Non-aqueous Li-air batteries have been intensively studied in the past few years for their theoretically super-high energy density. However, they cannot operate properly in real air because they ...contain highly unstable and volatile electrolytes. Here, we report the fabrication of solid-state Li-air batteries using garnet (i.e., Li
La
Zr
Ta
O
, LLZTO) ceramic disks with high density and ionic conductivity as the electrolytes and composite cathodes consisting of garnet powder, Li salts (LiTFSI) and active carbon. These batteries run in real air based on the formation and decomposition at least partially of Li
CO
. Batteries with LiTFSI mixed with polyimide (PI:LiTFSI) as a binder show rechargeability at 200 °C with a specific capacity of 2184 mAh g
at 20 μA cm
. Replacement of PI:LiTFSI with LiTFSI dissolved in polypropylene carbonate (PPC:LiTFSI) reduces interfacial resistance, and the resulting batteries show a greatly increased discharge capacity of approximately 20300 mAh g
and cycle 50 times while maintaining a cutoff capacity of 1000 mAh g
at 20 μA cm
and 80 °C. These results demonstrate that the use of LLZTO ceramic electrolytes enables operation of the Li-air battery in real air at medium temperatures, leading to a novel type of Li-air fuel cell battery for energy storage.
Free-living nitrogen fixation (FLNF) is a vital source of nitrogen for the initiation and development of ecosystems on bare lands. This process is catalyzed by the enzyme nitrogenase and is energy ...intensive. Of the three nitrogenase isoforms, molybdenum nitrogenase (Mo-Nase) is more efficient than its vanadium (V) and iron (Fe) counterparts at room temperature. However, the acquisition of Mo, one of the scarcest biometals in soils, represents a major resource investment for soil diazotrophs. In a vegetation restoration chronosequence developed on barren (low carbon and nitrogen) soils of a high-V region, we tested the following two hypotheses. First, the FLNF rate would be limited by the supply of energy. Second, high V availability would cut the cost of V acquisition, and it would be beneficial for diazotrophs to use V-Nase as a complement of Mo-Nase. For the soils collected along the chronosequence, the addition of a carbon cocktail remarkably stimulated the FLNF rate by relieving the energy constraint and by enriching the diazotrophic genus Paenibacillus. Despite the high V content in the soils, we failed to detect the vnf genes of V-Nase by metagenomic sequencing. Meanwhile, we observed a limited contribution of V-Nase activity to FLNF by checking the R ratio (ratio of FLNF rates measured by acetylene reduction and 15N2 incorporation) and the production of ethane during acetylene reduction. The reason might be that the Mo availability and temperature in our study area did not reach the thresholds for the onset of V-Nase activity. Overall, our results highlight the importance of carbon supply for FLNF in barren soils, indicating that plants may effectively regulate rhizosphere diazotrophs by secreting root exudates. This may be an important mechanism by which nonnitrogen-fixing plants survive on nitrogen-poor soils at the beginning of primary succession.
•Regulators of free-living nitrogen fixation (FLNF) were investigated in barren soils of a high-vanadium region.•Carbon addition relieved the energy limitation of diazotrophs and stimulated FLNF rate.•Carbon addition led to the enrichment of the diazotrophic genus Paenibacillus.•Vanadium nitrogenase made a limited contribution to FLNF.
This paper focuses on the next detectors for gravitational wave astronomy which will be required after the current ground based detectors have completed their initial observations, and probably ...achieved the first direct detection of gravitational waves. The next detectors will need to have greater sensitivity, while also enabling the world array of detectors to have improved angular resolution to allow localisation of signal sources. Sect. 1 of this paper begins by reviewing proposals for the next ground based detectors, and presents an analysis of the sensitivity of an 8 km armlength detector, which is proposed as a safe and cost-effective means to attain a 4-fold improvement in sensitivity. The scientific benefits of creating a pair of such detectors in China and Australia is emphasised. Sect. 2 of this paper discusses the high performance suspension systems for test masses that will be an essential component for future detectors, while sect. 3 discusses solutions to the problem of Newtonian noise which arise from fluctuations in gravity gradient forces acting on test masses. Such gravitational perturbations cannot be shielded, and set limits to low frequency sensitivity unless measured and suppressed. Sects. 4 and 5 address critical operational technologies that will be ongoing issues in future detectors. Sect. 4 addresses the design of thermal compensation systems needed in all high optical power interferometers operating at room temperature. Parametric instability control is addressed in sect. 5. Only recently proven to occur in Advanced LIGO, parametric instability phenomenon brings both risks and opportunities for future detectors. The path to future enhancements of detectors will come from quantum measurement technologies. Sect. 6 focuses on the use of optomechanical devices for obtaining enhanced sensitivity, while sect. 7 reviews a range of quantum measurement options.
•The lungs of LPS-induced ALI model mice exhibit increased TNF-α expression.•OD reduces TNF-α-induced cytokine expression and MAPK and NF-κβ phosphorylation.•OD promotes STAT3 phosphorylation, ...thereby increasing A20 expression and ASK1 degradation.•OD ameliorates ALI in vivo, and is a potential drug for ALI/ARDS treatment.
Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by acute pulmonary inflammatory infiltration. Alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) release numerous pro-inflammatory cytokines, which result in the pathological changes seen in ALI. Ophiopogonin D (OD), extracted from the roots of Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker Gawl. (Liliaceae), reduces inflammation; however, the efficacy of OD in ALI has not been reported and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.
This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of OD, as well as the underlying mechanisms, in AECs and a mouse ALI model.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were used to stimulate macrophages and A549 cells, and a mouse ALI model was established by intratracheal LPS administration. The anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of OD in the TNF-α-induced in vitro inflammation model was evaluated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting, nuclear and cytoplasmic protein extraction, and immunofluorescence. The in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of OD was evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining, qPCR, ELISA, and western blotting.
The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue of LPS-induced ALI mice exhibited increased TNF-α expression. TNF-α induced a significantly greater pro-inflammatory effect in AECs than LPS. OD reduced inflammation and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and transcription factor p65 phosphorylation in vivo and in vitro and promoted signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation and A20 expression, thereby inducing apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) proteasomal degradation.
OD exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by promoting STAT3-dependent A20 expression and ASK1 degradation. OD may therefore have therapeutic value in treating ALI and other TNF-α-related inflammatory diseases.
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of difficult-to-cure arthralgia with a worldwide prevalence. It severely affects people's living standards. For a long time, bee venom has been used to treat RA ...and has shown good results. Melittin is the main active component of bee venom used for RA treatment, but the molecular mechanism of melittin in RA treatments remains unclear.
Potential melittin and RA targets were obtained from relevant databases, and common targets of melittin and RA were screened. The STRING database was used to build the PPI network and screen the core targets after visualization. The core targets were enriched by Gene Ontology functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway. Finally, the binding of melittin to target proteins was evaluated through simulated molecular docking, which verified the reliability of the prediction results of network pharmacology.
In total, 138 melittin targets and 5795 RA targets were obtained from relevant databases, and 90 common targets were obtained through intersection. Eighteen core targets, such as STAT3, AKT1, tumor necrosis factor, and JUN, were screened out. Enrichment analysis results suggested that melittin plays an anti-RA role mainly through tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-17, toll-like receptors, and advanced glycation end products-RAGE signaling pathways, and pathogenic bacterial infection. Molecular docking results suggested that melittin has good docking activity with core target proteins.
RA treatment with melittin is the result of a multi-target and multi-pathway interaction. This study offers a theoretical basis and scientific evidence for further exploring melittin in RA therapy.
The demulsification process of asphalt emulsion in fresh cement asphalt emulsion (CA) paste was investigated by measuring the viscosity and the particle size distribution of CA paste. The morphology ...evolution of asphalt droplets was also observed by optical microscope. Superplasticizer was used to adjust different demulsifying speed of asphalt emulsion in CA paste. Results indicate that the viscosity development of CA paste can reflect the demulsification process of asphalt emulsion in CA paste. The demulsification process of asphalt emulsion in CA paste has two main stages under the continual induction effect of cement hydration. Asphalt droplets in CA paste are firstly coalesced to big droplets, and then recover their adhesive force. In the first stage, the viscosity of CA paste increases little with the changing particle size distribution. However, the viscosity of CA paste increases sharply in the second stage.
Due to the different mechanisms of cell-free DNA production, the single-stranded DNA to double-stranded DNA ratio in blood maybe different between healthy individuals and gastric cancer (GC) ...patients. We aimed to explore the potential application of this ratio in GC diagnosis. The plasma cell-free DNA extracts from 118 healthy individuals and 106 GC patients were prepared. The levels of single-stranded DNA or double-stranded DNA in plasma, and the single-stranded DNA to double-stranded DNA ratio on the diagnostic efficiency for GC were assessed with ROC curve. The relationships between this ratio and the clinical characteristics of GC patients were analyzed. The ratios in 63 GC patients before and after surgery were compared. In healthy individuals, the single-stranded DNA to double-stranded DNA ratio was not affected by factors including age, gender and BMI, and subjected to normal distribution (
P
= 0.1090). GC patients had a lower value of this ratio than healthy individuals (
P
< 0.0001). Considering this ratio as a GC diagnostic indicator, the area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.92395% confidence interval (CI):0.880–0.955. This ratio in unresectable GC was obviously lower than that in resectable GC (
P
= 0.0045). There was a rank correlation between this ratio and GC TNM staging (rho = −0.266,
P
= 0.0058), but it had no correlation with tumor size (
r
= 0.14,
P
= 0.145). Additionally, this ratio was not affected by hemolysis and repeated freeze-thaw of blood samples, and was significantly elevated after surgery(
P
< 0.0001). The single-stranded DNA to double-stranded DNA ratio in plasma is a stable non-invasive indicator for GC diagnosis.
Centella asiatica (L.) Urban is an ethnobotanical herb. The main bioactive components of Centella asiatica are pentacyclic triterpenoid glycosides, namely asiaticoside and hydroxyasiaticoside. ...Asiaticoside possess a diverse array of pharmacological properties, such as wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-allergic, antidepressant, anxiolytic, anti-fibrotic, antibacterial, anti-arthritic, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory activities.
The purpose of this investigation is to explore potential therapeutic interventions for the delayed healing of wounds in diabetic patients (DW) facilitated by Asiaticoside-Nitric Oxide. To clarify the key molecular mechanism of miRNA-21-5p in DW wound repair and to deepen the understanding of DW disease pathogenesis.
Firstly, miRNA microarray technology, bioinformatics, and RT-qPCR were used to analyze DW patients' and normal controls' skin tissue samples. Secondly, in order to investigate the role of miRNA-21-5p, a hyperglycemic model was established using HaCaT cells. Overexpressing as well as interfering HaCaT cell lines were constructed by lentiviral infection to further explore the proliferative and migratory effects of Asiaticoside-Nitric Oxide. The next step was to search for potential target genes of miRNA-21-5p and verify them with dual-luciferase reporter assay. Finally, the expression levels of target genes and proteins were detected through the utilization of RT-qPCR and Western blotting under the influence of Asiaticoside-Nitric Oxide.
A library of miRNAs and target genes expressed explicitly in DW patients and rats was established. The study confirmed the upregulation of miRNA-21-5p in DW patients and identified its involvement in signaling pathways related to chronic ulcer wound repair. Overexpression of LV-miRNA-21-5p significantly promoted cell proliferation, while treatments of Asiaticoside-Low dose (AC-L) and Asiaticoside-Medium dose (AC-M) enhanced proliferation and migration, particularly when combined with nitroprusside (SNP). Further analysis revealed potential target genes of miRNA-21-5p, such as TGF-β1, SMAD7, and TIMP3. Their interaction with miRNA-21-5p was confirmed through dual luciferase assays. The study found that anti-DW drugs increased the expression of TGF-β1 and SMAD7 while inhibiting TIMP3 expression in a high-glucose environment.
The research concluded that miRNA-21-5p plays a crucial role in the delayed healing of diabetic wounds, and that the combination treatment of AC + SNP shows promise in promoting wound healing in DW rats. Target genes, including TGF-β1, SMAD7, and TIMP3, may contribute to the regulatory mechanisms involved in diabetic wound healing. These findings provide valuable insights for developing novel therapeutic approaches for DW.
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•Gene microarray screening found differential expression of miRNA-21-5p in normal and diabetic individuals and rats.•Asiaticoside-Nitric Oxide can promote wound healing in diabetic wounds.•Asiaticoside-Nitric Oxide stimulates glycated-HaCaT migration and proliferation via miRNA-21-5p/TGF-β1/SMAD7/TIMP3 pathway.
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