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The interaction between metal oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the ambient atmosphere plays an important role in environmental and catalytic applications. Previous scanning probe microscopy and x-ray spectroscopy studies revealed surprisingly that the TiO2 [rutile (110)] surface selectively adsorbed atmospheric carboxylic acids, which typically exist in only parts-per-billion concentrations. In this work, we used in situ sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy to study the interaction between rutile (110) and typical VOC molecules, including formic acid, acetic acid, and formaldehyde. Spectra from all three adsorbed molecules on rutile (110) were similar to the rutile surface spectrum in the ambient atmosphere, showing a broad resonance near 2950 cm−1 that can be attributed to the bridging bidentate adsorption of corresponding compounds. In contrast, on a fused silica surface, a molecular monodentate adsorption configuration was observed for all the molecules, with aliphatic carbons appearing to be the dominant adventitious species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess the associations of replacing sedentary behavior with different types of physical activity with mortality among the US adults of varying diabetes statuses. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 21,637 participants (mean age, 48.5 y) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2018. Physical activity including leisure-time moderate-vigorous-intensity activity (MVPA), walking/bicycling, worktime MVPA, and sedentary behavior. We conducted an isotemporal substitution analysis using Cox regression to estimate the associations between replacements and mortality risks. Results: We found significant protective associations between replacing 30 minutes per day sedentary behavior with 3 types of physical activity and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk (except worktime MVPA for CVD mortality) among total participants, with hazard ratio (HR; 95% confidence interval [CI]) ranging from 0.86 (0.77–0.95) to 0.96 (0.94–0.98). Among participants with diagnosed diabetes, replacing sedentary behavior with leisure-time MVPA was associated with a lower all-cause mortality risk (HR 0.81, 95% CI, 0.70–0.94), which was also observed in other subgroups, with HRs (95% CI) ranging from 0.87 (0.80–0.94) to 0.89 (0.81–0.99). Among those with prediabetes/undiagnosed diabetes, replacing sedentary behavior with walking/bicycling was associated with lower CVD mortality risk, and replacement to work-time MVPA was associated with lower all-cause and CVD mortality risk, with HRs (95% CI) ranging from 0.72 (0.63–0.83) to 0.96 (0.92–0.99). Conclusions: Replacing sedentary behaviors with 30 minutes per day leisure-time MVPA was associated with lower all-cause mortality, regardless of diabetes statuses. Among people with prediabetes/undiagnosed diabetes, walking/bicycling was additionally associated with lower CVD mortality, and worktime MVPA was associated with lower all-cause and CVD mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the high-quality factor mullite microwave dielectric ceramic is employed to introduce in dielectric resonator antenna (DRA). The microwave dielectric properties of ɛr ∼ 5.8, Q × f ∼ 31 240 at 9.66 GHz, and loss tangent tanδ = 1/Q ∼ 2.7 × 10−4 can be obtained by the solid-state reaction method in mullite microwave dielectric ceramic sintered at 1700 °C. On this basis, the resonant modes of the proposed broadband high-gain rectangular DRA are analyzed by using a dielectric waveguide theoretical model and the antenna performance is evaluated by a commercial CST Microwave Studio 2021® software. It has been found that the proposed rectangular DRA can provide a broad bandwidth of 35.9%, a maximum gain of 10 dBi at 3.61 GHz, and a radiation efficiency of 90% in the range of 3.13–4.42 GHz. For demonstration, adequate consistency between the simulation results and the measurement results was achieved. The proposed DRA has great application potential and value in 5G communication scenarios requiring wideband and high-gain antenna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare but the most aggressive type of thyroid carcinoma. Nevertheless, limited advances were made to reduce mortality and improve survival over the last decades. Therefore, identifying novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ATC patients is still needed. Materials and methods: RNA sequencing data and corresponding clinical features were available from GEO and TCGA databases. We integrated WGCNA and PPI network analysis to identify hub genes associated with ATC development, and RT-qPCR was employed for data verification. Univariate and LASSO Cox regression analyses were used to generate prognostic signatures. Results: Based on PPI and WGCNA, 6 hub genes were identified, namely KIF2C, PBK, TOP2A, CDK1, KIF20A, and ASPM, which play vital roles in ATC development. Subsequently, RT-qPCR experiments showed that most of these genes were significantly upregulated in CAL-62 cells compared to Nthy-ori 3–1 cells. Moreover, a prognostic signature featuring GPSM2, FGF5, ASXL3, CYP4B1, CLMP, and DUXAP9 was generated, which was also verified by RT-qPCR results and proved as an independent predictor of poorer prognosis of ATC. Additionally, a nomogram incorporating the risk score and clinicopathological parameters was further constructed for accurate prediction of 1-, 3- and 5-year survival probabilities of ATC. Conclusions: Our study identified 6 key genes critical to ATC development and constructed a prognostic signature. These findings provide reliable biomarkers and a relatively comprehensive tumorigenesis profile of ATC, which may inform future strategies for clinical diagnosis and pharmaceutical design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence and prevalence of acute pharyngitis (AP) have increased significantly. Tinosporae Radix (TR) is a vital medication utilized in the treatment of pharyngeal and laryngeal ailments, especially AP. The study endeavors to explore unclear molecular mechanisms of TR in addressing AP. Methods: Network pharmacology and metabolomics analyses of effect of TR on AP were conducted, and apossible pathway was validated both in vivo using the acute pharyngitis rat model and in vitro using the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells model, through techniques such as histopathological examinations, immunohistochemical technology, ELISA, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting to systematically explore the possible mechanisms underlying the inhibition of AP by TR. Results and discussion: Network pharmacology analysis identified several key targets, including PIK3CA, IL6, AKT1, TNF, and PTGS2, alongside pivotal signaling pathways such as IL-17, TNF, Hepatitis B, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), Influenza A, and the PI3K-Akt pathway. Most of them are closely associated with inflammation. Then, wide-target metabolomics analysis showed that TR downregulated substances within the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway, and modulated the PI3K-Akt pathway. The integrated findings from network pharmacology and metabolomics underscored the pivotal role of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the attenuation of inflammatory responses. Finally, in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that TR can inhibit inflammatory factors such as IL-6, TNF - α, and COX-2, downregulate targets such as PI3K and AKT on the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and thereby alleviate the inflammatory response of AP. Our study demonstrated that TR exerts an anti-AP effect through suppression of release of inflammatory factors and modulation of glycerophospholipid metabolism via suppressing the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastrodiae rhizoma (GR) refers to the dried tuber of Gastrodia elata Bl. and has been used for many centuries to treat brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia. However, the processing of GR is complex and varied, resulting in unstable clinical treatment effects. The processing protocols significantly affect the active ingredients and curative effects of GR. We can optimize the processing of GR by identifying quality markers to treat brain diseases. Methods: Fresh tubers of G. elata Bl. were processed under eight different protocols, and their resulting contents of potentially bioactive compounds were compared using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to screen the potential quality markers of GR through stoichiometric analysis. The potential quality markers of GR targeting Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia were identified by network pharmacology, and the potentially neuroprotective effects of these components were validated through simulated docking to likely protein targets. Finally, a fit degree analysis was carried out using different composition ratios and proportions of the disease component degree value, and the therapeutic effects of different processing methods on Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia were outlined clearly. Results: We identified 32 potential therapeutic components and screened 13 quality markers in GR, of which five quality markers (galactinol, glucosyringic acid, parishins C and E, and S-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-glutathione) showed efficacy against all three brain diseases. Furthermore, steaming and microwave-drying during processing can optimize the components of these quality markers for treating the three diseases. Conclusion: Processing protocols significantly affect the therapeutic components of GR and may also impact its effectiveness in treating brain diseases. Accordingly, optimizing the processing methods of GR to correspond to different therapeutic purposes may improve its efficacy against brain diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC), as an attractive means of CO2 emission reduction, possesses the advantages of high efficiency, greenness and flexibility. However, the catalytic performance of cathode materials currently applied to direct CO2 electrolysis needs to be further improved, which limits its wide application. In this study, a new strategy of using Cu nanoparticles to decorate the Sr1.9Fe1.3Cu0.2Mo0.4Ti0.1O6−δ–Gd0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (Cu@SFCMT–GDC) skeleton to improve the electrolysis performance was proposed. Through the in situ exsolution of Cu nanoparticles, rich metal-oxide heterostructures were constructed, which effectively increased the concentration of oxygen vacancies and thus promoted the electroreduction process of CO2. At 800 °C and 1.8 V, the maximum electrolytic current density of the cell with Cu@SFCMT–GDC as the cathode reached 1.86 A cm−1. After 210 h of continuous operation, the Cu@SFCMT–GDC did not show any performance degradation. Cu@SFCMT–GDC exhibited outstanding electrochemical performance and durability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm the promotion of CO2 reduction reactions by defect chemistry and rich metal-oxide heterostructures. This strategy of constructing heterogeneous interfaces to enhance the cathode electrolysis performance provides new insights into the design of cathode materials for SOEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of stress on obesity have been thoroughly studied in high-fat diet fed mice, but not in normal diet fed mice, which is important to clarify because even on a normal diet, some individuals will become obese under stress conditions. Here we compared mice that showed substantial weight gain or loss under chronic mild stress while on a normal diet; we compared the two groups in terms of cognitive function, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal signaling, neurogenesis and activation of microglia in hippocampus, gene expression and composition of the gut microbiome. Chronic mild stress induced diet-independent obesity in approximately 20% of animals, and it involved inflammatory responses in peripheral and central nervous system as well as hyperactivation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal signaling and of microglia in the hippocampus, which were associated with cognitive deficits and impaired hippocampal neurogenesis. It significantly increased in relative abundance at the phylum level (Firmicutes), at the family level (Prevotellaceae ucg − 001 and Lachnospiraceae NK4a136), at the genus level (Dubosiella and Turicibacter) for some enteric flora, while reducing the relative abundance at the family level (Lactobacillaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae), at the genus level (Bacteroidota, Alistipes, Alloprevotella, Bifidobacterium and Desulfovibrio) for some enteric flora. These results suggest that stress, independently of diet, can induce obesity and cognitive decline that involve dysfunctional gut microbiota. These insights imply that mitigation of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal signaling and microglial activation as well as remodeling of gut microbiota may reverse stress-induced obesity and associated cognitive decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repairing bone defects is a complex cascade reaction process, as immune system regulation, vascular growth, and osteogenic differentiation are essential. Thus, developing a tissue-engineered biomaterial that caters to the complex healing process of bone regeneration remains a major clinical challenge. In the study, Ca2+-TA-rGO (CTAG)/GelMA hydrogels were synthesized by binding Ca2+ using metal chelation to graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets reduced by tannic acid (TA-rGO) and doping them into gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels. TA and rGO exhibited biocompatibility and immunomodulatory properties in this composite, while Ca2+ promoted bone formation and angiogenesis. This novel nanocomposite hydrogel demonstrated good mechanical properties, degradability, and conductivity, and it could achieve slow Ca2+ release during bone regeneration. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that CTAG/GelMA hydrogel modulated macrophage reprogramming and induced a shift from macrophages to healing-promoting M2 macrophages during the inflammatory phase, promoted vascular neovascularization, and facilitated osteoblast differentiation during bone formation. Moreover, CTAG/GelMA hydrogel could downregulate the NF-κB signaling pathway, offering new insights into regulating macrophage reprogramming-osteogenic crosstalk. Conclusively, this novel multifunctional nanocomposite hydrogel provides a multistage treatment for bone and orchestrates macrophage reprogramming-osteogenic crosstalk to boost bone repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply chain efficiency is critical to enterprises and can affect their competitiveness. The supply chain faces an uncertain and complex external market environment, facing the problem of supply chain efficiency optimization; the traditional optimization method is ineffective, which can better face the current environment and deal with problems. It has advantages in optimizing supply chain efficiency and has been widely used. This paper first expounds on the importance of supply chain management status, the limitations of traditional supply chain management methods, and reinforcement learning in the application of supply chain optimization. Then, through experiments, reinforcement learning, supply chain optimization problems, and the analysis of related algorithm design, the optimal algorithm focuses on inventory management optimization. Finally, this paper points out the future research directions and development trend of the supply chain efficiency optimization algorithm based on reinforcement learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Guided bone regeneration (GBR) technology has been widely used as a reliable method to address alveolar bone defects. To improve the clinical effects of GBR approach, there have been attempts to develop barrier membranes with enhanced regenerative properties. However, modifying the material and structure of GBR membranes to integrate physicochemical properties and biological activity remains challenging. The aim of this study was to develop a novel functionally graded bilayer membrane (FGBM) with a gradient structure and composition, and to evaluate its osteogenesis promotion effect for GBR. Methods: By combining the phase inversion method and electrospinning method, functionally graded bilayer membranes (FGBM) with gradient structure and composition of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA), and gelatin were fabricated in this study. The physicochemical and biological properties of the prepared FGBM, including structural and morphological characterization, mechanical properties, in vitro biodegradation, cell behaviors, and in vivo osteogenic bioactivity, were comprehensively evaluated. Results: The findings demonstrated the successful fabrication of PLGA/nHA/gelatin FGBM with an asymmetric structure, exhibiting enhanced hydrophilic, mechanical, and degradation properties. The incorporation of gelatin not only improved the biological integration, but also enhanced the binding affinity between electrospun fiber layer and phase inversion layer. The FGBM with a 30% nHA mass fraction and a PLGA/gelatin mass ratio of 1:1 exhibited excellent barrier function and osteogenic bioactivities in vitro and in vivo. Discussion: This work demonstrated the potential of PLGA/nHA/gelatin FGBM in bone regeneration and provided valuable insight for the development of barrier membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upgrades to advanced scientific user facilities such as next-generation x-ray light sources, nanoscience centers, and neutron facilities are revolutionizing our understanding of materials across the spectrum of the physical sciences, from life sciences to microelectronics. However, these facility and instrument upgrades come with a significant increase in complexity. Driven by more exacting scientific needs, instruments and experiments become more intricate each year. This increased operational complexity makes it ever more challenging for domain scientists to design experiments that effectively leverage the capabilities of and operate on these advanced instruments. Large language models (LLMs) can perform complex information retrieval, assist in knowledge-intensive tasks across applications, and provide guidance on tool usage. Using x-ray light sources, leadership computing, and nanoscience centers as representative examples, we describe preliminary experiments with a Context-Aware Language Model for Science (CALMS) to assist scientists with instrument operations and complex experimentation. With the ability to retrieve relevant information from facility documentation, CALMS can answer simple questions on scientific capabilities and other operational procedures. With the ability to interface with software tools and experimental hardware, CALMS can conversationally operate scientific instruments. By making information more accessible and acting on user needs, LLMs could expand and diversify scientific facilities' users and accelerate scientific output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ER-phagy, a selective form of autophagic degradation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) fragments, plays an essential role in governing ER homeostasis. Dysregulation of ER-phagy is associated with the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is a major clue for evoking inflammatory diseases. However, the molecular mechanism underpinning the connection between ER-phagy and disease remains poorly defined. Here, we identified ubiquitin-associated domain-containing protein 2 (UBAC2) as a receptor for ER-phagy, while at the same time being a negative regulator of inflammatory responses. UBAC2 harbors a canonical LC3-interacting region (LIR) in its cytoplasmic domain, which binds to autophagosomal GABARAP. Upon ER-stress or autophagy activation, microtubule affinity-regulating kinase 2 (MARK2) phosphorylates UBAC2 at serine (S) 223, promoting its dimerization. Dimerized UBAC2 interacts more strongly with GABARAP, thus facilitating selective degradation of the ER. Moreover, by affecting ER-phagy, UBAC2 restrains inflammatory responses and acute ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. Our findings indicate that ER-phagy directed by a MARK2-UBAC2 axis may provide targets for the treatment of inflammatory disease. Synopsis: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis is critical for maintaining optimal host immune responses. This study identifies UBAC2 as a phospho-regulated ER-phagy receptor that can suppress the unfolded protein response and sterile inflammation. UBAC2 is an ER resident protein that undergoes autophagic degradation upon binding GABARAP. UBAC2 promotes ER-phagy flux through its LC3-interacting region (LIR). MARK2 phosphorylates UBAC2 at serine 223, resulting in the dimerization of UBAC2 to enhance the ER-phagy process. A somatic mutation near the LIR motif of UBAC2 increases ER stress responses and sterile inflammation. Phosphorylation-induced UBAC2 dimerization facilitates binding to autophagosomal GABARAP and restrains acute ulcerative colitis via ER-phagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil microbial growth, a vital biogeochemical process, governs both the accrual and loss of soil carbon. Here, we investigate the biogeography of soil microbiome potential growth rates and show that microbiomes in resource-rich (high organic matter and nutrients) and acid-neutral soils from cold and humid regions exhibit high potential growth. Conversely, in resource-poor, dry, hot, and hypersaline soils, soil microbiomes display lower potential growth rates, suggesting trade-offs between growth and resource acquisition or stress tolerance. In addition, the potential growth rates of soil microbiomes positively correlates with genome size and the number of ribosomal RNA operons but negatively correlates with optimum temperature, biomass carbon-to-phosphorus and nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios. The spatial variation of microbial potential growth rates aligns with several macroecological theories. These findings not only enhance our understanding of microbial adaptation to diverse environments but also aid in realistically parameterizing microbial physiology in soil carbon cycling models. Soil microbial growth controls carbon sequestration. Here, the authors show that resource-rich, neutral soils from cold and humid areas have higher growth potential than resource-poor, hypersaline soil from dry and hot regions, demonstrating diverse microbial adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article examined the cost-effectiveness of zanubrutinib and ibrutinib for managing relapsed and refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia from the viewpoint of payers in China and the US. Methods: Markov models were employed to conduct comparisons. Baseline characteristics and clinical data were extracted from the ALPINE study. The cost-effectiveness outcome indicators encompassed cost, quality-adjusted life years, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Results: The Markov model analysis revealed that the zanubrutinib group incurred an incremental cost per patient of $-24,586.53 compared to the ibrutinib group. The zanubrutinib group exhibited an incremental utility per capita of 0.28 quality-adjusted life years, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $-88,068.16 per quality-adjusted life year, which is lower than the payment threshold in China. The willingness-to-pay value in China for 2022 was three times the country's gross domestic product per capita. In the US, patients in the zanubrutinib group experienced per capita incremental costs of $-79,421.56, per capita incremental utility of 0.28 quality-adjusted life years, and an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $-284,485.45 per quality-adjusted life year. Conclusion: For Chinese payers, zanubrutinib exhibited superior cost-effectiveness compared to ibrutinib. Zanubrutinib proved to be a more affordable option for US payers when considering the payment threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about food safety and food quality have been the driving forces behind the development of smart packaging and food quality sensors. Cholesteric liquid crystal polymers are excellent candidates for this purpose due to their structural colours and ease of processing in the fluid phase. Designing new types of responsiveness in these materials is essential for realizing their potential in the development of responsive photonic materials. Here, we report on the preparation of cholesteric polymer networks based on a new reactive mesogen containing an amidine group, which responds to organic acid often found in deteriorating food products. The new mesogen was designed, synthesized, characterized, and then incorporated into a cholesteric network with structural colour that responds to the presence of aqueous acid and acid vapor. It is demonstrated that the colours and extent of the colour shift can be precisely and independently controlled by changing the quantity of the chiral component and free volume in the system. As a potential application, the detection of the spoiling of fresh milk is demonstrated. The new material is expected to play a large role in the future development of cholesteric sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Armillaria spp. are devastating forest pathogens. Due to its low pathogenicity and abundant genetic variation, Armillaria gallica exhibited a unique and beneficial symbiosis with Gastrodia elata, which was used as a traditional Chinese medicine. However, the variation and population structure of A. gallica populations have rarely been investigated. Hence, we analyzed the evolution and variation in simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in three Armillaria genomes: A. gallica, A. cepistipes, and A. ostoyae to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of 14 A. gallica strains. Genome analysis revealed that SSRs were more abundant in the intergenic region than the intron and exon region, as was the SSR density. Compared with other two genomes, SSR density was the lowest in exon region and largest in the intron region of A. gallica, with significant variation in genic region. There were 17 polymorphic markers in A. gallica genome was identified, with 26.7% in genic region, which is higher than that of 18.8% in the intergenic region. Moreover, a total of 50 alleles and 42 polymorphic loci were detected among these A. gallica strains. The averaged polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.4487, ranged from 0.2577 to 0.6786. Both principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and population structure analyses based on the genotype data of SSRs divided the strains into two clusters. The cluster I included all the strains from high-altitude G. elata producing areas and some low-altitude areas, while the strains in Cluster II originated from low-altitude G. elata producing areas. These results indicated that substantial genome-specific variation in SSRs within the genic region of A. gallica and provide new insights for further studies on the evolution and breeding of A. gallica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary liver cancer and its prognosis remains poor. Although growing numbers of studies have verified the involvement of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in various cancer types, their specific functions in ICC remain elusive. Herein, a circRNA, circUGP2 is identified by circRNA sequencing, which is downregulated in ICC tissues and correlated with patients' prognosis. Moreover, circUGP2 overexpression suppresses tumor progression in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circUGP2 functions as a transcriptional co‐activator of PURB over the expression of ADGRB1. It can also upregulate ADGRB1 expression by sponging miR‐3191‐5p. As a result, ADGRB1 prevents MDM2‐mediated p53 polyubiquitination and thereby activates p53 signaling to inhibit ICC progression. Based on these findings, circUGP2 plasmid is encapsulated into a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) system, which has successfully targeted tumor site and shows superior anti‐tumor effects. In summary, the present study has identified the role of circUGP2 as a tumor suppressor in ICC through regulating ADGRB1/p53 axis, and the application of LNP provides a promising translational strategy for ICC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a passive information behavior, information avoidance (IA) may undermine the sustainable development of social media platforms. Previous research has focused on the enabling effect of negative cognitions and emotions on IA, and has seldom considered the inhibitors of IA. This research tries to fill the gap by integrating a dual perspective of both enablers and inhibitors. Drawing on the cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) and psychological empowerment theory (PET), this research examined social media users' IA. We adopted a mixed method of structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to conduct data analysis. The results showed that social support (SS) and information quality (IQ) affect psychological empowerment (PE), which further inhibits IA. In contrast, social comparison (SC), and perceived overload (PO) affect cognitive dissonance, which leads to IA. The fsQCA results found three paths that trigger users' IA. The results imply that social media platforms need to mitigate cognitive dissonance and enhance PE in order to prevent users' IA. This research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the development process of IA. The limitation is that the results need to be generalized to other samples, such as the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the 0.5BaCuSi4O10–0.5BaCuSi2O6‐based ceramics were synthesized using a standard solid‐phase reaction process, and the inherent relationship between crystal structure and microwave dielectric properties was thoroughly explored. The crystal structure of the 0.5BaCuSi4O10–0.5BaCuSi2O6 ceramic was determined by X‐ray diffractometer, which confirmed the existence of two phases. Microstructure observation of the ceramics was obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Excellent microwave dielectric properties with a low ԑr ∼6.52, a high Q × f ∼46 010 GHz, and the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (TCF) ∼−14 ppm°C−1 were obtained in the 0.5BaCuSi4O10–0.5BaCuSi2O6 ceramic sintered at 1060°C. By adding sintering additives LiF and Li2O–B2O3–SiO2–CaO–Al2O3 (LBSCA) glass, the sintering temperature was decreased from 1060°C to 870°C. Good microwave dielectric properties with a ԑr ∼6.59, a Q × f ∼18 820 GHz, and TCF ∼−14 ppm°C−1 were achieved in the 0.5BaCuSi4O10–0.5BaCuSi2O6 ‐2 wt.% LiF, 1 wt.% LBSCA (2F1LBSCA) ceramic sintered at 870°C. The low‐temperature firing ceramics could also be well co‐fired with Ag with good chemical compatibility. These results indicated that the 0.5BaCuSi4O10–0.5BaCuSi2O6 ceramic with 2F1LBSCA additions can be utilized in low‐temperature co‐fired ceramics technology to produce high‐frequency communication components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigated a nonlinear continuous-time switched time-delay (NCTSTD) system for glycerol fed-batch bioconversion to 1, 3-propanediol with unknown time-delay and system parameters. The measured output data was uncertain, while the first moment information about its distribution was available. Our goal was to identify these unknown quantities under the environment of uncertain measurement output data. A distributionally robust parameter estimation problem (i.e., a bi-level parameter estimation (BLPE) problem) subject to the NCTSTD system was presented, where the expectation of the discrepancy between the output of the NCTSTD system and the uncertain measured output data with respect to its probability distributions was included in the cost functional. By applying the duality theory, the BLPE problem was transformed into a single-level parameter estimation (SLPE) problem with non-smooth term approximated by a smoothing technique and its error analysis was given. Then, the gradients of the cost function of the SLPE problem were derived. A hybrid optimization algorithm was proposed for solving the SLPE problem. The paper concluded by presenting the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prognosis comparison between endoscopic therapy + partial splenic embolization (PSE) and Hassab's operation is unclear in the treatment of esophageal variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis. This study aimed to compare the outcome of endoscopic therapy + PSE (EP) with a combination of splenectomy + pericardial devascularization procedure, known as Hassab's operation (SH) for esophageal variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis with hypersplenism. Methods: We enrolled 328 patients, including 125 and 203 patients who underwent EP and SH, respectively. Each group consisted of 110 patients after propensity score matching (PSM). Subsequently, we recorded and analyzed bleeding episodes and mortality in 6 months and 1, 2, and 5 years after therapies. Results: The median follow-up time in the EP and SH groups was 53 and 64 months, respectively. Bleeding incidence 6 months after therapies in the EP group was lower than that in the SH group (1.8% vs. 10.0%, P = 0.010). Additionally, complications in the perioperative period were not significantly different (0% vs. 3.6%, P = 0.008). However, the bleeding rate between the two groups was not significantly different at 1, 2, and 5 years after therapies (7.3% vs. 12.7%, P = 0.157; 10.9% vs. 16.4%, P = 0.205; 30.6% vs. 31.8%, P = 0.801), as well as mortality rate (4.5% vs 7.3%, P = 0.571). Conclusion: Compared with SH therapy, the bleeding rate 6 months after EP therapy was lower, but the long-term bleeding rate was similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of salt stress on the germination of sesame, a mixed salt solution of sodium chloride and calcium chloride was used as the culture medium to analyze the changes and correlations in growth characteristics, total phenolic content, total flavone content, antioxidant capacity, and antioxidant enzyme activity during the germination process of sesame. The results showed that salt stress could promote sesame germination and the accumulation of phenol and flavone, and improve the ABTS+ free radicals scavenging rate and the iron ion reduction ability of sesame. The effect of salt stress on antioxidant enzyme activity varied by enzyme species, and the treatment had a more obvious promoting effect on SOD and CAT activities compared with APX and POD activities. The correlation analysis results demonstrated that the total phenol of sesame cultured under salt stress was positively correlated with its total flavonoids, ABTS+ free radical scavenging rate, iron ion reducing ability, and POD enzyme activity. The correlation between total phenol and iron ion reducing ability, SOD activity and DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, POD activity and iron ion reducing ability of sesame was enhanced by salt stress treatment. This study could lay a foundation for further deciphering the physiological mechanism of salt stress on sesame germination, and provide theoretical basis for the development of sesame functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclocarya paliurus tea, also known as "sweet tea", an herbal tea with Cyclocarya paliurus leaves as raw material, is famous for its unique nutritional benefits and flavor. However, due to the unique "bittersweet" of Cyclocarya paliurus tea, it is still unable to fully satisfy consumers' high-quality taste experience and satisfaction. Therefore, this study aimed to explore metabolites in Cyclocarya paliurus leaves during their growth period, particularly composition and variation of sweet and bitter taste compounds, by combining multi-platform metabolomics analysis with an electronic tongue system and molecular docking simulation technology. The results indicated that there were significant differences in the contents of total phenols, flavonoids, polysaccharides, and saponins in C. paliurus leaves in different growing months. A total of 575 secondary metabolites were identified as potential active metabolites related to sweet/bitter taste using nontargeted metabolomics based on UHPLC-MS/MS analysis. Moreover, molecular docking technology was utilized to study interactions between the candidate metabolites and the sweet receptors T1R2/T1R3 and the bitter receptors T2R4/T2R14. Six key compounds with high sweetness and low bitterness were successfully identified by using computational simulation analysis, including cis-anethole, gluconic acid, beta-D-Sedoheptulose, asparagine, proline, and citrulline, which may serve as candidates for taste modification in Cyclocarya paliurus leaves. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the sweet and bitter taste characteristics that contribute to the distinctive sensory quality of Cyclocarya paliurus leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution, composition, and risk assessment of 8 EDCs in the surface water of 14 national aquatic germplasm resource reserves (freshwater) were investigated during dry and wet seasons. Bisphenol A (BPA), nonylphenol (NP), and octylphenol (OP) were the main contributors of the 8 EDCs. The concentrations of phenolic pollutants in surface water during the dry season were higher than those in the wet season. However, no significant seasonal differences were found among the steroid hormones. According to the evaluation of estrogenic activity (EEQ > 1.0), E2 and EE2 were the main contributors to estrogenic activity. EDC mixtures posed a higher risk to crustaceans and fish (RQ > 1.0) and a moderate to high risk to algae (RQ > 0.1). Fish were the most sensitive aquatic organisms. In the study areas, EE2, E1, BPA, NP, and E2 had a higher risk than the other three compounds and should be controlled as a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetone serves as an important solvent and building block for the chemical industry, but the current industrial synthesis of acetone is generally accompanied by the energy-intensive and costly cumene process used for phenol production. Here we propose a sustainable route for acetone synthesis via propane wet reforming at a moderate temperature of 350 oC with the use of platinum-tin nanoparticles supported on γ-aluminium oxide (PtSn/γ-Al2O3) as catalyst. We achieve an acetone productivity of 858.4 μmol/g with a selectivity of 57.8% among all carbon-based products and 99.3% among all liquid products. Detailed spectroscopic and controlled experiments reveal that the acetone is formed through a tandem catalytic process involving propene and isopropanol as intermediates. We also demonstrate facile ketone synthesis via wet reforming with the use of different alkanes (e.g., n-butane, n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, and n-octane) as substrates, proving the wide applicability of this strategy. The authors propose a sustainable route for acetone synthesis by directly reacting propane and water with PtSn nanoparticles on γ-Al2O3 as the catalyst [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study enhanced the corrosion protection of zinc molybdate (ZnMoO4) in epoxy coatings by integrating ZIF-8 to form a Z-type nano heterojunction. The heterojunction leveraged the light absorption properties of organic ligands within ZIF-8 to significantly promote the excitation and separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers, thereby enhancing the photocathodic protection capability of the coating. It also utilized a cocrosslinking curing process between the epoxy functional groups and the organic functional groups of ZIF-8, resulting in a notable improvement in coating density. Furthermore, the metal–organic framework (MOF) effectively anchored the coating, preventing the recurrence of defects due to molybdate dissolution, thus enhancing durability. In synergy with the molybdate passivation film, it effectively hindered the corrosive attack of ions adsorbed on the metal substrate surface, thereby contributing to the suppression of chemical corrosion. Meanwhile, the compositing of MOF significantly enhanced the hydrophobicity of the material. Experimental data demonstrated that the impedance of the ZIF-8/ZnMoO4 composite coating achieved a remarkable increase to 226.0 and 208.3% compared to pure epoxy and ZnMoO4 coatings, which provided insights into expanding the compatibility and synergistic protective performance of molybdate-based corrosion-resistant materials by constructing heterojunctions between organic and inorganic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coherent X-ray scattering (CXS) techniques are capable of interrogating dynamics of nano- to mesoscale materials systems at time scales spanning several orders of magnitude. However, obtaining accurate theoretical descriptions of complex dynamics is often limited by one or more factors—the ability to visualize dynamics in real space, computational cost of high-fidelity simulations, and effectiveness of approximate or phenomenological models. In this work, we develop a data-driven framework to uncover mechanistic models of dynamics directly from time-resolved CXS measurements without solving the phase reconstruction problem for the entire time series of diffraction patterns. Our approach uses neural differential equations to parameterize unknown real-space dynamics and implements a computational scattering forward model to relate real-space predictions to reciprocal-space observations. This method is shown to recover the dynamics of several computational model systems under various simulated conditions of measurement resolution and noise. Moreover, the trained model enables estimation of long-term dynamics well beyond the maximum observation time, which can be used to inform and refine experimental parameters in practice. Finally, we demonstrate an experimental proof-of-concept by applying our framework to recover the probe trajectory from a ptychographic scan. Our proposed framework bridges the wide existing gap between approximate models and complex data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrophysiological interface is essential for understanding electrical activities within biological organisms and human‐machine interaction. However, traditional preformed bioelectrodes show insufficient interface contact with hairy and irregular skin, causing signal attenuation and distortion. Here, an on‐skin‐formed silk protein bioelectrode is reported with a conformable and robust interface, achieving a high signal‐to‐noise ratio for electromyographic signals, showing up to a 38.9% increase compared to traditional ones. The fluid‐gel transition of silk protein is induced by a gelling agent composed of ethanol and sodium alginate, leading to a conformable and seamless interface with hairy and irregular human skin, thus resulting in a high signal‐to‐noise ratio. The developed bioelectrode can record electrophysiological signals stably, even underwater. Additionally, human‐machine interaction using electromyographic signals is designed to precisely control the model car's motion trajectory. This work presents an effective method for developing a seamless and conformable electrophysiological interface in bioelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning technology has recently become increasingly prevalent in the field of education due to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. Teachers' teaching behavior is a crucial component of classroom teaching activities, and identifying and examining teachers' classroom teaching behavior is an important way to assess teaching. However, the traditional teaching evaluation method involves evaluating by either listening to the class on-site or playing back the teaching video afterward, which is a time-consuming and inefficient manual method. Therefore, this paper obtained teaching behavior data from a real smart classroom scenario and observed and analyzed the teacher behavior characteristics in this scenario. Aiming at the problems of complex classroom environments and the high similarity between teaching behavior classes, a method to improve YOLOv7 for large target classroom behavior recognition in smart classroom scenarios is proposed. First, we constructed the Teacher Classroom Behavior Data Set (TCBDS), which contains 6660 images covering six types of teaching behaviors: facing the board (to_blackboard, tb), facing the students (to_student, ts), writing on the board (writing, w), teaching while facing the board (black_teach, bt), teaching while facing the students (student_teach, st), and interactive (interact, i). This research adds a large target detection layer to the backbone network so that teachers' instructional behaviors can be efficiently identified in complex classroom circumstances. Second, the original model's backbone was extended with an effective multiscale attention module (EMA) to construct cross-scale feature dependencies under various branches. Finally, the bounding box loss function of the original model was replaced with MPDIoU, and a bounding box scaling factor was introduced to propose the Inner_MPDIoU loss function. Experiments were conducted using the TCBDS dataset. The method proposed in this study achieved mAP@.50, mAP@.50:.95, and recall values of 96.2%, 82.5%, and 92.9%, respectively—improvements of 1.1%, 2.0%, and 2.3% over the original model. This method outperformed other mainstream models compared to the current state of the art. The experimental results demonstrate the method's excellent performance, its ability to identify various classroom behaviors of teachers in realistic scenarios, and its potential to facilitate the analysis and visualization of teacher classroom behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel diphosphinoamine (PNP) ligands bearing a P-alkenyl group were synthesized and applied in chromium-catalyzed selective ethylene tri-/tetramerization by in situ combination of Cr(acac)3 and modified methylalumoxane (MMAO-3A). The ligand substitution and oligomerization conditions have a remarkable influence on the catalytic activity and controllable selectivity. Most of these PNP ligands are highly active for ethylene tri-/tetramerization with considerable selectivity. An asymmetric diisopropenylphosphanyl ligand with an N-cyclohexyl group achieved the highest activity of 2036 kg (g Cr h−1)−1 with a high total selectivity of 81.1 wt% toward valuable 1-hexene (43.0 wt%) and 1-octene (38.1 wt%) at 40 bar ethylene and 60 °C. An asymmetric mixed isopropenyl/ethylphosphanyl ligand with an N-isopropyl group exhibited a high 1-octene selectivity of 65.5 wt% and a high total 1-hexene/1-octene selectivity (91.5 wt%) with a high activity of 1256 kg (g Cr h−1)−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine-grained 3D shape recognition (FGSR) is crucial for real-world applications. Existing methods face challenges in achieving high accuracy for FGSR due to high similarity within sub-categories and low dissimilarity between them, especially in the absence of part location or attribute annotations. In this paper, we propose V 2 MLP, a multi-view representation-oriented MLP network dedicated to FGSR, using only class labels as supervision. V 2 MLP comprises two key modules: the cross-view interaction MLP (CVI-MLP) and the cross-view fusion MLP (CVF-MLP). The CVI-MLP module captures contextual information, including local and global contexts through cross-view interactions, to extract discriminative view features that reinforce subtle differences between sub-categories. Meanwhile, the CVF-MLP module performs cross-view aggregation from space and view dimensions to obtain the final 3D shape features, minimizing information loss during the view feature fusion process. Extensive experiments on three categories from the FG3D dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of V 2 MLP in learning discriminative features for 3D shapes, achieving state-of-the-art accuracy for FGSR. Additionally, V 2 MLP performs competitively for meta-category recognition on the ModelNet40 dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Pathogen infection induces massive reprogramming of host primary metabolism. Lipid and fatty acid (FA) metabolism is generally disrupted by pathogens and co‐opted for their proliferation. Lipid droplets (LDs) that play important roles in regulating cellular lipid metabolism are utilized by a variety of pathogens in mammalian cells. However, the function of LDs during pathogenic infection in plants remains unknown. We show here that infection by rice black streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) affects the lipid metabolism of maize, which causes elevated accumulation of C18 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) leading to viral proliferation and symptom development. The overexpression of one of the two novel LD‐associated proteins (LDAPs) of maize (ZmLDAP1 and ZmLDAP2) induces LD clustering. The core capsid protein P8 of RBSDV interacts with ZmLDAP2 and prevents its degradation through the ubiquitin–proteasome system mediated by a UBX domain‐containing protein, PUX10. In addition, silencing of ZmLDAP2 downregulates the expression of FA desaturase genes in maize, leading to a decrease in C18 PUFAs levels and suppression of RBSDV accumulation. Our findings reveal that plant virus may recruit LDAP to regulate cellular FA metabolism to promote viral multiplication and infection. These results expand the knowledge of LD functions and viral infection mechanisms in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we present a unique method to enhance the low-frequency absorption performance of a honeycomb absorber by integrating a metasurface. The geometrical dimensions of the proposed metasurface have been numerically optimized. The introduction of the metasurface allows exploitation of its robust resonance and superior impedance matching in low-frequency bands, thereby improving microwave absorption properties. The incorporation of the metasurface does not impact the wave transmission performance of the honeycomb core absorber at high-frequency band, thus preserving its high-frequency performance. This broadens the absorption range, leading to an expanded bandwidth. Simulation results reveal that the composite absorber (CA) exhibits strong absorption performance with an incident angle stability up to 45° for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes. The absorption mechanism of the CA has been investigated by using an equivalent circuit model and electromagnetic field analysis. A prototype was designed, fabricated, and tested to validate the proposed method. Both simulation and measurement results demonstrate that the prototype can achieve an average absorption rate exceeding 90% across a 1.0–18.0 GHz range. This study introduces an innovative technique for creating microwave absorbers for low-frequency wideband applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building facade structures serve as important data support for three-dimensional (3D) building modelling. A building facade structure extraction method based on 3D Laser Point Cloud Data (LPCD) by considering semantic information is proposed. The proposed method mainly involves three steps. First, an improved 3D LPCD semantic segmentation method is introduced to extract and label point clouds as the building structure and walls. Second, structure line segments are recognized from the initial building facade structure based on the Regulated Block RANSAC (RB-RANSAC) algorithm. Third, geometric information such as distance, vector and positional relationship between structure line segments is considered to optimize the initial building facade structure. The proposed method can effectively extract and fit segment structures by considering the semantic and geometric information, obtaining significantly accurate and concise building facade structures. Case studies on 3D LPCD of local buildings and open-source datasets (Semantic3D) prove the extraction accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an optimization technique based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to the eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) method for load modulated balanced amplifiers (LMBAs) modeling, taking into consideration both strong nonlinearity and memory effects. An overview of the basic principles of the proposed modeling technique is provided, as well as a detailed description of how the model is extracted. To improve the performance of the XGBoost model, the hyperparameters are optimized using the PSO algorithm. An in‐house designed LMBA was used to perform experimental validation, which demonstrated that the new PSO‐XGBoost model provided very efficient and extremely accurate predictions, especially in the case of strong nonlinearities. When compared to traditional Volterra models, canonical piecewise‐linear based models, and standard XGBoost models, the proposed PSO‐XGBoost model provides improved performance with reasonable complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of artificially intelligent CT metrics combined with tumor markers and 7-TAABs in predicting the infiltrative nature of mixed ground-glass nodules in the lungs to provide a basis for rational clinical decision-making. Materials and Methods: The clinical data of patients admitted to Changshu Hospital affiliated with Soochow University (Hospital 1) and the Eighth People's Hospital of Tongzhou District, Nantong City (Hospital 2) from January 2022 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, and a total of 427 cases were included in the study based on the nadir criteria. Three hundred twenty cases from Hospital 1 were randomly grouped into a training set (n = 2 2 4) and an internal validation set (n = 9 6), and 107 cases from Hospital 2 were used for the external validation set. The correlations between patients' clinicoradiological characteristics, tumor markers, and seven tumor autoantibodies (7-TAABs) were analyzed by the Mantel test and further by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to screen the risk factors for the development of infiltrative tumors in the ground-glass nodes and to establish a joint model, which was combined with the clinicoradiological model and the model of the serological indexes in the internal and external validation sets were performed to compare the subject work characteristics (ROC) curves, clinical calibration curves, and clinical decision curves to evaluate their predictive efficacy and clinical utility. Results: Of the 427 cases included, 174 were in the noninfiltrating group, and 253 were in the infiltrating group. There was a significant relationship between tumor markers, seven tumor autoantibodies, and lung cancer infiltrability, and after multifactorial logistic regression analysis, a bronchial air sign, probability of malignancy, nodule diameter, percentage of solidity, VEGF, proGRP, GAGE7, and 7-TAABs were the risk factors for determining the development of infiltrative lesions in early-stage lung nodules. The clinicoradiological model was superior to the serological index model on both internal and external validation sets (AUC values were: 0.926 versus 0.839, P = 0. 0 7 2 0 3 ; 0.895 versus 0.751, P = 0. 0 0 8 0 4 9), and the combined model was slightly superior to the clinicoradiological model on both internal and external validation sets (AUC values were: 0.928 versus 0.926, P = 0. 9 1 5 7 ; 0.914 versus 0.895, P = 0. 3 3 2 7). The combined model performed optimally in terms of calibration accuracy and net clinical benefit, suggesting that a model constructed based on AI CT metrics combined with tumor markers and 7-TAABs would be beneficial to clinicians in predicting the infiltrative nature of early-stage lung cancer. Conclusion: The column-line diagram model built based on CT indexes improved by artificial intelligence technology combined with tumor markers and 7-TAAB can better predict the infiltration of lung tumors, which has specific clinical application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimodal lung tumor medical images can provide anatomical and functional information for the same lesion. Such as Positron Emission Computed Tomography (PET), Computed Tomography (CT), and PET-CT. How to utilize the lesion anatomical and functional information effectively and improve the network segmentation performance are key questions. To solve the problem, the Saliency Feature-Guided Interactive Feature Enhancement Lung Tumor Segmentation Network (Guide-YNet) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a double-encoder single-decoder U-Net is used as the backbone in this model, a single-coder single-decoder U-Net is used to generate the saliency guided feature using PET image and transmit it into the skip connection of the backbone, and the high sensitivity of PET images to tumors is used to guide the network to accurately locate lesions. Secondly, a Cross Scale Feature Enhancement Module (CSFEM) is designed to extract multi-scale fusion features after downsampling. Thirdly, a Cross-Layer Interactive Feature Enhancement Module (CIFEM) is designed in the encoder to enhance the spatial position information and semantic information. Finally, a Cross-Dimension Cross-Layer Feature Enhancement Module (CCFEM) is proposed in the decoder, which effectively extracts multimodal image features through global attention and multi-dimension local attention. The proposed method is verified on the lung multimodal medical image datasets, and the results show that the Mean Intersection over Union (MIoU), Accuracy (Acc), Dice Similarity Coefficient (Dice), Volumetric overlap error (Voe), Relative volume difference (Rvd) of the proposed method on lung lesion segmentation are 87.27%, 93.08%, 97.77%, 95.92%, 89.28%, and 88.68%, respectively. It is of great significance for computer-aided diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising candidate for nonvolatile memory devices, the hafnia‐based ferroelectric system has recently been a hot research topic. Although significant progress has been made over the past decade, the endurance problem is still an obstacle to its final application. In perovskite‐based ferroelectrics, such as the well‐studied Pb[ZrxTi1−x]O3 (PZT) family, polarization fatigue has been discussed within the framework of the interaction of charged defects (such as oxygen vacancies) with the moving domains during the switching process, particularly at the electrode‐ferroelectric interface. Armed with this background, a hypothesis is set out to test that a similar mechanism can be in play with the hafnia‐based ferroelectrics. The conducting perovskite La‐Sr‐Mn‐O is used as the contact electrode to create La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 / Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO)/ La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 capacitor structures deposited on SrTiO3‐Si substrates. Nanoscale X‐ray diffraction is performed on single capacitors, and a structural phase transition from polar o‐phase toward non‐polar m‐phase is demonstrated during the bipolar switching process. The energy landscape of multiphase HZO has been calculated at varying oxygen vacancy concentrations. Based on both theoretical and experimental results, it is found that a polar to non‐polar phase transformation caused by oxygen vacancy redistribution during electric cycling is a likely explanation for fatigue in HZO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, five compositions in the BaO–MgO–SiO2 ternary system were chosen, and ceramics were prepared using the solid‐state reaction method. Single phases were formed easily for the first four compositions, and BaMgSi3O8 ceramics were found to be a mixture of both BaSi2O5 and MgSiO3, according to X‐ray diffraction results. Among all the compositions, Ba2MgSi2O7 ceramic sintered at 1225°C possesses the highest Qf (Q = 1/dielectric loss = 1/tanδ, f = resonant frequency) value ∼55 010 GHz along with relative permittivity ∼8.0 and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (TCF) ∼−57.5 ppm/°C. With 3 wt.% BCB (BaO–B2O3–CuO) additions, Ba2MgSi2O7 ceramic was well densified at 950°C with a relative permittivity ∼8.1, Qf value ∼28 920 GHz (at 12.37 GHz) and TCF value ∼‒56.6 ppm/°C. These series ceramics with low relative permittivity values might be good candidates for low‐temperature co‐fire ceramic technology substrate applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests play a vital role in atmospheric CO2 sequestration among terrestrial ecosystems, mitigating the greenhouse effect induced by human activity in a changing climate. The LUE (light use efficiency) model is a popular algorithm for calculating terrestrial GPP (gross primary production) based on physiological mechanisms and is easy to implement. Different versions have been applied for many years to simulate the GPP of different ecosystem types at regional or global scales. For estimating forest GPP using different approaches, we implemented five LUE models (EC-LUE, VPM, GOL-PEM, CASA, and C-Fix) in forests of type DBF, EBF, ENF, and MF, using the FLUXNET2015 dataset, remote sensing observations, and Köppen–Geiger climate zones. We then fused these models to additionally improve the ability of the GPP estimation using an RF (random forest) and an SVM (support vector machine). Our results indicated that under a unified parameterization scheme, EC-LUE and VPM yielded the best performance in simulating GPP variations, followed by GLO-PEM, CASA, and C-fix, while MODIS also demonstrated reliable GPP estimation ability. The results of the model fusion across different forest types and flux net sites indicated that the RF could capture more GPP variation magnitudes with higher R2 and lower RMSE than the SVM. Both RF and SVM were validated using cross-validation for all forest types and flux net sites, showing that the accuracy of the GPP simulation could be improved by the RF and SVM by 28% and 27%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polysaccharides derived Grifola frondosa (GFP) possess diverse biological activities. In this study, a GFP fraction (coded as GFP1) purified from the crude GFP prepared by an H2O2/Vc-assisted extraction method was investigated for its inhibitory effects on lung cancer cells (H1975) and immunomodulatory activities in RAW264.7 macrophages. It was found that GFP1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, induced the cell apoptosis, and suppressed the migration and invasion of H1975 cells. Additionally, GFP1 increased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, and upregulated the expressions of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9. RT-qPCR analysis indicated that GFP1 downregulated the mRNA expression levels of PI3K, ERK2, ERK1, FAK, and RAF. GFP1 was also found to upregulate the mRNA expressions of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, thereby promoting the release of nitric oxide and secretion of the corresponding cytokines. Western blot experiments indicated that GFP1 activated the NF-κB signaling pathway through the promotion of p65 phosphorylation, exerting immunomodulatory effects. Therefore, GFP1 exerted anti-tumor effect by both direct cytotoxic effects on tumor cells and modulating the body's immune function. These findings provide new insights for the development of functional foods and effective and safe anti-tumor drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between erectile dysfunction (ED) and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is currently a hot topic of medical research. It has been reported that autophagy plays a crucial role in causing erectile dysfunction in T1DM. Recent research has shown that mitochondrial 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl‐CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2) is strongly linked to the development of T1DM. However, the specific mechanism by which it regulates the erectile function is not yet fully understood. Objectives: To investigate whether HMGCS2 affects erectile function in type 1 diabetic rats by regulating autophagy in corpus cavernosum endothelial cells (CCECs). Materials and methods: First, the rat model of T1DM was established. Then, the ratio of maximum penile intracavernous pressure (ICPmax) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) was detected to assess the erectile function in various groups, and the protein expression of HMGCS2, mTOR and p‐mTOR was evaluated by western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). To explore the relationship between HMGCS2 and the mTOR signaling pathway in T1DM ED rats, we silenced the expression of HMGCS2 and activated the mTOR signaling pathway with MHY1485 in CCECs and then assessed the expression of beclin1, P62, LC3, autophagosome, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), phosphorylation of eNOS (p‐eNOS), and nitric oxide (NO) to evaluate autophagy and the erectile function by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot. Results: The study conducted on T1DM ED rats showed that the expression of HMGCS2 was significantly increased, while the autophagy was suppressed. Additionally, the mTOR signaling pathway was highly activated. In contrast, when HMGCS2 was silenced in vitro, p‐mTOR/mTOR was reduced, and autophagy was improved. These effects were accompanied by the enhanced activity of eNOS. Furthermore, when HMGCS2 was silenced and the mTOR signaling pathway was simultaneously activated, the results revealed a decrease in autophagy as well as a reduction in activity of eNOS in comparison to just silencing HMGCS2 alone. Discussion and conclusion: HMGCS2 upregulation in T1DM rats inhibited autophagy and eNOS activity by activating the mTOR pathway and led to a decrease in the erectile function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess heavy metal pollution and human health risks, 481 samples from 59 soil sampling points were collected from different soil layers at an underground depth of 10 m in a tin ore area in Yunnan, China. The soil around the mining area was polluted by heavy metals to varying degrees, and high concentrations of Cd, Pb, As, and Cu posed serious ecological risks. Owing to leaching and infiltration of heavy metals, the lower soil samples were also severely polluted as much as the surface soil. The heavy metals mainly accumulated in the soil layers at depths of 0 − 6 m. Meanwhile, the concentration decreased with an increase in soil depth, after which it stabilised. Residents of the area are currently at danger of being diagnosed with non-carcinogenic disorders, while exhibiting a significantly elevated risk of carcinogenicity; children are at a higher risk than adults. In addition, As was the primary threatening factor to the health of residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we developed a facile method for the synthesis of battery-grade ferric phosphate (FePO4·2H2O) using high-pressure hydrolyzed precipitates of cobalt–iron alloy acid solution. The size of the prepared FePO4·2H2O samples was about 5–10 μm, and the microstructure of FePO4·2H2O was polyhedral. The FePO4·2H2O samples exhibited a high Fe/P ratio (1.03) compared with standard ferric phosphate (0.98–1.02), indicating potentially good electrochemical performance. The significance of the current work is that we have developed an effective method for the resource utilization of solid waste containing iron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroid cancer, as one of the most common cancers in many countries, has attracted increasing attention, but its pathogenesis is still unclear. This research explored the effects of miR-144-3p and GABRB2 on thyroid cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. Gene expression data was obtained from the GEO database to analyze differential expression of mRNAs and miRNAs in patients with thyroid cancer. CCK-8, transwell, scratch, and flow cytometry assays were performed to detect cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis, respectively. Dual-luciferase reporters were used to detect the binding of miR-144-3p to GABRB2. GABRB2 was highly expressed and miR-144-3p was underexpressed in thyroid cancer. In thyroid cancer cells, inhibiting GABRB2 or upregulating miR-144-3p reduced proliferation, invasion, and migration and increased apoptotic rates; GABRB2 overexpression or miR-144-3p inhibition brought about the opposite results. miR-144-3p targeted GABRB2 and negatively regulated its expression. PI3K/AKT activation was reduced in thyroid cancer cells overexpressing miR-144-3p. GABRB2 overexpression partially mitigated the tumor-suppressive effect of miR-144-3p overexpression. In conclusion, miR-144-3p targets GABRB2 to inhibit PI3K/AKT activation, thereby inhibiting the progression of thyroid cancer in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐εr (the low dielectric constant) microwave dielectric ceramics play an important role in sub‐6 GHz band communication by virtue of their small signal delay. In this paper, Ba2CoSi2O7 ceramics were synthesized by the solid‐phase reaction method, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) confirms that they belong to a new melilite structure, with C2/c (No.15) space group, and the ceramics have good microwave dielectric properties with an εr ∼ 7.37, a Q×f (Q = 1/dielectric loss, f = resonant frequency) ∼ 26,320 GHz and a TCF (the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency) ∼ −55 ppm/°C after being sintered at 1150°C, and the theoretical dielectric constants derived from the Clausius–Mosotti as well as the porosity equation, respectively, are also used to further demonstrate the low‐εr properties. Based on the group theory, the one‐dimensional integrable representations of Γacoustic (the phonon modes) and Γoptical (optical modes) of Ba2CoSi2O7 are obtained, and the internal vibrational modes of Ba2CoSi2O7 are deconstructed and the main modes of influence of the electronic polarization are analyzed in conjunction with the results of the validly fitted peaks of the 17 Raman and 25 IR tests. A microstrip Yagi antenna is also designed based on the ceramic properties, which can achieve a gain of 9.65 dBi at the center tuning frequency of 5.47 GHz, with a S11 (return loss) close to −60 dBi. Based on the above results, the Ba2CoSi2O7 ceramic is a low‐εr microwave dielectric ceramic with significant potential for communication application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]