•Catalytic and non-catalytic synergistic effects on co-firing were distinguished.•Extent of synergistic effects were found dependent on coal constituents and rank.•Non-catalytic synergistic effect ...was found more pronounced in fuel blends.•Synergistic inhibition might occur as a result of competing synergistic effects.•Individual contribution of catalytic and non-catalytic synergy was quantified.
This study focuses on the synergistic properties of three types of coal when co-fired with oat straw at different blending ratios. The results demonstrated non-additive interaction between oat straw and coal samples. The catalytic effect of oat straw ash and the non-catalytic effect of its organic constituents on these coal samples were isolated and analysed to measure their contribution to the confirmed synergistic effects during co-firing. The results showed a level of synergy suppression between catalytic and non-catalytic effects due to the overlapping function of the catalytic AAEMs and the radical propagation promoted by organic content of biomass. A novel index, i.e., synergy combination efficiency, was therefore proposed and used to quantify the level of synergistic promotion or synergistic inhibition occurring during the co-firing of these fuel blends. It was found that at a blending ratio of 30 wt% oat straw, the Guizhou coal achieved a synergy factor (S.F) of 1.50, with non-catalytic and catalytic synergy contributing 69.1% and 30.9% respectively. This coal blend showed the highest synergistic promotion with a combined efficiency of 194%, which demonstrated the potential of the use of co-firing synergy to improve combustion performance of poor quality coals.
•The combination of verapamil and colistin showed synergistic efficacy against colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii both in vitro and in vivo.•Provide new possible approaches and strategies to ...combat resistance to colistin.•Enhance the antibacterial activity of colistin and reduce the amount of colistin to reduce its side effects.•A new exploration of the antibacterial effects of verapamil, which has been commonly used in the past as an anti-arrhythmic and anti-hypertensive drug.
Acinetobacter baumannii, which is predominantly responsible for hospital-acquired infections, presents a tremendous clinical challenge due to its increasing antibiotic resistance to colistin (COL), a last-line antibiotic. As a result, the combination of antimicrobial and non-antimicrobial agents is emerging as a more popular treatment approach against infections caused by COL-resistant A. baumannii. This study administered COL and verapamil (VER), that is an antihypertensive and antiarrhythmic agent. We found that the susceptibility of A. baumannii to COL was restored both in vitro and in vivo. Scanning electron microscope and Crystal violet staining showed inhibition of the VER/COL combination on bacterial biofilm formation. Cytotoxicity assay and haemolysis test were used to confirm in vitro safety evaluation. Further experiments using propidium iodide staining revealed that the VER/COL combination improved the therapeutic efficacy of COL by modifying the permeability of bacterial membranes. As demonstrated by reactive oxygen species experiments, the drug combination caused the accumulation of bacterial reactive oxygen species and their eventual death. Additionally, VER/COL treatment significantly reduced the efflux of Rhodamine 123 (Rh123). For the first time, this study identifies the anti-hypertensive drug VER as a COL potentiator against A. baumannii, providing a potential treatment approach against A. baumannii infections and improving patient outcomes.
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As rates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens continue to rise, outpacing the development of new antimicrobials, novel approaches to treatment of MDR bacteria are increasingly becoming a necessity. ...One such approach is combination therapy, in which two or more antibiotics are used together to treat an infection against which one or both of the drugs may be ineffective alone. When two drugs, in combination, exert a greater than additive effect, they are considered synergistic. In vitro investigation of synergistic activity is an important first step in evaluating the possible efficacy of drug combinations. Two main in vitro synergy testing methods have been developed: the checkerboard array and the time-kill study. In this paper, we present an automated checkerboard array method that makes use of inkjet printing technology to increase the efficiency and accuracy of this technique, as well as a standard manual time-kill synergy method. The automated checkerboard array can serve as a high-throughput screening assay, while the manual time-kill study provides additional, complementary data on synergistic activity and killing. The checkerboard array is a modification of standard minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing, in which bacteria are incubated with antibiotics at different concentration combinations and evaluated for growth inhibition after overnight incubation. Manual performance of the checkerboard array requires a laborious and error-prone series of calculations and dilutions. In the automated method presented here, the calculation and dispensing of required antibiotic stock solution volumes are automated through the use of inkjet printer technology. In the time-kill synergy assay, bacteria are incubated with the antibiotics of interest, both together and individually, and sampled at intervals over the course of 24 h for quantitative culture. The results can determine whether a combination is synergistic and whether it is bactericidal, and provide data on inhibition and killing of bacteria over time.
Combinatorial therapies have been recently proposed to improve the efficacy of anticancer treatment. The SynergyFinder R package is a software used to analyze pre-clinical drug combination datasets. ...Here, we report the major updates to the SynergyFinder R package for improved interpretation and annotation of drug combination screening results. Unlike the existing implementations, the updated SynergyFinder R package includes five main innovations. 1) We extend the mathematical models to higher-order drug combination data analysis and implement dimension reduction techniques for visualizing the synergy landscape. 2) We provide a statistical analysis of drug combination synergy and sensitivity with confidence intervals and P values. 3) We incorporate a synergy barometer to harmonize multiple synergy scoring methods to provide a consensus metric for synergy. 4) We evaluate drug combination synergy and sensitivity to provide an unbiased interpretation of the clinical potential. 5) We enable fast annotation of drugs and cell lines, including their chemical and target information. These annotations will improve the interpretation of the mechanisms of action of drug combinations. To facilitate the use of the R package within the drug discovery community, we also provide a web server at www.synergyfinderplus.org as a user-friendly interface to enable a more flexible and versatile analysis of drug combination data.
Lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries are one of the most promising next‐generation energy‐storage systems. Nevertheless, the sluggish sulfur redox and shuttle effect in Li‐S batteries are the major ...obstacles to their commercial application. Previous investigations on adsorption for LiPSs have made great progress but cannot restrain the shuttle effect. Catalysts can enhance the reaction kinetics, and then alleviate the shuttle effect. The synergistic relationship between adsorption and catalysis has become the hotspot for research into suppressing the shuttle effect and improving battery performance. Herein, the adsorption‐catalysis synergy in Li‐S batteries is reviewed, the adsorption‐catalysis designs are divided into four categories: adsorption‐catalysis for LiPSs aggregation, polythionate or thiosulfate generation, and sulfur radical formation, as well as other adsorption‐catalysis. Then advanced strategies, future perspectives, and challenges are proposed to aim at long‐life and high‐efficiency Li‐S batteries.
This review focuses on the adsorption‐catalysis design in the lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) battery. This includes adsorption‐catalysis for lithium polysulfides aggregation, adsorption‐catalysis for thiosulfate or polythionate generation, adsorption‐catalysis for sulfur radical formation, and other adsorption‐catalysis in Li‐S batteries.
Extracting muscle synergies from surface electromyographic signals (sEMGs) during exercises has been widely applied to evaluate motor control strategies. This study explores the relationship between ...upper-limb muscle synergies and the performance of joystick manipulation tasks. Seventy-seven subjects, divided into three classes according to their maneuvering experience, were recruited to perform the left and right reciprocation of the joystick. Based on the motion encoder data, their manipulation performance was evaluated by the mean error, standard deviation, and extreme range of position of the joystick. Meanwhile, sEMG and acceleration signals from the upper limbs corresponding to the entire trial were collected. Muscle synergies were extracted from each subject’s sEMG data by non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), based on which the synergy coordination index (SCI), which indicates the size of the synergy space and the variability of the center of activity (CoA), evaluated the temporal activation variability. The synergy pattern space and CoA of all participants were calculated within each class to analyze the correlation between the variability of muscle synergies and the manipulation performance metrics. The correlation level of each class was further compared. The experimental results evidenced a positive correlation between manipulation performance and maneuvering experience. Similar muscle synergy patterns were reflected between the three classes and the structure of the muscle synergies showed stability. In the class of rich maneuvering experience, the correlation between manipulation performance metrics and muscle synergy is more significant than in the classes of trainees and newbies, suggesting that long-term training and practicing can improve manipulation performance, stability of synergy compositions, and temporal activation variability but not alter the structure of muscle synergies determined by a specific task. Our approaches and findings could be applied to 1) reduce manipulation errors, 2) assist maneuvering training and evaluation to enhance transportation safety, and 3) design technical support for sports.
In this work, a review of the theory and application of heat and mass synergy is carried out. Since the field synergy theory was proposed, it has not only been greatly developed in the field of heat ...transfer but also has been explored and studied in the field of mass transfer and heat and mass synergy. In order to clarify the development and improvement process of field synergy theory and sort out its application and development trend, this paper conducts theoretical research on the proposal and controversy of field synergy theory and the derivation of the field synergy formula under different conditions. The field synergy equations based on different fluid states such as laminar flow and turbulent flow in the case of heat transfer, mass transfer, and heat–mass synergy are summarized. Optimizing the synergy application of heat–mass in engineering practice can significantly improve its heat and mass transfer capabilities. Although the field synergy principle has certain advantages in enhancing mass and heat transfer, it cannot take into account the power consumption in practical engineering applications. Therefore, combining the principle of field synergy with other theories to improve the comprehensive performance of heat and mass transfer has provided a way of thinking for future research.
•The development and controversy of pair-field synergy theory were discussed.•The field synergy equations under different conditions were summarized.•The research progress of heat–mass synergy theory was analyzed.•Combined with other theories to strengthen the heat and mass transfer is considered.
MOF-derived yolk-shell Ni@C@ZnO microspheres with special “Schottky contact” structure exhibited strong magnetic-dielectric synergistic effect and high-performance microwave loss ability.
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•A unique interface design “Schottky contact” was obtained in the multi-interface Ni@C@ZnO system.•Off-axis electron holography analysis was carried out to quantitatively map the charge density distribution.•Strong magnetic-dielectric synergy in this microwave absorber.•Lightweight magnetic MOF-derived composites show high-performance energy conversion.
Metal–organic frameworks (MOF) derivative used as microwave absorber has been attracting extensive interest due to the diversity of host-guest coordination and unique structure at micro/nano-meters level. However, the accurate adjustment of metal-semiconductor interfaces construct remains a great challenge. Here, a novel hierarchical multi-interfacial Ni@C@ZnO microsphere with special Schottky contact structure was successfully fabricated after annealed the bimetallic Ni-Zn-MOF precursor. The unique yolk-shell microsphere was assembled together by the core-shell Ni@C micro-units and ZnO flakes. The uniformly dispersed ZnO flakes were anchored inside the hierarchical conductive carbon matrix. The yolk-shell Ni@C@ZnO materials displayed high-performance microwave absorption after the micro-nano structure and interfacial design were optimized. In particular, with a low mass additive amount of only 25%, the maximum reflection loss (RL) reached −55.8 dB at 2.5 mm, and the effective absorption bandwidth (RL ≤ −10 dB) covered as wide as 4.1 GHz. The excellent microwave absorption performance could be attributed to the polarized interfaces of Ni-C-ZnO, which contributes a metallic/semiconductor barrier. Thus, both magnetic-dielectric synergetic effect and interfacial polarization might lead to an evident absorption. This novel lightweight magnetic MOF-derived composites promise great potential in the practical microwave absorption fields.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive killer worldwide with high incidence and mortality. The herb Chloranthus fortunei (A. Gray) Solms-Laub is known as “Si Ji Feng” and is classified as a ...Feng-type medicine in classic Yao medicines. According to Yao's medical beliefs, Chloranthus fortunei has the functions of dispelling Feng, regulating qi, detoxifying, promoting blood circulation, etc. Folk uses its decoctions to treat stagnant liver conditions, such as liver abscesses, cirrhosis, hepatitis, and liver cancer. However, the bioactivity and mechanisms of Chloranthus fortunei extract against HCC have not been reported.
To investigate the anti-HCC bioactivity and potential mechanism of the extract of Chloranthus fortunei (CFS).
Using 70% ethanol for reflux extraction of CFS resulted in the CFS ethanol extract, followed by sequential extractions with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol, yielding four fractions. The CCK-8 assay was utilized to examine the cytotoxic effects of 4 fractions on MHCC97-H and HepG2 cells, exploring the most effective component, namely petroleum ether extracts of CFS (PECFS). The major active ingredients of PECFS were identified using LC/MS technology, and the impact on cell proliferation and apoptosis in HCC cells was studied. The key genes and proteins in the pathway were validated using RT-PCR and Western blotting. BALB/c nude mice were chosen for tumor xenotransplantation and PECFS therapy. hinders the proliferation of HCC cells and promotes apoptosis.
Among the four fractions, it was found that PECFS have the highest antiproliferative activity against MHCC97-H and HepG2 cells (IC50 = 13.86, 10.55 μg/mL), with sesquiterpene compounds being the primary active constituents. The antiproliferative activity of PECFS on HCC cells was linked to the inhibition of cell cloning, invasion, and metastasis abilities, as well as the arrest of the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. Additionally, exerts pro-apoptotic effects on HCC cells by upregulating the pro-apoptotic protein Bax, downregulating the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, and activating the expression of the Caspase family. Moreover, protein and m-RNA expression data showed that PECFS inhibits HCC cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Besides, after PECFS treatment, tumor growth in nude mice was suppressed.
PECFS can inhibit the viability of HCC cells by acting on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, demonstrating anti-tumor potential. This study's findings suggest that PECFS may represent a promising source of novel agents for liver cancer treatment, providing scientific evidence for the traditional application of CFS in treating HCC.
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•PECFS is a split phase fraction extract of Chloranthus fortunei with diverse sesquiterpenoids.•PECFS inhibited cell viability, induced apoptosis in these cells, linked to the regulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.•Experimental evidence supports Chloranthus fortunei extracts as a potential agent for HCC.
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