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In this work, Pt single atoms (SAs) were engineered on the surface of CdIn 2 S 4 (CIS) to trigger abundant generation and stable existence of sulfur vacancies (S v ). Through quasi in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and work function analysis, the photogenerated electrons are first captured by Pt SAs and S v , and then transferred from Pt SAs to S v , ultimately increasing the electron density of S v . Meanwhile, S v have significant advantages in adsorbing CO 2 molecules. According to the number of transferred electrons, the optimized 0.8 %Pt/CIS has 76 times the photocatalytic performance of pristine CIS, and the selectivity of ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) is up to 99.3 %. The carbon-carbon coupling reaction between *CO and *CHO adsorbed on double sites of S v and In atoms is identified as the rate-determining step. Theoretical calculations suggest that the energy barrier required for coupling of intermediates *CO and *CHO is the lowest, conducive to the selective generation of C 2 H 4 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phase has revolutionized the design of metasurfaces, offering a straightforward and robust method for controlling wavefronts of electromagnetic waves. However, traditional metasurfaces have fixed PB phases determined by the orientation of their individual elements. In this study, an innovative structural design and integration scheme is proposed that utilizes vanadium dioxide, a phase-change material, to achieve thermally controlled dynamic PB phase control within the metasurface. By leveraging the material's properties, this can dynamically alter the optical orientation of individual elements of the metasurface and achieve temperature-dependent local phase modulation based on the geometric phase principle. This approach, combined with advanced fabrication processing technology, paves the way for next-generation dynamic devices with customizable functions., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Buildings, especially installed windows, account for a large proportion of global energy consumption. The research trend of smart windows leans towards multi-functional integration, concurrently achieving solar modulation and thermal management. However, sometimes a one-time performance switch cannot meet demands, making the design of multi-gradient adjustable smart windows particularly important. The combination of the temperature-responsive optical properties of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), the high specific heat capability of water (sensible heat storage) and the solid-liquid phase transition of κ-carrageenan (latent heat storage) is proposed first and can be used to prepare the thermo-responsive hydrogel and multi-gradient energy-saving smart window with thermo-response and multimodal thermal energy storage (MGES smart window) quickly without long-term polymerization. The MGES smart window has excellent solar modulation capability (Δ T lum = 82.72% and Δ T sol = 68.65%) together with outstanding specific heat absorption ability ( c = 4.2 kJ kg -1 K -1 ) and phase transition heat (Δ H = 1.23 kJ kg -1 ), showing superior energy saving and conserving performance. In demonstrations, the MGES smart windows can reduce the surface and indoor temperature by more than 15 °C and 10.6 °C compared with normal windows. Simulations suggest that they can cut off 45.1% of building energy consumption. To sum up, the MGES smart windows realize multi-aspect adjustment of energy, opening up a new avenue for green buildings.

Boston ivy has received much attention from researchers owing to its exceptional climbing abilities. However, many aspects of their adhesion behavior remain unresolved. Our research has discovered a phenomenon of oxidation and discoloration in Boston ivy pads, which leads to a significant decrease in adhesion force. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation into the oxidation discoloration phenomenon. Through XPS analysis, we confirmed that the transition from Fe 2+ to Fe 3+ in the pad is the primary cause of the oxidation discoloration reaction. Furthermore, by conducting in situ adhesion testing using AFM, we observed a decrease in adhesion during the oxidation of iron ions. The magnitude of adhesion is closely related to the amount of pyrocatechol. Following the oxidation reaction, iron ions chelate with more pyrocatechol, resulting in a decrease in the available pyrocatechol content for adhesion. To validate this mechanism, we designed and prepared a biomimetic composite adhesion surface of a PDMS hydrogel. This composite surface improved oxidation resistance through the hydrogel, demonstrating improved adhesion performance. These findings offer promising prospects for the application of bionic materials in various fields., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Non-metallic catalysis has been known as a remarkable development strategy for hydrofunctionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons. Herein, we report a unique chemically active method of BF 3 ·OEt 2 promoted multi-component, highly regioselective, and chemoselective hydrothio(seleo)phosphonylation of unsaturated hydrocarbons, which exhibits high yield and good substrate universality. The reaction mechanism was further elucidated to be Markovnikov addition by controlling experiments, 31 P and 19 F NMR spectra tracking experiments, X-ray diffraction analysis, and DFT calculations. Furthermore, the gram-scale attempt and the application of the reaction on the derivatization of natural products have been successfully conducted, leading to the discovery of 3as with potential anti-Parkinson's disease (PD) activities at 1 μM. This streamlined and efficient methodology has established a new platform for non-metallic Lewis acids-promoted hydrofunctionalization of unsaturated hydrocarbons and its application on new drug research., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Electrophysiological properties of ion channels can influence the transport process of ions and the generation of firing patterns in an excitable biological neuron when applying an external stimulus and exceeding the excitable threshold. In this paper, a current stimulus is employed to emulate the external stimulus, and a second-order locally active memristor (LAM) is deployed to characterize the properties of ion channels. Then, a simple bionic circuit possessing the LAM, a capacitor, a DC voltage, and the current stimulus is constructed. Fast-slow dynamical effects of the current stimulus with low- and high-frequency are respectively explored. Numerical simulations disclose that the bionic circuit can generate bursting behaviors for the low-frequency current stimulus and spiking behaviors for the high-frequency current stimulus. Besides, fold and Hopf bifurcation sets are deduced and the bifurcation mechanisms for bursting behaviors are elaborated. Furthermore, the numerically simulated bursting and spiking behaviors are verified by PCB-based hardware experiments. These results reflect the feasibility of the bionic circuit in generating the firing patterns of spiking and bursting behaviors and the external current can be employed to regulate these firing patterns., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no Conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

In the pursuit of potential treatments for neurological disorders and the alleviation of patient suffering, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been utilized to intervene or investigate pathological neural activities. To explore the exact mechanism of how DBS works, a memristive two-neuron network considering DBS is newly proposed in this work. This network is implemented by coupling two-dimensional Morris-Lecar neuron models and using a memristor synaptic synapse to mimic synaptic plasticity. The complex bursting activities and dynamical effects are revealed numerically through dynamical analysis. By examining the synchronous behavior, the desynchronization mechanism of the memristor synapse is uncovered. The study demonstrates that synaptic connections lead to the appearance of time-lagged or asynchrony in completely synchronized firing activities. Additionally, the memristive two-neuron network is implemented in hardware based on FPGA, and experimental results confirm the abundant neuronal electrical activities and chaotic dynamical behaviors. This work offers insights into the potential mechanisms of DBS intervention in neural networks., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The ability to achieve independent complex amplitude control across multiple channels can significantly increase the information capacity of photonic devices. Diffraction inherently holds numerous channels, which are good candidates for dense light manipulation in angular space. However, no convenient method is currently available for attaining this. Here, a flexible interference approach utilizing silicon-based transmission-type heterogeneous-gradient supercell metasurfaces is proposed. By simply designing the phases of the meta-atoms' radiations within a supercell, the complex amplitude of each diffraction channel can be individually and analytically controlled. Crucially, the complex amplitudes of multiple diffraction channels can be simultaneously controlled in a non-interleaved manner, where the number of channels is determined by the number of effective adjusting degrees of freedom (DoF). As a proof-of-concept validation, several meta-devices are experimentally demonstrated in the terahertz regime, which can generate multiple vortex beams, focal points, and splitting beams in different desired diffraction angles. This advancement heralds a new pathway for the development of multifunctional photonic devices with enhanced channel capacity, offering significant potential for both research and practical applications in photonics., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The extensive use of nitrogen fertilizer boosts rice (Oryza sativa) production but also harms ecosystems. Therefore, enhancing crop nitrogen use efficiency is crucial. Here, we performed map-based cloning and identified the EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3) like protein-encoding gene OsELF3-1, which confers enhanced nitrogen uptake in rice. OsELF3-1 forms a ternary complex (OsEC) with OsELF4s and OsLUX, the putative orthologs of ELF4 and LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), respectively. OsEC directly binds to the promoter of Grain number, plant height, and heading date7 (Ghd7) and represses its expression. Ghd7 encodes a transcription factor that has major effects on multiple agronomic traits. Ghd7 is also a transcriptional repressor and directly suppresses the expression of ABC1 REPRESSOR1 (ARE1), a negative regulator of nitrogen use efficiency. Therefore, targeting the OsEC-Ghd7-ARE1 module offers an approach to enhance nitrogen uptake, presenting promising avenues for sustainable agriculture., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Evodiae fructus polysaccharide (EFP) has been previously shown to protect against alcohol-induced gastric lesions. However, which and how active fractions in EFP exert gastroprotection remains unclear. This study aimed to characterize the structure of the purified fraction (EFP-2-1) of EFP, and investigate its gastroprotection and underlying mechanisms. EFP-2-1 was obtained through column chromatography, and was characterized using instrumental analytical techniques. Gastroprotective effect of EFP-2-1 was evaluated using alcohol-induced gastric lesions in rats, and its mechanism was explored through proteomics, metabolomics and diversity sequencing. Results showed that EFP-2-1 had a molecular weight of 7.3 kDa, and consisted mainly of rhamnose, galacturonic acid, galactose and arabinose. Its backbone contained HG and RG-I domains, and branched with →5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, α-l-Araf-(1→ and →4)-β-d-Galp-(1→ residues. EFP-2-1 reduced gastric lesions and the levels of MDA, TNF-α and IL-6, activated PPARγ, primarily altered protein digestion and absorption and bile secretion metabolic pathways, regulated gut microbiota like Faecalibaculum and Lachnoclostridium, and increased short-chain fatty acids production. Correlations were observed among the gut microbiota, metabolites and biochemical indexes influenced by EFP-2-1. These findings suggest that EFP-2-1 is an active fraction of EFP for protecting against alcohol-induced gastric lesions, which may be linked to PPARγ activation, gut microbiota and serum metabolism., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Myasthenia gravis (MG) presents with symptoms that significantly affect patients' daily lives. Long-term MG therapies may lead to substantial side effects, predominantly due to prolonged immune suppression. Sirt6, which plays a vital role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and is recognised for its involvement in cytokine production in immune cells, has not yet been explored in relation to MG. PBMCs and CD4 + T cells were isolated from blood samples. RT-qPCR, western blot and ELISA were used to assess the expression of target genes and proteins. Flow cytometry was used to identify the subsets of T helper cells. Co-IP was conducted to investigate the interaction between USP9X and Sirt6. Finally, the experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) model was established. In MG patients, Sirt6 levels were downregulated compared to healthy controls. Sirt6 overexpression led to a reduction in Th1 and Th17 cell populations while augmenting Treg cells in PBMCs. USP9X interacted with Sirt6, leading to its deubiquitination and stabilisation. Elevated Sirt6 levels subsequently mitigated symptoms in the EAMG model. The stabilisation of Sirt6, mediated by USP9X, has been found to relieve symptoms of EAMG by influencing the subtypes of T helper cells. This highlights the promising potential of Sirt6 as a viable therapeutic target in the treatment of MG., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: Cancer presents a significant public health challenge in China, necessitating broad collaboration across society. The Chinese government has articulated a goal to increase the overall five-year survival rate for cancer by 15% by 2030. Achieving this objective requires not only advances in medical technology, but also an improvement in the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to cancer prevention and treatment., Aim: To provide a comprehensive understanding of the status of cancer prevention and level of popularization in China in 2023., Methods: From January 2023 to May 2023, online questionnaires were distributed to 3000 participants, including medical personnel, patients with cancer, their families, and the general public. There were 2711 valid responses, covering the entire nation., Results: A total of 1020 medical personnel and 1691 patients with cancer, their family members, and the general public participated in the survey. Among medical personnel, 93.2% had popularized cancer health. Commonly addressed topics included cancer prevention (85.9%) and cancer screening (77.8%). Primary challenges included time constraints (73.9%), insufficient personnel and material support (66.7%), and uncertainty as to where to begin (49.3%). Among patients with cancer, their family members, and the general public, 93.4% reported reading or watching cancer science popularization materials and 56.9% expressed a desire for deeper understanding. The most sought-after topics in cancer science popularization included cancer screening (80.2%) and cancer prevention (75.8%). The greatest challenge encountered in accessing cancer health popularization was an abundance of misinformation (67.5%)., Conclusion: Most clinical doctors, patients, family, and the general public wish to participate in cancer education. However, improvement in the quality of content in cancer prevention and treatment education is required., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has been closely linked to the development of various types of cancer. EB nuclear antigen 1 binding protein 2 (EBNA1BP2) is a crucial molecule for stable isolation of EBV in latent infection. However, the role of EBNA1BP2 in multiple tumor types is remains unclear. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the functional characteristics of EBNA1BP2 and investigate its potential as a prognostic biomarker in pan-cancer., Methods: We utilized data from TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) and GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) databases and employed various bioinformatics analysis tools, including TIMER2.0, HPA, GEPIA2.0, PrognoScan, cBioPortal, CancerSEA, and BioGRID to explore the expression pattern, prognostic value, immune infiltration, and methylation level of EBNA1BP2 in pan-cancer. Additionally, we conducted enrichment analysis of genes associated with EBNA1BP2 to identify potential biological functions and pathways., Results: Our analysis revealed that EBNA1BP2 expression was significantly higher in tumor tissues compared to tumor-adjacent tissues. We observed that lower expression of EBNA1BP2 in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), brain lower grade glioma (LGG), sarcoma (SARC), and uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) was significantly associated with improved overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Furthermore, the promoter methylation level of EBNA1BP2 was downregulated in the majority of cancer types. At the single-cell level, EBNA1BP2 was found to be positively correlated with cell cycle and DNA repair processes, while negatively correlated with hypoxia. Additionally, EBNA1BP2 was associated with the infiltration of immune cells such as B cells, cancer-associated fibroblast cells, and CD8+ T cells. Gene enrichment analysis indicated that EBNA1BP2 was mainly involved in nucleoplasm and RNA binding pathways., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that EBNA1BP2 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for survival in pan-cancer. Further experimental studies are needed to validate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms by which EBNA1BP2 contributes to tumorigenesis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) beams have demonstrated significant potential in the fields of communication, imaging and quantum information science. In particular, active OAM metasurfaces enable flexible and on-demand control of OAM beams without altering their structures, significantly enriching the applications of OAM beams. However, due to the limitations of electrode wiring and unit structure efficiency, most existing active metasurface designs are reflective, hindering the further development of this field. Here, we propose an active induced magnetism Huygens' metasurface to overcome these limitations. We demonstrate that transmissive and high-efficiency OAM mode reconfigurable beams of topological charge l = -1 or l = +1, as well as spatiotemporally modulated spinning OAM harmonic beam of topological charge l = +1 can be generated on-demand. The findings of this study provide a novel approach to achieve more flexible and diversified OAM beamforming, addressing the evolving demands of various OAM-related applications.

Soil nutrient levels play a crucial role in determining crop yield. A comprehensive understanding of the spatial distribution patterns and evaluation grades of soil nutrients is of significant practical importance for informed fertilization practices, enhancing crop production, and optimizing agricultural land utilization. This study focuses on the urban area of Kashi Prefecture in Xinjiang as a case study. Utilizing soil sample data, GIS spatial interpolation analysis was conducted, incorporating plot boundary information to propose a comprehensive evaluation method for assessing soil nutrient levels at the plot level. Experimental findings revealed the following: (1) The average values of soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (AN), total potassium (AK), and total phosphorus (AP) in the study area were determined to be 13.3 g/kg, 0.74 g/kg, 0.33 g/kg, and 0.03 g/kg, respectively. Among these, AN and SOM were classified as the fourth grade, indicating relatively deficient levels, while AK and AP were classified as the first and second grade, indicating relatively abundant levels. (2) The comprehensive evaluation of soil nutrient grades in the study area primarily fell within the third, fourth, and second grades, representing areas of 29.08 km2, 25 km2, and 4.05 km2, accounting for 50.03%, 43%, and 6.97% of the total area, respectively. (3) The evaluation results of soil nutrient levels at the plot level emphasized the boundary characteristics and provided a more refined assessment grade. This evaluation method is better suited to meet the practical production requirements of farmers and is considered feasible. The outcomes of this study can serve as a reference for precision agriculture management., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Xu, He. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The shape of rice grains not only determines the thousand-grain weight but also correlates closely with the grain quality. Here we identified an ultra-large grain accession (ULG) with a thousand-grain weight exceeding 60 g. The integrated analysis of QTL, BSA, de novo genome assembled, transcription sequencing, and gene editing was conducted to dissect the molecular basis of the ULG formation. The ULG pyramided advantageous alleles from at least four known grain-shaping genes, OsLG3, OsMADS1, GS3, GL3.1, and one novel locus, qULG2-b, which encoded a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase. The collective impacts of OsLG3, OsMADS1, GS3, and GL3.1 on grain size were confirmed in transgenic plants and near-isogenic lines. The transcriptome analysis identified 112 genes cooperatively regulated by these four genes that were prominently involved in photosynthesis and carbon metabolism. By leveraging the pleiotropy of these genes, we enhanced the grain yield, appearance, and stress tolerance of rice var. SN265. Beyond showcasing the pyramiding of multiple grain size regulation genes that can produce ULG, our study provides a theoretical framework and valuable genomic resources for improving rice variety by leveraging the pleiotropy of grain size regulated genes., (© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

A three-dimensional (3D) anionic cadmium-organic framework, namely [(CH 3 ) 2 NH 2 ][Cd 1.5 (DMTDC) 2 ] ⋅ 2DMA ⋅ 0.5H 2 O (Cd-MOF; DMA=N,N-dimethylacetamide), was successfully synthesized under solvothermal conditions by using a linear thienothiophene-containing dicarboxylate ligand, 3,4-dimethylthieno [2,3-b]-thiophene-2,5-dicar-boxylic acid (H 2 DMTDC). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that Cd-MOF exhibits a 3D anionic framework with pcu α-Po topology, featuring rectangle and rhombus-shaped channels along b- and c- axis direction. Cd-MOF demonstrates selective adsorption of cationic dyes over anionic and neutral dyes. Additionally, Tb 3+ -loaded Cd-MOF serves as a fast-response fluorescence sensor for the sensitive detection of Fe 3+ ions with a low limit of detection (8.90×10 -7  M) through fluorescence quenching., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Abstract: This expert consensus reviews current literature and provides clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of multiple ground glass nodule-like lung cancer. The main contents of this review include the following: ① follow-up strategies, ② differential diagnosis, ③ diagnosis and staging, ④ treatment methods, and ⑤ post-treatment follow-up., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)

Organoids and organs-on-a-chip have emerged as powerful tools for modeling human gut physiology and disease in vitro. Although physiologically relevant, these systems often lack the environmental milieu, spatial organization, cell type diversity, and maturity necessary for mimicking human intestinal mucosa. To instead generate models closely resembling in vivo tissue, we herein integrated organoid and organ-on-a-chip technology to develop an advanced human organoid model, called "mini-colons." By employing an asymmetric stimulation with growth factors, we greatly enhanced tissue longevity and replicated in vivo-like diversity and patterning of proliferative and differentiated cell types. Mini-colons contain abundant mucus-producing goblet cells and, signifying mini-colon maturation, single-cell RNA sequencing reveals emerging mature and functional colonocytes. This methodology is expanded to generate microtissues from the small intestine and incorporate additional microenvironmental components. Finally, our bioengineered organoids provide a precise platform to systematically study human gut physiology and pathology, and a reliable preclinical model for drug safety assessment., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne has filed for patent protection on the technology described herein, and M.N. and M.P.L. are named as inventors on those patents; M.P.L. is a shareholder in Doppl SA, which is commercializing those patents. All authors, except for N.B., are employees of Hoffmann-La Roche., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The 8th AJCC TNM staging for non-metastatic lymph node-positive colon adenocarcinoma patients(NMLP-CA) stages solely by lymph node status, irrespective of the positivity of tumor deposits (TD). This study uses machine learning and Cox regression to predict the prognostic value of tumor deposits in NMLP-CA., Methods: Patient data from the SEER registry (2010-2019) was used to develop CSS nomograms based on prognostic factors identified via multivariate Cox regression. Model performance was evaluated by c-index, dynamic calibration, and Schmid score. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) were used to explain the selected models., Results: The study included 16,548 NMLP-CA patients, randomized 7:3 into training (n = 11,584) and test (n = 4964) sets. Multivariate Cox analysis identified TD, age, marital status, primary site, grade, pT stage, and pN stage as prognostic for cancer-specific survival (CSS). In the test set, the gradient boosting machine (GBM) model achieved the best C-index (0.733) for CSS prediction, while the Cox model and GAMBoost model optimized dynamic calibration(6.473) and Schmid score (0.285), respectively. TD ranked among the top 3 most important features in the models, with increasing predictive significance over time., Conclusions: Positive tumor deposit status confers worse prognosis in NMLP-CA patients. Tumor deposits may confer higher TNM staging. Furthermore, TD could play a more significant role in the staging system., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Key Message: Our findings highlight a valuable breeding resource, demonstrating the potential to concurrently enhance grain shape, thermotolerance, and alkaline tolerance by manipulating Gγ protein in rice. Temperate Geng/Japonica (GJ) rice yields have improved significantly, bolstering global food security. However, GJ rice breeding faces challenges, including enhancing grain quality, ensuring stable yields at warmer temperatures, and utilizing alkaline land. In this study, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to knock out the GS3 locus in seven elite GJ varieties with superior yield performance. Yield component measurements revealed that GS3 knockout mutants consistently enhanced grain length and reduced plant height in diverse genetic backgrounds. The impact of GS3 on the grain number per panicle and setting rate depended on the genetic background. GS3 knockout did not affect milling quality and minimally altered protein and amylose content but notably influenced chalkiness-related traits. GS3 knockout indiscriminately improved heat and alkali stress tolerance in the GJ varieties studied. Transcriptome analysis indicated differential gene expression between the GS3 mutants and their wild-type counterparts, enriched in biological processes related to photosynthesis, photosystem II stabilization, and pathways associated with photosynthesis and cutin, suberine, and wax biosynthesis. Our findings highlight GS3 as a breeding resource for concurrently improving grain shape, thermotolerance, and alkaline tolerance through Gγ protein manipulation in rice., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is a central metabolic enzyme driving the Warburg effect in tumor growth. Previous investigations have demonstrated that PKM2 is subject to O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification, which is a nutrient-sensitive post-translational modification. Here we found that unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1), a glucose-sensitive kinase, interacts with PKM2 and phosphorylates PKM2 at Ser333. Ser333 phosphorylation antagonizes PKM2 O-GlcNAcylation, promotes its tetramer formation and enzymatic activity, and decreases its nuclear localization. As PKM2 is known to have a nuclear role in regulating c-Myc, we also show that PKM2-S333 phosphorylation inhibits c-Myc expression. By downregulating glucose consumption and lactate production, PKM2 pS333 attenuates the Warburg effect. Through mouse xenograft assays, we demonstrate that the phospho-deficient PKM2-S333A mutant promotes tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, we identified a ULK1-PKM2-c-Myc axis in inhibiting breast cancer, and a glucose-sensitive phosphorylation of PKM2 in modulating the Warburg effect., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

The mixing of cotton seeds of different cultivars and qualities can lead to differences in growth conditions and make field management difficult. In particular, except for yield loss, it can also lead to inconsistent cotton quality and poor textile product quality, causing huge economic losses to farmers and the cotton processing industry. However, traditional cultivar identification methods for cotton seeds are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and cumbersome, which cannot meet the needs of modern agriculture and modern cotton processing industry. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a fast, accurate, and non-destructive method for identifying cotton seed cultivars. In this study, hyperspectral images (397.32 nm-1003.58 nm) of five cotton cultivars, namely Jinke 20, Jinke 21, Xinluzao 64, Xinluzao 74, and Zhongmiansuo 5, were captured using a Specim IQ camera, and then the average spectral information of seeds of each cultivar was used for spectral analysis, aiming to estab-lish a cotton seed cultivar identification model. Due to the presence of many obvious noises in the < 400 nm and > 1000 nm regions of the collected spectral data, spectra from 400 nm to 1000 nm were selected as the representative spectra of the seed samples. Then, various denoising techniques, including Savitzky-Golay (SG), Standard Normal Variate (SNV), and First Derivative (FD), were applied individually and in combination to improve the quality of the spectra. Additionally, a successive projections algorithm (SPA) was employed for spectral feature selection. Based on the full-band spectra, a Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) model was established. Furthermore, spectral features and textural features were fused to create Random Forest (RF), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) identification models. The results showed that: (1) The SNV-FD preprocessing method showed the optimal denoising performance. (2) SPA highlighted the near-infrared region (800-1000 nm), red region (620-700 nm), and blue-green region (420-570 nm) for identifying cotton cultivar. (3) The fusion of spectral features and textural features did not consistently improve the accuracy of all modeling strategies, suggesting the need for further research on appropriate modeling strategies. (4) The ELM model had the highest cotton cultivar identification accuracy, with an accuracy of 100% for the training set and 98.89% for the test set. In conclusion, this study successfully developed a highly accurate cotton seed cultivar identification model (ELM model). This study provides a new method for the rapid and non-destructive identification of cotton seed cultivars, which will help ensure the cultivar consistency of seeds used in cotton planting, and improve the overall quality and yield of cotton., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Plant cell walls have evolved precise plasticity in response to environmental stimuli. The plant heterotrimeric G protein complexes could sense and transmit extracellular signals to intracellular signaling systems, and activate a series of downstream responses. dep1 (Dense and Erect Panicles 1), the gain-of-function mutation of DEP1 encoding a G protein γ subunit, confers rice multiple improved agronomic traits. However, the effects of DEP1 on cell wall biosynthesis and wall-related agronomic traits remain largely unknown., Results: In this study, we showed that the DEP1 mutation affects cell wall biosynthesis, leading to improved lodging resistance and biomass saccharification. The DEP1 is ubiquitously expressed with a relatively higher expression level in tissues rich in cell walls. The CRISPR/Cas9 editing mutants of DEP1 (dep1-cs) displayed a significant enhancement in stem mechanical properties relative to the wild-type, leading to a substantial improvement in lodging resistance. Cell wall analyses showed that the DEP1 mutation increased the contents of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and pectin, and reduced lignin content and cellulose crystallinity (CrI). Additionally, the dep1-cs seedlings exhibited higher sensitivity to cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors, 2,6-Dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB) and isoxaben, compared with the wild-type, confirming the role of DEP1 in cellulose deposition. Moreover, the DEP1 mutation-mediated alterations of cell walls lead to increased enzymatic saccharification of biomass after the alkali pretreatment. Furthermore, the comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that the DEP1 mutation substantially altered expression of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, and cell wall biosynthesis., Conclusions: Our findings revealed the roles of DEP1 in cell wall biosynthesis, lodging resistance, and biomass saccharification in rice and suggested genetic modification of DEP1 as a potential strategy to develop energy rice varieties with high lodging resistance., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Electromagnetic induction plays a crucial impact on the firing activity of biological neurons, since it exists along with the mutual effect between membrane potential and ions transport. Flux-controlled memristor is an available candidate in characterizing the electromagnetic induction effect. Different from the previously reported literature, a non-ideal flux-controlled memristor with cosine mem-conductance function is employed to determine the periodic magnetization and leakage flux processes in neurons. Thereafter, a three-dimensional (3D) memristive Wilson (m-Wilson) neuron model is constructed under the consideration of this kind of electromagnetic induction. Numerical simulations are performed by multiple numerical tools, which demonstrate that the 3D m-Wilson neuron model can generate abundant firing activities. Interestingly, coexisting firing activities, antimonotonicity, and firing frequency regulation are discovered under special parameter settings. Furthermore, a PCB-based analog circuit is designed and hardware measurements are executed to verify the numerical simulations. These explorations in numerical and hardware surveys might provide insights to regulate the firing activities by appropriate electromagnetic induction., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Synaptic plasticity makes memristors particularly suitable for simulating the connection synapses between neurons that describe magnetic induction coupling. By applying a memristor to the synaptic coupling between two map-based neuron models, a memristor-coupled dual-neuron mapping (MCDN) model is proposed in this article. The MCDN model has a line fixed point set associated with the memristor initial state, which is always unstable for the model parameters and memristor initial state of interest. Complex spiking/bursting firing patterns and their transitions are disclosed using some dynamical analysis means. The numerical results show that these spiking/bursting firings are significantly relied on the memristor initial state, demonstrating the coexistence of firing patterns. Moreover, the initial effects of complete synchronization are explored for the homogeneous MCDN model, and it is clarified that in addition to being related to the coupling strength, the synchronization activities are extremely dependent on the initial states of the memristor and neurons. Finally, these numerical results are confirmed by the FPGA-based hardware experiments., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Prior studies have ascertained some risk factors of problematic social network sites use (PSNSU). Nevertheless, few research has examined the potential impact of materialism on PSNSU, as well as underlying mechanisms between this relationship. The present study investigated whether materialism would be linked with adolescents' PSNSU and whether self-esteem and self-control would mediate them. A sample of 1238 Chinese adolescents (53.6% females) completed measurements regarding demographics, materialism, PSNSU, self-esteem, and self-control. After controlling for gender and age, the results indicated that: (a) materialism was positively correlated with PSNSU; (b) materialism can indirectly affect PSNSU through the mediating effects of self-control; and (c) materialism can indirectly affect PSNSU through the sequential mediating role of self-esteem and self-control. These findings not only provide a new perspective for the cultivation of adolescents' values, but also contribute an important driving force for the prevention and intervention of adolescents' PSNSU in the information technology era., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Flexible multiplexing chips that permit reconfigurable multidimensional channel utilization are indispensable for revolutionary 6G terahertz communications, but the insufficient manipulation capability of terahertz waves prevents their practical implementation. Herein, we propose the first experimental demonstration of a flexible multiplexing chip for terahertz communication by revealing the unique mechanism of topological phase (TP) transition and perseveration in a heterogeneously coupled bilayer valley Hall topological photonic system. The synthetic and individual TPs operated in the coupled and decoupled states enable controllable on-chip modular TP transitions and subchannel switching. Two time-frequency interleaved subchannels support 10- and 12-Gbit/s QAM-16 high-speed data streams along corresponding paths over carriers of 120 and 130 GHz with 2.5- and 3-GHz bandwidths, respectively. This work unlocks interlayer heterogeneous TPs for inspiring ingenious on-chip terahertz-wave regulation, allowing functionality-reconfigurable, compactly integrated and CMOS-compatible chips., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of China Science Publishing & Media Ltd.)

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) has emerged as potent therapeutic agents for biofilm-associated bacterial infections. Chemodynamic therapy (CDT), involving the generation of high-energy ROS, displays great potential in the therapy of bacterial infections. However, challenges such as insufficient hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and over-expressed glutathione (GSH) levels within the microenvironment of bacterial biofilms severely limit the antibacterial efficacy of CDT. Herein, we have developed a multifunctional nanoplatform (CuS@CaO 2 @Dex) by integrating copper sulfide (CuS) and calcium peroxide (CaO 2 ) into dextran (Dex)-coated nanoparticles. This innovative platform enhanced ROS generation for highly efficient biofilm elimination by simultaneously supplying H 2 O 2 and depleting GSH. The Dex-coating facilitated the penetrability of CuS@CaO 2 @Dex into biofilms, while CaO 2 generated a substantial amount of H 2 O 2 in the acidic biofilm microenvironment. CuS, through a Fenton-like reaction, catalyzed the conversion of self-supplied H 2 O 2 into hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and consumed the overexpressed GSH. Additionally, the incorporation of near-infrared II (NIR II) laser irradiation enhanced the photothermal properties of CuS, improving the catalytic efficiency of the Fenton-like reaction for enhanced antibacterial effects. In vivo experiments have demonstrated that CuS@CaO 2 @Dex exhibited remarkable antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy, exceptional wound healing capabilities, and notable biosafety. In summary, the Dex-coated nanoplatform proposed in this study, with its self-sterilization capability through ROS, holds significant potential for future biomedical applications., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Iron-chromium flow batteries (ICRFBs) are regarded as one of the most promising large-scale energy storage devices with broad application prospects in recent years. However, transitioning from laboratory-scale development to industrial-scale deployment can be a time-consuming process due to the multitude of complex factors that impact ICRFB stack performance. Herein, a data-driven optimization methodology applying active learning, informed by an extensive survey of the literature encompassing diverse experimental conditions, is proposed to enable exceptional precision in predicting ICRFB system performance considering both operation conditions and key materials selection. Specifically, multitask ML models are trained on experimental data with a high prediction accuracy ( R 2 > 0.92) to link ICRFB properties to energy efficiency, coulombic efficiency, and capacity. We also interpret the ML models based on Shapley additive explanations and extract valuable insights into the importance of descriptors. It is noted that the operation conditions (current density and cycle number) and the electrode type are the most critical descriptors affecting the voltage efficiency and coulombic efficiency while the electrode size strongly affects the capacity. Moreover, active learning is used to explore the most optimized cases considering the highest energy efficiency and capacity. The versatility and robustness of the approach are demonstrated by the successful validation between ML prediction and our experiments of energy efficiency (±0.15%) and capacity (±0.8%). This work not only affords fruitful data-driven insight into the property-performance relationship, but also unveils the explainability of critical properties on the performance of ICRFBs, which accelerates the rational design of next-generation ICRFBs.

Over the past decade, orbital angular momentum has garnered considerable interest in the field of plasmonics owing to the emergence of surface-confined vortices, known as plasmonic vortices. Significant progress has been made in the generation and manipulation of plasmonic vortices, which broadly unveil the natures of plasmonic spin-orbit coupling and provide accessible means for light-matter interactions. However, traditional characterizations in the frequency domain miss some detailed information on the plasmonic vortex evolution process. Herein, an exotic spin-orbit coupling phenomenon is demonstrated. More specifically, we theoretically investigated and experimentally verified a temporally deuterogenic vortex mode, which can be observed only in the time domain and interferes destructively in the intensity field. The spatiotemporal evolution of this concomitant vortex can be tailored with different designs and incident beams. This work extends the fundamental understanding of plasmonic spin-orbit coupling and provides a unique optical force manipulation strategy, which may fuel plasmonic research and applications in the near future., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest., (© 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.)

Accurately portraying the mechanism of the flow of natural resource consumption between regions and its impact on ecology is of crucial value in deepening the understanding of the coordinated relationship between population, resources, environment and development. Consequently, this promotes the sustainable development of the natural economy and society. Based on a regional-industrial perspective, this study used a localized three-dimensional ecological footprint model to measure and decompose natural resources in Xinjiang from 2005 to 2020. In doing so, the study clarified the supply, demand, and flow utilization of natural capital in Xinjiang, the balance of spatial and temporal allocation of resources, the coupling between economic growth and resource consumption, and the coordination between industrial structure and ecological environment. The results showed that (1) Xinjiang's per capita ecological deficit grew from 2.096 to 11.667 in 2005-2020. Moreover, the energy footprint was a decisive part of the ecological deficit throughout the study period. Furthermore, the trend of increased ecological pressure was higher in northern and eastern Xinjiang than in southern Xinjiang. (2) The overall Gini coefficient of Xinjiang's ecological carrying capacity was at the critical value of spatial equilibrium (0.4), with differences between the groups: Northern & Southern Xinjiang > Northern & Eastern Xinjiang > Eastern & Southern Xinjiang. The reasons for this inter-regional economic disparity are related to fiscal expenditure/GDP, level of urbanization, and regional industrial output. Overall, the decoupling relationship between environmental pressures and economic growth was optimistic. (3) From an industrial perspective, the levels of industrial structural efficiency and the industrial ecological harmony index were still relatively low, but the overall trend was on the rise. (4) Resource endowment, economic development, consumption structure, and population had significant driving effects on the ecological footprint, whereas environmental protection, science, and technology could inhibit its growth to a certain extent. This study aimed to provide an in-depth analysis of the current situation and problems of natural resource use in Xinjiang and provide theoretical and practical references for sustainable development in the region., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of hypomethylating agent therapy in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML)., Methods: From February 2014 to June 2021, the clinical data, efficacy, survival time and safety of CMML patients diagnosed in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University and treated with hypomethylating agent therapy were retrospectively analyzed., Results: A total of 25 CMML patients received hypomethylating agent therapy, including 18 cases treated with decitabine (DEC) and 7 cases treated with azacytidine (AZA) as the basic treatment. Among them, 20 patients responded, and 7 patients got complete remission (CR). All patients with CR were treated with DEC as the basic treatment. Five cases of CR occurred in the first 4 courses of treatment. After a median follow-up of 16.4 (9.4-20.5) months, 4 patients with CR progressed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The median overall survival (OS) time of 25 CMML patients was 17.4 months (95% CI : 12.437-22.363). According to MD Anderson prognostic scoring system (MDAPS), CMML-specific prognostic scoring system (CPSS), CPSS molecular (CPSS-mol), Mayo molecular model (MMM), risk stratification of patients was performed, and the difference only between different risk stratification of MDAPS and survival time was statistically significant. Common adverse reactions of hypomethylating agent therapy in CMML patients included infection, gastrointestinal reaction, hematological toxicity, skin allergy and liver function damage. All patients' symptoms were improved after corresponding treatment., Conclusion: Hypomethylating agent therapy is effective and safe for CMML patients. CR mostly occurs in the first 4 courses of treatment, and hypomethylating agent therapy combined with low-dose chemotherapy can be used for patients who do not respond. Hypomethylating agent therapy can delay the disease, but can't prevent progression.

Human gustatory system recognizes salty/sour or sweet tastants based on their different ionic or nonionic natures using two different signaling pathways. This suggests that evolution has selected this detection dualism favorably. Analogically, this work constructs herein bioinspired stimulus-responsive hydrogels to recognize model salty/sour or sweet tastes based on two different responses, that is, electrical and volumetric responsivities. Different compositions of zwitter-ionic sulfobetainic N-(3-sulfopropyl)-N-(methacryloxyethyl)-N,N-dimethylammonium betaine (DMAPS) and nonionic 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) are co-polymerized to explore conditions for gelation. The hydrogel responses upon adding model tastant molecules are explored using electrical and visual de-swelling observations. Beyond challenging electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, naive multimeter electrical characterizations are performed, toward facile applicability. Ionic model molecules, for example, sodium chloride and acetic acid, interact electrostatically with DMAPS groups, whereas nonionic molecules, for example, D(-)fructose, interact by hydrogen bonding with HEMA. The model tastants induce complex combinations of electrical and volumetric responses, which are then introduced as inputs for machine learning algorithms. The fidelity of such a trained dual response approach is tested for a more general taste identification. This work envisages that the facile dual electric/volumetric hydrogel responses combined with machine learning proposes a generic bioinspired avenue for future bionic designs of artificial taste recognition, amply needed in applications., (© 2023 The Authors. Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Vascular remodeling plays a vital role in hypertensive diseases and is an important target for hypertension treatment. Irisin, a newly discovered myokine and adipokine, has been found to have beneficial effects on various cardiovascular diseases. However, the pharmacological effect of irisin in antagonizing hypertension-induced vascular remodeling is not well understood. In the present study, we investigated the protection and mechanisms of irisin against hypertension and vascular remodeling induced by angiotensin II (Ang II). Adult male mice of wild-type, FNDC5 (irisin-precursor) knockout, and FNDC5 overexpression were used to develop hypertension by challenging them with Ang II subcutaneously in the back using a microosmotic pump for 4 weeks. Similar to the attenuation of irisin on Ang II-induced VSMCs remodeling, endogenous FNDC5 ablation exacerbated, and exogenous FNDC5 overexpression alleviated Ang II-induced hypertension and vascular remodeling. Aortic RNA sequencing showed that irisin deficiency exacerbated intracellular calcium imbalance and increased vasoconstriction, which was parallel to the deterioration in both ER calcium dysmetabolism and ER stress. FNDC5 overexpression/exogenous irisin supplementation protected VSMCs from Ang II-induced remodeling by improving endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis. This improvement includes inhibiting Ca 2+ release from the ER and promoting the re-absorption of Ca 2+ into the ER, thus relieving Ca 2+ -dependent ER stress. Furthermore, irisin was confirmed to bind to its receptors, αV/β5 integrins, to further activate the AMPK pathway and inhibit the p38 pathway, leading to vasoprotection in Ang II-insulted VSMCs. These results indicate that irisin protects against hypertension and vascular remodeling in Ang II-challenged mice by restoring calcium homeostasis and attenuating ER stress in VSMCs via activating AMPK and suppressing p38 signaling., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Nanoparticles of biological origin exhibit many unique properties in biological applications due to their exquisite structure, specific composition, and natural biological functionality. In this study, we obtained lysosomes from three distinct cell types (one normal cell and two activated immune cells) and demonstrated their potential as natural therapeutic nanoparticles for tumor therapy. In vitro experiments revealed that these lysosomes maintained their structural integrity, were well-distributed, and exhibited significant biological activity, which effectively induced cancer cell death by generating ROS and disrupting biological substrates. Additionally, in vivo investigations showed that these lysosomes could accumulate in tumor tissues after intravenous administration and exhibited exceptional therapeutic effects through the destruction of tumor blood vessels and the degradation of immunosuppressive proteins, with complete tumor disappearance in a single treatment. This research on the utilization of bioactive lysosomes for tumor treatment provides valuable insights into drug development and tumor treatment, particularly when conventional approaches have proven ineffective., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Predicting the potential for recovery of motor function in stroke patients who undergo specific rehabilitation treatments is an important and major challenge. Recently, electroencephalography (EEG) has shown potential in helping to determine the relationship between cortical neural activity and motor recovery. EEG recorded in different states could more accurately predict motor recovery than single-state recordings. Here, we design a multi-state (combining eyes closed, EC, and eyes open, EO) fusion neural network for predicting the motor recovery of patients with stroke after EEG-brain-computer-interface (BCI) rehabilitation training and use an explainable deep learning method to identify the most important features of EEG power spectral density and functional connectivity contributing to prediction. The prediction accuracy of the multi-states fusion network was 82%, significantly improved compared with a single-state model. The neural network explanation result demonstrated the important region and frequency oscillation bands. Specifically, in those two states, power spectral density and functional connectivity were shown as the regions and bands related to motor recovery in frontal, central, and occipital. Moreover, the motor recovery relation in bands, the power spectrum density shows the bands at delta and alpha bands. The functional connectivity shows the delta, theta, and alpha bands in the EC state; delta, theta, and beta mid at the EO state are related to motor recovery. Multi-state fusion neural networks, which combine multiple states of EEG signals into a single network, can increase the accuracy of predicting motor recovery after BCI training, and reveal the underlying mechanisms of motor recovery in brain activity.

Soil salinity is an important limiting factor in agricultural production. Rhizospheric fungi can potentially enhance crop salinity tolerance, but the precise role of signaling substances is still to be systematically elucidated. A rhizospheric fungus identified as Paecilomyces vaniformisi was found to enhance the salinity tolerance of rice seedlings. In this study, a novel polysaccharide (PPL2b) was isolated from P. vaniformisi and identified as consisting of Manp, Glcp, GalpA, and Galp. In a further study, PPL2b showed significant activity in alleviating salinity stress-induced growth inhibition in rice seedlings. The results indicated that under salinity stress, PPL2b enhances seed germination, plant growth (height and biomass), and biochemical parameters (soluble sugar and protein contents). Additionally, PPL2b regulates genes such as SOS1 and SKOR to decrease K + efflux and increase Na + efflux. PPL2b increased the expression and activity of genes related to antioxidant enzymes and nonenzyme substances in salinity-induced oxidative stress. Further study indicated that PPL2b plays a crucial role in regulating osmotic substances, such as proline and betaine, in maintaining the osmotic balance. It also modulates plant hormones to promote rice seedling growth and enhance their tolerance to soil salinity. The variables interacted and were divided into two groups (PC1 77.39% and PC2 18.77%) based on their relative values. Therefore, these findings indicate that PPL2b from P. vaniformisi can alleviate the inhibitory effects of salinity stress on root development, osmotic adjustment, ion balance, oxidative stress balance, and growth of rice seedlings. Furthermore, it suggests that polysaccharides produced by rhizospheric fungi could be utilized to enhance crop tolerance to salinity.

Background: Sensory stimulation can play a fundamental role in the activation of the primary sensorimotor cortex (S1-M1), which can promote motor learning and M1 plasticity in stroke patients. However, studies have focused mainly on investigating the influence of brain lesion profiles on the activation patterns of S1-M1 during motor tasks instead of sensory tasks. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the lesion-specific activation patterns due to different brain lesion profiles and types during focal vibration (FV)., Methods: In total 52 subacute stroke patients were recruited in this clinical experiment, including patients with basal ganglia hemorrhage/ischemia, brainstem ischemia, other subcortical ischemia, cortical ischemia, and mixed cortical-subcortical ischemia. Electroencephalograms (EEG) were recorded following a resting state lasting for 4 min and three sessions of FV. FV was applied over the muscle belly of the affected limb's biceps for 3 min each session. Beta motor-related EEG power desynchronization overlying S1-M1 was used to indicate the activation of S1-M1, while the laterality coefficient (LC) of the activation of S1-M1 was used to assess the interhemispheric asymmetry of brain activation., Results: (1) Regarding brain lesion profiles, FV could lead to the significant activation of bilateral S1-M1 in patients with basal ganglia ischemia and other subcortical ischemia. The activation of ipsilesional S1-M1 in patients with brainstem ischemia was higher than that in patients with cortical ischemia. No activation of S1-M1 was observed in patients with lesions involving cortical regions. (2) Regarding brain lesion types, FV could induce the activation of bilateral S1-M1 in patients with basal ganglia hemorrhage, which was significantly higher than that in patients with basal ganglia ischemia. Additionally, LC showed no significant correlation with the modified Barthel index (MBI) in all patients, but a positive correlation with MBI in patients with basal ganglia lesions., Conclusions: These results reveal that sensory stimulation can induce lesion-specific activation patterns of S1-M1. This indicates FV could be applied in a personalized manner based on the lesion-specific activation of S1-M1 in stroke patients with different lesion profiles and types. Our study may contribute to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of cortical reorganization., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Micron-sized Si anode promises a much higher theoretical capacity than the traditional graphite anode and more attractive application prospect compared to its nanoscale counterpart. However, its severe volume expansion during lithiation requires solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) with reinforced mechanical stability. Here, we propose a solvent-induced selective dissolution strategy to in situ regulate the mechanical properties of SEI. By introducing a high-donor-number solvent, gamma-butyrolactone, into conventional electrolytes, low-modulus components of the SEI, such as Li alkyl carbonates, can be selectively dissolved upon cycling, leaving a robust SEI mainly consisting of lithium fluoride and polycarbonates. With this strategy, raw micron-sized Si anode retains 87.5% capacity after 100 cycles at 0.5 C (1500 mA g -1 , 25°C), which can be improved to >300 cycles with carbon-coated micron-sized Si anode. Furthermore, the Si||LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 battery using the raw micron-sized Si anode with the selectively dissolved SEI retains 83.7% capacity after 150 cycles at 0.5 C (90 mA g -1 ). The selective dissolution effect for tailoring the SEI, as well as the corresponding cycling life of the Si anodes, is positively related to the donor number of the solvents, which highlights designing high-donor-number electrolytes as a guideline to tailor the SEI for stabilizing volume-changing alloying-type anodes in high-energy rechargeable batteries., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

By establishing omics sequencing of patient tumors as a crucial element in cancer treatment, the extensive implementation of precision oncology necessitates effective and prompt execution of clinical studies for approving molecular-targeted therapies. However, the substantial volume of patient sequencing data, combined with strict clinical trial criteria, increasingly complicates the process of matching patients to precision oncology studies. To streamline enrollment in these studies, we developed OncoCTMiner, an automated pre-screening platform for molecular cancer clinical trials. Through manual tagging of eligibility criteria for 2227 oncology trials, we identified key bio-concepts such as cancer types, genes, alterations, drugs, biomarkers and therapies. Utilizing this manually annotated corpus along with open-source biomedical natural language processing tools, we trained multiple named entity recognition models specifically designed for precision oncology trials. These models analyzed 460 952 clinical trials, revealing 8.15 million precision medicine concepts, 9.32 million entity-criteria-trial triplets and a comprehensive precision oncology eligibility criteria database. Most significantly, we developed a patient-trial matching system based on cancer patients' clinical and genetic profiles, which can seamlessly integrate with the omics data analysis platform. This system expedites the pre-screening process for potentially suitable precision oncology trials, offering patients swifter access to promising treatment options. Database URL  https://oncoctminer.chosenmedinfo.com., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.)

This study investigates the process by which English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers transmute their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) into Personal Practical Knowledge (PPK) within a blended learning community. Data sources, including conversation transcripts, reflective journals, and field notes, were meticulously examined utilizing the commonplaces of temporality, sociality, and place. Several key findings were unveiled: (1) the volume and focal points of transformed PPK varied across participants; (2) the metamorphosis of PCK into PPK was found to be selectively partial, filtered by factors such as previous learning experiences, course expectations, and levels of engagement; and (3) the selection process was molded within the dynamic interplay of the internal components of the blended learning community and the external socio-cultural conditions. The study concludes that the cognition mechanism of EFL student teachers' PPK is characterized by elements of variation, selection, and dynamism., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Xu and Wang.)

Cell wall is essential for plant upright growth, biomass saccharification, and stress resistance. Although cell wall modification is suggested as an effective means to increase biomass saccharification, it is a challenge to maintain normal plant growth with improved mechanical strength and stress resistance. Here, we reported two independent fragile culm mutants, fc19-1 and fc19-2, resulting from novel mutations of OsIRX10, produced by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Compared to wild-type, the two mutants exhibited reduced contents of xylose, hemicellulose, and cellulose, and increased arabinose and lignin without significant alteration in levels of pectin and uronic acids. Despite brittleness, the mutants displayed increased breaking force, leading to improved lodging resistance. Furthermore, the altered cell wall and increased biomass porosity in fc19 largely increased biomass saccharification. Notably, the mutants showed enhanced cadmium (Cd) resistance with lower Cd accumulation in roots and shoots. The FC19 mutation impacts transcriptional levels of key genes contributing to Cd uptake, sequestration, and translocation. Moreover, transcriptome analysis revealed that the FC19 mutation resulted in alterations of genes mainly involved in carbohydrate and phenylpropanoid metabolism. Therefore, a hypothetic model was proposed to elucidate that the FC19 mutation-mediated cell wall remodeling leads to improvements in lodging resistance, biomass saccharification, and Cd resistance., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A periodic intermittent adaptive control method with saturation is proposed to pin the quasi-consensus of nonlinear heterogeneous multi-agent systems with external disturbances in this paper. A new periodic intermittent adaptive control protocol with saturation is designed to control the internal coupling between the follower agents and the feedback gain between the leader and the follower. In particular, we use the saturation adaptive law: when the quasi-consensus error converges to a certain range, the adaptive coupling edge weight and the adaptive feedback gain will not be updated. Furthermore, we propose three saturated adaptive pinning control protocols. The quasi-consensus is achieved through its own pinning as long as the agents remain connected to each other. Using the Lyapunov function method and inequality technique, the convergence range of the quasi-consensus error of a heterogeneous multi-agent system is obtained. Finally, the rationality of the proposed control protocol is verified through numerical simulation. Theoretical derivation and simulation results show that the novel proposed periodic intermittent adaptive control method with saturation can successfully be used to achieve the pinning of quasi-consensus of nonlinear heterogeneous multi-agent systems.

Ether solvents with superior reductive stability promise excellent interphasial stability with high-capacity anodes while the limited oxidative resistance hinders their high-voltage operation. Extending the intrinsic electrochemical stability of ether-based electrolytes to construct stable-cycling high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries is challenging but rewarding. Herein, the anion-solvent interactions were concerned as the key point to optimize the anodic stability of the ether-based electrolytes and an optimized interphase was realized on both pure-SiO x anodes and LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 cathodes. Specifically, the small-anion-size LiNO 3 and tetrahydrofuran with high dipole moment to dielectric constant ratio realized strengthened anion-solvent interactions, which enhance the oxidative stability of the electrolyte. The designed ether-based electrolyte enabled a stable cycling performance over 500 cycles in pure-SiO x ||LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 full cell, demonstrating its superior practical prospects. This work provides new insight into the design of new electrolytes for emerging high-energy density lithium-ion batteries through the regulation of interactions between species in electrolytes., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

To characterize the magnetic induction flow induced by neuron membrane potential, a three-dimensional (3D) memristive Morris-Lecar (ML) neuron model is proposed in this paper. It is achieved using a memristor induction current to replace the slow modulation current in the existing 3D ML neuron model with fast-slow structure. The magnetic induction effects on firing activities are explained by the spiking/bursting firings with period-adding bifurcation and periodic/chaotic spiking-bursting patterns, and the bifurcation mechanisms of the bursting patterns are elaborated using the fast-slow analysis method to create two bifurcation sets. In particular, the 3D memristive ML model can also exhibit the homogeneous coexisting bursting patterns when switching the memristor initial states, which are effectively illustrated by the theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. Finally, a digitally FPGA-based hardware platform is developed for the 3D memristive ML model and the experimentally measured results well verify the numerical ones., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestsThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2022. Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Lung cancer is caused by a malignant tumor that shows the fastest growth in both incidence and mortality and is also the greatest threat to human health and life. At present, both in terms of incidence and mortality, lung cancer is the first in male malignant tumors, and the second in female malignant tumors. In the past two decades, research and development of antitumor drugs worldwide have been booming, and a large number of innovative drugs have entered clinical trials and practice. In the era of precision medicine, the concept and strategy of cancer from diagnosis to treatment are experiencing unprecedented changes. The ability of tumor diagnosis and treatment has rapidly improved, the discovery rate and cure rate of early tumors have greatly improved, and the overall survival of patients has benefited significantly, with a tendency to transform to a chronic disease with tumor. The emergence of nanotechnology brings new horizons for tumor diagnosis and treatment. Nanomaterials with good biocompatibility have played an important role in tumor imaging, diagnosis, drug delivery, controlled drug release, etc. This article mainly reviews the advancements in lipid-based nanosystems, polymer-based nanosystems, and inorganic nanosystems in the diagnosis and treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

A new 2D flexible cobalt(II) framework (Co-MOF) exhibits a reversible solid-state structural transformation upon guest molecule removal/uptake. After activation, Co-MOF-α with 1D porous channels transformed into Co-MOF-β (0D voids) accompanied by a shift in metal and carboxylate coordination modes, the rotation of organic linkers and the contraction of interstitial spaces. Gas adsorption experiments reveal that Co-MOF-β exhibits a two-step CO 2 adsorption isotherm and close-to-open (type F-IV) isotherms for C 2 H 2 , C 2 H 4 and C 2 H 6 at 195 K. Moreover, it shows typical type I adsorption isotherms for the above gases and the selective uptake of C 2 H 2 over CH 4 and CO 2 at room temperature.

Objectives . Burnout of airline pilots has an extremely adverse impact on their physical and mental state, their work efficiency and safe operation of airlines, and is thus an important issue in occupational safety and health. Therefore, it is crucial to identify factors that may reduce burnout among airline pilots. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, the present study investigates the relationships between calling, psychological capital, organizational identification and burnout in order to understand the mechanisms underlying pilot burnout. Method. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to measure calling, psychological capital, organizational identification and burnout among a sample consisting of 242 Chinese commercial airline pilots (age: M 31.60 years, SD 6.44). Correlation analysis, mediation analysis and moderated analysis were conducted. Results. The results showed that calling has a direct and negative effect on pilot burnout, and an indirect effect on burnout through influencing psychological capital. Moreover, organizational identification was found to positively moderate the negative relationship between calling and pilot burnout. Conclusion. This study contributes to deepening theoretical research on burnout, and provides empirical evidence for effective intervention in the burnout of airline pilots, which is beneficial to reduce pilot human error and ensure flight safety. Future research directions are also discussed.