Multiple heteroatom doping is identified as an effective method to realize superior anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, a novel 4-fold interpenetrated dia MOF was ...synthesized and characterized and then used as a N,S-containing precursor to fabricate a foam-like CoO@N,S-codoped carbon hybrid composite via thermal treatment. In the composites, the outermost foam-like N,S-codoped carbon matrix can effectively buffer the drastic volume variations, enhance electronic conductivity, and prevent CoO nanoparticles from aggregation and pulverization during discharge/charge processes. Consequently, the novel hybrid nanomaterial exhibited excellent electrochemical properties as an anode material for LIBs. The specific capacity can retain a stable value of about 809 mA h g −1 at a current of 1000 mA g −1 within 500 cycles. As a proof-of-concept application, introduction of heteroatoms into MOFs can offer a valid method for doping the as-derived hybrid composites and then enhancing their performance as anodes of LIBs.
Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is one of the coinhibitory checkpoints upon T cell activation, the abnormal expression of which severely threatens host immune modulatation for chronic ...infection. Thus, fast and sensitive monitoring of PD-1 is of vital importance for early diagnosis and cancer treatment. The current detection methods largely based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) require time-consuming incubation and complicated washing steps. Herein, we designed a simple and portable nanofiber paper (NFP)-based fluorescence “off-on” immunosensor for PD-1 rapid determination. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets modified NFP (MoS2–NFP) was employed for adsorbing and immobilizing CdSe/ZnS quantum dots-antibody (QDs-Ab) complex to construct a ready-to-use fluorescent immunosensor. The fluorescent signal of QDs-Ab was initially quenched by MoS2 under the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect. When the PD-1 target was specifically captured onto NFP by immunization, the QDs-Ab-PD-1 complex was promptly desorbed from the MoS2–NFP surface, resulting in FRET impediment and fluorescence recovery. As an alternative quenching agent, graphene oxide (GO) served as a contrast to investigate NFP-based sensing performance. Owing to superior quenching and desorption efficiency, the MoS2–NFP-based fluorescence immunosensor exhibited nearly 2-fold lower detection limit (85.5 pg/mL) than GO–NFP-based sensor (151 pg/mL) for PD-1 monitoring. Excellent selectivity and satisfactory recovery in PD-1 mouse cell culture supernatant samples were confirmed as well. In addition, the comparable detectability of the MoS2–NFP-based immunosensor was accurately evaluated by a standard PD-1 mouse ELISA kit. This study displayed a simple, rapid, low-cost, and portable point-of-care PD-1 assay, indicating its broad application prospect toward clinical diagnoses.
Traditional distributed radar systems face challenges like limited localization precision and stringent time synchronization demands in implementing signal-level fusion algorithms. This paper ...presents a novel distributed radar localization method based on wideband signal synthesis technology to address these issues. In this method, each node of the distributed radar simultaneously transmits a set of narrowband stepped linear frequency-modulated signals. After de-chirping and filtering separation, the echo signals from each node are calibrated and synthesized into an equivalent wideband signal. This process improves the range resolution and localization accuracy of single nodes. However, wideband synthesis necessitates precise distance data, and the estimation error from narrowband echoes can be substantial, affecting the synthesis's efficiency. To overcome this, we propose a grid search wideband synthesis algorithm. The algorithm establishes a search area centered on the distance estimation derived from the narrowband signals, with a diameter determined by the resolution of these signals. Within this search area, the algorithm conducts a grid search, utilizing the peak magnitude of the synthesized signal's Fast Fourier Transform spectrum as a criterion to find the most accurate synthesis result. This method can be integrated with traditional fusion algorithms, enhancing localization precision further. Theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that our method outperforms conventional techniques in terms of localization accuracy. Notably, the grid search algorithm reduces the requirement for precise time synchronization in signal-level fusion algorithms, improving the method's adaptability.
The transient receptor potential vanilloid type 4 (TRPV4) channel, a Ca2+‐permeable nonselective cation channel, is widely distributed in the circulatory system, particularly in vascular endothelial ...cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). The TRPV4 channel is activated by various endogenous and exogenous stimuli, including shear stress, low intravascular pressure, and arachidonic acid. TRPV4 has a role in mediating vascular tone and arterial blood pressure. The activation of the TRPV4 channel induces Ca2+ influx, thereby resulting in endothelium‐dependent hyperpolarization and SMC relaxation through SKCa and IKCa activation on ECs or through BKCa activation on SMCs. Ca2+ binds to calmodulin, which leads to the production of nitric oxide, causing vasodilation. Furthermore, the TRPV4 channel plays an important role in angiogenesis and arteriogenesis and is critical for tumor angiogenesis and growth, since it promotes or inhibits the development of various types of cancer. The TRPV4 channel is involved in the active growth of collateral arteries induced by flow shear stress, which makes it a promising therapeutic target in the occlusion or stenosis of the main arteries. In this review, we explore the role and the potential mechanism of action of the TRPV4 channel in the regulation of vascular tone and in the induction of neovascularization to provide a reference for future research.
In this paper, a joint direction of arrival (DOA) and distance estimation (JDDE) method using a novel time-domain wideband synthesis signal system is proposed. In contrast to traditional time-domain ...synthesis methods, which transmit sub-pulses separately, a uniform linear array is used, and all stepped linear frequency modulated (SLFM) sub-pulses are transmitted simultaneously. The echo signal is mixed with each transmitted signal of the corresponding antenna and filtered to separate the single-frequency components from different targets and array elements for synthesis. Single-frequency components have different frequencies and discontinuous phases due to wave-way differences. To solve the problem that single-frequency components cannot be synthesized directly, the frequency and phase of single-frequency components need to be calibrated, including frequency conversion and phase shift, which require DOA information of the targets. Consequently, a high-precision DOA algorithm that employs phase difference fitting, along with the corresponding generic phase unwrapping algorithm, is designed for the characteristics of the arrays and signal system in this paper. After obtaining the DOA information, the wideband synthesis algorithm is applied to synthesize the single-frequency components to obtain high-resolution ranging results. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the method has high distance resolution and JDDE accuracy. In a multi-target environment, the number of targets is not limited by the number of antennas. In addition, unlike traditional wideband synthesis methods, the method utilizes multiple transmitting antennas to send SLFM signal pulses simultaneously rather than sequentially, which enhances the response speed of the radar.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma （PPARy） is a member of the PPARs, which are transcription factors of the steroid receptor superfamily. PPARy acts as an important molecule for ...regulating energy homeostasis, modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal （HPG） axis, and is reciprocally regulated by HPG. In the human, PPARγprotein is highly expressed in ejaculated spermatozoa, implying a possible role of PPARγ signaling in regulating sperm energy dissipation. PPARγ protein is also expressed in Sertoli cells and germ cells （spermatocytes）. Its activation can be induced during capacitation and the acrosome reaction. This mini-review will focus on how PPARy signaling may affect fertility and sperm quality and the potential reversibility of these adverse effects.
Semiconductor-conductor-semiconductor (SCS) heterojunctions with cascade-type energy-level configurations hold great promise in improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency for ...photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing. However, the existing SCS heterostructures were restricted by the incidental Coulomb blockade effect, high cost and the complicated preparation procedure. Hence, we induced methylamine bromide perovskite quantum dots-decorated carbon nanospheres (PQDs@CNSs) ensemble to boost the photoelectric activity of bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) by creating indirect SCS Z-scheme heterojunctions. PQDs@CNSs@BiOBr ternary composites demonstrated substantially higher photocurrent response compared to individual PQDs@CNSs or BiOBr. Moreover, the stability of PQDs materials was greatly promoted through this design. Further combing with immune recognition, highly selective and ultra-sensitive quantitative detection of a kind of mycotoxin, deoxynivalenol (DON) as a food contaminant, was realized. The detection of limit was calculated to be 34.3 pg/mL. Satisfactory recoveries of DON in corn, as well as wheat samples, indicated the practicability of the as-proposed PEC sensors. This facile approach may provide new ideas for the preparation of carbon-based photoactivity semiconductors with desired PEC sensing performance in food safety field.
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•PQDs/CNSs/BiOBr was made by wrapping PQDs into CNSs and then bridging to BiOBr.•PQDs/CNSs/BiOBr efficient heterojunction had greatly increased PEC signals.•CNSs made photo-induced carriers' in PQDs/CNSs/BiOBr rapid separate and transfer.•A sensitive PEC immunosensor was developed for deoxynivalenol detection.
The innate immune system is the first line of host defense against infection and involves several different cell types. Here we investigated the role of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) ...signaling pathway in innate immune cells. By blocking this pathway with pharmacological inhibitors, we found that the production of proinflammatory cytokines was drastically suppressed in monocytes and macrophages. Further study revealed that the suppression was mainly related to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/p70(S6K) signaling. In addition, we found that the PI3K pathway was involved in macrophage motility and neovascularization. Our data provide a rationale that inhibition of the PI3K signaling pathway could be an attractive approach for the management of inflammatory disorders.
Identification of potential factors that can stratify a tumor's response to specific therapies will aid in the selection of cancer therapy. The aim was to highlight the role of programmed cell death ...1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) in bladder cancer. In this study, 92 of muscle-invasive bladder cancers and 28 of non-muscle invasive bladder cancers were selected for immunohistochemical staining analysis. Furthermore, human and murine bladder cancer cell lines were used to examine the correlation between PD-L1 and radiation response. Our data revealed that PD-L1 was overexpressed in the bladder tumor specimens compared with adjacent non-malignant specimens. Furthermore, the staining of PD-L1 was significantly linked to higher clinical stage, lower complete response rates and reduced disease-free survival rates. By in vitro and in vivo experiments, irradiation up-regulated the expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells, and its increase correlated with the irradiation dose. In immunocompetent mouse models, blocking PD-L1 induced a longer tumour growth delay following irradiation. The inhibition of T cell functions including proliferation and cytotoxicity against tumor cells was responsible to the effects of PD-L1 on radiation response. In conclusion, PD-L1 could be a significant clinical predictor for clinical stage and treatment response of bladder cancer.
Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) are proposed to be the first specialized cell type to appear in the lung, but their ontogeny remains obscure. Although studies of PNECs have suggested their ...involvement in a number of lung functions, neither their in vivo significance nor the molecular mechanisms underlying them have been elucidated. Importantly, PNECs have long been speculated to constitute the cells of origin of human small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and recent mouse models support this hypothesis. However, a genetic system that permits tracing the early events of PNEC transformation has not been available. To address these key issues, we developed a genetic tool in mice by introducing a fusion protein of Cre recombinase and estrogen receptor (CreER) into the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) locus that encodes a major peptide in PNECs. The CGRP Cʳᵉᴱᴿ mouse line has enabled us to manipulate gene activity in PNECs. Lineage tracing using this tool revealed the plasticity of PNECs. PNECs can be colabeled with alveolar cells during lung development, and following lung injury, PNECs can contribute to Clara cells and ciliated cells. Contrary to the current model, we observed that elimination of PNECs has no apparent consequence on Clara cell recovery. We also created mouse models of SCLC in which CGRP Cʳᵉᴱᴿ was used to ablate multiple tumor suppressors in PNECs that were simultaneously labeled for following their fate. Our findings suggest that SCLC can originate from differentiated PNECs. Together, these studies provide unique insight into PNEC lineage and function and establish the foundation of investigating how PNECs contribute to lung homeostasis, injury/repair, and tumorigenesis.
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