Giant Carrier Mobility in a Room-Temperature Ferromagnetic VSi2N4 Monolayer.

Using density functional theory (DFT), we investigate that two possible phases of VSi2N4 (VSN) may be realized, one called the "H phase" corresponding to what is known from calculation and herein the other new "T phase" being stabilized by a biaxial tensile strain of 3%. Significantly, the H phase is predicted to display a giant carrier mobility of 1 × 106 cm2 V-1 s-1, which exceeds that for most 2D magnetic materials, with a Curie temperature (TC) exceeding room temperature and a band gap of 2.01 eV at the K point. Following the H-T phase transition, the direct band gap shifts to the Γ point and increases to 2.59 eV. The Monte Carlo (MC) simulations also indicate that TC of the T phase VSN can be effectively modulated by strain, reaching room temperature under a biaxial strain of -4%. These results show that VSN should be a promising functional material for future nanoelectronics.

Multipiezo Effect in Altermagnetic V2SeTeO Monolayer.

Strain engineering has been used as an efficient method to modulate various properties of quantum materials and electronic devices. One may establish piezo effects based on a disciplined response to the strain in multifunctional nanosystems. Inspired by a recent theoretical proposal on the interesting piezomagnetism and C-paired valley polarization in the V2Se2O monolayer, we predict a stable altermagnetic Janus monolayer V2SeTeO using density functional theory calculations. It exhibits a novel "multipiezo" effect combining piezoelectricity, piezovalley, and piezomagnetism. Most interestingly, the valley polarization and the net magnetization under strain in V2SeTeO exceed these in V2Se2O, along with the additional large piezoelectric coefficient. The "multipiezo" effect makes Janus monolayer V2SeTeO as a tantalizing material for potential applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, spintronics, and valleytronics.

ViroISDC: a method for calling integration sites of hepatitis B virus based on feature encoding.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) integrates into human chromosomes and can lead to genomic instability and hepatocarcinogenesis. Current tools for HBV integration site detection lack accuracy and stability. RESULTS: This study proposes a deep learning-based method, named ViroISDC, for detecting integration sites. ViroISDC generates corresponding grammar rules and encodes the characteristics of the language data to predict integration sites accurately. Compared with Lumpy, Pindel, Seeksv, and SurVirus, ViroISDC exhibits better overall performance and is less sensitive to sequencing depth and integration sequence length, displaying good reliability, stability, and generality. Further downstream analysis of integrated sites detected by ViroISDC reveals the integration patterns and features of HBV. It is observed that HBV integration exhibits specific chromosomal preferences and tends to integrate into cancerous tissue. Moreover, HBV integration frequency was higher in males than females, and high-frequency integration sites were more likely to be present on hepatocarcinogenesis- and anti-cancer-related genes, validating the reliability of the ViroISDC. CONCLUSIONS: ViroISDC pipeline exhibits superior precision, stability, and reliability across various datasets when compared to similar software. It is invaluable in exploring HBV infection in the human body, holding significant implications for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis assessment of HCC.

Pan-cancer analysis of DCTN2 and its tumour-promoting role in HCC by modulating the AKT pathway.

Dynactin subunit 2 (DCTN2) has been reported to play a role in progression of several tumours; however, the involvement of DCTN2 in potential mechanism or the tumour immune microenvironment among various cancers still remains largely unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to comprehensively investigate the expression status and potential function of DCTN2 in various malignancies through different database, such as The Cancer Genome Atlas, the Genotype-Tissue Expression and Gene Expression Omnimus databases. We discovered that DCTN2 expression was high in many type of tumours tissues compared to adjacent non-tumour ones. High DCTN2 signified poor prognosis for patients with tumours. Additionally, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) analysis revealed that DCTN2 was positively correlated with oncogenic pathways, including cell cycle, tumour metastasis-related pathway, while it was negatively with anti-tumour immune signalling pathway, such as INF-γ response. More importantly, we elucidated the functional impact of DCTN2 on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and its underlying mechanisms. DCTN2 expression was much higher in HCC tissues than in adjacent non-tumour tissues. Silencing DCTN2 dramatically suppressed the proliferative and metastasis capacities of tumour cell in vitro. Mechanistically, DCTN2 exerted tumour-promoting effects by modulating the AKT signalling pathway. DCTN2 knockdown in HCC cells inhibited AKT phosphorylation and its downstream targets as well. Rescue experiments revealed that the anti-tumour effects of DCTN2 knockdown were partially reversed upon AKT pathway activation. Overall, DCTN2 may be a potent biomarker signifying tumour prognosis and a promising therapeutic target for tumour treatment, particularly in HCC.

Connection of pre-competition anxiety with gut microbiota and metabolites in wrestlers with varying sports performances based on brain-gut axis theory.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the connection of pre-competition anxiety with gut microbiota and metabolites in wrestlers with different sports performances. METHODS: One week prior to a national competition, 12 wrestlers completed anxiety questionnaires. Faecal and urine samples were collected for the analysis of gut microbiota and metabolites through the high-throughput sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene in conjunction with untargeted metabolomics technology. The subjects were divided into two groups, namely, achievement (CP) and no-achievement (CnP) wrestlers, on the basis of whether or not their performances placed them in the top 16 at the competition. The relationship amongst the variations in gut microbiota, metabolites, and anxiety indicators was analyzed. RESULTS: (1) The CP group exhibited significantly higher levels of "state self-confidence," "self-confidence," and "somatic state anxiety" than the CnP group. Conversely, the CP group displayed lower levels of "individual failure anxiety" and "sports competition anxiety" than the CnP group. (2) The gut microbiota in the CP group was more diverse and abundant than that in the CnP group. Pre-competition anxiety was linked to Oscillospiraceae UCG_005, Paraprevotella, Ruminococcaceae and TM7x. (3) The functions of differential metabolites in faeces and urine of the CP/CnP group were mainly enriched in caffeine metabolism, lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and VEGF and mTOR signaling pathways. Common differential metabolites in feces and urine were significantly associated with multiple anxiety indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Wrestlers with different sports performance have different pre-competition anxiety states, gut microbiota distribution and abundance and differential metabolites in faeces and urine. A certain correlation exists between these psychological and physiological indicators.

Characterization and the first complete genome sequence of a novel strain of Bergeyella porcorum isolated from pigs in China.

BACKGROUND: Bergeyella porcorum is a newly identified bacterium that has an ambiguous relationship with pneumonia in pigs. However, few studies have adequately characterized this species. RESULTS: In this study, we analyzed the morphological, physiological, and genomic characteristics of the newly identified B. porcorum sp. nov. strain QD2021 isolated from pigs. The complete genome sequence of the B. porcorum QD2021 strain consists of a single circular chromosome (2,271,736 bp, 38.51% G + C content), which encodes 2,578 genes. One plasmid with a size of 70,040 bp was detected. A total of 121 scattered repeat sequences, 319 tandem repeat sequences, 4 genomic islands, 5 prophages, 3 CRISPR sequences, and 51 ncRNAs were predicted. The coding genes of the B. porcorum genome were successfully annotated across eight databases (NR, GO, KEGG, COG, TCDB, Pfam, Swiss-Prot and CAZy) and four pathogenicity-related databases (PHI, CARD, VFDB and ARDB). In addition, a comparative genome analysis was performed to explore the evolutionary relationships of B. porcorum QD2021. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide fundamental phenotypic and whole-genome sequences for B. porcorum. Our results extensively expand the current knowledge and could serve as a valuable genomic resource for future research on B. porcorum.

Gender differences in the relationship between serum uric acid and the long-term prognosis in heart failure: a nationwide study.

BACKGROUND: Serum uric acid (SUA) is an important pathogenetic and prognostic factor for heart failure (HF). Gender differences are apparent in HF. Furthermore, gender differences also exist in the association between SUA and prognosis in various cardiovascular diseases. However, the gender difference for SUA in the prediction of long-term prognosis in HF is still ambiguous. METHODS: A total of 1593 HF patients (897 men, 696 women) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018 cycle were enrolled in our final analysis. Participants were categorized according to gender-specific SUA tertile. We assessed the association between SUA and long-term prognosis of HF patients, defined as all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, in different genders via Kaplan-Meier curve analysis, Cox proportional hazard model, and Fine-Gray competing risk model. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) was performed to investigate the dose-response relationship between SUA and outcomes. RESULTS: Gender differences exist in demographic characteristics, clinical parameters, laboratory tests, and medication of HF patients. After a median follow-up of 127 months (95% CI 120-134 months), there were 853 all-cause deaths (493 events in men, 360 events in women) and 361 cardiovascular deaths (206 events in men, 155 events in women). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that SUA had gender difference in the prediction of cardiovascular mortality (Log-rank p < 0.001, for male, Log-rank p = 0.150, for female), but not in all-cause mortality. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that elevated SUA levels were associated with higher all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in men (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.18, p < 0.001, for all-cause death; HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.09-1.28, p < 0.001, for cardiovascular death), but not in women (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.98-1.12, p = 0.186, for all-cause death; HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.91-1.12, p = 0.902, for cardiovascular death). Even using non-cardiovascular death as a competitive risk, adjusted Fine-Gray model also illustrated that SUA was an independent predictor of cardiovascular death in men (SHR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.27, p < 0.001), but not in women (SHR 0.98, 95% CI 0.87 - 1.10, p = 0.690). CONCLUSIONS: Gender differences in the association between SUA and long-term prognosis of HF existed. SUA was an independent prognostic predictor for long-term outcomes of HF in men, but not in women.

Natural Product Baohuoside I Impairs the Stability and Membrane Location of MRP2 Reciprocally Regulated by SUMOylation and Ubiquitination in Hepatocytes.

Epimedii Folium (EF) is a botanical dietary supplement to benefit immunity. Baohuoside I (BI), a prenylated flavonoid derived from EF, has exhibited the cholestatic risk before. Here, the mechanism of BI on the stability and membrane localization of liver MRP2, a bile acid exporter in the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes, was investigated. The fluorescent substrate of MRP2, CMFDA was accumulated in sandwich-cultured primary mouse hepatocytes (SCH) under BI stimulation, followed by reduced membrane MRP2 expression. BI triggered MRP2 endocytosis associated with oxidative stress via inhibition of the NRF2 signaling pathway. Meanwhile, BI promoted the degradation of MRP2 by reducing its SUMOylation and enhancing its ubiquitination level. Co-IP and fluorescence colocalization experiments all proved that MRP2 was a substrate protein for SUMOylation for SUMO proteins. CHX assays showed that SUMO1 prolonged the half-life of MRP2 and further increased its membrane expression, which could be reversed by UBC9 knockdown. Correspondingly, MRP2 accumulated in the cytoplasm by GP78 knockdown or under MG132 treatment. Additionally, the SUMOylation sites of MRP2 were predicted by the algorithm, and a conversion of lysines to arginines at positions 940 and 953 of human MRP2 caused its decreased stability and membrane location. K940 was further identified as the essential ubiquitination site for MRP2 by an in vitro ubiquitination assay. Moreover, the decreased ubiquitination of MRP2 enhanced the SUMOylation MRP2 and vice versa, and the crosstalk of these two modifiers could be disrupted by BI. Collectively, our findings indicated the process of MRP2 turnover from the membrane to cytoplasm at the post-translational level and further elucidated the novel toxicological mechanism of BI.

Facile Preparation of Photothermal Superhydrophobic Melamine Sponge Decorated with MXene and Lignin Particles for Efficient Oil/Water Separation, Fast Crude Oil Recovery, and Active Deicing.

Frequent oil spills and the discharge of oily wastewaters have caused a serious threat to the environment, ecosystems, and human beings. Herein, a photothermal and superhydrophobic melamine sponge (MS) decorated with MXene and lignin particles has been prepared for the separation of oil/water mixtures, the recovery of crude oils, and active deicing. The obtained superhydrophobic melamine sponge shows a water contact angle (WCA) of 152.3° and an oil contact angle of ∼0° and possesses good chemical stability, thermal stability, and mechanical durability in terms of being immersed in various liquids (i.e., corrosive solutions, organic solvents, and boiling water) and being abrased by sandpapers. This superhydrophobic MS displays a high oil adsorption capacity of CCl4, up to 91.6 times its own weight and a high separation efficiency of 99.4%. Furthermore, the maximum surface temperature of the superhydrophobic MS reaches 57.5 °C under sunlight irradiation (1.0 kW/m2) due to the excellent photothermal heating conversion performance of MXene and lignin particles. When exposed to sunlight, the superhydrophobic MS can quickly absorb viscous crude oils up to 72 times its own weight. Also, the WCA of the superhydrophobic MS remains above 146° after 50 icing/deicing cycles, showing excellent photothermal anti-icing properties. Thus, this study presents an easy and low-cost method for designing photothermal superhydrophobic melamine sponges and opens a new avenue to the applications of efficient oil/water separation, fast crude oil recovery, and active deicing.

An activatable fluorescent-photoacoustic dual-modal probe for highly sensitive imaging of nitroxyl in vivo.

Nitroxyl (HNO) plays a vital role in various biological functions and pharmacological activities, so the development of an excellent near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) and photoacoustic (PA) dual-modality probe is crucial for understanding HNO-related physiological and pathological progression. Herein, we proposed and synthesized a novel NIRF/PA dual probe (QL-HNO) by substituting an indole with quinolinium in hemicyanine for the sensitive detection of exogenous and endogenous HNO in vivo. The designed probe showed the highest sensitivity in NIRF mode and a desirable PA signal-to-noise ratio for HNO detection in vitro and was further applied for NIRF/PA dual-modal imaging of HNO with high contrast in living cells and tumor-bearing animals. Based on the excellent performance of QL-HNO, we believe that this study provides a promising molecular tool for further understanding of HNO-related physiological and pathological progression.

Electron doping as a handle to increase the Curie temperature in ferrimagnetic Mn3Si2X6 (X = Se, Te).

By analysing the results of ab initio simulations performed for Mn3Si2X6 (X = Se, Te), we first discuss the analogies and the differences in electronic and magnetic properties arising from the anion substitution, in terms of size, electronegativity, band widths of p electrons and spin-orbit coupling strengths. For example, through mean-field theory and simulations based on density functional theory, we demonstrate that magnetic frustration, known to be present in Mn3Si2Te6, also exists in Mn3Si2Se6 and leading to a ferrimagnetic ground state. Building on these results, we propose a strategy, electronic doping, to reduce the frustration and thus to increase the Curie temperature (TC). To this end, we first study the effect of electronic doping on the electronic structure and magnetic properties and discuss the differences in the two compounds, along with their causes. Secondly, we perform Monte-Carlo simulations, considering from the first to the fifth nearest-neighbor magnetic interactions and single-ion anisotropy, and show that electron doping efficiently raises the TC.

Brain connectivity modulation by Bayesian surprise in relation to control demand drives cognitive flexibility via control engagement.

Human control is characterized by its flexibility and adaptability in response to the conditional probability in the environment. Previous studies have revealed that efficient conflict control could be attained by predicting and adapting to the changing control demand. However, it is unclear whether cognitive flexibility could also be gained by predicting and adapting to the changing control demand. The present study aimed to explore this issue by combining the model-based analyses of behavioral and neuroimaging data with a probabilistic cued task switching paradigm. We demonstrated that the Bayesian surprise (i.e. unsigned precision-weighted prediction error [PE]) negatively modulated the connections among stimulus processing brain regions and control regions/networks. The effect of Bayesian surprise modulation on these connections guided control engagement as reflected by the control PE effect on behavior, which in turn facilitated cognitive flexibility. These results bridge a gap in the literature by illustrating the neural and behavioral effect of control demand prediction (or PE) on cognitive flexibility and offer novel insights into the source of switch cost and the mechanism of cognitive flexibility.

Predictions of Aeroengines' Infrared Radiation Characteristics Based on HKELM Optimized by the Improved Dung Beetle Optimizer.

To solve the problems of high computational cost and the long time required by the simulation and calculation of aeroengines' exhaust systems, a method of predicting the characteristics of infrared radiation based on the hybrid kernel extreme learning machine (HKELM) optimized by the improved dung beetle optimizer (IDBO) was proposed. Firstly, the Levy flight strategy and variable spiral strategy were introduced to improve the optimization performance of the dung beetle optimizer (DBO) algorithm. Secondly, the superiority of IDBO algorithm was verified by using 23 benchmark functions. In addition, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied to evaluate the experimental results, which proved the superiority of the IDBO algorithm over other current prominent metaheuristic algorithms. Finally, the hyperparameters of HKELM were optimized by the IDBO algorithm, and the IDBO-HKELM model was applied to the prediction of characteristics of infrared radiation of a typical axisymmetric nozzle. The results showed that the RMSE and MAE of the IDBO-HKELM model were 20.64 and 8.83, respectively, which verified the high accuracy and feasibility of the proposed method for predictions of aeroengines' infrared radiation characteristics.

Responses of streamflow to forest expansion in a typical subhumid watershed under future climate conditions.

Water availability in the subhumid region is highly vulnerable to frequent droughts. Water scarcity in this region has become a limiting factor for ecosystem health, human livelihood, and regional economic development. A notable pattern of land cover change in the subhumid region of the United States is the increasing forest area due to afforestation/reforestation and woody plant encroachment (WPE). Given the distinct hydrological processes and runoff generation between forests and grasslands, it is important to evaluate the impacts of forest expansion on water resources, especially under future climate conditions. In this study, we focused on a typical subhumid watershed in the United States - the Little River Watershed (LRW). Utilizing SWAT + simulations, we projected streamflow dynamics at the end of the 21st century in two climate scenarios (RCP45 and RCP85) and eleven forest expansion scenarios. In comparison to the period of 2000-2019, future climate change during 2080-2099 will increase streamflow in the Little River by 5.1% in the RCP45 but reduce streamflow significantly by 30.1% in the RCP85. Additionally, our simulations revealed a linear decline in streamflow with increasing forest coverage. If all grasslands in LRW were converted into forests, it would lead to an additional 41% reduction in streamflow. Of significant concern is Lake Thunderbird, the primary reservoir supplying drinking water to the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Our simulation showed that if all grasslands were replaced by forests, Lake Thunderbird during 2080-2099 would experience an average of 8.6 years in the RCP45 and 9.4 years in the RCP85 with water inflow amount lower than that during the extreme drought event in 2011/2012. These findings hold crucial implications for the formulation of policies related to afforestation/reforestation and WPE management in subhumid regions, which is essential to ensuring the sustainability of water resources.

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial of Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation With Pelvic Floor Exercises in the Treatment of Childhood Constipation.

INTRODUCTION: The management of childhood constipation is challenging. Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is one of the most common causes of childhood constipation. Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) with pelvic floor exercises (PFE) has achieved a satisfactory outcome in the elderly individuals and women with PFD. The efficacy of PTNS with PFE in childhood constipation has not been established. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial with 84 children who met the inclusion criteria was conducted. All participants were randomly assigned to PTNS with PFE or sham PTNS with PFE groups and received their individual intervention for 4 weeks with a 12-week follow-up evaluation. The spontaneous bowel movements (SBM) ≥3 per week were the main outcomes, and the risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. High-resolution anorectal manometry and surface electromyography were used for the assessment of pelvic floor function, and the adverse effects were assessed based on symptoms. RESULTS: At the end of the follow-up period, 26 patients (61.9%) in the PTNS with PFE group and 15 patients (35.7%) in the sham group had ≥3 SBM per week compared with baseline (net difference 26.2%, 95% CI 5.6%-46.8%; RR 2.750, 95% CI 1.384-5.466; P < 0.05). PFD remission occurred in 49 children, 33 (78.6%) in the PTNS with PFE group and 16 (38.1%) in the sham group (RR 2.063, 95% CI 1.360-3.128, P < 0.05). No adverse effects occurred. DISCUSSION: PTNS with PFE is a safe and effective method in the treatment of childhood constipation, particularly in children with PFD or dyssynergic defecation.

Carrier-Free H2 O2 Self-Supplier for Amplified Synergistic Tumor Therapy.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) utilizes Fenton or Fenton-like reactions to convert hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) into cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and draws extensive interest in tumor therapy. Nevertheless, high concentrations of glutathione (GSH) and insufficient endogenous H2 O2 often cause unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a GSH-depleting and H2 O2 self-providing carrier-free nanomedicine that can efficiently load indocyanine green (ICG), ß-lapachone (LAP), and copper ion (Cu2+ ) (ICG-Cu2+ -LAP, LICN) to mediate synergetic photothermal and chemotherapy in enhanced chemodynamic therapy is designed. The results show that  LICNs successfully enter tumors owing to the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Through the reductive intracellular environment, Cu2+ in LICN can react with intracellular GSH, alleviate the antioxidant capacity of tumor tissues, and trigger the release of drugs. When LICN is subjected to near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, enhanced photothermal effect and upregulated expression of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) are observed. Meanwhile, the released LAP not only supports chemotherapy but also catalyzes NQO1 and produces sufficient endogenous H2 O2 , thereby increasing the efficiency of Cu+ -based Fenton-like reaction. Notably, GSH depletion and H2 O2 self-sufficiency generate sufficient •OH and kill tumor cells with high specificity. Overall, the study provides an innovative strategy to self-regulate GSH and H2 O2 levels for effective anticancer therapy.

Oncolytic Virus-Driven Biotherapies from Bench to Bedside.

With advances in cancer biology and an ever-deepening understanding of molecular virology, oncolytic virus (OV)-driven therapies have developed rapidly and become a promising alternative to traditional cancer therapies. In recent years, satisfactory results for oncolytic virus therapy (OVT) are achieved at both the cellular and organismal levels, and efforts are being increasingly directed toward clinical trials. Unfortunately, OVT remains ineffective in these trials, especially when performed using only a single OV reagent. In contrast, integrated approaches, such as using immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, alongside OVT have demonstrated considerable efficacy. The challenges of OVT in clinical efficacy include the restricted scope of intratumoral injections and poor targeting of intravenous administration. Further optimization of OVT delivery is needed before OVs become a viable therapy for tumor treatment. In this review, the development process and antitumor mechanisms of OVs are introduced. The advances in OVT delivery routes to provide perspectives and directions for the improvement of OVT delivery are highlighted. This review also discusses the advantages and limitations of OVT monotherapy and combination therapy through the lens of recent clinical trials and aims to chart a course toward safer and more effective OVT strategies.

Effective multi-objective inverse lithography technology at full-field and full-chip levels with a hybrid dynamic priority algorithm.

Inverse lithography technology (ILT), such as source mask optimization (SMO), is used to improve lithography performance. Usually, a single objective cost function is selected in ILT, and an optimal structure for one field point is achieved. The optimal structure is not the case for other images at full field points where the aberrations of the lithography system are different, even in high-quality lithography tools. The optimal structure that must match the high-performance images at the full field is urgently required for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). In contrast, multi-objective optimization algorithms (MOAs) limit the application of multi-objective ILT. Assigning target priority is incomplete in current MOAs, which results in the over-optimization of some targets and under-optimization of others. In this study, multi-objective ILT and a hybrid dynamic priority (HDP) algorithm were investigated and developed. High-performance images with high fidelity and high uniformity were obtained at multi-field and multi-clip areas across the die. A hybrid criterion was developed for the completion and reasonable prioritization of each target to ensure sufficient improvement. Compared to the current MOAs, the uniformity of images at full-field points was improved by up to 31.1% by the HDP algorithm in the case of multi-field wavefront error-aware SMO. The multi-clip source optimization (SO) problem showed the universality of the HDP algorithm to deal with different ILT problems. It acquired higher imaging uniformity than existing MOAs, which indicated that the HDP is more qualified for multi-objective ILT optimization than existing MOAs.

Photothermal, Magnetic, and Superhydrophobic PU Sponge Decorated with a Fe3O4/MXene/Lignin Composite for Efficient Oil/Water Separation.

Frequent oil spills and the discharge of industrial oily wastewaters have become a serious threat to the environment, ecosystem, and human beings. Herein, a photothermal, magnetic, and superhydrophobic PU sponge decorated with a Fe3O4/MXene/lignin composite (labeled as S-Fe3O4/MXene/lignin@PU sponge) has been designed and prepared. The obtained superhydrophobic/superoleophilic PU sponge possesses excellent chemical stability, thermal stability, and mechanical durability in terms of being immersed in corrosive solutions and organic solvents and boiling water and being abrased by sandpapers, respectively. The oil adsorption capacities of the S-Fe3O4/MXene/lignin@PU sponge for various organic liquids range from 29.1 to 70.3 g/g, and the oil adsorption capacity for CCl4 can remain 69.6 g/g even after 15 cyclic adsorption tests. The separation efficiencies of the S-Fe3O4/MXene/lignin@PU sponge for n-hexane and CCl4 are higher than 98% in different environments (i.e., water, hot water, 1 mol/L NaOH, 1 mol/L NaCl, and 1 mol/L HCl). More importantly, the introduction of three light absorbers (i.e., Fe3O4, MXene, and lignin) into the S-Fe3O4/MXene/lignin@PU sponge shows a synergistic effect in the photothermal heat conversion performance, and the maximum surface temperature reaches 64.4 °C under sunlight irradiation (1.0 kW/m2). The separation flux of the S-Fe3O4/MXene/lignin@PU sponge for viscous LT147 vacuum pump oil reaches 35,469 L m-2 h-1 under sunlight irradiation, showing an increase of 27.3% compared to that of oil adsorption processes without the photothermal effect. Thus, the rational design of superhydrophobic sponges by introducing proper photothermal heat absorbers provides new insights into facile and cost-effective preparation of sponges for efficient oil/water separation.

Deficient Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy Promotes Inflammation and Atherosclerosis.

RATIONALE: The NLRP3 (NLR [NOD-like receptor] family, pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome is an important driver of atherosclerosis. Our previous study shows that chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), one of the main lysosomal degradative process, has a regulatory role in lipid metabolism of macrophages. However, whether the NLRP3 inflammasome is regulated by CMA, and the role of CMA in atherosclerosis remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of CMA in the regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome and atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: The expression of CMA marker, LAMP-2A (lysosome-associated membrane protein type 2A), was first analyzed in ApoE-/- mouse aortas and human coronary atherosclerotic plaques, and a significant downregulation of LAMP-2A in advanced atherosclerosis in both mice and humans was observed. To selectively block CMA, we generated macrophage-specific conditional LAMP-2A knockout mouse strains in C57BL/6 mice and ApoE-/- mice. Deletion of macrophage LAMP-2A accelerated atherosclerotic lesion formation in the aortic root and the whole aorta in ApoE-/- mice. Mechanistically, LAMP-2A deficiency promoted NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent release of mature IL (interleukin)-1ß in macrophages and atherosclerotic plaques. Furthermore, gain-of-function studies verified that restoration of LAMP-2A levels in LAMP-2A-deficient macrophages greatly attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Importantly, we identified the NLRP3 protein as a CMA substrate and demonstrated that LAMP-2A deficiency did not affect the NLRP3 mRNA levels but hindered degradation of the NLRP3 protein through CMA pathway. CONCLUSIONS: CMA function becomes impaired during the progression of atherosclerosis, which increases NLRP3 inflammasome activation and secretion of IL-1ß, promoting vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis progression. Our study unveils a new mechanism by which NLRP3 inflammasome is regulated in macrophages and atherosclerosis, thus providing a new insight into the role of autophagy-lysosomal pathway in atherosclerosis. Pharmacological activation of CMA may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for atherosclerosis and other NLRP3 inflammasome/IL-1ß-driven diseases.