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Background: In China, parents who have lost their only child are referred to as Shidu parents (SDPs). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and investigate the influence of depressive and anxiety symptoms on the development of PTSD. Method: Four hundred and thirty-six SDPs completed assessments of PTSD (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders, SCID-IV; The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale-IV, CAPS-IV), depression (Hamilton depression scale), and anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety Scale) via in-person interviews. Logistic regression and hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were used to explore the association of demographic characteristics, depression, and anxiety symptoms with PTSD. Results: The prevalence of PTSD in SDPs was 14.45%. The comorbidity of depression and anxiety symptoms was 87.30% in the SDPs with PTSD. The logistic regression model, which included factors of gender, age, education, depression, and anxiety, which contributed to the development of PTSD, was significant [χ² (11) = 122.47, p < 0.001]. The hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis indicated that female gender and the severity of comorbidities (depression and anxiety) were positively associated with the severity of PTSD. Conclusion: This study found that the severity of depression and anxiety was closely related to the severity of PTSD, supporting that SDPs are highly prone to the co-occurrence of PTSD, depression, and anxiety after bereavement. Our findings may provide more insights into the development of individualized interventions for parents who have experienced the loss of their only child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This scoping review sought to investigate the association between pregnancy-related complications and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among postpartum women, then summarize effective psychological interventions for pregnancy-related PTSD or sub-PTSD. Method: Publications in English and Chinese were searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, ISI Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WanFang databases using the subject headings of "Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic", "Pregnant Women", and "psychotherapy". To ensure that as many relevant studies are incorporated as possible, free terms such as prenatal, postnatal, perinatal and gestation were also used. Intervention studies and related cases published by July 1st, 2023, were also searched. Results: Twenty-one articles (including 3,901 mothers) were included in this review. Evidence showed that typical psychological interventions exhibited great effect, and family support programs, peer support, online yoga, and music therapy were also effective in reducing risk and improving the psychological well-being of the studied population. Conclusion: Fetal abnormalities, miscarriage, premature birth, infants with low birth weights, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and hyperemesis gravidarum are associated with an increased risk of PTSD. Moreover, high-risk pregnant women may benefit from psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It may also be feasible and well-accepted for music therapy and exposure therapy to lessen the intensity of PTSD in mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional villages are the common historical and cultural heritage of all mankind. With the intensification of urbanization, the continuation of traditional villages and the inheritance of historical and cultural heritage are facing risks. The research on the driving factors affecting the spatial distribution characteristics, heterogeneity and human land interaction of traditional villages provides a new idea for the protection of traditional villages. This study takes 137 traditional villages in Puxian area, a typical cultural area in the southeast coast, as the research object, analyzes the spatial distribution pattern of traditional villages by using spatial analysis method, and selects 13 factors to analyze the main driving forces and interaction mechanisms through geographical detectors. The results show that: (1) Puxian traditional villages are clustered and distributed, and the distribution among counties is uneven, mainly in the state of "one cluster and many scattered points" with more coastal areas and less mountainous areas. (2) Puxian traditional villages are mainly affected by many factors such as nature, space, society and culture. They are more densely distributed in areas with rich cultural heritage, fertile land, flat terrain, suitable climate, close to water systems, developed transportation, backward economy and dense population. (3) Cultural factors are the primary factors affecting the spatial distribution of traditional villages, the order of driving factors' explanatory power is: intangible cultural heritage (0.5160) > protected cultural relic units (0.3591) > distance from railway (0.3255) > night light remote sensing (0.3179) > elevation (0.3012) > population density (0.2671) > slope (0.2032) > soil type (0.1804) > precipitation (0.1750) > temperature (0.1744) > land use (0.1492) > distance from river (0.0691)>distance from highway (0.0530). The interaction of intangible cultural heritage, protected cultural relic units and distance from the railway is the dominant factor for the spatial differentiation of traditional villages. Among them, the interaction of intangible cultural heritage∩distance from the railway is the strongest, and the q-value is 0.79, which proves that the interpretation ability of the two factor model is much higher than that of the single factor model. The results of this study reflect that traditional villages and nature, space, society and culture are interdependent, so the protection of traditional villages should be adapted to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous CoSe2 nanosheets are prepared on nickel foam by the hydrothermal method using Se powder as the selenium source and a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) as the template. The impact of hydrothermal temperature on the morphological structure and electrochemical performance of the CoSe2 materials is investigated by characterization with HRTEM, SEM, XRD, and so on, and CV and GCD electrochemical tests. The results show that the CoSe2-180 electrode material exhibits excellent electrochemical performance, and its unique nanosheet array structure can provide a highly active surface, large superficial area and fast ion transport channels. This is mainly attributed to the fact that the reaction at different hydrothermal temperatures can provide different nanosheet structures. An ordered array structure is most clearly observed at a hydrothermal temperature of 180 °C. In addition, the incorporated ZIF-67 backbone provides a pathway for rapid electron transfer and accommodates the volume expansion of the selenide during charge–discharge processes. Due to the distinct porous structure, the CoSe2-180 electrode shows a high specific capacity of 269.4 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 and a distinguished retention rate of 83.7% at 20 A g−1. After 5000 cycles, the specific capacity can be maintained at 83.4% of the initial value. Moreover, the asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device is assembled with CoSe2-180 as the positive electrode. It displays favorable electrochemical performance with the maximum specific energy of 45.6 W h kg−1 at a specific power of 800.8 W kg−1 and an original capacitance retention rate of 81.5% after 5000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial step-down therapy versus conventional antimicrobial therapy in the treatment of patients with sepsis. Methods. Between September 2020 and September 2021, 65 patients with sepsis treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital were recruited and assigned at a ratio of 1 : 1 to receive either conventional antimicrobial therapy (sulbactam plus cefoperazone) (control group) or antimicrobial step-down therapy (imipenem/cilastatin) (observation group). The results of drug sensitivity tests and clinical effects were evaluated comprehensively after 3-5 d of treatment, downgraded, and upgraded, or maintenance treatment was administered for 10 d. Outcome measures included clinical and laboratory indices and treatment efficacy. Results. Antimicrobial step-down therapy resulted in a significantly higher efficacy and lower levels of white blood cell (WBC) count and C-reactive protein (CRP) versus conventional antimicrobial therapy (P < 0.05). The patients given antimicrobial step-down therapy showed a significantly shorter duration of antimicrobial drug administration, temperature recovery, time of respiratory support, and ICU stays versus conventional antimicrobial therapy (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Antimicrobial step-down therapy contributes to the mitigation of inflammatory responses in patients with sepsis and shortens the duration of antimicrobial drug use and ICU stay versus conventional antimicrobial therapy. The reliability of the conclusions can be further increased if multicenter and large sample clinical observations can be conducted, which is the direction of endeavor for future clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel configuration of second-order topological photonic crystal (SOTPC) comprising interconnected dielectric material with elliptical air holes. Based on this SOTPC design, we construct a topological corner state (TCS) cavity and a topological edge state (TES) waveguide. Through the coupling of the TCS cavity with the TES waveguide, we establish a topological cavity-waveguide coupled system (TCWCS) that exhibits an ultrasharp asymmetric topological Fano resonance. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed TCWCS achieves an exceptionally high quality factor exceeding 1 0 8 , surpassing previously reported results by several orders of magnitude. Moreover, the refractive index sensing application implemented with TCWCS shows a sensitivity of 278 nm/RIU and a figure of merit surpassing 1 0 7 1/RIU. Notably, our simulations reveal that the lineshape and quality factor of the Fano resonance, as well as the index sensing performance in the TCWCS, are highly robust against structural defects. The demonstrated capabilities of the TCWCS open up avenues for further exploration and development in the field of topological photonics based on our proposed SOTPC. • A novel type of second-order topological photonic crystal (SOTPC) is proposed. The coupled system based on SOTPC exhibits an ultrasharp topological Fano resonance. • An exceptionally high quality factor exceeding 1 0 8 is obtained, surpassing previously reported results by several orders of magnitude. • The performance of the Fano resonance shows significant robustness against structural defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, by means of conversation analysis, comprehensively illuminates the advisee's acceptance of advice in Chinese phone-in counseling for family problems from the perspective of Epistemics, and reveals advisee's type of management of the epistemic status relationship as well as the epistemic stances during executing the management. The study finds that the advisee tacitly approved of the asymmetric relationship of epistemic status between an adviser and himself/herself when accepting advice; that this type of relationship management can be executed through four kinds of epistemic stances; that these stances actually reflect the advisee's positioning of asymmetric relationship of knowledge distribution of both parties. This study investigates the acceptance of advice from the perspective of Epistemics, which can extend the theoretical perspective of the researches on responses to advice and give new illumination of the advisory interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly charged superparamagnetic Fe3O4 colloidal nanocrystal clusters (CNCs) with uniform and widely tunable sizes can be magnetically assembled into responsive photonic crystals to exhibit rapid and reversible brilliant structural color changes under an external magnetic field. We herein investigated a robust and easily scalable solvothermal synthesis of CNCs using anionic polyelectrolyte, poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) sodium salt (PSSMA), as the capping ligand. The molar ratio of the two acid segments was found to greatly affect the surface charges of the resulting CNCs and thus their photonic properties, with a higher surface charge for particles synthesized with ligands of a higher SS/MA ratio. Moreover, the dosage of PSSMA (3 : 1) and the molar ratio of acetate ions to iron ions (Ac−/Fe3+) in the reactants also had significant effects on the sizes and surface charges of the obtained CNCs and thus their photonic properties. These parameters can be easily optimized to produce CNCs with strong optical diffractions and wide tunability of diffraction wavelengths in various solvents in response to an external magnetic field. This synthetic method can be easily scaled up to 20 folds, producing ∼3.32 g of nanoparticles in one batch with excellent photonic properties. This work is expected to impact significantly the field of magnetically responsive photonic structures by providing easy access to high-quality superparamagnetic colloidal nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of hollow carbon structure by using metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs) precursors has come under the spotlight in electrochemical energy related applications due to its structure advantages. Here, a bimetal-based MOF (Zn and Fe) is adopted to synthesize hollow carbon nanobox with encapsulation of FeP nanoparticles. An unique core-shell architecture consisting of Zn-Fe Prussian blue analogue (PBA) core and polydopamine shell is first synthesized, followed by pyrolysis-oxidation-phosphorization process to prepare monodispersed FeP nanoparticles encapsulated in hollow carbon nanobox (denoted as FeP/HCNB). Electrochemical hydrogen evolution activity is chosen to investigate the structure advantage of FeP/HCNB. It achieves overpotentials of −88 mV and −180 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in acidic and alkaline solutions, respectively, and continuous operation for 15 h (start at 20 mA cm−2). It is therefore expected that the synthetic strategy of nanobox would enlighten the preparation of various nanostructures for different applications. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recently, rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries have received considerable attention in relation to large-scale energy storage, mainly because of their advantages of environmental friendliness, non-toxicity, and favorable safety. However, little researches have been conducted on the cathode materials used in zinc-ion batteries. In this work, an aqueous zinc-ion battery is constituted based on metallic silver doped vanadium pentoxide cathode, Zn(CF 3 SO 3) 2 aqueous electrolyte, and zinc anode, which exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. At a current density of 0.1 A g−1, the specific capacity of about 215 mAh g−1 was retained after 50 cycles. It also delivers long-cycle stability at 3 A g−1, which remains at 80 mAh g−1 after 700 cycles. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism is confirmed by X-ray diffraction, ex-situ Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analysis. This outstanding performance is attributed to the high conductivity of the cathode material and the vacancy exchange mechanism of Zn2+/Ag+. This research shows metallic silver doped vanadium pentoxide cathode which could be considered a promising cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Highlights • SVO for aqueous zinc ion batteries exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. • The reaction mechanism is the vacancy exchange mechanism of Zn2+/Ag+. • SVO has high zinc ion diffusion rate in aqueous zinc ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Water electrolysis is of great importance for high-efficient hydrogen production. Replacing noble metal-based electrocatalysts by highly efficient and inexpensive non-noble metal based catalysts is critical for the practical application of these technologies. Here we report a novel hybrid of nitrogen-doped carbon shell coated CoP nanocrystals encapsulated in porous nitrogen-doped carbon substrate (CoP/PNC), which is synthesized through sol-gel and consequent pyrolysis-oxidation-phosphorization method. The obtained CoP/PNC exhibits promising electrocatalytic performance toward HER and OER due to the synergistic effect between N-doped carbon and CoP nanocrystals. When the CoP/PNC catalyst is applied in a two-electrode water splitting device, the cell potential at 10 mA cm−2 could be as low as 1.68 V. Besides, it still remains current retention of 78.7% after continuous run for 24 h. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strength and precipitates after T8-aging (second-step aging at 170 °C following first-step aging at 150 °C for 4 h after 6% predeformation) and grain structures of 1445 Al-Li alloy (Al-1.7Li-1.5Cu-0.9Mg-0.1Mn-0.1Zr-0.1Ag-0.1Ti-0.08Sc-0.07Ni) cold-rolled sheet were investigated. The main precipitates are δ′ (Al 3 Li) and S′ (Al 2 CuMg). It is critical that nano-sized Al 3 (Sc,Zr) dispersoids are formed, and the Cu-enriched and Sc-containing W phases (AlCuSc) are not found. Due to the strong pinning effect of the nano-sized Al 3 (Sc,Zr) dispersoids on sub-grain boundaries and dislocations, the solutionized 1445 Al-Li alloy sheet displays non-recrystallization characteristics, which corresponds to a high volume fraction of deformation textures of Copper {112}<111>, Brass {011}<211> and S {123}<634>. This non-recrystallization feature makes the 1445 Al-Li alloy suitable for thin sheet. In addition, due to the addition of minor Ni, Al 9 FeNi particles instead of Al 7 Cu 2 Fe particles are formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A layered iron vanadate Fe5V15O39(OH)9·9H2O nanosheet is first introduced to an aqueous zinc battery system as a cathode material, which delivers a high capacity of 385 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and remarkable cycling performance at high current density (over 80% capacity retention after 300 cycles at 5 A g−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimony sulfide (Sb 2 S 3) has attracted much attention as a photovoltaic absorber material with tunable bandgap, low structural complexity, and high absorption coefficient. As one-dimensional ribbon material, the uncontrollable (h k 0) orientation of the Sb 2 S 3 film will affect the carrier transport, controlling the orientation growth of the film is an effective strategy to improve the short-circuit current density. In this work, the large-grained Sb 2 S 3 films with (h k 1) preferred orientation were fabricated by pulsed electrodeposition and post-sulfurization, and the effects of deposition charges on film properties and device efficiency were investigated. A champion photoelectric conversion efficiency of 3.35% was obtained. And a new perspective for effectively controlling thin film growth orientation and fabricating low-cost solar cells was provided. • Sb 2 S 3 films with (h k 1) preferred orientation were fabricated by pulsed electrodeposition and post-sulfurization. • The morphology and thickness of Sb 2 S 3 films were greatly affected by different pulse electrodeposition electric quantity. • Energy level mismatch at Sb 2 S 3 /CdS interface is the main factor limiting the efficiency improvement of Sb 2 S 3 solar cells. • A champion efficiency of 3.35% was obtained with J SC of 14.1 mA/cm2 and V OC of 628 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A DNA repair enzyme (APE1) and magnetic dual-responsive theranostic nanosystem (FS@DNA-DOX) was obtained. • The nanosystem possesses a high specificity to the cancer cell-high expressed APE1 and effectively releases drugs in MCF-7 cells. • The nanosystem could effectively target to the tumor site and release drugs in MCF-7 cells. • In vivo experiments demonstrated the successful targeted drug delivery and strong tumor suppressor effects. • This dual-responsive theranostic nanosystem for chemotherapy increases the therapeutic effect as well as reduces the toxicity. Due to the high specificity and efficiency of enzymes, enzyme-responsive drug delivery systems are important in cancer therapy and diagnosis. Human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE1) is a representative DNA repair enzyme overexpressed in various cancer cells, which is also proven to be a promising stimuli in our previous studies. In this work, to realize targeted chemotherapy, an APE1 and magnetic dual-responsive nanocarrier was designed. The carrier is composed of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 nanoparticles and specially designed AP-DNA strand that can be effectively hydrolyzed by APE1. The chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded onto the AP-DNA to form the theranostic nanosystem (FS@DNA-DOX). As the AP-DNA was parted under the hydrolysis of APE1 in cancer cells, DOX was released to inhibit tumor growth. In vitro experiment results indicated that the nanosystem possesses a high specificity to APE1 and effectively release DOX in MCF-7 cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the targeted delivery of the nanosystem to the tumor site was successfully achieved and that strong tumor suppressor effects were observed. Overall, the FS@DNA-DOX is a multifunctional and theranostic nanosystem for the chemotherapy of cancer by increasing the therapeutic effect as well as reducing the toxicity of drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on Social Network is becoming popular in recent years because of the prevalence of online social communities, e.g., Facebook. As a result, the importance of the role which every single member plays in the social network is attracting more and more attention spontaneously. Meanwhile, the skyline operator is considered to be a useful tool to recognize important data entity, especially multi-dimensional data. The skyline operator is thus introduced into social networks to distinguish the important members from the entire community. For decision-making, people are not only interested in the result of skyline query on social networks, i.e., skyline points which represent important entities, usually known as stars, e.g., competitive companies, popular actors, famous scholars, but in many cases, people also care about the potential stars which are less important right now but will play a significant role in the near future. In this paper, we study and provide better approaches to a newly raised problem called Member Promotion in Social Networks, which aims at discovering the most potential star(s), i.e., the member(s) which will be promoted into skyline with minimum cost, in the social network for promotion. Based on the edge-weighted characteristic of the social network and the peculiarity of the promotion process, we systematically divide the scenario of the problem into two parts, i.e., unequal-weighted social networks and equal-weighted social networks. Against unequal-weighted social networks, based on some new proposed concepts, e.g., Promotion Boundary and Plan Limitation, and the theories of permutation and combination, we design a remarkably effective pruning process and propose the Skyboundary algorithm. Then, after bringing forward an interesting new concept named as Infra-skyline, we present another optimized approach, namely the Infrasky algorithm, to the member promotion problem in equal-weighted social networks. Extensive experiments on real datasets are conducted to show our algorithms can effectively find the potential members and improve the efficiency by orders of magnitude than the baseline algorithms. We also implemented a demonstration tool entitled as 'StarMiner' to present the promotion process in a graphical and interactive way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix A=(a ij )∈R n×n is said to be bisymmetric if a ij =a ji =a n+1−j, n+1−i for all 1≤i, j≤n. In this paper, an efficient algorithm is presented for minimizing ‖A 1 X 1 B 1+A 2 X 2 B 2+···+A l X l B l −C‖, where ‖·‖ is the Frobenius norm and is bisymmetric with a specified central principal submatrix . The algorithm produces suitable [X 1, X 2, ..., X l ] such that ‖A 1 X 1 B 1+A 2 X 2 B 2+···+A l X l B l −C‖=min within finite iteration steps in the absence of roundoff errors. The results of given numerical experiments show that the algorithm has fast convergence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tissue factor (TF) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various thrombotic disorders. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) that specifically target TF may have potential as antithrombotic therapy. We designed a unique TF peptide (TFP) that was specific for the binding site to factor X (FX). This peptide was used to develop TF mAb that block the coagulation cascade by interfering with the combination of FX with the TF/FVIIa complex. Chemically synthesized TFP coupled to polylysine matrix was used as multiple antigenic peptide (TF-MAP) and this was used to immunize Balb/c mice for the preparation of hybridomas. One hybridoma cell line released an antibody, named TF4A12, which had high anticoagulant potency (by dilute prothrombin time assay). Western blotting showed that TF4A12 could bind TF-MAP and the soluble TF extracellular domain (sTF1–219). Results of FX activation assay and amidolytic activity assay showed that the anticoagulant ability of TF4A12 is due to blocking FX, but not FVII, binding to TF. Our study identified an efficient method of developing TF mAb that could block the coagulation cascade. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A matrix is said to be bisymmetric matrix if for all . In this paper, an iterative method is constructed to find the bisymmetric solutions of matrix equation where is real matrices group. By this iterative method, the solvability of the matrix equation can be judged automatically. When the matrix equation is consistent, for any initial bisymmetric matrix group , a bisymmetric solution group can be obtained within finite iteration steps in the absence of roundoff errors, and the least norm bisymmetric solution group can be obtained by choosing a special kind of initial bisymmetric matrix group. In addition, the optimal approximation bisymmetric solution group to a given bisymmetric matrix group in Frobenius norm can be obtained by finding the least norm bisymmetric solution group of new matrix equation , where . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A n × n real matrix P is said to be a real generalized reflection matrix if P T = P and P 2 = I. A n × n real matrix X is said to be a reflexive matrix with respect to the generalized reflection matrix P if X = PXP. In this paper, the concept of gradient matrix (∇F(X)) is presented and an algorithm is constructed to solve the reflexive with respect to the generalized reflection matrix P solution of the minimum Frobenius norm residual problem:. By this algorithm, for any initial reflexive matrix X 1, a solution X ∗ can be obtained within finite iteration steps in the absence of roundoff errors, and the solution X ∗ with least-norm can be obtained by choosing a special kind of initial reflexive matrix. In addition, in the solution set of above problem, the unique optimal approximation solution to a given matrix X 0 in Frobenius norm can be obtained by finding the least-norm reflexive solution of the new minimum residual problem: , where , . Given numerical examples show that the iterative method is quite efficient. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Zinc–air batteries are recognized for their environmental friendliness and high energy density; however, the slow kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the air electrode hinder their commercial viability. The research focuses on synthesizing cubic hollow carbon structures derived from Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which enhance catalytic performance through improved conductivity and mass transfer. The resulting Fe/Fe3C/HCNB catalyst demonstrates a half-wave potential of 0.826 V for ORR and achieves a peak power density of 274 mW cm−2 in zinc–air batteries, surpassing commercial Pt/C catalysts. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the hollow structure enhances hydrophilicity and reduces solution resistance, facilitating greater active site engagement in electrochemical reactions. The study concludes that the unique structural features of Fe/Fe3C/HCNB significantly improve discharge performance and stability, positioning it as a promising alternative for zinc–air battery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antenatal depression may result in adverse outcomes for both the mother and the offspring. However, few studies have focused on the screening of pregnant women at a higher risk for antenatal depression in the first trimester. The present study aimed to assess the effect of lifestyle and family relationships on antenatal depression in the first trimester in a large Chinese population. Cross-sectional population data were obtained from a real-world cross-sectional survey conducted in Shenzhen, China from 2020 to 2024. The data on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and family relationships were obtained using self-reported questionnaires. Antenatal depression was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), with a score of ≥13 indicating the presence of probable antenatal depression. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify the risk factors of antenatal depression. A total of 42,363 pregnant women in the first trimester were recruited in the cross-sectional survey, among whom 3107 (7.3 %) had probable antenatal depression. We found (1) age < 25 years, (2) low or moderate economic status, (3) smoking, (4) partner smoking, (5) alcohol use, (6) lack of physical exercise, (7) poor or moderate living environment, (8) low or moderate marital happiness, and (9) never talking about problems were associated with antenatal depression. However, level of education, employment status, partner alcohol use, and living alone were not significantly related to antenatal depression in the first trimester. The cross-sectional design and the use of self-report measures must be considered while interpreting the results. This study suggested that the prevalence of antenatal depression in the first trimester was 7.3 %. Public health prevention efforts aimed at reducing the prevalence of antenatal depression are recommended. Early identification of women at a higher risk in early pregnancy is necessary for preventing antenatal depression and improving quality of life. [Display omitted] • The prevalence of self-reported antenatal depression in the first trimester was 7.3% in a developed district in South China. • Several lifestyle and family relationships were identified as risk factors for antenatal depression. • Early and evidence-based prenatal support is essential to prevent antenatal depression and improve the mental well-being of this high-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective electrocatalysts can be prepared by modifying the contents and optimizing the morphology of materials. In this study, we developed a series of porous cobalt-iron bimetal phosphide nanoarchitectures (p -CoFeP- x) with tunable contents and pore structures to act as catalysts for electrochemical oxygen evolution. A reasonable intrinsic activity and high density of the active site could be realized by adjusting the amount of zinc in a Prussian blue analogue precursor. The optimized catalyst (p -CoFeP-0.35) exhibited a low overpotential of 280 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of 48.8 mV·dec−1. Moreover, the p -CoFeP-0.35+Pt/C electrode pair used in a water splitting cell exhibited a performance comparable to that of the commercial RuO 2 +Pt/C cell, along with a higher stability. Furthermore, the p -CoFeP-0.35+Pt/C mixture applied in a rechargeable zinc–air battery as oxygen electrocatalyst outperformed the RuO 2 +Pt/C mixture. The presented findings can provide guidance for optimizing porous bimetal phosphide catalysts for energy related applications. • The pore structure and cation content of bimetal phosphides can be adjusted via facile process. • The mole ratio of cobalt and iron in bimetal phosphides plays a key role in modifying surface electronic characteristic. • The optimized cobalt iron bimetal phosphide shows better performance than RuO 2 in electrochemical energy devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Non-uniform electric field results in the variation of Cu2+/Cu+ ratio. • A two-layered structure was formed in the black area. • Both Cu species and Ca, P-rich compounds are crucial for biological performance. In the present work, a Cu-incorporated TiO 2 coating was successfully fabricated through a one-step micro-arc oxidation (MAO) of Ti in a solution containing 10 g/L ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid cupric disodium (Na 2 Cu-EDTA). Interestingly, different colour appearances of the resultant Cu-incorporated TiO 2 coating were noticed with the presence of black area at the edge and brown area in the centre. Further, microstructural characterization reveals that, unlike the central brown area with high amount of Cu+, the peripheral black area is mainly enriched in Cu2+, which exhibits a two-layered structure consisting of TiO 2 inner layer and porous Ca, P-rich outer layer containing nano-sized hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals. Finally, biological examination reveals that the peripheral black area exhibits both improved bone formability and enhanced antibacterial capability in comparison to the central brown area. Based on the observation, the coating formation mechanism is proposed, which provides valuable guidance for the utilization of MAO method in the field of bio-medical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photocatalytic hydrogen production shows promise in addressing global energy and environmental concerns. The limited efficiency of photocatalysts is mainly due to ineffective separation and transfer of photogenerated charges. To improve this, we enhance the TiO 2 –Ti 3 C 2 heterojunction by in-situ oxidation through interfacial engineering, resulting in a more compact composition. Subsequently, we anchor single-atom Pt at the TiO 2 –Ti 3 C 2 interface through photo-Ti 3 C 2 reduction. The in-situ growth of TiO 2 on Ti 3 C 2 introduces an interfacial driving force for carrier separation and provides a channel for electron transfer from TiO 2 to Ti 3 C 2. This further facilitates transfer onto Pt, shortening the migration distance and enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency. The best Pt/TiO 2 –Ti 3 C 2 composite demonstrates an impressive hydrogen precipitation efficiency of 767 μmol g−1 h−1, surpassing TiO 2 and Pt/TiO 2 by factors of 12 times and 1.46 times, respectively. Furthermore, we developed a higher efficiency photocatalyst using the molten salt method to avoid the risks associated with conventional hydrofluoric acid etching. This research opens up new possibilities for the preparation of MXenes interface-modified catalysts, offering a valuable avenue for future exploration in the field. • Ti 3 C 2 MXene was synthesized by F-free molten salt method. • TiO 2 –Ti 3 C 2 composites were successfully synthesized by in situ oxidation method. • Single-atom Pt interface engineered Pt–O electron transfer channel to shorten the charge migration distance. • TiO 2 –Ti 3 C 2 heterojunction interface Ti– O –Ti bridge promotes rapid electron transfer and separation. • Single-atom and heterojunction interface engineering synergistic effect to promote photocatalytic hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Combined inhibitors of OP-10P and DD with the inhibition efficiency of 99.9% for zinc in alkaline electrolyte; • The unity of stable discharge performance and efficient inhibition performance has been achieved owing to the special design of inhibitor film; • Protective layer can not only inhibit the corrosion of zinc, but also retain the transmission channel of ion discharge; The self-discharge by corrosion of zinc-air batteries (ZABs) will result in the reduced coulombic efficiency and lower energy efficiency. The additives in electrolyte should not only inhibit the occurrence of self-corrosion during battery dormancy, but also achieve a stable cycle of adsorption–desorption during battery operation, improving the durability of discharge cycles. But the former requires strong binding between additives and zinc to form a dense protective film, while the latter requires easy desorption of additives and zinc without affecting discharge power, which is contradictory to balance. In this study, a dynamic combination of additives and zinc, as well as a design of multi-channel strategy for the corresponding protective layer, have been proposed to solve the issues of self-corrosion and discharge cycle stability. Specifically, the surfactant (octylphenol polyoxyethylene ether phosphate (OP-10P)) and 1,10-decanedithiol (DD) have been selected as the combined anti-corrosion additives in ZABs with concentrated alkaline solution. The synergistic inhibition mechanism and the stabilization mechanism in zinc-air full cells have been studied systematically. The results indicated that the combined inhibitors inhibited the self-corrosion of Zn efficiently in the dormancy, and the inhibition efficiency reached 99.9 % at the optimized proportion. OP-10P achieve the preferential adsorption on the zinc surface, and then the chelates of DD with Zn2+ deposit on the outer layer to form the protective film with fine hydrophobic performance. The stability of ZABs in discharge and charging cycles has been improved owing to the multilayer adsorption film on zinc surface, which retains ion transport channels with the homogeneously pores to weaken the dendrites and side reactions during galvanostatic cycles. A probable model on zinc surface was established to discuss the actual working mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoplastic microforming not only breaks through the bottleneck in the manufacture of metallic glasses, but also offers alluring prospects in microengineering applications. The microformability of metallic glasses decreases with a reduction in the mold size owing to the interfacial size effect, which seriously hinders their large-scale applications. Here, ultrasonic vibration was introduced as an effective method to improve the microformability of metallic glasses, owing to its capabilities of improving the material flow and reducing the interfacial friction. The results reveal that the microformability of supercooled Zr35Ti30Cu8.25Be26.75 metallic glasses is conspicuously enhanced by comparison with those under quasi-static loading. The more intriguing finding is that the microformability of the Zr-based metallic glasses can be further improved by tuning the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration. The physical origin of the above scenario is understood, in depth, on the basis of ultrasonic vibration-assisted material flow, as demonstrated by the finite element method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-density Co 9 S 8 nanocrystals encapsulated within N, S dual-doped spherical nanostructure : A cobalt-gluconate complexes derived Co 9 S 8 /N, S co-doped micro/mesoporous carbon sphere is developed as a promising oxygen-reduction electrocatalyst. The exploration of an efficient nonprecious electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical to the commercialization of various electrochemical energy-conversion devices. Herein, a cobalt-gluconate-derived nitrogen and sulfur dual-doped micro/mesoporous carbon sphere (Co 9 S 8 /N, S-MCS) with encapsulated high-density cobalt sulfide (Co 9 S 8) nanocrystals is developed by annealing and subsequent high-temperature vulcanization. Particularly, the vulcanization temperature has a critical impact on the formation of high-density Co 9 S 8 nanocrystals. Benefiting from the favorable material characteristics of large surface area, abundant micro/mesopores and high graphitic nanostructures, as well as the synergistic effects between high-density Co 9 S 8 nanocrystals and N, S-dual doped graphitic carbon shells, the resulting catalyst demonstrates superior ORR catalytic activity and durability compared to platinum/carbon (Pt/C) catalyst. More notably, the proposed approach can be extended potentially to fabricate other transition metal sulfide (or oxide, carbide) based electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Zinc oxide (ZnO) has a broad range of applications in piezo-photoelectrochemical water splitting. However, the narrow light absorption range and high photogenerated carrier recombination efficiency make ZnO somewhat limited in applying piezo-photoelectrochemical water splitting. Heterogeneous structure construction is a superior handle to these two drawbacks. Herein, few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2) nanospheres are compounded on ZnO nanosheets (NSs) to form a dual-piezoelectric-material heterojunction of ZnO NSs/MoS 2. The photocurrent density of ZnO NSs/MoS 2 reaches 0.68 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE under ultrasonic vibrations. It is 2.4 times higher than that of ZnO NSs under ultrasonic vibrations. The efficient piezo-photoelectrochemical performance is attributed to increased absorption range and polarization field. On the one hand, the narrow band gap of the few-layer MoS 2 widens the light absorption range of ZnO. On the other hand, compared to pure ZnO NSs, ZnO NSs/MoS 2 has an enhanced polarization field under ultrasonic vibrations due to the piezoelectric properties of dual piezoelectric materials, which dramatically accelerates the electron transfer and suppresses the recombination of between electrons and holes. This work provides a new approach to constructing photoelectrodes with effective piezoelectric photocatalytic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The mechanisms of corrosive microorganisms are revealed by XPS results. • Microbial modification resulted in a lipophilic surface and a cellular structure. • Fluororubber compounds achieved a favorable tensile strength exceeding 10.0 MPa. Abstract Effective control of a fly ash/polymer interface is often hindered by poor compatibility. Advanced surface modification of fly ash by using corrosive microorganisms is proposed in this study. Microbial adhesion and catabolism of corrosive microorganisms resulted in a lipophilic surface and a cellular structure of fly ash, which contribute to the compatibility between fly ash and polymers. The mechanisms of corrosive microorganisms modifying the fly ash were revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Owing to the favorable interface bonding between modified fly ash and rubber, the fluororubber compounds achieved a favorable tensile strength exceeding 10.0 MPa. The reinforcement effect, which was almost identical to that of medium thermal black, indicates that microbial modification can be used to treat fly ash and other similar inorganic particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harvesting sunlight into cost-effective electricity presents an enticing prospect for self-powered wearable applications. The photothermal materials with an extensive absorption are fundamental to achieve optical and thermal concentration of the sunlight for efficiency output electricity of wearable solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs). Here, we synthesize an organic charge-transfer (CT) cocrystal with a flat absorption from ultraviolet to second near-infrared region (200 to 1950 nanometers) and a high photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) of 80.5%, which is introduced into polyurethane toward large-area nanofiber membrane by electrospinning technology. These corresponding membranes demonstrate a high PCE of 73.7% under the strain more than 80%. Sandwiched with carbon nanotube-based thermoelectric fibers, the membranes as stretchable solar absorbers of STEGs could supply a notably increase temperature gradient, processing a maximum output voltage density of 23.4 volts per square meter at 1:00 p.m. under sunlight. This strategy presents an important insight in heat management for wearable STEGs with a desired electricity output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micro plastic forming process (MPFP) was a developing method widely used for the fabrication of miniature metallic parts. A hybrid MPFP assisted by ultrasonic vibration could be helpful to reducing forming load and improve product quality. In the ultrasonic assisted MPFP, the ultrasonic vibration was usually superimposed on the forming punch but seldom on the workpiece although the ultrasonic vibration of the workpiece could improve the micro-formability of material more effectively. This phenomenon was partly due to the weight and random shape of the workpiece. To realize the ultrasonic vibration of the workpiece in MPFP, a new type of porous block sonotrode was developed in this study. The sonotrode could convert the ultrasonic vibration from longitudinal direction to normal direction and get uniform amplitude on the central square radiant surface. It could also excite the micro workpiece or mold with resonant vibration along the normal direction and was insensitive to the fluctuation of structure and weight of micro workpiece. The simulated analysis and experiment results show that the porous block sonotrode can excite micro workpiece with ultrasonic resonant vibration, reduce the average extrusion force over 15 % and increase the extrusion height over 85 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dyslipidemia is one of the most important independent modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for dyslipidemia in Shenzhen, a special economic zone and large metropolitan area neighboring Hong Kong. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1,995 adults with a mean age of 46.56 years was conducted between February and July 2011 using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling. All the subjects were administered questionnaires regarding socio-demographic characteristics and other possible factors associated with the prevalence of dyslipidemia. Fasting venous blood samples were collected to assess the lipid profile. Weight, height, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured. Results: The mean concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were 5.11 ± 1.15 mmol/L, 1.59 ± 1.47 mmol/L, 1.42 ± 0.33 mmol/L, and 3.22 ± 0.84 mmol/L, respectively. High values of TC, TG, low HDL-C, and high LDL-C were obtained in 14.49 %, 16.14 %, 8.82 %, and 12.13 % of the 1,995 participants, respectively. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 34.64 %, among which 25.04 % of subjects were aware. Presence of dyslipidemia was significantly associated with increasing age, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and body mass index. Conclusions: High prevalence of dyslipidemia with relative low awareness in Shenzhen was found. A comprehensive strategy is required for the prevention, screening, treatment, and control of dyslipidemia in Shenzhen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dyslipidemia is one of the most important independent modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for dyslipidemia in Shenzhen, a special economic zone and large metropolitan area neighboring Hong Kong. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1,995 adults with a mean age of 46.56 years was conducted between February and July 2011 using a multistage stratified cluster random sampling. All the subjects were administered questionnaires regarding socio-demographic characteristics and other possible factors associated with the prevalence of dyslipidemia. Fasting venous blood samples were collected to assess the lipid profile. Weight, height, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured. Results: The mean concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were 5.11 ± 1.15 mmol/L, 1.59 ± 1.47 mmol/L, 1.42 ± 0.33 mmol/L, and 3.22 ± 0.84 mmol/L, respectively. High values of TC, TG, low HDL-C, and high LDL-C were obtained in 14.49 %, 16.14 %, 8.82 %, and 12.13 % of the 1,995 participants, respectively. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 34.64 %, among which 25.04 % of subjects were aware. Presence of dyslipidemia was significantly associated with increasing age, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and body mass index. Conclusions: High prevalence of dyslipidemia with relative low awareness in Shenzhen was found. A comprehensive strategy is required for the prevention, screening, treatment, and control of dyslipidemia in Shenzhen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (CN) were synthesized through co-heating melamine with NH 4 Cl. • The defective g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (HCN) were synthesized through the calcination of NaBH 4 and NH 4 Cl in an inert atmosphere. • The AuPt/HCN composites were synthesized through in situ photodeposition. • The composite catalysts exhibited superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity. • The AuPt/HCN has excellent photogenerated electron-hole separation capability. AuPt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using a simple photodeposition method to modify defective state g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (HCN) which contained N vacancies, B doping, and C N groups. The visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) indicate that AuPt/HCN exhibits high light absorption capability. The photoluminescence spectrum (PL) and steady-state surface photovoltage (SPV) indicate that AuPt/HCN possesses a high rate of photogenerated charge separation and a high efficiency of photogenerated electron transfer. The electrochemical tests indicate that AuPt/HCN exhibits lower electrochemical impedance. AuPt/HCN (1.0 wt%) exhibits outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency, producing hydrogen at a rate of 2095 μmol·g−1·h−1 under visible light, which is 2.10 times and 1.55 times higher than that of monometallic Au/HCN (1.0 wt%) (997 μmol·g−1·h−1) and Pt/HCN (1.0 wt%) (1349 μmol·g−1·h−1), respectively. The bimetallic synergistic effect of AuPt alloy NPs co-catalysts enhances the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of AuPt/HCN composite photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (CN) were synthesized through co-heating melamine with NH 4 Cl. • The defective g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (HCN) were synthesized through the calcination of NaBH 4 and NH 4 Cl in an inert atmosphere. • The AuPt/HCN composites were synthesized through in situ photodeposition. • The composite catalysts exhibited superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity. • The AuPt/HCN has excellent photogenerated electron-hole separation capability. AuPt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using a simple photodeposition method to modify defective state g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (HCN) which contained N vacancies, B doping, and C N groups. The visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) indicate that AuPt/HCN exhibits high light absorption capability. The photoluminescence spectrum (PL) and steady-state surface photovoltage (SPV) indicate that AuPt/HCN possesses a high rate of photogenerated charge separation and a high efficiency of photogenerated electron transfer. The electrochemical tests indicate that AuPt/HCN exhibits lower electrochemical impedance. AuPt/HCN (1.0 wt%) exhibits outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency, producing hydrogen at a rate of 2095 μmol·g−1·h−1 under visible light, which is 2.10 times and 1.55 times higher than that of monometallic Au/HCN (1.0 wt%) (997 μmol·g−1·h−1) and Pt/HCN (1.0 wt%) (1349 μmol·g−1·h−1), respectively. The bimetallic synergistic effect of AuPt alloy NPs co-catalysts enhances the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of AuPt/HCN composite photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Combustion of bituminous coal seams in a Carbonifeorus–Permian sequence of siltstone, quartzose sandstone, sideritic mudstone, kaolinite-rich and sulphide–ankerite rocks exposed on the left bank of the Yellow River, western border of Shanxi Province, China, has resulted in the formation of paralava and glassy clinker. Some paralavas have compositions similar to low alkali basalts and contain anorthite, low Ca-pyroxenes (clinoenstatite, pigeonite), ±minor augite, ±olivine, Fe–Ti oxides and K-bearing siliceous glass. In these paralavas the sequence of pyroxene crystallization was Mg-pigeonite→augite→Fe-pigeonite and Mg-clinoenstatite→borderline Fe-clinoenstatite/pigeonite. More siliceous paralava compositions contain anorthite, clinoenstatite, cordierite, Fe–Ti oxides and glass. Fused clinker consists of cordierite, anorthite, tridymite, mullite, Fe–Ti oxides and K-rich siliceous glass. Paralava liquidus temperatures range between ca. 1230 and 1120 °C and the generalized crystallization sequence in a “basaltic” composition was anorthite, pyroxene (low Ca-clinopyroxene, augite), Ti-magnetite, olivine with quench apatite in glass over a cooling interval of ∼345 °C. The liquidus temperature of clinker was ca. 1100 °C. In paralavas and clinker, subsolidus exsolution of hemo-ilmenite from Ti-magnetite occurred under logfO2 =−9.0 to −13.9 at temperatures of 907–756 °C, with formation of almost pure ilmenite at lowest temperatures of 536–567 °C at logfO2 =−24.9–21.9. Changes in the texture and habit of pyroxene in paralava adjacent clinker (porphyritic to skeletal/plumose towards clinker) reflect the effects of a cooling front moving into the paralava and changing bulk composition. Paralavas formed by melting of different combinations of siltstone, sideritic mudstone and ankerite-rich rock “end-members”, and there was also diffusion of Si, Al, Ti and K into paralava from fused clinker blocks within it. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The development of a simple and eco‐friendly approach for synthesizing high‐activity and low‐cost electrocatalysts remains a huge challenge for the commercialization of zinc‐air battery technology. Herein, a facile method is demonstrated to skillfully fabricate cobalt nanoparticles encapsulated in N‐doped micro/mesoporous carbon networks (Co/N‐MC) by using natural fish scales as carbon source. The effects of pyrolysis temperature on microstructure, N‐doping and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalytic activity of the obtained Co/N‐MC samples are systematically investigated. The as‐synthesized Co/N‐MC catalyst exhibits better ORR catalytic activity, stability as well as superior Zn‐air battery performance compared with commercial 20 % Pt/C catalyst, owing to its three‐dimensional structures and synergistic effect of N species. The simple and eco‐friendly strategy developed for ORR catalyst in this study holds great potential for the commercial application of zinc‐air batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and eco-friendly synthetic method of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts is one of crucial steps in the development of large-scale and commercial regenerative energy devices. Herein, a simple and template-free approach is proposed to design CoS x (Co 1-x S and Co 9 S 8) nanoparticles encapsulated in N, S-doped carbon substrate (CoS x /NSCS). Interestingly, the carbon substrates are consisted of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanosheets. Moreover, the high-temperature sulfidation step is adopted to form cobalt sulfides and sulfur doping into carbon simultaneously. Benefiting from the N, S doped carbon bedframe and the synergistic effect between cobalt sulfide species and carbon substrate, the optimal CoS x /NSCS-800 (obtained at sulfidation temperature of 800 °C) exhibits robust and excellent ORR electrocatalytic activity in terms of half-wave potential of 0.85 V in alkaline electrolyte. Most importantly, this work, offers great potential to prepare transition metal sulfides nanoparticles integrated with N, S-doped carbon-based electrocatalysts toward ORR. An efficient oxygen-reduction electrocatalyst: cobalt sulfides nanoparticles encapsulated in N, S co-doped carbon substrate is successfully developed by sol-gel method and pyrolysis-etching-sulfidation strategy. Image 1 • Cobalt sulfides nanoparticles encapsulated in N, S co-doped carbon substrate is prepared successfully. • The synthetic procedure involving sol-gel method and pyrolysis-etching-sulfidation strategy. • The phase of cobalt sulfide can be interchanged with the regulation of sulfidation temperature. • The cobalt sulfides nanoparticles cooperate with neighbor N, S-co-doped carbons to enhance the ORR catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeodomain interacting protein kinase-2 (HIPK2) has emerged as a crucial stress-responsive kinase that plays a critical role in regulating cell survival and apoptosis. However, whether HIPK2 participates in regulating cardiomyocyte survival during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury remains unclear. Here, we investigated the regulatory effect of HIPK2 on hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cardiomyocyte injury and its potential underlying molecular mechanism. We found that HIPK2 expression was induced in response to H/R exposure. HIPK2 depletion by small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene silencing significantly decreased the viability and exacerbated H/R-induced apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in cardiomyocytes. Comparatively, HIPK2 overexpression effectively rescued H/R-impaired viability and repressed H/R-induced apoptosis and ROS production in cardiomyocytes. HIPK2 overexpression significantly increased the nuclear expression of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and enhanced Nrf2-mediated transcriptional activity. Moreover, HIPK2 overexpression significantly increased the transcription of Nrf2/ARE target genes. Additionally, Nrf2 inhibition partially reversed the HIPK2-mediated protective effect. Overall, these results demonstrate that HIPK2 overexpression protects cardiomyocytes from H/R-induced injury by enhancing Nrf2/ARE antioxidant signaling, data that suggest HIPK2 is a potential target for cardioprotection. Image 1 • HIPK2 expression was induced by H/R in cardiomyocytes. • Loss of HIPK2 enhances the sensitivity of cardiomyocytes to H/R injury. • HIPK2 overexpression protects cardiomyocytes from H/R injury. • HIPK2 regulates H/R injury through Nrf2/ARE signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a kind of lung cancer with high incidence and poor outcomes all over the world. Studies have validated that the upregulation of long noncoding RNA LINC00657 is related to several cancers. Nevertheless, the underlying regulatory mechanism of LINC00657 in NSCLC has not been well elucidated. In the present study, quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) revealed that LINC00657 level was apparently elevated in NSCLC cells. Loss‐of function assays demonstrated that LINC00657 silence retarded cell proliferation and migration in NSCLC cells. Moreover, the chromatin immunoprecipitation result identified the transcription factor SP1 could bind with LINC00657 promoter, and RT‐qPCR proved SP1 positively regulated LINC00657 expression in NSCLC cells. In addition, the mechanistic investigations unveiled that LINC00657 was an endogenous sponge of miR‐26b‐5p and therefore boosted the expression of copper metabolism MURR1 domain‐containing 8 (COMMD8), one of the targets of miR‐26b‐5p. Besides, miR‐26b‐5p could negatively regulate LINC00657 or COMMD8 in NSCLC cells. With the application of rescue assays, we uncovered that overexpression of COMMD8 partly mitigated the impairment of LINC00657 repression on NSCLC cell proliferation and migration. Together, our study illustrated that SP1‐stimulated LINC00657 promoted NSCLC progression through targeting miR‐26b‐5p/COMMD8 axis, offering a novel potential therapeutic target for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, Zn-incorporated TiO 2 coatings are prepared through a one-step micro-arc oxidation (MAO) method on a grade 4 pure titanium with the addition of either Na 2 Zn-EDTA solution or ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as Zn sources. The microstructural features of both Zn-incorporated TiO 2 coatings were systematically examined. It is revealed that different Zn sources result in significant difference of phase component, chemical state, composition and morphology between the resultant Zn-incorporated MAO coatings. Zn species could be present as ZnO and Zn(OH) 2 in the coating when Na 2 Zn-EDTA was used as Zn source whereas the presence of ZnO nano-clusters is obvious on the coating surface with ZnO NPs as Zn source. The addition of ZnO NPs during the MAO process also leads to a lower Zn content of the resultant coating, which is more defective with increased thickness in comparison to that of Na 2 Zn-EDTA. Further, antibacterial property and osteogenic activity of both Zn-incorporated coatings were examined. Both Zn-incorporated coatings exhibit favourable bacterial inhibition ability and bone formability, suggesting the successful synthesis of bifunctional coatings through the facile one-step micro-arc oxidation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the present work, a two-layer hydroxyapatite (HA)/Cu-doped TiO 2 composite coating was prepared via one-step micro-arc oxidation in an aqueous electrolyte containing calcium acetate, sodium di-hydrogen phosphate and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid cupric disodium (CuNa 2 -EDTA) at a constant current density of 100 mA/cm2. After micro-arc oxidation for 20 min, Cu species incorporate into the TiO 2 as CuO and Cu 2 O, resulting in the formation of Cu-doped TiO 2 -based coating. In addition, spherical-shaped HA phase of nanometre scale is also present on the Cu-doped TiO 2 -based coating. With HA phase boosting osseointegration and Cu species killing pathogenic microbes, a bi-functional coating fabricated by one-step micro-arc oxidation is of promising potential application in the bio-medical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is highly aggressive and is associated with a dismal prognosis. However, there are no clinically recognized biomarkers for early diagnosis. In this study, we used quantitative proteomics to build differential mitochondrial protein profiles that may be used for early diagnosis and investigated the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Methods: We cultured SCLC cells (NCI‐H446) and normal human bronchial epithelial cells (16‐HBE); mitochondria were extracted and purified using differential and Percoll density gradient centrifugation. Subsequently, we used Western blot analysis to validate mitochondrial purity and labeled proteins/peptides from NCI‐H446 and 16‐HBE cells using relative and absolute quantification of ectopic tags. We then analyzed mixed samples and identified proteins using two‐dimensional liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Additionally, we performed subsequent bioinformatic proteome analyses using the programs ExPASy, GOA, and STRING. Finally, the relationship between ornithine aminotransferase expression and clinicopathological features in lung cancer patients was evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Results: One hundred and fifty‐three mitochondrial proteins were differentially expressed between 16‐HBE and NCI‐H446 cells. The expression of 30 proteins between 16‐HBE and NCI‐H446 cells increased more than 1.3‐fold. The upregulation of ornithine aminotransferase was associated with pathological grade and clinical tumor node metastasis stage. Conclusion: Our experiment represented a promising method for building differential mitochondrial protein profiles between NCI‐H446 and 16‐HBE cells. Such analysis may also help to identify novel biomarkers of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of the published experimental data of partially melted amphibolite, orthogneiss, granite and aplite reveals the existence of three rapid strength drops of the rock-assemblage at melt fraction around 7%, 21% and 41% respectively. The first and the last drops are equivalent to the well-known ‘melt connectivity transition’ (MCT) and ‘solid to liquid transition’ (SLT). The drop at melt fraction around 21% is newly identified and termed as the ‘framework-melting transition’ (FMT). The FMT is defined as the transition from eutectic quartz-feldspars melting to refractory biotite melting. The three rheological transitions are well constrained by the geological data from the Fuhu profile in Guangdong Province, SE China. This profile is a 15 m high cliff. Rocks exposed on the profile are zoned as mottled, stripped, narrow-banded and wide-banded migmatites and diatexitic granite from the top of the profile downwards. The leucosome proportions of the zones measured on the outcrops combined with the experimental data of the partially melted rocks have significant implications for understanding the role of rheological transitions during crustal melting. The MCT, which corresponds to the boundary between the mottled and the narrow-banded migmatites, suggests the segregation of melt within the partially melted system along with the compaction of matrix. Thus, the MCT is deemed to be the transition of the partially melted system from matrix-supported (melt stored in pore-space) to framework-supported (melt stored in foliation/bedding-space of protolith). The FMT corresponding to the boundary between the narrow- and the wide-banded migmatites denotes the inception of melting of the solid framework. Mechanically, the FMT can be regarded as the transition of the framework from compaction to fusion, and geochemically, the transition from eutectic melting of quartz-feldspars to that of refractory biotite. The increasing melt due to framework-melting after the FMT is basically limited within the solid framework until the melt fraction exceeding the SLT. The SLT is geologically constrained by the in-situ metatexite-diatexite transition that is also termed as Magma Interface (MI). The SLT (MI) represents the upper limit of a crustal magma layer. Because of the downward increasing temperature and melt fraction, there should be no consecutive layer of felsic rock existed in the space between the SLT (MI) and the mafic lower crust except the isolated rock-blocks within the magma layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The external electric field can not only control the Schottky barrier height but also the contact type in WSi 2 N 4 /graphene interface. The redistribution of charge density under external electric field is proposed to account for the energy band modulation of WSi 2 N 4 /graphene heterostructure. [Display omitted] • WSi 2 N 4 and graphene can form a stable vdW heterostructure with a p-type Schottky barrier of 0.85 eV. • The tunable range of Schottky barrier for WSi 2 N 4 /graphene heterostructure by external electric field is greater than that by interlayer distance. • The carrier concentration of GR in WSi 2 N 4 /graphene heterostructure is close to 2.73 × 1013 cm−2 under the positive external electric field strength of 0.55 V·Å−1. • The redistribution of interfacial charge density determines the Schottky barrier height and contact type of the heterostructure. Improving the electric transport of field-effect transistors based on heterostructure (HTS) is a stern challenge by the reduction of the interfacial barrier. Herein, the electronic properties of WSi 2 N 4 /graphene HTS with different interface distance or external electric field are researched in detail using the first-principles approach. The result shows that a stable vdW HTS can be produced between WSi 2 N 4 and graphene. In the interface, the tunable range of Schottky barrier height by external electric field exceeds that by interface distance, although both of two prominent approaches can modulate the energy band structures of WSi 2 N 4 /graphene HTSs. The transformation of Schottky contact from p-type to n -type, eventually into Ohmic contact can appear under external electric field. Predictably, the positive external electric field strength of 0.55 V·Å−1 can generate the largest carrier concentration 2.73 × 1013 cm−2 of graphene in the HTS. Verifiably, the redistribution of interface charge density determines the Schottky barrier height and contact type in the HTS. These findings present the potential of WSi 2 N 4 /graphene HTS as high sensitive Schottky field-effect transistors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGSe) solar cell is one of the most promising thin film solar cells with high photoelectric conversion efficiency. However, the efficiency is still far below the thermodynamic Shockley−Queisser (SQ) limit. Interfacial recombination is the main factor restricting the performance of CIGSe solar cells. In this work, oxygen-doped Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 was employed to study the effect of Mo/CIGSe interfacial recombination. SCAPS simulation and first-principles calculation were used in this work. The band gap of Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 was adjusted by changing the content of oxygen, the band alignment of Mo/Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 interface and Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 /CIGSe interface were optimized. The back interface recombination was effectively reduced by using a thickness of 10–70 nm Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 with an oxygen doping concentration of 12.5%–50.0% and the performance of CIGSe solar cells was improved. Finally, the conversion efficiency was improved from 15.80% to 24.35% with oxygen doping concentration of 25% and Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 layer with thickness of 40 nm. • The band gap of Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 doped with oxygen decreases gradually with oxygen content increasing. • The band structure is optimized by adding Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 to the Mo/CIGSe interface. • The band gap of Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 was 1.0 ∼ 1.3 eV with the oxygen doping concentration of 12.5%–25.0%. • 24.35% efficiency of CIGSe solar cell was obtained with 40 nm Mo(O x Se 1-x) 2 layer at Mo/CIGSe interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional sol-gel process usually takes a long time to form a stable Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) sol-gel solution, which increases the whole process time. In this paper, an electrodeposition assisted sol-gel process was employed to reduce the solution preparation time. Cu was electrodeposited on Mo surface and ZnSnS sol-gel was rotated on Cu surface to prepare CZTS films. The solution preparation time was reduced from 12h to 30min. The mechanism of CZTS phase formation with sol-gel method assisted by electrodeposition was studied. Cu 3 SnS 4 phase was formed during the electrodeposition assisted sol-gel process, while Cu 2 SnS 3 phase was formed when the CZTS precursor during sol-gel process. Cu content was rich at the beginning of the reaction to form Cu 3 SnS 4 during the electrodeposited assisted sol-gel process. CZTS films with Cu/(Zn + Sn) of 0.84 and Zn/Sn of 1.03 were prepared by sol-gel method assisted by electrodeposition. Compared with CZTS films prepared by sol-gel method, CZTS films prepared by this method have larger and more uniform grains. It is also found that the thickness of MoS 2 layer was thinner than the one prepared by sol-gel method. • An electrodeposition assisted sol-gel method was employed to prepare CZTS films. • The solution preparation time was reduced from overnight to 30min. • The grains of CZTS films prepared by this method were larger and more uniform than the one prepared by sol-gel method. • Electrodeposited Cu helped to suppress the formation of MoS 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, autophagy has drawn more attention in cardiovascular disease as it has important roles in lipid metabolism. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator of autophagy; however, its effect on atherosclerosis and the underlying mechanism remains undefined. In this study, an obvious upregulation of mTOR and p-mTOR protein was observed in macrophage-derived foam cells. Blocking mTOR expression with specific small interference RNA (siRNA) dramatically suppressed foam cell formation, accompanied by a decrease of lipid deposition. Further mechanistic analysis indicated that suppressing mTOR expression significantly upregulated autophagic marker LC3 expression and downregulated autophagy substrate p62 levels, indicating that mTOR silencing triggered autophagosome formation. Moreover, blocking mTOR expression obviously accelerated neutral lipid delivery to lysosome and cholesterol efflux from foam cells, implying that mTOR could induce macrophage foam cell formation by suppressing autophagic pathway. Further, mTOR silencing significantly upregulated ULK1 expression, which was accounted for mTOR-induced foam cell formation via autophagic pathway as treatment with ULK1 siRNA dampened LC3-II levels and increased p62 expression, concomitant with lipid accumulation and decreased cholesterol efflux from foam cells. Together, our data provide an insight into how mTOR accelerates the pathological process of atherosclerosis. Accordingly, blocking mTOR levels may be a promising therapeutic agent against atherosclerotic complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the complex nonlinear properties of hydraulic excavator arm's servo system, a Hammerstein model which contains static nonlinearity and dynamic linearity was adopted to describe the system instead of linear model. The dynamic linear module was described by a discrete Auto-Regressive eXogeneous (ARX) model, and the static nonlinearity module was described by a two-segment polynomial. The forgetting factor recursive least square method was applied to realize decomposition identification of the parameters for both linear and nonlinear module through multi-frequency sinusoidal input and angle output signal. The comparison experiments between the identified Hammerstein model and ARX model indicated that the error of Hammerstein model was reduced by 77%, the results demonstrated that Hammerstein model meets the need for describing the servo system of excavator arm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]