The emerging role of lncRNAs in osteoarthritis development and potential therapy

Osteoarthritis impairs the functions of various joints, such as knees, hips, hands and spine, which causes pain, swelling, stiffness and reduced mobility in joints. Multiple factors, including age, joint injuries, obesity, and mechanical stress, could contribute to osteoarthritis development and progression. Evidence has demonstrated that genetics and epigenetics play a critical role in osteoarthritis initiation and progression. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been revealed to participate in osteoarthritis development. In this review, we describe the pivotal functions and molecular mechanisms of numerous lncRNAs in osteoarthritis progression. We mention that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) could be biomarkers for osteoarthritis diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic targets. Moreover, we highlight the several compounds that alleviate osteoarthritis progression in part via targeting lncRNAs. Furthermore, we provide the future perspectives regarding the potential application of lncRNAs in diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of osteoarthritis

Simulation Analysis and Experimental Verification of the Locking Torque of the Microgravity Platform of the Chinese Space Station

The Microgravity Platform (MP) of the Chinese Space Station is locked and released by Lock-or-Release (L/R) mechanism on both sides. In order to ensure the safety and reliability of the MP under the vibration environment during the rocket launch, the L/R mechanism must output the appropriate locking torque value. Based on the structural characteristics of the Scientific Experiment Cabinet (SEC), this paper proposes a method of evaluating locking torque by combining theory with experiment, and the relationship between locking force and locking torque of L/R mechanism is proved that the locking force on both sides can reach 2000 N at 25 Nm driving torque. Finally, it is verified by vibration test that the locking torque obtained by this method can effectively guarantee the safety and reliability of the MP under vibration environment

One-Step Synthesis of Carbon-Coated Na-3(VOPO4)(2)F Using Biomass as a Reducing Agent and Their Electrochemical Properties

In this work, a one-step hydrothermal strategy has been developed for the synthesis of carbon-coated Na-3(VOPO4)(2)F with the aid of biomass (e.g. glucose, fructose or starch), where biomass plays the key role of carbon source and reducing agent for reducing vanadium(V) to vanadium(IV). The effect of different biomass on the morphologies has been examined. Furthermore, the synthetic mechanism was deduced by investigating the impact of hydrothermal time on the synthesis. In addition, the vanadium oxidation state has been finally confirmed by XPS and UV-Vis. The as-synthesized carbon-coated Na-3(VOPO4)(2)F shows a superior long-term cycling performance, such as the capacity retentions are higher than 70% after 1400 cycles at a current rate of 5 C. The higher content of carbon will lead to the better rate capability. The present study suggests that the one-step hydrothermal technique using biomass as a reducing agent appears to be a facile and green low-cost approach to prepare the promising cathode material Na-3(VOPO4)(2)F

Using the Local Drought Data and GRACE/GRACE-FO Data to Characterize the Drought Events in Mainland China from 2002 to 2020

Accurate quantification of drought characteristics helps to achieve an objective and comprehensive analysis of drought events and to achieve early warning of drought and disaster loss assessment. In our study, a drought characterization approach based on drought severity index derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its Follow-On (GRACE-FO) data was used to quantify drought characteristics. In order to improve drought detection capability, we used the local drought data as calibration criteria to improve the accuracy of the drought characterization approach to determine the onset of drought. Additionally, the local precipitation data was used to test drought severity determined by the calibrated drought characterization approach. Results show that the drought event probability of detection (POD) of this approach in the four study regions increased by 61.29%, 25%, 94.29%, and 66.86%, respectively, after calibration. We used the calibrated approach to detect the drought events in Mainland China (MC) during 2016 and 2019. The results show that CAR of the four study regions is 100.00%, 92.31%, 100.00%, and 100.00%. Additionally, the precipitation anomaly index (PAI) data was used to evaluate the severity of drought from 2002 to 2020 determined by the calibrated approach. The results indicate that both have a strong similar spatial distribution. Our analysis demonstrates that the proposed approach can serve a useful tool for drought monitoring and characterization

3D Visualization of Pulmonary Vessel Based on Low-Cost Segmentation and Fast Reconstruction

Real-time visual-aided navigation and path strategy for pneumonoconiosis and efficient 3D visualization of pulmonary vessels are of great research and clinical significance in the treatment of lung diseases. The complex structure of lung tissue limits the application of deep learning in pulmonary vascular visualization due to the lack of vascular labeling datasets. Also, the existing methods have large computational complexity and are low efficiency. This study proposes a method for high-quality 3D visualization of pulmonary vessels based on low-cost segmentation and fast reconstruction, consisting of three steps: 1) Pulmonary vessel feature extraction from lung CT images using self-supervised learning, 2) Segmentation of pulmonary sparse vessels in lung CT images using self-supervised transfer learning, and 3) 3D reconstruction of pulmonary vessels based on segmentation results of step (2) using interpolation. The accuracy of pulmonary vascular contour segmentation was improved from 91.31% using the sparse coding to 98.65% using our proposed method (27,270 test sample points); the classifier evaluation accuracy was improved from 95.33% to 98.26%, and the average running time of the model with the test set data was 44 ms per slice. the segmentation results can automatically generate a complete vascular tree model with an average time of 10.8s ± 1 1.6s. The results demonstrate that the proposed method provides fast and accurate 3D visualization of pulmonary vessels, and is promising for more precise and reliable information for pneumonoconiosis patients

Solid-State Sodium Batteries

Rechargeable Na-ion batteries (NIBs) are attractive large-scale energy storage systems compared to Li-ion batteries due to the substantial reserve and low cost of sodium resources. The recent rapid development of NIBs will no doubt accelerate the commercialization process. As one of the indispensable components in current battery systems, organic liquid electrolytes are widely used for their high ionic conductivity and good wettability, but the low thermal stability, especially the easy flammability and leakage make them at risk of safety issues. The booming solid-state batteries with solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) show promise as alternatives to organic liquid systems due to their improved safety and higher energy density. However, several challenges including low ionic conductivity, poor wettability, low stability/incompatibility between electrodes and electrolytes, etc., may degrade performance, hindering the development of practical applications. In this review, an overview of Na-ion SSEs is first outlined according to the classification of solid polymer electrolytes, composite polymer electrolytes, inorganic solid electrolytes, etc. Furthermore, the current challenges and critical perspectives for the potential development of solid-state sodium batteries are discussed in detail.</p

Insight into the structure and functional application of the Sr0.95Ce0.05CoO3-δ cathode for solid oxide fuel cells

A new perovskite cathode, Sr0.95Ce0.05CoO3-δ, performs well for oxygen-reduction reactions in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). We gain insight into the crystal structure of Sr1-xCexCoO3-δ (x = 0.05, 0.1) and temperature-dependent structural evolution of Sr0.95Ce0.05CoO3-δ by X-ray diffraction, neutron powder diffraction, and scanning transmission electron microscopy experiments. Sr0.9Ce0.1CoO3-δ shows a perfectly cubic structure (a = a0), with a large oxygen deficiency in a single oxygen site; however, Sr0.95Ce0.05CoO3-δ exhibits a tetragonal perovskite superstructure with a double c axis, defined in the P4/mmm space group, that contains two crystallographically different cobalt positions, with distinct oxygen environments. The structural evolution of Sr0.95Ce0.05CoO3-δ at high temperatures was further studied by in situ temperature-dependent NPD experiments. At 1100 K, the oxygen atoms in Sr0.95Ce0.05CoO3-δ show large and highly anisotropic displacement factors, suggesting a significant ionic mobility. The test cell with a La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.83Mg0.17O3-δ-electrolyte-supported (∼300 μ thickness) configuration yields peak power densities of 0.25 and 0.48 W cm-2 at temperatures of 1023 and 1073 K, respectively, with pure H2 as the fuel and ambient air as the oxidant. The electrochemical impedance spectra evolution with time of the symmetric cathode fuel cell measured at 1073 K shows that the Sr0.95Ce0.05CoO3-δ cathode possesses superior ORR catalytic activity and long-term stability. Mixed ionic-electronic conduction properties of Sr0.95Ce0.05CoO3-δ account for its good performance as an oxygen-reduction catalyst.We are grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity for granting Project MAT2013-41099-R and ILL and PSI for making all facilities available for the neutron diffraction experiments. C.S. gratefully acknowledges financial support by the National Science Foundation of China (Grants 51172275 and 51372271) and the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant 2012CB215402)