Yuan Li

To investigate how substrate properties influence stem-cell fate, we cultured single human epidermal stem cells on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel surfaces, 0.1 kPa-2.3 MPa in stiffness, with a covalently attached collagen coating. Cell spreading and differentiation were unaffected by polydimethylsiloxane stiffness. However, cells on polyacrylamide of low elastic modulus (0.5 kPa) could not form stable focal adhesions and differentiated as a result of decreased activation of the extracellular-signal-related kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway. The differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells was also unaffected by PDMS stiffness but regulated by the elastic modulus of PAAm. Dextran penetration measurements indicated that polyacrylamide substrates of low elastic modulus were more porous than stiff substrates, suggesting that the collagen anchoring points would be further apart. We then changed collagen crosslink concentration and used hydrogel-nanoparticle substrates to vary anchoring distance at constant substrate stiffness. Lower collagen anchoring density resulted in increased differentiation. We conclude that stem cells exert a mechanical force on collagen fibres and gauge the feedback to make cell-fate decisions.

Scaling up to a large number of qubits with high-precision control is essential in the demonstrations of quantum computational advantage to exponentially outpace the classical hardware and algorithmic improvements. Here, we develop a two-dimensional programmable superconducting quantum processor, Zuchongzhi, which is composed of 66 functional qubits in a tunable coupling architecture. To characterize the performance of the whole system, we perform random quantum circuits sampling for benchmarking, up to a system size of 56 qubits and 20 cycles. The computational cost of the classical simulation of this task is estimated to be 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than the previous work on 53-qubit Sycamore processor [Nature 574, 505 (2019)NATUAS0028-083610.1038/s41586-019-1666-5. We estimate that the sampling task finished by Zuchongzhi in about 1.2 h will take the most powerful supercomputer at least 8 yr. Our work establishes an unambiguous quantum computational advantage that is infeasible for classical computation in a reasonable amount of time. The high-precision and programmable quantum computing platform opens a new door to explore novel many-body phenomena and implement complex quantum algorithms.

HIV-1 replication requires transport of nascent viral DNA and associated virion proteins, the retroviral preintegration complex (PIC), into the nucleus. Too large for passive diffusion through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), PICs use cellular nuclear transport mechanisms and nucleoporins (NUPs), the NPC components that permit selective nuclear-cytoplasmic exchange, but the details remain unclear. Here we identify a fragment of the cleavage and polyadenylation factor 6, CPSF6, as a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 infection. When enriched in the cytoplasm, CPSF6 prevents HIV-1 nuclear entry by targeting the viral capsid (CA). HIV-1 harboring the N74D mutation in CA fails to interact with CPSF6 and evades the nuclear import restriction. Interestingly, whereas wild-type HIV-1 requires NUP153, N74D HIV-1 mimics feline immunodeficiency virus nuclear import requirements and is more sensitive to NUP155 depletion. These findings reveal a remarkable flexibility in HIV-1 nuclear transport and highlight a single residue in CA as essential in regulating interactions with NUPs.

Entangled photon sources with simultaneously near-unity heralding efficiency and indistinguishability are the fundamental elements for scalable photonic quantum technologies. We design and realize a degenerate entangled-photon source from an ultrafast pulsed laser pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), which show simultaneously ~97% heralding efficiency and ~96% indistinguishability between independent single photons. Such a high-efficiency and frequency-uncorrelated SPDC source allows generation of the first 12-photon genuine entanglement with a state fidelity of 0.572(24). We further demonstrate a blueprint of scalable scattershot boson sampling using 12 SPDC sources and a 12*12-modes interferometer for three-, four-, and five-boson sampling, which yields count rates more than four orders of magnitudes higher than all previous SPDC experiments. Our work immediately enables high-efficiency implementations of multiplexing, scattershot boson sampling, and heralded creation of remotely entangled photons, opening up a promising pathway to scalable photonic quantum technologies.

A methodology for the detection of protein biomarkers at picomolar concentrations that utilizes surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI) measurements of RNA aptamer microarrays is developed. The adsorption of proteins onto the RNA microarray is detected by the formation of a surface aptamer−protein−antibody complex. The SPRI response signal is then amplified using a localized precipitation reaction catalyzed by the enzyme horseradish peroxidase that is conjugated to the antibody. This enzymatically amplified SPRI methodology is first characterized by the detection of human thrombin at a concentration of 500 fM; the appropriate thrombin aptamer for the sandwich assay is identified from a microarray of three potential thrombin aptamer candidates. The SPRI method is then used to detect the protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) at a biologically relevant concentration of 1 pM. VEGF is a signaling protein that has been used as a serum biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer and is also associated with age-related macular degeneration.

Supermassive black holes in galaxy centres can grow by the accretion of gas, liberating energy that might regulate star formation on galaxy-wide scales. The nature of the gaseous fuel reservoirs that power black hole growth is nevertheless largely unconstrained by observations, and is instead routinely simplified as a smooth, spherical inflow of very hot gas. Recent theory and simulations instead predict that accretion can be dominated by a stochastic, clumpy distribution of very cold molecular clouds - a departure from the "hot mode" accretion model - although unambiguous observational support for this prediction remains elusive. Here we report observations that reveal a cold, clumpy accretion flow towards a supermassive black hole fuel reservoir in the nucleus of the Abell 2597 Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG), a nearby (redshift z=0.0821) giant elliptical galaxy surrounded by a dense halo of hot plasma. Under the right conditions, thermal instabilities can precipitate from this hot gas, producing a rain of cold clouds that fall toward the galaxy's centre, sustaining star formation amid a kiloparsec-scale molecular nebula that inhabits its core. The observations show that these cold clouds also fuel black hole accretion, revealing "shadows" cast by the molecular clouds as they move inward at about 300 kilometres per second towards the active supermassive black hole in the galaxy centre, which serves as a bright backlight. Corroborating evidence from prior observations of warmer atomic gas at extremely high spatial resolution, along with simple arguments based on geometry and probability, indicate that these clouds are within the innermost hundred parsecs of the black hole, and falling closer towards it.

The roles of RNA 5-methylcytosine (RNA:m5C) and RNA:m5C methyltransferases (RCMTs) in lineage-associated chromatin organization and drug response/resistance are unclear. Here we demonstrate that the RCMTs, namely NSUN3 and DNMT2, directly bind hnRNPK, a conserved RNA-binding protein. hnRNPK interacts with the lineage-determining transcription factors (TFs), GATA1 and SPI1/PU.1, and with CDK9/P-TEFb to recruit RNA-polymerase-II at nascent RNA, leading to formation of 5-Azacitidine (5-AZA)-sensitive chromatin structure. In contrast, NSUN1 binds BRD4 and RNA-polymerase-II to form an active chromatin structure that is insensitive to 5-AZA, but hypersensitive to the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 and to the downregulation of NSUN1 by siRNAs. Both 5-AZA-resistant leukaemia cell lines and clinically 5-AZA-resistant myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukaemia specimens have a significant increase in RNA:m5C and NSUN1-/BRD4-associated active chromatin. This study reveals novel RNA:m5C/RCMT-mediated chromatin structures that modulate 5-AZA response/resistance in leukaemia cells, and hence provides a new insight into treatment of leukaemia.

Supermassive black hole feedback is thought to be responsible for the lack of star formation, or quiescence, in a significant fraction of galaxies. We explore how observable correlations between the specific star formation rate (sSFR), stellar mass (M$_{\rm{star}}$), and black hole mass (M$_{\rm{BH}}$) are sensitive to the physics of black hole feedback in a galaxy formation model. We use the IllustrisTNG simulation suite, specifically the TNG100 simulation and ten model variations that alter the parameters of the black hole model. Focusing on central galaxies at $z = 0$ with M$_{\rm{star}} > 10^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$, we find that the sSFR of galaxies in IllustrisTNG decreases once the energy from black hole kinetic winds at low accretion rates becomes larger than the gravitational binding energy of gas within the galaxy stellar radius. This occurs at a particular M$_{\rm{BH}}$ threshold above which galaxies are found to sharply transition from being mostly star-forming to mostly quiescent. As a result of this behavior, the fraction of quiescent galaxies as a function of M$_{\rm{star}}$ is sensitive to both the normalization of the M$_{\rm{BH}}$-M$_{\rm{star}}$ relation and the M$_{\rm{BH}}$ threshold for quiescence in IllustrisTNG. Finally, we compare these model results to observations of 91 central galaxies with dynamical M$_{\rm{BH}}$ measurements with the caveat that this sample is not representative of the whole galaxy population. While IllustrisTNG reproduces the observed trend that quiescent galaxies host more massive black holes, the observations exhibit a broader scatter in M$_{\rm{BH}}$ at a given M$_{\rm{star}}$ and show a smoother decline in sSFR with M$_{\rm{BH}}$.

Artificial photoreduction of CO2 is confined by low separation efficiency of photoinduced charge carriers and poor activation of CO2 over photocatalysts. Herein, a brilliant ultrathin 2D/2D Ni-doped CsPbBr3/Bi3O4Br Z-scheme heterostructure was rationally constructed, which showed superior CO yield of 387.57 μmol g−1 with 98.2% selectivity, 12.3 times higher than that of pristine CsPbBr3. Both experimental results and theoretical calculations confirmed that Ni doping in CsPbBr3 not only efficiently expand spectral response but also is beneficial for the adsorption and activation of CO2. Moreover, in-situ irradiated XPS validated the Z-scheme charge transfer path, forming an internal electric field (IEF) directing from Ni-doped CsPbBr3 to Bi3O4Br, which results in higher charge separation efficiency. Besides, in-situ DRIFTS and DFT studies reveal that the photocatalyst depressed the formation energy of COOH* and CO* . This work shows a new path for boosting photocatalytic CO2 reduction of photocatalysts by the synergistic effect between doping and heterostructure.

Theranostic sonosensitizers with combined sonodynamic and near infrared (NIR) imaging modes are required for imaging guided sonodynamic therapy (SDT). It is challenging, however, to realize a single material that is simultaneously endowed with both NIR emitting and sonodynamic activities. Herein, we report the design of a class of NIR-emitting sonosensitizers from a NIR phosphorescent carbon dot (CD) material with a narrow bandgap (1.62 eV) and long-lived excited triplet states (11.4 μs), two of which can enhance SDT as thermodynamically and dynamically favorable factors under low-intensity ultrasound irradiation, respectively. The NIR-phosphorescent CDs are identified as bipolar quantum dots containing both p- and n-type surface functionalization regions that can drive spatial separation of e--h+ pairs and fast transfer to reaction sites. Importantly, the cancer-specific targeting and high-level intratumor enrichment of the theranostic CDs are achieved by cancer cell membrane encapsulation for precision SDT with complete eradication of solid tumors by single injection and single irradiation. These results will open up a promising approach to engineer phosphorescent materials with long-lived triplet excited states for sonodynamic precision tumor therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. It can not only generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) to cause the chemical damage of tumor cells in the presence of enough oxygen but also promote the antitumor immunity of T cells through enhancing the production of interferon γ (IFN-γ). However, one phenomenon is ignored so far that the enhanced production of IFN-γ caused by PDT may significantly increase the expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) on the tumor cell membrane and thus could inhibit the immune killing effects of T cells. Herein, we report the construction of a composite by loading metformin (Met) and IR775 into a clinically usable liposome as a two-in-one nanoplatform (IR775@Met@Lip) to solve this problem. The IR775@Met@Lip could reverse tumor hypoxia to enhance ROS production to elicit more chemical damage. Besides, the overexpression of PD-L1 by PDT was also effectively down-regulated. These therapeutic benefits including decreased PD-L1 expression, alleviated T cell exhaustion, and reversed tumor hypoxia successfully suppressed both the primary and abscopal tumor growth in bladder and colon cancers, respectively. Combining with its excellent biocompatibility, our results indicate that this IR775@Met@Lip system has great potential to become a highly effective cancer therapy modality.

Although targeting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is a rational anticancer strategy, clinical benefit with OXPHOS inhibitors has yet to be achieved. Here we advanced IACS-010759, a highly potent and selective small-molecule complex I inhibitor, into two dose-escalation phase I trials in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (NCT02882321, n = 17) and advanced solid tumors (NCT03291938, n = 23). The primary endpoints were safety, tolerability, maximum tolerated dose and recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of IACS-010759. The PK, PD, and preliminary antitumor activities of IACS-010759 in patients were also evaluated as secondary endpoints in both clinical trials. IACS-010759 had a narrow therapeutic index with emergent dose-limiting toxicities, including elevated blood lactate and neurotoxicity, which obstructed efforts to maintain target exposure. Consequently no RP2D was established, only modest target inhibition and limited antitumor activity were observed at tolerated doses, and both trials were discontinued. Reverse translational studies in mice demonstrated that IACS-010759 induced behavioral and physiological changes indicative of peripheral neuropathy, which were minimized with the coadministration of a histone deacetylase 6 inhibitor. Additional studies are needed to elucidate the association between OXPHOS inhibition and neurotoxicity, and caution is warranted in the continued development of complex I inhibitors as antitumor agents.

This study presents a life-cycle analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester) and renewable diesel (RD, or hydroprocessed easters and fatty acids) production from oilseed crops, distillers corn oil, used cooking oil, and tallow. Updated data for biofuel production and waste fat rendering were collected through industry surveys. Life-cycle GHG emissions reductions for producing biodiesel and RD from soybean, canola, and carinata oils range from 40% to 69% after considering land-use change estimations, compared with petroleum diesel. Converting tallow, used cooking oil, and distillers corn oil to biodiesel and RD could achieve higher GHG reductions of 79% to 86% lower than petroleum diesel. The biodiesel route has lower GHG emissions for oilseed-based pathways than the RD route because transesterification is less energy-intensive than hydro-processing. In contrast, processing feedstocks with high free fatty acid such as tallow via the biodiesel route results in slightly higher GHG emissions than the RD route, mainly due to higher energy use for pretreatment. Besides land-use change and allocation methods, key factors driving biodiesel and RD life-cycle GHG emissions include fertilizer use and nitrous oxide emissions for crop farming, energy use for grease rendering, and energy and chemicals input for biofuel conversion.

Abstract Achieving robust underwater adhesion by bioadhesives remains a challenge due to interfacial water. Herein a coacervate‐to‐hydrogel strategy to enhance interfacial water repulsion and bulk adhesion of bioadhesives is reported. The polyethyleneimine/thioctic acid (PEI/TA) coacervate is deposited onto underwater substrates, which can effectively repel interfacial water and completely spread into substrate surface irregularities due to its liquid and water‐immiscible nature. The physical interactions between coacervate and substrate can further enhance interfacial adhesion. Furthermore, driven by the spontaneous hydrophobic aggregation of TA molecules and strong electrostatic interaction between PEI and TA, the coacervate can turn into a hydrogel in situ within minutes without additional stimuli to develop enhanced matrix cohesion and robust bulk adhesion on diverse underwater substrates. Molecular dynamics simulations further reveal atomistic details of the formation and wet adhesion of the PEI/TA coacervate via multimode physical interactions. Lastly, it is demonstrated that the PEI/TA coacervate‐derived hydrogel can effectively repel blood and therefore efficiently deliver the carried growth factors at wound sites, thereby enhancing wound healing in an animal model. The advantages of the PEI/TA coacervate‐derived hydrogel including body fluid‐immiscibility, strong underwater adhesion, adaptability to fit irregular target sites, and excellent biocompatibility make it a promising bioadhesive for diverse biomedical applications.

Rivers are severely polluted by multiple anthropogenic stressors. An unevenly distributed landscape pattern can aggravate the deterioration of water quality in rivers. Identifying the impacts of landscape patterns on the spatial characteristics of water quality is helpful for river management and water sustainability. Herein we quantified the nationwide water quality degradation in China's rivers and analyzed its responses to spatial patterns of anthropogenic landscapes. The results showed that the spatial patterns of river water quality degradation had a strong spatial inequality and worsened severely in eastern and northern China. The spatial aggregation of agricultural/urban landscape and the water quality degradation exhibits high consistency. Our findings suggested that river water quality would further deteriorate from high spatial aggregation of cities and agricultures, which reminded us that the dispersion of anthropogenic landscape patterns might effectively alleviate water quality pressures.

Abstract The electrolyte‐wettability of electrode materials in liquid electrolytes plays a crucial role in electrochemical energy storage, conversion systems, and beyond relied on interface electrochemical process. However, most electrode materials do not have satisfactory electrolyte‐wettability for possibly electrochemical reaction. In the last 30 years, there are a lot of literature have directed at exploiting methods to improve electrolyte‐wettability of electrodes, understanding basic electrolyte‐wettability mechanisms of electrode materials, exploring the effect of electrolyte‐wettability on its electrochemical energy storage, conversion, and beyond performance. This review systematically and comprehensively evaluates the effect of electrolyte‐wettability on electrochemical energy storage performance of the electrode materials used in supercapacitors, metal ion batteries, and metal‐based batteries, electrochemical energy conversion performance of the electrode materials used in fuel cells and electrochemical water splitting systems, as well as capacitive deionization performance of the electrode materials used in capacitive deionization systems. Finally, the challenges in approaches for improving electrolyte‐wettability of electrode materials, characterization techniques of electrolyte‐wettability, as well as electrolyte‐wettability of electrode materials applied in special environment and other electrochemical systems with electrodes and liquid electrolytes, which gives future possible directions for constructing interesting electrolyte‐wettability to meet the demand of high electrochemical performance, are also discussed.

The introduction of the heterogeneous catalysts with high activity can significantly improve hydrogen storage performance of MgH2, therefore, in this paper, we synthesize a carbon-supported transition metal compound, [email protected] derivative from ZIF-67, by utilizing the in situ formed C dispersive multiphase Mg2Co, α-Fe, Co3Fe7, and MgS to implement catalysis to MgH2. Noteworthily, MgH2[email protected] rapidly absorbs 6.78 wt% H2 within 60 s at 573 K and can also absorb 4.56 wt% H2 in 900 s at 473 K. Besides, the addition of [email protected] results in decreasing of the initial dehydrogenation temperatures of MgH2 from 620 to 550 K. The dehydrogenation activation energy of MgH2 decreases from 160.7 to 91.9 kJ mol–1. Studies show that the Mg2Co, α-Fe, and Co3Fe7 act as “hydrogen channels” to accelerate hydrogen transfer due to the presence of transition metals, and MgS with excellent catalytic effect formed from MgH2[email protected] provides a strong and stable catalytic effect. Besides, the carbon skeleton obtained by the carbonization of ZIF-67 not only serves as a dispersion for the multiphase catalytic system, but also provides more active sites for the catalysts. Our study shows that the multiphase and multiscale catalytic system provides an effective strategy for improving the hydrogen storage performance of MgH2.

To improve the catalytic activity of photothermal catalysts for efficient mineralization of volatile organic compounds still keeps challenge. Herein, ZnMn2O4 with controllably exposed {010} facets (ZMO-H), {11−1} facets (ZMO-R), and {1−1−1} facets (ZMO-C) were firstly synthesized and used to unveil an essential role of facet-dependent activation of surface lattice oxygen for toluene mineralization under full-spectrum light irradiation. The experimental studies and theoretical calculations together evidenced that as compared to ZMO-R and ZMO-C, ZMO-H is favorable for activating surface lattice oxygen, owing to its relatively stronger light absorption, higher surface lattice oxygen content, and lower oxygen dissociation energy. The theoretical calculations further confirmed that toluene is more easily adsorbed by ZMO-H than by ZMO-R and ZMO-C. All these advantages have substantially afforded the toluene photothermal oxidation activity of ZMO-H. This finding confirms that surface lattice oxygen activation of catalyst by facet engineering is crucial on the photothermal oxidation of toluene.

Catalyst doping modification has become an important strategy to solve the high desorption temperature and sluggish kinetics issues of magnesium hydride (MgH2) for further commercial application. Herein, we report a novel strategy by exploiting a catalyst with the “magnesophilic” transition metal and “magnesiphobic” carbon material to construct a MgH2-catalysts-carbon layer hydrogen storage material, where the bimetallic NiFe nanoparticles are supported atop the bamboo-like carbon nanotubes ([email protected]) via calcination. The experimental results show that the built MgH2[email protected] composite can absorb 4.06 and 3.25 wt% H2 at 373 and 348 K, respectively, while the milled-MgH2 almost no longer absorbs H2 and takes only 0.82 wt% even at 423 K. More importantly, the initial desorption temperature of the MgH2[email protected] composite reduces to 498 K by 122 K in contrast to the milled-MgH2, and the dehydrogenation activation energy decreases from 151.8 to 49.7 kJ mol−1. Ex situ structural characterization and theoretical calculation show that the synergistic effects of the “hydrogen pump” role of Mg2Ni/Mg2NiH4 and “hydrogen gateway” role of α-Fe, as well as the good dispersion function of carbon nanotubes generated in situ from the [email protected], contribute the excellent hydrogen storage properties of the MgH2[email protected] composite. This study provides new insights into the modification of MgH2 by carbon-supported transition metal catalysts.

Developing highly efficient heterostructured photocatalysts with robust redox ability is of great significance to wastewater purification. Herein, a novel Z-scheme AgI/Sb2WO6 heterojunction was successfully constructed via a chemical-precipitation method. The Z-scheme system can serve as a highly efficient photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutants in water. Under visible light illumination, the degradation efficiency of rhodamine B and tetracycline over the optimal Z-scheme heterojunction can achieve 95% in 12 min and 80% in 8 min, which is 10.8 and 11.4 times higher than that over single Sb2WO6, respectively. Interestingly, low amounts of Ag0 can be generated and attached on the surface of Sb2WO6 during the photocatalytic process, further enhancing the photocatalytic activity of the Z-scheme heterojunction. Based on theoretical calculations, the interfacial internal electric field (IEF) can facilitate the photoexcited electrons at the conduction band (CB) of AgI to consume the photoexcited holes at the valence band (VB) of Sb2WO6, which greatly promotes the Z-scheme charge transfer path. Quenching experiments and electron spin resonance analyses demonstrate superoxide radicals play a major role in the photocatalytic reactions. The concept of constructing a Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst with efficient interfacial charge transfer shall provide a design guide for wastewater purification.

A molecular hole transport material retards the iodine migration and delivers high stability in a harsh 85 °C MPP test.

Abstract Background Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hUC-MSC) engraftment is a promising therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, the harsh ischemic microenvironment limits the therapeutic efficacy of hUC-MSC therapy. Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory agent that could improve inflammatory microenvironment. However, whether it enhances the neuroprotective efficacy of hUC-MSC transplantation is still unknown. In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy and the possible mechanism of combined curcumin and hUC-MSC treatment in AIS. Methods Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mice and oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) microglia were administrated hUC-MSCs with or without curcumin. Neurological deficits assessment, brain water content and TTC were used to assess the therapeutic effects of combined treatment. To elucidate the mechanism, MCAO mice and OGD microglia were treated with AKT inhibitor MK2206, GSK3β activator sodium nitroprusside (SNP), GSK3β inhibitor TDZD-8 and Nrf2 gene knockout were used. Immunofluorescence, flow cytometric analysis, WB and RT-PCR were used to evaluate the microglia polarization and the expression of typical oxidative mediators, inflammatory cytokines and the AKT/GSK-3β/β-TrCP/Nrf2 pathway protein. Results Compared with the solo hUC-MSC-grafted or curcumin groups, combined curcumin-hUC-MSC therapy significantly improved the functional performance outcomes, diminished the infarct volumes and the cerebral edema. The combined treatment promoted anti-inflammatory microglia polarization via Nrf2 pathway and decreased the expression of ROS, oxidative mediators and pro-inflammatory cytokines, while elevating the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokines. Nrf2 knockout abolished the antioxidant stress and anti-inflammation effects mediated with combined treatment. Moreover, the combined treatment enhanced the phosphorylation of AKT and GSK3β, inhibited the β-TrCP nucleus translocation, accompanied with Nrf2 activation in the nucleus. AKT inhibitor MK2206 activated GSK3β and β-TrCP and suppressed Nrf2 phosphorylation in nucleus, whereas MK2206 with the GSK3β inhibitor TDZD-8 reversed these phenomena. Furthermore, combined treatment followed by GSK3β inhibition with TDZD-8 restricted β-TrCP nucleus accumulation, which facilitated Nrf2 expression. Conclusions We have demonstrated that combined curcumin-hUC-MSC therapy exerts anti-inflammation and antioxidant stress efficacy mediated by anti-inflammatory microglia polarization via AKT/GSK-3β/β-TrCP/Nrf2 axis and an improved neurological function after AIS.

Agricultural intensification has resulted in severe degradation of croplands in China. While the conversion of degraded croplands to grasslands has been proposed as a potential solution, the effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) and nutrients remain uncertain due to the complex interactions between plant growth and nutrient cycling. To identify key drivers and evaluate general patterns, a meta-analysis of 204 studies was conducted to evaluate changes in SOC, soil nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and soil enzyme activities in the 0–40 cm soil layer following grassland conversion across China. Our results showed that grassland conversion increased SOC (16 %), total N (TN, 12 %), available N (AN, 7 %), microbial biomass C (MBC, 48 %), microbial biomass N (MBN, 39 %), and the activities of urease (38 %) and phosphatase (64 %). However, the conversion decreased soil pH (−1 %) and available P content (AP, −26 %). The reduction in AP could be attributed to the restored grasslands absorbing more AP for growth. The duration of conversion was a major factor influencing changes in SOC, TN, and urease activities. Furthermore, mean annual precipitation had a significant impact on soil pH, TP, AP, MBC, and phosphatase activities. Our findings suggest that converting degraded croplands to grasslands can improve soil C and N content in China; however, these findings should be interpreted in the context of the entire recovery process. Further research and mitigation measures, such as the addition of soil P sources, may be required to address this decline in AP.

To evaluate whether wedge resection (WR) was appropriate for the patients with peripheral T1 N0 solitary subsolid invasive lung adenocarcinoma.Patients with peripheral T1N0 solitary subsolid invasive lung adenocarcinoma who received sublobar resection were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathologic characteristics, 5-year recurrence-free survival, and 5-year lung cancer-specific overall survival were analyzed. Cox regression model was used to elucidate risk factors for recurrence.Two hundred fifty-eight patients receiving WR and 1245 patients receiving segmentectomy were included. The mean follow-up time was 36.87 ± 16.21 months. Five-year recurrence-free survival following WR was 96.89% for patients with ground-glass nodule (GGN) ≤2 cm and 0.25< consolidation-to-tumor ratio (CTR) ≤0.5, not statistically different from 100% for those with GGN≤2 cm and CTR ≤0.25 (P = .231). The 5-year recurrence-free survival was 90.12% for patients with GGN between 2 and 3 cm and CTR ≤0.5, significantly lower than that of patients with GGN ≤2 cm and CTR ≤0.25 (P = .046). For patients with GGN≤2 cm and 0.25<CTR≤0.5, 5-year recurrence-free survival and lung cancer-specific overall survival were 97.87% and 100% following WR versus 97.73% and 92.86% following segmentectomy (recurrence-free survival: P = .987; lung cancer-specific overall survival: P = .199), respectively. For patients with GGN between 2 and 3 cm and CTR ≤0.5, 5-year recurrence-free survival following WR was significantly lower than that following SEG (90.61% vs 100%; P = .043). Multi-variable Cox regression analysis showed that spread through airspace, visceral pleural invasion, and nerve invasion remained independent risk factors for recurrence of patients with GGN between 2 and 3 cm and CTR ≤0.5 following WR.WR might be appropriate for patients with invasive lung adenocarcinoma appearing as peripheral GGN ≤2 cm and CTR ≤0.5, but inappropriate for those with invasive lung adenocarcinoma appearing as peripheral GGN between 2 and 3 cm and CTR ≤0.5.

The zinc(II) ion has recently been implicated in a number of novel functions and pathologies in loci as diverse as the brain, retina, small intestine, prostate, heart, pancreas, and immune system. Zinc ions are a required nutrient but elevated concentrations are known to kill cells in vitro. Paradoxical observations regarding zinc's effects have appeared frequently in the literature, and often their physiological relevance is unclear. We found that for PC-12, HeLa and HT-29 cell lines as well as primary cultures of cardiac myocytes and neurons in vitro in differing media, approximately 5 nmol/L free zinc (pZn = 8.3, where pZn is defined as--log(10) [free Zn(2+)]) produced apparently healthy cells, but 20-fold higher or (in one case) lower concentrations were usually harmful as judged by multiple criteria. These results indicate that (1) the free zinc ion levels of media should be controlled with a metal ion buffer; (2) adding zinc or strong zinc ligands to an insufficiently buffered medium may lead to unpredictably low or high free zinc levels that are often harmful to cells; and (3) it is generally desirable to measure free zinc ion levels due to the presence of contaminating zinc in many biochemicals and unknown buffering capacity of many media.

ABSTRACT Retroviral integration into the host genome is not entirely random, and integration site preferences vary among different retroviruses. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prefers to integrate within active genes, whereas murine leukemia virus (MLV) prefers to integrate near transcription start sites and CpG islands. On the other hand, integration of avian sarcoma-leukosis virus (ASLV) shows little preference either for genes, transcription start sites, or CpG islands. While host cellular factors play important roles in target site selection, the viral integrase is probably the major viral determinant. It is reasonable to hypothesize that retroviruses with similar integrases have similar preferences for target site selection. Although integration profiles are well defined for members of the lentivirus, spumaretrovirus, alpharetrovirus, and gammaretrovirus genera, no members of the deltaretroviruses, for example, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), have been evaluated. We have mapped 541 HTLV-1 integration sites in human HeLa cells and show that HTLV-1, like ASLV, does not specifically target transcription units and transcription start sites. Comparing the integration sites of HTLV-1 with those of ASLV, HIV, simian immunodeficiency virus, MLV, and foamy virus, we show that global and local integration site preferences correlate with the sequence/structure of virus-encoded integrases, supporting the idea that integrase is the major determinant of retroviral integration site selection. Our results suggest that the global integration profiles of other retroviruses could be predicted from phylogenetic comparisons of the integrase proteins. Our results show that retroviruses that engender different insertional mutagenesis risks can have similar integration profiles.

A sensitive method for the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genomic DNA that utilizes nanoparticle-enhanced surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI) measurements of surface enzymatic ligation reactions on DNA microarrays is demonstrated. SNP identification was achieved by using sequence-specific surface reactions of the enzyme Taq DNA ligase, and the presence of ligation products on the DNA microarray elements was detected using SPRI through the hybridization adsorption of complementary oligonucleotides attached to gold nanoparticles. The use of gold nanoparticles increases the sensitivity of the SPRI so that single bases in oligonucleotides can be successfully identified at a concentration of 1 pM. This sensitivity is amply sufficient for performing multiplexed SNP genotyping by using multiple PCR amplicons and should also allow for the direct detection and identification of SNP sequences from 1 pM unamplified genomic DNA samples with this array-based and label-free SPRI methodology. As a first example of SNP genotyping, three different human genomic DNA samples were screened for a possible point mutation in the BRCA1 gene that is associated with breast cancer.

Upon introducing charge carriers into the copper-oxygen sheets of the enigmatic lamellar cuprates, the ground state evolves from an insulator to a superconductor and eventually to a seemingly conventional metal (a Fermi liquid). Much has remained elusive about the nature of this evolution and about the peculiar metallic state at intermediate hole-carrier concentrations (p). The planar resistivity of this unconventional metal exhibits a linear temperature dependence (ρ ∝ T) that is disrupted upon cooling toward the superconducting state by the opening of a partial gap (the pseudogap) on the Fermi surface. Here, we first demonstrate for the quintessential compound HgBa2CuO4+δ a dramatic switch from linear to purely quadratic (Fermi liquid-like, ρ ∝ T(2)) resistive behavior in the pseudogap regime. Despite the considerable variation in crystal structures and disorder among different compounds, our result together with prior work gives insight into the p-T phase diagram and reveals the fundamental resistance per copper-oxygen sheet in both linear (ρ = A1T) and quadratic (ρ = A2T(2)) regimes, with A1 ∝ A2 ∝ 1/p. Theoretical models can now be benchmarked against this remarkably simple universal behavior. Deviations from this underlying behavior can be expected to lead to new insight into the nonuniversal features exhibited by certain compounds.

This study examines the impact of disposition to privacy, perceived reputation of a website, and personal familiarity with the website on a person's privacy concerns about the website. It also analyzes the key attributes of disposition to privacy and its antecedents. Using a survey, the study finds the direct impact of disposition to privacy, website reputation, and personal familiarity on website-specific privacy concerns. The impact of privacy experience on disposition to privacy is also confirmed. The moderating effects of website reputation and personal familiarity on disposition to privacy are not supported, suggesting that the three antecedents exert their impact on privacy concerns independently. The study extends the information privacy literature through the analysis of the roles of contextual factors (reputation and familiarity) in the relationship between disposition to privacy and website-specific privacy concerns. It also moves forward studies on individual disposition to privacy, calling for more attention to this critical concept.

We study the symmetry of spin excitation spectra in 122-ferropnictide superconductors by comparing the results of first-principles calculations with inelastic neutron-scattering (INS) measurements on ${\text{BaFe}}_{1.85}{\text{Co}}_{0.15}{\text{As}}_{2}$ and ${\text{BaFe}}_{1.91}{\text{Ni}}_{0.09}{\text{As}}_{2}$ samples that exhibit neither static magnetic phases nor structural phase transitions. In both the normal and superconducting (SC) states, the spectrum lacks the three-dimensional ${4}_{2}/m$ screw symmetry around the $(\frac{1}{2}\frac{1}{2}L)$ axis that is implied by the $I4/mmm$ space group. This is manifest both in the in-plane anisotropy of the normal- and SC-state spin dynamics and in the out-of-plane dispersion of the spin-resonance mode. We show that this effect originates from the higher symmetry of the magnetic Fe sublattice with respect to the crystal itself, hence the INS signal inherits the symmetry of the unfolded Brillouin zone (BZ) of the Fe sublattice. The in-plane anisotropy is temperature independent and can be qualitatively reproduced in normal-state density-functional-theory calculations without invoking a symmetry-broken (``nematic'') ground state that was previously proposed as an explanation for this effect. Below the SC transition, the energy of the magnetic resonant mode ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\text{res}}$, as well as its intensity and the SC spin gap inherit the normal-state intensity modulation along the out-of-plane direction $L$ with a period twice larger than expected from the body-centered-tetragonal BZ symmetry. The amplitude of this modulation decreases at higher doping, providing an analogy to the splitting between even and odd resonant modes in bilayer cuprates. Combining our and previous data, we show that at odd $L$ a universal linear relationship $\ensuremath{\hbar}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\text{res}}\ensuremath{\approx}4.3\text{ }{k}_{\text{B}}{T}_{\text{c}}$ holds for all the studied Fe-based superconductors, independent of their carrier type. Its validity down to the lowest doping levels is consistent with weaker electron correlations in ferropnictides as compared to the underdoped cuprates.

This paper addresses the Pickup and Delivery Problem with Time Windows, Profits, and Reserved Requests (PDPTWPR), a new vehicle routing problem appeared in carrier collaboration realized through Combinatorial Auction (CA). In carrier collaboration, several carriers form an alliance and exchange some of their transportation requests. Each carrier has reserved requests, which will be served by itself, whereas its other requests called selective requests may be served by the other carriers. Each request is a pickup and delivery request associated with an origin, a destination, a quantity, two time windows, and a price for serving the request paid by its corresponding shipper. For each carrier in CA, it has to determine which selective requests to serve, in addition to its reserved requests, and builds feasible routes to maximize its total profit. A Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model is formulated for the problem and an adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) approach is developed. The ALNS involves ad-hoc destroy/repair operators and a local search procedure. It runs in successive segments which change the behavior of operators and compute their own statistics to adapt selection probabilities of operators. The MILP model and the ALNS approach are evaluated on 54 randomly generated instances with 10–100 requests. The computational results indicate that the ALNS significantly outperforms the solver, not only in terms of solution quality but also in terms of CPU time.

The elucidation of the pseudogap phenomenon of the cuprates, a set of anomalous physical properties below the characteristic temperature T* and above the superconducting transition temperature Tc, has been a major challenge in condensed matter physics for the past two decades. Following initial indications of broken time-reversal symmetry in photoemission experiments, recent polarized neutron diffraction work demonstrated the universal existence of an unusual magnetic order below T*. These findings have the profound implication that the pseudogap regime constitutes a genuine new phase of matter rather than a mere crossover phenomenon. They are furthermore consistent with a particular type of order involving circulating orbital currents, and with the notion that the phase diagram is controlled by a quantum critical point. Here we report inelastic neutron scattering results for HgBa2CuO4+x (Hg1201) that reveal a fundamental collective magnetic mode associated with the unusual order, and that further support this picture. The mode's intensity rises below the same temperature T* and its dispersion is weak, as expected for an Ising-like order parameter. Its energy of 52-56 meV and its enormous integrated spectral weight render it a new candidate for the hitherto unexplained ubiquitous electron-boson coupling features observed in spectroscopic studies.

Superconductors are classified by their pairing mechanism and the coupling strength, measured as the ratio of the energy gap, $2\ensuremath{\Delta}$, to the critical temperature, ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$. We present an extensive comparison of the $2\ensuremath{\Delta}/{k}_{\mathrm{B}}{T}_{\mathrm{c}}$ ratios among many single- and multiband superconductors from simple metals to high-${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$ cuprates and iron pnictides. Contrary to the recently suggested universality of this ratio in Fe-based superconductors, we find that the coupling in pnictides ranges from weak, near the BCS limit, to strong, as in cuprates, bridging the gap between these two extremes. Moreover, for Fe- and Cu-based materials, our analysis reveals a universal correlation between the gap ratio and ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$, which is not found in conventional superconductors and therefore supports a common unconventional pairing mechanism in both families. An important consequence of this result for ferropnictides is that the separation in energy between the excitonic spin-resonance mode and the particle-hole continuum, which determines the resonance damping, no longer appears independent of ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$.

We study the topological properties of magnon excitations in three-dimensional antiferromagnets, where the ground state configuration is invariant under time reversal followed by space inversion (PT symmetry). We prove that Dirac points and nodal lines, the former being the limiting case of the latter, are the generic forms of symmetry-protected band crossings between magnon branches. As a concrete example, we study a Heisenberg spin model for a "spin-web" compound, Cu_{3}TeO_{6}, and show the presence of the magnon Dirac points assuming a collinear magnetic structure. Upon turning on symmetry-allowed Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interactions, which introduce a small noncollinearity in the ground state configuration, we find that the Dirac points expand into nodal lines with nontrivial Z_{2}-topological charge, a new type of nodal line not predicted in any materials so far.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts or adipocytes, and the shift between osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation determines bone mass. The aim of this study was to identify whether lncRNAs are involved in the differentiation commitment of BMSCs during osteoporosis. Here, we found ORLNC1, a functionally undefined lncRNA that is highly conserved, which exhibited markedly higher expression levels in BMSCs, bone tissue, and the serum of OVX-induced osteoporotic mice than sham-operated counterparts. Notably, a similar higher abundance of lncRNA-ORLNC1 expression was also observed in the bone tissue of osteoporotic patients. The transgenic mice overexpressing lncRNA-ORLNC1 showed a substantial increase in the osteoporosis-associated bone loss and decline in the osteogenesis of BMSCs. The BMSCs pretreated with lncRNA-ORLNC1-overexpressing lentivirus vector exhibited the suppressed capacity of osteogenic differentiation and oppositely enhanced adipogenic differentiation. We then established that lncRNA-ORLNC1 acted as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-296. Moreover, miR-296 was found markedly upregulated during osteoblast differentiation, and it accelerated osteogenic differentiation by targeting Pten. Taken together, our results indicated that the lncRNA-ORLNC1-miR-296-Pten axis may be a critical regulator of the osteoporosis-related switch between osteogenesis and adipogenesis of BMSCs and might represent a plausible therapeutic target for improving osteoporotic bone loss.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal disorder, with two main types: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), whose molecular pathology is not well understood. The majority of IBD-associated SNPs are located in non-coding regions and are hard to characterize since regulatory regions in IBD are not known. Here we profile transcription start sites (TSSs) and enhancers in the descending colon of 94 IBD patients and controls. IBD-upregulated promoters and enhancers are highly enriched for IBD-associated SNPs and are bound by the same transcription factors. IBD-specific TSSs are associated to genes with roles in both inflammatory cascades and gut epithelia while TSSs distinguishing UC and CD are associated to gut epithelia functions. We find that as few as 35 TSSs can distinguish active CD, UC, and controls with 85% accuracy in an independent cohort. Our data constitute a foundation for understanding the molecular pathology, gene regulation, and genetics of IBD.

ABSTRACT The past decade has seen significant progress in understanding galaxy formation and evolution using large-scale cosmological simulations. While these simulations produce galaxies in overall good agreement with observations, they employ different sub-grid models for galaxies and supermassive black holes (BHs). We investigate the impact of the sub-grid models on the BH mass properties of the Illustris, TNG100, TNG300, Horizon-AGN, EAGLE, and SIMBA simulations, focusing on the MBH − M⋆ relation and the BH mass function. All simulations predict tight MBH − M⋆ relations, and struggle to produce BHs of $M_{\rm BH}\leqslant 10^{7.5}\, \rm M_{\odot }$ in galaxies of $M_{\star }\sim 10^{10.5}\!-\!10^{11.5}\, \rm M_{\odot }$. While the time evolution of the mean MBH − M⋆ relation is mild ($\rm \Delta M_{\rm BH}\leqslant 1\, dex$ for 0 $\leqslant z \leqslant$ 5) for all the simulations, its linearity (shape) and normalization varies from simulation to simulation. The strength of SN feedback has a large impact on the linearity and time evolution for $M_{\star }\leqslant 10^{10.5}\, \rm M_{\odot }$. We find that the low-mass end is a good discriminant of the simulation models, and highlights the need for new observational constraints. At the high-mass end, strong AGN feedback can suppress the time evolution of the relation normalization. Compared with observations of the local Universe, we find an excess of BHs with $M_{\rm BH}\geqslant 10^{9}\, \rm M_{\odot }$ in most of the simulations. The BH mass function is dominated by efficiently accreting BHs ($\log _{10}\, f_{\rm Edd}\geqslant -2$) at high redshifts, and transitions progressively from the high-mass to the low-mass end to be governed by inactive BHs. The transition time and the contribution of active BHs are different among the simulations, and can be used to evaluate models against observations.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Rare genetic mutations in genes such as Parkin, Pink1, DJ-1, α-synuclein, LRRK2 and GBA are found to be responsible for the disease in about 15% of the cases. A key unanswered question in PD pathophysiology is why would these mutations, impacting basic cellular processes such as mitochondrial function and neurotransmission, lead to selective degeneration of SNc DA neurons? We previously showed in vitro that SNc DA neurons have an extremely high rate of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and ATP production, characteristics that appear to be the result of their highly complex axonal arborization. To test the hypothesis in vivo that axon arborization size is a key determinant of vulnerability, we selectively labeled SNc or VTA DA neurons using floxed YFP viral injections in DAT-cre mice and showed that SNc DA neurons have a much more arborized axon than those of the VTA. To further enhance this difference, which may represent a limiting factor in the basal vulnerability of these neurons, we selectively deleted in mice the DA D2 receptor (D2-cKO), a key negative regulator of the axonal arbour of DA neurons. In these mice, SNc DA neurons have a 2-fold larger axonal arborization, release less DA and are more vulnerable to a 6-OHDA lesion, but not to α-synuclein overexpression when compared to control SNc DA neurons. This work adds to the accumulating evidence that the axonal arborization size of SNc DA neurons plays a key role in their vulnerability in the context of PD.

The environmental-friendly scale and corrosion inhibitors have been a hot topic in research. Four carboxylic acid type scale and corrosion inhibitors are introduced in this study, including polyaspartic acid (PASP), polyepoxysuccinic acid (PESA), oxidized starch (OS), and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The scale and corrosion inhibition performance of PASP, PESA, OS, and CMC were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The interaction between the inhibitor and the surface of CaCO3 (1 1 0), CaCO3 (1 0 4), CaSO4 (0 2 0), and Fe (1 1 0) was explored with and without water, respectively. The results indicate that the binding energy of the inhibitor onto the surface of CaCO3 (1 1 0), CaCO3 (1 0 4), and CaSO4 (0 2 0) is as follows: PESA > PASP > OS > CMC. The binding energy onto the Fe (1 1 0) surface is: PASP > OS > CMC > PESA. It is worth noting that the influence of water molecules cannot be ignored. Besides, the global reactivity parameters of four inhibitors were also calculated to further explain the corrosion inhibition performance and mechanism, such as EHOMO, ELUMO, ΔE, χ.

Abstract Cartilage defects frequently occur around the knee joint yet cartilage has limited self-repair abilities. Hydrogel scaffolds have excellent potential for use in tissue engineering. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the ability of silk fibroin (SF) hydrogel scaffolds incorporated with chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (NPs) to repair knee joint cartilage defects. In the present study, composite systems of CS NPs incorporated with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1; TGF-β1@CS) and SF incorporated with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2; TGF-β1@CS/BMP-2@SF) were developed and characterized with respect to their size distribution, zeta potential, morphology, and release of TGF-β1 and BMP-2. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were co-cultured with TGF-β1@CS/BMP-2@SF extracts to assess chondrogenesis in vitro using a cell counting kit-8 assay, which was followed by in vivo evaluations in a rabbit model of knee joint cartilage defects. The constructed TGF-β1@CS/BMP-2@SF composite system was successfully characterized and showed favorable biocompatibility. In the presence of TGF-β1@CS/BMP-2@SF extracts, BMSCs exhibited normal cell morphology and enhanced chondrogenic ability both in vitro and in vivo, as evidenced by the promotion of cell viability and the alleviation of cartilage defects. Thus, the TGF-β1@CS/BMP-2@SF hydrogel developed in the present study promoted chondrogenic ability of BMSCs both in vivo and in vitro by releasing TGF-β1 and BMP-2, thereby offering a novel therapeutic strategy for repairing articular cartilage defects in knee joints.

Adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) are the pre- and minimally invasive forms of lung adenocarcinoma. We aimed to investigate safety results and survival outcomes following different types of surgical resection in a large sample of patients with AIS/MIA.Medical records of patients with lung AIS/MIA who underwent surgery between 2012 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical characteristics, surgical types and complications, recurrence-free survival, and overall survival were investigated.A total of 1644 patients (422 AIS and 1222 MIA) were included. The overall surgical complication rate was significantly lower in patients receiving wedge resection (1.0%), and was comparable between patients undergoing segmentectomy (3.3%) or lobectomy (5.6%). Grade ≥ 3 complications occurred in 0.1% of patients in the wedge resection group, and in a comparable proportion of patients in the segmentectomy group (1.5%) and the lobectomy group (1.5%). There was no lymph node metastasis. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 100%. The 5-year overall survival rate in the entire cohort was 98.8%, and was comparable among the wedge resection group (98.8%), the segmentectomy group (98.2%), and the lobectomy group (99.4%).Sublobar resection, especially wedge resection without lymph node dissection, may be the preferred surgical procedure for patients with AIS/MIA. If there are no risk factors, postoperative follow-up intervals may be extended. These implications should be validated in further studies.

We designed and synthesized aminated mesoporous silica (MSN-NH2), and functionally grafted alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) on its surface to get MSN-NH2-AOS nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle for the fat-soluble model drug curcumin (Cur). Dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the structure and performance of MSN-NH2-AOS. The nano-MSN-NH2-AOS preparation process was optimized, and the drug loading and encapsulation efficiencies of nano-MSN-NH2-AOS were investigated. The encapsulation efficiency of the MSN-NH2-Cur-AOS nanoparticles was up to 91.24 ± 1.23%. The pH-sensitive AOS coating made the total release rate of Cur only 28.9 ± 1.6% under neutral conditions and 67.5 ± 1% under acidic conditions. According to the results of in vitro anti-tumor studies conducted by MTT and cellular uptake assays, the MSN-NH2-Cur-AOS nanoparticles were more easily absorbed by colon cancer cells than free Cur, achieving a high tumor cell targeting efficiency. Moreover, when the concentration of Cur reached 50 μg/mL, MSN-NH2-Cur-AOS nanoparticles showed strong cytotoxicity against tumor cells, indicating that MSN-NH2-AOS might be a promising tool as a novel fat-soluble anticancer drug carrier.

Abstract Flexible organic materials that exhibit dynamic ultralong room temperature phosphorescence (DURTP) via photoactivation have attracted increasing research interest for their fascinating functions of reversibly writing-reading-erasing graphic information in the form of a long afterglow. However, due to the existence of a nonnegligible activation threshold for the initial exposure dose, the display mode of these materials has thus far been limited to binary patterns. By resorting to halogen element doping of carbon dots (CDs) to enhance intersystem crossing and reduce the activation threshold, we were able to produce, for the first time, a transparent, flexible, and fully programmable DURTP composite film with a reliable grayscale display capacity. Examples of promising applications in UV photography and highly confidential steganography were constructed, partially demonstrating the broad future applications of this material as a programmable platform with a high optical information density.

Low visible light absorption, high carrier recombination and poor selectivity of high value-added products greatly hindered the development of photocatalytic CO2 reduction technology. Herein, a novel sulfur-doped K0.475WO3 photocatalyst was successfully prepared by the one-step calcination, which exhibited excellent performance for visible light driven photocatalytic CO2 conversion to CH4. The introduction of sulfur atoms broadens the light absorption range of the K0.475WO3 to full visible wavelengths, and the impurity level formed by sulfur doping further promotes the generation and separation of photocarriers. Combined with the analysis of the CO2-TPD and density functional theory (DFT) calculation, we found that the sulfur doping formed active adsorption sites on the surface of K0.475WO3, which provided a favorable prerequisite for the activation and hydrogenation of CO2. More importantly, in-situ DRIFTS further indicated the doping of sulfur promoted the formation of formats in the activation process of CO2, which is the key intermediate of CO2 hydrogenation. As a result, sulfur doping endows K0.475WO3 with excellent CO2 reduction ability under visible light and 87.6% selectivity to methane and still maintains good photocatalytic activity after five cycles. This work provides a new study for the visible light-driven photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to high value-added products.

The explosion in demand for massive data processing and storage requires revolutionary memory technologies featuring ultrahigh speed, ultralong retention, ultrahigh capacity and ultralow energy consumption. Although a breakthrough in ultrafast floating-gate memory has been achieved very recently, it still suffers a high operation voltage (tens of volts) due to the Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling mechanism. It is still a great challenge to realize ultrafast nonvolatile storage with low operation voltage. Here we propose a floating-gate memory with a structure of MoS2/hBN/MoS2/graphdiyne oxide/WSe2, in which a threshold switching layer, graphdiyne oxide, instead of a dielectric blocking layer in conventional floating-gate memories, is used to connect the floating gate and control gate. The volatile threshold switching characteristic of graphdiyne oxide allows the direct charge injection from control gate to floating gate by applying a nanosecond voltage pulse (20 ns) with low magnitude (2 V), and restricts the injected charges in floating gate for a long-term retention (10 years) after the pulse. The high operation speed and low voltage endow the device with an ultralow energy consumption of 10 fJ. These results demonstrate a new strategy to develop next-generation high-speed low-energy nonvolatile memory.

Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) attenuates the T lymphocytes’ response to tumor cells in various malignancies. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by effector T cells possess potential as anticancer therapeutics by interaction with tumor cells. Here, we constructed T cell derived EVs which display PD-1, the receptor of PD-L1, on the surface to enhance tumor elimination by interrupting PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. Proteomics analysis indicates that the expression of proteins involved in cytotoxicity, T cell receptor signaling pathway and cell binding were upregulated in PD-1 overexpressing exosomes compared to that of microvesicls. PD-1 expressing EVs (PD-1 EVs) neutralize PD-L1 and effectively reinvigorate the activity and proliferation capacity of CD8 + effector T cells. Moreover, PD-1 EVs may also directly attack tumor cells by Fas ligand (FasL) and granzyme B (GzmB). ● Genetically engineered T cell to produce extracellular vesicles (T-EVs) displaying PD-1 for blockade of PD-L1 on cancer cells. ● T-EVs contained cytotoxic molecules that could directly induce cancer cell apoptosis. ● PD-1 expressing T-EVs reinvigorated tumor infiltrating CD8 + T lymphocytes that intensively suppressed tumor progress.

It is observed that, in most of the CNN-based pansharpening methods, the multispectral (MS) images are taken as the ground truth, and the downsampled panchromatic (Pan) and MS images are taken as the training data. However, the trained models from the downsampled images are not suitable for the pansharpening of the MS images with rich spatial and spectral information at their original spatial resolution. To tackle this problem, a novel iterative network based on spectral and textural loss constrained Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) is proposed for pansharpening. First, instead of directly outputting the fused imagery, the GAN focuses on generating the mean difference image. The input of the GAN is a good initial difference image, which will make the network work better. Second, the coarse-to-fine fusion framework is designed to generate the fused imagery. It uses two optimized discriminators to distinguish the generated images, and performs multi-level fusion processing on PAN and MS images to generate the best pansharpening image in full resolution. Finally, the well-designed loss functions are embedded into both the generator and the discriminators to accurately preserve the fidelity of the fused imagery. We validated our method by the images from QuickBird, GaoFen-2 and WorldView-2 satellites. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method obtained a better fusion performance than the state-of-the-art methods in both visual comparison and quantitative evaluation.

To elucidate the role of high valence manganese and surface lattice oxygen in catalyst for catalytic combustion of toluene, herein, a porous LaMnO3 catalyst was firstly fabricated using ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) as a hard-template. Compared with pristine LaMnO3-bulk, the optimal porous LaMnO3 exhibited boosted catalytic performance for toluene combustion, leading to a ∼50 ℃ lower T90% (required temperatures for 90% toluene conversions). The results of N2 adsorption–desorption measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope, O2 temperature-programmed desorption and H2 temperature-programmed reduction indicated that the optimal porous LaMnO3 displayed high molar ratios of surface Mn4+/Mn3+ and Olatt/Oads, which exposed abundant active sites and promoted the preferential low-temperature catalytic oxidation of toluene. Simultaneously, the increased content of high valence manganese (Mn4+) and surface lattice oxygen (Olatt) in porous LaMnO3 catalyst accelerated the cycle of toluene deep oxidation. Combined with the analysis of toluene intermediates by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, the toluene degradation mechanism over porous LaMnO3 was also explored. This work provides a feasible strategy for design of porous Mn-based perovskite catalyst with a high efficiency and stability for catalytic combustion of VOCs.

Nucleic acid amplification techniques have always been one of the hot spots of research, especially in the outbreak of COVID-19. From the initial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to the current popular isothermal amplification, each new amplification techniques provides new ideas and methods for nucleic acid detection. However, limited by thermostable DNA polymerase and expensive thermal cycler, PCR is difficult to achieve point of care testing (POCT). Although isothermal amplification techniques overcome the defects of temperature control, single isothermal amplification is also limited by false positives, nucleic acid sequence compatibility, and signal amplification capability to some extent. Fortunately, efforts to integrating different enzymes or amplification techniques that enable to achieve intercatalyst communication and cascaded biotransformations may overcome the corner of single isothermal amplification. In this review, we systematically summarized the design fundamentals, signal generation, evolution, and application of cascade amplification. More importantly, the challenges and trends of cascade amplification were discussed in depth.

In recent years, the technical application of 3D LiDAR has gradually expanded to the field of built heritage. 3D scanning, high-precision measurement, and reconstruction have enriched the methods of built heritage preservation and significantly improved the quality of heritage preservation in China. 3D LiDAR has broken through the limitations of a single technology application and played a greater role in the field of heritage preservation on different scales. Through the collaboration of multi-technology, such as 3D printing, digital mapping, internet of things, machine learning, intelligent sensors, close-range photogrammetry, infrared detection, stress wave tomography, material analysis, XR technology, reverse engineering, etc., 3D LiDAR shows its technological advantages on exploring the remote real-time monitoring and digitization of the built heritage, geological and environmental data collection, prediction of sedimentation, deformation monitoring, weather monitoring,system life cycle health detection, digital reproduction of built heritage for developing scientific problems and engineering practices such as building contour recognition, information feature matching, structural reinforcement and damaged component replacement. In addition, through the docking with GIS, HBIM, XR, and CIM, it provides fine digital models and high-precision data benchmarks which contribute to the heritage visual reproduction; and through the docking with 3Ds Max, SketchUp, and other modeling software, it has contributed to the renewal design of the built heritage, space optimization, and the scientificity and rationality of the heritage value evaluation. However, past technology applications also highlighted many problems such as limited recorded information, a large amount of data, high difficulty in collaboration, non-standardized and fragmented data, and difficulty in data mining and comprehensive utilization. There are still deficiencies in building a built heritage data backplane, and the development of a dynamic, three-dimensional, intelligent and refined heritage monitoring system, and further research is needed on these issues. This study reviews the previous academic progress and application of 3D LiDAR in the reconstruction of built heritage and multi-technology collaboration in the process of preservation, clarifies the current research hotspots and methods, the frontier issues of concern, and also clarifies the specific problems and challenges in the future.

Safety concerns hamper the wide application of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in the fields of electric vehicles and stationary energy storage. As the blame of the battery thermal runway was widely cast on the flowable, volatile, and flammable nature of liquid organic electrolytes, solid-state lithium batteries with solid and nonflammable electrolytes are highly praised for potentially better safety characteristics. Furthermore, solid-state lithium metal batteries (SS-LMBs) may become an ultimate solution for safe, high-energy density batteries. Whether SS-LMBs are safe enough to meet emerging demands remains unclear, as recent publications have presented serious safety concerns at both the material and device levels. This review summarizes recent investigations into SS-LMB safety, and systematic analysis and discussion are provided in this discussion of the safety concerns of SS-LMBs.

A water-stable bimetallic Fe/Zr metal-organic framework [UiO-66(Fe/Zr)] for exceptional decontamination of arsenic in water was fabricated through a facile one-step strategy. The batch adsorption experiments revealed the excellent performances with ultrafast adsorption kinetics due to the synergistic effects of two functional centers and large surface area (498.33 m2/g). The absorption capacity of UiO-66(Fe/Zr) for arsenate [As(V)] and arsenite [As(III)] reached as high as 204.1 mg/g and 101.7 mg/g, respectively. Langmuir model was suitable to describe the adsorption behaviors of arsenic on UiO-66(Fe/Zr). The fast kinetics (adsorption equilibrium in 30 min, 10 mg/L As) and pseudo-second-order model implied the strong chemisorption between arsenic ions and UiO-66(Fe/Zr), which was further confirmed by DFT theoretical calculations. The results of FT-IR, XPS analysis and TCLP test demonstrated that arsenic was immobilized on the surface of UiO-66(Fe/Zr) through Fe/Zr-O-As bonds, and the leaching rates of the adsorbed As(III) and As(V) from the spent adsorbent were only 5.6% and 1.4%, respectively. UiO-66(Fe/Zr) can be regenerated for five cycles without obvious removal efficiency decrease. The original arsenic (1.0 mg/L) in lake and tap water was effectively removed in 2.0 hr [99.0% of As(III) and 99.8% of As(V)]. The bimetallic UiO-66(Fe/Zr) has great potentials in water deep purification of arsenic with fast kinetics and high capacity.

The losses of soil organic carbon (SOC) in orchards are more intensive than those of cereal production and result from poor orchard management. Grass cover in orchards is an optimal approach to enhance the sequestration of SOC that has been shown to improve the biological properties of soil. China has the largest area of orchards and the highest production of fruit in the world. However, a quantitative assessment of soil biological properties in orchards in response to grass cover across China is lacking. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted based on data collected from 103 peer-reviewed publications to evaluate the effect of grass cover on microbial abundance and enzyme activities, which were primarily invertase, urease, phosphatase and polyphenol oxidase, in the 0–40 cm soil layer and to assess the spatial and temporal variations of those parameters in orchards. The results indicated that the grass cover increased the microbial biomass carbon; abundances of bacteria, fungi, and actinobacteria; and microbial diversity (Shannon index) by 52.6 %, 61.2 %, 78.7 %, 47.3 %, and 9.4 %, respectively, compared with orchards without grass cover. The grass had been removed by clean tillage. A grass cover also increased activities of invertase, urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, catalase, and cellulase by 26.0 %, 27.0 %, 15.1 %, 26.6 %, 11.9 %, and 71.0 %, respectively. These changes varied with the traits of cover grass, such as grass source and nitrogen fixation; climatic conditions, such as mean annual temperature and precipitation; edaphic variables, such as soil pH, soil texture, and soil sampling season; and management practices, such as orchard age, duration of grass cover, and grass sowing mode. Additionally, we provided a scientific basis to bridge the knowledge of soil nutrients, soil microbes, enzyme activities, SOC contents, and fruit yield in grass-covered orchards. Therefore, given the traits of cover grass, climate, soil, and managerial conditions, the data from this study has valuable implications for the site-specific management of grass coverage and sustainable orchard production.

Ibrutinib (IBR) is an oral covalent inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) that has been approved for the treatment of hematological malignancies. It was reported that IBR exhibited great therapeutic potential for glioma. However, the poor water solubility and high hepatic first-pass effect restrict its anti-glioma application. Meanwhile, IBR induces cytoprotective autophagy through Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, thus leading to a compromised antitumor effect. Herein, we aimed to develop a human serum albumin (HSA) based co-delivery system (IBR&HCQ HSA NPs) encapsulating IBR and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). The bioavailability of IBR was largely improved, and enhanced sensitivity of glioma to IBR was achieved due to inhibition effect of HCQ on IBR-induced pro-survival autophagy. The physicochemical properties of IBR&HCQ HSA NPs were characterized to optimize the formulation. Biodistribution investigation revealed that HSA NPs (20 mg/kg, i.v.) dramatically increased the accumulation of IBR in glioma, which was 5.59 times higher than that of free IBR (100 mg/kg, i.g.). CCK-8 and apoptosis assays demonstrated that IBR&HCQ HSA NPs showed maximal cytotoxicity to C6 cells. In vivo studies indicated that the survival time was significantly prolonged in IBR&HCQ HSA NPs treated mice compared to those treated with IBR HSA NPs. Taken together, the HSA-based drug delivery system of IBR and HCQ opens a new avenue for efficient treatment of glioma.

Tumor vaccine is a promising cancer treatment modality, however, the convenient antigens loading in vivo and efficient delivery of vaccines to lymph nodes (LNs) still remain a formidable challenge. Herein, an in situ nanovaccine strategy targeting LNs to induce powerful antitumor immune responses by converting the primary tumor into whole-cell antigens and then delivering these antigens and nanoadjuvants simultaneously to LNs is proposed. The in situ nanovaccine is based on a hydrogel system, which loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and nanoadjuvant CpG-P-ss-M. The gel system exhibits ROS-responsive release of DOX and CpG-P-ss-M, generating abundant in situ storage of whole-cell tumor antigens. CpG-P-ss-M adsorbs tumor antigens through the positive surface charge and achieves charge reversal, forming small-sized and negatively charged tumor vaccines in situ, which are then primed to LNs. Eventually, the tumor vaccine promotes antigens uptake by dendritic cells (DCs), maturation of DCs, and proliferation of T cells. Moreover, the vaccine combined with anti-CTLA4 antibody and losartan inhibits tumor growth by 50%, significantly increasing the percentage of splenic cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), and generating tumor-specific immune responses. Overall, the treatment effectively inhibits primary tumor growth and induces tumor-specific immune response. This study provides a scalable strategy for in situ tumor vaccination.

In this study, Mg-MOF-74, an environmentally friendly metal-organic framework material with non-toxic Mg elements as the framework centers, was loaded onto low-cost and green cellulose aerogels via an in-situ growth approach to construct the Mg-MOF-74@CA composite with a three-dimensional porous structure, overcoming the problems that Mg-MOF-74 nanoparticles tend to agglomerate and cannot be easily recovered. The removal performance of the synthesized Mg-MOF-74@CA composite towards Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cu(II) was evaluated by combining batch experiments, model fittings, and characterization analyses (SEM, XRD, FTIR, MIP, TG, and XPS). The results show that the porosity of Mg-MOF-74@CA is 84.447%. The removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cu(II) by Mg-MOF-74@CA reach the equilibriums at about 5 h. And the removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cu(II) by Mg-MOF-74@CA are strongly influenced by solution pH, while almost independent of ionic strength and humic acid (HA). The strong complexation of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cu(II) with the surface sites of Mg-MOF-74@CA is the main removal mechanism. The maximum adsorption capacities of Mg-MOF-74@CA towards Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cu(II) at 298 K are 223.555, 160.033, and 74.349 mg/g, respectively. Interestingly, the selective binding order of Mg-MOF-74@CA for Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cu(II) is Cu(II)>Pb(II)>Cd(II). In summary, the Mg-MOF-74@CA composite has good application prospects in practical wastewater treatment.

Despite the substantial developments, it remains a huge challenge for the fabrication of soft actuators to achieve the systematic integrations of good actuating performance, high mechanical strength and self-healing ability at ambient temperature. Herein, we report the preparation of robust self-healing polymeric materials by introducing strong coordination bonds to the polymers with multiple hydrogen bonds and anisotropic chain structures. Due to the synergistic effect between the weak hydrogen and strong coordination bonds, the resultant polymer exhibits excellent mechanical strength (12.68 MPa) and instant (30 s) self-healing ability with a high healing efficiency of ca. 95 % at ambient temperature. Thanks to the entropic elasticity trapped by the anisotropic polymer chains, the resultant anisotropic polymer can be used as thermal-triggered artificial muscles with a tensile stroke of ca. 12 %. Even the healed sample can still achieve a tensile stroke of ca. 11 % repeatedly.

Slickwater-based fracturing fluid has recently garnered significant attention as the major fluid for volumetric fracturing; however, lots of challenges and limitations such as low viscosity, poor salt tolerance, and possible formation damage hinder the application of the conventional simple slickwater-based fracturing fluid. In addition, nanomaterials have proven to be potential solutions or improvements to a number of challenges associated with the slickwater. In this paper, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets were chemically synthesized by hydrothermal method and applied to improve the performance of conventional slickwater-based fracturing fluid. Firstly, the microstructure characteristics and crystal type of the MoS2 nanosheets were analyzed by SEM, EDS, TEM, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Then, a series of evaluation experiments were carried out to compare the performance of MoS2 nanosheet-modified slickwater with the conventional slickwater, including rheology, drag reduction, and sand suspension. Finally, the enhanced imbibition capacity and potential mechanism of the nanosheet-modified slickwater were systematically investigated. The results showed that the self-synthesized MoS2 nanosheets displayed a distinct ultrathin flake-like morphology and a lateral size in the range of tens of nanometers. In the nano-composites, each MoS2 nanosheet plays the role of cross-linking point, so as to make the spatial structure of the entire system more compact. Moreover, nanosheet-modified slickwater demonstrates more excellent properties in rheology, drag reduction, and sand suspension. The nanosheet-modified slickwater has a higher apparent viscosity after shearing 120 min under 90 °C and 170 s−1. The maximum drag reduction rate achieved 76.3% at 20 °C, and the sand settling time of proppants with different mesh in the nano-composites was prolonged. Spontaneous imbibition experiments showed that the gel-breaking fluid of nanosheet-modified slickwater exhibited excellent capability of oil-detaching, and increase the oil recovery to ∼35.43%. By observing and analyzing the interfacial behavior of MoS2 nanosheets under stimulated reservoir conditions, it was found that the presence of an interfacial tension gradient and the formation of a climbing film may play an essential role in the spontaneous imbibition mechanism. This work innovatively uses two-dimensional MoS2 nanosheets to modify regular slickwater and confirms the feasibility of flake-like nanomaterials to improve the performance of slickwater. The study also reveals the underlying mechanism of enhanced imbibition efficiency of the nano-composites.

Recent increases in soil-borne plant disease have limited further expansion of some crops produced in protected agriculture. Soil fumigation effectively minimizes the impact of soil pathogens causing many diseases. We provide the first report of the efficacy of the Chinese fungicide ethylicin as a soil fumigant against the plant pathogens such as Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp., and against the plant parasitic nematode Meloidogyne spp. We also examined ethylicin's impact on the physicochemical properties of soil, the soil's bacterial and fungal taxonomic composition, the plant growth of tomatoes, the enzyme activity of soil and tomato yield. Ethylicin fumigation significantly decreased the abundance of Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. by 67.7 %-84.0 % and 53.8 %-81.0 %, respectively. It reduced Meloidogyne spp. by 67.2 %-83.6 %. Ethylicin significantly increased the growth of tomato plants and tomato yield by 18.3 %-42.0 %. The soil's ammonium‑nitrogen concentration increased significantly in answer to ethylicin fumigation, while nitrate‑nitrogen concentration and the activity of soil urease decreased significantly. High-throughput gene sequencing had been used to show that ethylicin cut down the taxonomic soil bacteria diversity and bacterial abundance, but increased the soil fungi taxonomic diversity. Some genera of microorganisms increased, such as Firmicutes, Steroidobacter and Chytridiomycota, possibly due to changes in the physicochemical properties of soil that differentially favored their survival. We conclude that ethylicin is efficacious as a soil fumigant and it would be a useful addition to the limited number of soil fumigants currently available.

Omic-based technologies are of particular interest and importance for hazard identification and health risk characterization of chemicals. Their application in the new approach methodologies (NAMs) anchored on cellular toxicity pathways is based on the premise that any apical health endpoint change must be underpinned by some alterations at the omic levels. In the present study we examined the cellular responses to two chemicals, caffeine and coumarin, by generating and integrating multi-omic data from multi-dose and multi-time point transcriptomic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic experiments. We showed that the methodology presented here was able to capture the complete chain of events from the first chemical-induced changes at the phosphoproteome level, to changes in gene expression, and lastly to changes in protein abundance, each with vastly different points of departure (PODs). In HepG2 cells we found that the metabolism of lipids and general cellular stress response to be the dominant biological processes in response to caffeine and coumarin exposure, respectively. The phosphoproteomic changes were detected early in time, at very low doses and provided a fast, adaptive cellular response to chemical exposure with 7-37-fold lower points of departure comparing to the transcriptomics. Changes in protein abundance were found much less frequently than transcriptomic changes. While challenges remain, our study provides strong and novel evidence supporting the notion that these three omic technologies can be used in an integrated manner to facilitate a more complete understanding of pathway perturbations and POD determinations for risk assessment of chemical exposures.

Sensor nodes are critical components of the Internet of Things (IoT). Traditional IoT sensor nodes are typically powered by disposable batteries, making it difficult to meet the requirements for long lifetime, miniaturization, and zero maintenance. Hybrid energy systems that integrate energy harvesting, storage, and management are expected to provide a new power source for IoT sensor nodes. This research describes an integrated cube-shaped photovoltaic (PV) and thermal hybrid energy-harvesting system that can be utilized to power IoT sensor nodes with active RFID tags. The indoor light energy was harvested using 5-sided PV cells, which could generate 3 times more energy than most current studies using single-sided PV cells. In addition, two vertically stacked thermoelectrical generators (TEG) with a heat sink were utilized to harvest thermal energy. Compared to one TEG, the harvested power was improved by more than 219.48%. In addition, an energy management module with a semi-active configuration was designed to manage the energy stored by the Li-ion battery and supercapacitor (SC). Finally, the system was integrated into a 44 mm × 44 mm × 40 mm cube. The experimental results showed that the system was able to generate a power output of 192.48 µW using indoor ambient light and the heat from a computer adapter. Furthermore, the system was capable of providing stable and continuous power for an IoT sensor node used for monitoring indoor temperature over a prolonged period.

The effect of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) on the corrosion behavior of X80 steel welded joint in a soil solution was studied. The results indicated that SRB enhanced the corrosion of X80 steel welded joint. The corrosion behavior in the heat affected zone (HAZ) was quite different from those of in the weld metal (WM) and base metal (BM). The HAZ was an active region that could be preferentially and more quickly corroded. Macro-galvanic corrosion in the welded joint had a significant effect on the MIC behavior of the X80 steel welded joint, leading to the preferential corrosion of the HAZ.

Low-cost non-noble metal nanoparticles are promising electrocatalysts that can catalyze oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Various factors such as poor activity and stability hinder the practical applications of these materials. The electroactivity and durability of the electrocatalysts can be improved by optimizing the morphology and composition of the materials. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of hollow porous carbon (HPC) catalysts loaded with ternary alloy (FeCoNi) nanoparticles (HPC-FeCoNi) for efficient OER. HPC is firstly synthesized by a facile carbon deposition method using the hierarchical porous zeolite ZSM-5 as the hard template. Numerous defects are generated on the carbon shell during the removal of zeolite template. Subsequently, FeCoNi alloy nanoparticles are supported on HPC by a sequence of impregnation and H2 reduction processes. The synergistic effect between carbon defects and FeCoNi alloy nanoparticles endows the catalyst with an excellent OER performance (low overpotential of 219 mV; Tafel slope of 60.1 mV dec-1) in a solution of KOH (1 M). A stable potential is maintained during the continuous operation over 72 h. The designed HPC-FeCoNi presents a platform for the development of electrocatalysts that can be potentially applied for industrial OER.

This paper proposes an ultra-fast inrush-current-free startup method for grid-tie inverters without voltage sensors and phase-locked loop (PLL). Traditionally, the grid-tie inverter needs the voltage measured from points of common couplings (PCC) to generate the phase angle via PLL for inverter pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signals. The startup procedure is slow and inrush current occurs if the initial PWM does not match the unknown grid voltage well. This paper proposes a startup method that only uses measured inverter ac currents to generate the initial PWM by controlling the current to zero. The generated PWM pattern can be used to reproduce the real grid voltage regardless of the grid impedance. The zero-crossing points of the grid voltage are detected and then used for grid synchronization. The proposed startup procedure only needs a few cycles (16.67 ms/cycle) to reliably synchronize the inverter to the grid without any inrush current. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the effectiveness of this control strategy.

There is a great demand for the metamaterials with low density, thin thickness and broadband microwave absorption in the aeronautic stealth domain. However, it is still a great challenge to achieve satisfactory impedance matching between free space and metamaterials subjected to above constraints. To address this issue, a material-structure collaborative approach was proposed for designing excellent microwave absorption metamaterial with low density and thin thickness, which includes nanomaterial synthesis, unit cell optimal design and absorption mechanism analysis. The 3D Graphene-Carbon nanotubes-Nickel nanomaterial was firstly synthesized by in-situ growth method for fabricating the low-density metamaterial. Inspired by the natural anti-reflection microstructure of Polygonia c-aureum's eye, the unit cell of metamaterial was designed. Size parameters optimization of designed unit cell was conducted with the efficient immune genetic algorithm. The optimized metamaterial is extremely advantageous in effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, reflection loss ≤ −10 dB), low density and thin thickness, which can achieve 29.1 GHz EAB and equivalent density as low as 0.65 g/cm3 (the areal-density is 3.58 kg/m2) with thickness of only 5.5 mm. The proposed material-structure collaborative approach provides an efficient and systematic avenue for designing broadband microwave absorption metamaterials.

Large-scale adoption of Robotaxi requires a comprehensive charging infrastructure as a guarantee, but the problems of insufficient capacity, low utilization, and unreasonable deployment of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) are still common. In this context, this study proposed a multi-stage optimization strategy consisting of fleet sizing, charging demand simulation, model construction and solution to achieve the location and capacity optimization of EVCSs for the electric Robotaxi fleet. In stage one, a vehicle shareable network model based on graph theory was developed to determine the minimum Robotaxi fleet size required to adequately meet user travel demand, which was solved using the Hopcroft-Karp algorithm. In stage two, the specific spatio-temporal distribution of fleet charging demand was obtained by Monte Carlo simulation, considering the decision-making characteristics of Robotaxi operation and charging process. In stage three, a charging station location and capacity optimization model was established with the objective of minimizing the comprehensive costs, and an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm applying genetic operators to improve the population diversity was proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm was analyzed and discussed based on a case study using the real passenger order and geographic data from the city of Chengdu, China.

Injuries to the cornea can cause corneal opacity or even blindness. Especially scald wounds and chemical burns to the cornea can usually lead to loss of corneal epithelium function and deep damage to the corneal stroma. Injectable hydrogel has been widely applied in corneal tissue engineering because it is easy to handle and can completely fill the defect area with minimally invasive surgical procedures. To reduce the risk and complications of penetrating keratoplasty and lamellar keratoplasty and to meet the demand for donated cornea, an injectable double-network (IDN) hydrogel based on methacrylated gelatin (Gel-MA) and oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) was constructed for focal corneal defect repairing. The Gel-MA/OHA IDN hydrogel had an interconnected porous microstructure and tunable mechanical properties with a modulus between 3.4 and 176.4 kPa. The hydrogel could promote cell adhesion and proliferation and afford the sustained release of hydrophilic/hydrophobic drugs. In-vivo corneal repair was performed by injecting the precursors into the pre-drilled epithelial-stromal defects of New Zealand White rabbits followed by immediate in-situ UV crosslinking. The results showed that the hydrogel had a strong capacity to promote corneal regeneration. Optical coherence tomography, slip lamp, fluorescein staining, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and haematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining were employed to illustrate the effectiveness and safety of corneal tissue regeneration. All the results showed that the optimized Gel-MA/OHA IDN hydrogel possessed excellent biocompatibility and could promote cornea repair in vivo. This study suggests that the injectable biocompatible double network hydrogel may provide a good choice for corneal repair and regeneration.

The valorization of organic solid waste to lactic acid (LA) in open fermentation systems has attracted tremendous interest in recent years. In this study, a highly efficient oriented LA bioconversion system from food waste (FW) in open mode was established. The maximum LA production was 115 g/L, with a high yield of 0.97 g-LA/g-total sugar. FW is a low-cost feedstock for LA production, containing indigenous hydrolysis and LA-producing bacteria (LAB). Saccharification and real-time pH control were found to be essential for maintaining LAB dominantly in open systems. Furthermore, microbial community analysis revealed that Enterococcus mundtii adapted to complex FW substrates and dominated the subsequent bioconversion process. The oriented LA bioconversion exhibited the capacity for biological carbon fixation by reducing CO2 emissions by at least 21 kg per ton of FW under anaerobic conditions.

In this study, hordein and chitosan were used to prepare composite nanoparticles (H-Cs) by anti-solvent precipitation method at pH 4.0. The addition of chitosan caused the increase in zeta-potential of H-Cs and the gradual decline in fluorescence intensity of H-Cs, indicating that chitosan was located on the hordein surface during the formation of H-Cs. Fourier transform infrared spectra of H-Cs illustrated that hordein and chitosan were combined to form composite nanoparticles by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. The composite nanoparticle H-C25 (the mass ratio of hordein to chitosan 25:1) was chosen as Pickering stabilizer by measurement of three-phase contact angle. The O/W (oil-in-water) high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) stabilized by H-C25 (2.0 %, w/v) with oil fractions of 75 %− 85 % were further prepared. The confocal laser scanning microscope images and the rheological results indicated these HIPPEs had strengthen gel-like structure, leading to their excellent self-supporting capacity and storage stability. This study provides inspiration for designing protein-based food-grade HIPPEs in substitutes of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHOs).

Mechanotherapy is proposed as a new option for cancer treatment. Increasing evidence suggests that characteristic differences are present in the nuclear mechanics and mechanotransduction of cancer cells compared with those of normal cells. Recent advances in understanding nuclear mechanics and mechanotransduction provide not only further insights into the process of malignant transformation but also useful references for developing new therapeutic approaches. Herein, we present an overview of the alterations of nuclear mechanics and mechanotransduction in cancer cells and highlight their implications in cancer mechanotherapy.

The degradation of air quality, an environmental consequence of anthropogenic activities, poses a challenge to human health. However, the corresponding control measures incur additional costs. This study presents an analysis of the health and socioeconomic benefits of air quality control measures and climate change mitigation. Multidisciplinary modelling was used for PM2.5 and ozone distribution to analyze the co-benefits of end-of-pipe measures and electrification as well as their period-specific impacts on human health and the economy. The results indicated that the long-term impacts of end-of-pipe technologies and electrification in Japan's residential, building, and transportation sectors could reduce premature deaths, caused by PM2.5 and ozone pollution, by 65,500 annually from 2010 to 2050. These technologies could save a per capita work hour loss of 3.64 h and avoid an economic loss of 5.43 billion USD by 2050. This study predicted climate actions would enable western Japan to benefit from PM2.5 control measures, whereas the entire country would benefit from ozone pollution reduction.

As a popular research field of sentiment analysis, aspect-based sentiment analysis focuses on the emotional expression in different aspects. However, the current research is not precise enough in dividing the aspects of sentiment analysis. The problem of semantic overlap between aspects occurs. Furthermore, in many cases, one aspect may be contained in several sub-aspects. When the study only focused on the emotion tends in one or several sub-aspects, the results of sentiment analysis may be distorted. To deal with these problems, we propose the concept of non-dependent aspects by analyzing the dependencies among aspects and a method for dividing non-dependent aspects. Through theoretical analysis, we demonstrate that our proposed sentiment analysis results based on non-dependent aspects are more accurate than the original one, and non-dependent aspects can be easily transferred to a new corpus. The experiments on real-world data are also supporting the results of theoretical analysis. The range of accuracy of non-dependent aspects is improved by 1.9%–13.4% than before.

Abstract In recent years, deep learning has been applied in the field of clinical medicine to process large-scale medical images, for large-scale data screening, and in the diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of various major diseases. Multi-modal medical data fusion based on deep learning can effectively extract and integrate characteristic information of different modes, improve clinical applicability in diagnosis and medical evaluation, and provide quantitative analysis, real-time monitoring, and treatment planning. This study investigates the performance of existing multi-modal fusion pre-training algorithms and medical multi-modal fusion methods and compares their key characteristics, such as supported medical data, diseases, target samples, and implementation performance. Additionally, we present the main challenges and goals of the latest trends in multi-modal medical convergence. To provide a clearer perspective on new trends, we also analyzed relevant papers on the Web of Science. We obtain some meaningful results based on the annual development trends, country, institution, and journal-level research, highly cited papers, and research directions. Finally, we perform co-authorship analysis, co-citation analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and bibliographic coupling analysis using the VOSviewer software.

The microwave absorbers draw great attentions in addressing the electromagnetic pollution issues and the electromagnetic stealth needs. However, it remains a challenge to realize the microwave absorbers with thin thickness, broadband absorption and good mechanical properties simultaneously. Inspired by the special microstructures of papilio palinurus's wing and beetle’s elytra, nanocomposite metamaterial with excellent broadband microwave absorption and good mechanical property was designed and fabricated. The Carbonyl iron-Carbon nanotubes-epoxy nanocomposites were firstly synthesized for fabricating the designed metamaterial. Slab made of the synthesized nanocomposites can realize 7.04 GHz effective absorption bandwidth (i.e., EAB, reflection loss (RL) ≤-10 dB) with thickness of 1.28 mm. Unit cell size parameters optimization of designed metamaterial was then conducted with the multi-population genetic algorithms, in which both the microwave absorption bandwidth and microwave absorption intensity were set as the optimized target. The optimized bioinspired nanocomposite metamaterial possesses 31.7 GHz EAB and −47 dB minimum RL value with thickness of only 6 mm, and its compressive strength is 33.78 MPa. The proposed bioinspired metamaterial strategy in this paper provides an efficient way for designing metamaterials with excellent broadband microwave absorption performance and good mechanical properties.

Abstract Current research on human aging has largely been guided by the milestone paper “hallmarks of aging,” which were first proposed in the seminal 2013 paper by Lopez‐Otin et al. Most studies have focused on one aging hallmark at a time, asking whether the underlying molecular perturbations are sufficient to drive the aging process and its associated phenotypes. More recently, researchers have begun to investigate whether aging phenotypes are driven by concurrent perturbations in molecular pathways linked to not one but to multiple hallmarks of aging and whether they present different patterns in organs and systems over time. Indeed, preliminary results suggest that more complex interactions between aging hallmarks must be considered and addressed, if we are to develop interventions that successfully promote healthy aging and/or delay aging‐associated dysfunction and diseases. Here, we summarize some of the latest work and views on the interplay between hallmarks of aging, with a specific focus on mitochondrial dysfunction. Indeed, this represents a significant example of the complex crosstalk between hallmarks of aging and of the effects that an intervention targeted to a specific hallmark may have on the others. A better knowledge of these interconnections, of their cause‐effect relationships, of their spatial and temporal sequence, will be very beneficial for the whole aging research field and for the identification of effective interventions in promoting healthy old age.

With the growing market demand for higher energy density in power supplies, the further industrialization of high-energy cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is imminent. Lithium-rich and nickel-rich oxides, as the most promising layered cathode materials with high energy potential, are capable of achieving higher capacity in a high state of charge (SOC), but are prone to safety problems due to poor thermal stability, which restricts the further marketable application of both. To enhance the thermal instability of these two high-energy cathode materials requires an in-depth comprehension of their associated failure mechanisms and improvement mechanisms. This review presents the current status of the development of high energy layered oxide cathode materials with thermal instability in existing laboratories. Firstly, several failure mechanisms of thermal instability of the two materials are clarified; secondly, the mechanisms of the three major modification on the materials, which are bulk doping, surface modification, morphological and structural design, are introduced respectively; finally, the significant challenges and prospects worth exploring for the commercialization of the two high-energy layered oxides are summarized to promote the development of safe high-energy LIBs.

The total electron content (TEC) is a crucial parameter for ionosphere monitoring, and the development of accurate TEC estimation and prediction models is significant for high-precision positioning. However, establishing a high-precision ionospheric model that can effectively improve prediction accuracy remains a challenging task. We propose a method that combines random forest with a Bi-LSTM neural network to establish a high-precision ionospheric prediction model. The random forest algorithm is used for regression analysis and to estimate the variable importance of input parameters. We use observation data from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China and International GNSS Services while estimating the relative importance of 14 input variables at different latitudes. The results demonstrate that our proposed model achieves more efficient and accurate predictions, with a correlation coefficient of 0.96, indicating significant improvement in accuracy compared to traditional RNN and LSTM models. Overall, the Bi-LSTM forecast model based on random forest can effectively capture the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of ionospheric TEC in China. This enables the model to provide accurate ionospheric information for positioning users, thereby improving the precision of positioning applications.

Ultrasonic spot welding (USW) was employed to join AA7075-T6 and casting Al alloy A380. Under a constant welding power, the influence of the welding time duration (from 1 s to 3 s) on peak temperature, microstructure, hardness, and mechanical strength of the joints were studied. It was found that the peak temperature increased with welding time. A sound solid-state metallurgical bonding was obtained at the joint interface. The cracks occurred at the edge of the joints were eventually eliminated as the welding time increased. A layer of refined grains formed in A380 adjacent to the bonding line. Hardness reduction occurred in AA7075 at the joint interface and the degree of hardness reduction and the volume increased with the peak temperature. By increasing welding time, lap shear tensile tests show that the peak load increased from 5.3 kN to 6.55 kN. The corresponding interfacial shear strength ranged from 96.29 MPa to 99.72 MPa, lower than the shear strength of both base materials (331 MPa for AA7075 and 185 MPa for A380). All joint samples exhibited interfacial fracture after lap shear tensile testing, with a thin layer of A380 remnant attached to AA7075 at the center of the fractured surface.

Mammalian cell culture systems are used predominantly for the production of therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) products. A number of alternative platforms, such as Pichia engineered with a humanized N-linked glycosylation pathway, have recently been developed for the production of mAbs. The glycosylation profiles of mAbs produced in glycoengineered Pichia are similar to those of mAbs produced in mammalian systems. This report presents for the first time the comprehensive characterization of an anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) mAb produced in a glycoengineered Pichia, and a study comparing the anti-HER2 from Pichia, which had an amino acid sequence identical to trastuzumab, with trastuzumab. The comparative study covered a full spectrum of preclinical evaluation, including bioanalytical characterization, in vitro biological functions, in vivo anti-tumor efficacy and pharmacokinetics in both mice and non-human primates. Cell signaling and proliferation assays showed that anti-HER2 from Pichia had antagonist activities comparable to trastuzumab. However, Pichia–produced material showed a 5-fold increase in binding affinity to FcγIIIA and significantly enhanced antibody dependant cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity, presumably due to the lack of fucose on N-glycans. In a breast cancer xenograft mouse model, anti-HER2 was comparable to trastuzumab in tumor growth inhibition. Furthermore, comparable pharmacokinetic profiles were observed for anti-HER2 and trastuzumab in both mice and cynomolgus monkeys. We conclude that glycoengineered Pichia provides an alternative production platform for therapeutic mAbs and may be of particular interest for production of antibodies for which ADCC is part of the clinical mechanism of action.

Inelastic neutron scattering is employed to study the reciprocal-space structure and dispersion of magnetic excitations in the normal and superconducting states of single-crystalline Rb0.8Fe1.6Se2. We show that the recently discovered magnetic resonant mode in this compound has a quasi-two-dimensional character, similar to overdoped iron-pnictide superconductors. Moreover, it has a rich in-plane structure that is dominated by four elliptical peaks, symmetrically surrounding the Brillouin zone corner, without sqrt(5) x sqrt(5) reconstruction. We also present evidence for the dispersion of the resonance peak, as its position in momentum space depends on energy. Comparison of our findings with the results of band structure calculations provides strong support for the itinerant origin of the observed signal. It can be traced back to the nesting of electron-like Fermi pockets in the doped metallic phase of the sample in the absence of iron-vacancy ordering.

The synthesis of high-spin polycyclic hydrocarbons is very challenging due to their extremely high reactivity. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a kinetically blocked 1,14:11,12-dibenzopentacene, DP-Mes, which represents a rare persistent triplet diradical of a non-Kekulé polycyclic benzenoid hydrocarbon. In contrast to its structural isomer 1,14:7,8-dibenzopentacene (heptazethrene) with a singlet biradical ground state, DP-Mes is a triplet diradical as confirmed by ESR and ESTN measurements and density functional theory calculations. DP-Mes also displays intermolecular antiferromagnetic spin interactions in solution at low temperature.

Abstract Chang'E‐5 is China's first lunar sample‐return mission, which will be launched in 2019. Understanding the distribution of rocks and craters in the candidate landing region is important for selecting suitable landing sites and studying the surface geology. This paper first separately investigates rock abundance and crater density in the candidate landing region, then provides a joint analysis of them, for the purposes of identifying potential hazards for safe landing and their geological implications. The results indicate that in the region, rocks are mostly concentrated around rocky ejecta craters. About 90% of the region has a rock abundance (the fractional area covered by rocks) of less than 1%. The average crater density is about 250 craters (≥ 100 m in diameter) per 100 km 2 ; on average, 13.5% of the region is covered by craters. The surface ages of geologic units in the region estimated using crater size‐frequency distribution indicate that the eastern part of the region is younger than the western part. The joint analysis of rock abundance and crater density identifies local areas that are relatively unfavorable for safe landing. The joint analysis also indicates an exponential relationship between overall rock abundance and crater density, and a roughly linear relationship between overall rock abundance and surface age. Furthermore, the joint analysis indicates an inverse correlation between rock abundance and the relative maturation of craters. The presented research and results will be helpful for identifying suitable landing sites for the Chang'E‐5 lander. They also provide fresh insights into lunar surface geology.

An unmet medical need exists for the development of targeted therapies for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with easily administered and stable oral drugs, particularly as most patients on biologics [i.e., tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and anti-integrins] are either primary non-responders or lose responsiveness during maintenance treatment. A new class of small molecules, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators, has recently shown efficacy in IBD. Here we provide an overview of the mechanism of action of this novel treatment principle in the context of intestinal inflammation. The remarkable impact of therapeutic modulation of the S1P/S1P receptor axis reflects the complexity of the pathogenesis of IBD and the fact that S1P receptor modulation may be a logical therapeutic approach for the future management of IBD.

Lysosomes degrade macromolecules and recycle metabolites as well as being involved in diverse processes that regulate cellular homeostasis. The lysosome is limited by a single phospholipid bilayer that forms a barrier to separate the potent luminal hydrolases from other cellular constituents, thus protecting the latter from unwanted degradation. The mechanisms that maintain lysosomal membrane integrity remain unknown. Here, we identified SCAV-3, the Caenorhabditis elegans homologue of human LIMP-2, as a key regulator of lysosome integrity, motility, and dynamics. Loss of scav-3 caused rupture of lysosome membranes and significantly shortened lifespan. Both of these phenotypes were suppressed by reinforced expression of LMP-1 or LMP-2, the C. elegans LAMPs, indicating that longevity requires maintenance of lysosome integrity. Remarkably, reduction in insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling suppressed lysosomal damage and extended the lifespan in scav-3(lf) animals in a DAF-16–dependent manner. Our data reveal that SCAV-3 is essential for preserving lysosomal membrane stability and that modulation of lysosome integrity by the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway affects longevity.

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are thought to provide energy that prevents catastrophic cooling in the centers of massive galaxies and galaxy clusters. However, it remains unclear how this "feedback" process operates. We use high-resolution optical data to study the kinematics of multi-phase filamentary structures by measuring the velocity structure function (VSF) of the filaments over a wide range of scales in the centers of three nearby galaxy clusters: Perseus, Abell 2597 and Virgo. We find that the motions of the filaments are turbulent in all three clusters studied. There is a clear correlation between features of the VSFs and the sizes of bubbles inflated by SMBH driven jets. Our study demonstrates that SMBHs are the main driver of turbulent gas motions in the centers of galaxy clusters and suggests that this turbulence is an important channel for coupling feedback to the environment. Our measured amplitude of turbulence is in good agreement with Hitomi Doppler line broadening measurement and X-ray surface brightness fluctuation analysis, suggesting that the motion of the cold filaments is well-coupled to that of the hot gas. The smallest scales we probe are comparable to the mean free path in the intracluster medium (ICM). Our direct detection of turbulence on these scales provides the clearest evidence to date that isotropic viscosity is suppressed in the weakly-collisional, magnetized intracluster plasma.

Augmented reality head-worn displays (AR HWDs) have the potential to assist personal computing and the acquisition of everyday information. In this research, we propose Glanceable AR, an interaction paradigm for accessing information in AR HWDs. In Glanceable AR, secondary information resides at the periphery of vision to stay unobtrusive and can be accessed by a quick glance whenever needed. We propose two novel hands-free interfaces: "head-glance", in which virtual contents are fixed to the user’s body and can be accessed by head rotation, and "gaze-summon" in which contents can be "summoned" into central vision by eye-tracked gazing at the periphery. We compared these techniques with a baseline heads-up display (HUD), which we call "eye-glance" interface in two dual-task scenarios. We found that the head-glance and eye-glance interfaces are more preferred and more efficient than the gaze-summon interface for discretionary information access. For a continuous monitoring task, the eye-glance interface was preferred. We discuss the implications of our findings for designing Glanceable AR interfaces in AR HWDs.

We examine the properties of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) at low redshift in a range of simulated Milky Way mass halos. The sample is comprised of seven idealized simulations, an adaptive mesh refinement cosmological zoom-in simulation, and two groups of 50 halos with star forming or quiescent galaxies taken from the IllustrisTNG100 simulation. The simulations have very different setups, resolution, and feedback models, but are analyzed in a uniform manner. By comparing median radial profiles and mass distributions of CGM properties, we isolate key similarities and differences. In doing so, we advance the efforts of the SMAUG (Simulating Multiscale Astrophysics to Understand Galaxies) project that aims to understand the inherently multiscale galaxy formation process. In the cosmological simulations, the CGM exhibits nearly flat temperature distributions, and broad pressure and radial velocity distributions. In the idealized simulations, similar distributions are found in the inner CGM ($\lesssim 0.5 \, r_{\rm 200c}$) when strong galactic feedback models are employed, but the outer CGM ($\gtrsim 0.5 \, r_{\rm 200c}$) has a much less prominent cold phase, and narrower pressure and velocity distributions even in models with strong feedback. This comparative analysis demonstrates the dominant role feedback plays in shaping the inner CGM and the increased importance of cosmological effects, such as nonspherical accretion and satellite galaxies, in the outer CGM. Furthermore, our findings highlight that while cosmological simulations are required to capture the multiphase structure of the CGM at large radii, idealized simulations provide a robust framework to study how galactic feedback interacts with the inner CGM and thereby provide a reliable avenue to constrain feedback prescriptions.

ABSTRACT In large-scale hydrodynamical cosmological simulations, the fate of massive galaxies is mainly dictated by the modelling of feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The amount of energy released by AGN feedback is proportional to the mass that has been accreted on to the black holes (BHs), but the exact subgrid modelling of AGN feedback differs in all simulations. While modern simulations reliably produce populations of quiescent massive galaxies at z ≤ 2, it is also crucial to assess the similarities and differences of the responsible AGN populations. Here, we compare the AGN populations of the Illustris, TNG100, TNG300, Horizon-AGN, EAGLE, and SIMBA simulations. The AGN luminosity function (LF) varies significantly between simulations. Although in agreement with current observational constraints at z = 0, at higher redshift the agreement of the LFs deteriorates with most simulations producing too many AGNs of $L_{\rm x, 2\!-\!10 \, keV}\sim 10^{43\!-\!44}\, \rm erg\, s^{-1}$. AGN feedback in some simulations prevents the existence of any bright AGN with $L_{\rm x, 2\!-\!10 \, keV}\geqslant 10^{45}\rm \,erg\, s^{-1}$ (although this is sensitive to AGN variability), and leads to smaller fractions of AGN in massive galaxies than in the observations at z ≤ 2. We find that all the simulations fail at producing a number density of AGN in good agreement with observational constraints for both luminous ($L_{\rm x, 2\!-\!10 \, keV}\sim 10^\text{43-45}\, \rm erg\, s^{-1}$) and fainter ($L_{\rm x, 2\!-\!10 \, keV}\sim 10^\text{42-43}\, \rm erg\, s^{-1}$) AGNs and at both low and high redshifts. These differences can aid us in improving future BH and galaxy subgrid modelling in simulations. Upcoming X-ray missions (e.g. Athena, AXIS, and LynX) will bring faint AGNs to light and new powerful constraints. After accounting for AGN obscuration, we find that the predicted number density of detectable AGNs in future surveys spans at least one order of magnitude across the simulations, at any redshift.

Magnetic nanomaterials have been shown to be effective additives to conductive materials for enhancing electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI) shielding performance, but the comprehensive mechanism remains unknown. Herein, a 3D flexible carbon foam composite decorated with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles was designed and constructed. The composite exhibited good flexibility and mechanical strength (approximately 45 KPa). Due to the synergistic effect of dielectric and magnetic losses, the composite delivered a shielding effectiveness (SE) of 21 dB in the X-band and a corresponding specific SE (SSE) value of 210 dB cm 2 /g. The transmission coefficient ( T ) was discovered to be as low as 0.008, indicating that the composite can successfully shield EM, while the reflection coefficient ( R ) was found to be higher than the absorption coefficient ( A ). Moreover, the complicated permittivity, permeability, and magnetism magnetization of the composite were discussed in order to better understand the origin of the composite's shielding behavior.

Magnesium hydroxide (MgH2) has excellent reversibility and high capacity, and is one of the most promising materials for hydrogen storage in practical applications. However, it suffers from high dehydrogenation temperature and slow sorption kinetics. Rare earth hydrides and transition metals can both significantly improve the de/hydrogenation kinetics of MgH2. In this work, MgH2–Mg2NiH4–CeH2.73 is in-situ synthesized by introducing [email protected]2 into MgH2. The unique coating structure of [email protected]2 facilitates homogeneous distribution of synergetic CeH2.73 and Mg2NiH4 catalytic sites in subsequent ball milling process. The as-fabricated composite MgH2-10 wt% [email protected]2 powders possess superior hydrogenation/dehydrogenation characteristics, absorbing 4.1 wt% hydrogen within 60 min at 100 °C and releasing 5.44 wt% H2 within 10 min at 350 °C. The apparent activation energy of MgH2-10 wt% [email protected]2 is determined to be 84.8 kJ/mol and it has favorable hydrogen cycling stability with almost no decay in capacity after 10 cycles.

Pyroptosis is a kind of programmed cell death closely related to inflammation. The pathways that mediate pyroptosis can be divided into the Caspase-1-dependent canonical pathway and the Caspase4/5/11-dependent non-canonical pathway. The most significant difference from other cell death is that pyroptosis rapidly causes rupture of the plasma membrane, cell expansion, dissolution and rupture of the cell membrane, the release of cell contents and a large number of inflammatory factors, and send pro-inflammatory signals to adjacent cells, recruit inflammatory cells and induce inflammatory responses. Cardiac remodeling is the basic mechanism of heart failure (HF) and the core of pathophysiological research on the underlying mechanism. A large number of studies have shown that pyroptosis can cause cardiac fibrosis, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyocytes death, myocardial dysfunction, excessive inflammation, and cardiac remodeling. Therefore, targeting pyroptosis has a good prospect in improving cardiac remodeling in HF. In this review, the basic molecular mechanism of pyroptosis is summarized, the relationship between pyroptosis and cardiac remodeling in HF is analyzed in-depth, and the potential therapy of targeting pyroptosis to improve adverse cardiac remodeling in HF is discussed, providing some ideas for improving the study of adverse cardiac remodeling in HF.

Proper myelination of axons is crucial for normal sensory, motor, and cognitive function. Abnormal myelination is seen in brain disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), but the molecular mechanisms connecting demyelination with the pathobiology remain largely unknown. We observed demyelination and synaptic deficits in mice exposed to either chronic, unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) or LPS, 2 paradigms for inducing depression-like states. Pharmacological restoration of myelination normalized both synaptic deficits and depression-related behaviors. Furthermore, we found increased ephrin A4 receptor (EphA4) expression in the excitatory neurons of mice subjected to CUMS, and shRNA knockdown of EphA4 prevented demyelination and depression-like behaviors. These animal data are consistent with the decrease in myelin basic protein and the increase in EphA4 levels we observed in postmortem brain samples from patients with MDD. Our results provide insights into the etiology of depressive symptoms in some patients and suggest that inhibition of EphA4 or the promotion of myelination could be a promising strategy for treating depression.

Solar-driven Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is a promising route to produce solar fuels of value-added hydrocarbons. Herein, an approach of boron doping in CN support to modulate the interfacial electronic structure of Co–BCN catalysts is developed to promote the yield of hydrocarbon products in photothermal FTS. Under light irradiation, the optimized Co–BCN catalyst delivers a hydrocarbon selectivity of 96.9 % at a CO conversion over 40 %, which is 4.3 and 10.2 times that of Co–CN and Co–C catalysts, respectively. Detailed characterizations demonstrate that the electron transfer between Co nano-metal and BCN support, where electronic structure at interface is modulated. The formation of electron-rich interface in Co–BCN could promote CO activation with assistance of H* and thus enhance the conversion of CO. This work not only paves the way for the modulation of interface electrons to enhance photothermocatalytic activity but also offers a promising strategy toward the rational design and preparation of highly efficient catalysts.

IncX3 plasmids are narrow host range plasmids mostly found in Enterobacteriaceae with great conjugation ability, high stability, no fitness cost, and the ability to improve biofilm formation in their bacterial hosts. IncX3 plasmids have spread swiftly, primarily in several nations and among different species over the last 10 years. bla NDM , bla KPC , and bla OXA-181 are the carbapenemase genes carried by IncX3 plasmids. Among them, bla NDM is often located on the IncX3 plasmid, which is deemed as the primary vehicle of bla NDM transmission. Isolates harboring IncX3 plasmids are found in nations all over the world from human, animal, and environmental sources. Cointegrate plasmids related to IncX3 have recently been discovered to increase the antibiotic resistance spectrum and potentially broaden the host range of plasmids, restricting the use of antibiotics in the clinic. There are, however, few reviews based on the physiological and epidemiological properties of IncX3 plasmid, as well as studies on the plasmid itself. Hence, we conducted a retrospective literature review to summarize the characteristics of IncX3 plasmids aiming to provide a theoretical basis for controlling the global prevalence of IncX3 plasmids and directions for further research on the functions of the related genes on the IncX3 plasmid.