Light from space illuminating the polar silk road

The rapid decline of Arctic sea ice has been reminding us the significant impacts caused by global warming.However,the other side of the coin is that this opens a window to utilize the Arctic sea routes in the summer seasons,bringing remarkable economic benefits for ocean transportation between Asia and Europe.However,commercial vessels with low ice classes must tackle substantial environmental challenges in the Arctic sea routes,particularly those caused by variable sea ice,even in the melting seasons.Therefore,the science-based support for shipping safety in the Arctic sea routes is being given more prominence.Emerging satellite remote sensing technology plays a critical role in environmental monitoring in the Arctic.This paper reviews state-of-the-art satellite observations on monitoring sea ice and potential applications on supporting shipping activities in the Arctic Ocean.Moreover,we introduced a recently developed system based on satellite observations to support the safe transportation of Chinese cargo vessels in the Arctic northern sea route,demonstrating the efforts by both the science and business communities to promote the development of the polar silk road.

Cartilage-targeting peptide-modified dual-drug delivery nanoplatform with NIR laser response for osteoarthritis therapy

Cartilage-targeting delivery of therapeutic agents is still an effective strategy for osteoarthritis(OA)therapy.Recently,scavenging for reactive oxygen species(ROS)and activating autophagy have been increasingly reported to treat OA effectively.In this study,we designed,for the first time,a dual-drug delivery system based on metal organic framework(MOF)-decorated mesoporous polydopamine(MPDA)which composed of rapamycin(Rap)loaded into the mesopores and bilirubin(Br)loaded onto the shell of MOF.The collagen II-targeting peptide(WYRGRL)was then conjugated on the surface of above nanocarrier to develop a cartilage-targeting dual-drug delivery nanoplatform(RB@MPMW).Our results indicated the sequential release of two agents from RB@MPMW could be achieved via near-infrared(NIR)laser irritation.Briefly,the rapid release of Br from the MOF shell exhibited excellent ROS scavenging ability and anti-apoptosis effects,however responsively reduced autophagy activity,to a certain extent.Meanwhile,following the NIR irradiation,Rap was rapidly released from MPDA core and further enhanced autophagy activation and chondrocyte protection.RB@MPMW continuously phosphorylated AMPK and further rescued mitochondrial energy metabolism of chondrocytes following IL-1βstimulation via activating SIRT1-PGC-1αsignaling pathway.Additionally,the cartilage-targeting property of peptide-modified nanocarrier could be monitored via Magnetic Resonance(MR)and IVIS imaging.More significantly,RB@MPMW effectively delayed cartilage degeneration in ACLT rat model.Overall,our findings indicated that the as-prepared dual-drug delivery nanoplatform exerted potent anti-inflammation and anti-apoptotic effects,rescued energy metabolism of chondrocytes in vitro and prevented cartilage degeneration in vivo,which thereby showed positive performance for OA therapy.

Enhanced low-field magnetocaloric effect in Nb and Al co-substituted EuTiO_(3)compounds

The magnetic ground state switching between antiferromagnetic(AFM)and ferromagnetic(FM)states in EuTiO_(3)provides the feasibility of regulating its magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect.First-principles calculations demonstrate that the magnetic ground states for EuTi_(0.875)Nb_(0.0625)Al_(0.0625)O_(3),EuTi_(0.8125)Nb_(0.125)Al_(0.)0_(625)O_(3),and EuTi_(0.75)Nb_(0.125)Al_(0.125)O_(3)are FM coupling.Experimental results also exhibit the FM coupling domination in these compounds,accompanied by a significantly enhanced low magnetic field magnetocaloric effect.The maximum magnetic entropy change of all the samples surpasses15 J kg^(-1)K^(-1)with a field change of 1 T.which is 1.4 times as large as that of bulk EuTiO_(3).Especially,the maximum refrigerating capacity for EuTi_(0.8125)Nb_(0.125)Al_(0.0625)O_(3)compound is evaluated to be 88.1 J kg^(-1),more than three times of that of EuTiO_(3).The remarkable magnetocaloric performances prove Nb and Al co-substituted EuTiO_(3)compounds to be competitive candidates for magnetic refrigeration in the liquid helium temperature regime.

Preparation of ultrathin ReS2 nanosheets and their application to Q-switched Er-doped fiber lasers

We study the exfoliation of ultrathin ReS2 nanosheets from the prepared ReS2 powder and their application to Q-switched Er-doped fiber laser.XRD,Raman,and XPS spectra confirm the successful preparation of the layered ReS2.SEM images show that the obtained ReS2 sheets have lateral size below 200 nm.The thickness of the ReS2 nanosheets is smaller than 5 nm according to the AFM results.ReS2/PVA film is applied as a saturable absorber in an Er-doped Q-switched fiber laser,and a minimum pulse duration of 2.4μs and an output power of 1.25 mW are obtained,indicating the potential application to Q-switched lasers.