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The critical current and structural properties of (Gd,Y)BaCuO tapes made by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with Zr addition levels up to 30 at.% have been investigated. The reduction in critical current beyond the previously optimized Zr addition level of 7.5 at.% was found to be due to structural deterioration of the (Gd,Y)Ba 2 Cu 3 O x film. By a modified MOCVD process, enhanced critical current densities have been achieved with high levels of Zr addition, including 3.83 MA cm −2 in 15 at.% Zr-added 1.1 µm thick film at 77 K in zero magnetic field. Critical currents as high as 1072 A/12 mm have been reached in (Gd,Y)BaCuO tapes with 15 at.% Zr addition at 30 K in a field of 3 T applied perpendicular to the tape, corresponding to a pinning force value of 268 GN m −3 . The enhanced critical currents achievable with a high density of nanoscale defects by employing high levels of second-phase additions enable the performance targets needed for the use of HTS tapes in coil applications involving high magnetic fields at temperatures below 50 K to be met.

Background: Sepsis is a deadly disease worldwide. Effective treatment strategy of sepsis remains limited. There still was a controversial about association between preadmission metformin use and mortality in sepsis patients with diabetes. We aimed to assess sepsis-related mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) who were preadmission metformin and non-metformin users.Methods: The patients with sepsis and T2DM were included from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care -III database. Outcome was 30-day mortality. We used multivariable Cox regression analyses to calculate adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI.Results: We included 2,383 sepsis patients with T2DM (476 and 1,907 patients were preadmission metformin and non-metformin uses) between 2001 and 2012. The overall 30-day mortality was 20.1% (480/2,383); it was 21.9% (418/1,907), and 13.0% (62/476) for non-metformin and metformin users, respectively. After adjusted for potential confounders, we found that preadmission metformin use was associated with 39% lower of 30-day mortality (HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.46–0.81, p = 0.007). In sensitivity analyses, subgroups analyses, and propensity score matching, the results remain stable.Conclusions: Preadmission metformin use may be associated with reduced risk-adjusted mortality in patients with sepsis and T2DM. It is worthy to further investigate this association.

Metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on flexible, ion beam assisted deposition MgO templates has been used to produce high critical current density (Jc) (Y,Sm)1Ba2Cu3Oy (REBCO) films suitable for use in producing practical high temperature superconducting (HTS) coated conductor wires. Thick films on tape were produced with sequential additions of 0.7 µm of REBCO via a reel-to-reel progression through a custom-designed MOCVD reactor. Multi-pass processing for thick film deposition is critically dependent upon minimizing surface secondary phase formation. Critical currents (Ics) of up to 600 A/cm width (t = 2.8 µm, Jc = 2.6 MA cm−2, 77 K, self-field) were obtained in short lengths of HTS wires. These high performance MOCVD films are characterized by closely spaced (Y,Sm)2O3 nanoparticle layers that may be tilted relative to the film normal and REBCO orientation. Small shifts in the angular dependence of Jc in low and intermediate applied magnetic fields can be associated with the tilted nanoparticle layers. Also present in these films were YCuO2 nanoplates aligned with the YBCO matrix (short dimension perpendicular to the film normal), threading dislocations, and oriented composite defects (OCDs). The latter structures consist of single or multiple a-axis oriented grains coated on each side with insulating (Y,Sm)2O3 or CuO. The OCDs formed a connected network of insulating phases by the end of the fourth pass. Subsequent attempts at adding additional layers did not increase Ic. There is an inconsistency between the measured Jc and the observed microstructural degradation that occurs with each additional layer, suggesting that previously deposited layers are improving with each repeated reactor pass. These dynamic changes suggest a role for post-processing to optimize superconducting properties of as-deposited films, addressing issues associated with reproducibility and manufacturing yield.

Persistent activation of nuclear factor B (NF-κB) is very important in the modulation of macrophages cellular response to microbial infections. The deubiquitinase USP14, which is critical for ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation of proteins, is known to be involved in cancer, neurological diseases, and aging. However, the mechanism by which USP14 regulates inflammation remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that decreasing the deubiquitinase activity of USP14 resulted in reduced lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-mediated tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-6 release in THP-1 and RAW264.7 cells. Meanwhile, USP14 knockdown by siRNA showed the same effects, with no cytotoxicity in THP-1 cells. Moreover, inhibiting the deubiquitinase activity of USP14 or USP14 knockdown resulted in decreased ERK1/2 and IκBα phosphorylation, increased amounts of the NF-κB inhibitor IκBα, and reduced NF-κB p65 transport from the cytoplasm into nucleus. These findings suggested that USP14 induces NF-κB activity and ERK1/2 phosphorylation triggered by microbial infection.