were analyzed using FTIR, ...TEM, XRD, XPS, and Raman techniques. The effects of solution pH, ionic strength, phosphate concentration, and contact time on adsorption quantity were presented. The acidic solution was beneficial to the adsorption of PO4 3– on Zr-CNTs. There was no significant effect with coexisting anions such as Cl– and SO4 2–. The adsorption quantity was 10.9 mg·g–1 (according to P element) at 303 K. The adsorption isotherms were better fitted by the Freundlich model, whereas the kinetic data were better correlated with the Elovich model, which suggested that the adsorption process may be chemical adsorption. The adsorption of PO4 3– was a spontaneous, entropy-increasing, and endothermic process. XPS analysis showed that the complexation between Zr-CNTs and PO4 3– was the main adsorptive mechanism. In addition, the adsorbed PO4 3– was effectively desorbed by 0.010 mol·L–1 NaOH solution. This adsorbent has important potential for removal of PO4 3– from solution.
Emerging digital twin (DT) and mobile-edge computing (MEC) are crucial for enabling the rapid development of 6G. However, the existing works ignore the edge collaboration, which can provide the ...system with additional performance gain. In this article, we study the problem of mobile users (MUs) intelligently offloading tasks to cooperative mobile-edge servers (MESs) with the assistance of DT. Specifically, a DT-assisted task offloading scheme (DTTOS) that consists of the selection of MESs and intelligent task offloading is proposed. Channel state information (CSI) and blockchain are employed to implement the selection of MESs. Then, we present a solution to enable MU's task offloading that is modeled as a Markov decision process (MDP) in an intelligent way. After this, a mathematical optimization model aiming at decreasing power and time overhead is formulated. In view of the complexity, it is decomposed into two suboptimization models and solved by the decision tree algorithm (DTA) and double deep-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">Q </tex-math></inline-formula>-learning (DDQN), respectively. Simulations are conducted to prove the superiority of the proposed scheme in terms of data security assurance and network performance improvement.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of human death around the world. Phototherapy, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), is an emerging light-triggered cancer treatment ...and shows the advantages of non-invasiveness and low side effects. The design and preparation of efficient phototherapeutic agents are of great significance for phototherapy. Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) is a small molecular organic dye featuring outstanding photophysical properties, facile tuning of structures and properties, and excellent photostability; thus, phototherapeutic agents based on organic small molecular DPP derivatives have attracted significant research attention for not only phototherapy but also photodiagnosis of fluorescence imaging (FLI) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI). This review summarizes the recent progress of various DPP-based organic small molecules on phototheranostics during the last five years. The molecular structure design and their phototheranostics performances are discussed in detail, as will be of great help for further creation of DPP-based phototheranostics.
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Phototherapy, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), is an emerging light-triggered cancer treatment and shows the advantages of non-invasiveness and low side effects. Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) is a small molecular organic dye featuring outstanding photophysical properties, and this review summarizes the recent progress of various DPP-based organic small molecules on phototheranostics.
In order to overcome intrinsic brittleness and poor mechanical properties of fused silica (FS), boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) as a novel reinforcement were employed for fabrication of BNNSs/fused ...silica composites. BNNSs with micron lateral size were homogeneously dispersed with FS powder using a surfactant-free flocculation method and then consolidated by hot pressing. The flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composite with the addition of only 0.5wt.% BNNSs increased by 53% and 32%, respectively, compared with those of pure FS. However, for higher BNNSs contents the improvement in mechanical properties was limited. Microstructural analyzes have shown that the toughening mechanisms are combinations of the pull-out, crack bridging, and crack deflection mechanisms.
Sustainable developments of nanotechnology necessitate the exploration of structure-activity relationships (SARs) at nano-bio interfaces. While ferroptosis may contribute in the developments of some ...severe diseases (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke and tumors), the cellular pathways and nano-SARs are rarely explored in diseases elicited by nano-sized ferroptosis inducers. Here we find that WS
and MoS
nanosheets induce an iron-dependent cell death, ferroptosis in epithelial (BEAS-2B) and macrophage (THP-1) cells, evidenced by the suppression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), oxygen radical generation and lipid peroxidation. Notably, nano-SAR analysis of 20 transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) disclosures the decisive role of surface vacancy in ferroptosis. We therefore develop methanol and sulfide passivation as safe design approaches for TMD nanosheets. These findings are validated in animal lungs by oropharyngeal aspiration of TMD nanosheets. Overall, our study highlights the key cellular events as well as nano-SARs in TMD-induced ferroptosis, which may facilitate the safe design of nanoproducts.
Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey) is known for its rich saponin compounds and tonic effects. To better utilize the medicinal value of ginseng, this study investigated the extraction process, ...components, free radical scavenging ability, and immunomodulatory activity of total saponins of ginseng fibrous roots. The response surface methodology was employed to optimize the extraction process of total saponins, and Q-Orbitrap high-resolution liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to identify the chemical constituents in the total saponins extract of ginseng fibrous roots (GRS). The results showed that the optimal extraction process was achieved with an ethanol concentration of 68%, a material–solvent ratio of 1:25 mL/g, and an extraction time of 20 min, yielding a total saponin content of 6.34% under these conditions. The extract contained four terpenoid compounds and four polyphenolic compounds. GRS exhibited considerable scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS radicals, with IC50 values of 0.893 and 0.210 mg/mL, respectively. Moreover, GRS restored immune suppression in mice by increasing white blood cell, red blood cell, and neutrophil counts, and improving the lymphocyte. It also promoted immune system recovery, as evidenced by elevated serum levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1β in mice. GRS is a natural compound with promising potential for developing antioxidants and immunomodulatory foods.
Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are derived early from embryonic precursors, such as haemogenic endothelial cells and pre-haematopoietic stem cells (pre-HSCs), the molecular identity of which still ...remains elusive. Here we use potent surface markers to capture the nascent pre-HSCs at high purity, as rigorously validated by single-cell-initiated serial transplantation. Then we apply single-cell RNA sequencing to analyse endothelial cells, CD45(-) and CD45(+) pre-HSCs in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros region, and HSCs in fetal liver. Pre-HSCs show unique features in transcriptional machinery, arterial signature, metabolism state, signalling pathway, and transcription factor network. Functionally, activation of mechanistic targets of rapamycin (mTOR) is shown to be indispensable for the emergence of HSCs but not haematopoietic progenitors. Transcriptome data-based functional analysis reveals remarkable heterogeneity in cell-cycle status of pre-HSCs. Finally, the core molecular signature of pre-HSCs is identified. Collectively, our work paves the way for dissection of complex molecular mechanisms regulating stepwise generation of HSCs in vivo, informing future efforts to engineer HSCs for clinical applications.
•Computer simulation showed a strong sparing effect on circulating immune cells.•Threshold FLASH dose rate consistent with reported FLASH dose rate in animal studies.•FLASH effect only with large ...dose per fraction.•Threshold FLASH dose rate for humans one order of magnitude less than that for mice.•Maybe not that challenging to develop a photon-based clinical FLASH-RT system.
“FLASH” radiotherapy (RT) is a potential paradigm-changing RT technology with marked tumor killing and normal tissue sparing. However, the mechanism of the FLASH effect is not well understood. We hypothesize that the ultra-high dose rate FLASH-RT significantly reduces the killing of circulating immune cells which may partially contribute to the reported FLASH effect.
This computation study directly models the effect of radiation dose rate on the killing of circulating immune cells. The model considers an irradiated volume that takes up A% of cardiac output and contains B% of total blood. The irradiated blood volume and dose were calculated for various A%, B%, blood circulation time, and irradiation time (which depends on the dose rate). The linear-quadratic model was used to calculate the extent of killing of circulating immune cells at ultra-high vs. conventional dose rates.
A strong sparing effect on circulating blood cells by FLASH-RT was noticed; i.e., killing of circulating immune cells reduced from 90% to 100% at conventional dose rates to 5–10% at ultra-high dose rates. The threshold FLASH dose rate was determined to be ~40 Gy/s for mice in an average situation (A% = 50%), consistent with the reported FLASH dose rate in animal studies, and it was approximately one order of magnitude lower for humans than for mice. The magnitude of this sparing effect increased with the dose/fraction, reached a plateau at 30–50 Gy/fraction, and almost completely vanished at 2 Gy/fraction.
We have calculated a strong sparing effect on circulating immune cells by FLASH-RT, which may contribute to the reported FLASH effects in animal studies.
A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has the capability to observe ocean surface winds with a high spatial resolution, even under extreme conditions. The purpose of this work was to develop a new method ...for wind speed retrieval with the combination of SAR dual-polarized signals. In this study, we collected 28 tropical cyclone imageries observed using the Sentinel-1 dual-polarization mode. These imageries were collocated with radiometer wind speed measurements and reanalysis of wind vector products. In the new method, the wind speed was set as the output. VV-polarized (vertical transmitting–vertical receiving polarized) normalized radar cross section (NRCS), incident angle, VH-polarized (vertical transmitting–horizontal receiving polarized) NRCS, and wind direction were set as the inputs. Based on different output combinations, wind retrieval models were developed with multiple linear regression (MLR). According to the validation and comparison, the proposed models performed better than the traditional piecewise VH-polarization geophysical model functions (GMFs). The impact of thermal noise on the retrieval of low wind speeds (<10 m/s) could be partially reduced. The input of wind direction is unnecessary if the combination of VV- and VH-polarized imageries has been utilized. These results suggest that the use of MLR and the dual-polarization combination can improve SAR wind retrieval accuracy. Compared with SMAP measurements, our SAR retrievals can provide fine structures of TC wind fields.
miR-204-5p was found to be downregulated in colorectal cancer tissues in our preliminary microarray analyses. However, the function of miR-204-5p in colorectal cancer remains unknown. We therefore ...investigated the role, mechanism, and clinical significance of miR-204-5p in colorectal cancer development and progression.
We measured the expression of miR-204-5p and determined its correlation with patient prognoses. Ectopic expression in colorectal cancer cells, xenografts, and pulmonary metastasis models was used to evaluate the effects of miR-204-5p on proliferation, migration, and chemotherapy sensitivity. Luciferase assay and Western blotting were performed to validate the potential targets of miR-204-5p after the preliminary screening by a microarray analysis and computer-aided algorithms.
miR-204-5p is frequently downregulated in colorectal cancer tissues, and survival analysis showed that the downregulation of miR-204-5p in colorectal cancer was associated with poor prognoses. Ectopic miR-204-5p expression repressed colorectal cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, restoring miR-204-5p expression inhibited colorectal cancer migration and invasion and promoted tumor sensitivity to chemotherapy. Mechanistic investigations revealed that RAB22A, a member of the RAS oncogene family, is a direct functional target of miR-204-5p in colorectal cancer. Furthermore, RAB22A protein levels in colorectal cancer tissues were frequently increased and negatively associated with miR-204-5p levels and survival time.
Our results demonstrate for the first time that miR-204-5p acts as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer through inhibiting RAB22A and reveal RAB22A to be a new oncogene and prognostic factor for colorectal cancer.
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