The direct reuse of retired lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) cathode materials is one of the optimum choices for “waste-to-wealth” by virtue of sustainable and high economic efficiency. Considering the ...harmfulness of retired LIBs and the serious shortage of lithium resources, in this work, the spent oxide cathode materials after simple treatment are directly applied to the sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and exhibit promising application possibilities in advanced SIBs. The spent oxide cathode shows an appropriate initial discharge capacity of 109 mAh·g
−1
and exhibits transition and activation processes at a current density of 25 mA·g
−1
. Further, it demonstrates decent cycle performance and comparatively good electrode kinetics performance (the apparent ion diffusion coefficient at steady state is about 1 × 10
–12
cm
2
·s
−1
). The “waste-to-wealth” concept of this work provides an economical and sustainable strategy for directly reusing the retired LIBs and supplies a large amount of raw material for the large-scale application of SIBs.
Graphical abstract
•Non-thermal effect of microwave contributes to the alleviation of chilling injury.•Microwave irradiation inhibited phenolic accumulation in peaches.•Microwave increased membrane stability.•Microwave ...promoted sucrose accumulation via the inhibition of AI transcription.
Postharvest chilling injury (CI) of fruit, including peaches, is a huge challenge to horticultural product preservation. Microwave irradiation can be used as a physiological regulator due to the thermal effects; however, its non-thermal effects on the CI of postharvest fruit remain unclear. Thus, the physiological attributes and metabolisms involving phenolics, fatty acids, and sugars were compared between ‘Zhongtao No.9’ peaches treated with microwave irradiation at 45.5 W for different durations and control. Microwave treatment especially at 45.5 W for 7 min without inducing thermal effects could significantly inhibit internal browning caused by CI, concomitant with reduced total phenolic content. Moreover, the maintenance of membrane stability was indicated by a boosted double bond index, which may be attributed to the inhibition of membrane lipid degradation, and sucrose accumulation. In summary, the non-thermal effects of microwave irradiation contribute to CI alleviation through restraining phenolic content and maintaining membrane stability in peach fruit.
Direct structural and dynamic characterization of protein conformers in solution is highly desirable but currently impractical. Herein, we developed a single molecule gold plasmonic nanopore system ...for observation of protein allostery, enabling us to monitor translocation dynamics and conformation transition of proteins by ion current detection and SERS spectrum measurement, respectively. Allosteric transition of calmodulin (CaM) was elaborately probed by the nanopore system. Two conformers of CaM were well-resolved at a single-molecule level using both the ion current blockage signal and the SERS spectra. The collected SERS spectra provided structural evidence to confirm the interaction between CaM and the gold plasmonic nanopore, which was responsible for the different translocation behaviors of the two conformers. SERS spectra revealed the amino acid residues involved in the conformational change of CaM upon calcium binding. The results demonstrated that the excellent spectral characterization furnishes a single-molecule nanopore technique with an advanced capability of direct structure analysis.
Epidermal growth receptor (EGFR)‐targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have emerged as first‐line drugs for advanced non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EFGR mutations. However, ...most patients with NSCLC show acquired resistance to EGFR‐TKIs, and low expression of NF1 is a mechanism of EGFR‐TKI resistance in lung cancer. However, the mechanism by which NF1 is downregulated in EGFR‐TKI‐resistant NSCLC is unclear. Here, we found the increased expression of miR‐641 in NSCLC cells and human NSCLC samples with resistance to TKI compared to those with sensitive to TKI. In addition, our in vitro experiments show that overexpression of miR‐641 induces TKI resistance in NSCLC cells. Furthermore, we identified that miR‐641 activates ERK signaling by direct targeting of neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) in NSCLC cells. Our data show that overexpression of NF1 or silencing of ERK can block miR‐641‐induced resistance of NSCLC cells to erlotinib treatment. Importantly, our animal experiments show that combination of miR‐641 inhibition and erlotinib treatment can significantly inhibit erlotinib‐resistant NSCLC growth, inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis compared to single‐drug treatment. Our findings suggest that increased expression of miR‐641 significantly contributes to erlotinib resistance development in NSCLC cells through activating ERK signaling by targeting NF1 and that inhibition of miR‐641 may reverse acquired resistance of NSCLC cells to erlotinib treatment.
We first time determined the role of miR‐641 on the erlotinib resistance development in NSCLC cells. Our findings suggest that upregulated expression of miR‐641 was significantly associated with erlotinib resistance development in NSCLC cells. Our findings may also aid in the development of potential therapeutics for the treatment of erlotinib‐resistant NSCLC.
The interval fuzzy reciprocal preference relation (IFRPR) is one of commonly used frameworks characterizing decision-makers' indeterminate preferences in multi-criteria decision making. Existing ...additive consistency frameworks and methods of generating additively consistent IFRPRs from interval fuzzy utility vectors as well as interval utility derivation methods often fail to obtain a satisfactory solution. To settle these challenging issues, this paper devises parametric transitivity equations to define additive consistency of IFRPRs. The parameter values are then determined and an equivalent definition is proposed for additively consistent IFRPRs. Important properties of consistent IFRPRs are developed and an additive consistency index is designed. A notion of equivalent interval fuzzy utility vectors is introduced and a novel framework is presented to normalize interval fuzzy utility vectors. Computational formulas are established for the generation between additively consistent IFRPRs and normalized interval fuzzy utility vectors. A goal programming model is built and converted into a linear program for deriving normalized interval fuzzy utility vectors from IFRPRs. Three illustrations including comparative analysis are provided to expose how the proposed models are utilized to identify whether an IFRPR is additively consistent and determine unknown preferences in an incomplete IFRPR as well as obtain normalized interval fuzzy utility vectors from IFRPRs.
This study investigates the effect of ocean dynamics on the tropical climate response to localized radiative cooling over three northern extratropical land regions using hierarchical model ...simulations that vary in the degree of ocean coupling. Without ocean dynamics, the tropical climate response is independent of the extratropical forcing location, characterized by a southward tropical precipitation shift with a high degree of zonal symmetry, a reduced zonal sea surface temperature gradient along the equatorial Pacific, and the eastward-shifted Walker circulation. When ocean dynamical adjustments are allowed, the zonal-mean tropical precipitation shift is damped primarily via Eulerian-mean ocean heat transport. The oceanic damping effect is strongest (weakest) for North Asian (American) cooling, associated with the largest (smallest) Eulerian-mean ocean heat transport across the equatorial Pacific. The cross-equatorial ocean heat transport in the Pacific is anchored to the North Pacific subtropical high, the response of which can be inferred from the corresponding slab ocean simulations. Hence, the slab ocean simulations provide useful a priori prediction for oceanic damping efficiency. Ocean dynamics also modulates the spatial pattern of climate response in a distinct manner depending on the zonal distribution of imposed forcing. North Asian forcing induces a pronounced eastern equatorial Pacific cooling extending to the western basin, accompanying the westward shifted Walker circulation. European forcing causes cooling confined to the eastern equatorial Pacific and strengthens the Walker circulation. The tropical precipitation response in these two cases exhibits large zonal variations with a high degree of equatorial symmetry, being essentially uncorrelated with the corresponding slab ocean simulations. By contrast, North American forcing induces a sufficiently strong inter-hemispheric contrast in the tropical Pacific SST response, due to the relatively weak oceanic damping effect, producing a weaker but spatially similar tropical response to that in the slab ocean simulation. This study demonstrates that the effect of ocean dynamics in modulating the tropical climate response depends on the extratropical forcing location. The results are relevant for understanding the distinct climate response induced by aerosols from different continental sites.
Primary dendritic arm spacing (PDAS) is an important microstructure feature in the nickel-base single-crystal (SX) superalloys by laser rapid directional solidification (LRDS). A combined numerical ...model was developed in this paper to investigate the influence of laser processing parameters on the PDAS. This model consists of (1) the theoretical PDAS models which relate PDAS to the solidification conditions and (2) the heat-flux calculations of laser processing which provide the solidification conditions as a function of the processing parameters. It is therefore able to immediately relate the PDAS to the processing parameters and obtain corresponding processing–microstructure maps. To verify the predicted accuracy, the PDAS values calculated by different theoretical models were compared with those produced under different processing conditions. Results show that the PDAS firstly decreases and then increases at a lower laser power whereas it decreases with increasing scanning velocity at a higher laser power, leading to nose-shape contour lines. The predicted accuracy depends on appropriate selections of material thermo-physical properties. These processing–microstructure maps can accurately capture the trends of the PDAS variation with the processing parameters and contribute to the control and optimization of dendritic microstructure while determining relevant processing windows for controlled SX laser processing.
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•A combined model was applied to predict PDAS in laser-processed superalloys.•The model can directly relates PDAS to processing parameters.•Processing-microstructure maps were obtained to guide processing selection.•The contour lines in the maps agree well with the actual variation trends of PDAS.
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•The region had the greatest influence on the content and distribution of elements in wine, followed by vintage and grape maturity.•Similar terroir conditions shape similar petiole ...elemental composition, and the petiole element can likewise be used as an indication of origin traceability.•Al, B, Ba, K, Pb, Mn, Sr and Rb were significantly positively correlated with soil pH and K in wine was significantly positively correlated with element K in the soil.
The ionic elements in wine and in vineyards are gaining attention due to characterization of the wine traits, wine origin tracing, and vine nutrient judging. In this experiment, 19 elements were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 69 wine samples from 4 regions, 3 vintages, and 3 grape maturity levels. Furthermore, the elements related to vine development, such as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Zn and Cu in the vineyard soil and petioles were determined. Two orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (O2PLS-DA) showed that K, Mn, Co, Sr, B, Si, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Zn were important elements in distinguishing the regions. High-temperature vintages can bring wines with high levels of Sr in wine. Na, Ca, K, Mg, Rb, Al, Rb, Pb and Fe can be used as signature elements to distinguish wines made from 2 grape maturities. And Cu, Zn, and Mn were the key elements used to differentiate the petioles in the 4 regions. Partial square regression (PLSR) analysis showed that soil pH was positively correlated with Al, B, Ba, K, Pb, Mn, Sr and Rb in wine, and K in wine was significantly positively correlated with element K in the soil. In conclusion, the elemental contents in wine are shaped by the combination of origin, vintage and grape maturity, while some key elements can be used as indicators of origin traceability.
Colorectal cancer(CRC)causes approximately 600000deaths annually and is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide.Despite significant advancements in treatment options,CRC patient ...survival is still poor owing to a lack of effective tools for early diagnosis and a limited capacity for optimal therapeutic decision making.Since there exists a need to find new biomarkers to improve diagnosis of CRC,the research on epigenetic biomarkers for molecular diagnostics encourages the translation of this field from the bench to clinical practice.Epigenetic alterations are thought to hold great promise as tumor biomarkers.In this review,we will primarily focus on recent advances in the study of epigenetic biomarkers for colorectal cancer and discuss epigenetic biomarkers,including DNA methylation,microRNA expression and histone modification,in cancer tissue,stool,plasma,serum,cell lines and xenografts.These studies have improved the chances that epigenetic biomarkers will find a place in the clinical practices of screening,early diagnosis,prognosis,therapy choice and recurrence surveillance for CRC patients.However,these studies have typically been small in size,and evaluation at a larger scale of well-controlled randomized clinical trials is the next step that is necessary to increase the quality of epigenetic biomarkers and ensure their widespread clinical use.
The anterior pituitary is the most important endocrine organ modulating animal postnatal growth, mainly by controlling growth hormone (GH) gene transcription, synthesis, and secretion. As an ideal ...model for animal postnatal growth studies, the Bama minipig is characterized as having a lower growth performance and fewer individual differences compared with larger pig breeds. In this study, anterior pituitaries from Bama minipig and Landrace pig were used for miRNA and mRNA expression profile analysis using miRNA microarrays and mRNA-seq. Consequently, a total of 222 miRNAs and 12,909 transcripts were detected, and both miRNAs and mRNAs in the two breeds showed high correlation (r > 0.97). Additionally, 41 differentially expressed miRNAs and 2,254 transcripts were identified. Pathways analysis indicated that 32 pathways significantly differed in the two breeds. Importantly, two GH-regulation-signalling pathways, cAMP and inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate (IP3), and multiple GH-secretion-related transcripts were significantly down-regulated in Bama minipigs. Moreover, TargetScan and RNAHybrid algorithms were used for predicting differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) and differentially expressed mRNAs (DE mRNAs) interaction. By examining their fold-changes, interestingly, most DE miRNA-DE mRNA target pairs (63.68-71.33%) presented negatively correlated expression pattern. A possible network among miRNAs, mRNAs, and GH-regulation pathways was also proposed. Among them, two miRNA-mRNA interactions (Y-47 targets FSHB; ssc-miR-133a-3p targets GNAI3) were validated by dual-luciferase assay. These data will be helpful in understanding the possible molecular mechanisms involved in animal postnatal growth.
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