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SpCas9 and AsCas12a are widely utilized as genome editing tools in human cells, but their applications are largely limited by their bulky size. Recently, AsCas12f1 protein, with a small size (422 amino acids), has been demonstrated to be capable of cleaving double-stranded DNA protospacer adjacent motif (PAM). However, low editing efficiency and large differences in activity against different genomic loci have been a limitation in its application. Here, we show that engineered AsCas12f1 sgRNA has significantly improved the editing efficiency in human cells and mouse embryos. Moreover, we successfully generated three stable mouse mutant disease models using the engineered CRISPR-AsCas12f1 system in this study. Collectively, our work uncovers the engineered AsCas12f1 system expands mini CRISPR toolbox, providing a remarkable promise for therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Female mosquitoes need a blood meal after mating for their eggs to develop, and this behavior leads to the spread of pathogens. Therefore, understanding the molecular regulation of reproduction in female mosquitoes is essential to control mosquito vector populations. In this study, we reported that microRNA-989 (miR-989), which targets 5-HTR1 (encoding secreted 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor1), is essential for mosquito reproduction. Methods: The spatiotemporal expression profile of miR-989 was detected using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). miR-989 antagomirs and antagomir-negative control (NC) were designed and synthesized to knock down the expression of endogenous miR-989 in female mosquitoes. RNA sequencing was used to analyze the ovarian response to miR-989 deletion. The targets of miR-989 were predicted and confirmed using RNAhybrid and dual-luciferase assays. Results: miR-989 is exclusively expressed in female mosquito ovaries and responds to blood feeding. Injection of the miR-989 antagomir resulted in smaller ovaries and reduced egg production. 5-HTR1 was demonstrated as a target of miR-989. The deletion of miR-989 contributed to the upregulation of 5-HTR1 expression. Knockdown of 5-HTR1 rescued the adverse egg production caused by miR-989 silencing. Thus, miR-989 might play an essential role in female reproduction by targeting 5-HTR1. Conclusions: We found that miR-989 targets 5-HTR1 and participates in the regulation of reproduction in female mosquitoes. These findings expand our understanding of reproduction-related miRNAs and promote new control strategies for mosquitoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nme2ABE8e has been constructed and characterized as a compact, accurate adenine base editor with a less restrictive dinucleotide protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM: N4CC) but low editing efficiency at challenging loci in human cells. Here, we engineered a subset of domain-inlaid Nme2Cas9 base editors to bring the deaminase domain closer to the nontarget strand to improve editing efficiency. Results: Our results demonstrated that Nme2ABE8e-797 with adenine deaminase inserted between amino acids 797 and 798 has a significantly increased editing efficiency with a wide editing window ranging from 4 to 18 bases in mammalian cells, especially at the sites that were difficult to edit by Nme2ABE8e. In addition, by swapping the PAM-interacting domain of Nme2ABE8e-797 with that of SmuCas9 or introducing point mutations of eNme2-C in Nme2ABE8e-797, we created Nme2ABE8e-797Smu and Nme2ABE8e-797−C, respectively, which exhibited robust activities at a wide range of sites with N4CN PAMs in human cells. Moreover, the modified domain-inlaid Nme2ABE8e can efficiently restore or install disease-related loci in Neuro-2a cells and mice. Conclusions: These novel Nme2ABE8es with increased on-target DNA editing and expanded PAM compatibility will expand the base editing toolset for efficient gene modification and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently developed prime-editing (PE) technique is more precise than previously available techniques and permits base-to-base conversion, replacement, and insertions and deletions in the genome. However, previous reports show that the efficiency of prime editing is insufficient to produce genome-edited animals. In fact, prime-guide RNA (pegRNA) designs have posed a challenge in achieving favorable editing efficiency. Here, we designed prime binding sites (PBS) with a melting temperature (Tm) of 42 °C, leading to optimal performance in cells, and we found that the optimal Tm was affected by the culture temperature. In addition, the ePE3max system was developed by updating the PE architecture to PEmax and expressing engineered pegRNA (epegRNA) based on the original PE3 system. The updated ePE3max system can efficiently induce gene editing in mouse and rabbit embryos. Furthermore, we successfully generated a Hoxd13 (c. 671 G > T) mutation in mice and a Tyr (c. 572 del) mutation in rabbits by ePE3max. Overall, the editing efficiency of modified ePE3max systems is superior to that of the original PE3 system in producing genome-edited animals, which can serve as an effective and versatile genome-editing tool for precise genome modification in animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D/2D heterojunction photocatalyst of CdIn 2 S 4 on nitrogen doped reduced graphene (N-rGO) was fabricated by in situ hydrothermal method. It is noticeable that the flower-like CdIn 2 S 4 photocatalyst composed of film is controlled by the temperature of synthesis process. When CdIn 2 S 4 photocatalyst load on N-rGO, irregular film N-rGO functions as support to disperse the CdIn 2 S 4 , forming the 2D/2D interfacial structure, which is confirmed by SEM, TEM and HRTEM. When the mass fraction of N-rGO is 10%, the binary composite photocatalyst could photodegrade 80% 50 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). That is because the heterojunction formed between CdIn 2 S 4 and N-rGO promotes the electron transfer, especially the interfacial contact region. What's more, the N-rGO can efficiently accumulate the 2,4-DCP molecules because of its unique structure, bettering the contact rate between 2,4-DCP and the whole photocatalyst. The possible mechanism of photodegrading 2,4-DCP was discussed and investigated. This work highlights the synergistic effect, especially the harmony between charge transfer and active sites to benefit the photocatalytic performance. A schematic of possible photocatalytic mechanism. Image 1 • 2D/2D CdIn 2 S 4 /N-rGO interfacial heterojunction photocatalyst was obtained by in situ hydrothermal method. • The as-prepared 2D/2D CdIn 2 S 4 /N-rGO materials exhibited extensively enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of 2,4-DCP under visible light irradiation. • The possible process about irregular and looser CdIn 2 S 4 nanosheets formed was given. • Intimate 2D interfacial heterojunction gives more channels to transfer photogenerated carries and N-rGO supplies active sites, bettering photocatalytic performance. A possible mechanism of 2D/2D CdIn 2 S 4 /N-rGO photocatalyst for the enhancement of visible light performance was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the structure and properties of catalysts through atomic arrangement is the source of producing a new generation of advanced catalysts. A highly active and stable catalyst in catalytic reactions strongly depends on an ideal arrangement structure of metal atoms. We demonstrated that the introduction of the defect‐rich structures, low coordination number (CN), and tensile strain in three‐dimensional (3D) urchin‐like palladium nanoparticles through chlorine bonded with sp‐C in graphdiyne (Pd‐UNs/Cl‐GDY) can regulate the arrangement of metal atoms in the palladium nanoparticles to form a special structure. In situ Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and theoretical calculation results show that Pd‐UNs/Cl‐GDY catalyst is beneficial to the oxidation and removal of CO intermediates. The Pd‐UNs/Cl‐GDY for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) that display high current density (363.6 mA cm−2) and mass activity (3.6 A mgPd−1), 12.0 and 10.9 times higher than Pd nanoparticles, respectively. The Pd‐UNs/Cl‐GDY catalyst also exhibited robust stability with still retained 95 % activity after 2000 cycles. A defects libraries of the face‐centered cubic and hexagonal close‐packed crystal catalysts (FH‐NPs) were synthesized by introducing chlorine in graphdiyne. Such defect‐rich structures, low CN, and tensile strain tailoring methods have opened up a new way for the catalytic reaction of MOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the structure and properties of catalysts through atomic arrangement is the source of producing a new generation of advanced catalysts. A highly active and stable catalyst in catalytic reactions strongly depends on an ideal arrangement structure of metal atoms. We demonstrated that the introduction of the defect‐rich structures, low coordination number (CN), and tensile strain in three‐dimensional (3D) urchin‐like palladium nanoparticles through chlorine bonded with sp‐C in graphdiyne (Pd‐UNs/Cl‐GDY) can regulate the arrangement of metal atoms in the palladium nanoparticles to form a special structure. In situ Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and theoretical calculation results show that Pd‐UNs/Cl‐GDY catalyst is beneficial to the oxidation and removal of CO intermediates. The Pd‐UNs/Cl‐GDY for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) that display high current density (363.6 mA cm−2) and mass activity (3.6 A mgPd−1), 12.0 and 10.9 times higher than Pd nanoparticles, respectively. The Pd‐UNs/Cl‐GDY catalyst also exhibited robust stability with still retained 95 % activity after 2000 cycles. A defects libraries of the face‐centered cubic and hexagonal close‐packed crystal catalysts (FH‐NPs) were synthesized by introducing chlorine in graphdiyne. Such defect‐rich structures, low CN, and tensile strain tailoring methods have opened up a new way for the catalytic reaction of MOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Female mosquitoes need a blood meal after mating for their eggs to develop, and this behavior leads to the spread of pathogens. Therefore, understanding the molecular regulation of reproduction in female mosquitoes is essential to control mosquito vector populations. In this study, we reported that microRNA-989 (miR-989), which targets 5-HTR1 (encoding secreted 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor1), is essential for mosquito reproduction. Methods: The spatiotemporal expression profile of miR-989 was detected using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). miR-989 antagomirs and antagomir-negative control (NC) were designed and synthesized to knock down the expression of endogenous miR-989 in female mosquitoes. RNA sequencing was used to analyze the ovarian response to miR-989 deletion. The targets of miR-989 were predicted and confirmed using RNAhybrid and dual-luciferase assays. Results: miR-989 is exclusively expressed in female mosquito ovaries and responds to blood feeding. Injection of the miR-989 antagomir resulted in smaller ovaries and reduced egg production. 5-HTR1 was demonstrated as a target of miR-989. The deletion of miR-989 contributed to the upregulation of 5-HTR1 expression. Knockdown of 5-HTR1 rescued the adverse egg production caused by miR-989 silencing. Thus, miR-989 might play an essential role in female reproduction by targeting 5-HTR1. Conclusions: We found that miR-989 targets 5-HTR1 and participates in the regulation of reproduction in female mosquitoes. These findings expand our understanding of reproduction-related miRNAs and promote new control strategies for mosquitoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrophobized soils (or so-called artificial hydrophobic soils) are a novel geomaterial with a great potential in engineering applications due to its low affinity to water. For saline soils, hydrophobizing such soils can mitigate the soil salinization and subsequent engineering disasters such as salt expansion and corrosion by chlorides. To induce soil hydrophobicity, hydrophobic agents are widely used such as organo-silanes, fatty acids, and waxes. Correspondingly, the engineering properties and durability of these hydrophobized soils have been comprehensively investigated. However, all these studies focused on the clean mineral soils, i.e. , the soils without salts and in a moderate pH. For saline soils, the feasibility, stability and durability of these hydrophobic agents are unclear. This paper aims to propose suitable and feasible hydrophobic agents in hydrophobizing saline soils, by investigating its hydrophobicity change and having an insight into the mechanisms. The saline soils used were collected from Qinghai, China, and were treated by five different hydrophobic agents at different concentrations, with the hydrophobicity quantified by water drop penetration time, surface tension and contact angle. The soil hydrophobicity change was recorded after the treatment and wetting-drying cycles, in order to assess its stability and durability. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectrum and N 2 adsorption experiment were carried out to study the mechanism of soil hydrophobicity formation and degradation. The results showed two agents, namely Sodium methyl siliconate and Polymethylhydrosiloxane, provided the greatest and most durable hydrophobicity in saline soils. Their different formation mechanisms at particle- and nano-scale were also discussed. A further assessment on the soil mechanical properties revealed that both compaction behavior and strength were negligibly influenced by these two agents. [Display omitted] • Soil hydrophobization was proposed and demonstrated to mitigate soil salinization • Five hydrophobic agents were tested regarding the effectiveness and durability • Sodium methyl siliconate and polymethylhydrosiloxane were the optimized agents • Physicochemical tests provided an insight into the hydrophobicity formation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preinjury of peripheral nerves triggers dorsal root ganglia (DRG) axon regeneration, a biological change that is more pronounced in young mice than in old mice, but the complex mechanism has not been clearly explained. Here, we aim to gain insight into the mechanisms of axon regeneration after conditioning lesion in different age groups of mice, thereby providing effective therapeutic targets for central nervous system (CNS) injury. Methods: The microarray GSE58982 and GSE96051 were downloaded and analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, the miRNA-TF-target gene network, and the drug-hub gene network of conditioning lesion were constructed. The L4 and L5 DRGs, which were previously axotomized by the sciatic nerve conditioning lesions, were harvested for qRT-PCR. Furthermore, histological and behavioral tests were performed to assess the therapeutic effects of the candidate drug telmisartan in spinal cord injury (SCI). Results: A total of 693 and 885 DEGs were screened in the old and young mice, respectively. Functional enrichment indicates that shared DEGs are involved in the inflammatory response, innate immune response, and ion transport. QRT-PCR results showed that in DRGs with preinjury of peripheral nerve, Timp1, P2ry6, Nckap1l, Csf1, Ccl9, Anxa1, and C3 were upregulated, while Agtr1a was downregulated. Based on the bioinformatics analysis of DRG after conditioning lesion, Agtr1a was selected as a potential therapeutic target for the SCI treatment. In vivo experiments showed that telmisartan promoted axonal regeneration after SCI by downregulating AGTR1 expression. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive map of transcriptional changes that discriminate between young and old DRGs in response to injury. The hub genes and their related drugs that may affect the axonal regeneration program after conditioning lesion were identified. These findings revealed the speculative pathogenic mechanism involved in conditioning-dependent regenerative growth and may have translational significance for the development of CNS injury treatment in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adenine base editors (ABEs) are promising therapeutic gene editing tools that can efficiently convert targeted A•T to G•C base pairs in the genome. However, the large size of commonly used ABEs based on SpCas9 hinders its delivery in vivo using certain vectors such as adeno-associated virus (AAV) during preclinical applications. Despite a number of approaches having previously been attempted to overcome that challenge, including split Cas9-derived and numerous domain-deleted versions of editors, whether base editor (BE) and prime editor (PE) systems can also allow deletion of those domains remains to be proven. In this study, we present a new small ABE (sABE) with significantly reduced size. Results: We discovered that ABE8e can tolerate large single deletions in the REC2 (Δ174-296) and HNH (Δ786-855) domains of SpCas9, and these deletions can be stacked together to create a new sABE. The sABE showed higher precision than the original ABE8e, with proximally shifted protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) editing windows (A3- A15), and comparable editing efficiencies to 8e-SaCas9-KKH. The sABE system efficiently generated A-G mutations at disease-relevant loci (T1214C in GAA and A494G in MFN2) in HEK293T cells and several canonical Pcsk9 splice sites in N2a cells. Moreover, the sABE enabled in vivo delivery in a single adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector with slight efficiency. Furthermore, we also successfully edited the genome of mouse embryos by microinjecting mRNA and sgRNA of sABE system into zygotes. Conclusions: We have developed a substantially smaller sABE system that expands the targeting scope and offers higher precision of genome editing. Our findings suggest that the sABE system holds great therapeutic potential in preclinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of hamburger-like Ag@ZnO/C core–shell plasmonic photocatalysts have been synthesized via a simple solvothermal method for degradation of tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation, possessing high photocatalytic activity and good stability. The presence of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the Ag core has increased the photocatalytic activity over an extended wavelength range. The plasmon-induced resonant energy transfer (PIRET) and direct electron transfer (DET) have facilitated the excitation and separation of photogenerated e−/h+ pairs, which has been further confirmed by electrochemical investigations. The presences of hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH), superoxide radicals (⋅O2−) and singlet oxygen (1O2) in the photocatalytic reaction system of Ag@ZnO/C photocatalyst have been demonstrated by electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements. All of the experiment results indicate that the ternary structure of Ag@ZnO/C can effectively enhance the photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the effects of introduced Ag contents and carbon source dosage were researched by comparative photocatalytic experiments, and the potential structures of photodegradation products were studied by HPLC-MS. A series of hamburger-like Ag@ZnO/C plasmonic photocatalysts was synthesized. The photocatalysts exhibited great photocatalytic activity and stability, and the PIRET and DET have facilitated the excitation and separation of charges. The possible photodegradation mechanism was systematically presented and the potential structure of new photodegradation products was studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Accurate evaluation of residual cancer burden remains challenging because of the lack of appropriate techniques for tumor bed sampling. This study evaluated the application of a white light imaging system to help pathologists differentiate the components and location of tumor bed in specimens. Methods The high dynamic range dual-mode white light imaging (HDR-DWI) system was developed to capture antiglare reflection and multiexposure HDR transmission images. It was tested in 60 specimens of modified radical mastectomy after neoadjuvant therapy. We observed the differential transmittance among tumor tissue, fibrosis tissue, and adipose tissue. Results The sensitivity and specificity of HDR-DWI were compared with x-ray or visual examination to determine whether HDR-DWI was superior in identifying tumor beds. We found that tumor tissue had lower transmittance (0.12 ± 0.03) than fibers (0.15 ± 0.04) and fats (0.27 ± 0.07) (P <.01). Conclusions HDR-DWI was more sensitive in identifying fiber and tumor tissues than cabinet x-ray and visual observation (P <.01). In addition, HDR-DWI could identify more fibrosis areas than the currently used whole slide imaging did in 12 samples (12/60). We have determined that HDR-DWI can provide more in-depth tumor bed information than x-ray and visual examination do, which will help prevent diagnostic errors in tumor bed sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory response is an essential part of secondary injury after spinal cord injury (SCI). During this period, the injury may be exacerbated through the release of a large number of inflammatory factors and the polarization of infiltrating macrophages and microglia towards M1. Ang-(1–7), mainly generated by Ang II via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), can specifically bind to the G protein-coupled receptor Mas (MasR) and plays an important role in regulating inflammation and alleviating oxidative stress. Methods: We aimed to investigate whether activating the Ang-(1–7)/MasR axis in rats after SCI can regulate local neuroinflammation to achieve functional recovery and obtain its potential mechanism. MasR expression of bone marrow-derived macrophages was determined by Western blot. Immunofluorescence, Western blot, Flow cytometry, and RT-qPCR were applied to evaluate the polarization of Ang-(1–7) on macrophages and the regulation of inflammatory cytokines. Previous evaluation of the spinal cord and bladder after SCI was conducted by hematoxylin–eosin staining, Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score, inclined plate test, electrophysiology, and catwalk were used to evaluate the functional recovery of rats. Results: MasR expression increased in macrophages under inflammatory conditions and further elevated after Ang-(1–7) treatment. Both in vivo and in vitro results confirmed that Ang-(1–7) could regulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines by down-regulating proinflammatory cytokines and up-regulating anti-inflammatory cytokines, and bias the polarization direction of microglia/macrophages to M2 phenotypic. After SCI, Ang-(1–7) administration in situ led to better histological and functional recovery in rats, and this recovery at least partly involved the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusion: As shown in our data, activating Ang-(1–7)/MasR axis can effectively improve the inflammatory microenvironment after spinal cord injury, promote the polarization of microglia/macrophages towards the M2 phenotype, and finally support the recovery of motor function. Therefore, we suggest using Ang-(1–7) as a feasible treatment strategy for spinal cord injury to minimize the negative consequences of the inflammatory microenvironment after spinal cord injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a brain injury that usually occurs during thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke and impacts human health. Oxidative stress is one of the major causative factors of CIRI. DhHP-3 is a novel peroxidase-mimicking enzyme that exhibits robust reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability in vitro. Here, we established in vitro and in vivo models of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion to mechanistically investigate whether DhHP-3 can alleviate CIRI. DhHP-3 could reduce ROS, down-regulate apoptotic proteins, suppress p53 phosphorylation, attenuate the DNA damage response (DDR), and inhibit apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation (OGD/R) and in the brain of Sprague Dawley rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. In conclusion, DhHP-3 has bioactivity of CIRI inhibition through suppression of the ROS-induced apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an in-depth understanding of immunotherapy continues to grow, current anticancer therapy research is increasingly focused on the tumor microenvironment (TME). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the regulation of genetic information and expression and mediate interactions between tumor cells and components in the TME, such as tumor-associated macrophages (macrophages). Macrophages are abundant in the TME, and their different polarization directions can promote or inhibit tumor growth and progression. By regulating biological behaviors, such as macrophage recruitment, infiltration, and polarization, miRNAs can affect various molecular pathways to regulate tumor progression and treatment response. In this review, we discuss in detail the effects of macrophages on tumors and the multifaceted effects of miRNAs on macrophages. We also discuss the potential clinical applications and prospects of targeted therapy based on miRNAs, novel clinical biomarkers, and drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of 12 years of the European Centre for Mesoscale Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis dataset, we statistically analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution of lower atmospheric ducts over the seas around China, and we investigated the possible generation mechanisms. The results show that the ducts' occurrence had obvious seasonal and regional variations. Ducting events were more likely to occur in spring and summer, and the maximum occurrence rate reached 45.6%, which was closely related to the East Asian monsoon. The ducts' altitude in continental coastal areas was lower than that far from the coast due to the dominance of surface ducts. The ducts' thickness varied between 50 m and 450 m, and the thicker ducts were mainly concentrated in the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean on the east side of the East China Sea near the Philippines and Taiwan. Except for a few areas, the ducts' intensity was less than 10 M-units (an M-unit is the unit of atmospheric modified refractivity) and the diurnal variations were less pronounced. The duct formation in the lower atmosphere was related to factors such as monsoons, tropical cyclones, ocean currents, radiative cooling, and sea–land breezes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas action effect of free piston Stirling engine (FPSE) is very important to solve the key problem of start-up and find the way to increase its efficiency. The gas force is a key force to free FPSE. In this paper, the gas action effect has been analyzed by the method of rotation vector decomposition. It is found that the gas forces of piston and displacer can be decomposed into two forces, one component acts as motivation force resisting the damping force to output power, the other acts as spring force or inertia force according to the phase angle of pressure wave to displacements of the displacer and piston. Only when the motivation components of both piston and displacer resist their damping forces, will the FPSE be start-up and work stably. And only when the spring force is approximately equal to inertia force of piston, will the piston need the smallest gas spring force and nearly all the gas force be put for the alternator, meanwhile the engine outputs the maximum work. In the perfect condition, the optimal phase angle of the reciprocating movements of the displacer and piston ahead of the pressure wave are 180° and 90° respectively. The analyses above are verified by a series of experiments on a FPSE designed by our laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • 2-amino-5-substituent-1,3, 4-thiadiazole (Probe M) was readily synthesized. • Probe M1 is highly selective for Cr 2 O 7 2− and CrO 4 2− ions under neutral conditions. • IR titration and NMR titration studies showed that probe M could bind Cr 2 O 7 2− and CrO 4 2−. With the modernization of industry, increasingly serious water pollution has become a global environmental pollution problem. Cr (Ⅵ) is the most common water pollutant and is applied to aluminum plating, paint production leather tanning, etc. Cr (Ⅵ) is a kind of aspiration and swallowed poison, that can enter the body through the digestive tract, respiratory, and skin mucous membrane, and may occur after skin contact dermatitis, or allergic phenomena, such as redness, itching, tingling, etc. In view of the harm of Cr (Ⅵ) to the human body, it is an urgent problem to develop a probe that can simultaneously detect two kinds of Cr (Ⅵ) in the environment. Herein, a novel green synthetic 2-amino-5-substituent-1,3, 4-thiadiazole was synthesized. The synthesized 2-amino-5-methyl-1,3, 4-thiadiazole (Probe M) was used as a molecular probe to selectively recognize Cr 2 O 7 2− and CrO 4 2−, and then the anti-interference detection and quantitative test of Cr 2 O 7 2− and CrO 4 2− were carried out. The binding ratios of Probe M with Cr 2 O 7 2− and CrO 4 2− were 1:1 and 2:1, respectively. The complexation constants were 5.8617 × 105 M−1 and 9.328 × 105 M−1, respectively, and the detection limits were 1.3334 × 10−7 M and 1.3046 × 10−7M, respectively. In this paper, 2-amino-5-substituted-1,3,4-thiadiazole was used as a probe to detect Cr (VI) for the first time, also carried on the dipstick experiment observed with the increase of concentration, the color of the paper changed from colorless to yellow, can be used in the "naked eye" identification, the method can be more convenient and quick detection of Cr (VI) solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of IoT has introduced new security concerns, particularly the detection of large-scale network attacks initiated by compromised IoT devices. The diverse nature of IoT devices adds complexity to attack detection, necessitating the classification of devices based on their unique characteristics and behavior patterns. This paper presents a novel device classification method grounded in traffic differentials before and after IoT devices succumb to compromise. The study defines the concept of attack sensitivity and designs a method for calculating the value. The K-means algorithm is used to classify devices into predefined categories based on their attack sensitivity values. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated through experiments on a public dataset. Additionally, a multi-class classification model is developed to identify newly added devices to the IoT environment, with good results in accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and FPR (0.999, 0.997–1,0.997–1,0.998–1,0–0.001). Overall, The device classification method proposed in this paper, based on attack sensitivity, not only enables a rational definition of device categories but also ensures precise classification for devices newly integrated into the IoT environment. This lays the foundation for achieving more precise attack detection and protection, advancing the field towards enhanced cybersecurity measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The T cell-dependent bispecific (TDB) antibody, anti-CD79b/CD3, targets CD79b and CD3 cell-surface receptors expressed on B cells and T cells, respectively. Since the anti-CD79b arm of this TDB binds only to human CD79b, a surrogate TDB that binds to cynomolgus monkey CD79b (cyCD79b) was used for preclinical characterization. To evaluate the impact of CD3 binding affinity on the TDB pharmacokinetics (PK), we utilized non-tumor-targeting bispecific anti-gD/CD3 antibodies composed of a low/high CD3 affinity arm along with a monospecific anti-gD arm as controls in monkeys and mice. An integrated PKPD model was developed to characterize PK and pharmacodynamics (PD). This study revealed the impact of CD3 binding affinity on anti-cyCD79b/CD3 PK. The surrogate anti-cyCD79b/CD3 TDB was highly effective in killing CD79b-expressing B cells and exhibited nonlinear PK in monkeys, consistent with target-mediated clearance. A dose-dependent decrease in B cell counts in peripheral blood was observed, as expected. Modeling indicated that anti-cyCD79b/CD3 TDB's rapid and target-mediated clearance may be attributed to faster internalization of CD79b, in addition to enhanced CD3 binding. The model yielded unbiased and precise curve fits. These findings highlight the complex interaction between TDBs and their targets and may be applicable to the development of other biotherapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To explore whether the "WSI Stitcher", a program we developed for reconstructing virtual large slide through whole slide imaging fragments stitching, can improve the efficiency and consistency of pathologists in evaluating the tumor bed after neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer compared with the conventional methods through stack splicing of physical slides. Methods: This study analyzed the advantages of using software-assisted methods to evaluate the tumor bed after neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer. This new method is to use "WSI Stitcher" to stitch all the WSI fragments together to reconstruct a virtual large slide and evaluate the tumor bed with the help of the built-in ruler and tumor proportion calculation functions. Results: Compared with the conventional method, the evaluation time of the software-assisted method was shortened by 35%(P < 0.001). In the process of tumor bed assessment after neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer, the software-assisted method has higher intraclass correlation coefficient when measuring the length (0.994 versus 0.934), width (0.992 versus 0.927), percentage of residual tumor cells (0.947 versus 0.878), percentage of carcinoma in situ (0.983 versus 0.881) and RCB index(0.997 versus 0.772). The software-assisted method has higher kappa values when evaluating tumor staging(0.901 versus 0.687) and RCB grading (0.963 versus 0.857). Conclusion: The "WSI Stitcher" is an effective tool to help pathologists with the assessment of breast cancer after neoadjuvant treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bcl-2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) is a cochaperone protein that interacts with Bcl-2 and mediate cell death. However, little is known about the roles of fish BAG3 during viral infection. In this study, we characterized a BAG3 homolog from orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) (EcBAG3) and investigated its roles during viral infection. The EcBAG3 protein encoded 579 amino acids with typical WW, PXXP and BAG domains, which shared high identities with reported fish BAG3. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that EcBAG3 was highly expressed in brain and heart. And the expression of EcBAG3 was significantly up-regulated after red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) stimulation in vitro. EcBAG3 overexpression could promoted the expression of viral genes (coat protein (CP) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp)), which was enhanced by co-transfection with Hsp70 and Hsp22. Also, EcBAG3 overexpression up-regulated the expression of LC3-Ⅱ and down-regulated the expression of Bax and BNIP3, the IFN- (IRF1, IRF3, IRF7, IFP35, Mx1) or inflammation-related (IL-1β and TNFα) factors, as well as decreased the activities of NF-κB, ISRE and IFN-3. While knockdown of EcBAG3 decreased the transcripts of RGNNV CP gene and RdRp gene. Further studies showed that EcBAG3 knockdown impaired the expression level of autophagy factor LC3-Ⅱ, and promoted the expression level of Bax and BNIP3, inflammatory factors and interferon factors. These data indicate that EcBAG3 can affect viral infection through modulating virus-induced cell death, regulating the expression of IFN- and inflammation-related factors, which will be helpful to further explore the immune response of fish during viral infection. • EcBAG3 was cloned and characterized. • EcBAG3 promoted viral replication and inhibited anti-viral immune response. • EcBAG3 promoted autophagy and inhibited apoptosis during viral infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim. After routine fasting for patients with achalasia before POEM (peroral endoscopic myotomy) procedure, solid contents may still remain in the esophagus. We aimed to compare the efficacy and patient satisfaction in patients with and without drinking large amounts of carbonated beverages preoperatively. Methods. This retrospective study enrolled 65 achalasia patients who underwent POEM from June 2017 to October 2021. Based on the preoperative diet strategies, patients were divided into carbonated beverage group (n = 48) and control group (n = 17). Demographic and clinical data, duration of preoperative endoscopy, quality of esophagus cleansing, and patient satisfaction on preoperative procedure were collected and compared. In the current study, we established the quality of esophagus cleansing: Grade A, no remnants or only liquid or frothy discharge; Grade B, a little amount of solid content remained; and Grade C, a large amount of solid content remained. Results. There were 41 Grade A, 6 Grade B, and 1 Grade C patients in the carbonated beverage group, while there were 8 Grade A, 6 Grade B, and 3 Grade C patients in the control group (p value = 0.001). The esophagus cleansing degrees were significantly ameliorated after drinking carbonated beverages in all the three subtypes of achalasia according to the degree of dilatation. The mean duration of preoperative endoscopy was 6.54 ± 2.250 minutes in the carbonated beverage group and 10.27 ± 4.788 minutes in the control group (p value = 0.010). The score of patient satisfaction concerning the procedure before the POEM in the carbonated beverage group was 4.5 ± 0.652 , while the score in the control group was 4.35 ± 0.702 (p value = 0.436). In the multivariate analysis, patient satisfaction was significantly associated with male (odds ratio 0.296, 95% CI: 0.097-0.905, p value = 0.033). Conclusions. Drinking carbonated beverages reduce the duration of preoperative endoscopy and ameliorate the esophagus cleansing degrees without impairing patient satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pre-swirl system, a vital system responsible for supplying cooling gas to the turbine blades. However, the pre-swirl system involves rotor-stator matching and intricate power-heat conversion challenges, which has led to a bottleneck in the development of its temperature drop potential. This study investigates the traditional pre-swirl system structure to identify factors limiting its temperature drop performance. A novel design idea is proposed to enhance the temperature drop performance by reducing the power consumption in the pre-swirl system. Subsequently, the structure optimization and performance improvement for pre-swirl system are conducted through the design of four vane-shaped receiver hole models. To assess the effectiveness of these enhancements, the thermodynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of the pre-swirl system before and after optimizations are evaluated using numerical simulations. Finally, the system temperature drop characteristics equipped with optimal receiver holes are thoroughly evaluated by experimental test analysis. The findings reveal that the new type of pre-swirl system, featuring a leading-edge vane-shaped receiver hole design and the removal of the cover-plate cavity, surpasses traditional designs. It exhibits a remarkable 35.3 % improvement in the receiver hole discharge coefficient, a 39.7 % reduction in system entropy increase, and a 6.36 kW/(kg/s) decrease in specific power consumption. Significantly, experimental verification demonstrates a 10 % increase in the nozzle pressure ratio, the temperature drop of pre-swirl system increased by 53.6 % from 23.5K to 36.1K, and the temperature drop efficiency of pre-swirl system increased from 0.567 to 0.872. Therefore, this study offers valuable insights for the design of high-performance pre-swirl systems, contributing to the overall improvement of turbine efficiency. [Display omitted] • The leading-edge vane-shaped receiver holes can improve pre-swirl system performance. • New pre-swirl system has temperature drop significantly improved by 53.6 %. • New pre-swirl system has entropy increase reduced by 39.7 %. • New pre-swirl system has specific power consumption reduced by 6.36 kW/(kg/s). • New pre-swirl system has the temperature drop efficiency is 0.872. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cu2SnS3 (CTS) nanoparticles were rapidly fabricated by microwave irradiation using l-cysteine as sulfur source. The phase structure, shape and composition of the CTS nanoparticles were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), respectively. The results showed that the phase of as-obtained CTS nanoparticles was cubic and the nanoparticles presented a hollow structure. A vesicle-template mechanism was proposed to explain the formation mechanism of the hollow CTS nanoparticles. UV–vis absorption spectra showed that the hollow CTS nanoparticles possess direct band gap energy of 1.25eV. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• An efficient and multifunctional Probe M based on ferrocenyl chalcone was synthesized by solid phase grinding. • Probe M could efficiently detect Trp-and AA in UV–vis absorption spectra, and probe M could efficiently detect Trp-in fluorescence spectra. • Probe M was shown to bind Trp-and AA by IR titration and NMR titration studies. A multifunctional probe based on ferrocenyl chalcone (Probe M) was designed and successfully synthesized and found to recognize tryptophan (Trp) and ascorbic acid (AA) in solution simultaneously. The minimum detection limit of Probe M for Trp-and AA was 1.3188 × 10−4 mol/L and 1.1545 × 10−4 mol/L, respectively. The binding ratios of Probe M to Trp-and AA were obtained by job plot as 1:1 and 2:1, respectively. According to the Benesi-Hildebrand equation, the complexation constants of Probe M for Trp-and AA were 3.0025 × 106 L/mol and 4.6606 × 106 L/mol, respectively. The binding mechanism was also investigated by IR and NMR titration. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common malignant tumor of urinary system, which can be divided into muscle-invasive BC (MIBC) and nonmuscle-invasive BC (NMIBC). The number of BC patients has been gradually increasing currently. At present, bladder tumours are diagnosed and followed-up using a combination of cystoscopic examination, cytology and histology. However, the detection of early grade tumors, which is much easier to treat effectively than advanced stage disease, is still insufficient. It frequently recurs and can progress when not expeditiously diagnosed and monitored following initial therapy for NMIBC. Treatment strategies are totally different for different stage diseases. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to study new biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. In this review, we summarize the current state of biomarker development in BC diagnosis and prognosis prediction. We retrospectively analyse eight diagnostic biomarkers and eight prognostic biomarkers, in which CK, P53, PPARγ, PTEN and ncRNA are emphasized for discussion. Eight molecular subtype systems are also identified. Clinical translation of biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and treatment will hopefully improve outcomes for patients. These potential biomarkers provide an opportunity to diagnose tumors earlier and with greater accuracy, and help identify those patients most at risk of disease recurrence. • Multiple molecular markers are combined to improve the accuracy of bladder cancer in diagnosis and prognosis. • Except for the diagnosis and prognosis, personalized treatments such as immune checkpoint inhibitors have also been added. • We summarize the molecular typing based therapies for muscle-invasive bladder cancer using a multi-layer pie charts. • We summarize the regulatory network of P53-PPARγ-PTEN in BC proliferation using concise illustrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • SA-FeCNS-800 catalyst (2D nanosheet) for high-performance Zn-air batteries. • Catalyst showed stability and power density comparable to that of Pt/C catalysts. • SLS@PVA-SSE electrolyte showed excellent dendrite-free Zn deposition. • Flexible Zn-air batteries showed cycling over 85 h at 2 mA cm−2. • Study paves way for flexible, durable, and environment friendly energy systems. High-efficiency and low-cost electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), as well as gel electrolytes with high water retention, mechanical adaptability and zinc dendrites inhibition are required for flexible Zn-air batteries. Herein, abundant cellulose extracted from wood was employed to prepare ORR catalysts consisting of single iron atoms and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles embedded within nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets (SA-FeCNS). The optimized SA-FeCNS-800 demonstrated remarkable ORR catalytic activity, showcasing a half-wave potential of 0.85 V vs. RHE and a diffusion-limiting current of 5.54 mA cm−2 at 0.3 V vs. RHE. Its efficacy was further demonstrated in Zn-air battery technology, where it exhibited superior discharging and charging capabilities, allowing for 618 h of continuous operation at 5 mA cm−2, along with enduring performance at high current densities (10 mA cm−2 and 20 % depth of discharge). Furthermore, a solid-state electrolyte named SLS@PVA-SSE was fabricated utilizing wood's sodium lignosulfonate-functionalized polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel. This innovation effectively curbed the formation of zinc dendrites and enhanced alkaline resistance, owing to the incorporation of positively charged sulfonate groups. The flexible Zn-air batteries assembled with SA-FeCNS-800 and SLS@PVA-SSE exhibit long cycling life of for 85 h at 2 mA cm−2 and 37 h at 5 mA cm−2. This study offers a sustainable and effective way to make high-performance catalysts and solid electrolytes for advanced flexible energy materials using renewable biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly sensitive, reversible, and linear sensor, exhibiting excellent stability in response to temperature and humidity, has been successfully proposed and demonstrated for the first time. This sensor is achieved by wrapping a polyvinyl alcohol/graphene nanofiber film onto a chiral long-period fiber grating (CLPG), which is fabricated by periodically twisting single mode fiber. In the experiment, the CLPG sensor demonstrates a temperature sensitivity of 74 pm/°C , which is approximately twice as high as that of conventional fiber grating sensors. Note that, by wrapping the graphene nanofiber film on CLPG, the temperature sensitivity of the sensor is up to 115.23 pm/°C in the range of 30°C to 75°C. In addition, CLPG using for humidity sensing is first demonstrated. The humidity sensitivity measures −9.92 pm/%RH with linearity of 0.995 during a change from 40%RH to 80%RH. In comparison to other humidity sensors, the sensitivity of the CLPG is comparable, whereas its sensing linearity stands out notably above the rest. The results show that CLPG has the characteristics of simple fabrication, easy combination with materials, stable performance, and high sensitivity and holds significant development potential in optical fiber sensing application fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ki-67 standard reference card (SRC) and artificial intelligence (AI) software were used to evaluate breast cancer Ki-67LI. We established training and validation sets and studied the repeatability inter-observers. Methods: A total of 300 invasive breast cancer specimens were randomly divided into training and validation sets, with each set including 150 cases. Breast cancer Ki-67 standard reference card ranging from 5 to 90% were created. The training set was interpreted by nine pathologists of different ages through microscopic visual assessment (VA), SRC, microscopic manual counting (MC), and AI. The validation set was interpreted by three randomly selected pathologists using SRC and AI. The intra-group correlation coefficient (ICC) were used for consistency analysis. Results: In the homogeneous and heterogeneous groups of validation sets, the consistency among the pathologists that used SRC and AI was very good, with an ICC of>0.905. In the validation set, using SRC and AI, three pathologists obtained results that were very consistent with the gold standard, having an ICC above 0.95, and the inter-observer agreement was also very good, with an ICC of>0.9. Conclusions: AI has satisfactory inter-observer repeatability, and the true value was closer to the gold standard, which is the preferred method for Ki-67LI reproducibility; While AI software has not been popularized, SRC may be interpreted as breast cancer Ki-67LI's standard candidate method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance sensor is proposed on the basis of a miniature tapered single-mode fiber. The sensing area of the tapered fiber is coated with graphene, silver, and titanium dioxide layer. The graphene layer is used to increase the light absorption rate, and the titanium dioxide layer is used to protect the silver layer from oxidation and improve the sensor sensitivity due to its high dielectric constant. According to the simulation results of COMSOL Multiphysics software, when the graphene is 15 layers, the silver layer is 40 nm, and the titanium dioxide is 20 nm, high-performance SPR can be obtained. The refractive index detection range of this sensor is 1.32–1.38, and its sensitivity can reach 8750 nm/RIU when the external refractive index is 1.38. The research results have potential application value for the design of high-performance SPR sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly studies the influence of multilayer hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) with different structural parameters on the intensity of spontaneous radiation of quantum wells, thereby improving the coupling efficiency of incident electromagnetic waves and free electrons on metal nano-surfaces. In this paper, numerical simulations of visible light bands of 450–700 nm of Ag, Au, and Cu thin films are performed. The local field enhancements of multilayer HMMs with different shapes are compared, and it is found that circle Ag/Si multilayer HMMs have stronger field enhancement effects than other structures. At the same time, Purcell analysis was performed by changing various parameters of multilayer HMMs. It is found that the thickness of the metal/dielectric layer, the distance between the dipole and the HMMs, and the length of the multilayer HMMs change the intensity of the plasmon resonance radiation and have a great impact on the position of the resonance wavelength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of bipolar and monopolar transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) treatment. Methods: A systematic search of all Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), which compared bipolar TURBT (bTURBT) and monopolar TURBT (mTURBT) in NMIBC treatment, were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Embase up to February 1, 2019. We evaluated their efficacy by operative time, hospitalization time, catheterization time, and recurrence rate. While obturator jerk, bladder perforation, thermal damage, and overall complications were used to evaluate their safety. Results: A total of 13 RCTs, involving 2379 patients, were included. There were no statistically significant differences in efficacy between bTURBT and mTURBT in NMIBC treatment, such as operative time (p = 0.12), hospitalization time (p = 0.13), catheterization time (p = 0.50), and recurrence rate (p = 0.88). Compared to the safety in mTURBT in NMIBC treatment, no significant advantages were observed in that in bTURBT as well, such as obturator jerk (p = 0.12), bladder perforation (p = 0.11), thermal damage (p = 0.24), and overall complications (p = 0.65). Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrated that bTURBT has no significant advantages in efficacy and safety in NMIBC treatment compared to that in mTURBT. Thus, bTURBT could not completely replace mTURBT as a safer and more effective NMIBC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperuricemia (HUA) has received wide attention as an independent risk factor for various chronic diseases. HUA is usually asymptomatic, and the related damage can be reduced by effective classification and treatment according to uric acid clearance (UAC). UAC is a calculated ratio based on the uric acid level in blood and urine. This important method is not universally used due to the inconvenience of collecting 24-h urine samples in the clinic, and most sensors are limited by the need for wide ranges and for two testing samples. In this study, a pH-sensitive urate oxidase-modified electrochemical sensor with filter membrane was proposed to calculate UAC by detecting uric acid in blood and urine. The results demonstrated that the sensor had high selectivity for uric acid with a detection limit of 0.25 μM in 5 μL spot sample, the wide linear range was 2.5–7000 μM, and the impact of the sample pH was calibrated. The linear correlation of the measurement results between the UAC sensor and clinical instrument was higher than 0.980 for 87 patients. The change in UAC in spot urine may reflect alteration in body-transport mechanisms. Thus, the UAC sensor may open a new window for the management of HUA and broaden its application in point-of-care testing. [Display omitted] • A point-of-care testing sensor monitor uric acid clearance (UAC) in spot samples. • The test demonstrates a wide range and pH calibrated in 5 μL urine or blood. • The R2 of UAC calculation between sensor and clinical is 0.981 for 87 patients. • UAC sensor is beneficial for therapy monitoring and self-management of hyperuricemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Co–CeO 2 was used to activate the PMS for degrading PET plastics. • The degradation rate reached 91.61 % in 6 h after adding 1 mL H 2 O 2 and 5 mM PMS. • Several factors, such as pH and anions, were considered. • SO 4 − played a crucial role in the degradation, compared to OH, O 2 −, and 1O 2. • The possible mechanism of photocatalysis/PMS degradation of PET was proposed. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, widely used for packaging owing to its excellent properties, has become a major contributor to plastic waste, for which satisfactory recycling and upgrading treatment technologies are lacking. In this study, Co-doped CeO 2 was used as a photocatalyst to degrade PET plastics in water, and PET degradation was measured according to the weight loss rate. Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) addition to the photocatalytic system enabled the degradation of 53.82 ± 4.48 % of PET plastics, highlighting the excellent PET plastic degradation capability of the photocatalytic PMS system. The study investigated the effects of the catalyst-to-plastic ratio, PMS concentration, initial pH, inorganic anions, humic acid concentration, and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) addition on the catalytic oxidation system. Contrast experiments revealed that H 2 O 2 addition to the photocatalysis/PMS oxidation system further improved the PET plastic degradation efficiency (91.61 ± 1.50 %). Liquid product analysis, electron paramagnetic resonance, and free radical quenching experiments confirmed that SO 4 − played the most significant role in PET degradation. Finally, a possible mechanism for the degradation of PET plastics in water using the photocatalysis/PMS oxidation system was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Magnetite and K+ enhanced the stability of the digester. • The co-addition of K+ and magnetite led to the highest methane yield. • The combination of magnetite and K+ increased the abundance of Halobacterota. • Magnetite and K+ resulted in increased signaling molecules and compatible solutes. The study investigated the effectiveness of magnetite and potassium ions (K+) in enhancing anaerobic digestion of high salinity food waste. Results indicated that both magnetite and K+ improved anaerobic digestion in high-salt environments, and their combination yielded even better results. The combination of magnetite and K+ promoted microorganism activity, and resulted in increased abundance of DMER64, Halobacteria and Methanosaeta. Metabolomic analysis revealed that magnetite mainly influenced quorum sensing, while K+ mainly stimulated the synthesis of compatible solutes, aiding in maintaining osmotic balance. The combined additives regulated pathways such as ATP binding cassette transport, methane metabolism, and inhibitory substance metabolism, enabling cells to resist environmental stress and maintain normal metabolic activity. Overall, this study demonstrated the potential of magnetite and K+ to enhance food waste anaerobic digestion in high salt conditions and provided valuable insights into the molecular mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pt@CeO 2 /3DCN heterojunction are prepared by calcination method and photoreduction technology. The enhanced photoreduction of CO 2 performance can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of the oxygen vacancies in CeO 2 for CO 2 activation and heterojunction for electron separation. Besides, Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on CeO 2 /3DCN can further promote the transfer of electrons, resulting in higher photocatalytic activity. • The Pt@CeO 2 /3DCN photocatalyst was successfully synthesized. • Pt@45CeO 2 /3DCN exhibit best ability of CO 2 photoreduction under UV light. • The synergy of CeO 2 and 3DCN improves the photocatalytic performance. The conversion of CO 2 into high value-added carbon-based compounds through photocatalytic reduction technology is considered as one of the more promising strategies to solve the greenhouse effect. And construction of heterojunction photocatalysts can promote the separation of photoelectron-hole pairs, so as to achieve higher activity of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. Hence, Pt@CeO 2 /3DCN heterojunction are prepared by calcination method and photoreduction technology. The photocatalytic results revealed that Pt@CeO 2 /3DCN show better photocatalytic activity for reducing CO 2 into CO and CH 4 , compared with 3DCN. Especially, Pt@45CeO 2 /3DCN shows the maximum photocatalytic activity of 4.69 and 3.03 μmol·h−1·g−1 for CO and CH 4 under UV light irradiation, respectively, and the reduction activity did not decrease significantly after five cycles. The enhanced photoreduction of CO 2 performance can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of the oxygen vacancies in CeO 2 for CO 2 activation and heterojunction for electron separation. Besides, Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on CeO 2 /3DCN can further promote the transfer of electrons, resulting in higher photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption of H2 molecules on Li, Na and K-decorated MXenes (Ti2C) has been investigated with first-principles calculations. A detailed examination of the adsorption mechanism of the Li, Na and K-decorated systems was presented by charge population analysis, electron density and partial density of states calculations. The results show that Li-decorated Ti2C system was found suitable for hydrogen storage. The maximum storage capacity about 4.33 wt% with a suitable average adsorption energy of − 0.26 eV/H2 can be obtained for two Li atoms, which adsorbed on both sides of the Ti2C. It indicates that Li-decorated Ti2C is of great significance for the wide application of MXenes in the field of hydrogen absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the intelligent controllability of the photocatalyst to the surrounding environment is a very meaningful work. Here, the polyacrylic acid (PAA) modified Ag/AgCl-40/CN composite was constructed to achieve an intelligent response of pH value. PAA exhibits hydrophilic properties at high pH value, increasing the adsorption capacity to tetracycline (TC) molecules. The morphology of PAA from contracted state to diastolic state, releasing the Ag/AgCl-40/CN catalyst. In addition, PAA modified Ag/AgCl-40/CN can prevent the loss of AgCl. The g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets (CN) as a carrier enhance the dispersibility of the AgCl particles. The LSPR effects of Ag nanoparticles produce more electrons acting on photocatalytic degradation. On the results of experiment, the degradation of TC by PAA@Ag/AgCl-40/CN shows an excellent degradation activity when the high pH value. Photoluminescence spectroscopy and photocurrent demonstrate that carrier separation efficiency of PAA@Ag/AgCl-40/CN is higher than CN and Ag/AgCl-40/CN. The detection of the main active substances •O 2 − and h+, revealing a reasonable mechanism for the PAA@Ag/AgCl-40/CN hybrid system. This work provides a procedure to obtain smart materials that can switch photocatalytic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteosarcoma is a highly malignant bone cancer which primarily occurs in children and young adults. Increasing evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which function as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) that sponge microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs), play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and progression of cancers. The regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA-mediated ceRNAs in osteosarcoma have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we identified differentially expressed lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in osteosarcoma based on RNA microarray profiles in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. A ceRNA network was constructed utilizing bioinformatic tools. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that lncR-C3orf35 and HMGB1 were associated with poor prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. Furthermore, results of Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) suggested that lncR-C3orf35 may be involved in cellular invasion, the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. Further analysis showed that patients with osteosarcoma metastasis expressed higher levels of lncR-C3orf35 and HMGB1 compared to metastasis-free patients. Moreover, the metastasis-free survival rate of the high lncR-C3orf35/HMGB1 expression group was significantly lower than that of the low expression group. The ESTIMATE algorithm was used to calculate the immune score and stromal scores for each sample. High lncR-C3orf35 and HMGB1 levels were correlated with low immune scores. ImmuCellAI analysis revealed that a low proportion of macrophage infiltration was associated with high lncR-C3orf35 and HMGB1 expression. The differential expression of lncR-C3orf35, miR-142-3p, and HMGB1 was further verified by quantitative real-time PCR. This study indicates that lncR-C3orf35 could be considered as a novel potential biomarker and therapeutic target of osteosarcoma, which may contribute to a better understanding of ceRNA regulatory mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The g-C 3 N 4 /7Ag/m-CeO 2 composite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized. • The introduction of g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets alleviated the photocorrosion of Ag. • The g-C 3 N 4 /7Ag/m-CeO 2 exhibits higher activity for CO 2 photoconversion. In this work, the ordered mesoporous CeO 2 (m-CeO 2) was successfully fabricated via the nanocasting pathway, through using SBA-15 as a hard template. Besides, g-C 3 N 4 /Ag/m-CeO 2 composite was successfully constructed by calcination method. Meanwhile, the obtained samples were investigated by series of test techniques. The XRD, SEM and TEM results show that the m-CeO 2 and Ag/m-CeO 2 with the ordered mesoporous trait. Besides, the EPR, Raman and XPS results suggest that the oxygen vacancies (O v) and Ce3+ and Ce4+ are in g-C 3 N 4 /Ag/m-CeO 2. In addition, the ordered mesostructure is favorable for the CO 2 molecular movement and adsorption/desorption reaction. The g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets, a promising material possessing suitable conductor band, large specific area, non-toxicity, and outstanding chemical stability, is a candidate semiconductor for CO 2 conversion. The introduction of g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets to Ag/m-CeO 2 overcomes the photocorrosion of Ag nanoparticles and Ag facilitate the transfer of photogenerated electrons. The photocatalytic activity results show that when the loading of Ag is 7 wt%, the g-C 3 N 4 /7Ag/m-CeO 2 composite exhibits the superiority activity for CO 2 photoconversion to CO (13.94 μmol/g) and CH 4 (7.39 μmol/g) under UV-irradiation in 10 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First-principles calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) was employed to study the adsorption of CO molecules on various SnO 2 (1 1 0) surface. For comparison, the adsorption of CO on perfect SnO 2 , Sb-doped SnO 2 and Sb, S co-doped SnO 2 surfaces are considered. Adsorption energy, electron population and density of states show that the sensing properties of SnO 2 -based sensors in terms of the CO response were improved by Sb, S co-doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel intercalated Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 was prepared by simple chemical precipitation method. • The intercalated Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 as new electrode materials exhibited great electrochemical properties. • Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 products are ideal electrode materials for supercapacitors. Nickel pyrophosphate (Ni 2 P 2 O 7) is considered as a potential next-generation electrode material for supercapacitors. Here, we report a new type of cathode material for supercapacitors in, which consists of rhombic dodecahedron Co 3 O 4 -C growing on two-dimensional (2D) Ni 2 P 2 O 7 nanosheets. Surprisingly, Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 materials exhibit bright electrochemical properties with a relatively high specific capacitance of 2537.78 Fg−1 and remarkable cyclic stability (88.5% after 3000 cycles). Therefore, the prepared Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 electrode material is a significant candidate material for supercapacitors. The synthesis process is simple, low cost and environmentally friendly. Notably, Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 products have excellent electrochemical properties and are candidate electrode materials for supercapacitors. The Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 products have excellent electrochemical properties, which indicate the Co 3 O 4 -C/Ni 2 P 2 O 7 materials imply their promising potential applications in the energy storage. Most importantly, this work provides a scalable strategy for morphology-controlled synthesis of metal oxides by recrystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous analyzing multiple protein and nucleic acid biomarkers in one clinical sample can provide clinically valuable results for the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of diseases. However, current diagnostic platforms primarily rely on independent detection of proteins/nucleic acids, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Here, we develop a Highly-Parallelized and Low-Sample-Size (HPLSS) chip for simultaneously detecting protein and nucleic acid biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We assess the limit of detections for five different markers (0.14 ng mL-1 for alpha fetoprotein (AFP), 0.09 ng mL-1 for protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA II), 7.94 copies μL-1 for microRNA-21, 4.88 copies μL-1 for microRNA-122, and 5.83 copies μL-1 for microRNA-223). We also evaluate the performance using clinical samples and compared it with commercial kits. Our method exhibited a small sample volume required (∼20 μL), multiplexed ability and adjustable throughput (five targets in each of six samples in one assay). Importantly, the combined evaluation of multiple biomarkers of different dimensions can improve the specificity and sensitivity of diagnosis. This study has achieved the multidimensional detection of tumor biomarkers, which has great potential for early and accurate cancer diagnosis. [Display omitted] • A highly-parallelized and low-sample-size chip for multi-biomarkers detection in hepatocellular carcinoma was developed. • AFP and PIVKA II antigen, miR-21, miR-122, and miR-223 in 20 μL plasma were measured using our chip. • For 23 samples, detection results with consistency R2 ≥ 0.985 were obtained between our chip assay and RT-qPCR & ELISA. • Combined detection showed higher sensitivity, specificity, and consistency than single-/multi- detection of antigen/miRNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical hydrogen production coupling upgrading of organic substances has been regarded as a promising approach to harvest both green energy and commodity products. However, the competition of oxygen evolution reaction always limits the transformation of organics and the research on this mutually restricted relationship was less focused. Herein, an amorphous layered double hydroxide (LDH) rich in active oxygen is well-constructed, which realizes the glycerol oxidation with nearly 100 % faradaic efficiency and high formic acid production yield at a current density > 200 mA cm−2. In-situ monitoring combined with electrochemical probe confirms that the active oxygen on the amorphous LDHs promotes the deprotonation of glycerol. To further reduce the energy input, an alkaline-acid hybrid flow cell is built to achieve constant hydrogen production coupling formic acid production at high current density (100 mA cm−1) under an ultra-low cell voltage of 0.90 V with high durability for over 500 h. Moreover, a novel waste oil recycle path is developed to transform waste oil into target value-added products (potassium diformate (KDF) and biodiesel) and hydrogen fuels using the amorphous LDHs electrocatalysts. [Display omitted] • An amorphous layered double hydroxide (A-NiFe-LDH) rich in active oxygen was prepared via electrochemical amorphization. • A-NiFe-LDH can boost electrochemical glycerol oxidation coupling hydrogen production. • The existence of multiple active oxygen species (AOS) and AOS involved oxidation mechanism is uncovered. • A new cycling path of waste oil into target value-added products is designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoelectric materials convert thermal energy into electrical energy; therefore, they can be potentially used for waste heat recovery from high-temperature metallurgical slag or as spacecraft energy generators. However, the effect of the pre-sintering temperature during the preparation of these materials on their thermoelectric properties has not been examined yet. In this study, a simple two-step sintering method is used to produce La-doped strontium titanate and decouple the Seebeck coefficient from the conductivity through a pre-sintering step, thereby improving its thermoelectric performance, and explore the influence of the pre-sintering temperature on the sample particle size. The obtained results indicate that increasing the pre-sintering temperature can simultaneously increase the material conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, thereby decoupling these two parameters and significantly improving the power factor. After pre-sintering at 900 °C, the maximum conductivity reaches 7830 S/m, and ZT reaches the maximum value of 0.12. This effect is achieved by increasing the average crystal size while reducing the number of grain boundaries during pre-sintering. • Pre-sintering strongly affects the thermoelectric properties of Sr 0.89 La 0.1 TiO 3. • The Seebeck coefficient of Sr 0.89 La 0.1 TiO 3 is decoupled from its conductivity. • The conductivity and Seebeck coefficient increase with pre-sintering temperature. • Thermal conductivity depends on the crystal size and number of grain boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fiber-optic humidity sensor based on excessively tilted fiber grating (Ex-TFG) wrapped with tin dioxide (SnO 2)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hybrid nanofibers is presented. Relative humidity (RH) rise causes the changes both in refractive index (RI) and geometry size of the film. The transmitted spectrum of the Ex-TFG changes as a result, owing to the strong interaction of the excited forward propagating cladding modes to the surface coating. Experimental results demonstrate the maximum intensity sensitivity of 0.43 dB/%RH in RH range of 35%−75%. Compared with pure PVA film coated ones, the RH sensitivity of the SnO 2 /PVA wrapped grating is vastly enhanced by one order of magnitude. The reticular morphology of electrospun SnO 2 /PVA film around the Ex-TFG promises the unimpeded permeation of water molecules, and then the sensor exhibits an ultrafast response of ∼67 ms and recovery times of ∼83 ms, by monitoring the human breathing with different rhythms. Lastly, the negligible spectral deformation to temperature perturbations verifies the temperature de-correlation of the designed RH sensor. This work indicates that the proposed SnO 2 /PVA nanofibers wrapped Ex-TFG can provide a simple, robust and high-sensitive optic device for healthcare monitoring, environmental and biochemical sensing applications. • Wrapping SnO 2 /PVA nanofibers on an excessively tilted fiber grating. • High intensity sensitivity up to 0.43 dB/%RH with negligible temperature crosstalk. • Monitoring human breathing with ultrafast response speed of 67 ms. • Performing the merits of long-term stability, reliability, and easy fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Side-stream thermophilic anaerobic digestion (STA) improved methane production performance. • STA activated organic matter conversion, key enzymes, and KEGG pathways. • STA concentrated active genera, enriched syntropic oxidizing bacteria and Methanosarcina. • STA enhanced acetoclastic methanogenesis and controls adverse effects of thermal stimulation. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a favorable way to convert organic pollutants, such as food waste (FW), into clean energy through microbial action. This work adopted a side-stream thermophilic anaerobic digestion (STA) strategy to improve a digestive system's efficiency and stability. Results showed that the STA strategy brought higher methane production as well as higher system stability. It quickly adapted to thermal stimulation and increased the specific methane production from 359 mL CH 4 /g·VS to 439 mL CH 4 /g·VS, which was also higher than 317 mL CH 4 /g·VS from single-stage thermophilic anaerobic digestion. Further exploration of the mechanism of STA using metagenomic and metaproteomic analysis revealed enhanced activity of key enzymes. The main metabolic pathway was up-regulated, while the dominant bacteria were concentrated, and the multifunctional Methanosarcina was enriched. These results indicate that STA optimized organic metabolism patterns, comprehensively promoted methane production pathways, and formed various energy conservation mechanisms. Further, the system's limited heating avoided adverse effects from thermal stimulation, and activated enzyme activity and heat shock proteins through circulating slurries, which improved the metabolic process, showing great application potential. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]