M1 Phase Research Articles

Magnetic, structural and magnetocaloric properties of Y0.9Gd0.1Fe2Hx hydrides

At 300 K, Y$_{0.9}$Gd$_{0.1}$Fe$_{2}$H$_{x}$ hydrides crystallize sequentially with increasing H concentration in various structures related to a lowering of the cubic MgCu$_{2}$ type structure of the parent alloy: cubic C1, monoclinic M1, cubic C2, monoclinic M2, cubic C3, orthorhombic O. Above 300 K, they undergo a first-order transition at a T$_{O-D}$ temperature driven by order-disorder of hydrogen atoms into interstitial sites. Their magnetic, structural and magnetocaloric properties have been investigated through magnetic measurements, and high-resolution synchrotron diffraction experiments. The magnetization at 5 K decreases slightly from 4 to 3.8 ${\mu}_{B}$ for x = 3 to 3.9 H f.u., then with a larger slope for higher H content. A discontinuous decrease of the magnetic transition temperature is observed: M1 and C2 hydrides are ferrimagnetic with T$_{C}$ near 300 K, M2 hydride displays a sharp ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic transition at T$_{FM-AFM}$ =144 K, whereas C3 and O hydrides present only a sharp increase of the magnetization below 15 K and a weak magnetization up to RT. Negative magnetic entropy variations (${\Delta}$S$_{M}$) are measured near T$_{C}$ for the M1 and C2 phases, near T$_{FM-AFM}$ for the M2 phase, whereas positive ${\Delta}$S$_{M}$ peaks due to inverse MCE effect are found near T$_{O-D}$. A structural and magnetic phase diagram is proposed.

CXCR4 blockade in macrophage promotes angiogenesis in ischemic hindlimb by modulating autophagy

Chemokine receptor CXCR4 plays a crucial role in leukocyte recruitment and inflammation regulation to influence tissue repair in ischemic diseases. Here we assessed the effect of CXCR4 expression in macrophages on angiogenesis in the ischemic hindlimb of a mouse. Inflammatory cells were increased in the ischemic muscles of hindlimb, and CXCR4 was highly expressed in the infiltrated macrophages but not in neutrophils. Myeloid-specific CXCR4 knockout attenuated macrophage infiltration and subsequent reduced inflammatory response in the ischemic hindlimb, accompanied with better blood reperfusion and higher capillary density as compared with that in LysM Cre+/− (Cre) mice. Similar outcomes were also observed in CRE mice whose bone marrow cells were replaced with those from CXCR4-deficient mice. Gene ontology cluster analysis reviewed that Decorin, a negative regulator of angiogenesis, was reduced in CXCR4-deficient macrophages. CXCR4-deficient macrophages were less inducible into M1 phase by lipopolysaccharide and more favorable for M2 polarization under oxygen/glucose deprivation condition. Enhanced autophagy was detected in CXCR4-deficient macrophages, which was associated with less expression of both Decorin and the inflammatory cytokines. In summary, myeloid-specific CXCR4 deficiency reduced monocyte infiltration and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and Decorin from macrophages, thus blunting inflammation response and promoting angiogenesis in the ischemic hindlimb.

First-principles study of direct band gap semiconductors XS2 (X = Zr and Hf) with orthorhombic symmetry

Transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted intense interest due to their potential applications as electronic and optical devices. Here, we propose two XS2 (X = Zr and Hf) compounds within the orthorhombic Pnma phase, denoted as Pnma-ZrS2 and Pnma-HfS2, as promising candidates for thin-film solar cells and nanoelectronics. Both Pnma-ZrS2 and Pnma-HfS2 are found to be semiconductors with desired direct band gaps of 1.07 and 1.24 eV, respectively, which lead to large visible-light absorption. The absorption coefficients of the first absorption peak for the Pnma-XS2 are about two times larger than the corresponding one for the P m1 phase with a 1T-CdI2-like structure. Such Pnma-XS2 polymorphs are predicted to be mechanically, dynamically, and thermodynamically stable up to 500 K, and they are highly realizable in experiments since a phase transition from the P m1 phases to the Pnma phases could occur under moderate temperatures, based on our calculations.

Phoenixin-20 ameliorates brain infarction by promoting microglia M2 polarization in an ischemic stroke model

Ischemic stroke is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. The transformation of microglia from the classic M1 to the alternative M2 state has been shown to have both deleterious and immunosuppressive roles in neuroinflammation. Microglial polarization toward the M2 phase is currently proposed to be a beneficial phenotype in brain ischemic injury. Phoenixin-20 is a newly identified pleiotropic neuropeptide expressed abundantly in different brain regions. In this study, we found that administration of Phoenixin-20 in ischemic stroke middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mice significantly reduced the brain infarction area but improved the neurological deficit score. Gene expression analysis showed Phoenixin-20 treatment inhibited pro-inflammatory M1 phase microglial markers: a cluster of differentiation molecule 11b (CD11b), cluster of differentiation molecule 86 (CD86), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and increased anti-inflammatory M2 phase markers (found in Inflammatory Zone 1 (FIZZ1), Arginase 1 (Arg-1), Chitinase 3-like 3 (YM1), and interleukin-10 (IL-10)) in the infarcted brain. We further investigated the molecular mechanism of Phoenixin-20 in cultured microglia. We found that treatment with it induced signature genes expression in microglial M2 state, including Fizz1, Arg-1, YM1, and IL-10, indicating the promotion of microglial polarization toward the M2 state. Furthermore, we found that treatment with the M2 phase cytokine interleukin 4 (IL-4) induced the expression of microglial G Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPR173), which is the receptor of Phoenixin-20. Silencing of the microglial signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) partially blocked the effect of IL-4 on GPR173, suggesting that STAT6 is the upstream regulator of GPR173. Finally, we showed that the silencing of GPR173 completely abolished the effect of Phoenixin-20 in microglia, indicating the dependency of its regulatory role on GPR173. Collectively, our study demonstrates that Phoenixin-20 has a protective role in the acute stroke model. Our cell-based study demonstrates Phoenixin-20 promotes microglia toward M2 transformation, which could be the mechanism of its neuroprotection.

Machine Learning Reveals Ets2 as a Novel Target for Membranous Nephropathy Treatment and Its Role in Immune Infiltration.

BackgroundMembranous nephropathy (MN) is a common pathological phenotype for adult nephrotic syndrome (NS). The occurrence of MN is increasing across China, but diagnostic methods for MN still rely on kidney biopsy and PLA2R and THSD7A detection in plasma and kidney tissue, and there has been no new biomarker for MN discovered since 2014. Immune infiltration status in MN patients suffers from the dearth of associated studies. In the present study, we aimed to find new bio-markers for MN and evaluate the role of immune cells infiltration in MN pathology.MethodsWe downloaded MN expression profile from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and used R-project to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed functional correlation analysis. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression and Radom Forest algorithms were used to screen and verify the bio-markers of MN. Finally, CIBERSORT was used to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells in MN tissues.ResultsA total of 463 DEGs were screened from the MN tissue in this study. ETS2 was identified as bio-marker for MN. The CIBERSORT results showed that there were statistical differences in monocytes, plasma cells, regulatory T cells, and memory B cells. In addition, ETS2 was positively related to monocytes, M1 phase macrophages, and neutrophils and negatively correlated to plasma cells, CD4+ T memory cells, M2 macrophages, CD8+ T cells, memory B cells, and resting mast cells.Conclusion(1) Machine learning algorithms reveals Ets2 as a novel target for membranous nephropathy patients. (2) Immune infiltration plays an important part in membranous nephropathy. (3) Ets2 expression is related to immune cells infiltration.

VO2 as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Herein, we report high electrocatalytic activity of monoclinic VO2 (M1 phase) for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for the first time. The single-phase VO2 (M1) nanoparticles are prepared in the form of uniformly covering the surface of individual carbon fibers constituting a carbon fiber paper (CFP). The VO2 nanoparticles reveal the metal-insulator phase transition at ca. 65 °C (heating) and 62 °C (cooling) with low thermal hysteresis, indicating a high concentration of structural defect which is considered a grain boundary among VO2 nanoparticles with some particle coalescence. Consequently, the VO2/CFP shows a high electrocatalytic OER activity with the lowest η10 (350 mV) and Tafel slope (46 mV/dec) values in a 1 M aqueous solution of KOH as compared to those of the vacuum annealed V2O5 and the hydrothermally grown VO2 (M1), α-V2O5, and γ′-V2O5. The catalytically active site is considered V4+ components and V4+/5+ redox couples in VO2. The oxidation state of V4+ is revealed to be more favorable to the OER catalysis compared to that of V5+ in vanadium oxide through comparative studies. Furthermore, the amount of V5+ component is found to be increased on the surface of VO2 catalyst during the OER, giving rise to the performance degradation. This work suggests V4+ and its redox couple as a novel active component for the OER in metal-oxide electrocatalysts.

Phase transition behavior in nanostructured VO2 with M1, M2, and R phases observed via temperature-dependent XRD measurements

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) exhibits a metal-insulator phase transition at approximately 70 °C. Two different crystal structures, M1 and M2 phases, in the insulating state have been reported. The M2 phase is expected to be a Mott insulator, whereas the M1 phase is expected to act as a band insulator. It is important to clarify the origin and transition properties of the M2 phase. In this study, we fabricated VO2 nanostructures via sputtering deposition and subsequent lamp annealing at various O2 pressures. Temperature-dependent XRD measurements revealed that the nanostructured VO2 exhibits the M2 phase in temperatures just before the phase transition from M1 to R (metal state) during the heating process. The ratio of V5+/(V4+ + V5+) in nanostructured VO2 was estimated from XPS results; an increase in this ratio resulted in the broadening of the temperature range of the M2 phase. Furthermore, in the cooling process, direct phase transitions from R to M1 were observed. Structural changes are likely to occur in different pathways during heating and cooling. Our findings should contribute to the identification of the phase transition mechanism and to the development of a Mott field-effect transistor that utilizes nanostructured VO2 in the M2 phase.

Spin Engineering of VO2 Phase Transitions and Removal of Structural Transition.

Vanadium dioxide undergoes a metal-to-insulator transition, where the energy of electron-electron, electron-lattice, spin-spin, and spin-lattice interactions are of the same order of magnitude. This leads to the coexistence of electronic and structural transitions in VO2 that limit the lifetime and speed of VO2-based devices. However, the closeness of interaction energy of lattice-electron-spin can be turned into an opportunity to induce some transitions while pinning others via external stimuli. That is, the contribution of spin, charge, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom can be manipulated. In this study, spin engineering has been exploited to affect the spin-related interactions in VO2 by introducing a ferromagnetic Ni layer. The coercivity in the Ni layer is engineered by controlling the shape anisotropy via kinetics of growth. Using spin engineering, the structural pinning of the monoclinic M2 phase of VO2 is successfully achieved, while the electronic and magnetic transitions take place.

Uncertainties Associated With Simulating Regional Sea Surface Height and Tides: A Case Study of the East China Seas

Modeling sea surface height (SSH) and tides is important but challenging in shelf seas. The Eastern China Seas (ECSs) is such a shelf sea with large inter-model deviations in prior studies. In order to assess and compare the possible uncertainty sources, numerical scenarios of varying the open boundary forcing, bottom roughness length scale, atmospheric forcing, grid resolution, and regional bathymetry were conducted in a hydrodynamic model of the ECSs. Results indicate that bathymetry data and open boundary forcing with inadequate accuracy generate uncertainties in SSH and tides locally and throughout the basin. An increase in bottom roughness enhances tidal dissipation and shifts amphidromes to the left relative to the incoming Kelvin waves, causing SSH variations in the ECSs. Refining the model resolution from 4 to 2 km mainly affects nearshore SSH and tides due to minor changes in depicted coastlines. Using different reanalysis meteorological data appears more important on the episodic than annual scale. It is highlighted that some uncertainty sources have opposing effects on SSH or tides and counteract their individual biases, making it difficult to achieve a realistic simulation. For example, increasing bottom roughness can not only compensate effects of overestimated tidal amplitude at open boundaries, but also balance out the overestimated M2 phase along the West Coast of Korea in a coarser-resolution model. Based on findings in this study, suggestions are provided for further reducing uncertainties in SSH and tide modeling in the ECSs and other shelf seas.

Assessment of micropore accessibility for hydrocarbon oxidation in manganese oxide sieves

Octahedral molecular sieve (OMS) materials classified by their different tunnel sizes are defined by edge-sharing MnO6 octahedra. Four different OMS materials (OMS-1, OMS-2, OMS-5, and OMS-6) are benchmarked for ethane (C2H6) and cyclohexane (C6H12) oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) and compared with commercial MnO2, M1 phase MoVTeNb oxide, and vanadium oxide (V2O5). The accessibility of the quadrilateral tunnels of the OMS materials to C2H6 and C6H12 were further evaluated using density functional theory (DFT). C2H6 and C6H12 ODH rates for the four OMS materials were higher than those measured for commercial MnO2, MoVTeNbO, and V2O5. The C2H6/C6H12 rate ratios on the four OMS oxides are larger than V2O5. Rate relations for selective accessibility for C2H6 in small pores, accessibility to both molecules in large pores, and the presence of tunnel defects are discussed. Product selectivities show slightly higher ethylene selectivity in smaller pores suggesting possible connections between pore confinement and selectivity.

Self-Assembled Inhalable Immunomodulatory Silk Fibroin Nanocarriers for Enhanced Drug Loading and Intracellular Antibacterial Activity.

In this study, a pH-induced self-assembly-based method has been developed to form silk fibroin nanoparticles (SFN-2) with a higher drug loading capacity (21.0 ± 2.1%) and cellular uptake than that of silk fibroin particles produced by a conventional desolvation method (SFN-1). Using the self-assembly method, rifampicin-encapsulated silk fibroin nanoparticles (R-SFN-2) were prepared with a size of 165 ± 38 nm at an optimum pH of 3.8. In silico analysis reveals that at acidic pH, the amino acid side chain charge neutralization of acidic residues, especially GLU64, promotes the formation of additional favorable interactions between the silk fibroin and the drug. The SFN-2 also possess a good aerosol property with a mass median aerodynamic diameter of 3.82 ± 0.71 μm and fine particle fraction of 64.0 ± 1.4%. These SFN-2 particles were selectively endocytosed by macrophages through clathrin- and caveolae-mediated endocytosis with a higher uptake efficiency (66.2 ± 2.1%) and were found to exhibit a sustained drug release in the presence of macrophage intracellular lysates. The cytokine and biomarker expression analyses revealed that SFN-2 could exhibit an immunomodulatory effect by polarizing the macrophages to an initial M1 phase and later M2 phase. Further, R-SFN-2 also exhibited an enhanced and sustained intracellular antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis-infected macrophages than free rifampicin. Thus, the self-assembled silk fibroin particles with immunomodulatory action combined with a good aerosol and intracellular drug release property can be an attractive choice as a carrier for developing pulmonary drug delivery systems.

Phase transition and piezoelectric property of (Ag,K)NbO3 ceramics

AgNbO3 is an antiferroelectric (AFE) material with double hysteresis loop. Both the antiferroelectricity and ferroelectricity can be enhanced by doping. Herein, the ferroelectricity of AgNbO3 ceramics was enhanced via K-doping and the phase diagram of the (Ag1-xKx)NbO3 ceramics was upgraded. In details, (Ag1-xKx)NbO3 ceramics are ferrielectric (FIE) M1 phase as x = 5.00–5.50 mol% and ferroelectric (FE) O phase as x = 5.75–6.00 mol% before poling, and FE O phase as x = 5.00–6.00 mol% after poling at room temperature. With increasing temperature, (Ag1-xKx)NbO3 ceramics show the phase evolutions from FIE M1, AFE M2 to paraelectric (PE) T phase at x = 5.00–5.50 mol% and from FE O, FE T to PE T phase at x = 5.75–6.00 mol% before poling, and from FE O, FE T to PE T phase at x = 5.00–6.00 mol% after poling. High d33 values of 180 pC/N and 285 pC/N are obtained at the FE O-FE T and FE T-PE T phase boundaries. This work sheds light on a novel and promising lead-free piezoelectric system.

Morphodynamic Equilibria in Double‐Inlet Systems: Existence and Stability

AbstractThe existence of morphodynamic equilibria of double‐inlet systems is investigated using a cross‐sectionally averaged morphodynamic model. The number of possible equilibria and their stability strongly depend on the forcing conditions and geometry considered. This is illustrated by considering a rectangular double‐inlet system forced by M2 tidal constituents only. Depending on the M2 amplitudes and phases at both entrances, no equilibrium, one equilibrium or multiple morphodynamic equilibria may exist. In case no equilibrium is found, the minimum water depth becomes zero somewhere in the system, reducing the double‐inlet system to two single‐inlet systems. In the other cases, the location of the minimum water depth and the direction of the tidally‐averaged sediment transport, as well as their actual values, depend strongly on the M2 tidal characteristics. Such parameter sensitivity is also observed when including the residual and M4 forcing contributions to the water motion, and when allowing for width variations. This suggests that, when considering a specific system, the number and stability of morphodynamic equilibria, as well as the characteristics of these quantities, can only be assessed by investigating that specific system in detail. As an example, the Marsdiep‐Vlie inlet system in the Dutch Wadden Sea is considered. It is found that, by using parameter values and a geometry characteristic for this system, the water motion and bathymetry in morphodynamic equilibrium are qualitatively reproduced. Also the direction and order of magnitude of the tidally‐averaged suspended sediment transport compare well with those obtained from a high‐complexity numerical model.

Geochemistry of tourmaline of elbaite-dravite series from sapphire bearing pegmatites, proterozoic higher Himalayan Crystalline Complex Jammu and Kashmir, India: Implication for evolution of pegmatite melt

Tourmaline of rare elbaite-dravite series has been reported for the first time from the sapphire bearing pegmatite from the Paddar area, Kishtwar District (Jammu and Kashmir), India. The sapphire-bearing pegmatites are hosted by ultramafic rocks of the Higher Himalayan Crystalline metamorphic complex. These pegmatites are dominantly composed of sodic-plagioclase, perthite, tourmaline, and sapphire, whereas microcline, biotite, and muscovite make up the minor phases. The tourmaline from these pegmatites contains high Mg, Ca, Na, and F content as well as low K, Fe, and Cr content. They are classified as alkali tourmaline, characterized by higher Mg/Mg + Fe and Na/Na + Ca ratios. They display complex substitution mechanisms during the crystallization (Li + Al↔Mg, Fe↔Mg, Na↔Ca, B + Al↔Si) and post crystallization alteration by the hydrothermal fluids. The geochemistry of tourmaline suggests that the tourmaline is crystallized from peraluminous, silicious pegmatitic melt (enriched in Al, Li, B, and H2O). This melt was most likely formed through partial melting of the metasediments of Higher Himalaya Crystalline during the M2 phase of regional metamorphism. The pegmatitic melt was injected in the ultramafics, resulting in bimtasomatism reaction evidenced by the development of systematic alteration zones next to the contact. Bimetasomatism results in the diffusion of the Ca and Mg from host rock to pegmatitic melt, and removal of silica from the pegmatitic melt, which leads to the increase of Al in pegmatitic melt. Finally, a saturation of the Al in the melt with a high Mg influx from host rock results in the favourable environment for crystallization of Mg-rich tourmaline and sapphire.

Probing Relaxation Dynamics and Stepped Domain Switching in Boron‐Alloyed VO2

AbstractThe characteristic metal–insulator phase transition (MIT) in vanadium dioxide results in nonlinear electrical transport behavior, allowing VO2 devices to imitate the complex functions of neurological behavior. Chemical doping is an established method for varying the properties of the MIT, and interstitial dopant boron has been shown to generate a unique dynamic relaxation effect in individual B‐VO2 particles. This paper describes the first demonstration of an electrically stimulated B‐VO2 proto‐device which manifests a time‐dependent critical transformation temperature and switching voltage derived from the coupling of dopant diffusion dynamics and the metal–insulator transition of VO2. During quasi‐steady current‐driven transitions, the electrical responses of B‐VO2 proto‐devices show a step‐by‐step progression through the phase transformation, evidencing domain transformations within individual particles. The dynamic relaxation effect is shown to increase the critical switching voltage by up to 41% (ΔVcrit = 0.13 V) and also to increase the resistivity of the M1 phase of B‐VO2 by 14%, imbuing a memristive response derived from intrinsic material properties. These observations demonstrate the dynamic relaxation effect in B‐VO2 proto‐devices whose electrical transport responses can be adjusted by electronic phase transitions triggered by temperature but also by time as a result of intrinsic dynamics of interstitial dopants.

High-pressure hydrothermal synthesis of MoVTeNbOx with high surface V5+ abundance for oxidative conversion of propane to acrylic acid

A series of MoVTeNbOx-mixed metal oxides were synthesized by high-pressure hydrothermal method. The effects of temperature and time during the preparation process on the structure and catalytic performance of MoVTeNbOx were investigated. It was demonstrated that high content of M1 phase (94.5%) MoVTeNbOx with typical needle-shape morphology and high surface abundance of V5+ (68.9%) could be fabricated by high-pressure hydrothermal method in a short time (30–60 min) without hydrogen peroxide post-treatment. The catalytic results of propane selective oxidation showed that the MoVTeNbOx sample synthesized at 200 °C for 30 min possessed the highest surface V5+ abundance and largest proportion of terminating (001) plane, displaying the highest selectivity (74.1%) for acrylic acid. Moreover, the prepared MoVTeNbOx showed excellent stability in high temperature continuous reaction.

Global characterization of macrophage polarization mechanisms and identification of M2-type polarization inhibitors.

SUMMARYMacrophages undergoing M1- versus M2-type polarization differ significantly in their cell metabolism and cellular functions. Here, global quantitative time-course proteomics and phosphoproteomics paired with transcriptomics provide a comprehensive characterization of temporal changes in cell metabolism, cellular functions, and signaling pathways that occur during the induction phase of M1- versus M2-type polarization. Significant differences in, especially, metabolic pathways are observed, including changes in glucose metabolism, glycosaminoglycan metabolism, and retinoic acid signaling. Kinase-enrichment analysis shows activation patterns of specific kinases that are distinct in M1- versus M2-type polarization. M2-type polarization inhibitor drug screens identify drugs that selectively block M2- but not M1-type polarization, including mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. These datasets provide a comprehensive resource to identify specific signaling and metabolic pathways that are critical for macrophage polarization. In a proof-of-principle approach, we use these datasets to show that MEK signaling is required for M2-type polarization by promoting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ)-induced retinoic acid signaling.

Monitoring of the Effect of Grinding Raw Material Mixture and Soaking on the Formation of Monoclinic Phases of Alite

The article monitors the effect of length of grinding in the process of homogenization of raw material mixture and soaking on the number of monoclinic phases of alite M1 and M3 in the sample using the Rietveld method. The wet grinding process in the water environment in the planetary mill PULVERISETTE 6 was chosen for the preparation of raw material mixture. Based on previous research in this area, two firing temperatures 1450 and 1550 °C with soaking of 30, 60 and 90 minutes were selected. The results showed the monoclinic phase M1 is more readily formed during coarser grinding, during which large crystals of M1 are formed. On the contrary, the monoclinic phase M3 is formed at a higher firing temperature, at a larger amount nuclei and finer grinding. The results show that the grinding time has an important effect on the rate of formation of monoclinic phases.

Oncostatin M stimulates immature Leydig cell proliferation but inhibits its maturation and function in rats through JAK1/STAT3 signaling and induction of oxidative stress in vitro.

Oncostatin M (OSM) is a member of the interleukin-6 group of cytokines, which can regulate cell proliferation, growth, and function. Immature Leydig cells have the ability to proliferate and differentiate, and adult Leydig cells have the function of testosterone synthesis. However, the role and underlying mechanisms of OSM on the proliferation and function of Leydig cells remain unclear. The effects of OSM on the proliferation, apoptosis, and function of immature Leydig cells isolated from 35-day-old rats and the function of adult Leydig cells isolated from 63-day-old rats in vitro. OSM stimulated immature Leydig cell proliferation after up-regulating the expression of Ccnd1 and Cdk4 to drive the transition of G1 phase to M2 phase in the cell cycle at 10 and 100 ng/ml. OSM did not affect the apoptosis of immature Leydig cells up to 100 ng/ml. OSM inhibited testosterone production in immature and adult Leydig cells by down-regulating the expression of Lhcgr, Star, Cyp11a1, Hsd3b1, and Cyp17a1 at 1-100 ng/ml. OSM induced reactive oxygen species and down-regulated the expression of antioxidant genes and lowered mitochondrial membrane potential at 10 and 100 ng/ml in both Leydig cells. Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) antagonist filgotinib and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) antagonist S3I-201 reversed the effect of OSM, indicating that it acts on JAK1/STAT3 signaling. Oncostatin M stimulates immature Leydig cell proliferation while inhibiting the function of immature and adult Leydig cells.

Strong strain gradients and phase coexistence at the metal-insulator transition in VO2 epitaxial films

The proximity of a thermodynamic triple point and the formation of transient metastable phases may result in complex phase and microstructural trajectories across the metal-insulator transition in strained VO2 films. A detailed analysis using in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction unveils subtle fingerprints of this complexity in the structure of epitaxial films. During phase transition the low-temperature monoclinic M1 phase is constrained along the {111}R planes by the coexisting high-temperature R phase domains, which remain epitaxially clamped to the substrate. This geometrical constraint induces counteracting local stresses that result in a combined tilt and uniaxial in-plane compression of M1 domains, and a concomitant anomalous cR-axis elongation. This mechanism progressively transforms the M1 phase into the transitional triclinic phase (T), and ultimately into the monoclinic M2 phase, generating strong strain and tilt gradients that remain frozen after the complete transformation of the R phase upon cooling to RT. The transformation path of VO2 films, the complex competition between stable and metastable VO2 polymorphs and its impact on the structure of the low temperature monoclinic state, provide essential insights for understanding the electronic and mechanical properties of the films at the nanoscale, as well as to control their use in functional devices.