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Abstract Transitional metal alloy and compounds have been developed as the low cost and efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, a high mass loading of these catalysts is commonly needed to achieve acceptable catalytic performance, which could cause such problems as battery weight gain, mass transport blocking, and catalyst loss. We report herein the preparation of fine CoNi nanoparticles (5–6 nm) anchored inside a nitrogen-doped defective carbon nanotube network (CoNi@N-DCNT) by a transient Joule heating method. When utilized as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and evolution in alkaline media, the CoNi@N-DCNT film catalyst with a very low mass loading of 0.06 mg cm−2 showed excellent bifunctional catalytic performance. For ORR, the onset potential (Eonset) and the half-wave potential (E1/2) were 0.92 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs. RHE) and 0.83 V (vs. RHE), respectively. For OER, the potential at the current density (J) of 10 mA cm−2 (E10) was 1.53 V, resulting in an overpotential of 300 mV much lower than that of the commercial RuO2 catalyst (320 mV). The potential gap between E1/2 and E10 was as small as 0.7 V. Considering the low mass loading, the mass activity at E10 reached at 123.2 A g−1, much larger than that of the RuO2 catalyst and literature results of transitional metal-based bifunctional catalysts. Moreover, the CoNi@N-DCNT film catalyst showed very good long-term stability during the ORR and OER test. The excellent bifunctional catalytic performance could be attributed to the synergistic effect of the bimetal alloy.

Herein we describe four clinical scenarios. For the standard patient (prostate volume 30-80 ml, life expectancy10 years) transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the standard of care, while endoscopic enucleation is a valuable alternative. Patients with a relevant middle lobe profit most from TURP, endourological enucleation procedures, or laser vaporization. In the case of the absence or a moderate-sized middle lobe and the absence of severe bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), minimally invasive procedures such as Rezūm®, UroLift® or prostate artery embolization (PAE) can be offered. Patients have to be informed that long-term data on this specific indication are lacking. Particularly younger men requiring BPH surgery are interested in preserving ejaculatory function. In the presence of severe BOO, ejaculatory-protective TURP or endoscopic enucleation by preserving the pericollicular region or aquablation are the methods of choice providing an antegrade ejaculation in 60-90% of cases. Rezūm®, AquaBeam®, and UroLift® enable preservation of ejaculation in almost 100%; data on PAE with this respect are more controversial. For patients with a small prostate and significant post void residual, a thorough preoperative work-up, including urodynamics and bladder/detrusor wall thickness measurement, is of great importance. Desobstructive surgery provides satisfactory short- and midterm outcome, yet the long-term outcome is disappointing and remains to be determined in greater detail. The broad spectrum of therapeutic options enables today an individualized minimally invasive or surgical management of BPH considering patient wishes, anatomical factors or urodynamic factors. The time of a "one therapy fits all" strategy is definitely history.

AbstractSystemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis and vasculopathy. CXCL4 represents an early serum biomarker of severe SSc and likely contributes to inflammation via chemokine signaling pathways, but the exact role of CXCL4 in SSc pathogenesis is unclear. Here, we elucidate an unanticipated mechanism for CXCL4-mediated immune amplification in SSc, in which CXCL4 organizes “self” and microbial DNA into liquid crystalline immune complexes that amplify TLR9-mediated plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC)-hyperactivation and interferon-α production. Surprisingly, this activity does not require CXCR3, the CXCL4 receptor. Importantly, we find that CXCL4-DNA complexes are present in vivo and correlate with type I interferon (IFN-I) in SSc blood, and that CXCL4-positive skin pDCs coexpress IFN-I-related genes. Thus, we establish a direct link between CXCL4 overexpression and the IFN-I-gene signature in SSc and outline a paradigm in which chemokines can drastically modulate innate immune receptors without being direct agonists.

Although autophagy can eliminate some intracellular pathogens, others, e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Mycoplasma bovis, can evade it. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, a key regulator of autophagy, is involved in initiation and promotion of a range of pathological diseases. As the effects of M. bovis on the autophagic pathway are not well documented, our objective was to elucidate the effects of M. bovis infection on the PI3K-Akt-mTOR cellular autophagic pathway in bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs). Ultrastructure of bMECs infected with M. bovis was assessed with transmission electron microscopy, co-localization of LC3 puncta with M. bovis was confirmed by laser confocal microscopy, and autophagy-related indicators were quantified with Western blotting and RT-PCR. In M. bovis-infected bMECs, intracellular M. bovis was encapsulated by membrane-like structures, the expression level of LC3-II and Beclin1 protein decreased at the middle stage of infection, degradation of SQSTM1/P62 was blocked, autophagy of bMECs was inhibited, and PI3K-Akt-mTOR protein was activated by phosphorylation. Furthermore, the tumor suppressor PTEN can inhibit the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway through dephosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate and may be important for cellular resistance to infection. In the present study, the number of intracellular M. bovis was inversely related to the change in the level of autophagy markers (e.g., LC3-II, SQSTM1/P62) within host cells induced by the low knockdown of Akt or PTEN. We concluded that M. bovis-infected bMECs alleviated cellular autophagy through a PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway, and that PTEN acted as a protective gene regulating autophagy, a key step in controlling infection.

Urban forests play a critical role in improving the quality of life in cities, but in arid environments, little is known about the potential benefits and growth conditions of different tree species. Our study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the relationships between tree dimensions, above-ground biomass carbon storage, and shading potential in three common urban trees in the arid city of Jericho, Palestine, (i.e., Ficus nitida, Delonix regia, and Phoenix dactylifera). The trees were chosen according to their distribution in urban locations and tree vitality, with ages ranging from 20 to 90 years. Based on the results from tree structure measurements, the carbon storage and shading potential were calculated using the City Tree model. The results indicate a moderate to strong relationship between tree height, crown diameter, and crown volume for F. nitida and D. regia (R2 = 0.28–0.66), but no relationship for P. dactylifera (R2 = 0.03–0.06). The findings suggest that the analyzed tree species can considerably contribute to the potential benefits of trees in improving the climate of an arid city: D. regia shows a higher median of above-ground biomass carbon storage of 155 kg C tree−1, while P. dactylifera 91 kg C and F. nitida 76 Kg C. D. regia and F. nitida have a higher median of shading potential, (31 m2–41 m2), respectively. Information on the ecosystem services from urban trees and their relationships in terms of species, age, and tree planting urban location are very important for city planners, in relation to sustainable urban green spaces in arid cities.

AbstractThe Beatles formed in Liverpool are one of the most famous music groups in the history of pop considered as the best‐selling artists in the category “band,” with the highest amount of claimed record sales. With their foremost pioneering activities in songwriting, artistic presentation, and recording, the band revolutionized many aspects of music industry and impacted social developments. Although active as a foursome in the 1960s, their music and films still attract new generations all over the world. Similar to former periods, the popularity of the Beatles and the fanaticism toward the band (i.e., “Beatlemania”) has an ongoing impact on society and culture. Mostly unknown, Beatles songs inspire scientists in daily work and are part of clinical studies investigating aspects of human health and disease. This review briefly discusses the influence of The Beatles on Life Sciences, highlights the “better than the Beatles problem” affecting new drug development, and discusses several examples in which The Beatles impacted progression in Medicine. Finally, it is discussed if the meteoric success of the band contributed to the rapid progress in modern radiology.

Abstract Cylindrical metastructures, which have the exclusive programmability in Poisson's ratio, are widely used in engineering. Herein, a series of cylindrical metastructures with programmable Poisson's ratio were devised via the curling of the planar metamaterials. The relationships of the deformation characteristics and Poisson's ratio between the cylindrical metastructures and planar metamaterials were systematically analyzed. It is originally identified that the number of the circumferential unit cell N remarkably affects the deformation modes. When N is small, the warp effect, induced by the curved members, is remarkable. The cylindrical metastructures present the petal- and polygon-like deformation modes. Consequently, the Poisson's ratios deviate notably from those of the planar metamaterials. Further, the quantitative analysis figures out that when N is larger than specific critical values, the Poisson's ratios approach to those of the planar metamaterials. Thus this work identifies a design strategy, i.e. once the circumferential unit cells are sufficiently dense, the Poisson's ratios of the cylindrical metastructures can be predicted by the theory of the corresponding planar metamaterials. Moreover, through modulating the geometric parameters, large magnitudes of both positive and negative Poisson's ratio are obtained. This extraordinary feature of the large radial expansion and shrinkage, actuated through a slight axial stretching, can be used in shape morphing and deployable devices. The design and analysis provide a perspective on the multifunctional metastructures with programmable Poisson's ratio.