N, P Dual-Doped Carbons as Metal-Free Catalysts for Hydrogenation.

The activation of molecule hydrogen (H2) by metal-free catalysts is always a challenge in the field of catalysis. Herein, a series of N, P dual-doped carbon catalysts were constructed by the pyrolysis of chitosan and phytic acid and utilized as metal-free catalysts for the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. The characterization indicated that the doping of phosphorus atoms not only formed the species with catalytic activity for hydrogenation reaction but also promoted the doping of N. The experimental results indicated that their catalytic performance could be improved by the regulation of pyrolysis temperature and heating rate. CP-900-1 (pyrolysis at 900 °C with a heating rate of 1 °C/min) exhibited a promising catalytic activity with >99% nitrobenzene conversion. N, P codoping was the key factor to its catalytic performance. All results indicated that the excellent catalytic activity of CP-900-1 was attributed to the synergistic interaction among pyridinic N, P-C species, and graphitic N. This work provides an effective route for the rational design and construction of highly efficient metal-free catalysts for hydrogenation.

The preventive effect of photocrosslinked Hep/GelMA hydrogel loaded with PRF on MRONJ.

BACKGROUND: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the Jaw (MRONJ) is a rare but severe side effect in patients treated with medications such as Bisphosphonates (BPs). Its pathophysiological mechanism needs to be more precise. Establishing preventive measures and treatment standards is necessary. This study aimed to develop a composite hydrogel scaffold constituted by methacrylated gelatin (GelMA), methacrylated heparin (HepMA) and PRF, and investigate its potential application value in the prevention of MRONJ. METHODS: GelMA, HepMA, and PRF were prepared using specific ratios for hydrogel scaffolds. Through mechanical properties and biocompatibility analysis, the release rate of growth factors and the ability to promote bone differentiation in vitro were evaluated. To explore the healing-enhancing effects of hydrogels in vivo, the composite hydrogel scaffold was implanted to the MRONJ rat model. Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) and histological examination were conducted to evaluate the bone morphology and tissue regeneration. RESULTS: The Hep/GelMA-PRF hydrogel improved the degradation rate and swelling rate. It was also used to control the release rate of growth factors effectively. In vitro, the Hep/GelMA-PRF hydrogel was biocompatible and capable of reversing the inhibitory effect of zoledronic acid (ZOL) on the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1s. In vivo, the micro-CT analysis and histological evaluation demonstrated that the Hep/GelMA-PRF group exhibited the best tissue reconstruction. Moreover, compared to the ZOL group, the expression of osteogenesis proteins, including osteocalcin (OCN), type collagen I (Col I), and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in the Hep/GelMA-PRF group were all significantly upregulated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The Hep/GelMA-PRF hydrogel scaffold could effectively control the release rate of growth factors, induce osteogenic differentiation, reduce inflammation, and keep a stable microenvironment for tissue repair. It has potential application value in the prevention of MRONJ.

Structure-Functional Activity of Pyrone Derivatives for Inhibition of Barnacle Settlement and Biofilm Formation.

Naturally occurring 6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one and its synthetic analogues greatly inhibit the settlement of Amphibalanus amphitrite cyprids and the growth and biofilm formation of marine bacteria. To optimize the antifouling activities of pyrone derivatives, this study designed pyrone analogues by modifying functional groups, such as the benzyl group, cyclopentane, and halides, substituted on both sides of a pyrone. The antifouling effects of the synthesized pyrone derivatives were subsequently evaluated against five marine biofilm-forming bacteria, Loktanella hongkongensis, Staphylococcus cohnii, S. saprophyticus, Photobacterium angustum, and Alteromonas macleodii, along with barnacle cyprids of Amphibalanus amphitrite. Substituting nonpolar parts-such as the aliphatic, cyclopentyl, or phenyl moieties on C-5 or the furan moieties on C-3-not only increased antibacterial activity and inhibited biofilm formation but also inhibited barnacle cyprid settlement when compared to 6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one.

Correlation of disulfidptosis and periodontitis: New insights and clinical significance.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate and predict the therapeutic agents associated with disulfidptosis in periodontitis. DESIGN: The dataset GSE10334 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and used to train a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) algorithm to identify genes associated with disulfidptosis in periodontitis. GSE16134 validation sets, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and gingival immunofluorescence were used to verify the results.Single-gene Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to explore the potential mechanisms and functions of the characterized genes. Immune infiltration and correlation analyses were performed, and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks were constructed. Effective therapeutic drugs were then predicted using the DGIdb database, and molecular docking was used to validate binding affinity. RESULTS: Six genes (SLC7A11, SLC3A2, RPN1, NCKAP1, LRPPRC, and NDUFS1) associated with disulfidptosis in periodontitis were obtained. Validation results from external datasets and experiments were consistent with the screening results. Single-gene GSEA analysis was mainly enriched for antigen presentation and immune-related pathways and functions.Immune infiltration and correlation analyses revealed significant regulatory relationships between these genes and plasma cells, resting dendritic cell, and activated NK cells. The ceRNA network was visualized. And ME-344, NV-128, and RILUZOLE, which have good affinity to target genes, were identified as promising agents for the treatment of periodontitis. CONCLUSIONS: SLC7A11, SLC3A2, RPN1, NCKAP1, LRPPRC, and NDUFS1 are targets associated with disulfidptosis in periodontitis, and ME-344, NV-128, and RILUZOLE are promising agents for the treatment of periodontitis.

Incense-burning smoke ingredient Auramine enhances lincRNA-p21 expression for chemosensitization in p53-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Incense-burning smoke is a deleterious air pollutant that initiates cytotoxic effects by inducing apoptosis in lung epithelial cells and also acts as a risk factor for lung cancers. Auramine, an ingredient of incense smoke, has been implicated in tumor progression and cellular sensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) towards anti-cancer agents through unclear mechanisms. Tumor protein p53 (TP53)-activated long intergenic non-coding RNA-p21 (lincRNA-p21) undertakes a pivotal role in regulating cell apoptosis and chemosensitivity. TP53 mutations prevalent in 50% of NSCLC, contribute to diminished therapeutic efficacy. However, the influence of auramine on chemotherapy-induced lincRNA-p21 expression and apoptosis in NSCLC with different TP53 genetic statuses remains unexplored. This study disclosed that both wild-type p53 (wtp53) and mutant p53 (mutp53) mediate lincRNA-p21 expression, albeit through distinct promoter enhancers, p53-response element (p53RE) and non-B DNA structure G-quadruplex (GQ), respectively. Intriguingly, auramine functions as an effective stabilizer of the GQ structure, augmenting mutp53-mediated lincRNA-p21 expression and enhancing apoptosis and cellular sensitivity to chemotherapy in mutp53-expressing NSCLC cells. These findings suggest a mechanism by which mutp53, in the presence of auramine, is endowed with tumor-suppressing function akin to wtp53, thereby aiding in combating chemoresistance in NSCLC cells harboring TP53 mutations.

Probing action potentials of single beating cardiomyocytes using atomic force microscopy.

This paper presents a method for using atomic force microscopy to probe action potentials of single beating cardiomyocytes at the nanoscale. In this work, the conductive tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) was used as a nanoelectrode to record the action potentials of self-beating cardiomyocytes in both the non-constant force contact mode and the constant force contact mode. An electrical model of a tip-cell interface was developed and the indentation force effect on the seal of an AFM conductive tip-cell membrane was theoretically analyzed. The force feedback of AFM allowed for the precise control of tip-cell contact, and enabled reliable measurements. The feasibility of simultaneously recording the action potentials and force information during the contraction of the same beating cardiomyocyte was studied. Furthermore, the AFM tip electrode was used to probe the differences of action potentials using different drugs. This method provides a way at the nanoscale for electrophysiological studies on single beating cardiomyocytes, neurons, and ion channels embedded within the cell membrane in relation to disease states, pharmaceutical drug testing and screening.

Clinical applications and cadaveric study of the free descending genicular artery perforator flap without the saphenous vein.

BACKGROUND: The descending genicular artery (DGA) and medial thigh region have been underused as donor sites for perforator flaps. This study evaluated the anatomical relationship between the perforators of the DGA and the saphenous vein (SV) to review the clinical applications of the free descending genicular artery perforator (DGAP) flap for locoregional reconstruction. METHODS: Fifteen cadavers were arterially perfused with red latex and dissected. Thirty-one patients with extremity tissue defects were treated with a free DGAP flap, including six patients who received a chimeric flap. The minimum distance between the DGAP and the SV was measured during surgery. RESULTS: In all patients, the skin branch of the descending genicular artery was found in the medial femoral condyle plane in front of the SV. The average distance between the descending genicular artery perforator and the SV was 3.71 ± 0.38 cm (range: 2.9-4.3 cm). Thirty flaps survived completely, and one flap developed partial necrosis; however, this flap healed two weeks after skin grafting. The average follow-up time was 11.23 months. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the SV can be preserved when harvesting the descending genicular artery perforator flap, causing less damage to the donor site and having no effect on flap survival. The free descending genicular artery perforator flap without the SV is a better therapy for complicated tissue defects.

Cell recognition based on features extracted by AFM and parameter optimization classifiers.

Intelligent technology can assist in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, which would pave the way towards precision medicine in the coming decade. As a key focus of medical research, the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer play an important role in the future survival of patients. In this work, a diagnostic method based on nano-resolution imaging was proposed to meet the demand for precise detection methods in medicine and scientific research. The cell images scanned by AFM were recognized by cell feature engineering and machine learning classifiers. A feature ranking method based on the importance of features to responses was used to screen features closely related to categorization and optimization of feature combinations, which helps to understand the feature differences between cell types at the micro level. The results showed that the Bayesian optimized back propagation neural network has accuracy rates of 90.37% and 92.68% on two cell datasets (HL-7702 & SMMC-7721 and GES-1 & SGC-7901), respectively. This provides an automatic analysis method for identifying cancer cells or abnormal cells, which can help to reduce the burden of medical or scientific research, decrease misjudgment and promote precise medical care for the whole society.

High-quality AFM image acquisition of living cells by modified residual encoder-decoder network.

Atomic force microscope enables ultra-precision imaging of living cells. However, atomic force microscope imaging is a complex and time-consuming process. The obtained images of living cells usually have low resolution and are easily influenced by noise leading to unsatisfactory imaging quality, obstructing the research and analysis based on cell images. Herein, an adaptive attention image reconstruction network based on residual encoder-decoder was proposed, through the combination of deep learning technology and atomic force microscope imaging supporting high-quality cell image acquisition. Compared with other learning-based methods, the proposed network showed higher peak signal-to-noise ratio, higher structural similarity and better image reconstruction performances. In addition, the cell images reconstructed by each method were used for cell recognition, and the cell images reconstructed by the proposed network had the highest cell recognition rate. The proposed network has brought insights into the atomic force microscope-based imaging of living cells and cell image reconstruction, which is of great significance in biological and medical research.

Urea-formaldehyde resin room temperature phosphorescent material with ultra-long afterglow and adjustable phosphorescence performance.

Organic room-temperature phosphorescence materials have attracted extensive attention, but their development is limited by the stability and processibility. Herein, based on the on-line derivatization strategy, we report the urea-formaldehyde room-temperature phosphorescence materials which are constructed by polycondensation of aromatic diamines with urea and formaldehyde. Excitingly, urea-formaldehyde room-temperature phosphorescence materials achieve phosphor lifetime up to 3326 ms. There may be two ways to enhance phosphorescence performance, one is that the polycondensation of aromatic diamine with urea and formaldehyde promotes spin-orbit coupling, and another is that the imidazole derivatives derived from the condensation of aromatic o-diamine with formaldehyde maintains low levels of energy level difference and spin-orbit coupling, thus achieving ultra-long afterglow. Surprisingly, urea-formaldehyde room-temperature phosphorescence materials exhibit tunable phosphorescence emission in electrostatic field. Accordingly, 1,4-phenylenediamine, urea, and formaldehyde are copolymerized and self-assembled into phosphorescence microspheres with different electrostatic potential strengths. By mixing 1 wt% 1,4-phenylenediamine polycondensation microspheres with 1,4-phenylenediamine free microspheres, phosphor lifetime of the composite could be regulated from 27 ms to 123 ms. Moreover, vulcanization process enables precise shaping of urea-formaldehyde room-temperature phosphorescence materials. This work not only demonstrates that urea-formaldehyde room-temperature phosphorescence materials are promising candidates for organic phosphors, but also exhibits the phenomenon of electrostatically regulated phosphorescence.

Atorvastatin combined with imipenem alleviates lung injury in sepsis by inhibiting neutrophil extracellular trap formation via the ERK/NOX2 signaling pathway.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms. Despite major advances in diagnosis and technology, morbidity and mortality remain high. The level of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) is closely associated with the progression and prognosis of sepsis, suggesting the regulation of NET formation as a new strategy in sepsis treatment. Owing to its pleiotropic effects, atorvastatin, a clinical lipid-lowering drug, affects various aspects of sepsis-related inflammation and immune responses. To align closely with clinical practice, we combined it with imipenem for the treatment of sepsis. In this study, we used a cecum ligation and puncture-induced lung injury mouse model and employed techniques including western blot, immunofluorescence, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the levels of NETs and other sepsis-related lung injury indicators. Our findings indicate that atorvastatin effectively inhibited the formation of NETs. When combined with imipenem, it significantly alleviated lung injury, reduced systemic inflammation, and improved the 7-day survival rate of septic mice. Additionally, we explored the inhibitory mechanism of atorvastatin on NET formation in vitro, revealing its potential action through the ERK/NOX2 pathway. Therefore, atorvastatin is a potential immunomodulatory agent that may offer new treatment strategies for patients with sepsis in clinical settings.

Integrated Untargeted Metabolome, Full-Length Sequencing and Transcriptome Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) Fruit.

As a highly economic berry fruit crop, blueberry is enjoyed by most people and has various potential health benefits, many of which are attributed to the relatively high concentrations of flavonoids. To obtain more accurate and comprehensive transcripts, the full-length transcriptome of half-highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum/angustifolium cultivar Northland) obtained using single molecule real-time and next-generation sequencing technologies was reported for the first time. Overall, 147,569 consensus transcripts (average length, 2738 bp; N50, 3176 bp) were obtained. After quality control steps, 63,425 high-quality isoforms were obtained and 5030 novel genes, 3002 long non-coding RNAs, 3946 transcription factor genes (TFs), 30,540 alternative splicing events, and 2285 fusion gene pairs were identified. To better explore the molecular mechanism of flavonoid biosynthesis in mature blueberry fruit, an integrative analysis of the metabolome and transcriptome was performed on the exocarp, sarcocarp, and seed. A relatively complete biosynthesis pathway map of phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, and proanthocyanins in blueberry was constructed. The results of the joint analysis showed that the 228 functional genes and 42 TFs regulated 78 differentially expressed metabolites within the biosynthesis pathway of phenylpropanoids/flavonoids. O2PLS analysis results showed that the key metabolites differentially accumulated in blueberry fruit tissues were albireodelphin, delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside, delphinidin 3-O-rutinoside, and delphinidin 3-O-sophoroside, and 10 structural genes (4 Vc4CLs, 3 VcBZ1s, 1 VcUGT75C1, 1 VcAT, and 1 VcUGAT), 4 transporter genes (1 VcGSTF and 3 VcMATEs), and 10 TFs (1 VcMYB, 2 VcbHLHs, 4 VcWD40s, and 3 VcNACs) exhibited strong correlations with 4 delphinidin glycosides. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of flavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation in blueberry fruit.

Remodeling Microenvironment for Implant-Associated Osteomyelitis by Dual Metal Peroxide.

Implant-associated osteomyelitis (IAOM) is characterized by bone infection and destruction; current therapy of antibiotic treatment and surgical debridement often results in drug resistance and bone defect. It is challenging to develop an antibiotic-free bactericidal and osteogenic-enhanced strategy for IAOM. Herein, an IAOM-tailored antibacterial and osteoinductive composite of copper (Cu)-strontium (Sr) peroxide nanoparticles (CSp NPs), encapsulated in polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) (CSp@PEGDA), is designed. The dual functional CSp NPs display hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) self-supplying and Fenton catalytic Cu2+ ions' release, generating plenty of hydroxyl radical (•OH) in a pH-responsive manner for bacterial killing, while the released Sr2+ promotes the in vitro osteogenicity regarding cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, extracellular matrix calcification, and osteo-associated genes expression. The integration of Cu2+ and Sr2+ in CSp NPs together with the coated PEGDA hydrogel ensures the stable and sustainable ion release during short- and long-term periods. Benefitted from the injectablity and photo-crosslink ability, CSp@PEGDA is able to thoroughly fill the infectious site and gelate in situ for bacterial elimination and bone regeneration, which is verified through in vivo evaluation using a clinical-simulating IAOM mouse model. These favorable abilities of CSp@PEGDA precisely meet the multiple therapeutic needs and pave a promising way for implant-associated osteomyelitis treatment.

Development and experimental verification of a prognosis model for disulfidptosis-associated genes in HNSCC.

Disulfidptosis is a newly discovered cell death pattern that has been less studied in head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC). Exploring the molecular features of different subtypes of HNSCC based on disulfidptosis-associated genes (DAGs) is important for HNSCC. In addition, immunotherapy plays a pivotal role in the treatment of HNSCC. Exploring the sensitivity of immunotherapies and developing predictive models is essential for HNSCC. We analyzed the expression and mutational status of DAGs in 790 HNSCC patients and correlated the dates with clinical prognosis. HNSCC patients were divided into 2 groups based on their DAG expression. The relationship between DAGs, risk genes, and the immune microenvironment was analyzed using the CIBERSORT algorithm. A disulfidptosis risk model was constructed based on 5 risk genes using the LASSO COX method. To facilitate the clinical applicability of the proposed risk model, we constructed column line plots and performed stem cell correlation analysis and antitumor drug sensitivity analysis. Two different disulfidptosis-associated clusters were identified using consistent unsupervised clustering analysis. Correlations between multilayer DAG alterations and clinical characteristics and prognosis were observed. Then, a well-performing disulfidptosis-associated risk model (DAG score) was developed to predict the prognosis of HNSCC patients. We divided patients into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the DAG score and found that patients in the low-risk group were more likely to survive than those in the high-risk group (P < .05). A high DAG score implies higher immune cell infiltration and increased mutational burden. Also, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that the DAG score was an independent prognostic predictor for patients with HNSCC. Subsequently, a highly accurate predictive model was developed to facilitate the clinical application of DAG scores, showing good predictive and calibration power. Overall, we present a comprehensive overview of the DAG profile in HNSCC and develop a new risk model for the therapeutic status and prognosis of patients with HNSCC. Our findings highlight the potential clinical significance of DAG and suggest that disulfidptosis may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with HNSCC.

Modified photoanode by in situ growth of covalent organic frameworks on BiVO4 for oxygen evolution reaction.

The development of efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is of great significance because the water oxidation reaction at the photoanode is the rate-determining step in photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) water splitting. Herein, two hybrid photoanodes named BiVO4/COF-Azo and BiVO4/COF-Ben were prepared by in situ solvothermal growth on a modified BiVO4 photoanode. Characterization results revealed that the Azo and Ben COFs could match with BiVO4 well to form heterojunctions, which could effectively enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Also, the smaller impedance of the composite photoanodes and faster kinetics of the water oxidation reaction promoted the charge transmission and enhanced the reaction efficiency of the surface-reaching holes, respectively. As a result, the composite photoanodes exhibited a larger photocurrent and more negative onset potential compared to the pristine BiVO4. This work not only provides a new strategy to construct efficient hybrid photoanodes, but also expands the applications of COFs.

ε-Polylysine organic ultra-long room-temperature phosphorescent materials based on phosphorescent molecule doping.

Achieving long-lived room-temperature phosphorescence from pure organic amorphous polymers is attractive, and afterglow materials with colour-tunable and multiple-stimuli-responsive afterglow are particularly important, but only few materials with these characteristics have been reported so far. Herein, a facile and general method is reported to construct a series of ε-polylysine (ε-PL)-based afterglow materials with tunable colour (from blue to red) and long life. By doping guest molecules into ε-PL to obtain composite materials, the polymer matrix provides a rigid environment for luminescent groups, resulting in amorphous polymers with different RTPs. In this system, the materials even have impressive humidity-stimulated responses, and the phosphorescence emission exhibits excitation-dependent and time-dependent properties. The humidity-responsive afterglow is caused by the destruction of hydrogen bonds and quenching of triplet excitons. The time-dependent afterglow should stem from the formation of diversified RTP emissive species with comparable but different lifetimes. 9,10-diaminophene has Ex-De properties in the film doping state. With the change of excitation wavelength (254 nm to 365 nm), the emission wavelength shifts from 461 nm to 530 nm, accompanied by the change of emission colour from blue to green. In addition, the phosphorescence life of the film is the longest, up to 2504.7 ms, and the afterglow lasts up to 15 s, which is conducive to its applications in anti-counterfeiting and information encryption.

Determining the degree of chromosomal instability in breast cancer cells by atomic force microscopy.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a source of genetic variation and is highly linked to the malignance of cancer. Determining the degree of CIN is necessary for understanding the role that it plays in tumor development. There is currently a lack of research on high-resolution characterization of CIN and the relationship between CIN and cell mechanics. Here, a method to determine CIN of breast cancer cells by high resolution imaging with atomic force microscopy (AFM) is explored. The numerical and structural changes of chromosomes in human breast cells (MCF-10A), moderately malignant breast cells (MCF-7) and highly malignant breast cells (MDA-MB-231) were observed and analyzed by AFM. Meanwhile, the nuclei, cytoskeleton and cell mechanics of the three kinds of cells were also investigated. The results showed the differences in CIN between the benign and cancer cells. Also, the degree of structural CIN increased with enhanced malignancy of cancer cells. This was also demonstrated by calculating the probability of micronucleus formation in these three kinds of cells. Meanwhile, we found that the area of the nucleus was related to the number of chromosomes in the nucleus. In addition, reduced or even aggregated actin fibers led to decreased elasticities in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. It was found that the rearrangement of actin fibers would affect the nucleus, and then lead to wrong mitosis and CIN. Using AFM to detect chromosomal changes in cells with different malignancy degrees provides a new detection method for the study of cell carcinogenesis with a perspective for targeted therapy of cancer.

Modeling Test of Combustion Cavity Growth during Underground Coal Gasification in the Early Stage of Ignition.

The growth parameters of the underground coal gasification (UCG) combustion cavity are important for the regulation of its gasification process. The irregular cavities formed in the early stages of ignition can affect the stability of the gasification process. In this study, a heat-solid coupling model is used to determine the combustion cavity boundary at the early stage of coal seam ignition to simulate the movement of the combustion cavity boundary by indirectly inheriting the coal seam temperature. It reveals the evolution of the temperature field, stress field, and plasticity zone at the combustion cavity boundary at the early stage of ignition in the UCG process and compares with the ex situ small-scale experiments. The simulation results show that in the early stage of ignition, the temperature transfer to the top of the coal seam and the direction of the gasification agent outlet pipeline is faster, while the transfer rate to the direction of the gasification agent inlet pipeline is slower. The main stresses are mainly distributed in the left and right sides of the combustion cavity and gradually increase directly above. The plastic zone is mainly distributed directly above the combustion cavity and arc-shaped plastic zones. The experimental results show that the temperature directly above the combustion cavity is higher than in the other directions, and the ash layer hinders the temperature transfer to the bottom. Therefore, the combustion cavity has a longer elliptical shape in the upper part, which is consistent with the simulation results. The model better reveals the extension law of the combustion cavity at the early stage of UCG ignition and provides theoretical guidance for the study of combustion cavity formation.

Effect of curcumin on malignant hepatocytes and mitochondria studied using atomic force microscopy.

Mitochondria are emerging as potential targets for the cancer treatment. In this study, the effects of curcumin on the activity, migration, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of malignant hepatocytes (SMMC-7721 cells) were determined using cell viability, migration, and MMP assays. Changes in the morphology and biomechanics of SMMC-7721 cells and their mitochondria were studied using both optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The cell survival rate, migration and MMP depended on the concentration of curcumin. Optical microscopy studies showed that curcumin altered the cell morphology. AFM studies showed that the changes in the morphology and nanomechanics of SMMC-7721 cells and their mitochondria, were induced by curcumin. As the concentration of curcumin increased, the cell length, width, and adhesion decreased, but the height, roughness and Young's modulus increased. In contrast, the mitochondrial length, width, height and roughness increased, but the adhesion and Young's modulus decreased. There was a close relationship between mitochondria and cells in terms of function, morphology and biomechanics. This study shows the effects of curcumin on SMMC-7721 cells and their mitochondria from biology and biophysics perspectives. The findings aid in comprehensively understanding the interactions between mitochondria and malignant hepatocytes.

Effects of Pressurized Pyrolysis on the Chemical and Porous Structure Evolution of Coal Core during Deep Underground Coal Gasification.

During deep underground coal gasification, the semicoke produced by the pyrolysis of dense coal cores is an important material for its gasification and combustion. In this paper, pressurized pyrolysis experiments were carried out on dense coal cores at 700 °C and pressures of 1, 2, and 3 MPa using a shaft furnace. The resulting semicoke and raw coal were analyzed using the characterization methods such as the N2 isothermal adsorption/desorption and scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and a pressurized thermogravimetric analyzer coupled with a FTIR spectrometer. The pyrolysis gas generation characteristics during pressurized pyrolysis were studied. The mechanisms of evolution of aliphatic functional groups and pore structures in semicoke during pressurized pyrolysis were revealed. The results indicate that the increase in pressure obviously changed the gas composition, most notably, the relative content of CH4 and H2 in the pyrolysis gas. The methane in the pyrolysis gas during pressurized pyrolysis of dense coal cores is mainly from the secondary reaction. As the pyrolysis pressure increased, the ratio of -CH2-/-CH3 became smaller, indicating that the pressure promoted the breakage of the long fat chains. With the increase of the pyrolysis pressure, the surface deformation of pressurized pyrolysis semicoke increases, and the pore structure becomes more abundant.