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Various charged thorium ions such as singly charged, doubly charged, and triply charged thorium ions trapped in the ion trap can be used to excite the Th-229 first nuclear excited state via the electronic bridge process. We present an integration of a linear ion trap with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer to investigate trapped Th-232 ions. Various charged thorium ions are produced by laser ablation and dynamically loaded into the ion trap. After sufficient collisional cooling, thorium ions are extracted along one of the radial directions for time-of-flight mass spectrometry by rapidly quenching the trapping potential and applying high-voltage extracting pulses. The charge states of thorium ions are identified and the maximum mass resolutions of thorium ions reach ∼100 with initial 300 K collisional cooling. The velocity distributions of ablated various charged thorium ions are measured, and the results agree well with Monte Carlo simulation. Lifetimes of thorium ions are determined to be a few tens of seconds in the ion trap, which are helpful for further spectroscopic studies of Th-229 nuclear transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibration of a transformer core induced by magnetostriction is closely related to the environment and safety of devices. The DC bias excitation leads to the over saturation of the transformer core and causes more severe vibration. In this paper, a magnetic-mechanical strong coupling model based on a fixed-point time-periodic 2D finite element method with excitation voltage and DC bias current as the input is established in which the vector magnetic potential A, winding current I, and displacement in the core u are simultaneously taken as solution variables, and the fixed-point reluctivity is introduced to deal with the nonlinear problem of the core. In this model, the magnetic field and mechanical field are associated with the piezomagnetic equations and variational principle, and the circuit and magnetic fields are connected through the law of electromagnetic induction. The equivalent thickness of the core model and the determination of the initial value are discussed. A test transformer with a laminated core is made for experimental measurement. The accuracy and efficiency of the model proposed are verified by comparing the calculated results with the experimental results, and the influence of DC bias components on the magnetic characteristics and vibration of the transformer core is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second harmonic generation (SHG) is one of the most extensively applied nonlinear optical phenomena. Compared to traditional inorganic SHG materials, organic SHG materials, including non-centrosymmetric small molecular crystals and organic polymers, have been extensively explored for SHG optics due to their advantageous properties, including high light-induced damage threshold, ultrafast response speed, high polarization ratio, wide transparency range, and elevated dielectric constant. However, in organic SHG materials, most small molecular crystals often show poor thermal stability (<200 °C) due to their low molecular weight, which is an important obstacle for practical application under high temperatures. On the other hand, the difficulty in the growth of large-size crystals as well as the disorderly array of chromospheres on polymer chains associated with organic polymers have hindered their widespread application in SHG due to the requirements of processability and homogeneity. Therefore, it is significantly necessary to develop novel organic SHG material with high thermal stability, large-size crystals, excellent processability, high homogeneity, and a well SHG effect. In the contribution, we developed herein porous organic cages (POCs) as a novel platform for SHG optics. Thanks to its inherent macromolecular composition and zero-dimensional discrete structures, POCs can not only solve the instability problem of small molecule crystals but also overcome the drawbacks in growing large-size crystals for organic polymer. The obtained two POCs with chiral asymmetric centers (CPOC-R-5 and CPOC-S-7) display advantageous features for SHG optics including well SHG performance, large-size crystal (5 mm×3 mm×1 mm), high thermal stability (⩾250 °C), wide transparency window (750–2,000 nm) and high polarization ratio (up to 94.5%). This work thus develops POCs as a new platform toward the construction of organic NLO materials with the potential application in sorts of SHG optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate deep learning reconstruction (DLR)-based accelerated rectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with standard MRI. Materials and methods: Patients with biopsy-confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma between November/2022 and May/2023 in a single centre were prospectively enrolled for an intra-individual comparison between standard fast spin-echo (FSEstandard) and DLR-based FSE (FSEDL) sequences. Quantitative and qualitative image quality metrics of the pre-therapeutic MRIs were evaluated in all patients; diagnostic performance and evaluating time for T-staging, N-staging, extramural vascular invasion (EMVI), and mesorectal fascia (MRF) status was further analysed in patients undergoing curative surgery, with histopathologic results as the diagnostic gold standard. Results: A total of 117 patients were enrolled, with 60 patients undergoing curative surgery. FSEDL reduced the acquisition time by 65% than FSEstandard. FSEDL exhibited higher signal-to-noise ratios, contrast-to-noise ratio, and subjective scores (noise, tumour margin clarity, visualisation of bowel wall layering and MRF, overall image quality, and diagnostic confidence) than FSEstandard (p < 0.001). Reduced artefacts were observed in FSEDL for patients without spasmolytics (p < 0.05). FSEDL provided higher T-staging accuracy by junior readers than FSEstandard (reader 1, 58.33% vs 70.00%, p = 0.016; reader 3, 60.00% vs 76.67%, p = 0.021), with similar N-staging, EMVI, and MRF performance. No significant difference was observed for senior readers. FSEDL exhibited shorter diagnostic time in all readers' T-staging and overall evaluation, and junior readers' EMVI and MRF (p < 0.05). Conclusion: FSEDL provided improved image quality, reading time, and junior radiologists' T-staging accuracy than FSEstandard, while reducing the acquisition time by 65%. Clinical relevance statement: DLR is clinically applicable for rectal MRI, providing improved image quality with shorter scanning time, which may ease the examination burden. It is beneficial for diagnostic optimisation in improving junior radiologists' T-staging accuracy and reading time. Key Points: The rising incidence of rectal cancer has demanded enhanced efficiency and quality in imaging examinations. FSEDLdemonstrated superior image quality and had a 65% reduced acquisition time. FSEDLcan improve the diagnostic accuracy of T-staging and reduce the reading time for assessing rectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly ash (FA) was used to modify sludge-based biochar (SBC) to improve its phosphorus (P) adsorption capacity, which was conducted by adding FA in the dried sewage sludge before 600 °C pyrolysis. FA modification increased the surface area of SBC, decreased its average pore diameter, increased its Al and Fe contents, improved its crystallinity, and enhanced its maximal P adsorption capacity from 12.37 mg adsorbed P/g SBC (mg/g) to 14.05 mg/g. The P adsorption process was well fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models, indicating that P adsorption onto SBC was a single molecular layer adsorption dominated by chemical adsorption. The P adsorption onto SBCs was spontaneous and endothermic. FA modification improved the reusability of SBC by increasing the retention rate from 74.9 ± 5.8% to 80.8 ± 5.4% after four adsorption and desorption cycles. FA modification changed the P adsorption mechanism of SBC from ligand exchange, electrostatic attraction, and ion exchange to surface inner-sphere complex formation, electrostatic attraction, and ion exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is an efficient and non-destructive method for the identification and classification of mixed plastics. In the identification process of NIR spectroscopy, the dataset proportion of each type of plastic obtained is imbalanced due to the difficulty of obtaining or special application environments. When the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) identification model identifies samples with imbalanced proportions, it may misidentify plastic categories with small proportions, or even fail to identify them. Considering this, this study proposes an improved BPNN identification method based on Bayesian regulation optimization. To illustrate the performance of the proposed model, NIR spectroscopy data from 200 samples of plastic-containing additives were analyzed for four plastics: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyamide, polypropylene, and polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene blend. The spectral data was preprocessed by Savitzky-Golay smoothing and multivariate scatter correction. Competitive adaptive reweighted sampling method was used to extract information from the spectral data. The identification ability of the proposed model was evaluated using accuracy, recall and precision determined through macro and micro average The experimental results show that the overall accuracy of the proposed method to identify imbalanced small proportion plastics is improved by 7.7% on average compared with the method using the BPNN identification model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The evidence regarding the relationship between different types of beverages and cardiovascular health in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is scarce. Aims To prospectively examine the associations between individual beverage consumption, genetic predisposition, and risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) among adults with T2D. Methods We analyzed the associations of individual beverage intake with risks of CVD and ischemic heart disease (IHD) in 7315 participants with T2D, overall or stratified by genetic risk to CVD, using data from the UK Biobank study. Results During a median follow-up of 6.1 years, 878 incident CVD cases were identified, including 517 IHD cases. Higher intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs), and natural juices were each linearly associated with a higher CVD (P nonlinearity >.05). Comparing the highest to lowest groups of beverage consumption, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of CVD were 1.54 (1.14, 2.07) for SSBs, 1.34 (1.07, 1.69) for ASBs, and 1.33 (1.01, 1.76) for natural juices. Similar results were observed for incident IHD. Moreover, no significant interactions between these beverages and the CVD genetic risk score were observed. Replacing half-unit/day of SSBs or natural juices with coffee, tea, or yogurt, but not ASBs, was associated with a 20% to 46% lower risk of CVD and IHD. Interpretation Higher intakes of SSBs, ASBs, and natural juices were each linearly associated with an increased risk of CVD among individuals with T2D, regardless of genetic predisposition. Our findings highlight the importance of selecting healthy beverage options to improve cardiovascular health in patients with T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes are attractive for energy‐efficient gas separations. A challenge with the fabrication of a high‐performance CMS membrane is fine‐tuning its microstructure for precise and efficient separation. This necessitates a molecular‐scale analysis to understand its microstructure–performance relationship. Herein, molecular simulations were performed to unravel the relationships between four similar‐sized CMS matrices with different microstructural characteristics (e.g., chemical composition and micromorphology) and their gas transport properties. Results show that the disordered packing of carbon layers, leading to the formation of ultramicropore (2–7 Å), originates from stereoscopic sp3 hybridized carbon atoms rather than non‐carbon (oxygen) atoms. The size‐sieving ability of CMS depends positively on ultramicroporosity; the adsorption capacity is strengthened and then weakened with the increase of ultramicroporosity. Competitive effects are observed in binary‐mixture transport, and it is expected that the separation performance can be optimized by a reasonable distribution of ultramicropores combined with the affinity of oxygen‐containing species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: We herein describe a Cp*RhIII‐catalyzed C(sp3)–H mono‐arylation of 8‐methylquinolines with benign arylsilanes. The use of 1‐adamantane carboxylic acid can benefit the efficiency in this transformation, and AgF was both activator and reoxidant. Control experiments indicated inability of C—H cleavage in determining the rate of the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in ozone (O3) can be evaluated to inform policy effectiveness and develop reasonable emissions reduction measures. This study investigated the causes of summertime maximum daily 8-h average (MDA8) O3 variation between 2015 and 2020 in Nanjing, China, a megacity in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, from the perspective of meteorological conditions and anthropogenic emissions of O3 precursors (VOCs and Nox). Compared with 2015, the observed MDA8 O3 decreased by 19.1 µg/m3 in August 2020. The indirect and indirect impacts of meteorological conditions contributed 44% of the decline, with temperature, relative humidity, and wind playing important roles in the O3 variation. The O3 drop by 10.7 µg/m3 (56% of the total decrease) may have been due to the decreases in anthropogenic emissions of VOCs and NOx by 7.8% and 11.7%, respectively. The longer hydroxyl (OH) radical chain length and higher ozone production efficiency (OPE) indicated that the reduction of anthropogenic emissions accelerated the ROx (ROx = OH + HO2 + RO2) and NOx cycles in O3 production, making O3 more sensitive to NOx. This corresponded to the O3 formation shifting from a VOC-limited regime in 2015 to a transition regime in 2020 and O3 decrease with anthropogenic emission reduction. Hence, the joint control of O3 precursor emissions can effectively mitigate O3 pollution in Nanjing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at binary classification of highly imbalanced data, this paper proposes a novel twin-hypersphere method with conformal transformation. To provide favorable environments that the hyperspheres can search the region containing the majority class and pay more attention to the region containing the minority class, conformal mapping is put on the original data region. Meanwhile, to tighten classification boundaries learned from the hyperspheres, a gain operation is implemented on the kernels. Experimental results show that the accuracy of classification boundaries learned by the proposed method reaches 0.880 on the synthetic datasets. Results also show and our classification accuracy is 0.731 on the highly imbalanced dataset with imbalanced ratio 87.8:1, which defeated against the competitors with significant advantages. Moreover, time consumption of the proposed method did not exponentially increase so that it is suitable for the classification to a large-scale scenario. We find that non-linear kernels are better at focusing on global regions, while conformal transformation can assist them better perception sub-regions. Conformal transformation is helpful the observation of the regions containing those hard-to-observe minority classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is associated with aberrant pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cell (PASMC) function and vascular remodeling. MiR‐30d plays an important role in the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular disorders. However, the function of miR‐30d in PAH progression remained unknown. Our study shows that circulating miR‐30d level is significantly reduced in the plasma from PAH patients. In miR‐30d transgenic (TG) rats, overexpressing miR‐30d attenuates monocrotaline (MCT)‐induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) and pulmonary vascular remodeling. Increasing miR‐30d also inhibits platelet‐derived growth factor‐bb (PDGF‐bb)‐induced proliferation and migration of human PASMC. Metadherin (MTDH) and phosphodiesterase 5A (PDE5A) are identified as direct target genes of miR‐30d. Meanwhile, nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) acts as a positive upstream regulator of miR‐30d. Using miR‐30d knockout (KO) rats treated with sildenafil, a PDE5A inhibitor that is used in clinical PAH therapies, it is further found that suppressing miR‐30d partially attenuates the beneficial effect of sildenafil against MCT‐induced PH and vascular remodeling. The present study shows a protective effect of miR‐30d against PAH and pulmonary vascular remodeling through targeting MTDH and PDE5A and reveals that miR‐30d modulates the beneficial effect of sildenafil in treating PAH. MiR‐30d should be a prospective target to treat PAH and pulmonary vascular remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the concept of "Physical Literacy" has emerged as a significant breakthrough in enhancing the physical health of children and adolescents. This concept has become the guiding principle and future direction for physical education reform in Western countries. As China's economic and social development enters a new phase, the negative impact of insufficient physical activity on adolescent health remains a significant challenge to the strategies of "Healthy China" and "A Leading Sports Nation." The unique value of physical literacy, which emphasizes the importance of regular physical activity, aligns perfectly with the developmental needs of the nation, the era, and individuals. Given the crucial role of interpersonal support in the development of adolescents' physical literacy, this study employs questionnaire surveys and statistical analysis to investigate the current state of physical literacy among Chinese adolescents. It explores the predictive relationship between parental support, teacher support, and peer support on physical literacy, aiming to provide guidance for the future development of adolescents' physical literacy. The research findings indicate significant differences in the five dimensions of physical literacy (attitude, sports knowledge, emotion, athletic ability, and physical fitness) among adolescents of different grades and residence type. Additionally, there are notable gender differences in the dimensions of sports knowledge, emotion, and athletic ability. The interaction effect of gender and grade is particularly evident in the emotional and physical fitness dimensions. There is a significant correlation between interpersonal support and all dimensions of physical literacy. After controlling for variables such as gender, grade, and family background, interpersonal support for adolescent physical exercise was found to have a significant impact on all dimensions of physical literacy. Among the forms of support, peer support was identified as a more powerful predictor of physical literacy compared to parental and teacher support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal single‐atoms implanted on nitrogen‐doped carbon matrices (M‐NxCs) can effectively adjust local surface electrons and polarization relaxation through coordination structures to significantly enhance the electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption properties of the materials. However, the precise construction of the geometric and electronic structures of metal single atoms and the discovery of the structure‐absorption relationship at the atomic level confront a huge challenge. Herein, this work summarizes the latest progress in metal single‐atom engineering of EMW absorbing materials via a comprehensive analysis of M‐NxCs in terms of design principles, modulation strategies, and structure‐performance correlations. Subsequently, it highlights the recent progress of several typical M‐NxCs as the EMW absorbing materials, aiming to achieve a complete understanding of the physical effects and atomic‐level absorption mechanisms. Finally, current key challenge and future directions of M‐NxCs are presented by focusing on the electromagnetic functional materials. This work provides new insights for the development of atomically dispersed absorbing materials for efficient electromagnetic response functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exceptional interlayer coupling of organic–inorganic vdWHs is paramount for enhancing electron mobility. Herein, we report a novel transfer-free method to fabricate MoSe2/Ni3(HITP)2 vdWHs. The MOF film promotes interfacial charge transfer, leading to a threefold increase in electron mobility. This work provides a platform for developing high-performance optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual‐atom catalysts (DACs) are promising for applications in electrochemical CO2 reduction due to the enhanced flexibility of the catalytic sites and the synergistic effect between dual atoms. However, precisely controlling the atomic distance and identifying the dual‐atom configuration of DACs to optimize the catalytic performance remains a challenge. Here, the Ni and Fe atomic pairs were constructed on nitrogen‐doped carbon support in three different configurations: NiFe‐isolate, NiFe‐N bridge, and NiFe‐bonding. It was found that the NiFe‐N bridge catalyst with NiN4 and FeN4 sharing two N atoms exhibited superior CO2 reduction activity and promising stability when compared to the NiFe‐isolate and NiFe‐bonding catalysts. A series of characterizations and density functional theory calculations suggested that the N‐bridged NiFe sites with an appropriate distance between Ni and Fe atoms can exert a more pronounced synergy. It not only regulated the suitable adsorption strength for the *COOH intermediate but also promoted the desorption of *CO, thus accelerating the CO2 electroreduction to CO. This work provides an important implication for the enhancement of catalysis by the tailoring of the coordination structure of DACs, with the identification of distance effect between neighboring dual atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we firstly develop porous organic cage (POC) as an efficient platform for highly effective radioactive iodine capture under industrial operating conditions (typically ≥150 °C), ≤150 ppmv of I2). Due to the highly dispersed and readily accessible binding sites as well as sufficient accommodating space, the constructed NKPOC‐DT‐(I−) (NKPOC=Nankai porous organic cage) demonstrates a record‐high I2 uptake capacity of 48.35 wt % and extraordinary adsorption capacity of unit ionic site (~1.62) at 150 °C and 150 ppmv of I2. The I2 capacity is 3.5, 1.6, and 1.3 times higher than industrial silver‐based adsorbents Ag@MOR and benchmark materials of TGDM and 4F‐iCOF‐TpBpy‐I− under the same conditions. Furthermore, NKPOC‐DT‐(I−)Me exhibits remarkable adsorption kinetics (k1=0.013 min−1), which is 1.2 and 1.6 times higher than TGDM and 4F‐iCOF‐TpBpy‐I− under the identical conditions. NKPOC‐DT‐(I−)Me thus sets a new benchmark for industrial radioactive I2 adsorbents. This work not only provides a new insight for effectively enhancing the adsorption capacity of unit functional sites, but also advances POC as an efficient platform for radioiodine capture in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a fundamental industrial catalytic process, the semihydrogenation of alkynes presents a challenge in striking a balance between activity and selectivity due to the issue of over‐hydrogenation. Herein, we develop an efficient catalytic system based on single‐atom Pd catalysts supported on boron‐containing amorphous zeolites (Pd/AZ−B), achieving the tradeoff breaking between the activity and selectivity for the selective hydrogenation of alkynes. Advanced characterizations and theoretical density functional theory calculations confirm that the incorporated B atoms in the Pd/AZ−B can not only alter the geometric and electronic properties of Pd atoms by controlling the electron migration from Pd but also mitigate the interaction between alkene and the catalyst supports. This boosts the exceptional catalytic efficacy in the semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene under mild conditions (298 K, 2 bar H2), achieving a recorded turnover frequency (TOF) value of 24198 h−1 and demonstrating 95 % selectivity to styrene at full conversion of phenylacetylene. By comparison, the heteroatom‐free amorphous zeolite‐anchored Pd nanoparticles and the commercial Lindlar catalyst have styrene selectivities of 73 % and 15 %, respectively, under identical reaction conditions. This work establishes a solid foundation for developing highly active and selective hydrogenation catalysts by controllably optimizing their electronic and steric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual‐atom catalysts (DACs) are promising for applications in electrochemical CO2 reduction due to the enhanced flexibility of the catalytic sites and the synergistic effect between dual atoms. However, precisely controlling the atomic distance and identifying the dual‐atom configuration of DACs to optimize the catalytic performance remains a challenge. Here, the Ni and Fe atomic pairs were constructed on nitrogen‐doped carbon support in three different configurations: NiFe‐isolate, NiFe‐N bridge, and NiFe‐bonding. It was found that the NiFe‐N bridge catalyst with NiN4 and FeN4 sharing two N atoms exhibited superior CO2 reduction activity and promising stability when compared to the NiFe‐isolate and NiFe‐bonding catalysts. A series of characterizations and density functional theory calculations suggested that the N‐bridged NiFe sites with an appropriate distance between Ni and Fe atoms can exert a more pronounced synergy. It not only regulated the suitable adsorption strength for the *COOH intermediate but also promoted the desorption of *CO, thus accelerating the CO2 electroreduction to CO. This work provides an important implication for the enhancement of catalysis by the tailoring of the coordination structure of DACs, with the identification of distance effect between neighboring dual atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we firstly develop porous organic cage (POC) as an efficient platform for highly effective radioactive iodine capture under industrial operating conditions (typically ≥150 °C), ≤150 ppmv of I2). Due to the highly dispersed and readily accessible binding sites as well as sufficient accommodating space, the constructed NKPOC‐DT‐(I−) (NKPOC=Nankai porous organic cage) demonstrates a record‐high I2 uptake capacity of 48.35 wt % and extraordinary adsorption capacity of unit ionic site (~1.62) at 150 °C and 150 ppmv of I2. The I2 capacity is 3.5, 1.6, and 1.3 times higher than industrial silver‐based adsorbents Ag@MOR and benchmark materials of TGDM and 4F‐iCOF‐TpBpy‐I− under the same conditions. Furthermore, NKPOC‐DT‐(I−)Me exhibits remarkable adsorption kinetics (k1=0.013 min−1), which is 1.2 and 1.6 times higher than TGDM and 4F‐iCOF‐TpBpy‐I− under the identical conditions. NKPOC‐DT‐(I−)Me thus sets a new benchmark for industrial radioactive I2 adsorbents. This work not only provides a new insight for effectively enhancing the adsorption capacity of unit functional sites, but also advances POC as an efficient platform for radioiodine capture in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a fundamental industrial catalytic process, the semihydrogenation of alkynes presents a challenge in striking a balance between activity and selectivity due to the issue of over‐hydrogenation. Herein, we develop an efficient catalytic system based on single‐atom Pd catalysts supported on boron‐containing amorphous zeolites (Pd/AZ−B), achieving the tradeoff breaking between the activity and selectivity for the selective hydrogenation of alkynes. Advanced characterizations and theoretical density functional theory calculations confirm that the incorporated B atoms in the Pd/AZ−B can not only alter the geometric and electronic properties of Pd atoms by controlling the electron migration from Pd but also mitigate the interaction between alkene and the catalyst supports. This boosts the exceptional catalytic efficacy in the semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene under mild conditions (298 K, 2 bar H2), achieving a recorded turnover frequency (TOF) value of 24198 h−1 and demonstrating 95 % selectivity to styrene at full conversion of phenylacetylene. By comparison, the heteroatom‐free amorphous zeolite‐anchored Pd nanoparticles and the commercial Lindlar catalyst have styrene selectivities of 73 % and 15 %, respectively, under identical reaction conditions. This work establishes a solid foundation for developing highly active and selective hydrogenation catalysts by controllably optimizing their electronic and steric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recovery of valuable metals from spent ternary lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has recently garnered significant attention due to the imperatives of the circular economy and environmental management. While the reclamation of lithium is generally straightforward, the hydrometallurgical methods most frequently employed for leaching and separating the remaining nickel, cobalt, and manganese from spent electrode material often yield secondary liquid and solid wastes. In this study, we present a mechanochemical strategy aimed at repurposing lithium-removed spent ternary LIBs cathode material as a precursor for perovskite oxides through a straightforward and scalable solid-state high-energy ball-milling synthesis. By optimizing the synthesis procedure, we have obtained a perovskite catalyst composed of LaNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O3 with a trace amount of phase-separated surface NiO nanocrystals. This catalyst demonstrates outstanding performance in the low-temperature oxidation of CO, exhibiting no degradation in performance over extended periods of service. Notably, it achieves a T50 of 162 °C and a T90 of 197 °C, which compares favorably with previously reported perovskite catalysts prepared via wet synthesis, utilizing fine chemicals as precursors. This approach not only presents a novel method for valorizing spent ternary LIBs but also expands the repertoire of metal precursors available for oxidation catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early detection of bladder cancer (BCa) can have a positive impact on patients' prognosis. However, there is currently no widely accepted method for early screening of BCa. We aimed to develop an efficient, clinically applicable, and noninvasive method for the early screening of BCa by detecting specific serum miRNA levels. Methods: A mixed‐cohort (including BCa, 12 different other cancers, benign disease patients, and health population) study was conducted using a sample size of 16,189. Five machine learning algorithms were utilized to develop screening models for BCa using the training dataset. The performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve and decision curve analysis on the testing dataset, and subsequently, the model with the best predictive power was selected. Furthermore, the selected model's screening performance was evaluated using both the validation set and external set. Results: The BCaS3miR model, utilizing only three serum miRNAs (miR‐6087, miR‐1343‐3p, and miR‐5100) and based on the KNN algorithm, is the superior screening model chosen for BCa. BCaS3miR consistently performed well in both the testing, validation, and external sets, exceeding 90% sensitivity and specificity levels. The area under the curve was 0.990 (95% CI: 0.984–0.991), 0.964 (95% CI: 0.936–0.984), and 0.917 (95% CI: 0.836–0.953) in the testing, validation, and external set. The subgroup analysis revealed that the BCaS3miR model demonstrated outstanding screening accuracy in various clinical subgroups of BCa. In addition, we developed a BCa screening scoring model (BCaSS) based on the levels of miR‐1343‐3p/miR‐6087 and miR‐5100/miR‐6087. The screening effect of BCaSS is investigated and the findings indicate that it has predictability and distinct advantages. Conclusions: Using a mixed cohort with the largest known sample size to date, we have developed effective screening models for BCa, namely BCaS3miR and BCaSS. The models demonstrated remarkable screening accuracy, indicating potential for the early detection of BCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mussel‐inspired materials have been widely studied due to their excellent adhesion and self‐healing properties, but few studies have introduced this interesting property into the fracturing development of deep/ultra‐deep oil and gas fields. Herein, a new type of mussel‐inspired delayed crosslinking gel fracturing fluid is reported, which is formed by mussel‐inspired polymers containing many catechol groups and organic zirconium delayed crosslinkers. The strong supramolecular interaction in mussel‐inspired polymers can construct a more complex and stable dually cross‐linked polymer network based on conventional chemical crosslinking, to cope with harsh conditions such as high temperature and shear in reservoirs. After shearing at 200 °C, the reserved viscosity of mussel‐inspired delayed crosslinking gel is as high as 95 mPa·s. More importantly, the viscosity of gel remains basically unchanged at 25 °C, and the cross‐linking is completed within 300 s at 90 °C. The chemical force probe atomic force microscope (AFM) technology has successfully demonstrated that catechol groups are the main source of supramolecular interaction in mussel‐inspired polymers. The molecular simulation results show that due to the addition of catechol groups, the hydrogen bond interactions within the mussel‐inspired polymers molecules are enhanced. And the additional hydrogen bonds formed are more stable at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anion‐reinforced solvation structure favors the formation of inorganic‐rich robust electrode‐electrolyte interface, which endows fast ion transport and high strength modulus to enable improved electrochemical performance. However, such a unique solvation structure inevitably injures the ionic conductivity of electrolytes and limits the fast‐charging performance. Herein, a trade‐off in tuning anion‐reinforced solvation structure and high ionic conductivity is realized by the entropy‐assisted hybrid ester‐ether electrolyte. Anion‐reinforced solvation sheath with more anions occupying the inner Na+ shell is constructed by introducing the weakly coordinated ether tetrahydrofuran into the commonly used ester‐based electrolyte, which merits the accelerated desolvation energy and gradient inorganic‐rich electrode‐electrolyte interface. The improved ionic conductivity is attributed to the weakly diverse solvation structures induced by entropy effect. These enable the enhanced rate performance and cycling stability of Prussian blue||hard carbon full cells with high electrode mass loading. More importantly, the practical application of the designed electrolyte was further demonstrated by industry‐level 18650 cylindrical cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anion‐reinforced solvation structure favors the formation of inorganic‐rich robust electrode‐electrolyte interface, which endows fast ion transport and high strength modulus to enable improved electrochemical performance. However, such a unique solvation structure inevitably injures the ionic conductivity of electrolytes and limits the fast‐charging performance. Herein, a trade‐off in tuning anion‐reinforced solvation structure and high ionic conductivity is realized by the entropy‐assisted hybrid ester‐ether electrolyte. Anion‐reinforced solvation sheath with more anions occupying the inner Na+ shell is constructed by introducing the weakly coordinated ether tetrahydrofuran into the commonly used ester‐based electrolyte, which merits the accelerated desolvation energy and gradient inorganic‐rich electrode‐electrolyte interface. The improved ionic conductivity is attributed to the weakly diverse solvation structures induced by entropy effect. These enable the enhanced rate performance and cycling stability of Prussian blue||hard carbon full cells with high electrode mass loading. More importantly, the practical application of the designed electrolyte was further demonstrated by industry‐level 18650 cylindrical cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a metamorphic palletizing robot, elaborating on its working principles and analyzing its working trajectory. The primary aim is to address the complex challenge of multi-objective trajectory planning during the robot's motion, with a focus on minimizing time, energy consumption, and jerk. We present a general formula for optimizing multiple objectives, taking into account transformation characteristics based on actual working conditions. The optimization process employs the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm with an elite strategy (NSGA-II), while Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is integrated into the optimization progression to identify specific metamorphic points. This approach ultimately produces a set of Pareto optimal solutions. From this set, the solution with the lowest time consumption is chosen as the definitive option for multi-objective planning. The joint driving functions of the robot during configuration transformations and within each configuration are analyzed accordingly. To ensure precision, the joint driving functions employed in the experiment are fine-tuned with pulse compensation values. Subsequently, experimental validation is carried out to verify the accuracy and practical feasibility of the multi-objective trajectory planning method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, materials exhibiting multimodal luminescence properties from deep red to near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths have been a focal point of research, particularly in the exploration of applications within the realms of stress sensing and dynamic signature anti-counterfeiting. A pyroxene-type layered crystal structure compound, CaMgGe2O6: Mn2+, has been reported as a mechanoluminescent (ML) material. Upon incorporation into the host, Mn2+ ions preferentially substitute for Mg2+ ions, emitting deep red to near-infrared light (600–800 nm) within this six-coordinated [MgO6] octahedral environment. The congruence of photoluminescence and ML spectra indicates that both types of luminescence originate from the same emissive center. The doping of Mn2+ ions introduces impurity band, effectively reducing the optical band gap, as evidenced by ultraviolet diffuse reflectance measurements. Thermoluminescence results reveal three defect centers within the phosphor, whose concentrations decrease with Mn2+ doping, correlating with a reduction in ML intensity. The ML mechanism of the phosphor is elucidated through the analysis of local piezoelectric properties within the crystal. Overall, this study may pave new pathways for the development of efficient near-infrared mechanoluminescent materials, showcasing potential applications within the biological domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential raw materials, cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone, are derived from the selective catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane. Due to their closely matched boiling points, the efficient separation among the components remains a significant challenge in industrial catalysis. In this work, we employed DFT calculations to explore the adsorption behavior of CyH, CyOH, and Cy═O, on both clean and Ag‐modified ɦ‐WO3 (001) surfaces. The calculation results reveal that Ag4 exhibits the highest stability on the ɦ‐WO3 (001) surface. The organic species adsorbed onto the Agn‐WO3 surfaces through distinct host‐guest interactions: CyH via CH···Ag, CyOH, and Cy═O via HO···Ag and C═O···Ag, respectively. The optimal separation efficacy of CyOH and Cy═O on the Ag2‐WO3 surface results in CyOH as the preferred product, while on the Ag4‐WO3 surface, Cy═O serves as the ultimate outcome. Our theoretical calculations provided in this study offer a valuable theoretical foundation for the separation of the KA oil mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Apnea is common in preterm infants and can be accompanied with severe hypoxic damage. Early assessment of apnea risk can impact the prognosis of preterm infants. We constructed a prediction model to assess apnea risk in premature infants for identifying high-risk groups. Methods: A total of 162 and 324 preterm infants with and without apnea who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Xiamen University between January 2018 and December 2021 were selected as the case and control groups, respectively. Demographic characteristics, laboratory indicators, complications of the patients, pregnancy-related factors, and perinatal risk factors of the mother were collected retrospectively. The participants were randomly divided into modeling (n = 388) and validation (n = 98) sets in an 8:2 ratio. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to independently filter variables from the modeling set and build a model. A nomogram was used to visualize models. The calibration and clinical utility of the model was evaluated using consistency index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve, and the model was verified using the validation set. Results: Results of LASSO combined with multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gestational age at birth, birth length, Apgar score, and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome were predictors of apnea development in preterm infants. The model was presented as a nomogram and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test showed a good model fit (χ2=5.192, df=8, P=0.737), with Nagelkerke R2 of 0.410 and C-index of 0.831. The area under the ROC curve and 95% CI were 0.831 (0.787-0.874) and 0.829 (0.722-0.935), respectively. Delong's test comparing the AUC of the two data sets showed no significant difference (P=0.976). The calibration curve showed good agreement between the predicted and actual observations. The decision curve results showed that the threshold probability range of the model was 0.07-1.00, the net benefit was high, and the constructed clinical prediction model had clinical utility. Conclusions: Our risk prediction model based on gestational age, birth length, Apgar score 10 min post-birth, and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome was validated in many aspects and had good predictive efficacy and clinical utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spread through air spaces (STAS) is a recognized aggressive pattern in lung cancer, serving as a crucial risk factor for postoperative recurrence. However, its phenotype and related spatial structure have remained elusive. To address these limitations, we conducted a comprehensive study based on spatial data, analyzing over 30,000 spots from 14 non-STAS samples and one STAS sample. We observed increased proliferation activities and angiogenesis in STAS, identifying S100P as a potential biomarker for STAS. Furthermore, our investigation into the heterogeneity of STAS tumor cells revealed a subset identified as S100P + TFF1 +, exhibiting a negative impact on patients' survival in public datasets. This subtype exhibited the highest activities in the TGFb and hypoxia, suggesting its potential pro-tumor role within the tumor microenvironment. To assess the role of S100P + TFF1 + tumor cells in therapy response, we included data from two clinical trial cohorts (BPI-7711 for EGFR-TKI therapy and ORIENT-3 for immunotherapy). The presence of S100P + TFF1 + tumor cells correlated with worse responses to both EGFR-TKI therapy and immunotherapy. Notably, TFF1 emerged as a serum marker for predicting EGFR-TKI response. Cell–cell communication analysis revealed that the TGFb signaling pathway was the most activated in S100P + TFF1 + tumor cells, with TGFB2-TGFBR2 identified as the main ligand-receptor pair. This was further validated by multiplex immunofluorescence performed on twenty NSCLC samples. In summary, our study identified S100P as the biomarker for STAS and highlighted the adverse role of S100P + TFF1 + tumor cells in survival outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pine wilt disease (PWD) is a severe forest disease caused by the invasion of pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus), which has caused significant damage to China's forestry resources due to its short disease cycle and strong infectious ability. Benefiting from the development of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing technology, the use of UAV images for the detection of PWD-infected trees has become one of the mainstream methods. However, current UAV-based detection studies mostly focus on multispectral and hyperspectral images, and few studies have focused on using red–green–blue (RGB) images for detection. This study used UAV-based RGB images to extract feature information using different color space models and then utilized semantic segmentation techniques in deep learning to detect individual PWD-infected trees. The results showed that: (1) The U-Net model realized the optimal image segmentation and achieved the highest classification accuracy with F1-score, recall, and Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.9586, 0.9553, and 0.9221, followed by the DeepLabv3+ model and the feature pyramid networks (FPN) model. (2) The RGBHSV feature scheme outperformed both the RGB feature scheme and the hue saturation value (HSV) feature scheme, which were unrelated to the choice of the semantic segmentation techniques. (3) The semantic segmentation techniques in deep-learning models achieved superior model performance compared with traditional machine-learning methods, with the U-Net model obtaining 4.81% higher classification accuracy compared with the random forest model. (4) Compared to traditional semantic segmentation models, the newly proposed segment anything model (SAM) performed poorly in identifying pine wood nematode disease. Its success rate is 0.1533 lower than that of the U-Net model when using the RGB feature scheme and 0.2373 lower when using the HSV feature scheme. The results showed that the U-Net model using the RGBHSV feature scheme performed best in detecting individual PWD-infected trees, indicating that the proposed method using semantic segmentation technique and UAV-based RGB images to detect individual PWD-infected trees is feasible. The proposed method not only provides a cost-effective solution for timely monitoring forest health but also provides a precise means to conduct remote sensing image classification tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The relationship between systemic immune‐inflammation index (SII) and psoriasis and its prognosis is not yet clear. In this study, the correlation between SII and psoriasis, psoriasis comorbidities, and all‐cause mortality was investigated based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Methods: The study population was derived from five NHANES cycles: 2003–2006, 2009–2014, and survival follow‐up was as of December 31, 2019. The association between SII and psoriasis and its comorbidities was analyzed using weighted multivariate logistic regression models. Weighted COX regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Restricted cubic spline, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also used. Logarithmic conversion was performed on SII(log2SII) to reduce the impact of outliers. Results: A total of 21,431 participants were included in this study. As a continuous variable, log2SII was significantly associated with psoriasis in the fully adjusted model [OR = 1.20(1.04–1.39), p =.01]. log2SII remained positively associated with psoriasis after excluding participants with a history of cancer or cardiovascular disease (CVD), or non‐Hispanic black participants. Among psoriasis patients, log2SII was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) [OR = 1.68(1.19,2.38), p =.004] and all‐cause mortality [HR = 1.48(1.09,1.99), p =.01]. Similar results were consistently observed when SII was analyzed as a categorical variable (in quartiles). Conclusion: This study suggested a positive association between SII and the prevalence of psoriasis. Among psoriasis patients, SII was positively correlated with MetS and all‐cause mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants are commonly used in silage production, yet their effects on silage containing antimicrobial components, such as those found in Leonurus japonicus, remain less explored. Herein, the harvested alfalfa were thoroughly mixed with dried Leonurus japonicus Houtt. (LJH) at a ratio of 9:1 on a fresh weight basis and treated without (CK) or with a lactic acid bacterial inoculant (L; Lentilactobacillus buchneri). The mixtures were stored under anaerobic conditions in vacuum-sealed polyethylene bags for 30 days at ambient temperature. The L-treated silage exhibited high levels of water-soluble carbohydrates (4.98% dry matter (DM)) and acid detergent fiber (27.88% DM). Compared to that of treatment CK, treatment with L increased the acetic acid content of the silage, as a result of increased (p < 0.05) bacterial dominance and decreased (p < 0.05) bacterial richness indices (e.g., Pielou's E, Shannon, and Simpson) in the pre-storage period. However, these changes gradually reduced as the storage length increased. Treatment L reshaped the bacterial community structure of silage, by increasing the prevalence of Lactobacillus and reducing relative abundances of Enterococcus and Weissella. However, the principal coordinate and Bray–Curtis index analyses illustrated that samples from the L-treated silages exhibited similarities to the CK samples post-fermentation. Overall, the effect of LJH on LAB was only observed in the later stages of fermentation, which did not sufficiently change the silage quality. Hence, using LJH in silage is vital for clean livestock production without compromising the function of LAB when mixed with alfalfa silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liparis gigantea is a Chinese traditional medicinal herb in the Orchidaceae family. It is a rare and special Liparis species that exhibits relatively large flowers. To illuminate its phylogenetic status and augment genomic resources, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of L. gigantea was first sequenced and assembled using whole genome next-generation sequencing in this study. The cp genome size is 158,462 bp with a total GC content of 36.9%. Characterized by a quadripartite structure, the genome consists of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,032 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,322 bp, which is separated by a pair of 27,054 bp inverted repeat regions (IRs). A total of 133 genes were annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis strongly supported L. gigantea as the sister to two closely related terrestrial species, Liparis nervosa and L. vivipara. The results of this study provide genomic information for future research and application of this medicinal herb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For adjacent coal seams, the downward invasion of harmful gases from an overlying coal mine goaf to the lower mining face could occur, and a high-level drainage tunnel is usually adopted for disaster prevention. Due to the high cost, instead of a high-level drainage tunnel, the high-level directional boreholes are widely adopted. In this study, the effect of a high-level drainage tunnel to prevent the downward invasion of carbon dioxide from the overlying coal mine goaf is analysed by applying a flow model in the numerical simulation. Then, the high-level directional boreholes are analysed to investigate the possibility of taking the place of the high-level drainage tunnel. The research results show that (1) for close adjacent coal seams, the downward invasion range of harmful carbon dioxide from the overlying coal mine goaf reaches one-third of the mining face, around 60 m wide; (2) a high-level drainage tunnel can effectively prevent the downward invasion of carbon dioxide from the overlying coal mine goaf by reducing carbon dioxide concentration within 0.3%; (3) the nine high-level directional boreholes with a careful layout can reduce the downward invasion of carbon dioxide from the overlying coal mine goaf to keep carbon dioxide concentration below 0.8% at the mining area, ensuring the coal mining safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 73-year-old male presented with erythema and papules all over the body with itching for 2 months, aggravated for 1 week. Eight months ago, he received immunotherapy with programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) inhibitor for colorectal cancer, and 2 months ago, erythema and papules all over the body appeared, accompanied by severe itching. Dermatologic examination showed flaky erythema on the trunk and extremities, partially fused into a large area with scattered erythematous papules, scratches, and hyperpigmentation. Histopathology showed epidermal parakeratosis, hypertrophy of the stratum spinosum, and mild localized interspinous cell edema; capillary dilatation in the superficial dermis, predominantly peritubular lymphocytes, and occasional eosinophils. Diagnosis: immune checkpoint inhibitor-related skin toxicity (maculopapular rash with pruritus). After multidisciplinary discussion and informed consent, the patient was initiated on dupilumab therapy, administered as a 600 mg subcutaneous injection, followed by 300 mg doses every two weeks for a total of three treatments. The skin lesions and itching improved, and the patient was still under follow-up. % [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (H.cordata), as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb and food, has been used to treat various diseases because of rich content in flavonoids. Here, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQ-MS/MS) method was proposed for the determination of flavonoids profiling in H.cordata. Single factor experiment and response surface methodology were used to optimize the pretreatment process of H.cordata samples. The optimal conditions were as follows: ultrasonic temperature: room temperature (25 °C); ultrasonic time: 5 min; solid-liquid ratio: 1:40 and concentration of ethanol: 60%. The method showed the good linearity (r ≥ 0.9855), the satisfactory intra-day (RSD%≤10.94%) and inter-day precision (RSD% ≤ 11.2%) and low limit of quantification (< 0.01 µg/mL). The content of flavonoids in flowers and leaves was much higher than in roots and stems. The flavonoids in the leaves of H.cordata from Chongqing was the highest (9.22 mg/g), and that in the flowers of H.cordata from Hubei province was the highest (6.69 mg/g). In addition, the antioxidant activity of the extracts of H.cordata was evaluated using the scavenging effect of the extracts on five free radicals and the iron ion reducing ability. The best antioxidant activity was observed in scavenging DPPH free radicals with EC50 value of 295.16 µg/mL. The scavenging of ABTS•+ free radicals and PTIO• free radicals was also effective with EC50 values of 818.82 µg/mL and 685.43 685.43 µg/mL, respectively. Thus, this study will be helpful to the development and utilization of flavonoids from H.cordata in food and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital health covers a wide spectrum of applications of digital technologies in the healthcare field. As a new set of tools to support the health system in achieving its goals—improving access to care, quality of care, and system efficiency—digital health has significantly transformed the landscape of modern medicine and health care. This paper examines the role of digital health under Taiwan National Health Insurance, considering the profound impacts of digital health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses specifically on big data management and analytics (MediCloud and My Health Bank/NHI Mobile Easy Access) and innovative service provision models (telemedicine). We discuss two imminent challenges that any health system is likely to encounter: digital trust and digital divide. For the digital divide, we assessed the use of telemedicine and its determinants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study shows that high-income levels and the presence of chronic or severe illness were positively correlated with the use of telemedicine. This observation suggests that poor people who have poorer health status were most likely to suffer from unmet needs for telemedicine. Enhancing cybersecurity to safeguard confidentiality, and effective communications with the public are fundamental and essential steps to regaining public trust in the digital era. When calling for more investment in digital technology, policy makers should be mindful of the potential digital divide across the demographic and socioeconomic strata, and specific policies should be devised to provide support to target the socially disadvantaged group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the practical issue of load frequency control (LFC) in multi-area power systems with degraded actuators and sensors under cyber-attacks. A time-varying approximation model is developed to capture the variability in component degradation paths across different operational scenarios, and an optimal controller is constructed to manage stochastic degradation across subareas simultaneously. To assess the reliability of the proposed scheme, both Monte Carlo simulation and particle swarm optimization techniques are utilized. The methodology distinguishes itself by four principal attributes: (i) a time-varying degradation model that broadens the application from single-area to multi-area systems; (ii) the integration of physical constraints within the degradation model, which enhances the realism and practicality compared to existing methods; (iii) the sensor suffers from fault data injection attacks; and (iv) an optimal controller that leverages particle swarm optimization to effectively balance reliability and system performance, thereby improving both stability and reliability. This method has demonstrated its effectiveness and advantages in mitigating load disturbances, achieving its objectives in just one-third of the time required by established benchmarks. The case study validates the applicability of the proposed approach and demonstrates its efficacy in mitigating load disturbance amidst stochastic degradation in actuators and sensors under FDIA cyber-attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is a significant biomarker for predicting immune checkpoint inhibitor response, but the clinical performance of whole-exome sequencing (WES)–based TMB estimation has received less attention compared to panel-based methods. This study aimed to assess the reliability and comparability of WES-based TMB analysis among laboratories under routine testing conditions. Methods A multicenter study was conducted involving 24 laboratories in China using in silico reference data sets. The accuracy and comparability of TMB estimation were evaluated using matched tumor-normal data sets. Factors such as accuracy of variant calls, limit of detection (LOD) of WES test, size of regions of interest (ROIs) used for TMB calculation, and TMB cutoff points were analyzed. Results The laboratories consistently underestimated the expected TMB scores in matched tumor-normal samples, with only 50% falling within the ±30% TMB interval. Samples with low TMB score (<2.5) received the consensus interpretation. Accuracy of variant calls, LOD of the WES test, ROI, and TMB cutoff points were important factors causing interlaboratory deviations. Conclusions This study highlights real-world challenges in WES-based TMB analysis that need to be improved and optimized. This research will aid in the selection of more reasonable analytical procedures to minimize potential methodologic biases in estimating TMB in clinical exome sequencing tests. Harmonizing TMB estimation in clinical testing conditions is crucial for accurately evaluating patients' response to immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence and mortality of breast cancer increase year by year, and it is urgent to find high-efficiency and low-toxicity anti-cancer drugs. Pterostilbene (PTE) is a natural product with antitumor activity, but the specific antitumor mechanism is not very clear. Aerobic glycolysis is the main energy supply for cancer cells. Pyroptosis is an inflammatory, programmed cell death. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PTE on glycolysis and pyroptosis in EMT6 and 4T1 cells and the specific mechanism, and to elucidate the role of pyruvate kinase 2 (PKM2), a key enzyme in glycolysis, in the antitumor role of PTE. Our study suggested that PTE induced pyroptosis by inhibiting tumor glycolysis. PKM2 played an important role in both the inhibition of glycolysis and the induction of pyroptosis by PTE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are widely recognized as the result of exogenous retroviruses infecting the ancestral germline, stabilizing integration and vertical transmission during human genetic evolution. To date, endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) appear to have been selected for human physiological functions with the loss of retrotransposable capabilities. ERV elements were previously regarded as junk DNA for a long time. Since then, the aberrant activation and expression of ERVs have been observed in the development of many kinds of human diseases, and their role has been explored in a variety of human disorders such as cancer. The results show that specific ERV elements play respective crucial roles. Among them, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) transcribed from specific long-terminal repeat regions of ERVs are often key factors. lncRNAs are over 200 nucleotides in size and typically bind to DNA, RNA, and proteins to perform biological functions. Dysregulated lncRNAs have been implicated in a variety of diseases. In particular, studies have shown that the aberrant expression of some ERV-derived lncRNAs has a tumor-suppressive or oncogenic effect, displaying significant functional bidirectionality. Therefore, theses lncRNAs have a promising future as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets to explore the concise relationship between ERVs and cancers. In this review, we first summarize the role of ERV-derived lncRNAs in physiological regulation, mainly including immunomodulation, the maintenance of pluripotency, and erythropoiesis. In addition, pathological regulation examples of their aberrant activation and expression leading to carcinogenesis are highlighted, and specific mechanisms of occurrence are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]