Thermal runaway is the main factor contributing to the unsafe behaviors of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)in practical applications.The application of separators for the thermal shutdown has been proven as an effective ap...Thermal runaway is the main factor contributing to the unsafe behaviors of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)in practical applications.The application of separators for the thermal shutdown has been proven as an effective approach to protecting LIBs from thermal runaway.In this work,we developed a thermal shutdown separator by coating a thin layer of low-density polyethylene microspheres(PM)onto a commercial porous polypropylene(PP)membrane and investigated the thermal response behaviors of the as-prepared PM/PP separator in LIBs.The structural and thermal analysis results revealed that the coated PM layer had a porous structure,which facilitated the occurrence of normal charge-discharge reactions at ambient temperature,although it could melt completely and fuse together within very short time periods:3 s at 110℃and 1 s at 120℃,to block off the pores of the PP substrate,thereby cutting off the ion transportation between the electrodes and interrupting the battery reaction.Consequently,the PM/PP separator exhibits very similar electrochemical performance to that of a conventional separator at ambient temperature.However,it performs a rapid thermal shutdown at an elevated temperature of^110℃,thus controlling the temperature rise and maintaining the cell in a safe status.Due to its synthetic simplicity and low cost,this separator shows promise for possible application in building safe LIBs.展开更多
Objective This study investigated the feasibility of screening residual normal ovarian tissues based on the expression of Bmi-1 and EZH2 in tissues adjacent to orthotopic ovarian carcinomas in nude mice. Methods The h...Objective This study investigated the feasibility of screening residual normal ovarian tissues based on the expression of Bmi-1 and EZH2 in tissues adjacent to orthotopic ovarian carcinomas in nude mice. Methods The human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR3 was grown in subcutaneous tissues and the tumor tissues were orthotopically implanted. The expression levels of Bmi-1 and EZH2 were detected by immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR in cancer tissues, proximal and remote tissues with respect to the cancer tissues, and normal ovarian tissues of nude mice.Results Thirty-five ovarian tissue samples with normal biopsy results were obtained from 40 cases of human epithelial ovarian cancer in the nude mice in which the tumor tissues were orthotopically implanted. Bmi-1 and EZH2 expression levels were lower in proximal paraneoplastic tissue samples than in cancer tissue samples(P < 0.05) and higher than in remote paraneoplastic tissue samples(P < 0.01). No significant difference was found in the expression levels of Bmi-1 and EZH2 using immunohistochemistry among residual normal ovarian tissues obtained from orthotopically implanted models that differed in severity. The expression of Bmi-1 and EZH2 was negative in 20 normal ovarian tissue samples.Conclusion The expression levels of Bmi-1 and EZH2 were reduced with increasing distance from the cancer tissues. Negative expression of these tumor-associated genes can be used as a standard for the screening of normal ovarian tissues adjacent to tumor tissues. Normal ovarian tissues can be obtained from the tissues adjacent to tumors.展开更多
Stimulator of interferon genes(STING),also known as MITA,ERIS,MPYS or TMEM173,is a key player in innate immunity,specifically in the typeⅠinterferon response[1-3].It is also involved in a range of non-canonical biolo...Stimulator of interferon genes(STING),also known as MITA,ERIS,MPYS or TMEM173,is a key player in innate immunity,specifically in the typeⅠinterferon response[1-3].It is also involved in a range of non-canonical biological functions,including autophagy,cellular metabolism,translation,and DNA repair,and has implications in many diseases[4-9].After activation by its ligands,STING translocates from endoplasmic reticulum(ER),via ERGIC,Golgi apparatus and endosomes,finally to lysosomes for degradation[4-9].However,the mechanisms by which STING is delivered to lysosomes and whether this delivery process regulates STING activity remain elusive.展开更多
Background:To date,there is no approved blood-based biomarker for breast cancer detection.Herein,we aimed to assess semaphorin 4C(SEMA4C),a pivotal protein involved in breast cancer progression,as a serum diagnostic b...Background:To date,there is no approved blood-based biomarker for breast cancer detection.Herein,we aimed to assess semaphorin 4C(SEMA4C),a pivotal protein involved in breast cancer progression,as a serum diagnostic biomarker.Methods:We included 6,213 consecutive inpatients from Tongji Hospital,Qilu Hospital,and Hubei Cancer Hospital.Training cohort and two validation cohorts were introduced for diagnostic exploration and validation.A pan-cancer cohort was used to independently explore the diagnostic potential of SEMA4C among solid tumors.Breast cancer patients who underwent mass excision prior to modified radical mastectomy were also analyzed.We hypothesized that increased pretreatment serum SEMA4C levels,measured using optimized in-house enzymelinked immunosorbent assay kits,could detect breast cancer.The endpoints were diagnostic performance,including area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),sensitivity,and specificity.Post-surgery pathological diagnosis was the reference standard and breast cancer staging followed the TNM classification.There was no restriction on disease stage for eligibilities.Results:We included 2667 inpatients with breast lesions,2378 patients with other solid tumors,and 1168 healthy participants.Specifically,118 patients with breast cancer were diagnosed with stage 0(5.71%),620 with stage I(30.00%),966 with stage II(46.73%),217 with stage III(10.50%),and 8 with stage IV(0.39%).Patients with breast cancer had significantly higher serum SEMA4C levels than benign breast tumor patients and normal controls(P<0.001).Elevated serum SEMA4C levels had AUC of 0.920(95%confidence interval[CI]:0.900–0.941)and 0.932(95%CI:0.911–0.953)for breast cancer detection in the two validation cohorts.The AUCs for detecting early-stage breast cancer(n=366)and ductal carcinoma in situ(n=85)were 0.931(95%CI:0.916–0.946)and 0.879(95%CI:0.832–0.925),respectively.Serum SEMA4C levels significantly decreased after surgery,and the reduction was more striking after modified radical mastectomy,compared with mass excision(P<0.001).The positive rate of enhanced serum SEMA4C levels was 84.77%for breast cancer and below 20.75%for the other 14 solid tumors.Conclusions:Serum SEMA4C demonstrated promising potential as a candidate biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis.However,validation in prospective settings and by other study groups is warranted.展开更多
Robust photosensitizers with strong red/NIR fluorescence, efficient reactive oxygen species(ROS) generation and high photostability are highly desired for photodynamic therapy(PDT). Herein, three novel red conjugated ...Robust photosensitizers with strong red/NIR fluorescence, efficient reactive oxygen species(ROS) generation and high photostability are highly desired for photodynamic therapy(PDT). Herein, three novel red conjugated polyelectrolytes(CPEs) with tetraphenylethene and 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole on the main chains and triphenylphosphonium on the side chains are developed.These CPEs display apparent aggregation-induced emission feature and high fluorescence quantum yields in the aggregated state. They can target lysosome in He La cells for fluorescence bioimaging. By virtue of the good retention effect and high photostability, these CPEs show ultralong-term tracing performance of subcutaneous tumors, and the tumor site can still be visualized for 20 days after injection. Owing to their good biocompatibility and strong ROS generation ability, the image-guided PDT based on these CPEs can effectively inhibit the growth of subcutaneous tumor and significantly prolong the survival of tumor bearing mice. The H&E and IHC staining reveal that the PDT of these CPEs depress the proliferation of tumor cells, and promote apoptosis and necrosis process. These new CPEs may be employed both as fluorescent probes for in vitro and in vivo long-term tracing and as photosensitizers for image-guided PDT of tumors.展开更多
Wide-bandgap(WBG)perovskites have emerged as promising materials for the construction of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.However,poor long-term operational stability due to the notorious photo-induced halide seg...Wide-bandgap(WBG)perovskites have emerged as promising materials for the construction of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.However,poor long-term operational stability due to the notorious photo-induced halide segregation is commonly observed.Here,we report the synthesis of stable~1.73 eV MA-based mixed I/Br WBG perovskites by ionic liquid solvent,methylammonium acetate(MAAc).The special internal hydrogen bond(N–H…I and N–H…Br)environment in the ionic liquid MAAc solvent over traditional N,N-dimethylformamide/dimethyl sulfoxide solvent stabilizes the diffusion of halide ions.This allows the suppression of the halide segregation in the mixed I/Br WBG perovskite film,which is previously suggested to be difficult.The hydrogen bonds also enable excellent decoupling of the crystal nucleation and growth process.Finally,a champion device efficiency of 20.59%is achieved,which is one of the highest reports,with improved ambient air,heat,and light stability.展开更多
The definitions of the bear,sidewalk and bull markets are ambiguous in the existing literature.This makes it difficult for practitioners to distinguish between different market conditions.In this paper,we propose stat...The definitions of the bear,sidewalk and bull markets are ambiguous in the existing literature.This makes it difficult for practitioners to distinguish between different market conditions.In this paper,we propose statistical definitions of the bear,sidewalk and bull markets,which correspond to the three states in our hidden semi-Markov model.We apply this analysis to the daily returns of the Chinese stock market and seven developed markets.Using the Viterbi algorithm to globally decode the most likely sequence of the market conditions,we systematically find the precise timing of the bear,sidewalk and bull markets for all the eight markets.Through the comparison of the estimation and decoding results,many unique characteristics of the Chinese stock market are revealed,such as‘crazy bull’,‘frequent and quick bear’and‘no buffer zone’.In China,the bull market is more volatile than in developed markets,the bear market occurs more frequently than in developed markets,and the sidewalk market has not functioned as a buffer zone since 2005.Possible causes of these unique characteristics are also discussed and implications for policy-making are suggested.展开更多
基金The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Key Research and Development Program for New Energy Vehicles(No.2016YFB0100200).
文摘Thermal runaway is the main factor contributing to the unsafe behaviors of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)in practical applications.The application of separators for the thermal shutdown has been proven as an effective approach to protecting LIBs from thermal runaway.In this work,we developed a thermal shutdown separator by coating a thin layer of low-density polyethylene microspheres(PM)onto a commercial porous polypropylene(PP)membrane and investigated the thermal response behaviors of the as-prepared PM/PP separator in LIBs.The structural and thermal analysis results revealed that the coated PM layer had a porous structure,which facilitated the occurrence of normal charge-discharge reactions at ambient temperature,although it could melt completely and fuse together within very short time periods:3 s at 110℃and 1 s at 120℃,to block off the pores of the PP substrate,thereby cutting off the ion transportation between the electrodes and interrupting the battery reaction.Consequently,the PM/PP separator exhibits very similar electrochemical performance to that of a conventional separator at ambient temperature.However,it performs a rapid thermal shutdown at an elevated temperature of^110℃,thus controlling the temperature rise and maintaining the cell in a safe status.Due to its synthetic simplicity and low cost,this separator shows promise for possible application in building safe LIBs.
基金Supported by a grant from the Health Department of Hainan Province(No.QW2013-040)
文摘Objective This study investigated the feasibility of screening residual normal ovarian tissues based on the expression of Bmi-1 and EZH2 in tissues adjacent to orthotopic ovarian carcinomas in nude mice. Methods The human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR3 was grown in subcutaneous tissues and the tumor tissues were orthotopically implanted. The expression levels of Bmi-1 and EZH2 were detected by immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR in cancer tissues, proximal and remote tissues with respect to the cancer tissues, and normal ovarian tissues of nude mice.Results Thirty-five ovarian tissue samples with normal biopsy results were obtained from 40 cases of human epithelial ovarian cancer in the nude mice in which the tumor tissues were orthotopically implanted. Bmi-1 and EZH2 expression levels were lower in proximal paraneoplastic tissue samples than in cancer tissue samples(P < 0.05) and higher than in remote paraneoplastic tissue samples(P < 0.01). No significant difference was found in the expression levels of Bmi-1 and EZH2 using immunohistochemistry among residual normal ovarian tissues obtained from orthotopically implanted models that differed in severity. The expression of Bmi-1 and EZH2 was negative in 20 normal ovarian tissue samples.Conclusion The expression levels of Bmi-1 and EZH2 were reduced with increasing distance from the cancer tissues. Negative expression of these tumor-associated genes can be used as a standard for the screening of normal ovarian tissues adjacent to tumor tissues. Normal ovarian tissues can be obtained from the tissues adjacent to tumors.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(92254302,91854116,31771529 and 32170685)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(5003510089 and 2023BR028)。
文摘Stimulator of interferon genes(STING),also known as MITA,ERIS,MPYS or TMEM173,is a key player in innate immunity,specifically in the typeⅠinterferon response[1-3].It is also involved in a range of non-canonical biological functions,including autophagy,cellular metabolism,translation,and DNA repair,and has implications in many diseases[4-9].After activation by its ligands,STING translocates from endoplasmic reticulum(ER),via ERGIC,Golgi apparatus and endosomes,finally to lysosomes for degradation[4-9].However,the mechanisms by which STING is delivered to lysosomes and whether this delivery process regulates STING activity remain elusive.
基金National Science and Technology Major Sub-Project,Grant/Award Number:2018ZX10301402-002National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Numbers:81772787,81902653,82072889+2 种基金Technical Innovation Special Project of Hubei Province,Grant/Award Number:2018ACA138Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,Grant/Award Number:2019kfyXMBZ024Municipal Health Commission Project ofWuhan,Grant/Award Number:WX18Q16。
文摘Background:To date,there is no approved blood-based biomarker for breast cancer detection.Herein,we aimed to assess semaphorin 4C(SEMA4C),a pivotal protein involved in breast cancer progression,as a serum diagnostic biomarker.Methods:We included 6,213 consecutive inpatients from Tongji Hospital,Qilu Hospital,and Hubei Cancer Hospital.Training cohort and two validation cohorts were introduced for diagnostic exploration and validation.A pan-cancer cohort was used to independently explore the diagnostic potential of SEMA4C among solid tumors.Breast cancer patients who underwent mass excision prior to modified radical mastectomy were also analyzed.We hypothesized that increased pretreatment serum SEMA4C levels,measured using optimized in-house enzymelinked immunosorbent assay kits,could detect breast cancer.The endpoints were diagnostic performance,including area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),sensitivity,and specificity.Post-surgery pathological diagnosis was the reference standard and breast cancer staging followed the TNM classification.There was no restriction on disease stage for eligibilities.Results:We included 2667 inpatients with breast lesions,2378 patients with other solid tumors,and 1168 healthy participants.Specifically,118 patients with breast cancer were diagnosed with stage 0(5.71%),620 with stage I(30.00%),966 with stage II(46.73%),217 with stage III(10.50%),and 8 with stage IV(0.39%).Patients with breast cancer had significantly higher serum SEMA4C levels than benign breast tumor patients and normal controls(P<0.001).Elevated serum SEMA4C levels had AUC of 0.920(95%confidence interval[CI]:0.900–0.941)and 0.932(95%CI:0.911–0.953)for breast cancer detection in the two validation cohorts.The AUCs for detecting early-stage breast cancer(n=366)and ductal carcinoma in situ(n=85)were 0.931(95%CI:0.916–0.946)and 0.879(95%CI:0.832–0.925),respectively.Serum SEMA4C levels significantly decreased after surgery,and the reduction was more striking after modified radical mastectomy,compared with mass excision(P<0.001).The positive rate of enhanced serum SEMA4C levels was 84.77%for breast cancer and below 20.75%for the other 14 solid tumors.Conclusions:Serum SEMA4C demonstrated promising potential as a candidate biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis.However,validation in prospective settings and by other study groups is warranted.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21788102,21722507,21974128)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(2019B030301003).
文摘Robust photosensitizers with strong red/NIR fluorescence, efficient reactive oxygen species(ROS) generation and high photostability are highly desired for photodynamic therapy(PDT). Herein, three novel red conjugated polyelectrolytes(CPEs) with tetraphenylethene and 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole on the main chains and triphenylphosphonium on the side chains are developed.These CPEs display apparent aggregation-induced emission feature and high fluorescence quantum yields in the aggregated state. They can target lysosome in He La cells for fluorescence bioimaging. By virtue of the good retention effect and high photostability, these CPEs show ultralong-term tracing performance of subcutaneous tumors, and the tumor site can still be visualized for 20 days after injection. Owing to their good biocompatibility and strong ROS generation ability, the image-guided PDT based on these CPEs can effectively inhibit the growth of subcutaneous tumor and significantly prolong the survival of tumor bearing mice. The H&E and IHC staining reveal that the PDT of these CPEs depress the proliferation of tumor cells, and promote apoptosis and necrosis process. These new CPEs may be employed both as fluorescent probes for in vitro and in vivo long-term tracing and as photosensitizers for image-guided PDT of tumors.
基金financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(91833304 and 51972172)Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province for Distinguished Young Scholars,China(BK20200034)the Young 1000 Talents Global Recruitment Program of China。
文摘Wide-bandgap(WBG)perovskites have emerged as promising materials for the construction of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.However,poor long-term operational stability due to the notorious photo-induced halide segregation is commonly observed.Here,we report the synthesis of stable~1.73 eV MA-based mixed I/Br WBG perovskites by ionic liquid solvent,methylammonium acetate(MAAc).The special internal hydrogen bond(N–H…I and N–H…Br)environment in the ionic liquid MAAc solvent over traditional N,N-dimethylformamide/dimethyl sulfoxide solvent stabilizes the diffusion of halide ions.This allows the suppression of the halide segregation in the mixed I/Br WBG perovskite film,which is previously suggested to be difficult.The hydrogen bonds also enable excellent decoupling of the crystal nucleation and growth process.Finally,a champion device efficiency of 20.59%is achieved,which is one of the highest reports,with improved ambient air,heat,and light stability.
基金The research of Shixuan Wang was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council(UK)[grant number ES/J50001X/1].
文摘The definitions of the bear,sidewalk and bull markets are ambiguous in the existing literature.This makes it difficult for practitioners to distinguish between different market conditions.In this paper,we propose statistical definitions of the bear,sidewalk and bull markets,which correspond to the three states in our hidden semi-Markov model.We apply this analysis to the daily returns of the Chinese stock market and seven developed markets.Using the Viterbi algorithm to globally decode the most likely sequence of the market conditions,we systematically find the precise timing of the bear,sidewalk and bull markets for all the eight markets.Through the comparison of the estimation and decoding results,many unique characteristics of the Chinese stock market are revealed,such as‘crazy bull’,‘frequent and quick bear’and‘no buffer zone’.In China,the bull market is more volatile than in developed markets,the bear market occurs more frequently than in developed markets,and the sidewalk market has not functioned as a buffer zone since 2005.Possible causes of these unique characteristics are also discussed and implications for policy-making are suggested.
