Preparation and properties of pea-gravel grouting with sodium bentonite for hydraulic shield tunnel.

Pea-gravel grouting (PGG) is a composite material backfilled between segment and surrounding rock of a shield tunnel, requiring balanced mechanical properties and impermeability. However, the practice always faces an issue of the defects of harden PGG with local cavity, less dense or insufficient strength. In this paper, an experimental study was firstly carried out on the grouting slurry to determine its mix proportion by evaluating the workability and density, which showed that the rational w/b = 0.

An efficient method for coupled rotation and torsion of oriented AXn1-BYn2 molecules with application to BF2BCl2.

A new and concise method to obtain the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of a two-dimensional rotational-torsional Hamiltonian with correct boundary conditions is proposed for oriented AXn1-BYn2 type molecules. The corresponding eigenfunctions are not only eigenfunctions of the Hamiltonian but also common eigenfunctions of several symmetry operators. Numerical calculations for the lowest 1000 rotational-torsional eigenstates of BF2BCl2 demonstrate the advantages and applicability of our method.

Pyrrolation of Melem: A Facile Gateway into the Field of Monomeric s-Heptazine Chemistry.

Monomeric s-heptazines are an intriguing class of compounds with many attractive properties for various areas of application such as photocatalysis or organic light-emitting diodes. However, research into these properties has so far been challenging, as only a few synthetic routes for the preparation of monomeric s-heptazines are known in the literature. Furthermore, these few reported synthetic pathways generally require the use of specialized equipment that may not be available to all laboratories interested in studying monomeric s-heptazines.

High-Throughput Formation of Pre-Vascularized hiPSC-Derived Hepatobiliary Organoids on a Chip via Nonparenchymal Cell Grafting.

Liver organoids have been increasingly adopted as a critical in vitro model to study liver development and diseases. However, the pre-vascularization of liver organoids without affecting liver parenchymal specification remains a long-lasting challenge, which is essential for their application in regenerative medicine. Here, the large-scale formation of pre-vascularized human hepatobiliary organoids (vhHBOs) is presented without affecting liver epithelial specification via a novel strategy, namely nonparenchymal cell grafting (NCG).

Macrophage Notch1 signaling modulates regulatory T cells via the TGFB axis in early MASLD.

Background & Aims: Hepatic immune imbalance is crucial for driving metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) progression. However, the role of hepatic regulatory T cells (Tregs) in MASLD initiation and the mechanisms responsible for their change are not completely understood.

Methods: A mouse model subjected to a short-term high-fat diet (HFD) to mimic early steatosis, along with liver biopsy samples from patients with simple steatosis, and macrophage-specific Notch1-knockout mice (Notch1), were used to investigate the role of Tregs in early MASLD and the effect of hepatic macrophage Notch1 signaling on Treg frequency.

Macrophage Dvl2 deficiency promotes NOD1-Driven pyroptosis and exacerbates inflammatory liver injury.

Dishevelled 2 (Dvl2) is a key mediator of the Wingless/Wnt signaling pathway that regulates cell proliferation, migration, and immune function. However, little is known about the role of macrophage Dvl2 in modulating NOD1-mediated pyroptosis and hepatocyte death in oxidative stress-induced inflammatory liver injury. In a mouse model of oxidative stress-induced liver inflammation, mice with myeloid-specific Dvl2 knockout (Dvl2) displayed exacerbated ischemia/reperfusion (IR) stress-induced hepatocellular damage with increased serum ALT levels, oxidative stress, and proinflammatory mediators.

β-Catenin disruption decreases macrophage exosomal α-SNAP and impedes Treg differentiation in acute liver injury.

Hepatic macrophages and regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in the maintenance of liver immune homeostasis, but the mechanism by which hepatic macrophages regulate Tregs in acute liver injury remains largely unknown. Here, we found that the hepatic Treg proportion and β-catenin expression in hepatic macrophages were associated with acetaminophen- and d-galactosamine/LPS-induced acute liver injury. Interestingly, β-catenin was markedly upregulated only in infiltrating macrophages but not in resident Kupffer cells.

Effectiveness evaluation of different steel fibers on the shear strength of reinforced SFRC slender beams without web rebars.

Current studies have mainly focused on the effect of specific steel fibers on the shear performance of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) slender beams. However, there has been a lack of in-depth research evaluating the effectiveness of different steel fibers through a statistically comparative analysis of experimental data from various researchers. Existing design methods do not fully account for the impact of all types of steel fibers on the shear capacity of SFRC slender beams, providing very limited guidance on selecting appropriate steel fibers.

Mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes alleviate liver fibrosis by targeting Hedgehog/SMO signaling.

Background & Aims: Despite increasing knowledge regarding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of liver fibrogenesis, there is currently no approved drug for the treatment of liver fibrosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells representing an attractive therapeutic tool for tissue damage and inflammation. This study was designed to determine the protective effect and underlying mechanism of human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) on thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis.

Biosensing of Cysteine through the Induction of Oxygen Vacancies in a Cu/Zr Heterostructure Prepared by Supercritical Antisolvent Technique.

There has been a growing emphasis on facile preparation of binary heterogeneous composite materials. Leveraging the eco-friendly efficiency of supercritical CO technology, we achieved precise control over the influencing factors of mass transfer, enabling the accurate modulation of the resulting product morphology and properties. In the current study, CuO/ZrO composite materials were prepared using this technology and calcined to obtain electrode materials for the detection of cysteine (Cys).

A highly sensitive and specific Homo1-based real-time qPCR method for quantification of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in rats.

Background: Owing to the characteristics of easier access in vitro, low immunogenicity, and high plasticity, human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) are considered as a promising cell-based drugs for clinical application. No internationally recognized technology exists to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and distribution of cell-based drugs in vivo.

Methods: We determined the human-specific gene sequence, Homo1, from differential fragments Homo sapiens mitochondrion and Rattus norvegicus mitochondrion.

Experimental study of the bond behavior of 400MPa grade hot-rolled ribbed steel bars in steel fibre reinforced concrete.

Present studies show that steel fibres can improve the bond of steel bar in steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) with a correlation to the fibre factor and the fibre distribution uniformity. As a foundation of high-flowability SFRC working together with 400 MPa grade hot-rolled ribbed (HRB400) steel bar in reinforced structures, the bond between them was evaluated through a series of pull-out testing on 48 specimens with a central arranged steel bar. The bond behaviours of steel bar were estimated with a constant bond length of 5d (d is the diameter of steel bar) embedded in high-flowability SFRC, the main research parameters included the ingot mill steel fibres with a fibre volume fraction varied from 0.

Loss of macrophage TSC1 exacerbates sterile inflammatory liver injury through inhibiting the AKT/MST1/NRF2 signaling pathway.

Tuberous sclerosis complex 1 (TSC1) plays important roles in regulating innate immunity. However, the precise role of TSC1 in macrophages in the regulation of oxidative stress response and hepatic inflammation in liver ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) remains unknown. In a mouse model of liver I/R injury, deletion of myeloid-specific TSC1 inhibited AKT and MST1 phosphorylation, and decreased NRF2 accumulation, whereas activated TLR4/NF-κB pathway, leading to increased hepatic inflammation.

Targeting Microglia/Macrophages Notch1 Protects Neurons from Pyroptosis in Ischemic Stroke.

Background And Aims: The immune-inflammatory cascade and pyroptosis play an important role in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). The maintenance of immune homeostasis is inextricably linked to the Notch signaling pathway, but whether myeloid Notch1 affects microglia polarization as well as neuronal pyroptosis in CIRI is not fully understood. This study was designed to clarify the role of myeloid Notch1 in CIRI, providing new therapeutic strategies for ischemic stroke.

NIR-II light triggered burst-release cascade nanoreactor for precise cancer chemotherapy.

The current strategy of co-delivering copper ions and disulfiram (DSF) to generate cytotoxic CuET faces limitations in achieving rapid and substantial CuET production, specifically in tumor lesions. To overcome this challenge, we introduce a novel burst-release cascade reactor composed of phase change materials (PCMs) encapsulating ultrasmall CuSe nanoparticles (NPs) and DSF (DSF/CuSe@PCM). Once triggered by second near-infrared (NIR-II) light irradiation, the reactor swiftly releases CuSe NPs and DSF, enabling catalytic reactions that lead to the rapid and massive production of CuSe-ET complexes, thereby achieving chemotherapy.

An Orthogonal Test Study on the Preparation of Self-Compacting Underwater Non-Dispersible Concrete.

To ensure a limited washout loss rate and the self-compaction of underwater concrete, the mix proportion design of underwater non-dispersible concrete is a key technology that has not been completely mastered. In view of this aspect, an orthogonal test study was carried out in this paper on the workability, washout resistance, and compressive strength of underwater non-dispersible concrete. Six factors with five levels were considered, which included the water/binder ratio, the sand ratio, the maximum particle size of the coarse aggregate, the content of the dispersion resistance agent, the content of superplasticizer, and the dosage of fly ash.

Fluoride-Free Synthesis of 2D Titanium Carbide (MXenes) Assisted by scCO -Based Ternary Solution.

2D MXene-Ti C T holds great promise in various electronic applications, especially for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding devices and supercapacitors. Ti C T synthesis typically involves the use of hazardous fluorine-containing chemicals that can result in the formation of inert fluoride functional groups on the surface of Ti C T , severely degrading its properties and posing a threat to the performance of electron transfer among electrical devices. Herein, a supercritical carbon dioxide-based ternary solution (scCO /DMSO/HCl) to produce fluoride-free Ti C T in mild conditions (via 0.

Nature-inspired nanocarriers for improving drug therapy of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis (AS) has emerged as one of the prevalent arterial vascular diseases characterized by plaque and inflammation, primarily causing disability and mortality globally. Drug therapy remains the main treatment for AS. However, a series of obstacles hinder effective drug delivery.

Vibronic and Cationic Features of 2-Fluorobenzonitrile and 3-Fluorobenzonitrile Studied by REMPI and MATI Spectroscopy and Franck-Condon Simulations.

Fluorinated organic compounds have superior physicochemical properties than general organic compounds due to the strong C-F single bond; they are widely used in medicine, biology, pesticides, and materials science. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the physicochemical properties of fluorinated organic compounds, fluorinated aromatic compounds have been investigated by various spectroscopic techniques. 2-fluorobenzonitrile and 3-fluorobenzonitrile are important fine chemical intermediates and their excited state S and cationic ground state D vibrational features remain unknown.

Hyaluronic Acid-Based Nanocarriers for Anticancer Drug Delivery.

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a main component of the extracellular matrix, is widely utilized to deliver anticancer drugs due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, non-immunogenicity and numerous modification sites, such as carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. Moreover, HA serves as a natural ligand for tumor-targeted drug delivery systems, as it contains the endocytic HA receptor, CD44, which is overexpressed in many cancer cells. Therefore, HA-based nanocarriers have been developed to improve drug delivery efficiency and distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissues, resulting in reduced residual toxicity and off-target accumulation.