Return to the Moon: New perspectives on lunar exploration.

Lunar exploration is deemed crucial for uncovering the origins of the Earth-Moon system and is the first step for advancing humanity's exploration of deep space. Over the past decade, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), also known as the Chang'e (CE) Project, has achieved remarkable milestones. It has successfully developed and demonstrated the engineering capability required to reach and return from the lunar surface. Notably, the CE Project has made historic firsts with the landing and on-site exploration of the far side of the Moon, along with the collection of the youngest volcanic samples from the Procellarum KREEP Terrane. These achievements have significantly enhanced our understanding of lunar evolution. Building on this success, China has proposed an ambitious crewed lunar exploration strategy, aiming to return to the Moon for scientific exploration and utilization. This plan encompasses two primary phases: the first crewed lunar landing and exploration, followed by a thousand-kilometer scale scientific expedition to construct a geological cross-section across the lunar surface. Recognizing the limitations of current lunar exploration efforts and China's engineering and technical capabilities, this paper explores the benefits of crewed lunar exploration while leveraging synergies with robotic exploration. The study refines fundamental lunar scientific questions that could lead to significant breakthroughs, considering the respective engineering and technological requirements. This research lays a crucial foundation for defining the objectives of future lunar exploration, emphasizing the importance of crewed missions and offering insights into potential advancements in lunar science.

Why the Synthesis Affects Performance of Layered Transition Metal Oxide Cathode Materials for Li-Ion Batteries.

The limited cyclability of high-specific-energy layered transition metal oxide (LiTMO2) cathode materials poses a significant challenge to the industrialization of batteries incorporating these materials. This limitation can be attributed to various factors, with the intrinsic behavior of the crystal structure during the cycle process being a key contributor. These factors include phase transition induced cracks, reduced Li active sites due to Li/Ni mixing, and slower Li+ migration. In addition, the presence of synthesis-induced heterogeneous phases and lattice defects cannot be disregarded as they also contribute to the degradation in performance. Therefore, gaining a profound understanding of the intricate relationship among material synthesis, structure, and performance is imperative for the development of LiTMO2. This paper highlights the pivotal role of structural play in LiTMO2 materials and provides a comprehensive overview of how various control factors influence the specific pathways of structural evolution during the synthesis process. In addition, it summarizes the scientific challenges associated with diverse modification approaches currently employed to address the cyclic failure of materials. The overarching goal is to provide readers with profound insights into the study of LiTMO2.

Understanding the Insight Mechanism of Chemical-Mechanical Degradation of Layered Co-Free Ni-Rich Cathode Materials: A Review.

Layered Cobalt (Co)-free Nickel (Ni)-rich cathode materials have attracted much attention due to their high energy density and low cost. Still, their further development is hampered by material instability caused by the chemical/mechanical degradation of the material. Although there are numerous doping and modification approaches to improve the stability of layered cathode materials, these approaches are still in the laboratory stage and require further research before commercial application. To fully exploit the potential of layered cathode materials, a more comprehensive theoretical understanding of the underlying issues is necessary, along with active exploration of previously unrevealed mechanisms. This paper presents the phase transition mechanism of Co-free Ni-rich cathode materials, the existing problems, and the state-of-the-art characterization tools employed to study the phase transition. The causes of crystal structure degradation, interfacial instability, and mechanical degradation are elaborated, from the material's crystal structure to its phase transition and atomic orbital splitting. By organizing and summarizing these mechanisms, this paper aims to establish connections among common research problems and to identify future research priorities, thereby facilitating the rapid development of Co-free Ni-rich materials.

Ring-Core Fluxgate Sensor for High Operation Temperatures up to 220 °C.

Fluxgate sensors are key devices for magnetic field surveys in geophysics. In areas such as deep drilling, fluxgate sensors may have to operate steadily at high temperatures for a prolonged period of time. We present an accordant ring-core type fluxgate sensor that is stable up to 220 °C. The high temperature consistency is achieved by using an Fe-based nanocrystalline magnetic core, PEEK structural components, an epoxy resin wrapping, as well as a broadband short-circuited working mode. The sensor was characterized at various temperatures up to 220 °C by evaluating impedance, hysteresis, permeability and sensitivity. We found a sensitivity of approximately 24 kV/T at 25 °C with an acceptable temperature coefficient of 742 ppm/°C throughout the range. The variation law of magnetic characteristics and their influence mechanism on output amplitude and phase are discussed.

Knockdown of lncRNA PVT1 alleviates high glucose-induced proliferation and fibrosis in human mesangial cells by miR-23b-3p/WT1 axis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe complication of diabetes with type 1 and 2. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are being found to be involved in the DN pathogenesis. In this study, we aimed to further explore the effect and underlying mechanism of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) in DN pathogenesis. METHODS: The expression levels of PVT1, miR-23b-3p, and Wilms tumor protein 1 (WT1) mRNA were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Western blot analysis was performed to determine protein expression. Cell proliferation was detected using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetr-azolium (MTS) assay. The targeted correlation between miR-23b-3p and PVT1 or WT1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: PVT1 and WT1 were highly expressed in the serum of DN patients and high glucose (HG)-induced mesangial cells (MCs). The knockdown of PVT1 or WT1 ameliorated HG-induced proliferation and fibrosis in MCs. Mechanistically, PVT1 modulated WT1 expression through acting as a molecular sponge of miR-23b-3p. The miR-23b-3p/WT1 axis mediated the protective effect of PVT1 knockdown on HG-induced proliferation and fibrosis in MCs. The NF-κB pathway was involved in the regulatory network of the PVT1/miR-23b-3p/WT1 axis in HG-induced MCs. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that PVT1 knockdown ameliorated HG-induced proliferation and fibrosis in MCs at least partially by regulating the miR-23b-3p/WT1/NF-κB pathway. Targeting PVT1 might be a potential therapeutic strategy for DN treatment.

Disturbed expression and distribution of myocardial connexin 43 in sudden death patients with hyperthyroid heart disease.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the expression and distribution of myocardial connexin 43 (Cx43) in the left ventricle and the incidence of sudden death due to hyperthyroid heart disease. Total 27 autopsy cases were selected from the Pathology Department of Medical School, Yangtze University from 2009 to 2014. The cases were divided into three groups (n=9): Experimental group, 6 males and 3 females, age range 20-57 years old, suddenly died of hyperthyroid heart disease; Hyperthyroid group, 7 males and 2 females, age range 27-63 years old; Control group, 5 males and 4 females, age range 27-49 years old. After pathological examination, Cx43 in the left ventricular muscle of each case was detected with immunohistochemical staining. In experimental group, Cx43 positive staining was found in the cytoplasm or side-side connection of ventricular myocardial cell, and the positive area and average optical density of Cx43 positive particles significantly decreased. In hyperthyroid group, average optical density of Cx43 positive particles decreased. In control group, Cx43 positive staining was found in the intercalated disc. In conclusion, the expression of myocardial Cx43 significantly decreased in sudden death patients with hyperthyroid heart disease. Our findings suggest that decreased expression of Cx43 may be related to sudden death of hyperthyroid heart disease.

In situ observations of a secondary magnetic island in an ion diffusion region and associated energetic electrons.

Numerical simulations have predicted that an extended current sheet may be unstable to secondary magnetic islands in the vicinity of the X line, and these islands can dramatically influence the reconnection rate. In this Letter, we present the first evidence of such a secondary island near the center of an ion diffusion region, which is consistent with the action of the secondary island instability occurring in the vicinity of the X line. The island is squashed in the z direction with a strong core magnetic field. Energetic electrons with anisotropic or field-aligned bidirectional fluxes are found in the ion diffusion region, and the enhancement of energetic electron fluxes is more obvious inside the secondary island.

Effect of ARB on expression of CD68 and MCP-1 in adipose tissue of rats on long-term high fat diet.

In adipose tissue of rats on long-term high fat diet, the inflammatory changes the roles of angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) in pimelitis and insulin resistance (IR) were observed. IR rat model was established by feeding high calorie and high fat diet. The change in insulin sensitivity was detected by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique 8 weeks after intervention by valsartan. The expression levels of CD68 and MCP-1 mRNA and proteins in adipose tissue were examined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry respectively. The parameters of blood glucose, insulin and blood lipid were analyzed. The results showed that in high fat diet group intra-abdominal obesity developed, the content of visceral fat and the number of inflammatory cells in local adipose tissue were significantly increased (P<0.01), the levels of serum triglyceride, free fatty acids and fasting serum insulin were markedly increased, the insulin sensitivity was significantly lowered (P<0.01), and the expression of CD68 and MCP-1 was significantly increased as compared with control group (P<0.01). In ARB interventional group, the content of visceral fat, the number of inflammatory cells and the expression of CD68 and MCP-1 in local adipose tissue were significantly reduced (all P<0.01), but the insulin sensitivity was significantly enhanced (P<0.01) as compared with high fat diet group. There were pimelitis and IR in rats with obesity induced by long-term high calorie and high fat diet. The ARB can significantly inhibit the infiltration of macrophages and the expression of MCP-1 in adipose tissue, thereby attenuating the inflammation and improving IR in rats.

Effect of ARB on Expression of CD68 and MCP-1 in Adipose Tissue of Rats on Long-term High Fat Diet / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

In adipose tissue of rats on long-term high fat diet, the inflammatory changes the roles of angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) in pimelitis and insulin resistance (IR) were observed. IR rat model was established by feeding high calorie and high fat diet. The change in insulin sensitivity was detected by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique 8 weeks after intervention by valsartan. The expression levels of CD68 and MCP-1 mRNA and proteins in adipose tissue were examined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry respectively. The parameters of blood glucose, insulin and blood lipid were analyzed. The results showed that in high fat diet group intra-abdominal obesity developed, the content of visceral fat and the number of inflammatory cells in local adipose tissue were significantly increased (p<0.01), the levels of serum triglyceride, free fatty acids and fasting serum insulin were markedly increased, the insulin sensitivity was significantly lowered (p<0.01), and the expression of CD68 and MCP-1 was significantly increased as compared with control group (P<0.01). In ARB interventional group, the content of visceral fat, the number of inflammatory cells and the expression of CD68 and MCP-1 in local adipose tissue were significantly reduced (all P<0.01), but the insulin sensitivity was significantly enhanced (P<0.01) as compared with high fat diet group. There were pimelitis and IR in rats with obesity induced by long-term high calorie and high fat diet. The ARB can significantly inhibit the infiltration of macrophages and the expression of MCP-1 in adipose tissue, thereby attenuating the inflammation and improving IR in rats.