The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven is a book recording the idea-exchange between the Catholic missionaries and Confucians in the Ming Dynasty. In understanding the book, it demands as the ...background the knowledge of the western history in thought behind Matteo Ricci’s mind-set, such as natural theology, Aristotle’s philosophy, and the Protestant theology. With this consideration in mind, we have traced Ricci’s appealing to the way of logical arguments in demonstrating the existence of God, which presents Catholic dogma as a philosophy. In this way, Ricci became ignored of the development of Chinese thought regarding the issues of arche, essence, and good-evil. Indeed, Chinese thinkers have engaged profoundly in these issues and proposed various solutions which invite thinkers to engage in sentimental appreciation. Ricci’s ignorance of these efforts results in blocking his understanding of Chinese thought at a deeper level. My analyses of the dialogue in the book show that this historical exchange of ideas stays only at a superficial phrase.
Insufficient active sites and fast charge carrier recombination are detrimental to photocatalytic activity of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). In this work, a combination of pore creating with ...thermal exfoliation was employed to prepare porous g-C3N4 nanosheets for photocatalytic water splitting into hydrogen. Hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTAC) as the soft template promoted the formation of porous g-C3N4 during the thermal condensation of melamine. On further post-synthesis calcination, the porous g-C3N4 aggregates were exfoliated into discrete nanosheets, accompanied by an increase in specific surface area and defects. Optimal porous g-C3N4 nanosheets achieved 3.6 times the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate for bulk counterpart. The enhanced photocatalytic activity may be ascribed to TCN-1%CTAC has larger specific surface area, stronger optical absorption intensity and higher photogenerated electron–hole separation efficiency. The external quantum efficiency of TCN-1%CTAC was measured to be 3.4% at 420 nm. This work provides a simple combinatorial strategy for the preparation of porous g-C3N4 nanosheets with low cost, environmental friendliness and enhanced photocatalytic activity.
(Orchidaceae, Epidendoideae) plants have flowers with a wide variety of colors that persist for a long period throughout the year. The yellow coloration of
flowers is mainly determined by the ...flavonol pathway and the flavone pathway, but the relevant biosynthesis mechanisms during vernalization remain unclear. To explore the similarities and differences in flavonoid biosynthesis in different tissues during vernalization, we selected two species of
for a flower color study:
Rchb (which has yellow flowers) and
Lindl (which has white flowers). We collected a total of 36 samples from six tissue types and both
species during vernalization and subjected the samples to metabolic profiling and transcriptome sequencing. A total of 31,504 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between different tissues of the two
species by transcriptomic analysis. However, many differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) and DEGs were enriched not only in the general pathway of "flavonoid biosynthesis" but also in multiple subpathways of "flavone and flavonol biosynthesis". According to a combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis, Putrescine hydroxycinnamoyl transferase 1 (LOC110093422) may be the main gene responsible for the differences in flavonoid accumulation during vernalization, which is closely associated with yellow flowers. Taken together, the results of our study preliminarily revealed the metabolites responsible for and the key genes regulating flavonoid biosynthesis during vernalization. These results provide a basis for the further study of the molecular mechanism of flavonoid synthesis during vernalization.
The mass production of uniform, high-quality polymer nanofibers remains a challenge. To enhance spinning yield, a multi-string standing wave electrospinning apparatus was developed by incorporating a ...string array into a standing wave electrospinning device. The process parameters such as string spacing, quantity, and phase difference were optimized, and their effects on the electric field distribution within the spinning area were analyzed using electric field simulations. When the string spacing was less than 40 mm or the number of strings exceeded two, the electric field strength significantly decreased due to electric field interference. However, this interference could be effectively mitigated by setting the string standing wave phase difference to half a period. The optimal string array parameters were identified as string spacing of 40 mm, two strings, and a phase difference of half a period. Multi-string standing wave electrospinning produced fibers with diameters similar to those obtained with single-string standing wave electrospinning (178 ± 72 nm vs. 173 ± 48 nm), but the yield increased by 88.7%, reaching 2.17 g/h, thereby demonstrating the potential for the large-scale production of nanofibers. This work further refined the standing wave electrospinning process and provided valuable insights for optimizing wire-type electrospinning processes.
A core‐shell‐structured Cu2O@Mn3Cu3O8 (CMCO) nanozyme is constructed to serve as a tumor microenvironment (TME)‐activated copper ionophore to achieve safe and efficient cuproptosis. The Mn3Cu3O8 ...shell not only prevents exposure of normal tissues to the Cu2O core to reduce systemic toxicity but also exhibits enhanced enzyme‐mimicking activity owing to the better band continuity near the Fermi surface. The glutathione oxidase (GSHOx)‐like activity of CMCO depletes glutathione (GSH), which diminishes the ability to chelate Cu ions, thereby exerting Cu toxicity and inducing cuproptosis in cancer cells. The catalase (CAT)‐like activity catalyzes the overexpressed H2O2 in the TME, thereby generating O2 in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to enhance cuproptosis. More importantly, the Fenton‐like reaction based on the release of Mn ions and the inactivation of glutathione peroxidase 4 induced by the elimination of GSH results in ferroptosis, accompanied by the accumulation of lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species that can cleave stress‐induced heat shock proteins to compromise their protective capacity of cancer cells and further sensitize cuproptosis. CMCO nanozymes are partially sulfurized by hydrogen sulfide in the colorectal TME, exhibiting excellent photothermal properties and enzyme‐mimicking activity. The mild photothermal effect enhances the enzyme‐mimicking activity of the CMCO nanozymes, thus inducing high‐efficiency ferroptosis‐boosted‐cuproptosis.
The Cu2O@Mn3Cu3O8 nanozyme exhibits excellent mimic enzyme activities due to better band continuity near the Fermi surface, which can be served as tumor microenvironment activated copper ionophore for achieving safe and efficient cuproptosis. More interestingly, cuproptosis can be sensitized with ferroptosis through cleaving protective heat shock proteins to enhance proteotoxicity, especially in inhibiting colorectal tumors with mild photothermal effect irradiation.
With the development of pipeline networks, many safety accidents were caused by pipeline stress concentration; it is of great significance to accurately monitor the pipeline stress state for ...maintaining pipeline safety. In this paper, based on alternating current stress measurement (ACSM) methods, a 3D simulation model of a pipeline electromagnetic field was established by ANSYS software. The distribution law of the pipeline magnetic field and eddy current field were analyzed, and the influence of size and structure parameters of the coil inside the probe were studied. The internal stress detection system of the pipeline was designed, and the static tensile stress measurement experiment was carried out. Simulation and test results showed that the excitation coil with a larger diameter-to-height ratio had a higher measurement sensitivity. The sensitivity of the probe decreased monotonically with the increase of the difference between inner diameter and outer diameter of the detection coil. It increased monotonically with the increase of the equivalent radius of the detection coil. The best measurement results were obtained when the detection coil was located at the center of the two legs of the U-magnetic core. The results showed that the system could identify the pipeline stress concentration area effectively after detection engineering.
Herein, Ag/Ag2MoO4 and Ag/Ag2WO4 have been prepared via a humic acid-assisted precipitation-calcination process and used as catalysts for the hydrogenation reduction of nitro- and azo-aromatic ...compounds. The Ag/Ag2MoO4 and Ag/Ag2WO4 composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies, UV–vis-NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses. Metallic Ag nanoparticles were in situ generated during the annealing process and spatially confined in the Ag2MoO4 or Ag2WO4 matrix, which effectively inhabited the particle agglomeration of silver. The Ag/Ag2MoO4 and Ag/Ag2WO4 catalysts displayed good performance toward the hydrogenation reduction of 4-nitrophenol, 2-nitroaniline, and rhodamine B in terms of rapid conversion and long term durability.
In recent years, the incidence of bone defects has been increasing year by year. Bone transplantation has become the most needed surgery after a blood transfusion and shows a rising trend. ...Three-dimensional-printed implants can be arbitrarily shaped according to the defects of tissues and organs to achieve perfect morphological repair, opening a new way for non-traumatic repair and functional reconstruction. In this paper, strontium-doped mineralized collagen was first prepared by an in vitro biomimetic mineralization method and then polylactic acid was homogeneously blended with the mineralized collagen to produce a comprehensive bone repair scaffold by a gas extrusion 3D printing method. Characterization through scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mechanical testing revealed that the strontium-functionalized composite scaffold exhibits an inorganic composition and nanostructure akin to those of human bone tissue. The scaffold possesses uniformly distributed and interconnected pores, with a compressive strength reaching 21.04 MPa. The strontium doping in the mineralized collagen improved the biocompatibility of the scaffold and inhibited the differentiation of osteoclasts to promote bone regeneration. This innovative composite scaffold holds significant promise in the field of bone tissue engineering, providing a forward-thinking solution for prospective bone injury repair.
Shank3, a key molecule related to the development and deterioration of autism, has recently been found to downregulate in the murine brain after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Despite this discovery, ...however, its effects on neuronal injury and the mechanism underlying the effects remain to be clarified. To address this, in this study, based on genetically modified mice models, we revealed that the expression of Shank3 showed a time-dependent change in murine hippocampal neurons after I/R, and that conditional knockout (cko) of Shank3 in neurons resulted in aggravated neuronal injuries. The protective effects of Shank3 against oxidative stress and inflammation after I/R were achieved through direct binding STIM1 and subsequent proteasome-mediated degradation of STIM1. The STIM1 downregulation induced the phosphorylation of downstream Nrf2 Ser40, which subsequently translocated to the nucleus, and further increased the expression of antioxidant genes such as NQO1 and HO-1 in HT22 cells. In vivo, the study has further confirmed that double knockout of Shank3 and Stim1 alleviated oxidative stress and inflammation after I/R in Shank3cko mice. In conclusion, the present study has demonstrated that Shank3 interacts with STIM1 and inhibits post-I/R neuronal oxidative stress and inflammatory response via the Nrf2 pathway. This interaction can potentially contribute to the development of a promising method for I/R treatment.
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The ongoing pandemic caused by mpox virus (MPXV) has become an international public health emergency that poses a significant threat to global health. The vaccinia virus Tiantan strain (VTT) was used ...to vaccinate against smallpox in China 42 years ago. It is urgent to assess the level of immunity to smallpox in individuals vaccinated 43 or more years ago and evaluate their immunological susceptibility to MPXV. Here, we recruited 294 volunteers and detected the level of residual humoral immunity, including the vaccinia-specific IgG level and neutralizing antibody titer, and the cross-antibodies of MPXV A29L, B6R, A35R, and M1R. Our results showed that the humoral immunity from the smallpox vaccine in the population still remains, and VTT-specific NAb levels wane with age. The majority of the population pre-1981 who should be immunized with VTT still maintains certain levels of MPXV-specific antibodies, in particular, targeting A35R and B6R antigens. Furthermore, we separately analyzed the correlations between the OD450 values of VTT-specific IgG and A35R-specific IgG, B6R-specific IgG, and A29L-specific IgG with plasma samples diluted 1:40, showing a linear correlation (p < 0.0001). Our findings suggest that most Chinese populations still maintain VTT-specific IgG antibodies for 42 or more years after smallpox vaccination and could provide some level of protection against MPXV.
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