A review on Ti3C2Tx-based nanomaterials:synthesis and applications in gas and humidity sensors

Ti3C2Tx,which is a novel two-dimensional (2D)material,has received enormous interest in the field of sensor technology due to its large surface area,excellent e...     

The m6A Methyltransferase METTL3-Mediated N6-Methyladenosine Modification of DEK mRNA to Promote Gastric Cancer Cell Growth and Metastasis

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third deadliest cancer in the world, and the occurrence and development of GC are influenced by epigenetics. Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) is a prominent RNA n6-adenosine methyltransferase (m6A) that plays an important role in tumor growth by controlling the work of RNA. This study aimed to reveal the biological function and molecular mechanism of METTL3 in GC. The expression level of METTL3 in GC tissues and cells was detected by qPCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry, and the expression level and prognosis of METTL3 were predicted in public databases. CCK-8, colony formation, transwell and wound healing assays were used to study the effect of METTL3 on GC cell proliferation and migration. In addition, the enrichment effect of METTL3 on DEK mRNA was detected by the RIP experiment, the m6A modification effect of METTL3 on DEK was verified by the MeRIP experiment and the mRNA half-life of DEK when METTL3 was overexpressed was detected. The dot blot assay detects m6A modification at the mRNA level. The effect of METTL3 on cell migration ability in vivo was examined by tail vein injection of luciferase-labeled cells. The experimental results showed that METTL3 was highly expressed in GC tissues and cells, and the high expression of METTL3 was associated with a poor prognosis. In addition, the m6A modification level of mRNA was higher in GC tissues and GC cell lines. Overexpression of METTL3 in MGC80-3 cells and AGS promoted cell proliferation and migration, while the knockdown of METTL3 inhibited cell proliferation and migration. The results of in vitro rescue experiments showed that the knockdown of DEK reversed the promoting effects of METTL3 on cell proliferation and migration. In vivo experiments showed that the knockdown of DEK reversed the increase in lung metastases caused by the overexpression of METTL3 in mice. Mechanistically, the results of the RIP experiment showed that METTL3 could enrich DEK mRNA, and the results of the MePIP and RNA half-life experiments indicated that METTL3 binds to the 3’UTR of DEK, participates in the m6A modification of DEK and promotes the stability of DEK mRNA. Ultimately, we concluded that METTL3 promotes GC cell proliferation and migration by stabilizing DEK mRNA expression. Therefore, METTL3 is a potential biomarker for GC prognosis and a therapeutic target.     

Effects of Tearing Conditions on the Crack Propagation in a Monolayer Graphene Sheet

The path of crack propagation in a graphene sheet is significant for graphene patterning via the tearing approach. In this study, we evaluate the fracture properties of pre-cracked graphene during the tearing process, with consideration of the effects of the aspect ratio, loading speed, loading direction, and ambient temperatures on the crack propagation in the monolayer sheet. Some remarkable conclusions are drawn based on the molecular dynamic simulation results, i.e., a higher loading speed may result in a complicated path of crack propagation, and the propagation of an armchair crack may be accompanied by sp carbon links at high temperatures. The reason for this is that the stronger thermal vibration reduces the load stress difference near the crack tip and, therefore, the crack tip can pass through the sp link. A crack propagates more easily along the zigzag direction than along the armchair direction. The out-of-plane tearing is more suitable than the in-plane tearing for graphene patterning. The path of crack propagation can be adjusted by changing the loading direction, e.g., a rectangular graphene ribbon can be produced by oblique tearing. This new understanding will benefit the application of graphene patterning via the tearing approach.     

Formation of hierarchical Si3N4 foams by protein-based gelcasting and chemical vapor infiltration

Silicon nitride foams with a hierarchical porous structure was formed by the combination of protein-based gelcasting,chemical vapor infiltration,and in-situ growth of silicon nitride nanowires.The porosity of the foams can be controlled at 76.3-83.8 vol%with an open porosity of 70.2—82.8 vol%.The pore size distribution was presented in three levels:<2μm(voids among grains and cross overlapping of silicon nitride nanowires(SNNWs)),10—50μm(cell windows),and>100μm(cells).The resulted compressive strength of the porous bodies at room temperature can achieve up to 18.0±1.0 MPa(porosity=76.3 vol%)while the corresponding retention rate at 800℃was 58.3%.Gas permeability value was measured to be 5.16(cm³·cm)/(cm²·s·kPa).The good strength,high permeability together with the pore structure in multiple scales enabled the foam materials for microparticle infiltration applications.     

Blue Luminescence of ZnO Nanoparticles Based on Non‐Equilibrium Processes: Defect Origins and Emission Controls

High concentrations of defects are introduced into nanoscale ZnO through non‐equilibrium processes and resultant blue emissions are comprehensively analyzed, focusing on defect origins and broad controls. Some ZnO nanoparticles exhibit very strong blue emissions, the intensity of which first increase and then decrease with annealing. These visible emissions exhibit strong and interesting excitation dependences: 1) the optimal excitation energy for blue emissions is near the bandgap energy, but the effective excitation can obviously be lower, even 420 nm (2.95 eV < E_g = 3.26 eV); in contrast, green emissions can be excited only by energies larger than the bandgap energy; and, 2) there are several fixed emitting wavelengths at 415, 440, 455 and 488 nm in the blue wave band, which exhibit considerable stability in different excitation and annealing conditions. Mechanisms for blue emissions from ZnO are proposed with interstitial‐zinc‐related defect levels as initial states. EPR spectra reveal the predominance of interstitial zinc in as‐prepared samples, and the evolutions of coexisting interstitial zinc and oxygen vacancies with annealing. Furthermore, good controllability of visible emissions is achieved, including the co‐emission of blue and green emissions and peak adjustment from blue to yellow.     

A Comprehensive Identification and Function Analysis of Serine/Arginine-Rich (SR) Proteins in Cotton (Gossypium spp.)

As one of the most important factors in alternative splicing (AS) events, serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins not only participate in the growth and development of plants but also play pivotal roles in abiotic stresses. However, the research about SR proteins in cotton is still lacking. In this study, we performed an extensive comparative analysis of SR proteins and determined their phylogeny in the plant lineage. A total of 169 SR family members were identified from four Gossypium species, and these genes could be divided into eight distinct subfamilies. The domain, motif distribution and gene structure of cotton SR proteins are conserved within each subfamily. The expansion of SR genes is mainly contributed by WGD and allopolyploidization events in cotton. The selection pressure analysis showed that all the paralogous gene pairs were under purifying selection pressure. Many cis-elements responding to abiotic stress and phytohormones were identified in the upstream sequences of the GhSR genes. Expression profiling suggested that some GhSR genes may involve in the pathways of plant resistance to abiotic stresses. The WGCNA analysis showed that GhSCL-8 co-expressed with many abiotic responding related genes in a salt-responding network. The Y2H assays showed that GhSCL-8 could interact with GhSRs in other subfamilies. The subcellular location analysis showed that GhSCL-8 is expressed in the nucleus. The further VIGS assays showed that the silencing of GhSCL-8 could decrease salt tolerance in cotton. These results expand our knowledge of the evolution of the SR gene family in plants, and they will also contribute to the elucidation of the biological functions of SR genes in the future.     

Effect of electrode change on solidification of slag and metal pool profile in electroslag remelting process

A two-dimensional axisymmetric model is established to study the effect of electrode change on the solidification of slag and metal pool profile during electros...     

脚踝康复受力测量电路的设计

通过分析脚踝康复受力间接测量原理,基于MSP430单片机设计出一种脚踝康复受力测量电路,进行了脚踝康复受力测量实验,实验证明脚踝康复受力测量电路实现踝关节康复力和力矩的间接测量,为踝关节安全康复提供了指导性数据,便于患者自主控制康复强度,提高了康复效果。