Evolution of Local Structural Ordering and Chemical Distribution upon Delithiation of a Rock Salt–Structured Li1.3Ta0.3Mn0.4O2 Cathode

Lithium‐rich disordered rock‐salt oxides have attracted great interest owing to their promising performance as Li‐ion battery cathodes. While experimental and theoretical efforts are critical in advancing this class of materials, a fundamental understanding of key property changes upon Li extraction is largely missing. In the present study, single‐crystal synthesis of a new disordered rock‐salt cathode material, Li_1.3Ta_0.3Mn_0.4O₂ (LTMO), and its use as a model compound to investigate Li concentration–driven evolution of local cationic ordering, charge compensation, and chemical distribution are reported. Through the combined use of 2D and 3D X‐ray nanotomography, it is shown that Li removal accompanied by oxygen oxidation is correlated with the development of morphological defects such as particle cracking. Chemical heterogeneity, quantified by subparticle level distribution of Mn valence state, is minimal during Mn redox, which drastically increases upon the formation of cracks during oxygen redox. Density functional theory and bond valence sum mismatch calculations reveal the presence of local short‐range ordering in the pristine oxide, which gradually disappears along with the extraction of Li. The study suggests that with cycling the transformation into true cation–disordered state can be expected, which likely impacts the voltage profile and obtainable energy density of the oxide cathodes.     

Fair‐Weather Friends: Evidence of Lipoxin Dysregulation in Neurodegeneration

Lipoxins (LXs) are autacoids, specialized proresolving lipid mediators (SPMs) acting locally in a paracrine or autocrine fashion. They belong to a complex superfamily of dietary small polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)–metabolites, which direct potent cellular responses to resolve inflammation and restore tissue homeostasis. Together, these SPM activities have been intensely studied in systemic inflammation and acute injury or infection, but less is known about LX signaling and activities in the central nervous system. LXs are derived from arachidonic acid, an omega‐6 PUFA. In addition to well‐established roles in systemic inflammation resolution, they have increasingly become implicated in regulating neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes. In particular, chronic inflammation plays a central role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) etiology, and dysregulated LX production and activities have been reported in a variety of AD rodent models and clinical tissue samples, yet with complex and sometimes conflicting results. In addition, reduced LX production following retinal injury has been reported recently by the authors, and an intriguing direct neuronal activity promoting survival and homeostasis in retinal and cortical neurons is demonstrated. Here, the authors review and clarify this growing literature and suggest new research directions to further elaborate the role of lipoxins in neurodegeneration.     

Production technology for low-carbon,low-sulfur boron steel

A technology for slag formation in the ladle–furnace unit is considered; the slag is based on the CaO–SiO₂–MgO–Al₂O₃–B₂O₃ system. This technology permits both microalloying of the steel with boron (reduced from the oxide phase) and desulfurization of the steel. The resulting boron content in the steel is 0.001–0.008%; the sulfur content in low-alloy steel and pipe steel is low (0.004–0.010%); and the consumption of manganese ferroalloys is reduced to 0.5 kg/t for 08кп steel and 1.4 kg/t for 09Г2C steel. In addition, the proposed technology increases the strength of the rolled steel, without loss in its plasticity; and reduces the environmental impact thanks to the replacement of fluorspar by colemanite.     

Matrilin-3-Primed Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Spheroids Prevent Mesenchymal Stromal-Cell-Derived Chondrocyte Hypertrophy

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (Ad-MSCs) are a promising tool for articular cartilage repair and regeneration. However, the terminal hypertrophic differentiation of Ad-MSC-derived cartilage is a critical barrier during hyaline cartilage regeneration. In this study, we investigated the role of matrilin-3 in preventing Ad-MSC-derived chondrocyte hypertrophy in vitro and in an osteoarthritis (OA) destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) model. Methacrylated hyaluron (MAHA) (1%) was used to encapsulate and make scaffolds containing Ad-MSCs and matrilin-3. Subsequently, the encapsulated cells in the scaffolds were differentiated in chondrogenic medium (TGF-β, 1–14 days) and thyroid hormone hypertrophic medium (T3, 15–28 days). The presence of matrilin-3 with Ad-MSCs in the MAHA scaffold significantly increased the chondrogenic marker and decreased the hypertrophy marker mRNA and protein expression. Furthermore, matrilin-3 significantly modified the expression of TGF-β2, BMP-2, and BMP-4. Next, we prepared the OA model and transplanted Ad-MSCs primed with matrilin-3, either as a single-cell suspension or in spheroid form. Safranin-O staining and the OA score suggested that the regenerated cartilage morphology in the matrilin-3-primed Ad-MSC spheroids was similar to the positive control. Furthermore, matrilin-3-primed Ad-MSC spheroids prevented subchondral bone sclerosis in the mouse model. Here, we show that matrilin-3 plays a major role in modulating Ad-MSCs’ therapeutic effect on cartilage regeneration and hypertrophy suppression.     

Development of methods for determining free fatty acid contents in red colored oils

Food Science and Biotechnology - Buah merah oil and red palm oil are red colored and unrefined edible oils. Because of this color characteristic, measuring acid value by titration method can be...     

A Dual Inhibitor of DYRK1A and GSK3β for β-Cell Proliferation: Aminopyrazine Derivative GNF4877

Loss of β-cell mass and function can lead to insufficient insulin levels and ultimately to hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus. The mainstream treatment approach involves regulation of insulin levels; however, approaches intended to increase β-cell mass are less developed. Promoting β-cell proliferation with low-molecular-weight inhibitors of dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) offers the potential to treat diabetes with oral therapies by restoring β-cell mass, insulin content and glycemic control. GNF4877, a potent dual inhibitor of DYRK1A and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) was previously reported to induce primary human β-cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we describe the lead optimization that lead to the identification of GNF4877 from an aminopyrazine hit identified in a phenotypic high-throughput screening campaign measuring β-cell proliferation.     

快速灵敏的LC-MS/MS法测定人血浆中阿莫西林并应用于两种制剂的一致性评价

目的: 建立快速灵敏的LC-MS/MS法测定人血浆中阿莫西林浓度，并用于两种阿莫西林胶囊的一致性评价。方法: 采用岛津公司LCMS-8060型LC-MS/MS仪，以MRM模式测定阿莫西林（m/z 366.00/114.00）的浓度，d4-阿莫西林作内标（m/z 370.10/114.05），离子源为ESI源。色谱柱选用Waters ACQUITY BEH C18（2.1×50 mm，1.7 μm），梯度洗脱。血浆样本加入内标，经甲醇沉淀蛋白后取上清液进样检测。结果: 所建方法经验证，其线性、准确度、精密度、最低定量限、提取回收率、特异性、基质效应、稳定性等各项指标均符合CFDA的指导原则及最新核查标准要求，并较文献报道中的方法有处理简单、灵敏度高、色谱峰形好的优点。结论: 所建方法快速、灵敏，适用于人血浆中阿莫西林浓度的检测。用于一致性评价的样本实测，两种制剂生物等效。     

Regulation of sensory nerve conduction velocity of human bodies responding to annual temperature variations in natural environments

The extensive research interests in environmental temperature can be linked to human productivity / performance as well as comfort and health; while the mechanisms of physiological indices responding to temperature variations remain incompletely understood. This study adopted a physiological sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) as a temperature‐sensitive biomarker to explore the thermoregulatory mechanisms of human responding to annual temperatures. The measurements of subjects’ SCV (over 600 samples) were conducted in a naturally ventilated environment over all four seasons. The results showed a positive correlation between SCV and annual temperatures and a Boltzmann model was adopted to depict the S‐shaped trend of SCV with operative temperatures from 5°C to 40°C. The SCV increased linearly with operative temperatures from 14.28°C to 20.5°C and responded sensitively for 10.19°C‐24.59°C, while tended to be stable beyond that. The subjects’ thermal sensations were linearly related to SCV, elaborating the relation between human physiological regulations and subjective thermal perception variations. The findings reveal the body SCV regulatory characteristics in different operative temperature intervals, thereby giving a deeper insight into human autonomic thermoregulation and benefiting for built environment designs, meantime minimizing the temperature‐invoked risks to human health and well‐being.     

Key exchange process of PIM-SM-based for Multiple Group Communication in P2P

Peer-to-Peer Networking and Applications - Recently, as the P2P service environment repeats evolution, its usage in mobile is rapidly increasing. Applications are being developed in various mobile...