Structural and Functional Characterization of the ABCC6 Transporter in Hepatic Cells: Role on PXE,Cancer Therapy and Drug Resistance

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a complex autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations of ABCC6 transporter and characterized by ectopic mineralization of soft connective tissues. Compared to the other ABC transporters, very few studies are available to explain the structural components and working of a full ABCC6 transporter, which may provide some idea about its physiological role in humans. Some studies suggest that mutations of ABCC6 in the liver lead to a decrease in some circulating factor and indicate that PXE is a metabolic disease. It has been reported that ABCC6 mediates the efflux of ATP, which is hydrolyzed in PPi and AMP; in the extracellular milieu, PPi gives potent anti-mineralization effect, whereas AMP is hydrolyzed to Pi and adenosine which affects some cellular properties by modulating the purinergic pathway. Structural and functional studies have demonstrated that silencing or inhibition of ABCC6 with probenecid changed the expression of several genes and proteins such as NT5E and TNAP, as well as Lamin, and CDK1, which are involved in cell motility and cell cycle. Furthermore, a change in cytoskeleton rearrangement and decreased motility of HepG2 cells makes ABCC6 a potential target for anti-cancer therapy. Collectively, these findings suggested that ABCC6 transporter performs functions that modify both the external and internal compartments of the cells.     

Electrodeposition of B,Ni co-doped diamond-like carbon films on AZ91D magnesium alloy: Corrosion and wear resistance

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) possesses brilliant and excellent properties, including excellent corrosion resistance as well as outstanding wear resistance. Ni and B co-doped DLC films were deposited on AZ91D magnesium alloy by electrodeposition under mild conditions (300 V and 25°C). Uniform and dense morphology of co-doped DLC films were observed, and Ni and B were uniformly incorporated into the carbon-based films. Among all the electrodeposits, the appearance of D and G peaks near 1330 and 1570 cm⁻¹ revealed that the as-deposited films were typical DLC films. As the addition of Ni was increased to 0.05 g, the highest microindentation hardness, the lowest friction coefficient, and wear loss were achieved to be 164.5 HV, 0.3, and 0.6 × 10⁻⁵ kg/m, respectively. The amorphous carbon films fabricated at 0.05 g Ni had the lowest corrosion current density and the most positive corrosion potential, which was mainly due to the small and dense granular structure effectively hindering the penetration of corrosion media.     

Stress field and damage evolution in C/SiC woven composites: Image-based finite element analysis and in situ X-ray computed tomography tests

The construction and examination of meso-structural finite element models of a Chemical-Vapor-Infiltrated (CVI) C/SiC composite is carried out based on X-ray microtomography digital images (IB-FEM). The accurate meso-structural features of the C/SiC composites, which are consisted of carbon fiber tows and CVI-SiC matrix, in particular the cavity defects, are reconstructed. With the IB-FEM, the damage evolution and fracture behaviors of the C/SiC composite are investigated. At the same time, an in situ tensile test is applied to the C/SiC composite under a CT real-time quantitative imaging system, aiming to investigate the damage and failure features of the material as well as to verify the IB-FEM. The IB-FEM results indicate that material damage initially occur at the defects, followed by propagating toward the fiber-tow/SiC-matrix interfaces, ultimately, combined into macro-cracks, which is in good agreement with the in situ CT experiment results.     

Piezoelectric properties and microstructure of ceramicrete-based piezoelectric composites

Inorganic piezoelectric ceramic composite is the potential sensing element for long-term structural health monitoring due to its excellent durability and compatibility. In this study, a Ceramicrete-based piezoelectric composite is proposed preliminarily, in which the magnesium potassium phosphate cement is used as the matrix and the lead zirconate titanate particle is utilized as the functional phase. Piezoelectric properties test and microstructure analysis are performed to evaluate the testing samples. Results show that the piezoelectric performance of the composite increase with the increase of piezoelectric ceramic particle size. The value of the piezoelectric strain factor (d₃₃) can reach 83.8 pC/N, while the corresponding piezoelectric voltage factor (g₃₃) is 50.1 × 10^-3 V•m/N at the 50th day after polarization. Microstructure analysis illustrates that the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the matrix and the particles is dense. Moreover, the influence of aging on the composite is attributed to the continuous hydration after polarization. It indicates that the composites have a higher piezoelectric performance, which can be regarded as a promising sensing element material.     

Effect of LiTFSI and LiFSI on Cycling Performance of Lithium Metal Batteries Using Thermoplastic Polyurethane/Halloysite Nanotubes Solid Electrolyte

All-solid-state lithium batteries(ASSLB) are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage devices.Nevertheless,the large-scale commercial application of high energy density AS S LB with the polymer electrolyte still faces challenges.In this study,a thin solid polymer composite electrolyte(SPCE) is prepared through a facile and cost-effective strategy with an infiltration of thermoplastic polyurethane(TPU),lithium salt(LiTFSI or LiFSI),and halloysite nanotubes(HNTs) in a porous framework of polyethylene separator(PE)(TPU-HNTs-LiTFSI-PE or TPU-HNTs-LiFSI-PE).The composition,electrochemical performance,and especially the effect of anions(TFSI~-and FSI~-) on cycling performance are investigated.The results reveal that the flexible TPU-HNTs-LiTFSI-PE and TPU-HNTs-LiFSI-PE with a thickness of 34 μm exhibit wide electrochemical windows of 4.9 and 5.1 V(vs.Li+/Li) at 60℃,respectively.Reduction in FSI~-tends to form more LiF and sulfur compounds at the interface between TPU-HNTs-LiFSI-PE and Li metal anode,thus enhancing the interfacial stability.As a result,cell composed of TPU-HNTs-LiFSI-PE exhibits a smaller increase in interfacial resistance of solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) with a distinct decrease in charge-transfer resistance during cycling.Li|Li symmetric cell with TPU-HNTs-LiFSI-PE could keep its stable overpotential profile for nearly 1300 h with a low hysteresis of approximately39 mV at a current density of 0.1 mA cm~(-2),while a sudden voltage rise with internal cell impedance-surge signals was observed within 600 h for cell composed of TPU-HNTs-LiTFSI-PE.The initial capacities of NCMITPU-HNTs-LiTFSIPEILi and NCMITPU-HNTs-LiFSI-PEILi cells were 149 and 114 mAh g~(-1),with capacity retention rates of 83.52% and89.99% after 300 cycles at 0.5 C,respectively.This study provides a valuable guideline for designing flexible SPCE,which shows great application prospect in the practice of ASSLB.     

氮含量及固溶温度对21-6-9奥氏体不锈钢组织和硬度的影响

为了探讨氮含量及固溶温度对21-6-9不锈钢组织和硬度的影响,分别在950、1000、1050和1100 ℃对3种不同氮含量的热轧态21-6-9不锈钢进行1 h固溶处理,通过光学显微镜观察其组织结构,结合Thermo-Calc热力学计算对试验钢的微观组织进行分析,并对其进行硬度测试。结果表明,0.20%~0.28%N的21-6-9不锈钢热轧后沿轧制方向析出铁素体,且钢中铁素体经950~1100 ℃固溶处理可消除,当N含量达到0.34%时,试验钢中不再出现铁素体。随着固溶处理温度的升高,21-6-9不锈钢的晶粒组织长大,硬度降低。N含量的增加可显著提高固溶态21-6-9不锈钢的硬度,其增加程度随固溶处理温度的升高而减弱。     

Functional Inactivation of Drosophila GCK Orthologs Causes Genomic Instability and Oxidative Stress in a Fly Model of MODY-2

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) type 2 is caused by heterozygous inactivating mutations in the gene encoding glucokinase (GCK), a pivotal enzyme for glucose homeostasis. In the pancreas GCK regulates insulin secretion, while in the liver it promotes glucose utilization and storage. We showed that silencing the Drosophila GCK orthologs Hex-A and Hex-C results in a MODY-2-like hyperglycemia. Targeted knock-down revealed that Hex-A is expressed in insulin producing cells (IPCs) whereas Hex-C is specifically expressed in the fat body. We showed that Hex-A is essential for insulin secretion and it is required for Hex-C expression. Reduced levels of either Hex-A or Hex-C resulted in chromosome aberrations (CABs), together with an increased production of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). This result suggests that CABs, in GCK depleted cells, are likely due to hyperglycemia, which produces oxidative stress through AGE metabolism. In agreement with this hypothesis, treating GCK-depleted larvae with the antioxidant vitamin B6 rescued CABs, whereas the treatment with a B6 inhibitor enhanced genomic instability. Although MODY-2 rarely produces complications, our data revealed the possibility that MODY-2 impacts genome integrity.     

Optimized structure and electrochemical properties of sulfonated carbon nanotubes/Co–Ni bimetallic layered hydroxide composites for high-performance supercapacitors

Technical development in electronic devices is frequently stifled by their insufficient capacity and cyclic stability of energy-storage devices. The nano-structured materials have sensational importance for providing novel and optimized combination to overcome exiting boundaries and provide efficient energy storage systems. Metal hydroxide materials with high capacity for pseudo-capacitance properties have grabbed special attention. Lately, the blend of nickel and cobalt hydroxides has been considered as a favorable class of metallic hydroxide materials owing to their comparatively high capacitance and exceptional redox reversibility. The sulfonated carbon nanotube fluid (SCNTF) was prepared by the ion exchange method to be utilized as the exceptional templates due to astonishing specific surface area, ensuring the maximum utilization of the active material. The CoNi-layered double hydroxides (LDHs)/SCNTF core-shell nanocomposite was prepared by the simple solvothermal method. Structural analysis showed that the composite material had the high conductance of carbon materials, the pseudo-capacitance characteristics of metal hydroxides, and porous structure, which facilitates the ion shuttle when the electrolyte reacts with the active material. Electrochemical analysis results showed that CoNi-LDHs/SCNTF had excellent rate performance, reversible charge-discharge properties and cycle stability. It exhibited an extreme specific capacity of 1190.5 F g^?1 at a current density of 1 A g^?1; whereas specific capacity remained 953.7 F g^?1 at the current density was 10 A g^?1. In addition, the capacity retention rate after 5000 charge-discharge cycles at a current density of 20 A g^?1 was 81.0%. The results indicated that the CoNi-LDHs/SCNTF core-shell nanocomposite material is cost efficient and an effective substitute in energy storage applications.     

Deacetylated Cellulose Acetate/Polyurethane Composite Nanofiber Membranes with Highly Efficient Oil/Water Separation and Excellent Mechanical Properties

Nowadays, oil pollution has become more serious, which causes great threats both to the ecological environment and human life. In this study, a novel type of multifunctional deacetylated cellulose acetate/polyurethane (d-M_CA:M_TPU) composite nanofiber membranes for oil/water separation are successfully fabricated by electrospinning, which show super-amphiphilicity in air, super-hydrophilicity in oil, and oleophobicity in water. All the d-M_CA:M_TPU composite nanofiber membranes with different mass ratios can be used as water-removing, oil-removing, and emulsion separation substance only by gravity driving force. The highest separation flux for water and oil reaches up to 37 000 and 74 000 L m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively, and all the separation efficiencies are more than 99%. They have outstanding comprehensive mechanics performance, which can be controlled by simply adjusting the mass ratios. They show excellent antifouling and self-cleaning ability, endowing powerful cyclic stability and reusability. Those results show that d-M_CA:M_TPU composite nanofiber membranes have great application prospects in oil/water separation.