Construction of a Fish-like Robot Based on High Performance Graphene/PVDF Bimorph Actuation Materials.

Smart actuators have many potential applications in various areas, so the development of novel actuation materials, with facile fabricating methods and excellent performances, are still urgent needs. In this work, a novel electromechanical bimorph actuator constituted by a graphene layer and a PVDF layer, is fabricated through a simple yet versatile solution approach. The bimorph actuator can deflect toward the graphene side under electrical stimulus, due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers and the converse piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive property of the PVDF layer. Under low voltage stimulus, the actuator (length: 20 mm, width: 3 mm) can generate large actuation motion with a maximum deflection of about 14.0 mm within 0.262 s and produce high actuation stress (more than 312.7 MPa/g). The bimorph actuator also can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies. on this basis, a fish-like robot that can swim at the speed of 5.02 mm/s is designed and demonstrated. The designed graphene-PVDF bimorph actuator exhibits the overall novel performance compared with many other electromechanical avtuators, and may contribute to the practical actuation applications of graphene-based materials at a macro scale

Type-I-IFN-Stimulated Gene TRIM5γ Inhibits HBV Replication by Promoting HBx Degradation

To understand the molecular mechanisms that mediate the anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) effect of interferon (IFN) therapy, we conduct highthroughput bimolecular fluorescence complementation screening to identify potential physical interactions between the HBx protein and 145 IFNstimulated genes (ISGs). Seven HBx-interacting ISGs have consistent and significant inhibitory effects on HBV replication, among which TRIM5g suppresses HBV replication by promoting K48-linked ubiquitination and degradation of the HBx protein on the K95 ubiquitin site. The B-Box domain of TRIM5g under overexpression conditions is sufficient to trigger HBx degradation and is responsible both for interacting with HBx and recruiting TRIM31, which is an ubiquitin ligase that triggers HBx ubiquitination. High expression levels of TRIM5g in IFN-a-treated HBV patients might indicate a better therapeutic effect. Thus, our studies identify a crucial role for TRIM5g and TRIM31 in promoting HBx degradation, which may facilitate the development of therapeutic agents for the treatment of patients with IFN-resistant HBV infection

Interferon-Inducible Cholesterol-25-Hydroxylase Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus Replication via Distinct Mechanisms

Cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H) as an interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) has recently been shown to exert broad antiviral activity through the production of 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), which is believed to inhibit the virus-cell membrane fusion during viral entry. However, little is known about the function of CH25H on HCV infection and replication and whether antiviral function of CH25H is exclusively mediated by 25HC. In the present study, we have found that although 25HC produced by CH25H can inhibit HCV replication, CH25H mutants lacking the hydroxylase activity still carry the antiviral activity against HCV but not other viruses such as MHV-68. Further studies have revealed that CH25H can interact with the NS5A protein of HCV and inhibit its dimer formation, which is essential for HCV replication. Thus, our work has uncovered a novel mechanism by which CH25H restricts HCV replication, suggesting that CH25H inhibits viral infection through both 25HC-dependent and independent events

Construction of a Fish-like Robot Based on High Performance Graphene/PVDF Bimorph Actuation Materials.

Smart actuators have many potential applications in various areas, so the development of novel actuation materials, with facile fabricating methods and excellent performances, are still urgent needs. In this work, a novel electromechanical bimorph actuator constituted by a graphene layer and a PVDF layer, is fabricated through a simple yet versatile solution approach. The bimorph actuator can deflect toward the graphene side under electrical stimulus, due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers and the converse piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive property of the PVDF layer. Under low voltage stimulus, the actuator (length: 20 mm, width: 3 mm) can generate large actuation motion with a maximum deflection of about 14.0 mm within 0.262 s and produce high actuation stress (more than 312.7 MPa/g). The bimorph actuator also can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies. on this basis, a fish-like robot that can swim at the speed of 5.02 mm/s is designed and demonstrated. The designed graphene-PVDF bimorph actuator exhibits the overall novel performance compared with many other electromechanical avtuators, and may contribute to the practical actuation applications of graphene-based materials at a macro scale

Construction of a Fish‐like Robot Based on High Performance Graphene/PVDF Bimorph Actuation Materials

Smart actuators have many potential applications in various areas, so the development of novel actuation materials, with facile fabricating methods and excellent performances, are still urgent needs. In this work, a novel electromechanical bimorph actuator constituted by a graphene layer and a PVDF layer, is fabricated through a simple yet versatile solution approach. The bimorph actuator can deflect toward the graphene side under electrical stimulus, due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers and the converse piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive property of the PVDF layer. Under low voltage stimulus, the actuator (length: 20 mm, width: 3 mm) can generate large actuation motion with a maximum deflection of about 14.0 mm within 0.262 s and produce high actuation stress (more than 312.7 MPa/g). The bimorph actuator also can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies. on this basis, a fish‐like robot that can swim at the speed of 5.02 mm/s is designed and demonstrated. The designed graphene‐PVDF bimorph actuator exhibits the overall novel performance compared with many other electromechanical avtuators, and may contribute to the practical actuation applications of graphene‐based materials at a macro scale

Efficacy of acupuncture on pelvic pain in patients with endometriosis: study protocol for a randomized, single-blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract Background Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease that is characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. The main symptoms include dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. These symptoms impair the lives of most of the women suffering from the disease. Surgical resection of endometriotic lesions is an effective means of treating dysmenorrhea, but the risk of recurrence is high. Western medicine has limited use for treating it due to side effects and ineffectiveness. The purpose of this study is to verify the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture. Methods/design This trial will be carried out in four parts. A total of 106 eligible patients with pelvic pain related to endometriosis will be randomly assigned into two groups, in a 1:1 ratio, as the treatment group or the control group. The participants assigned to the treatment group will be treated with acupuncture treatment at Guanyuan (CV4), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Taichong (LR3), Zhaohai (KI6) and Qichong (ST30) while the control group will receive acupuncture at non-acupoints. The trial will include three menstrual cycles of treatment and three menstrual cycles of follow-up. The primary outcome is pelvic pain that will be assessed by means of a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS). At each stage, we will evaluate the safety of the acupuncture treatment. Discussion The study will compare the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture with comfort needles on pelvic pain related to endometriosis in the hope of providing significant evidence for using acupuncture on pelvic pain related to endometriosis. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03125304. Registered on 30 April 2017

Super-elasticity of three-dimensionally cross-linked graphene materials all the way to deep cryogenic temperatures.

Until now, materials with high elasticity at deep cryogenic temperatures have not been observed. Previous reports indicated that graphene and carbon nanotube-based porous materials can exhibit reversible mechano-elastic behavior from liquid nitrogen temperature up to nearly a thousand degrees Celsius. Here, we report wide temperature-invariant large-strain super-elastic behavior in three-dimensionally cross-linked graphene materials that persists even to a liquid helium temperature of 4 K, a property not previously observed for any other material. To understand the mechanical properties of these graphene materials, we show by in situ experiments and modeling results that these remarkable properties are the synergetic results of the unique architecture and intrinsic elastic/flexibility properties of individual graphene sheets and the covalent junctions between the sheets that persist even at harsh temperatures. These results suggest possible applications for such materials at extremely low temperature environments such as those in outer space