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Well‐engineered buried interfaces play a pivotal role in achieving high‐performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). A superior buried interface involves controlled perovskite crystallization, efficient charge transfer across interfaces, and robust interfacial bonding. Here, a class of innovative additives, benzoyl sulfonyl molecules including 4‐sulfobenzoic acid monopotassium salt (K‐SBA), and 4‐sulfamoylbenzoic acid (SBA) is introduced to tailer the SnO2/perovskite buried interface, aiming to meet these essential criteria. Among them, K‐SBA performed better. The findings reveal that the functional groups of K‐SBA establish interactions with both SnO2 and perovskite, leading to effective bilateral passivation and mitigation of interface stress. This results in the formation of a pore‐free buried interface and high‐quality perovskite films with substantial crystal sizes. Consequently, PSCs incorporating K‐SBA exhibited a notable increase in efficiency, achieving 24.56% efficiency compared to the control device's 22.27%. Furthermore, these K‐SBA‐enhanced PSCs maintain 90% of their original efficiency even after 500 h of maximum power point tracking. This work provides valuable insights for further refinement and advancement of buried interfaces in PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of coke-oven gas (COG) to produce methanol requires external carbon supplementation and is associated with the wastage of hydrogen resources. COG chemical looping reforming (CG CLR) integrated with PC chemical looping combustion (PC CLC) is involved in this system and it is an effective solution to the poor carbon/hydrogen utilization and high process intensification. The CO 2 generated from the PC CLC is recycled into the CG CLR to reformulate the methane in COG to alter the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio (R) of the syngas and thereby produce more methanol. The key operational parameters of the proposed system are analyzed to optimize the utilization of the elements in COG. This system exhibits utilization efficiencies of 85.4% and 63.9% for hydrogen and carbon, respectively, both of which are relatively high. The exergy efficiency is up to 77.5%. The new system has a reduced process complexity, and more amount of CO 2 is recycled to produce value-added chemicals. • PC-fueled CLC assisted CLR of COG to methanol and ammonia is proposed. • The new system has reduced process complexity. • The process achieves a high exergy efficiency of 77.5%. • The most suitable integrated solution for COG-to-methanol with CL is summarized. • The results are expected to advance the practical application of the CL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D chiral perovskite has greatly boosted the development of optoelectronic devices, ranging from nonlinear optics, spintronics, and ferroelectrics to energy harvesting devices. Despite circularly polarized light (CPL) detection based on chiral perovskite has been achieved, the environmental humidity‐, ultraviolet (UV), and temperature‐induced structural degradation and its large electro‐phonon coupling restrict its commercial application. Here, this study first realizes polymerized chiral perovskite single‐crystal films by combining in situ cross‐linking polymerization with the space‐confined crystallization method. Compared with uncross‐linked chiral perovskites, cross‐linked chiral perovskites exhibit enhanced crystallinity and lattice rigidity, yielding high‐performance circularly polarized photodetectors with a maximum anisotropy factor of 0.22, the responsivity of 1.6 A W−1, and detectivity of 2.17 × 1013 Jones. In addition, flexible circularly polarized photodetectors with extremely high mechanical stability are also realized originating from the polymer‐like behavior of cross‐linked chiral perovskite single‐crystal films. This study opens up new avenues to further enhance the performance and stability of portable and wearable devices based on chiral perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Multidimensional detection of intensity, wavelength, polarization, and angle of the incidence light significantly accelerates the development of optical information technology and artificial intelligence fields. The first comprehensive overview of the advancement of multifunctional photodetectors for perovskite semiconductors ranging from polarized light detection, spectral detection, and angle-sensing detection to self-powered detection is summarized. The existing problems and perspectives are discussed which can inspire more researchers to rationally design new perovskite materials and micro/nano-structure for high-performance multifunctional photodetectors. Multifunctional photodetectors boost the development of traditional optical communication technology and emerging artificial intelligence fields, such as robotics and autonomous driving. However, the current implementation of multifunctional detectors is based on the physical combination of optical lenses, gratings, and multiple photodetectors, the large size and its complex structure hinder the miniaturization, lightweight, and integration of devices. In contrast, perovskite materials have achieved remarkable progress in the field of multifunctional photodetectors due to their diverse crystal structures, simple morphology manipulation, and excellent optoelectronic properties. In this review, we first overview the crystal structures and morphology manipulation techniques of perovskite materials and then summarize the working mechanism and performance parameters of multifunctional photodetectors. Furthermore, the fabrication strategies of multifunctional perovskite photodetectors and their advancements are highlighted, including polarized light detection, spectral detection, angle-sensing detection, and self-powered detection. Finally, the existing problems of multifunctional detectors and the perspectives of their future development are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A weak CH/O hydrogen‐bonded organic framework (HOF) with both rigidity and flexibility that could easily and reversibly switch from a non‐crystalline to a crystalline phase was constructed. The specific solvent molecule acts as a "key" to control the crystallinity, while the highly rigid triangle macrocycle as the building block is the "lock". The introduction and removal of the "key" could influence the local flexibility of the whole framework and lead to switchable crystallinity. Furthermore, the obtained HOF exhibits excellent separation efficiency for benzene and cyclohexane (94.4 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A weak CH/O hydrogen‐bonded organic framework (HOF) with both rigidity and flexibility that could easily and reversibly switch from a non‐crystalline to a crystalline phase was constructed. The specific solvent molecule acts as a "key" to control the crystallinity, while the highly rigid triangle macrocycle as the building block is the "lock". The introduction and removal of the "key" could influence the local flexibility of the whole framework and lead to switchable crystallinity. Furthermore, the obtained HOF exhibits excellent separation efficiency for benzene and cyclohexane (94.4 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) had been confirmed to have immune dysfunction and were prone to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), which was directly related to the increased mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors for IPA in SFTS patients, and the results were expected to be helpful for early identification of IPA and initiation of anti-fungal therapy. The study was performed to review laboratory confirmed SFTS patients in two tertiary hospitals in Shandong province (Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and Shandong Public Health Clinical Center) from April 2021 to August 2022. The enrolled patients were further divided into IPA group and non-IPA group. Demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations and laboratory parameters between IPA group and non-IPA group patients were analyzed and compared to identify the independent predictors for IPA by univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Sensitivity and specificity of independent predictors were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. In total, 67 SFTS patients were enrolled with an average age of 64.7 (± 8.4) years old. The incidence of IPA was 32.8% (22/67). Mortality of patients in IPA group was 27.3% (6/22), which was significantly higher than that in non-IPA group. Results of univariate analysis showed that uncontrolled diabetes, central nervous system symptoms, platelet < 40 × 109/L, CD4+ T cell < 300/μL and CD8+ T cell < 400/μL were risk factors for development of IPA. These factors were further analyzed by multivariable logistic regression analysis and the results indicated that uncontrolled diabetes, platelet < 40 × 109/L, CD4+ T cell < 300/μL and CD8+ T cell < 400/μL could be recognized as independent predictors for IPA in SFTS patients. In conclusion, IPA is a serious complication for SFTS patients and increases mortality. It is necessary to early identify predictors of IPA for improving survival of SFTS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas hydrate is a promising alternative energy resource that undergoes complex phase changes and coupled geological responses during hydrate production. Insufficient knowledge of those coupled behaviors still challenge safe and efficient gas production from hydrate. Here, a novel experimental apparatus was developed to simulate the gas–water–sand production and to evaluate the related multifield and multiphase processes. The experimental apparatus is equipped with displacement, ultrasonic, and electrical resistivity sensors and gas/water flowmeters, and this apparatus can work up to a maximum loading stress of 25 MPa and a maximum pore pressure of 20 MPa over a temperature range from −20 to 50 °C. The hydrate production and sand production case were performed on a synthetic specimen with hydrate saturation of 12.8% by using multi-step depressurization. The pressure–temperature conditions, settlement, ultrasonic propagation, electrical resistivity, and permeability of hydrate reservoirs during production were simultaneously monitored to evaluate the geological characteristics and heat and mass transfer characteristics of the hydrate reservoir. The results indicated that the gas/water production mainly occurred during the first third of each depressurization period, and their production rates were low at the beginning. Flowing water mobilized the sand particles, and the addition of gas exacerbated the sand-particle migration. Interpretation of the coupled behaviors supported that the reservoir could maintain a temporary stable structure even when losing a certain amount of sand particles with no sand control methods; however, necessary sand-prevention approaches are wise to support long-term reservoir production operations. These laboratory insights would contribute to optimizing the field strategies for economical gas production from hydrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the progression of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), identify early predictors of mortality, and improve the cure rate, the present study aimed to analyze the demographic feature, clinical characteristics, and laboratory parameters of patients with SFTS and to explore the risk factors associated with fatal outcome. We retrospectively analyzed demographic feature, clinical characteristics, and laboratory parameters of 216 laboratory-confirmed SFTS patients in Shandong province between January 2015 and December 2019. Univariate analysis was used to assess the relevance between these factors and fatal outcome. Factors with P < 0.05 in univariate analysis were further analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify the independent risk factors for mortality of SFTS. Age, five complications (including CNS symptoms, pulmonary infection, heart failure, arrhythmia, and bleeding events), and ten abnormal laboratory parameters (including serum viral load, blood platelet, ALT, AST, LDH, CK, CK-MB, Cr, serum Ca2+, and APTT) were statistically significant by univariate analysis. These factors were further analyzed by multivariable logistic regression analysis, and the results indicated that coma, pulmonary infection, high viral load, and prolonged APTT were associated with fatal outcome in SFTS patients. Our study identified four independent risk factors associated with fatal outcome for SFTS patients. The results were hoped to provide help for active treatment of SFTS. However, the identification of risk factors is not absolutely associated with fatal outcome. Patients' risk should be assessed by dynamic observation of the changes in risk factor indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the mission requirement of collision-free asteroid landing with a given time of flight (TOF), a fast generation method of landing reachable domain based on section and expansion is proposed. First, to overcome the difficulties of trajectory optimization caused by anti-collision path constraints, a two-stage collision-free trajectory optimization model is used to improve the efficiency of trajectory optimization. Second, the velocity increment under a long TOF is analyzed to obtain the distribution law of the reachable domain affected by the TOF, and the generation problem of the reachable domain is transformed into the solution problem of the initial boundary and the continuous boundary. For the initial boundary, the section method is used to acquire a point on the boundary as the preliminary reachable domain boundary. The solution of continuous boundary is based on the initial boundary continuously expanding the section into the reachable domain until the boundary is continuous. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the asteroids 101955 Bennu and 2063 Bacchus. The simulation results show that this method can quickly and accurately obtain the reachable domain of collision-free asteroid landing in a given TOF and is applicable to different initial positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the energy crisis and global warming, developing clean and sustainable energy is receiving increasing attention. Photocatalytic processes including water splitting, CO2 reduction, coenzyme regeneration, etc., provide ideal ways to utilize renewable solar resources. The photocatalyst plays a central role in photocatalytic processes. Organic porous polymers have recently gained extensive attention in photocatalysis. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), as one of the organic porous polymers, have the characteristics of high crystallinity, porosity, and structural designability that make them perfect platforms for photocatalysis. In this minireview, the recent progress of 2D COFs as photocatalysts is summarized including the recent work. The synthesis of the diversified structures of the COFs including the different linkages is first introduced. Then, the photocatalytic applications of the 2D COFs including photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, CO2 conversion, coenzyme regeneration, and other traditional organic reaction are then discussed. Finally, conclusions and prospects are provided in the last section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the problem of autonomous and safe landing on irregularly shaped asteroids, a real-time collision-free trajectory optimization method based on deep neural networks (DNNs) is proposed. First, in order to overcome the difficulty of solving the optimal trajectories by indirect methods caused by anti-collision path constraints and the difficulty of establishing the mapping relationship between states and initial costates by DNNs, a two-stage anti-collision trajectory optimization model is constructed, which can provide the initial costates for trajectory optimization under anti-collision constraints of each stage through the approximate analytical solution of costates. It can efficiently generate a large number of optimal trajectory samples. Second, a region division strategy is proposed for further reducing the time-consuming of DNN training. Then, the path constraints are slightly relaxed to avoid the optimal trajectories predicted by DNNs from violating the anti-collision constraints. The proposed method is applied to the scenarios of landing on asteroids 101955 Bennu and 433 Eros. The simulation results indicate that this method can estimate the initial costates efficiently and accurately, and can plan the optimal trajectories of anti-collision landing in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residual antibiotics in wastewater have gained widespread attention because of their toxicity to humans and the environment. In this work, Cu-doped ZIF-8s (Cu-ZIF-8s) were successfully synthesized by the impregnation of Cu2+ in ZIF-8 and applied in the removal of ofloxacin (OFX) from water. Remarkably, excellent adsorption performance was obtained in Cu-ZIF-8s, especially for Cu-ZIF-8-1, in which the adsorption capacity (599.96 mg·g−1) was 4.2 times higher than that of ZIF-8 and superior to various adsorbents reported previously. The adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherm follow the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model, respectively. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of OFX in Cu-ZIF-8-1 reached over 90% at low concentrations. It was revealed that electrostatic interaction and complexation play important roles in the adsorption process. In addition, the material can be regenerated by simple methods. Therefore, the obtained Cu-doped MOFs may have a promising application in the treatment of antibiotic-containing wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐crystalline micro‐/nanostructures based on organic stimulus‐responsive materials have attracted wide interests for their unique functional roles in various photonic applications including optical wave guiding, optical vapor sensing, and miniaturized lasing. Yet one imminent challenge is to pattern micro‐/nanostructured organic 1D arrays with controlled geometry, precise alignment, and pure crystallographic orientation owing to the uncontrollable dewetting dynamics in the solution processes. Herein, a smart assembly method is employed to regulate a confined crystallization of organic molecules. Sensitive, stable, and reproducible optical 1D‐array vapor sensors can detect the alkaline and acidic vapors based on the proton transfer process. As‐fabricated vapor sensors based on organic 1D arrays also selectively identify four similar amine vapors. Meanwhile, based on these 1D microstructure arrays, high‐performing Fabry–Pérot resonators with deep‐red laser emission, a low lasing threshold of 0.31 µJ, and high quality factor Q (≈2243) are realized. Owing to these multiple functions, organic microwire arrays not only provide intrinsic insight into optical vapor sensing but also offer guidance for the development of miniaturized lasers with specific functionalities, which show considerable potential in multifunctional photonic integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas hydrate is a potential alternative energy that has attracted attention from scientific and industrial communities. Depressurization is one of the most effective approach for extracting natural gas from hydrate reservoirs in oceans. Clarifying multi-field coupling effects between geomechanical responses and fluid production in hydrate reservoirs is very important for identifying a suitable depressurization strategy for gas production. Here, we employed a customized apparatus for modeling hydrate reservoirs and their production behaviors under the multi-field coupling effect, and a series of experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of hydrate saturations (from 11.09% to 42.14%) and depressurization strategies (single depressurization of 3, 6, 10 MPa and multiple depressurization). The results show that gas production via depressurization includes pore pressure reduction, massive hydrate dissociation and residual hydrate dissociation stages. The second stage requires more attention due to the noteworthy evolutions of permeability, deformation, and sand production of hydrate-bearing sediments. Single deep depressurization of 10 MPa in the sediments with high hydrate saturations could improve gas recovery (almost triple the gas production rate) but increase engineering risks, such as sediment subsidence (up to 501.1%) and sand production (up to 426.4%), compared to that of single depressurization of 3 MPa. A marginal effect is observed due to the limited hydrate content and boundary effect of the experimental reactor, and this difference from field production cannot be neglected. Multiple depressurizations are beneficial to reservoir stability under identical depressurization amplitude. The cumulative deformations of double and triple depressurization are 89.1% and 75.4% of that of single depressurization, respectively. Considering the observed coupling responses, a multi-objective optimization method is suggested for depressurization strategy selection. • The multi-field coupling behaviors of hydrate reservoir were studied using a customized apparatus. • A marginal effect of depressurization in promoting hydrate dissociation was observed. • The influence of depressurization strategies and potential engineering risks of hydrate reservoir was discussed. • The multi-objective optimization method was recommended to select depressurization strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realization of polarized photodetection vigorously accelerates the development of applications in quantum communication, medicine, imaging, and sensing. Polarized light detection has been realized based on chiral perovskites, but the high concentrations of toxic lead and instability in those reported perovskites impose difficulties for their commercial applications. Furthermore, the precise patterning of perovskite arrays with high crystallinity is in high demand for the integration of optoelectronic devices. Herein, pure (001)‐orientated lead‐free chiral 2D double perovskite single‐crystalline microwire arrays are fabricated by the capillary‐bridge confined assembly technique. Perovskite microwire arrays present remarkable environmental stability under ambient conditions. With the synergy of the excellent crystallinity and sensitive circular‐polarization absorption of chiral perovskite microwire arrays, outstanding circularly polarized light photodetectors are realized, with responsivity exceeding 52 mA W−1 and detectivity exceeding 3.9 × 1011 Jones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous graphene (PG) has a promising future for gas storage owing to its unique pore characteristics and large specific surface area. The adsorption properties of PG and Mn atoms decorated PG (Mn-PG) for methane (CH4) molecules have been studied based on the first-principles density functional theory. It is discovered that the optimum adsorption position of CH4 on PG is the carbon ring pore, and the adsorption energy is − 0.174 eV. The optimal position of the PG system decorated by single Mn atom is the central hole of the carbon ring, and the optimal position of the two Mn atoms is that Mn atoms are, respectively, located at different carbon ring holes on the opposite side of PG, with an average binding energy of − 4.101 eV. The modification of the Mn atom enhances the electronegativity of the PG substrate and forms a negative electrical center at the carbon ring, which facilitates the enhancement of the adsorption performance of the CH4 molecules that are positively charged with the surface. The CH4 molecule, close to Mn atom shows negative charge, and its strong electrostatic interaction with positively charged Mn atom is dominant, resulting in higher adsorption energy. The surface of CH4 molecule far away from the Mn atom is positively charged, the weak electrostatic interaction with the negatively charged PG substrate and the Van der Waals interaction between CH4 molecules are dominant, and the adsorption energy is low. The CH4 molecules are adsorbed on the PG surface through the electrostatic interaction with Mn atoms and PG substrate as well as the intermolecular force of CH4 molecules. The Mn-PG system is single-sided adsorption 6 CH4 molecules, and the average adsorption energy is − 0.345 eV. When two Mn atom modification PG, 12 CH4 molecules can be adsorbed on both sides, and the average adsorption energy is − 0.338 eV, the adsorption capacity is up to 38.43 wt.%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid organic–inorganic metal‐halide perovskites with diverse structure tunability are promising for nonlinear‐optical (NLO) applications, such as frequency conversion and electro‐optic modulation. For integrated NLO devices, single‐crystalline perovskite micro‐ and nanostructures with high quality and multifunctionality are in high demand. However, the fabrication of single‐crystalline perovskites arrays is still challenging in regulating liquid dynamics and crystal growth simultaneously. Herein, a capillary‐bridge‐manipulated strategy is established to steer the dewetting process of microdroplets and provide spatial confinement for crystal growth. These 1D perovskite microwire arrays show regulated geometry, pure orientation, and single crystallinity. Chiral ammonium molecules are introduced into the metal‐halide octahedral quantum wells to break the centrosymmetry of the perovskite, allowing the perovskite to exhibit excellent second‐order NLO properties. The as‐prepared microwire arrays also demonstrate linearly polarized second harmonic generation and two‐photon fluorescence. Microwire arrays exhibit higher second harmonic conversion efficiency compared with their polycrystalline thin‐film counterparts. It is believed that this strategy for the fabrication of chiral perovskite microstructure arrays holds great promise for NLO integrated applications and opens up an avenue to explore multifunctional chiral perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous graphene (PG) is an important candidate material for energy gas adsorption and storage due to its large specific surface area and low mass. Herein, based on first‐principles density functional theory, the adsorption performances of PG and titanium‐modified porous graphene (Ti‐PG) systems on methane (CH4) molecules are investigated. It is discovered that the optimal adsorption position of a single CH4 molecule on PG is the center C‐ring pore, and the adsorption energy is −0.228 eV. In the Ti‐PG system, the best position for Ti atom modification is the PG center pore, with a binding energy of −3.603 eV. When two Ti atoms modify the PG system, 24 CH4 molecules can be adsorbed on both sides, the adsorption amount of CH4 can reach 54.7 wt%, and the average adsorption energy is −0.207 eV. After the adsorption of CH4 molecules, the electrostatic interaction between the overall electronegative CH4 molecules and the electropositive Ti atom, the electrostatic interaction between the electropositive surface CH4 molecules and the PG substrate, and the van der Waals force due to the polarity of CH4 molecules create synergistic effects, which improve the CH4 adsorption performance of the Ti‐PG system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors represented by Etanercept (a fusion protein containing soluble TNF receptor II (sTNFRII) and the Fc segment of human IgG1) play a pivotal role in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. However, long-term use increases the risk of infection and tumors for their systemic inhibition of TNF-α, which disrupts the regular physiological function of this molecular. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-based delivery system provides new options for RA treatment with their "homing" and immune-regulation capacities, whereas inflammatory environment (especially TNF-α) is not conducive to MSCs' therapeutic effects by inducing apoptosis/autophagy. Here, we constructed a strain of sTNFRII-Fc-expressing MSCs (sTNFRII-MSC), aiming to offset the deficiency of those two interventions. Methods: Constructed sTNFRII-Fc lentiviral vector was used to infect human umbilical cord-derived MSCs, and sTNFRII-MSC stable cell line was generated by monoclonal cultivation. In vitro and vivo characteristics of sTNFRII-MSC were assessed by coculture assay and an acute inflammatory model in NOD/SCID mice. The sTNFRII-MSC were transplanted into CIA model, pathological and immunological indicators were detected to evaluate the therapeutic effects of sTNFRII-MSC. The distribution of sTNFRII-MSC was determined by immunofluorescence assay. Apoptosis and autophagy were analyzed by flow cytometry, western blot and immunofluorescence. Results: sTNFRII-Fc secreted by sTNFRII-MSC present biological activity both in vitro and vivo. sTNFRII-MSC transplantation effectively alleviates mice collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) via migrating to affected area, protecting articular cartilage destruction, modulating immune balance and sTNFRII-MSC showed prolonged internal retention via resisting apoptosis/autophagy induced by TNF-α. Conclusion: sTNFRII-Fc modification protects MSCs against apoptosis/autophagy induced by TNF-α, in addition to releasing sTNFRII-Fc neutralizing TNF-α to block relevant immune-inflammation cascade, and thus exert better therapeutic effects in alleviating inflammatory arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advances in nanotechnology, nanowires have gained worldwide attention because of their novel properties and promising applications. Among them, silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4) nanowires have attracted increasing attention due to their excellent performance and huge application potential. In this review, various synthesis methods of Si 3 N 4 nanowires are introduced in detail, and then the growth mechanisms are also stated. Subsequently, the novel properties of Si 3 N 4 nanowires including mechanical, optical, electrical, thermal, and wetting performance are highlighted. Applications corresponding to performance are also summarized later, such as composites, field emitters, field-effect transistors (FETs), photodetectors, photocatalysts, and microwave absorbers. Finally, the contents of this article are concluded and outlooks of future research directions are stated. This article reviews the recent advances and provides the prospects and challenges of Si 3 N 4 nanowires. [Display omitted] • The designed synthesis methods and growth mechanisms of Si 3 N 4 nanowires were summarized. • The novel properties of Si 3 N 4 nanowires were highlighted. • The potential applications of Si 3 N 4 nanowires were indicated. • The challenges and opportunities of Si 3 N 4 nanowires were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visualization and noncontact sensing can be achieved based on multimode luminescent materials, which is essential to flexible optoelectronics, information encryption, and infrastructure monitoring. However, the development of optical sensors is primally limited by developing high‐performance luminescent functional materials with energy conversion. Here, by codoping transition metal and lanthanide ions into quaternary piezophotonic semiconductors MZnOS (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) microcrystals, the efficient multimode luminescent materials are successfully synthesized. They can simultaneously respond to ultraviolet, near‐infrared and stress, and exhibit completely different optical characteristics. Specifically, both composite film and block are prepared by mixing luminescent particles and polymers for mechanical‐to‐optical energy conversion. The developed composite based on mechanoluminescence can be utilized for visualizing pressure distribution, even E‐signature, and anti‐counterfeiting systems. In addition, temperature detection is researched based on upconversion emissions. The results suggest that these materials have great potential applications in advanced optical multimode sensors, which is of significance for integrated optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the treatment of refractory wastewater such as oil-field wastewater has become one of the most concerning environmental problems. Using nanometer photocatalyst to treat wastewater under visible light is an alternative solution. In this study, N and B co-doped TiO2 particles with Ag surface modification (Ag/TNB) were prepared to improve the visible-light activity. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV–VisDRS. The decomposition of Rh.B, and hydrocarbons in the oil-field wastewater under visible light was studied. The results showed that the presence of N, B and Ag improved the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. 98% of Rh.B was removed after 1 h photocatalysis at the conditions of pH 6 with the catalyst loading of 1 g/L. The COD value of oil-field wastewater was reduced by 54% after 2 h at the conditions of pH 8 with the catalyst loading of 2 g/L. The modified catalyst revealed its great potential in the practical application for environmental purification. The Ag/TNB particles were obtained by sol–gel and photochemical deposition. Ag particles deposited on the surface of the TNB particles, and N, B elements entered the TiO2 lattice to replace O. Nano Ag formed a new Fermi energy level under visible light irradiation, which reduced the energy required for electron transition. The organic pollutants were oxidized and degraded by • OH and • O 2 − . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BiVO4/HNTs hybrid photocatalysts were synthesized by liquid phase precipitation using natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as supporter and Bi(NO3)·5H2O as resource of Bi. XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, HRTEM, x-ray photo electron spectroscopy and UV–Vis DRS were used to characterize the samples prepared at different calcination temperatures, and the effects of crystallization, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area and morphological structure on the photoactivity were investigated. Results reveal that increasing calcination temperature can accelerate the transition of BiVO4 from tetragonal to monoclinic and also decrease the surface area of BiVO4/HNTs. The SEM results showed that BiVO4 was successfully coated on HNTs surface with ellipsoid or near rod like morphology, and the obtained BiVO4/HNTs had regular nanotube morphology. HRTEM results showed that, the regular fringe spacing of the lattice planes are about 0.474 and 0.364 nm, which is consistent with the (110) and (200) plane of the monoclinic and tetragonal BiVO4, confirming the exiting of mixed crystal structure in BiVO4/HNTs. BiVO4 with tetragonal phase (80.02%) and monoclinic phase (19.98%) mixed crystal is loaded on the surface of HNTs with calcinations at 400 °C for 2 h. The structure and Si (Al)–O bond of HNTs can be obviously changed over the calcination temperature of 400 °C. The effect of calcination temperature on photocatalytic reactivity of samples was investigated by degradation of dyes (MB, MO and RhB) under simulated solar light. And the sample calcined at 400 °C with the better mixed crystalline structure and larger specific surface area exhibits significant activity with the removal rate of MB and RhB up to 100% within 4 h. The degradation of MB follows the first order kinetic model. BiVO4/HNTs photocatalysts with the band gap of 2.34 eV has higher photocatalytic reaction rate and better sedimentation performance than Degussa P25. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of BiVO4/HNTs for MB was no significant reduction after four times recycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CIRP induces proliferation, migration, invasion and inflammation of RA-FLSs. • Blocking of CIRP with C23 could inhibit CIRP-induced abnormal activation of RA-FLSs. • C23 could alleviate the arthritis severity in AA rats. • Knockdown of TLR4 inhibit CIRP-induced abnormal activation of RA-FLSs. • CIRP induces abnormal activation of RA-FLSs via TLR4-mediated HDAC3. The development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is closely related to the excessive activation of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), which are regulated by a variety of endogenous proinflammatory molecules. Extracellular cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP), as a novel endogenous proinflammatory molecule, plays an important role in inflammatory diseases. More importantly, the synovial concentration of CIRP in patients with RA was significantly higher than that in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of extracellular CIRP in the abnormal activation of RA-FLSs and its related mechanisms. Our study showed that extracellular CIRP induced proliferation, migration and invasion of RA-FLSs, increased the expression of N-cadherin and MMP-3, and promoted the release of IL-1β and IL-33. However, blocking of extracellular CIRP with C23 inhibited CIRP-induced abnormal activation of RA-FLSs and alleviated the arthritis severity in AA rats. Accumulating evidence suggests that the activity and proinflammatory effects of CIRP are mediated through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Further studies demonstrated that the TLR4 knockdown inhibited CIRP-induced abnormal activation, and histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) expression in RA-FLSs. In addition, we found that HDAC3 knockdown and the specific inhibitor RGFP966 significantly suppressed CIRP-induced abnormal activation of RA-FLSs. We further found that treatment with HDAC3 specific inhibitor effectively alleviated the severity of arthritis in AA rats. Taken together, these findings indicate that extracellular CIRP induces abnormal activation of RA-FLSs via the TLR4-mediated HDAC3 pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycosylation is an important proteins post-translational modification and is involved in protein folding, stability and enzymatic activity, which plays a crucial role in regulating protein function in plants. Here, we report for the first time on the changes of N -glycoproteome in wheat response to wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) infection. Quantitative analyses of N-linked glycoproteome were performed in wheat without and with WYMV infection by ZIC-HILIC enrichment method combined with LC-MS/MS. Altogether 1160 N-glycopeptides and 971 N-glycosylated sites corresponding to 734 N-glycoproteins were identified, of which 64 N-glycopeptides and 64 N-glycosylated sites in 60 N-glycoproteins were significantly differentially expressed. Two conserved typical N-glycosylation motifs N-X-T and N-X-S and a nontypical motifs N-X-C were enriched in wheat. Gene Ontology analysis showed that most differentially expressed proteins were mainly enriched in metabolic process, catalytic activity and response to stress. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that two significantly changed glycoproteins were specifically related to plant-pathogen interaction. Furthermore, we found that over-expression of TaCERK reduced WYMV accumulation. Glycosylation site mutation further suggested that N-glycosylation of TaCERK could regulate wheat resistance to WYMV. This study provides a new insight for the regulation of protein N-glycosylation in defense response of plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycosylation is an important proteins post-translational modification and is involved in protein folding, stability and enzymatic activity, which plays a crucial role in regulating protein function in plants. Here, we report for the first time on the changes of N -glycoproteome in wheat response to wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) infection. Quantitative analyses of N-linked glycoproteome were performed in wheat without and with WYMV infection by ZIC-HILIC enrichment method combined with LC-MS/MS. Altogether 1160 N-glycopeptides and 971 N-glycosylated sites corresponding to 734 N-glycoproteins were identified, of which 64 N-glycopeptides and 64 N-glycosylated sites in 60 N-glycoproteins were significantly differentially expressed. Two conserved typical N-glycosylation motifs N-X-T and N-X-S and a nontypical motifs N-X-C were enriched in wheat. Gene Ontology analysis showed that most differentially expressed proteins were mainly enriched in metabolic process, catalytic activity and response to stress. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that two significantly changed glycoproteins were specifically related to plant-pathogen interaction. Furthermore, we found that over-expression of TaCERK reduced WYMV accumulation. Glycosylation site mutation further suggested that N-glycosylation of TaCERK could regulate wheat resistance to WYMV. This study provides a new insight for the regulation of protein N-glycosylation in defense response of plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noroviruses have been recognized as the most important causative agents of acute gastroenteritis. The present study was carried out to investigate the molecular epidemiological features of genotype II (GII) norovirus in outpatients with acute gastroenteritis in Shandong province in China from July 2017 to June 2018. In total, 151 (10.30%) samples were positive for NoV GII strains by RT-PCR. Eight genotypes were detected: GII.2, GII.3, GII.4, GII.6, GII.7, GII.12, GII.13 and GII.17. GII.4 (43.71%) was the most prevalent genotype, and the dominant strains belonged to the group of Sydney-2012 strains. GII.17 (27.15%), which has become the main cause of outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in China, also accounted for a high proportion. Meanwhile, three recombinant types (GII.P17-GII.7, GII.P3-GII.4 and GII.P12-GII.4) were observed and authenticated using Simplot software. The results showed that GII norovirus was the main cause of acute gastroenteritis in Shandong province. GII.4 and GII.17 were the dominant genotypes. Continuous observation and identification of emerging genotypes are necessary for understanding the evolution of the virus, control of infection, and development of vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic residues in wastewater have attracted great attention for their potential toxicity to environment. In this work, a zirconium-based metal–organic framework (PCN-777) was synthesized as adsorbent to remove cephalexin from water. Attributed to synergistic effect of the electrostatic interaction and coordination interaction between MOF framework and cephalexin, PCN-777 exhibits a high adsorption capacity of 442.48 mg·g−1, which is higher than those of reported adsorbents. The adsorption behavior follows Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order model. Besides, this MOF can be reused via a simple method. Therefore, PCN-777 may have a promising potential application for purification of waste water containing trace antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intersystem crossing (ISC) was observed for naphthalimide (NI)‐derived Tröger's base, and the ISC was confirmed to occur by a spin‐orbital charge‐transfer (SOCT) mechanism. Conventional electron donor/acceptor dyads showing SOCT‐ISC have semirigid linkers. In contrast, the linker between the two chromophores in Tröger's base is rigid and torsion is completely inhibited, which is beneficial for efficient SOCT‐ISC. Femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectra demonstrated charge‐separation and charge‐recombination‐induced ISC processes. Nanosecond TA spectroscopy confirmed the ISC, and the triplet state is long‐lived (46 μs, room temperature). The ISC quantum yield is dependent on solvent polarity (8–41 %). The triplet state was studied by pulsed‐laser‐excited time‐resolved EPR spectroscopy, and both the NI‐localized triplet state and triplet charge‐transfer state were observed, which is in good agreement with the spin‐density analysis. The Tröger's base was confirmed to be a potent photodynamic therapy reagent with HeLa cells (EC50=5.0 nm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) results from non-allelic homologous recombination between low-copy repeats termed LCR22. About 60%–70% of individuals with the typical 3 megabase (Mb) deletion from LCR22A-D have congenital heart disease, mostly of the conotruncal type (CTD), whereas others have normal cardiac anatomy. In this study, we tested whether variants in the hemizygous LCR22A-D region are associated with risk for CTDs on the basis of the sequence of the 22q11.2 region from 1,053 22q11.2DS individuals. We found a significant association (FDR p < 0.05) of the CTD subset with 62 common variants in a single linkage disequilibrium (LD) block in a 350 kb interval harboring CRKL. A total of 45 of the 62 variants were associated with increased risk for CTDs (odds ratio [OR) ranges: 1.64–4.75). Associations of four variants were replicated in a meta-analysis of three genome-wide association studies of CTDs in affected individuals without 22q11.2DS. One of the replicated variants, rs178252, is located in an open chromatin region and resides in the double-elite enhancer, GH22J020947, that is predicted to regulate CRKL (CRK-like proto-oncogene, cytoplasmic adaptor) expression. Approximately 23% of patients with nested LCR22C-D deletions have CTDs, and inactivation of Crkl in mice causes CTDs, thus implicating this gene as a modifier. Rs178252 and rs6004160 are expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) of CRKL. Furthermore, set-based tests identified an enhancer that is predicted to target CRKL and is significantly associated with CTD risk (GH22J020946, sequence kernal association test (SKAT) p = 7.21 × 10−5) in the 22q11.2DS cohort. These findings suggest that variance in CTD penetrance in the 22q11.2DS population can be explained in part by variants affecting CRKL expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two batches of GaAs laser power converters (LPCs) with or without a localized gradient doping layer were fabricated via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition for converting the power of 808 nm lasers. The gradient doping layer was introduced into the base layer above the back surface field layer with a doping concentration that varied exponentially from 1×1018/cm3 to 5×1018/cm3. The two batches of LPCs were tested under various 808 nm laser light intensities ranging from 100 to 2500 mW. The LPC structures with and without the gradient doping layer both displayed their highest conversion efficiency of 55.1% and 53.4%, respectively, at a laser power of 1200 mW. The addition of the gradient doping layer improved the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers and reduced the recombination rate in the base region of the GaAs LPCs, which increased the open-circuit voltage of the LPCs by 13.3 mV and the short-circuit current density by 3.6 mA. Furthermore, the absolute value of the fill factor increased by 1.2% at an incident light intensity of 1200 mW, resulting in a 1.7% improvement in the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the GaAs LPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We demonstrated a novel pathogenesis of cartilage damage in OA, which M1 macrophage derived IL-18 could induce articular chondrocyte senescence. • The ASIC1a-CMPK2 axis plays a positive regulatory role in modulating M1 macrophage polarization. • We reported that ASIC1a is a promising treatment target for M1 macrophage-mediated diseases, such as OA. Identification of a role for, and the mechanism of action of, the acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) in M1 macrophage polarization, which results in osteoarthritis (OA)-associated chondrocyte senescence. ASIC1a expression in synovial M1 macrophages of OA patients was assessed by immunofluorescence. A role for ASIC1a in M1 macrophage and chondrocyte senescence was assessed in a mouse OA model. ASIC1a expression was found to be upregulated in synovial M1 macrophages of OA patients. Extracellular acidification (pH 6.0) promoted M1 polarization of bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs), which was reversed by PcTx-1 or ASIC1a-siRNA. RNA-seq transcriptome results demonstrated a downregulation of M1 macrophage-associated genes in BMDMs after PcTx-1 treatment. Mechanistically, a role for the ASIC1a-cytidine/uridine monophosphate kinase 2 (CMPK2) axis in M1 macrophage polarization was demonstrated. The concentration of IL-18 was elevated in synovial fluid and supernatants of acid-activated BMDMs. In vitro , IL-18 stimulation or co-culture with acid-activated macrophages promoted chondrocyte senescence. In vivo , intra-articular administration of PcTx-1 reduced articular cartilage destruction and chondrocytes senescence in OA mice, which related to reduced numbers of M1 macrophages and IL-18 in affected joints. These results demonstrate a novel pathogenic process that results in OA cartilage damage, in which M1 macrophage derived IL-18 induces articular chondrocytes senescence. Further, the ASIC1a-CMPK2 axis was shown to positively regulate M1 macrophage polarization. Hence, ASIC1a is a promising treatment target for M1 macrophage-mediated diseases, such as OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of fully conjugated sp2‐carbon covalent organic frameworks (COF) is extremely challenging given the difficulty of the formation of very stable carbon‐carbon double bonds (‐C=C‐). Here, we report the successful preparation of a 2D COF (TP‐COF) based on triazine as central planar units bridged by sp2‐carbon linkers through the ‐C=C‐ condensation reaction. High‐resolution‐transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) clearly confirmed the tessellated hexagonal pore structure with a pore center‐to‐center distance of 2 nm. Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) together with structural simulations revealed an AA stacking mode of the obtained layered structure. TP‐COF turned out to be an excellent semiconductor material with a LUMO energy of −3.23 eV and a band gap of 2.36 eV. Excitingly, this novel sp2‐carbon conjugated TP‐COF exhibited unprecedented coenzyme regeneration efficiency and can significantly boost the coenzyme‐assisted synthesis of l‐glutamate to a record‐breaking 97 % yield within 12 minutes. Art imitates life: A 2D conjugated covalent organic framework (COF) based on triazine as a central planar unit bridged by sp2‐carbon linkers was constructed through the ‐C=C‐ condensation reaction. The COF can be used as an artificial photosystem I and shows an excellent coenzyme‐regeneration efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of fully conjugated sp2‐carbon covalent organic frameworks (COF) is extremely challenging given the difficulty of the formation of very stable carbon‐carbon double bonds (‐C=C‐). Here, we report the successful preparation of a 2D COF (TP‐COF) based on triazine as central planar units bridged by sp2‐carbon linkers through the ‐C=C‐ condensation reaction. High‐resolution‐transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) clearly confirmed the tessellated hexagonal pore structure with a pore center‐to‐center distance of 2 nm. Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) together with structural simulations revealed an AA stacking mode of the obtained layered structure. TP‐COF turned out to be an excellent semiconductor material with a LUMO energy of −3.23 eV and a band gap of 2.36 eV. Excitingly, this novel sp2‐carbon conjugated TP‐COF exhibited unprecedented coenzyme regeneration efficiency and can significantly boost the coenzyme‐assisted synthesis of l‐glutamate to a record‐breaking 97 % yield within 12 minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Figure. Mechanism of CP-25 combined with MTX/LEF to ameliorate AA rats In the one hand, CP-25 alone and in combination blocked the activation of P38, ERK, and JNK. CP-25 combined with MTX/LEF exerts synergistic effects to inhibit inflammation of AA rats by inhibiting the MAPK pathway. In the other hand, CP-25 inhibited GRK2 translocation in AA rats which further restored the inhibition of GRK2 on p-ERK. CP-25 synergized with MTX/LEF through GRK2-induced inhibition of p-ERK, thereby suppressing inflammation in AA rats. Highlights • CP-25 combined with low-dose MTX/LEF showed equivalent therapeutic effects of high-dose MTX/LEF. • CP-25 decreased the expression of p-ERK through the inhibition on GRK2 membrane expression. • CP-25 has potential as a useful drug for the combined treatment of patients with RA. Abstract Objective CP-25 attenuates arthritis progression in animal models by inhibiting G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) membrane expression. This study compared groups treated with high-dose methotrexate (MTX)/leflunomide (LEF) and CP-25 combined with low-dose MTX/LEF in an adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) rat model and investigated possible mechanisms. Methods AA was induced in rats via complete Freund's adjuvant. Experimental groups were divided into a normal group; vehicle group; monotherapy groups, including CP-25 (50 mg/kg), MTX (0.25, 0.5 mg/kg), and LEF (5, 10 mg/kg); and CP-25 (50 mg/kg)-combined MTX (0.25 mg/kg)/LEF (5 mg/kg) groups. We measured cytokine levels, phosphorylation and protein expression, and interactions between proteins. The role of GRK2 on phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) was determined via GRK2-siRNA using a high content imaging system. Results Therapeutic effects, including pathology and cytokine balance, were equivalent between the CP-25-combination groups and the high-dose MTX/LEF groups. P38, ERK, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation in AA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) was reduced in the treatment groups; GRK2 expression was only inhibited in the CP-25 group. Interactions between GRK2 and p-ERK decreased in the vehicle group and were restored in the CP-25 group. GRK2 membrane expression and p-ERK nuclear expression increased in FLS pre-treated with tumour necrosis factor alpha and stimulated with prostaglandin E2. Nuclear expression of p-ERK increased in GRK2-siRNA FLS. Conclusion Equivalent therapeutic effects were observed between CP-25-combination groups and high-dose MTX/LEF groups. CP-25 inhibited p-ERK by reducing the membrane expression of GRK2 in FLS from AA rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Realize IT load demand response controllability with data center resource scheduling. • Design server cluster workload scheduling method with time shift mechanism. • Design data center UPS energy storage dynamic response mechanism. • Holistic dynamic response method smoothens data center tie-line power fluctuation. Abstract With the rapid development of cloud computing, artificial intelligence technologies and big data applications, data centers have become widely deployed. High density IT equipment in data centers consumes a lot of electrical power, and makes data center a hungry monster of energy consumption. To solve this problem, renewable energy is increasingly integrated into data center power provisioning systems. Compared to the traditional power supply methods, renewable energy has its unique characteristics, such as intermittency and randomness. When renewable energy supplies power to the data center industrial park, this kind of power supply not only has negative effects on the normal operation of precision equipment, such as CPU/GPU chips and hard disk, in data center, but it would also impact the stability of the utility power grids operation. To solve this problem, this paper presents a novel tie-line power fluctuation smoothing algorithm with consideration of data center's holistic demand response. The contributions of this paper are: (1) overcoming the limitations of treating IT load as uncontrollable workload in the traditional demand response research, we design a data center resource scheduling model to realize IT load demand response controllability; (2) two novel mechanisms are proposed: (i) the server cluster workload scheduling method with time shift mechanism, and (ii) the data center UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) energy storage dynamic response mechanism. (3) Combining these two mechanisms as holistic demand response of data center, we present a tie-line power fluctuation smoothing algorithm to improve power supply reliability, which is beneficial to both the high density and precision IT equipment in the data center and the utility power grid. In the experiments, the results show that the new algorithm can effectively regulate the tie-line power fluctuations under different server cluster utilization ranges and scenarios of large-scale penetration of distributed renewable energy scenarios. The new algorithm is hence able to contribute beneficially to the reliability and stability of intelligent industrial park micro-grid and utility power grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin–orbit charge transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) of perylenemonoimide–phenothiazine compact dyads was shown to depend on the molecular geometry and the vector dipole orientations of the two chromophores, and the dyads show high triplet state quantum yields (57%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass to power generation is an alternative for fossil fuel to power pathways and plays a significant role in electricity supply and CO 2 emissions reduction of the United Kingdom (UK). Additionally, the UK government plans to phase out coal to power in the near future (2025), implying that all coal power plants in the future must be deployed with CO 2 capture and storage (CCS). In this study, life cycle evaluation of energy use, CO 2 emissions and cost requirements for pulverized fuel combustion power plants using white wood pellets and bituminous coal, a typical coal widely consumed in coal power station in the UK, as feedstocks, with and without (w/o) post-combustion CCS are investigated for deep understanding application and challenges of these technologies. The life cycle evaluation covers the whole power generation process including wood pellets/coal supply chain and electricity generation at the power plant. The analysis demonstrates that biomass or biomass/coal co-fired plants w/o CCS has no advantage in comparison to coal fired plant w/o CCS regarding the energy use due to the high energy consumption during the biomass supply chain process. From a life cycle viewpoint, CO 2 released when combusting biomass will be consumed during plant growth, resulting in an approximate carbon neutral combustion process with additional CO 2 emissions from the supply chain process. The biggest handicap for biomass power plants is the high operational cost of the feedstock supply chain process, with the additional high capital cost of the carbon capture plant, if considered. These results are a comprehensive guide which can help decision makers perform suitable measures to push forward development and application of coal/biomass power generation with CCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk assessment of the integrated drive generator (IDG) is a significant problem in flight safety that directly affects the operation of the aircraft power system However, the current IDG risk assessment methods still have many limitations, leading to risk identification and classification that is not accurate and scientific. Therefore, this paper constructs a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) framework for IDG risk identification and classification considering expert reliability in unbalanced hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (UHFLTSs) environment. First, since the UHFLTSs can effectively describe uncertain and imprecise linguistic information of decision makers (DMs) and adapt it to practical applications, it is specially chosen to depict the evaluation of DMs. Second, the importance of experts is fully assessed by combining expert reliability and expert weight since the variation in expert reliabilities may have a substantial impact on the final sorting outcomes. In addition, the group best–worst method (GBWM) is combined with the entropy method to determine the risk factor weight. Third, to build up the accuracy and stability of classification, a new integrated TOPSIS-ELECTRE TRI decision framework is proposed to classify failure modes more rationally. The sensitivity analysis of parameters demonstrates the robustness of the proposed method. Meanwhile, the effectiveness and superiority of the method are verified both qualitatively and quantitatively. By comparing with several typical sorting methods, the proposed method has more realistic and stable classification results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Os(ii) complexes are particularly interesting for triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion, due to the strong direct S0→ T1 photoexcitation, as in this way, energy loss is minimized and large anti-Stokes shift can be achieved for TTA upconversion. However, Os(bpy)3 has an intrinsic short T1 state lifetime (56 ns), which is detrimental for the intermolecular triplet–triplet energy transfer (TTET), one of the crucial steps in TTA upconversion. In order to prolong the triplet state lifetime, we prepared an Os(ii) tris(bpy) complex with a Bodipy moiety attached, so that an extended T1 state lifetime is achieved by excited state electronic configuration mixing or triplet state equilibrium between the coordination center-localized state (3MLCT state) and Bodipy ligand-localized state (3IL state). With steady-state and time-resolved transient absorption/emission spectroscopy, we proved that the 3MLCT is slightly above the 3IL state (by 0.05 eV), and the triplet state lifetime was prolonged by 31-fold (from 56 ns to 1.73 μs). The TTA upconversion quantum yield was increased by 4-fold as compared to that of the unsubstituted Os(ii) complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to identify the effectiveness of lentivirus-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) targeting mouse tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). RNAi lentivirus was used in vitro to transfect RAW264.7 cells, and the expression of TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 mRNAs and TNF-α protein in RAW264.7 cells was measured by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. In vivo, mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) were injected intravenously with RNAi lentivirus, and CIA arthritis scores and the serum levels of TNF-α were detected. Additionally, joint tissues were subjected to pathological examination. In the cells, the expression level of TNF-α mRNA in the RNAi lentivirus group was 0.29±0.02, which was significantly lower than that of the lentivirus negative control (0.93±0.01; t=25.4, P<0.001). In the mice, the serum TNF-α level in the RNAi lentivirus group was 249.25±11.22 ng/ml, which was significantly lower than that of the negative control group (381.86±6.28 ng/ml; P<0.05). However, no difference in IL-1α and IL-6 mRNA levels was identified among the groups (t=1.00, P=0.37; t=1.22, P=0.29). The CIA arthritis score in the RNAi lentivirus group was significantly reduced compared with those in the control and negative control groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, the arthritis scores in the RNAi lentivirus and positive control groups continued to decrease for ≥2 weeks, and the serum TNF-α levels in the RNAi lentivirus and positive control groups were 31.58±2.18 and 35.21±2.25 pg/ml, which were significantly lower than those in the negative control group (46.62±3.02 pg/ml; P<0.05). Thus, targeting of the TNF-α gene in mice via lentivirus-mediated RNAi in vitro and in vivo achieved TNF-α gene downregulation, which indicates that lentivirus-mediated RNA interference may be an effective form of gene therapy against rheumatoid arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) has attracted extensive application in gas adsorption, membrane separation and catalysis. It has been demonstrated that the morphology is crucial for the physical and chemical properties. In this work, ZIF-8 crystals with rod or delta morphology are regulated by interface synthesis. The preferred growth of specific crystalline face is controlled at oil-water interface and results in uniform ZIF-8 crystals with various morphologies. Solvents types and feeding concentrations play crucial roles in crystalline growth. This method can be extended to other materials synthesis, such as ZIF-1 and ZIF-67 crystals. The interface synthesis approach may provide insight to promote advanced materials fabrication and achieve better materials function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract The open-circuit voltage (V oc) of classical photovoltaic polymers, such as P3HT and PTB7-Th, are always restricted when combining with fullerene derivatives, due to the difficulty of modulating the energy levels of fullerene derivatives. Thus, design of new non-fullerene small molecule acceptor (NFSMA) is very significant to match with these mature polymer donors and improve the V oc and power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, a new benzotriazole (BTA)-based NFSMA, BTA7 was synthesized by adopting A 2 A 1 D A 1 A 2 type molecular backbone. By using a strong electron-accepting unit of malononitrile (M) as terminal segment A 2 , BTA7 demonstrates strong crystallinity, red-shifted absorption spectrum and down-shifted lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels in comparison with BTA1 and BTA2. Organic solar cells (OSCs) based on PTB7-Th:BTA7 realized a high V oc of 1.05 V with a moderate PCE of 4.60%. The energy loss (E loss = E g − e V oc) of 0.53 eV is lower than the experiential minimum value of 0.6 eV, which indicates PTB7-Th still has large potential to improve the V oc and photovoltaic performance after the development of novel electron acceptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystalline Porous Materials, Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework, Local Flexibility, Porous Molecular Crystals, Switchable Crystallinity Inside Back Cover: Rigid-Flexible Hybrid Porous Molecular Crystals with Guest-Induced Reversible Crystallinity (Angew. Keywords: Crystalline Porous Materials; Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework; Local Flexibility; Porous Molecular Crystals; Switchable Crystallinity EN Crystalline Porous Materials Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework Local Flexibility Porous Molecular Crystals Switchable Crystallinity 1 1 1 03/15/23 20230320 NES 230320 B A rigid-flexible b hybrid hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) with guest-induced reversible crystallinity was designed by Yingjie Zhao and Danbo Wang in their Research Article (e202217903). [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Crystalline Porous Materials; Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework; Local Flexibility; Porous Molecular Crystals; Switchable Crystallinity EN Crystalline Porous Materials Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework Local Flexibility Porous Molecular Crystals Switchable Crystallinity 1 1 1 03/15/23 20230320 NES 230320 B A rigid-flexible b hybrid hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) with guest-induced reversible crystallinity was designed by Yingjie Zhao and Danbo Wang in their Research Article (e202217903). A specific compound, such as hexane, acts as a "key" to control the crystallinity, while the triangle macrocycle as the building module is the "lock". Crystalline Porous Materials, Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework, Local Flexibility, Porous Molecular Crystals, Switchable Crystallinity. [Extracted from the article]

Identifying relatively low permeability areas (RLPA) is significant for site selection and parameter design for implementing enhanced gas mining measures (e.g. hydraulic fracturing, hydraulic perforation, etc.) in coal and gas outburst seams. The P-wave velocity of coal is sensitive to the variation of porosity. This paper researched the P-wave velocity change of coal with respect to confining pressure and gas pressure, the mathematical relationship model between P-wave velocity with porosity and permeability, and the relative permeability identification index. The research found that the P-wave velocity response to gas pressure varies non-monotonically. When the gas pressure is <2 MPa, the confining pressure is the main control factor leading to P-wave velocity variation. The mathematical model of P-wave velocity versus porosity and permeability was derived based on the linear relationship between wave velocity and porosity in dense rocks and the Seidle permeability model for porous media. Then the wave velocity anomaly coefficient (A n) is used as the identification index for the relative permeability of the coal seam. That is, when the anomaly coefficient of coal seam wave velocity A n < -8%, the coal seam is a relatively high permeability area (RHPA); when −8% < A n < 8%, the coal seam is relatively normal permeability area (RNPA); when A n > 8%, the coal seam is (RLPA). Based on the identification indexes studied, two RHPA (H1 and H2) and two RLPA (L1 and L2) were identified in the field engineering application. Comparing the drainage parameters in different relative permeability areas, the gas drainage volume fraction and flow in the RLPA are 56% and 90% lower than RHPA, respectively, validating the accuracy of identifying RLPA in the coal seam. • Relationship model between P-wave velocity and coal permeability was developed. • Established an identification index for the relative permeability of coal seams. • Proposed a method to identify the relative permeability of coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of the study was to determine the association between vena contracta area (VCA) and secondary leaflet tethering among mitral valve prolapse (MVP) patients, and thus to further identify and characterize an MVP with pathological leaflet tethering (MVPt+) phenotype. Methods: We prospectively evaluated 94 consecutive MVP patients with significant mitral regurgitation (MR) and 21 healthy controls. MVPt+ group was defined as tenting volume index (TVi) >.7 mL/m2. The three‐dimensional (3D) geometry of mitral valve apparatus and VCA was measured with dedicated quantification software. Results: Of the 94 patients with MVP and significant MR, 31 patients showed a TVi >.7 mL/m2 and entered the MVP with leaflet tethering (MVPt+) group. In stepwise multivariate analysis, only prolapse volume index and TVi were independently associated with 3D VCA. 3D VCA, annular area index, and plasma levels of NT‐proBNP were independently correlated with the severity of leaflet tethering. ROC curve revealed that a 3D VCA ≥.55 cm2 is the optimal cutoff point to predict MVPt+ phenotype. Conclusions: Secondary leaflet tethering is a significant mechanism behind severe degenerative MR, resulting in an MVPt+ phenotype featuring more advanced morphological and hemodynamical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is one of the main factors that affect the air quality in aircraft cabins, and the use of different air supply modes could influence the distribution of air pollutants in cabins. Based on the traditional ceiling air supply mode used on the B737NG, this study investigated another 3 different kinds of air supply modes for comparison: luggage rack air supply mode, joint mode combining ceiling and luggage rack air supply, and joint mode combining ceiling and individual air supply. Under the above 4 air supply modes, the air velocity, temperature and distribution of air pollutants in a cabin full of passengers were studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and formaldehyde were selected as 2 kinds of representative air pollutants. The simulation results show that the joint mode combining ceiling and individual air supply can create a more uniform distribution of air velocity and temperature, has a better effect on the removal of CO 2 and formaldehyde, and can provide better air quality in cabins than the other 3 modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]