TCDD-induced AhR activation enhanced IL-10 expression and inhibited IL-17 and IL-4 expression.

<p>(A) Cytokine expression in the serum and BALF was determined via ELISA. (B) Cytokine expression from the OVA-specific T cells was determined via ELISA. N = 5 per group and *P<0.05, **P<0.01.</p

TCDD-induced AhR activation reduced non-eosinophilic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness.

<p>(A-B) Total cells and cellular composition in BALF were assessed using cytospin with May-Gruenwald Giemsa staining. (C) Airway responsiveness to aerosolized methacholine was evaluated using a Buxco’s modular and invasive system. Changes in RL and Changes in Cdyn. N = 5 per group and *P<0.05, **P<0.01.</p

TCDD-induced AhR activation reduced non-eosinophilic airway inflammation.

<p>(A) Lung histology was analyzed via HE staining. (B) Lung histology was analyzed via PAS staining. (C) Lung histology was analyzed via neutrophilic marker-MPO staining. (D) Lung histology was analyzed via neutrophilic marker-Gr-1 staining. (E) Quantitative analysis of neutrophil infiltration in the lungs. The percentage of the positive staining area of the airway was counted from 10 randomly selected fields per section. *P<0.05.</p

AhR activation by TCDD promoted the expression of CYP1a1 and CYP1b1 genes.

<p>Mice were intranasally sensitized with OVA and LPS, and TCDD was gavaged one day prior to being sensitized and challenged. (A) Timeline of the OVA/LPS immunization/challenge and the TCDD treatment protocol. (B) mRNA expression of CYP1a1 and CYP1b1 in spleens was determined via real-time PCR. (C) mRNA expression of CYP1a1 and CYP1b1 in lungs was determined via real-time PCR. (D) mRNA expression of CYP1a1 and CYP1b1 in lung-draining mediastinal lymph nodes was determined via real-time PCR. N = 5 per group and *P<0.05, **P<0.01.</p

TCDD-induced AhR activation promoted FOXP3 expression and inhibited RORγ expression.

<p>Cells from the spleens were restimulated with leukocyte activation cocktail for 5 hours. (A) mRNA expression of FOXP3 in lymphocytes was determined via real-time PCR. (B) mRNA expression of RORγ in lymphocytes was determined via real-time PCR. N = 5 per group and *P<0.05, **P<0.01.</p

TCDD-induced AhR activation promoted Treg differentiation and inhibited Th17 differentiation.

<p>Cells from the spleens and lung-draining mediastinal lymph nodes were restimulated with leukocyte activation cocktail for 5 hours. (A-B) Five hours later, CD4+CD25+ cells were analyzed via cell surface staining. (C-D) IL-17-producing cells were analyzed via intracellular staining. The numbers within the quadrants indicate the percentage of positive cells in the total cells; the percentage of positive cells in the CD4+ cells (Treg% and Th17%) was subsequently calculated. N = 5 per group and *P<0.05, **P<0.01.</p

Effect of TCDD-induced AhR activation on the maturation of dendritic cells.

<p>Lung mononuclear cells were harvested using lymphocyte separation medium. DCs were isolated from lung mononuclear cells using CD11c magnetic beads (Miltenyi Biotec). (A) Flow cytometry analyses were performed to determine the purity of the dendritic cells. (B) Frequencies of CD80+, CD86+, and CD83+ cells on dendritic cells were determined via flow cytometry.</p

Facile Synthesis of a Graphene Film with Ultrahigh Thermal Conductivity via a Novel Pressure-Swing Hot-Pressing Method

A graphene film with high thermal conductivity and flexibility is highly demanded for heat dissipation application yet is still restricted by the complex and uneconomical fabrication process. Here, a facile and low-cost pressure-swing approach was adopted to realize the hot-pressing process of the graphene film. Accompanied by this pressure-swing hot-pressing process, the gas emission behavior was found to be crucial to the reduction of the graphene film. In this context, the applied pressure was adjusted to achieve the order and dense structure of the graphene film. The as-prepared graphene film thus presents a high thermal conductivity of 1451.37 W m–1 K–1 and a tensile strength of 175 MPa. Concomitantly, the heating rate was further retarded to slow the decomposition of functional groups on the graphene oxide film. The optimized graphene film exhibits a thermal conductivity of 1516.74 W m–1 K–1. Our results provide a highly promising method for preparing industrial-desired graphene films with high thermal conductivity

Tailoring Phase Transition in Poly(3-hexylselenophene) Thin Films and Correlating Their Crystalline Polymorphs with Charge Transport Properties for Organic Field-Effect Transistors

Poly­(3-hexylselenophene) (P3HS) carries attractive advantages over their close analogue poly­(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), including a stronger intermolecular interaction, a better interchain charge hopping, and a narrower bandgap. However, P3HS is much less studied compared to P3HT. Herein, we report on intriguing reversible phase transition between two different crystalline polymorphs (i.e., form I and II) in P3HS thin films with different molecular weights enabled by alternating thermal and solvent vapor annealing. More importantly, the phase transition kinetics and mechanism as well as the associated changes on molecular packing structures were also scrutinized. The correlation between different P3HS crystalline polymorphs and the resulting field-effect mobilities was explored <i>for the first time</i>. Our study provides an insight into P3HS crystallization and phase transition, thus entailing the use of polyselenophene-based materials for a wide range of optoelectronic applications

Dipicolylamine Functionalized Polyfluorene Based Gel with Lower Critical Solution Temperature: Preparation, Characterization, and Application

A thermoresponsive fluorescent polymer gel with lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase transition has been prepared by cooperating conjugated fluorene homopolymer poly­(2,7-(9,9-di­(8-di­(2-picolyl)­aminooctyl))­fluorene) (<b>PPAOF</b>) and small organic dye sulforhodamine B (<b>SRB</b>) or its sodium salt (<b>SRB-Na</b>). The sol–gel phase transition originates from the electrostatic interactions between the protonated pyridyl/amino groups in <b>PPAOF</b> and the sulfonic groups in the organic dye molecules, as revealed by FTIR, variable-temperature ¹H NMR spectroscopies, and cyclic voltammetry measurements. Consequently, the LCST value can be finely controlled by simply tuning the component concentrations. Moreover, due to the inefficient energy transfer, the resulting fluorescent polymer gel exhibits two independent emission bands at 440 and 577 nm, assigned to the characteristic emissions from fluorene homopolymer and organic dye, respectively. Furthermore, this fluorescent polymer gel exhibits a reversible electrofluorochromic (EFC) property with high fluorescence contrast when it is assembled in a single-layer supporting electrolyte-free EFC device. Most interestingly, different fluorescence colors can be achieved from the two electrodes of the device. Our findings may present a new way to design conjugated polymer based LCST gels and EFC materials