Enhancing Carbon Nanotube Yarns via Infiltration Filling with Polyacrylonitrile in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers are renowned for their exceptional axial tensile strength and modulus. However, in yarn form, they frequently encounter transverse loading in practical applications, which exposes their suboptimal mechanical attributes rooted in inadequate inter-tube interactions and yarn surface defects. Efforts to mitigate micro-slippage among CNTs have encompassed gap-filling methodologies with varied materials, yet the outcomes have fallen short of expectations. This work aimed to enhance the mechanical properties of CNT yarns via infiltration with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) under supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) conditions. PAN was strategically chosen for its capability to undergo pre-oxidation and subsequent carbonization, leading to robust graphitic reinforcement. Leveraging sc-CO2's swelling and high permeability properties, the infiltration process effectively plugged interstitial spaces, elevating the yarn's tensile strength to 277.50 MPa and Young's modulus to 5094.05 MPa. Additional enhancements were realized after pre-oxidation, conferring a dense, reinforced shell structure that augmented tensile strength by 96.93% and Young's modulus by 298.80%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed a homogeneous PAN distribution within the yarn matrix, corroborated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) evidence of C-N bonding, indicative of a successfully interlaced network. Consequently, this investigation introduces a novel strategy to tackle micro-slippage in CNT yarns, thereby achieving substantial improvements in their mechanical resilience.

Advanced Anti-Icing Strategies and Technologies by Macrostructured Photothermal Storage Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

Water is the source of life and civilization, but water icing causes catastrophic damage to human life and diverse industrial processes. Currently, superhydrophobic surfaces (inspired by the lotus effect) aided anti-icing attracts intensive attention due to their energy-free property. Here, recent advances in anti-icing by design and functionalization of superhydrophobic surfaces are reviewed. The mechanisms and advantages of conventional, macrostructured, and photothermal superhydrophobic surfaces are introduced in turn. Conventional superhydrophobic surfaces, as well as macrostructured ones, easily lose the icephobic property under extreme conditions, while photothermal superhydrophobic surfaces strongly rely on solar illumination. To address the above issues, a potentially smart strategy is found by developing macrostructured photothermal storage superhydrophobic (MPSS) surfaces, which integrate the functions of macrostructured superhydrophobic materials, photothermal materials, and phase change materials (PCMs), and are expected to achieve all-day anti-icing in various fields. Finally, the latest achievements in developing MPSS surfaces, showcasing their immense potential, are highlighted. Besides, the perspectives on the future development of MPSS surfaces are provided and the problems that need to be solved in their practical applications are proposed.

SETBP1 activation upon MDM4-enhanced ubiquitination of NR3C1 triggers dissemination of colorectal cancer cells.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) presents a growing concern globally, marked by its escalating incidence and mortality rates, thus imposing a substantial health burden. This investigation delves into the role of nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 (NR3C1) in CRC metastasis and explores the associated mechanism. Through a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, NR3C1 emerged as a gene with diminished expression levels in CRC. This finding was corroborated by observations of a low-expression pattern of NR3C1 in both CRC tissues and cells. Furthermore, experiments involving NR3C1 knockdown revealed an exacerbation of proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells in vitro. Subsequent assessments in mouse xenograft tumor models, established by injecting human HCT116 cells either through the tail vein or at the cecum termini, demonstrated a reduction in tumor metastasis to the lung and liver, respectively, upon NR3C1 knockdown. Functionally, NR3C1 (glucocorticoid receptor) suppressed SET binding protein 1 (SETBP1) transcription by binding to its promoter region. Notably, mouse double minute 4 (MDM4) was identified as an upstream regulator of NR3C1, orchestrating its downregulation via ubiquitination-dependent proteasomal degradation. Further investigations unveiled that SETBP1 knockdown suppressed migration and invasion, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition of CRC cells, consequently impeding in vivo metastasis in murine models. Conversely, upregulation of MDM4 exacerbated the metastatic phenotype of CRC cells, a propensity mitigated upon additional upregulation of NR3C1. In summary, this study elucidates a cascade wherein MDM4-mediated ubiquitination of NR3C1 enables the transcriptional activation of SETBP1, thereby propelling the dissemination of CRC cells.

BRD4 promotes LPS-induced endothelial cells senescence via activating and cooperating STING-IRF3 pathway.

Endothelial cells (ECs) senescence is closely associated with the initiation and development of multiple age-related cardiovascular diseases. It is necessary to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of ECs senescence, which is not only the basis to decipher cellular senescence, but also a novel therapeutic target for the endothelial senescence-related diseases. BRD4, a key epigenetic regulator, is universally related to gene expression regulation and has been reported to accelerate cell senescence. Besides, emerging evidence has suggested that the stimulator of interferon genes protein (STING) can regulate inflammatory and senescence-related diseases. However, whether STING pathway activation is regulated by BRD4 in the context of ECs senescence remains largely unclear. Here, we observed that elevated BRD4 and activated STING-IRF3 signaling pathway during ECs senescence and further confirmed that BRD4 could abolish STING activation. We demonstrated that BRD4 could inhibit E3 ubiquitin ligase HRD1-mediated ubiquitination degradation of STING via inhibiting HRD1 transcription. In addition to the direct regulatory effect of BRD4 on STING activation, we have confirmed that BRD4 cooperates with IRF3 and P65 to promote SASP gene expression, thereby accelerating ECs senescence. Here, we proposed a novel mechanism underlying BRD4' key dual role in activating the STING pathway during ECs senescence.

A system for fluid pumping by liquid metal multi-droplets.

The transportation and control of microfluidics have an important influence on the fields of biology, chemistry, and medicine. Pump systems based on the electrocapillary effect and room-temperature liquid metal droplets have attracted extensive attention. Flow rate is an important parameter that reflects the delivery performance of the pump systems. In the systems of previous studies, cylindrical structures are mostly used to constrain the droplet. The analysis and quantitative description of the influence of voltage frequency, alternating voltage, direct current voltage bias, and solution concentration on the flow rate are not yet comprehensive. Furthermore, the systems are driven by only one droplet, which limits the increase in flow rate. Therefore, a pump with a cuboid structure is designed and the droplet is bound by pillars, and the flow rate of the pump is increased by more than 200% compared with the cylindrical pump. For this structure, the mechanism of various factors on the flow rate is analyzed. To further enhance the flow rate, a pump system with multi-droplets is proposed. Moreover, the expression of flow velocity of the solution on the surface of each droplet and the relationship between the flow rate, alternating voltage, and the number of droplets are deduced. Finally, the potential of applying the multi-droplet cuboid pump system in drug delivery and analytical chemistry is demonstrated. Additionally, the core of the pump, the droplet area, is modularized, which breaks the overall structural limitations of the liquid metal pump and provides ideas for pump design.

Microbial community evolution and individual-based model validation of biofilms in single-stage partial nitrification/anammox system.

In this study, matrix degradation, microbial community development, and distribution using an individual-based model during biofilm formation on carriers at varying depths within a single-stage partial nitrification/anammox system were simulated. The findings from the application of individual-based model fitting, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and high-throughput sequencing reveal the presence of aerobic bacteria, specifically ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, as discrete particles within the outer layer of the carrier. Facultative anaerobic bacteria exemplified by anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, are observed as aggregates within the middle layer. Conversely, anaerobic bacteria, represented by denitrifiers, are enveloped by extracellular polymeric substances within the inner layer. The present study extends the application of individual-based model to the formation of polyurethane-supported biofilms and presents valuable avenues for the design and advancement of pragmatic engineering carriers.