Burgeoning growth of tall buildings in urban areas around the world is placing new demands on their performance under winds.This involves selection of the building form that minimizes wind loads and structural topolog...Burgeoning growth of tall buildings in urban areas around the world is placing new demands on their performance under winds.This involves selection of the building form that minimizes wind loads and structural topologies that efficiently transfer loads.Current practice is to search for optimal shapes,but this limits buildings with static or fixed form.Aerodynamic shape tailoring that consists of modifying the external form of the building has shown great promise in reducing wind loads and associated structural motions as reflected in the design of Taipei 101 and Burj Khalifa.In these buildings,corner modifications of the cross-section and tapering along the height are introduced.An appealing alternative is to design a building that can adapt its form to the changing complex wind environment in urban areas with clusters of tall buildings,i.e.,by implementing a dynamic facade.To leap beyond the static shape optimization,autonomous dynamic morphing of the building shape is advanced in this study,which is implemented through a cyber–physical system that fuses together sensing,computing,actuating,and engineering informatics.This approach will permit a building to intelligently morph its profile to minimize the source of dynamic wind load excitation,and holds the promise of revolutionizing tall buildings from conventional static to dynamic facades by taking advantage of the burgeoning advances in computational design.展开更多
Non-coding RNAs（ncRNAs） are a large cluster of RNAs that do not encode proteins,but have multiple functions in diverse cellular processes.Mounting evidence indicates the involvement of nc RNAs in the physiology and ...Non-coding RNAs（ncRNAs） are a large cluster of RNAs that do not encode proteins,but have multiple functions in diverse cellular processes.Mounting evidence indicates the involvement of nc RNAs in the physiology and pathophysiology of the central and peripheral nervous systems.It has been shown that numerous ncRNAs,especially micro RNAs and long non-coding RNAs,are differentially expressed after insults such as acquired brain injury,spinal cord injury,and peripheral nerve injury.These ncRNAs affect neuronal survival,neurite regrowth,and glial phenotype primarily by targeting specific mRNAs,resulting in translation repression or degradation of the mRNAs.An increasing number of studies have investigated the regulatory roles of micro RNAs and long non-coding RNAs in neural injury and regeneration,and thus a new research field is emerging.In this review,we highlight current progress in the field in an attempt to provide further insight into post-transcriptional changes occurring after neural injury,and to facilitate the potential use of ncRNAs for improving neural regeneration.We also suggest potential directions for future studies.展开更多
Our previous study found that rat bone marrow–derived neural crest cells(acting as Schwann cell progenitors)have the potential to promote long-distance nerve repair.Cell-based therapy can enhance peripheral nerve rep...Our previous study found that rat bone marrow–derived neural crest cells(acting as Schwann cell progenitors)have the potential to promote long-distance nerve repair.Cell-based therapy can enhance peripheral nerve repair and regeneration through paracrine bioactive factors and intercellular communication.Nevertheless,the complex contributions of various types of soluble cytokines and extracellular vesicle cargos to the secretome remain unclear.To investigate the role of the secretome and extracellular vesicles in repairing damaged peripheral nerves,we collected conditioned culture medium from hypoxia-pretreated neural crest cells,and found that it significantly promoted the repair of sensory neurons damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation.The mRNA expression of trophic factors was highly expressed in hypoxia-pretreated neural crest cells.We performed RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis and found that miR-21-5p was enriched in hypoxia-pretreated extracellular vesicles of neural crest cells.Subsequently,to further clarify the role of hypoxia-pretreated neural crest cell extracellular vesicles rich in miR-21-5p in axonal growth and regeneration of sensory neurons,we used a microfluidic axonal dissociation model of sensory neurons in vitro,and found that hypoxia-pretreated neural crest cell extracellular vesicles promoted axonal growth and regeneration of sensory neurons,which was greatly dependent on loaded miR-21-5p.Finally,we constructed a miR-21-5p-loaded neural conduit to repair the sciatic nerve defect in rats and found that the motor and sensory functions of injured rat hind limb,as well as muscle tissue morphology of the hind limbs,were obviously restored.These findings suggest that hypoxia-pretreated neural crest extracellular vesicles are natural nanoparticles rich in miRNA-21-5p.miRNA-21-5p is one of the main contributors to promoting nerve regeneration by the neural crest cell secretome.This helps to explain the mechanism of action of the secretome and extracellular vesicles of neural crest cells in repairing damaged peripheral nerves,and also promotes the application of miR-21-5p in tissue engineering regeneration medicine.展开更多
Migration is a potential strategy to reduce poverty in the Global South.In China,the Poverty-alleviation Relocation(PAR)is a government-led,large-scale migration initiative aimed at eliminating poverty and promoting e...Migration is a potential strategy to reduce poverty in the Global South.In China,the Poverty-alleviation Relocation(PAR)is a government-led,large-scale migration initiative aimed at eliminating poverty and promoting environmental sustainability.To examine the ecological and socio-economic effects of the PAR,we quantified the changes in five types of ecosystem services(ES)as well as the subjective well-being of rural residents in Fuping county,Hebei province of China,by using ES mapping,household survey,and semi-structured interviews.We found that the PAR improves people's quality of life,with the well-being scores associated with transportation,communication,education,and healthcare increasing by 0.45–0.81.Additionally,the PAR enhances the supply of ES,evidenced by the increases in four types of ES in both in-migration and out-migration areas.The ES growth rates in in-migration areas ranged from 0.7%to 3.9%,while in out-migration areas,the rates ranged from 0.4%to 2.5%.However,the changes in income and food well-being are minimal,with scores at 0 and 0.32,respectively.More importantly,the elderly and low-educated residents experience minimal improvements in well-being after relocation.Our findings suggest that for other developing countries seeking to adopt PAR,it is crucial to provide targeted support for livelihood transitions,particularly for marginalized social groups,restore out-migration areas,and strengthen cross-regional cooperation to better address ecological constraints on livelihoods.展开更多
Localized high-concentration electrolytes offer a potential solution for achieving uniform lithium deposition and a stable solid-electrolyte interface in Lithium metal batteries.However,the use of highly concentrated ...Localized high-concentration electrolytes offer a potential solution for achieving uniform lithium deposition and a stable solid-electrolyte interface in Lithium metal batteries.However,the use of highly concentrated salts or structure-loaded diluents can result in significantly higher production costs and increased environmental burdens.Herein,a novel localized high-concentration electrolyte is developed,comprising ultra-low content(2%by mass)triethylammonium chloride as an electrolyte additive.The stable Lewis acid structure of the triethylammonium chloride molecule allows for the adsorption of numerous solvent molecules and TFSI^(-)anions,intensifying the electrostatic interactions between lithium ions and anions.The chloride ions introduced by TC,along with TFSI^(–)anions,integrate into the solvent sheath,forming a LiCl-rich inorganic SEI and enhancing the electrochemical performance of the lithium metal anode.The improved Li||Li cell shows excellent cycling stability for over 500 h at 1 mA cm^(2)with a 27 mV overpotential.This work provides insights into the impact of electrolyte additives on the electrode-electrolyte interface and Li-ion solvation,crucial for safer lithium metal battery development.展开更多
Deep and ultra-deep reservoirs have dense matrix and high fracture pressure, which leads to high pressure and difficulty in fracturing construction. Conventional aggravated fracturing fluids have the problems of low a...Deep and ultra-deep reservoirs have dense matrix and high fracture pressure, which leads to high pressure and difficulty in fracturing construction. Conventional aggravated fracturing fluids have the problems of low aggravation efficiency, high friction resistance, etc., and the reduction of construction pressure cannot reach the theoretical effect. In view of the above problems, this paper adopts the weighting agent HD160 and the drag reducing agent JHFR-2 to form a new type of weighted slippery water fracturing fluid system. And the weighting performance, drag reduction performance, corrosion performance, anti-expansion performance and reservoir damage of this system were studied. The results show that the density of the system is adjustable within 1.1 - 1.6 g·cm−3, and the drag reduction rate can be up to 68% at 1.5 g·cm−3, with low corrosion rate, surface tension less than 28 mN·m−1, anti-expansion rate as high as 94.5%, and the damage rate of the reservoir permeability is less than 10%, which is of good application prospect.展开更多
Wallerian degeneration(WD)remains an important research topic.Many genes are differentially expressed during the process of WD,but the precise mechanisms responsible for these differentiations are not completely under...Wallerian degeneration(WD)remains an important research topic.Many genes are differentially expressed during the process of WD,but the precise mechanisms responsible for these differentiations are not completely understood.In this study,we used microarrays to analyze the expression changes of the distal nerve stump at 0,1,4,7,14,21 and 28 days after sciatic nerve injury in rats.The data revealed 6076 differentiatly-expressed genes,with 23 types of expression,specifically enriched in genes associated with nerve development and axonogenesis,cytokine biosynthesis,cell differentiation,cytokine/chemokine production,neuron differentiation,cytokinesis,phosphorylation and axon regeneration.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis gave findings related mainly to the MAPK signaling pathway,the Jak-STAT signaling pathway,the cell cycle,cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction,the p53 signaling pathway and the Wnt signaling pathway.Some key factors were NGF,MAG,CNTF,CTNNA2,p53,JAK2,PLCB1,STAT3,BDNF,PRKC,collagen II,FGF,THBS4,TNC and c-Src,which were further validated by real-time quantitative PCR,Western blot,and immunohistochemistry.Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the functional analysis of differentially-expressed genes in WD and may shed light on the molecular mechanisms of nerve degeneration and regeneration.展开更多
基金the US National Science Foundation(CMMI-1562244 and CMMI-1612843)。
文摘Burgeoning growth of tall buildings in urban areas around the world is placing new demands on their performance under winds.This involves selection of the building form that minimizes wind loads and structural topologies that efficiently transfer loads.Current practice is to search for optimal shapes,but this limits buildings with static or fixed form.Aerodynamic shape tailoring that consists of modifying the external form of the building has shown great promise in reducing wind loads and associated structural motions as reflected in the design of Taipei 101 and Burj Khalifa.In these buildings,corner modifications of the cross-section and tapering along the height are introduced.An appealing alternative is to design a building that can adapt its form to the changing complex wind environment in urban areas with clusters of tall buildings,i.e.,by implementing a dynamic facade.To leap beyond the static shape optimization,autonomous dynamic morphing of the building shape is advanced in this study,which is implemented through a cyber–physical system that fuses together sensing,computing,actuating,and engineering informatics.This approach will permit a building to intelligently morph its profile to minimize the source of dynamic wind load excitation,and holds the promise of revolutionizing tall buildings from conventional static to dynamic facades by taking advantage of the burgeoning advances in computational design.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Development Program (973 Program) of China (2014CB542202)the National High-Technology Research Development Program (863 Program) of China (2012AA020502)+2 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China (BK20151270)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31200799 and 81571198)the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
文摘Non-coding RNAs（ncRNAs） are a large cluster of RNAs that do not encode proteins,but have multiple functions in diverse cellular processes.Mounting evidence indicates the involvement of nc RNAs in the physiology and pathophysiology of the central and peripheral nervous systems.It has been shown that numerous ncRNAs,especially micro RNAs and long non-coding RNAs,are differentially expressed after insults such as acquired brain injury,spinal cord injury,and peripheral nerve injury.These ncRNAs affect neuronal survival,neurite regrowth,and glial phenotype primarily by targeting specific mRNAs,resulting in translation repression or degradation of the mRNAs.An increasing number of studies have investigated the regulatory roles of micro RNAs and long non-coding RNAs in neural injury and regeneration,and thus a new research field is emerging.In this review,we highlight current progress in the field in an attempt to provide further insight into post-transcriptional changes occurring after neural injury,and to facilitate the potential use of ncRNAs for improving neural regeneration.We also suggest potential directions for future studies.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.31870977(to HYS)the National Key Technologies Research and Development Program of China,No.2017YFA0104700(to FD)+2 种基金2022 Jiangsu Funding Program for Excellent Postdoctoral Talent(to MC)Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions[PAPD]the Major Project of Basic Science(Natural Science)Research in Higher Education Institutions of Jiangsu Province,No.22KJA180001(to QRH)。
文摘Our previous study found that rat bone marrow–derived neural crest cells(acting as Schwann cell progenitors)have the potential to promote long-distance nerve repair.Cell-based therapy can enhance peripheral nerve repair and regeneration through paracrine bioactive factors and intercellular communication.Nevertheless,the complex contributions of various types of soluble cytokines and extracellular vesicle cargos to the secretome remain unclear.To investigate the role of the secretome and extracellular vesicles in repairing damaged peripheral nerves,we collected conditioned culture medium from hypoxia-pretreated neural crest cells,and found that it significantly promoted the repair of sensory neurons damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation.The mRNA expression of trophic factors was highly expressed in hypoxia-pretreated neural crest cells.We performed RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis and found that miR-21-5p was enriched in hypoxia-pretreated extracellular vesicles of neural crest cells.Subsequently,to further clarify the role of hypoxia-pretreated neural crest cell extracellular vesicles rich in miR-21-5p in axonal growth and regeneration of sensory neurons,we used a microfluidic axonal dissociation model of sensory neurons in vitro,and found that hypoxia-pretreated neural crest cell extracellular vesicles promoted axonal growth and regeneration of sensory neurons,which was greatly dependent on loaded miR-21-5p.Finally,we constructed a miR-21-5p-loaded neural conduit to repair the sciatic nerve defect in rats and found that the motor and sensory functions of injured rat hind limb,as well as muscle tissue morphology of the hind limbs,were obviously restored.These findings suggest that hypoxia-pretreated neural crest extracellular vesicles are natural nanoparticles rich in miRNA-21-5p.miRNA-21-5p is one of the main contributors to promoting nerve regeneration by the neural crest cell secretome.This helps to explain the mechanism of action of the secretome and extracellular vesicles of neural crest cells in repairing damaged peripheral nerves,and also promotes the application of miR-21-5p in tissue engineering regeneration medicine.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.42361144859Team Construction Project of Faculty of Geographical Science,BNU,No.2024-JXTD-03,No.2024-KYTD-09The Beijing Normal University Tang Scholar,No.2021。
文摘Migration is a potential strategy to reduce poverty in the Global South.In China,the Poverty-alleviation Relocation(PAR)is a government-led,large-scale migration initiative aimed at eliminating poverty and promoting environmental sustainability.To examine the ecological and socio-economic effects of the PAR,we quantified the changes in five types of ecosystem services(ES)as well as the subjective well-being of rural residents in Fuping county,Hebei province of China,by using ES mapping,household survey,and semi-structured interviews.We found that the PAR improves people's quality of life,with the well-being scores associated with transportation,communication,education,and healthcare increasing by 0.45–0.81.Additionally,the PAR enhances the supply of ES,evidenced by the increases in four types of ES in both in-migration and out-migration areas.The ES growth rates in in-migration areas ranged from 0.7%to 3.9%,while in out-migration areas,the rates ranged from 0.4%to 2.5%.However,the changes in income and food well-being are minimal,with scores at 0 and 0.32,respectively.More importantly,the elderly and low-educated residents experience minimal improvements in well-being after relocation.Our findings suggest that for other developing countries seeking to adopt PAR,it is crucial to provide targeted support for livelihood transitions,particularly for marginalized social groups,restore out-migration areas,and strengthen cross-regional cooperation to better address ecological constraints on livelihoods.
基金financially supported by Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur,via the Research Training Group“CircularLIB”and the program“Nanomaterials and Quantum Technology for Digital Transformation”(hsn-digital)support from China Scholarship Council.Y.L.thanks the research support from Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology(No.E2906216).
文摘Localized high-concentration electrolytes offer a potential solution for achieving uniform lithium deposition and a stable solid-electrolyte interface in Lithium metal batteries.However,the use of highly concentrated salts or structure-loaded diluents can result in significantly higher production costs and increased environmental burdens.Herein,a novel localized high-concentration electrolyte is developed,comprising ultra-low content(2%by mass)triethylammonium chloride as an electrolyte additive.The stable Lewis acid structure of the triethylammonium chloride molecule allows for the adsorption of numerous solvent molecules and TFSI^(-)anions,intensifying the electrostatic interactions between lithium ions and anions.The chloride ions introduced by TC,along with TFSI^(–)anions,integrate into the solvent sheath,forming a LiCl-rich inorganic SEI and enhancing the electrochemical performance of the lithium metal anode.The improved Li||Li cell shows excellent cycling stability for over 500 h at 1 mA cm^(2)with a 27 mV overpotential.This work provides insights into the impact of electrolyte additives on the electrode-electrolyte interface and Li-ion solvation,crucial for safer lithium metal battery development.
文摘Deep and ultra-deep reservoirs have dense matrix and high fracture pressure, which leads to high pressure and difficulty in fracturing construction. Conventional aggravated fracturing fluids have the problems of low aggravation efficiency, high friction resistance, etc., and the reduction of construction pressure cannot reach the theoretical effect. In view of the above problems, this paper adopts the weighting agent HD160 and the drag reducing agent JHFR-2 to form a new type of weighted slippery water fracturing fluid system. And the weighting performance, drag reduction performance, corrosion performance, anti-expansion performance and reservoir damage of this system were studied. The results show that the density of the system is adjustable within 1.1 - 1.6 g·cm−3, and the drag reduction rate can be up to 68% at 1.5 g·cm−3, with low corrosion rate, surface tension less than 28 mN·m−1, anti-expansion rate as high as 94.5%, and the damage rate of the reservoir permeability is less than 10%, which is of good application prospect.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81130080,30870811)the Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars,Ministry of Education of China+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China(BK2010282)the Priority Academic Program Development of Higher Education Institutions of Jiangsu Province,China
文摘Wallerian degeneration(WD)remains an important research topic.Many genes are differentially expressed during the process of WD,but the precise mechanisms responsible for these differentiations are not completely understood.In this study,we used microarrays to analyze the expression changes of the distal nerve stump at 0,1,4,7,14,21 and 28 days after sciatic nerve injury in rats.The data revealed 6076 differentiatly-expressed genes,with 23 types of expression,specifically enriched in genes associated with nerve development and axonogenesis,cytokine biosynthesis,cell differentiation,cytokine/chemokine production,neuron differentiation,cytokinesis,phosphorylation and axon regeneration.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis gave findings related mainly to the MAPK signaling pathway,the Jak-STAT signaling pathway,the cell cycle,cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction,the p53 signaling pathway and the Wnt signaling pathway.Some key factors were NGF,MAG,CNTF,CTNNA2,p53,JAK2,PLCB1,STAT3,BDNF,PRKC,collagen II,FGF,THBS4,TNC and c-Src,which were further validated by real-time quantitative PCR,Western blot,and immunohistochemistry.Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the functional analysis of differentially-expressed genes in WD and may shed light on the molecular mechanisms of nerve degeneration and regeneration.
