The synthesis of water-soluble nitrogen-doped carbon dots has received great attention, due to their wide applications in oxygen reduction reaction, cell imaging, sensors, and drug delivery. Herein, ...nitrogen-doped, carbon-rich, highly photoluminescent carbon dots have been synthesized for the first time from ammonium citrate under hydrothermal conditions. The obtained nitrogen-doped carbon dots possess bright blue luminescence, short fluorescence lifetime, pH-sensitivity and excellent stability at a high salt concentration. They have potential to be used for pH sensors, cell imaging, solar cells, and photocatalysis.
Individualized treatment of spinal deformity is needed for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), and the integration of pelvic rotation correction based on proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation ...(PNF) into regular physiotherapy may be a promising approach. However, few high-quality studies have investigated its effects. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of pelvic rotation correction combined with Schroth exercises in the treatment of mild AIS. This was a randomized controlled trial. Forty-two AIS patients were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Both groups underwent 20 therapeutic sessions over 24 weeks. All patients (n = 42) performed Schroth exercises at each session. In addition, the experimental group (n = 21) also participated in a pelvic rotation correction program based on PNF at each session. The primary outcome was the concave/convex ratio of hipbone widths, and the secondary outcomes included the Cobb angle, trunk rotation angle, self-perception, apical vertebral translation, and apical vertebral rotation. Patients were evaluated before and after 24 weeks of intervention. There was a significant between-group difference in the change from baseline between the experimental and control groups for the following parameters: concave/convex ratio 2.89% (95% confidence interval CI, 1.58 to 4.20, P<0.001), trunk rotation angle -1.26° (95% CI, -2.20 to -0.32; P = 0.01), and apical vertebral rotation improved by at least one class from baseline in 3 patients (14.3%) in the control group and 9 patients (42.9%) in the experimental group (P = 0.04). While Cobb angle -1.60° (95% CI, -7.75 to 0.54; P = 0.14), self-image 0.149 (95% CI, 0.001 to 0.297; P = 0.049), apical vertebral translation -0.58 mm (95% CI, -3.83 to 2.67; P = 0.72), and pelvic obliquity 0.10° (95% CI, -0.21 to 0.41; P = 0.52) did not differ significantly. Pelvic rotation correction combined with Schroth exercises more effectively improved pelvic axial rotation and other spinal deformities, including trunk rotation and apical vertebral rotation, than Schroth exercises alone in the treatment of mild AIS.
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), as a promising gas-sensing material, has gained intense interest because of its large surface-to-volume ratio, air stability, and various active sites for ...functionalization. However, MoS2-based gas sensors still suffer from low sensitivity, slow response, and weak recovery at room temperature, especially for NO2. Fabrication of heterostructures may be an effective way to modulate the intrinsic electronic properties of MoS2 nanosheets (NSs), thereby achieving high sensitivity and excellent recovery properties. In this work, we design a novel p–n hetero-nanostructure on MoS2 NSs using interface engineering via a simple wet chemical method. After surface modification with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), the MoS2/ZnO hetero-nanostructure is endowed with an excellent response (5 ppm nitrogen dioxide, 3050%), which is 11 times greater than that of pure MoS2 NSs. To the best of our knowledge, such a response value is much higher than the response values reported for MoS2 gas sensors. Moreover, the fabricated hetero-nanostructure also improves recoverability to more than 90%, which is rare for room-temperature gas sensors. Our optimal sensor also possesses the characteristics of an ultrafast response time of 40 s, a reliable long-term stability within 10 weeks, an excellent selectivity, and a low detection concentration of 50 ppb. The enhanced sensing performances of the MoS2/ZnO hetero-nanostructure can be ascribed to unique 2D/0D hetero-nanostructures, synergistic effects, and p–n heterojunctions between ZnO NPs and MoS2 NSs. Such achievements of MoS2/ZnO hetero-nanostructure sensors imply that it is possible to use this novel nanostructure in ultrasensitive sensor applications.
Inflammation resolution and cardiac repair initiation after myocardial infarction (MI) require timely activation of reparative signals. Histone lactylation confers macrophage homeostatic gene ...expression signatures via transcriptional regulation. However, the role of histone lactylation in the repair response post-MI remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether histone lactylation induces reparative gene expression in monocytes early and remotely post-MI.
Single-cell transcriptome data indicated that reparative genes were activated early and remotely in bone marrow and circulating monocytes before cardiac recruitment. Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining revealed increases in histone lactylation levels, including the previously identified histone H3K18 lactylation in monocyte-macrophages early post-MI. Through joint CUT&Tag and RNA-sequencing analyses, we identified
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as histone H3K18 lactylation target genes. The increased modification and expression levels of these target genes post-MI were verified by chromatin immunoprecipitation-qPCR and reverse transcription-qPCR.
We demonstrated that histone lactylation regulates the anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic dual activities of monocyte-macrophages by facilitating reparative gene transcription and confirmed that histone lactylation favors a reparative environment and improves cardiac function post-MI. Furthermore, we explored the potential positive role of monocyte histone lactylation in reperfused MI. Mechanistically, we provided new evidence that monocytes undergo metabolic reprogramming in the early stage of MI and demonstrated that dysregulated glycolysis and MCT1 (monocarboxylate transporter 1)-mediated lactate transport promote histone lactylation. Finally, we revealed the catalytic effect of IL (interleukin)-1β-dependent GCN5 (general control non-depressible 5) recruitment on histone H3K18 lactylation and elucidated its potential role as an upstream regulatory element in the regulation of monocyte histone lactylation and downstream reparative gene expression post-MI.
Histone lactylation promotes early remote activation of the reparative transcriptional response in monocytes, which is essential for the establishment of immune homeostasis and timely activation of the cardiac repair process post-MI.
In this article, the inkjet printing technique is demonstrated for the stacking of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) nanosheets for flexible all-solid-state ...micro-supercapacitors. The ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate/graphene oxide ((NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O/GO) aqueous inks are facilely printed on polymide (PI) film and transformed to RGO/MoO3 hybrids via thermal treatments at air atmosphere. The compound inks are water-based, inkjet-printable, and nontoxic for inkjet printing to form two-dimensional crystal materials. The physical properties of aqueous inks are optimized within a printable range characterized by the Ohnesorge number of 1 < Z < 14. The inkjet-printed symmetric micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-H2SO4 gel electrolyte possess a wide voltage window of 0–0.8 V, excellent flexibility, a high volumetric specific capacitance of 22.5 F cm–3 at 0.044 A cm–3, as well as good cyclic stability due to the synergistic effect of RGO and MoO3. Furthermore, the inkjet-printed composite MSCs delivered a maximum energy density of 2 mWh cm–3 and a power density of 0.018 W cm–3, and the capacity retention rate of inkjet-printed MSCs is still retained 82% even after 10 000 charge–discharge cycles, indicating good electrochemical properties. Above all, the as-designed inkjet printing technique shows potential for flexible and wearable energy storage electronics.
Although CSR research in China has received increasing scholarly attention, employee-centered CSR is still an understudied topic. To fill the void, the purpose of this study is to demonstrate the ...effects of employees’ CSR perceptions on the quality of employee-organization relationships and workplace performance, as well as the underlying mechanisms explaining such effects, in the Chinese context. Guided by both managerial and relational approaches of corporate social responsibility (CSR) research, we conducted a survey (N = 248) with employees from a large private company in the electric and energy industry in China. Data were analyzed
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path analysis using R packages (e.g., lavaan) and results revealed that CSR perceptions can lead to positive employee-organization relationship quality and increase employees’ extra-role performance. We also found that these effects can be further explained by increased employee-organization identification or perceived corporate ability. In addition, a qualitative analysis of employees’ responses showed that the influence of government and Confucianism was reflected in employees’ expectations for their employer’s CSR initiatives. This study contributes to the scant research on employee outcomes and the underlying mechanisms of employee-centered CSR in China. Practically, we add empirical evidence addressing the value of internal CSR for professionals and educators.
Solitary, persistent wave packets called solitons hold potential to transfer information and energy across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales in physical, chemical, and biological systems. ...Mechanical solitons characteristically emerge either as a single wave packet or uncorrelated propagating topological entities through space and/or time, but these are notoriously difficult to control. Here, we report a theoretical framework for programming static periodic topological solitons into a metamaterial, and demonstrate its implementation in real metamaterials computationally and experimentally. The solitons are excited by deformation localizations under quasi-static compression, and arise from buckling-induced kink-antikink bands that provide domain separation barriers. The soliton number and wavelength demonstrate a previously unreported size-dependence, due to intrinsic length scales. We identify that these unanticipated solitons stem from displacive phase transitions with periodic topological excitations captured by the well-known Formula: see text theory. Results reveal pathways for robust regularizations of stochastic responses of metamaterials.
The extract of Dendrobium huoshanense, a traditional Chinese medicinal and food homologous plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae, was previously reported to have hypoglycemic and antioxidant ...effects. In this study, the direct effects of polysaccharide (DHP) and non-polysaccharide (NDHP) components of D. huoshanense, as well as its water extract (DHWE) were compared with that of metformin (an antidiabetic drug) on the gut microbiota (collected from fecal flora) of rats with streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes (T1D) using an in vitro fermentation method. The results showed that DHWE, DHP, and NDHP reduced pH and increased bacterial proliferation and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content in fermentation broth. DHWE, DHP, NDHP and metformin promoted the production of acetic and propionic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid, and propionic acid, respectively. DHWE, DHP, and NDHP reduced the abundance of Proteobacteria (subdominant pathogenic bacteria) and increased the abundance of Firmicutes (dominant beneficial gut bacteria). NDHP also reduced the abundance of Bacteroidetes (beneficial and conditional pathogenic). Metformin increased the abundance of Proteobacteria and reduced the abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. At the genus level, NDHP promoted the proliferation of Megamonas and Megasphaera and decreased harmful bacteria (e.g., Klebsiella), and DHP increased the abundance of Prevotellaceae (opportunistic and usually harmless). By contrast, metformin increased the abundance of harmful bacteria (e.g., Citrobacter) and reduced the abundance of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Oscillospira). Our study indicates that DHWE, DHP, and NDHP are potentially more beneficial than metformin on the gut microbiota of T1D rats in vitro.
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