An 18.3 MJ charging and discharging pulsed power supply system for the space plasma environment research facility (SPERF): the subsystem for the magnetic mirror coil.

The magnetic reconnection process relevant to that at the magnetotail is one of the research contents of the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility, which is under construction at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China. Two magnetic mirror sub-coils placed symmetrically in the vertical direction and connected in series cooperate with a dipole coil to generate a magnetic field environment similar to the Earth's magnetotail. A capacitor-based pulsed power supply (PPS) system with a modular design is developed to excite two magnetic mirror sub-coils to generate a magnetic field with a magnetic flux density of not less than 200 G at the center of the two sub-coils. The PPS should deliver a pulsed current with a peak of more than 8 kA, and the duration of the current not be less than 95% of the peak over 5 ms to two magnetic mirror sub-coils when the charging voltage is not less than 20 kV. In addition, the duration from the peak to 10% of the peak is not more than 130 ms. The detailed design of the PPS is discussed in this paper, and a test method is designed to reduce the risk of damage to the wires and the connection between the wires and the coaxial cables of the PPS when the PPS discharges at a higher charging voltage. Finally, the discharge test of the PPS is carried out to verify the design of the PPS.

Biodegradable starch-based packaging films incorporated with polyurethane-encapsulated essential-oil microcapsules for sustained food preservation.

Novel starch-based packaging films with sustained antibacterial activity were successfully made by incorporating polyurethane-encapsulated essential-oil microcapsules (EOs@PU) as an alternative synthetic preservative for food preservation. Herein, three essential oils (EOs) were blended to make composite essential oils with a more harmonious aroma and higher antibacterial ability and encapsulated into polyurethane (PU) to form EOs@PU microcapsules based on interfacial polymerization. The morphology of the constructed EOs@PU microcapsules was regular and uniform with an average size of approximately 3 µm, thus enabling high loading capacity (59.01 %). As such, we further integrated the obtained EOs@PU microcapsules into potato starch to prepare food packaging films for sustained food preservation. Consequently, the prepared starch-based packaging films incorporated with EOs@PU microcapsules had an excellent UV blocking rate (>90 %) and low cell toxicity. Notably, the long-term release of EOs@PU microcapsules gave the packaging films a sustained antibacterial ability, prolonging the shelf life of fresh blueberries and raspberries at 25 °C (> 7 days). Furthermore, the biodegradation rate of food packaging films cultured with natural soil was 95 % after 8 days, clarifying the excellent biodegradability of the packaging films for environmental protection. As demonstrated, the biodegradable packaging films provided a natural and safe strategy for food preservation.

Muscle Contraction-Inspired Tough Hydrogels.

In many animals, tough skeletal muscle contraction occurs, producing a strong force through myofilaments attaching to and sliding on fibrous actin filaments. In contrast, the strength of typical synthetic hydrogels is facilitated mainly by polymeric chains. We propose a strategy for developing strong and tough hydrogels in which the side groups on polymeric chains strongly interact with dispersing medium. The hydrogels are fabricated with a polyacrylamide-alginate double network in a choline chloride saturated solution. The hydrogels are not only highly transparent, tough, fatigue-resistant, self-recovering, self-healing, and adhesive but also water-retentive, antifreezing, and conductive. The hydrogels are strengthened by hydrogen bonds in dispersing medium with a clathrate framework structure. This work may inspire the development of tough and conductive gels for applications of e-skins, soft robots, and intelligent devices.

microRNA-497-mediated Smurf2/YY1/HIF2α axis in tumor growth and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Aberrant expression of microRNA-497 (miR-497) is associated with tumor progression, but the molecular mechanisms in tumorigenesis remain largely unknown. Here, we report that miR-497 expression is downregulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) clinical samples. Consistently, upregulation of miR-497 inhibits ESCC cell malignant properties and tumor growth in vivo. Importantly, we uncovered that miR-497 upregulation suppressed ESCC cell growth and tumor growth by inhibiting Smurf2. Mechanistically, we showed that Smurf2 was a target of miR-497, and mediated YY1 expression to elevate HIF2α expression, thereby enhancing the malignancy of ESCC cells. Together, our study uncovered the role of the miR-497-mediated Smurf2/YY1/HIF2α axis in tumor growth and metastasis, which might provide potential therapeutic targets for human ESCC.

pH-responsive citral microcapsules with tannic acid-FeIII coordination complexes.

Citral is one of the most important aromatic ingredients in foods and beverages for its distinct lemon-like odor. However, the fast evaporation and oxidation limit these applications. Herein, citral microcapsules were constructed by tannic acid-FeIII coordination complexes (citral@TA-FeIII). The morphologies, structure, citral loading amount, pH responsiveness, oxidative stability and olfactory sensory evaluation were investigated. The obtained citral@TA-FeIII microcapsules presented core-shell structure with the average size of 528.16 nm. Citral loading amount was 12.79 %. Citral release exhibited pH-responsiveness with a sustained release rate at neutral pH and a fast release under acidic condition. Citral microcapsules retained excellent sensory profile due to the antioxidant capsule shells. Citral@TA-FeIII microcapsules efficiently inhibited bacteria (S. aureus and E. coli) growth, and the performance is enhanced under acidic condition by citral pH-responsive release. This work may open a new path for hydrophobic unsaturated aroma compounds encapsulation, widening their applications with multifunctionalities.

Dual stabilization of Pickering emulsion with epigallocatechin gallate loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

Oxidation in food emulsions remains challenging to keep food quality and shelf-life. In this paper, a dual stabilization to both oil phase and antioxidant in Pickering emulsion is presented. Mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSN) were prepared to incorporate epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a typical plant-based antioxidant. EGCG loaded MSN were used to emulsify Litsea cubeba essential oil, a model oil, with olfactory investigation of the chemical stability. The emulsions improved the physical and chemical stabilization. The emulsions were uniformly stable with various parameters with one-month observation. Olfactory evaluation and GC-MS-O investigation reveal that the odors and odorous compounds of essential oil were well preserved in Pickering emulsions and much better than those in conventional emulsion with Tween 80. EGCG loaded MSN Pickering emulsion efficiently protect essential oil from oxidation. EGCG was also well retained in Pickering emulsion. This strategy could inspire new designs for food functional Pickering emulsions with efficient protective effect.

Promising novel biomarkers and candidate small-molecule drugs for lung adenocarcinoma: Evidence from bioinformatics analysis of high-throughput data.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common subtype of non-small cell lung cancer associated with an unstable prognosis. Thus, there is an urgent demand for the identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as targeted drugs for LUAD. The present study aimed to identify potential new biomarkers associated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of LUAD. Three microarray datasets (GSE10072, GSE31210, and GSE40791) from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were integrated to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in normal and LUAD samples using the limma package. Bioinformatics tools were used to perform functional and signaling pathway enrichment analyses for the DEGs. The expression and prognostic values of the hub genes were further evaluated by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, we mined the "Connectivity Map" (CMap) to explore candidate small molecules that can reverse the tumoral of LUAD based on the DEGs. A total of 505 DEGs were identified, which included 337 downregulated and 168 upregulated genes. The PPI network was established with 1,860 interactions and 373 nodes. The most significant pathway and functional enrichment associated with the genes were cell adhesion and extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, respectively. Seven DEGs with high connectivity degrees (ZWINT, RRM2, NDC80, KIF4A, CEP55, CENPU, and CENPF) that were significantly associated with worse survival were chosen as hub genes. Lastly, top 20 most important small molecules which reverses the LUAD gene expressions were identified. The findings contribute to revealing the molecular mechanisms of the initiation and progression of LUAD and provide new insights for integrating multiple biomarkers in clinical practice.

Supersmall Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres as Antioxidant Nanocarriers for Pickering Emulsifiers.

Encapsulation of flavor and aromatic compounds in emulsions holds great potential for development of novel formulations in food applications. In this paper, supersmall dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres (DMSNs) were fabricated by the one-pot strategy. The morphologies of DMSNs were directly tuned in terms of diameter from 35 ± 2 to 85 ± 4 nm. The obtained DMSNs are nanocarriers for hydrophilic or hydrophobic antioxidants with superior loading performance. Both DMSNs and antioxidant-loaded ones can emulsify the flavor and aromatic compounds yielding stable Pickering emulsions with droplets of approximately 2 µm in diameter. The emulsions possess excellent physical stability for at least half a year. More importantly, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry (GC-MS-O) analysis shows that antioxidant-loaded DMSNs provide outstanding protective functionalities to the encapsulated flavoring oil. A universality study reveals that DMSNs are an ideal platform for stable Pickering emulsions for aromatic compounds. Our design could provide a new path for flavor and sensitive bioactives for codelivery with excellent stability in food, medicine, cosmetics, etc.

An 18.3 MJ charging and discharging pulsed power supply system for the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility (SPERF): The subsystem for the magnetic perturbation coils.

The mechanism of acceleration, loss, and wave-particle interaction of energetic particles in the magnetosphere is a research content of the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility, which is being built as a user facility at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China. Two magnetic perturbation coils are used to simulate the magnetic storm distortion and excite Alfvén wave perturbation. A capacitor-based pulsed power supply (PPS) system with a modular design is developed to excite the magnetic perturbation coils to generate the required amplitude and duration of the magnetic field. The two magnetic perturbation coils are the CRDI coil and CRDII coil and are excited by one set of PPSs. The PPS for the CRDI coil consists of two modules and can provide a pulsed current of no less than 132 kA at 0.12 ms when the charging voltage is 20 kV, and the duration of the pulsed current from the peak to 10% of the peak is no more than 0.7 ms. The PPS for the CRDII coil consists of five modules and can provide a pulsed current of no less than 16 kA at 0.45, 0.65, 0.8, 0.95, and 1.1 ms, and the duration of the pulsed current from the peak to 10% of the peak is no more than 4.5 ms. The detailed design of the PPSs has been discussed in this paper, and the discharge test of the PPSs is carried out to verify the design of the PPSs.

An 18.3-MJ charging and discharging pulsed power supply system for the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility (SPERF): The subsystem for the magnetosheath coils.

3D asymmetric magnetic reconnection is an important investigation of the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility, which is being built as a user facility at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China. Four magnetosheath coils, which consist of Poloidal Field (labeled PF) coils and Toroidal Field (labeled TF) coils, are used to generate the magnetic field and plasma environment for the reconnecting experiment. A capacitor-based pulsed power supply (PPS) system with a modular design is developed to excite the magnetosheath coils to generate the required amplitude and duration of the magnetic field. The PPS system includes the PF PPS and TF PPS, which include four sets of PPSs, respectively. Each set of PF PPS and TF PPS consists of nine modules and four modules, respectively, and each module consists of a charge and discharge unit. The PF PPS can provide a pulsed current of no less than 360 kA for the corresponding PF coil at 0.11 ms when the charging voltage is 20 kV, and the duration of the pulsed current from the peak to 10% of the peak is no more than 0.6 ms. The TF PPS can provide a pulsed current of no less than 200 kA for the corresponding TF coil at 0.08 ms when the charging voltage is 20 kV, and the duration of the pulsed current from the peak to 10% of the peak is no more than 1.6 ms. The detailed design of the PPS has been discussed in this paper, and the detailed design of the main components in the discharge unit of the PPS is also given in this paper. Finally, the discharge tests of all the PPSs are carried out to verify the design of the PPSs, and the results of the PPSs in discharge tests indicate that all the PPSs meet the design requirements.

An 18.3 MJ charging and discharging pulsed power supply system for the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility (SPERF): The subsystem for the dipole coil.

The Space Plasma Environment Research Facility (SPERF) currently under construction at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China is a user facility dedicated to studying space plasma physics on the ground. A coil system of the SPERF consists of seven types of coils, which are used to generate the magnetic fields and plasma required by the physical experiments. A dipole coil of the coil system works with four magnetosheath coils (flux cores) to build the magnetic fields resembling that of the Earth and solar wind. A capacitor-based pulsed power supply (PPS) system with a modular design is developed to excite the dipole coil to generate a magnetosphere-like magnetic field required by the magnetopause magnetic reconnection experiment. The PPS of the dipole coil has a longer pulse duration and more energy than that of other coils in the coil system, it delivers a pulsed current with a peak of more than 18 kA, and the duration of the current is not less than 95% of the peak over 10 ms to the dipole coil when the charging voltage is not less than 20 kV. The detailed design of the PPS is discussed in this paper, and the discharge test of the PPS is carried out to verify the design of the PPS.

An 18.3 MJ charging and discharging pulsed power supply system for the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility (SPERF): The subsystem for the magnetopause shape control coils.

The Space Plasma Environment Research Facility currently under construction at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China uses four magnetosheath coils (flux cores) and a dipole coil to generate the magnetic field required for the study on the magnetopause magnetic reconnection. Two groups of magnetopause shape control coils (labeled CK coils) are used to slightly adjust the magnetic field distribution on the magnetopause. A capacitive pulsed power supply (PPS) system with a modular design is developed to excite CK coils. The PPS system consists of six sets of PPS with the same principle and structure, which are used to excite six sub-coils of the CK coils, respectively. Each set of PPS consists of ten modules and one local controller, and each module consists of a charger and discharge unit. Each set of PPS can provide a pulsed current of no less than 400 kA for the corresponding sub-coil at 0.11 ms when the charging voltage is 20 kV, and the duration of the pulsed current from the peak to 10% of the peak is no more than 0.6 ms. The detailed design of the PPS is discussed in this paper, and the discharge test of the PPS is carried out to verify the design of the PPS. Because there are acquisition and control devices in the discharge unit, the electromagnetic interference immunity design is also discussed to ensure the normal operation of the PPS.

Chitosan-coated organosilica nanoparticles as a dual responsive delivery system of natural fragrance for axillary odor problem.

Citronellol (CI)-loaded, chitosan (CS)-enclosed dendritic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (CI@D-MONs@CS) are successfully fabricated. The synthesized CI@D-MONs@CS present spherical shape with the particle size of 424±24 nm in diameter and dendritic mesopores. CI loading ratio of CI@D-MONs@CS is about 12.42% from TGA analysis. CI release from CI@D-MONs@CS exhibits pH-redox dual responsiveness. More interesting, the axillary deodorant effect is investigated with Staphylococcus haemolyticus in an artificial sweat model. The results show that CI@D-MONs@CS present an excellent bacteria-killing effect and the smell of artificial sweat is greatly improved, avoiding the formation of undesirable odorant compounds from the bacteria. The obtained CI@D-MONs@CS is a potential carrier of natural fragrance or actives with dual responsive release. The application of CI@D-MONs@CS is a new and effective strategy to the axillary odor problem.

An 18.3 MJ charging and discharging pulsed power supply system for the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility (SPERF): Modular design method and component selection.

The capacitor-based pulsed power supply (PPS) system is an important subsystem of the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility being built as a user facility at Harbin Institute of Technology in China. It has been developed with a modular design to drive magnetic coils to generate magnetic fields and plasma for the physical experiments. In this paper, the modular design and component selection are proposed based on a calculation of parameter ranges of components and the number of modules followed by a simulation and an engineering test. Both the simulation and test results show the feasibility of the selected components and the number of modules to meet the designing requirements of the PPS.

Complicated appendicitis are common during the epidemic period of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of complicated appendicitis (including gangrene, abscess and perforation) after the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV epidemic and to identify the risk factors associated with complicated appendicitis. METHODS: Two groups were established in the study consisting of: one group for cases of acute appendicitis before the 2019-nCoV epidemic (before January 1, 2020; pre-epidemic group) and another group for those after the epidemic outbreak (after January 1, 2020; epidemic group). These two groups were compared in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics, prevalence of complicated appendicitis, and treatment intention. A multivariate analysis model using binary logistic regression was constructed. RESULTS: A total of 163 patients were included in this study, with 105 in the pre-epidemic group and 58 in the epidemic group. In the epidemic group, the interval from the onset of symptoms to admission was 65.0 h, which is significantly longer than the 17.3 h interval noted in the pre-epidemic group (P < 0.001). The prevalence of complicated appendicitis after the epidemic outbreak was significantly higher than before the outbreak (51.7% vs. 12.4%, P < 0.001). In addition, the epidemic group had a lower score of patient's intention to seek treatment than the pre-epidemic group (9.5 ± 2.7 vs. 3.4 ± 2.6, P < 0.001). Based on the multivariate analysis, the risk factors for complicated appendicitis included the time from symptoms onset to admission (OR = 1.075) and the patients' intention to receive treatment (OR = 0.541). CONCLUSION: Complicated appendicitis was more common in patients with acute appendicitis after the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV epidemic.

Dual responsive linalool capsules with high loading ratio for excellent antioxidant and antibacterial efficiency.

Linalool is a main component in different naturally derived essential oils, and widely used in household, personal care, food and therapeutic formulations. However, the application is limited due to its high volatility and low stability. In this study, an effective encapsulation with high loading ratio was built up together with thermal-redox dual responsiveness and controlled release properties. The emulsified linalool droplets were modified with carbon-carbon double bonds, followed by the precipitation polymerization with thermal sensitive monomer, N-vinyl caprolactam. The average size and the loading ratio of the prepared linalool capsules were 1.4 µm and 50.41 wt%. The linalool capsules exhibited thermal-redox dual responsive properties and the antioxidant-antibacterial performance. Especially, responding to the stimuli mimicking practical circumstance, the synthesized capsules presented excellent bacteria inhibiting effect. This work may open a new path for fragrance and essential oil encapsulation, enlarging them as the green biological antibacterial agents in different applications.

Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Female Sexual Function in Obese Patients: a Meta-Analysis.

We aimed to make a meta-analysis regarding the effect of bariatric surgery on female sexual function. PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched from database inception through August 2019. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they examined the effect of bariatric surgery on obese women's sexual function assessed by the Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) or/and the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12). Twenty articles were included into meta-analysis. Bariatric surgery was associated with significant increase in the total FSFI score. When parameters included in the FSFI scoring system were separately evaluated, significant improvements were observed in sexual desire, sexual arousal, lubrication, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and sexual pain. However, the PISQ-12 and FSFI scores in women with pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) were not significantly changed postoperatively. Bariatric surgery improves female sexual function in obese patients, but not in women with PFD.

Antibacterial and anticancer activities of asymmetric lollipop-like mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with curcumin and gentamicin sulfate.

Asymmetric mesoporous silica nanoparticles with anisotropic geometry and dual-compartments are highly desired for loading and release of dual-drugs in separated storage spaces. In this study, an asymmetric lollipop-like mesoporous silica nanoparticle Fe3O4@SiO2&EPMO (EPMO = ethane bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica) was successfully developed via an anisotropic epitaxial growth strategy. The asymmetric nanoparticles show a uniform lollipop shape with a head of spherical Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell that is 200 nm in diameter and a tail of EPMO nanorods with a length of ∼90 nm, and a specific surface area of ∼650.3 m2 g-1. Most importantly, the asymmetric nanoparticles possess the unique dual independent (hydrophilic/hydrophobic) spaces with good loading capacities and are significantly more efficient for cancer cell killing than pure drug based on in vitro studies. Additionally, the dual-drug-loaded nanoparticles exhibited excellent antibacterial activity.

miR-92b-3p Functions As A Key Gene In Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer As Determined By Co-Expression Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly aggressive malignancy. The aims of the present study were to screen the critical miRNA and corresponding target genes that related to development of ESCC by weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and investigate the functions by experimental validation. METHODS: Datasets of mRNA and miRNA expression data were downloaded from GEO. The R software was used for data preprocessing and differential expression gene analysis. The differentially expressed protein-coding genes (DEGs) and miRNAs (DEMs) were selected (FDR <0.05 or |Fold Change (FC)| >1.5). Meanwhile, 81 expression data of ESCC patients in TCGA combined with clinic information were applied by WGCNA to create networks. The correlational analyses between each module and clinical parameters were conducted, and enrichment analyses of GO and KEGG were subsequently performed. Then, a series of experiments were conducted in ESCC cells by use of miRNA mimics. RESULTS: In total, 4,023 DEGs and 328 DEMs were screened. After checking good genes and samples, 3,841 genes (3,696 DEGs and 145 DEMs) were used for WGCNA. As a consequence, altogether 11 gene modules were found. Among them, the brown modules were found to be strongly inversely associated with pathological grade. Meanwhile, has-mir-92b, the only miRNA in brown module, had a positive correlation with grade and negatively correlated with potential target gene (KFL4 and DCS2) in the same module. Furthermore, an increased expression of miR-92b-3p and down-regulated KLF4 and DSC2 protein was detected in the ESCC clinical samples. Up-regulated miR-92b-3p shortened G0/G1 phase and promote ESCC cells invasion and migration. Furthermore, we verified that DSC2 and KFL4 was target genes of miR-92b-3p by luciferase report assay. CONCLUSION: WGCNA is an efficient approach to system biology. By this procedure, miR-92b-3p was identified as an ESCC-promoting gene by target KLF4 and DCS2.

Role of leptin in allergic rhinitis during sublingual immunotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence suggests that leptin is upregulated during allergic reactions in the airway and related to the severity of disease in allergic rhinitis (AR). In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of leptin during sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in AR patients. METHODS: Forty AR patients without obesity were recruited in this study. Twenty patients received house dust mite (HDM) allergen extract for SLIT and twenty patients received placebo randomly. Protein expression of leptin in serum and nasal lavage was tested by enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) 1 and 2 years after SLIT treatment, respectively. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and human nasal epithelial cell were prepared and stimulated by recombinant leptin after 24 months' SLIT treatment and the induction of Th2 cytokines (IL-4/IL-5/IL-13) were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: SLIT treatment decreased the expression of leptin protein in serum and nasal lavage significantly compared with placebo group 1 and 2 years after SLIT treatment. Nasal leptin level was correlated to decreased Th2 response (IL-4/IL-5/IL-13) and enhanced Treg (IL-10/TGF-beat) response after 2 years' SLIT. We also found that SLIT decreased the ability of leptin in promoting Th2 cytokines expression by PBMCs and human nasal epithelial cell after 2 years' SLIT treatment. CONCLUSION: Changes of leptin expression in serum and nasal lavage may be correlated with Th2/Treg regulation during SLIT. Our results suggested that leptin served as an important biomarker during SLIT.