117 research outputs found
FIGURE 4 in Descriptions of all the female developmental stages of Endernia despoliata Danzig a gall-inducing pit scale (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Asterolecaniidae)
No full textFIGURE 4. Second-instar nymph of Edernia despoliata Danzig; A. Antenna; B. Anal ring with associated setae; C. Simple disc pore; D. Quinquelocular pore; E. 8-shaped pore.Published as part of Xu, Han, Ning, Mengwei & Wu, San-An, 2022, Descriptions of all the female developmental stages of Endernia despoliata Danzig a gall-inducing pit scale (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Asterolecaniidae), pp. 409-418 in Zootaxa 5115 (3) on page 415, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5115.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/635844
FIGURE 2 in Descriptions of all the female developmental stages of Endernia despoliata Danzig a gall-inducing pit scale (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Asterolecaniidae)
No full textFIGURE 2. Adult female of Edernia despoliata Danzig; A. Antenna; B. Anal ring with associated setae; C. Long tubular duct; D. Simple disc pore; E. Quinquelocular pore; F. Trilocular pore; G. Short tubular duct; H. Multilocular pore; I. Short seta.Published as part of Xu, Han, Ning, Mengwei & Wu, San-An, 2022, Descriptions of all the female developmental stages of Endernia despoliata Danzig a gall-inducing pit scale (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Asterolecaniidae), pp. 409-418 in Zootaxa 5115 (3) on page 412, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5115.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/635844
Flow of ionic liquids in nanoconfinement
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Previous issue date: 2021-07-14Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 121101
Lift date: 2024-01-12T22:35:30Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemIonic liquids (ILs) are considered well suited alternatives for conventional electrolytes in next-generation electrochemical devices to grant enhanced stability, safer handling and improved performance. Key to ILs’ application as electrolytes are the structure and transport properties near the solid-liquid interface and in nanopores, as most electrochemical processes take place at the electrolyte-electrode interface and mesoporous electrode materials are often adopted to maximize specific area. Unlike dilute electrolyte, which is well characterized by the Debye–Hückel equation and electrical double layer (EDL) model, the understanding of ILs (and concentrated electrolytes in general) near the solid-liquid interface and under confinement is still primitive and sometimes self-conflicting, especially in regards of the unequilibrated processes. The dissertation summarizes my attempts to elucidate on ionic liquids (ILs)’ interfacial structures, the kinetics in the formation of such structures, the flow properties and relaxation kinetics, through nanomechanical measurements. Experimental evidence is contributed to answering to three key questions pivoted around the theme: 1) how do ions arrange themselves within in the last tens of nm from a charged solid-IL interface; 2) how do ILs flow or relax in confined space only a few times the dimension of ions; and 3) how will water affect the flow of nanoconfined ILs.
Specifically, the interfacial region between IL and a charged surface is investigated with surface forces apparatus (SFA) using the classic mica sensors. The nanostructures of and the interactions within the interfacial region are revealed by the surface force profile as a function of separation between the two opposing mica surfaces. Time-dependent measurements revealed an ultra-slow kinetics in the formation of the structure, which is concerted with a transition in the bulk nanostructure studied with X-ray. Rheological properties of the nanoconfined ILs are measured by either squeezing out the ILs as the opposing mica surfaces approach each in the normal direction, or laterally oscillating one of the mica surfaces to create shear motions. Finally, water is introduced through gas phase by modulating the relative humidity in the sealed chamber to probe its influence.
It is discovered that the long-ranged repulsive surface force across a range of a few tens of nanometers could be due to the presence of multi-ionic structures intrinsic to each IL, while the step-like features at below 10 nm region suggest the presence of multiple layers immediately on the solid surface. Such layers, upon adequate normal force, are squeezed out sequentially with increasing force thresholds. The squeeze-out processes are modelled with Reynold’s law of lubrication to extract the effective viscosity for each layer, which is found to increase by orders of magnitude in the next resolvable layer compared to the previous one. The effective viscosity obtained from squeeze-out is further studied by taking into account the influence of multiple parameters including the long-ranged screening length, the bulk viscosity and the degree of confinement. Further study through oscillatory shear motion asserted on the confined ILs deconvolutes the viscous and elastic moduli of the ILs in each layer. Through modeling the storage and loss moduli with Einstein Stokes law and the effective shear viscosity as a function of shear rate by Eyring’s theory, the collective motion of ions under confinement is unveiled and discussed regarding to the chemical structures of the ions. The compressibility of the ions is found to be the key. When water is introduced, the interfacial structures, the effective viscosity, and the moduli are clearly altered, despite its low abundance. The intrusion of water into the nanoconfined ILs is investigated separately in static measurements. The dissertation extends the scope of IL nanorheology to address the application of IL as a lubricant and comments on the link between the nanorheology and nanotribology of ILs, and the influence of water.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2023-08-01The student, Mengwei Han, accepted the attached license on 2021-07-12 at 10:29.The student, Mengwei Han, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2021-07-12 at 20:46.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2021-07-14 at 09:31.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16861 on 2022-01-12 at 12:54:31Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Onl
Association of HMGCR rs17671591 and rs3761740 with lipidemia and statin response in Uyghurs and Han Chinese
No full textBackground Dyslipidemia plays a very important role in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Genetic factors, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), are one of the main risks of dyslipidemia. 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR) is not only the rate-limiting enzyme step of endogenous cholesterol production, but also the therapeutic target of statins. Methods We investigated 405 Han Chinese and 373 Uyghur people who took statins for a period of time, recorded their blood lipid levels and baseline data before and after oral statin administration, and extracted DNA from each subject for SNP typing of HMGCR rs17671591 and rs3761740. The effects of HMGCR rs17671591 and rs3761740 on lipid levels and the effect of statins on lipid lowering in Han Chinese and Uyghur ethnic groups were studied. Results In this study, for rs17671591, the CC vs. TT+CT model was significantly correlated with the level of LDL-C before oral statin in the Uyghur population, but there were no correlations between rs17671591 and the level of blood lipid before oral statin in the Han population. The CC vs. TT+CT and CT vs. CC+TT models were significantly correlated with the level of LDL-C after oral statin in the Uyghur population. There was no significant correlation between rs3761740 with blood lipids before and after oral statin in the Han population. For rs3761740, before oral statin, the CC vs. AA+CA model was significantly correlated with the level of LDL-C, and the CA vs. CC+AA model was significantly correlated with the level of total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the Uyghur population. After oral statin, the CC vs. AA+CA and CA vs. CC+AA models were significantly correlated with the level of TC, LDL-C, and apolipoprotein (APOB), and the C vs. A model was significantly correlated with the level of TC, triglyceride (TG), LDL-C, and APOB in the Uyghur population. Particularly, the CT vs. CC+TT model of rs17671591 was significantly correlated with the changes of LDL-C after oral statin in the Uyghur population. In this study, we also explored the association of rs17671591 and rs3761740 with the rate of dyslipidemia as a reference. Conclusion We found that HMGCR rs3761740 was correlated with the levels of TC, LDL-C, and non-HDL-C before and after oral statin in Uyghurs, but not with blood lipid levels in the Han population. In the Uyghur population, HMGCR rs17671591 was associated with the level of LDL-C before and after oral statin, and also affected the changes of LDL-C after oral statin
ARTISTIC UNIQUENESS OF M.A. BULGAKOV’S “A YOUNG DOCTOR’S NOTEBOOK”
No full textThe article thoroughly describes the artistic uniqueness of M.A. Bulgakov’s one of the earliest works - “A young doctor’s notebook”. These series were inspired by writer’s own experience working as a country doctor in Nikolskoe. Seven stories are united not only by the narrator’s personality, but also by the time and place of the action. The single storyline, which connects all the stories, is the fate of a young doctor in a collision with the harsh historical reality. Bulgakov filled his short stories with different strokes, which are fragments of the medical practice for recently graduated young doctor. These fragments were able to create the whole vision of life for the intellectual hero living in a small village during the Revolution. The mosaic, multifaceted composition of works are some of the early characteristics attributed to the author
Influence of Water on Structure, Dynamics, and Electrostatics of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Ionic Liquids in Charged and Hydrophilic Confinement between Mica Surfaces
No full textWater
is ubiquitous in the environment and is the origin for operational
constraints in ionic-liquid based electrolytes for supercapacitors.
In this study, the influence of water on the interfacial behavior
of hydrophilic (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate, abbr. [EMIM][EtSO4]) and hydrophobic (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate
and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide,
abbr. [EMIM][FAP] and [EMIM][TFSI], respectively) ionic liquids (ILs)
confined between mica surfaces was investigated at separations precisely
modulated by a surface force apparatus and at controlled relative
humidity between 0% and 50% RH. Diffusion experiments revealed that
water spontaneously invades the nanoconfined ILs above a certain humidity
threshold and that the confined hydrophobic IL is completely replaced
by water at sufficiently high environmental humidity (∼45%
here) as a result of surface-induced phase separation. This behavior
is expected to be universal for other ILs that are not fully miscible
with water when they are confined in hydrophilic nanopores of a few
nanometers in width. The effect of environmental humidity on interfacial
structure, dynamics, and electrostatics was studied via dynamic force
measurements. In the dry state, several layers of ions are immobilized
on the mica surface, and the effective viscosity increases by up to
2 orders of magnitude with a decrease in film thickness from ∼10
to ∼3 nm. Based on recent work, it is proposed that nanoconfinement
enhances the anion–cation association in highly concentrated
electrolytes, thereby justifying the loss of fluidity of the ILs.
When phase separation is excluded, water is intercalated in the layered
structure of the three ILs, and it leads to a change of the layer
thickness compared to the dry state. Furthermore, our results reveal
that interfacial water prevents ions from being immobilized on the
surface and facilitates the outflow of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic
ILs by reducing their effective viscosity in the order [EMIM][FAP]
4]. The underlying mechanisms
are evaluated by considering the roles of water in enhancing ion dissociation
through screening of electrostatic interactions and solvation of the
selected ILs to different extents. The discussed experimental observations
support the recent discoveries made by molecular dynamic simulations
and neutron scattering studies that using hydrophilic ILs coupled
with water as cosolvent could lead to the enhanced power density of
IL-based supercapacitors, and therefore, that water-in-(hydrophilic)
ILs is a direction worth exploring as electrolytes for supercapacitors
Dysregulation in IFN-γ signaling and response: the barricade to tumor immunotherapy
No full textInterferon-gamma (IFN-γ) has been identified as a crucial factor in determining the responsiveness to immunotherapy. Produced primarily by natural killer (NK) and T cells, IFN-γ promotes activation, maturation, proliferation, cytokine expression, and effector function in immune cells, while simultaneously inducing antigen presentation, growth arrest, and apoptosis in tumor cells. However, tumor cells can hijack the IFN-γ signaling pathway to mount IFN-γ resistance: rather than increasing antigenicity and succumbing to death, tumor cells acquire stemness characteristics and express immunosuppressive molecules to defend against antitumor immunity. In this review, we summarize the potential mechanisms of IFN-γ resistance occurring at two critical stages: disrupted signal transduction along the IFNG/IFNGR/JAK/STAT pathway, or preferential expression of specific interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Elucidating the molecular mechanisms through which tumor cells develop IFN-γ resistance help identify promising therapeutic targets to improve immunotherapy, with broad application value in conjugation with targeted, antibody or cellular therapies
Thin-Film Rheology and Tribology of Imidazolium Ionic Liquids
No full textIonic liquids (ILs) are organic molten salts with low-temperature
melting points that hold promise as next-generation environmentally
friendly boundary lubricants. This work examines the relationship
between tribological and rheological behavior of thin films of five
imidazolium ILs using a surface force apparatus to elucidate lubrication
mechanisms. When confined to films of a few nanometers, the rheological
properties change drastically as a function of the number of confined
ion layers; not only the viscosity increases by several orders of
magnitude but ILs can also undergo a transition from Newtonian to
viscoelastic fluid and to an elastic solid. This behavior can be justified
by the confinement-induced formation of supramolecular clusters with
long relaxation times. The quantized friction coefficient is explained
from the perspective of the strain relaxation via diffusion of these
supramolecular clusters, where higher friction correlates with longer
relaxation times. A deviation from this behavior is observed only
for 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate ([C2C1Im][EtSO4]), characterized by strong hydrogen bonding;
this is hypothesized to restrict the reorganization of the confined
IL into clusters and hinder (visco)elastic behavior, which is consistent
with the smallest friction coefficient measured for this IL. We also
investigate the contrasting influence of traces of water on the thin-film
rheology and tribology of a hydrophobic IL, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium
tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, [C2C1Im][FAP], and a hydrophilic IL, [C2C1Im][EtSO4]. [C2C1Im][EtSO4] remains
Newtonian under both dry and humid conditions and provides the best
lubrication, while [C2C1Im][FAP], characterized
by a prominent solid-like behavior under both conditions, is a poor
lubricant. The results of this study may inspire molecular designs
to enable efficient IL lubrication
DataSheet_1_Proteasome-dependent senescent tumor cells mediate immunosuppression through CCL20 secretion and M2 polarization in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.zip
No full textThe outcome of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains poor due to few therapeutic options available and challenges with precision therapy to target each tumour’s specific characteristics. In this study, a biologically meaningful patient stratification-prognostic model with therapeutic suggestion value based on tumor senescence was developed and validated in multiple independent cohorts. Further mechanistic investigation based on single-cell transcriptomic data and in vitro experiments revealed that complement derived from non-senescent tumor cells stimulates M1 differentiation and antigen presentation, while senescent tumor cells secrete CCL20 to favor immunosuppressive M2 polarization. Also, senescent phenotype depends on proteasome function, suggesting that high-risk, high-senescence patients may benefit from proteasome inhibitors, which reverse senescence-mediated resistance to conventional chemotherapy and improve outcome. In conclusion, the current study identified senescence as a tumor-specific, hazardous factor associated with immunosuppression in PDAC. Mechanistically, senescence abrogates complement-induced M1 activation and antigen presentation, and upregulates CCL20 to favor M2 polarization. The senescence-related risk model is prognostic and therapeutic-suggestive. In light of the reliance of senescent cells on proteasomal functions, proteasome inhibitors are promising agents for high-risk patients with senescent PDAC.</p
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