High fat diet-induced downregulation of TRPV2 mediates hepatic steatosis via p21 signalling.

The global prevalence and incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are exhibiting an increasing trend. NAFLD is characterized by a significant accumulation of lipids, though its underlying mechanism is still unknown. Here we report that high-fat diet (HFD) feeding induced hepatic steatosis in mice, which was accompanied by a reduction in the expression and function of hepatic TRPV2. Moreover, conditional knockout of TRPV2 in hepatocytes exacerbated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis. In an in vitro model of NAFLD, TRPV2 regulated lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells, and TRPV2 activation inhibited the expression of the cellular senescence markers p21 and p16, all of which were mediated by AMPK phosphorylation. Finally, we found that administration of probenecid, a TRPV2 agonist, impaired HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and suppressed HFD-induced elevation in p21 and p16. Collectively, our findings imply that hepatic TRPV2 protects against the accumulation of lipids by modulating p21 signalling.

Insight into the Key Factors in High Li+ Transference Number Composite Electrolytes for Solid Lithium Batteries.

Solid lithium batteries (SLBs) have received much attention due to their potential to achieve secondary batteries with high energy density and high safety. The solid electrolyte (SE) is believed to be the essential material for SLBs. Among the recent SEs, composite electrolytes have good interfacial compatibility and customizability, which have been broadly investigated as promising contenders for commercial SLBs. The high Li+ transference number (t Li + ${{_{{\rm Li}{^{+}}}}}$ ) of composite electrolytes is critically important concerning the power/energy density and cycling life of SLBs, however, which is often overlooked. This Review presents a current opinion on the key factors in high t Li + ${{_{{\rm Li}{^{+}}}}}$ composite electrolytes, including polymers, Li-salts, inorganic fillers, and additives. Various strategies concerning providing a continuous pathway for Li-ions and immobilizing anions via component interaction are discussed. This Review highlights the major obstacles hindering the development of high t Li + ${{_{{\rm Li}{^{+}}}}}$ composite electrolytes and proposes future research directions for developing composite electrolytes with high t Li + ${{_{{\rm Li}{^{+}}}}}$ .

Cerebral hemorrhage caused by shaking adult syndrome? Evidence from biomechanical analysis using 3D motion capture and finite element models.

The present study combined three-dimensional (3D) motion capture with finite element simulation to reconstruct a real shaking adult syndrome (SAS) case and further explore the injury biomechanics of SAS. The frequency at which an adult male can shake the head of another person, head-shaking amplitude, and displacement curves was captured by the VICON 3D motion capture system. The captured shaking frequency and shaking curve were loaded on the total human model for safety (THUMS) head to simulate the biomechanical response of brain injury when a head was shaken in anterior-posterior, left-right, and left anterior-right posterior directions at frequencies of 4 Hz (Hz), 5 Hz, 6 Hz, and 7 Hz. The biomechanical response of the head on impact in the anterior, posterior, left, left anterior, and right posterior directions at the equivalent velocity of 6 Hz shaking was simulated. The violent shaking frequency of the adult male was 3.2-6.8 Hz; head shaking at these frequencies could result in serious cerebral injuries. SAS-related injuries have obvious directionality, and sagittal shaking can easily cause brain injuries. There was no significant difference between the brain injuries caused by shaking in the simulated frequency range (4-7 Hz). Impact and shaking at an equivalent velocity could cause brain injuries, though SAS more commonly occurred due to the cumulative deformation of brain tissue. Biomechanical studies of SAS should play a positive role in improving the accuracy of forensic identification and reducing this form of abuse and torture in detention or places of imprisonment.

Ionic-electronic dual-conductive polymer modified LiCoO2 cathodes for solid lithium batteries.

An ionic-electronic dual-conductive polymer, fabricated by doping polyethylene glycol into polyaniline, is used to modify LiCoO2 cathodes for solid lithium batteries. The polymer enables uniform and fast conductive networks in cathodes and stabilizes the generation of cathode interface layers. The cell maintains high cycle stability of 91.8% capacity retention after 200 cycles.

LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 Cathodes Coated with Dual-Conductive Polymers for High-Rate and Long-Life Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

High-energy density and safe solid lithium batteries call for cathodes with high capacity and good kinetic properties. In this work, LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM622) cathodes are coated with the ionic-electronic dual-conductive polymers composed of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-doped polyaniline (PANI). Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and thermogravimetric analysis reveal that the dual-conductive polymers are homogeneously coated on the surfaces of NCM622 cathodes with a thickness of approximately 10 nm. The solid-state lithium batteries consisting of the NCM622 cathodes coated with PANI-PEG show a specific capacity of 158 mA h g-1 and a retention rate of 88% after 100 cycles at the rate of 0.1 C and room temperature, which are superior to the discharge capacity of 153 mA h g-1 and capacity retention of 59% after 100 cycles for the batteries with the pristine NCM622 cathodes. Moreover, the cells with the coated cathodes display a better rate performance of 84 mA h g-1 at 1 C than those with the uncoated ones which show a rate performance of 11 mA h g-1 at 1 C.

Polydopamine Coated Lithium Lanthanum Titanate in Bilayer Membrane Electrolytes for Solid Lithium Batteries.

The demand for solid lithium batteries with high energy density and safety boosts the development of solid-state electrolytes in which composite membrane electrolytes consisting of polymers and ceramic fillers are attractive. As the common ceramic filler, perovskite-structured Li0.33La0.557TiO3 (LLTO) has great advantage on cost and environmental friendliness by using earth-abundant raw materials in the production. Nevertheless, the chemical instability of LLTO against Li-metal hinders its application. Herein, LLTO particles are coated by biodegradable polydopamine (PDA) layers and united with poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) to prepare composite electrolytes which perform superior stability against Li-metal. Besides, PVDF:LLTO membranes are assembled at cathode sides and show high voltage tolerance. The Li/Ni0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 cells with bilayer membrane electrolytes can deliver the specific capacity of 158.2 mAh g-1 and maintain 83% capacity after 100 cycles at 0.1 C. Furthermore, based on the bilayer membranes with outstanding flexibility and stretchability, the cells can even survive under several extreme conditions, such as bending, twisting, crimping, and stretching. This study offers an environmentally friendly strategy to improve the stability of LLTO against Li and sheds light on the development of cost-effective solid electrolytes.

Polydopamine-Coated Garnet Particles Homogeneously Distributed in Poly(propylene carbonate) for the Conductive and Stable Membrane Electrolytes of Solid Lithium Batteries.

Flexible membrane electrolytes consisting of Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) fillers in poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) are considered promising for developing solid lithium batteries with high energy density and safety. However, LLZTO particles tend to agglomerate owing to their high surface energy, especially concerning their distribution in PPC that has low surface energy. Moreover, basic LLZTO particles attack PPC, resulting in its decomposition. Such problems make it difficult to achieve membrane electrolytes of PPC/LLZTO with high conduction and stability. In this work, continuous polydopamine (PDA) layers with a thickness of 4 nm are coated on LLZTO particles. Characterized by synchrotron X-ray microtomography and scanning electron microscopy, the PDA-coated LLZTO particles show homogeneous dispersion in PPC, which is attributed to the reduced surface energy of the LLZTO particles. Besides, this coating hinders the reaction between LLZTO and PPC, which improves the chemical stability of the membrane electrolytes. Consequently, the cells based on membrane electrolytes with PDA-coated LLZTO particles in PPC show improved electrochemical performance and cycling stability. These results demonstrate that the strategy of coating basic LLZTO particles is powerful for enhancing their usability in the high-performance membrane electrolytes for solid lithium batteries.

Solid Polymer Electrolytes with Flexible Framework of SiO2 Nanofibers for Highly Safe Solid Lithium Batteries.

Composite electrolytes consisting of polymers and three-dimensional (3D) fillers are considered to be promising electrolytes for solid lithium batteries owing to their virtues of continuous lithium-ion pathways and good mechanical properties. In the present study, an electrolyte with polyethylene oxide-lithium (bis trifluoromethyl) sulfate-succinonitrile (PLS) and frameworks of three-dimensional SiO2 nanofibers (3D SiO2 NFs) was prepared. Taking advantage of the highly conductive interfaces between 3D SiO2 NFs and PLS, the total conductivity of the electrolyte at 30 °C was approximately 9.32 × 10-5 S cm-1. With a thickness of 27 µm and a tensile strength of 7.4 MPa, the electrolyte achieved an area specific resistance of 29.0 Ω cm2. Moreover, such a 3D configuration could homogenize the electrical field, which was beneficial for suppressing dendrite growth. Consequently, Li/LiFePO4 cells assembled with PLS and 3D SiO2 NFs (PLS/3D SiO2 NFs), which delivered an original specific capacity of 167.9 mAh g-1, only suffered 3.28% capacity degradation after 100 cycles. In particular, these cells automatically shut down when PLS was decomposed above 400 °C, and the electrodes were separated by the solid framework of 3D SiO2 NFs. Therefore, the solid lithium batteries based on composite electrolytes reported here offer high safety at elevated temperatures.

Finite element analysis to determine the cause of ring fractures in a motorcyclist's head.

The finite element (FE) method can potentially help in reconstructing skull fracture biomechanisms, enabling differentiation of the injury patterns caused by traffic accidents. This study aims to (1) reconstruct a motorcycle driver-car accident case using the total human model for safety and FE simulations; and (2) analyze the biomechanisms of fatal ring fractures in the motorcyclist's skull base to determine if the fatal craniocerebral injuries were caused by a fall onto the highway after hitting a pedestrian or by the subsequent impact of a car. We simulated a series of loading scenarios of falls onto the road and impacts by a car, with and without a helmet being used. We reconstructed the injury processes and compared the biomechanics results to the skull tolerance limit. For the scenario of falling with a helmet, the Von-Mises stress around the foramen magnum indicated ring fractures with a slight fracture at the impact site, consistent with that detected in a traditional forensic pathology autopsy. Moreover, we found that a helmet can significantly protect the skull by controlling the increase in stress around the impact site. However, it has very little effect on the skull base, neck, or cervical spine. We determined that the characteristic ring fracture was most probably caused by the fall onto the highway. Thus, the subsequent car accident did not contribute to the motorcyclist's death. Our study demonstrates that the FE model and method can explore injury biomechanisms, assisting in the identification of injury patterns in forensic practices.

The feasibility and application of PPy in cathodic polarization antifouling.

Cathodic polarization antifouling deserves attention because of its environmentally friendly nature and good sustainability. It has been proven that cathodic voltages applied on metal substrates exhibit outstanding antifouling effects. However, most metals immersed in marine environment are protected by insulated anticorrosive coatings, restricting the cathodic polarization applied on metals. This study developed a conducting polypyrrole (PPy)/acrylic resin coating (σ = 0.18 Scm-1), which can be applied in cathodic polarization antifouling. The good stability and electro-activity of PPy in the negative polarity zone in alkalescent NaCl solution were verified by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), chronoamperometry (CA), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), demonstrating the feasibility of PPy as cathodic polarization material. Furthermore, the antifouling effects of PPy/acrylicresin coating on 24-h old Escherichia coli bacteria (E. coli) which formed on PPy/acrylic resin-coated plastic plate were measured under different cathodic potentials and treatment time, characterized by fluorescent microscope. The results suggest that at cathodic potential around -0.5 V (vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE)), there was little trace of attached bacteria on the substrate after 20 min of treatment. PPy/acrylicresin-coated substrates were also subjected to repeated cycles of biofilm formation and electrochemical removal, where high removal efficiencies were maintained throughout the total polarization process. Under these conditions, the generation of hydrogen peroxide is believed to be responsible for the antifouling effects because of causing oxidative damage to cells, suggesting the potential of the proposed technology for application on insulated surfaces in various industrial settings.

Patterned, highly stretchable and conductive nanofibrous PANI/PVDF strain sensors based on electrospinning and in situ polymerization.

A facile fabrication strategy via electrospinning and followed by in situ polymerization to fabricate a patterned, highly stretchable, and conductive polyaniline/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PANI/PVDF) nanofibrous membrane is reported. Owing to the patterned structure, the nanofibrous PANI/PVDF strain sensor can detect a strain up to 110%, for comparison, which is 2.6 times higher than the common nonwoven PANI/PVDF mat and much larger than the previously reported values (usually less than 15%). Meanwhile, the conductivity of the patterned strain sensor shows a linear response to the applied strain in a wide range from 0% to about 85%. Additionally, the patterned PANI/PVDF strain sensor can completely recover to its original electrical and mechanical values within a strain range of more than 22%, and exhibits good durability over 10,000 folding-unfolding tests. Furthermore, the strain sensor also can be used to detect finger motion. The results demonstrate promising application of the patterned nanofibrous membrane in flexible electronic fields.

Long-term boron-deficiency-responsive genes revealed by cDNA-AFLP differ between Citrus sinensis roots and leaves.

Seedlings of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck were supplied with boron (B)-deficient (without H3BO3) or -sufficient (10 µM H3BO3) nutrient solution for 15 weeks. We identified 54 (38) and 38 (45) up (down)-regulated cDNA-AFLP bands (transcript-derived fragments, TDFs) from B-deficient leaves and roots, respectively. These TDFs were mainly involved in protein and amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, nucleic acid metabolism, cell transport, signal transduction, and stress response and defense. The majority of the differentially expressed TDFs were isolated only from B-deficient roots or leaves, only seven TDFs with the same GenBank ID were isolated from the both. In addition, ATP biosynthesis-related TDFs were induced in B-deficient roots, but unaffected in B-deficient leaves. Most of the differentially expressed TDFs associated with signal transduction and stress defense were down-regulated in roots, but up-regulated in leaves. TDFs related to protein ubiquitination and proteolysis were induced in B-deficient leaves except for one TDF, while only two down-regulated TDFs associated with ubiquitination were detected in B-deficient roots. Thus, many differences existed in long-term B-deficiency-responsive genes between roots and leaves. In conclusion, our findings provided a global picture of the differential responses occurring in B-deficient roots and leaves and revealed new insight into the different adaptive mechanisms of C. sinensis roots and leaves to B-deficiency at the transcriptional level.