The transport approach is a useful tool to study dynamics of non-equilibrium systems. For heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies, where both the smooth nucleon potential and the hard-core ...nucleon-nucleon collision are important, the dynamics are properly described by two families of transport models, i.e., the Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck approach and the quantum molecular dynamics approach. These transport models have been extensively used to extract valuable information of the nuclear equation of state, the nuclear symmetry energy, and microscopic nuclear interactions from intermediate-energy heavy-ion collision experiments. On the other hand, there do exist deviations on the predications and conclusions from different transport models. Efforts on the transport code evaluation project are devoted in order to understand the model dependence of transport simulations and well control the main ingredients, such as the initialization, the mean-field potential, the nucleon-nucleon collision, etc. A new era of accurately extracting nuclear interactions from transport model studies is foreseen.
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•The state-of-art of lightweight materials for automobiles is reviewed.•Representative materials are introduced with potential automotive applications, particularly on electric ...vehicles.•Given the recent advances in manufacturing, modeling, and characterization, both pros and cons of materials are summarized.•Solutions for future challenges are highlighted by developing advanced materials and/or improving the manufacturing.
The growing challenges on fuel economy improvement and greenhouse gas emission control have become the driving force for automakers to produce lightweight automobiles. Also, the weight reduction may contribute to superior recyclability and/or vehicle performance (e.g., improved driving economy, braking behaviors, and crashworthiness). One effective strategy is to develop and implement lightweight yet high-performance materials as alternative solutions for conventional automotive materials such as cast iron and steel. Herein, a systematic review of available lightweight materials to produce next-generation automobiles is provided, including light alloys, high-strength steels, composites, and advanced materials in the ongoing research. By investigating the entire life cycle of automotive materials, physical/mechanical properties, characterization, manufacturing techniques, and potential applications of specific lightweight materials are discussed. Both the advantages and drawbacks of the reviewed materials are summarized, yielding the appropriate application scenarios for different lightweight materials. Given the future challenges, on expectations, the development of versatile advanced materials or improvement of the manufacturing/treatment techniques can be rather promising to resolve the possible bottlenecks and, in turn, enables more capable, safer, durable, and environmental-friendly vehicles.
The epidemiological evidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) mortality in mainland China is lacking. We aimed to assess the trends of TBI and SCI mortality, and their ...association with sex, age, location and external causes of injury in south China.
Mortality data were derived from the Disease Surveillance Points (DSPs) system of Guangdong province between 2014 and 2018. We examined the trends in mortality with Cochran-Armitage trend test, and the association between the socio-demographic factors and the TBI and SCI mortality by using negative binomial models. Subgroup analysis was performed by stratifying the external causes of TBI and SCI.
The age-standardized TBI mortality remained relatively stable (from 11.6 to 15.4 per 100,000), while the SCI mortality increased by 148.3% from 2014 to 2018. Compared with females and urban residents, the adjusted mortality rate ratios of males and rural residents were 2.3 and 2.0 for TBI, and 2.2 and 4.6 for SCI, respectively. TBI and SCI mortality increased substantially with age. Motor vehicle crashes and falls were the leading causes of TBI mortality in residents aged under 75 years and over 75 years, respectively. Falls were the most important external cause for SCI death of all ages.
Being male, rural and elderly residents are at higher risk of dying from TBI and SCI. The substantial burden of TBI and SCI caused by road traffic crashes and falls has called for the urgent need to improve injury prevention, pre-hospital aid, hospital treatment and recovery.
Copper and zinc are essential micronutrients, whose imbalance may be involved in the development and progression of cancer. However, the role of copper and/or zinc imbalance in the prognosis of ...hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently unclear. Our objective was to investigate the association between serum levels of copper, zinc and their ratio (copper/zinc) at diagnosis with HCC survival. We included 989 patients with incident HCC in this prospective cohort study, who were enrolled in the Guangdong Liver Cancer Cohort (GLCC) study within 30 days of diagnosis between September 2013 and February 2017. Serum copper and zinc were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Primary outcomes were liver cancer‐specific survival (LCSS) and overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Higher serum copper levels were strongly associated with worse LCSS (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.22–2.86; p < 0.01 for trend) and OS (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.36–3.11; p < 0.01 for trend). The calculated copper/zinc ratio was positively associated with LCSS (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 1.31, 95% CI: 0.89–1.92; P = 0.04 for trend) and OS (Q4 vs. Q1: HR = 1.43, 95% CI: 0.99–2.08; P = 0.01 for trend). No overall associations were observed between serum zinc levels and LCSS or OS in the entire cohort. The results suggest that higher serum copper and copper in relation to zinc levels (i.e., higher copper/zinc ratio) may be associated with worse HCC survival, but serum zinc levels may be not associated with HCC survival.
What's new?
Copper and zinc are essential micronutrients whose imbalance may be involved in development and progression of cancer. Currently, the role of copper and/or zinc imbalance in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) however remains unclear. The authors examine for the first time whether serum levels of copper, zinc, and their ratios are associated with survival in a large prospective cohort of newly diagnosed patients. The findings suggest that higher copper levels and copper/zinc ratios are associated with worse survival, but serum zinc levels are not associated with HCC survival. The results may have important implications for the prognosis of HCC.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressively debilitating neurodegenerative condition that leads to motor and cognitive dysfunction. At present, clinical treatment can only improve symptoms, but ...cannot effectively protect dopaminergic neurons. Several reports have demonstrated that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) afford neuroprotection, while their application is limited because of their uncontrollable differentiation and other reasons. Stem cells communicate with cells through secreted exosomes (Exos), the present study aimed to explore whether Exos secreted by hucMSCs could function instead of hucMSCs. hucMSCs were successfully isolated and characterized, and shown to contribute to 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-stimulated SH-SY5Y cell proliferation; hucMSC-derived Exos were also involved in this process. The Exos were purified and identified, and then labeled with PKH 26, it was found that the Exos could be efficiently taken up by SH-SY5Y cells after 12 h of incubation. Pretreatment with Exos promoted 6-OHDA-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells to proliferate and inhibited apoptosis by inducing autophagy. Furthermore, Exos reached the substantia nigra through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vivo, relieved apomorphine-induced asymmetric rotation, reduced substantia nigra dopaminergic neuron loss and apoptosis, and upregulated the level of dopamine in the striatum. These results demonstrate that hucMSCs-Exos have a treatment capability for PD and can traverse the BBB, indicating their potential for the effective treatment of PD.
Pain and depression are two highly prevalent and deleterious disorders with significant socioeconomic impact to society. Clinical observations have long recognized the co-existence and interactions ...of pain and depression. However, the underlying mechanisms of pain-depression comorbidity and their dynamic interactions remain largely unknown. Preclinical animal studies may provide critical information for the understanding of this important comorbidity. This review analyzed the current preclinical evidence of interactions between pain and depression, which generally supports the causative relationship of the two conditions. In addition, the analysis proposed to apply domain interplay concept in future model development of pain-depression comorbidity and mechanism studies. The application of spectrum-centered animal models will better the understanding of pain-depression dyad and foster the development of more effective therapeutic strategies.
Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to solar fuels and/or fine chemicals is a promising way to increase the energy supply and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the conventional reaction system ...for CO2 photoreduction with pure H2O or sacrificial agents usually suffers from low catalytic efficiency, poor stability, or cost‐ineffective atom economy. A recent surge of developments, in which photocatalytic CO2 valorization is integrated with selective organic synthesis into one reaction system, indicates an efficient modus operandi that enables sufficient utilization of photogenerated electrons and holes to achieve the goals for sustainable economic and social development. In this Review we discuss current advances in cooperative photoredox reaction systems that integrate CO2 valorization with organics upgrading based on heterogeneous photocatalysis. The applications and virtues of this strategy and the underlying reaction mechanisms are discussed. The ongoing challenges and prospects in this area are critically discussed.
The photoredox‐catalyzed win–win coupling strategy, in which CO2 valorization is integrated with organic synthesis in one reaction system, provides a promising approach that enables sufficient utilization of excited electrons and holes to achieve feasible and sustainable light‐mediated artificial photosynthesis.
Background and Aims
Free and bioavailable 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) are emerging measurements of vitamin D status. It remains unclear whether circulating free or bioavailable 25OHD are relevant to ...hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that bioavailable 25OHD may be a better serum biomarker of vitamin D status than total 25OHD on the association with HCC survival.
Approach and Results
We included 1,031 newly diagnosed, previously untreated patients with HCC from the Guangdong Liver Cancer Cohort enrolled between September 2013 and April 2017. Serum total 25OHD levels were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Serum‐free 25OHD levels were measured using a two‐step enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Bioavailable 25OHD levels were calculated from measured free 25OHD and albumin using a previously validated equation. Primary outcomes were liver cancer–specific (LCSS) and overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazards models were performed to calculate the multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During a median follow‐up of 726 days, 430 patients had deceased, including 393 deaths from HCC. In multivariable analyses, higher bioavailable 25OHD levels were significantly associated with better survival, independent of nonclinical and clinical prognostic factors including serum C‐reactive protein, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, and cancer treatment. The multivariable‐adjusted HRs in the highest versus lowest quartile of bioavailable 25OHD levels were 0.69 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.93; P for trend = 0.014) for LCSS and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.94; P for trend = 0.013) for OS. In contrast, neither total nor free 25OHD levels were associated with LCSS or OS.
Conclusions
Higher bioavailable, rather than total, 25OHD levels were independently associated with improved survival in a population‐based HCC cohort, suggesting a potential utility of bioavailable 25OHD in HCC prognosis.
To attain superior fire safety epoxy resins (EP), aluminum diethylphosphonate (AlPi) and nickel alginate were incorporated to EP in different proportions. The synergistic flame retardant effects ...between AlPi and nickel alginate on fire safety and mechanical properties of EP were investigated in detail. EP/AlPi9.5‐Nickel Alginate0.5 acquired the UL‐94 V‐0 rating with the highest limiting oxygen index value (28.9%). Besides, the thermal decomposition behaviors of the samples were researched by thermogravimetric analysis, implying that EP/AlPi‐Nickel Alginate exhibited the better thermal stability and char‐forming ability. Compared with EP, the peak heat release rate and total heat release were declined by 58.3% and 12.8%. And the addition of nickel alginate reduced the release of smoke. In particular, the incorporation of AlPi and nickel alginate increased the impact strength, flexural strength and glass transition temperature of EP. In perspective, the synergistic effect of bio‐based nickel alginate and AlPi opens a practicable avenue in decreasing the fire risk and improving the mechanical properties of EP.
Recently, loading ligand-protected gold (Au) clusters as visible light photosensitizers onto various supports for photoredox catalysis has attracted considerable attention. However, the efficient ...control of long-term photostability of Au clusters on the metal-support interface remains challenging. Herein, we report a simple and efficient method for enhancing the photostability of glutathione-protected Au clusters (Au GSH clusters) loaded on the surface of SiO
sphere by utilizing multifunctional branched poly-ethylenimine (BPEI) as a surface charge modifying, reducing and stabilizing agent. The sequential coating of thickness controlled TiO
shells can further significantly improve the photocatalytic efficiency, while such structurally designed core-shell SiO
-Au GSH clusters-BPEI@TiO
composites maintain high photostability during longtime light illumination conditions. This joint strategy via interfacial modification and composition engineering provides a facile guideline for stabilizing ultrasmall Au clusters and rational design of Au clusters-based composites with improved activity toward targeting applications in photoredox catalysis.
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