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The Tongbai complex plays an important role in the understanding of the tectonic evolution of the Tongbai‐Dabie orogenic belt. By detailed structural analysis, new zircon U–Pb dating, zircon Lu–Hf analysis and whole‐rock elements for the rocks in the Tongbai complex and the wrapped shear zones, we suggested that the Tongbai complex was derived from the partial melting of the basement of Yangtze Block and experienced a uniform orogen‐parallel extension with a top‐to‐NW shearing at 142–133 Ma. The migmatites yield a migmatization age of 116 ± 2 Ma and are identical to the metamorphic age of 115–111 Ma from the L and LS tectonites in the Tongbai complex. The late Early Cretaceous migmatization may give rise to the severance of the uniform top‐to‐NW shear zone and lead to an antiform folding of the Tongbai complex. The similar deformation and migmatization of the complexes in both the Tongbai and Dabie orogenic belts suggest that the Tongbai‐Dabie orogenic belt is likely to have a similar tectonic transformation from orogen‐parallel to orogen‐perpendicular extension in the Early Cretaceous, namely a uniform orogen‐parallel extension of the ductile lithosphere during the early Early Cretaceous and a widespread migmatization during the late Early Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera G.) is an important aquatic plant with high ornamental, economic, cultural and ecological values, but abiotic stresses seriously affect its growth and distribution. Q-type C2H2 zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) play an important role in plant growth development and environmental stress responses. Although the Q-type C2H2 gene family has been identified in some plants, limited reports has been carried out it in lotus. Results: In this study, we identified 45 Q-type NnZFP members in lotus. Based on the phylogenetic tree, these Q-type NnZFP gene family members were divided into 4 groups, including C1-1i, C1-2i, C1-3i and C1-4i. Promoter cis-acting elements analysis indicated that most Q-type NnZFP gene family members in lotus were associated with response to abiotic stresses. Through collinearity analyses, no tandem duplication gene pairs and 14 segmental duplication gene pairs were identified, which showed that duplication events might play a key role in the expansion of the Q-type NnZFP gene family. The synteny results suggested that 54 and 28 Q-type NnZFP genes were orthologous to Arabidopsis and rice, respectively. The expression patterns of these Q-type NnZFP genes revealed that 30 Q-type NnZFP genes were expressed in at least one lotus tissue. Nn5g30550 showed relatively higher expression levels in all tested tissues. 12 genes were randomly selected with at least one gene from each phylogenetic clade, and the expression of these selected genes were confirmed by qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction). The results indicated that Q-type NnZFP genes were extensively involved in cadmium, drought, salt and cold stresses responses. Among them, 11 genes responded to at least three different stress treatments, especially Nn2g12894, which induced by all four treatments. Conclusions: These results could increase our understanding of the characterization of the Q-type NnZFP gene family and provide relevant information for further functional analysis of Q-type NnZFP genes in plant development, and abiotic stress tolerance in lotus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seed aging, a natural and inevitable process occurring during storage. Oats, an annual herb belonging to the Gramineae family and pooideae. In addition to being a healthy food, oats serve as ecological pastures, combating soil salinization and desertification. They also play a role in promoting grassland agriculture and supplementing winter livestock feed. However, the high lipid and fat derivatives contents of oat seeds make them susceptible to deterioration, as fat derivatives are prone to rancidity, affecting oat seed production, storage, development, and germplasm resource utilization. Comparative studies on the effects of aging on physiology and cytological structure in covered and naked oat seeds are limited. Thus, our study aimed to determine the mechanism underlying seed deterioration in artificially aged 'LongYan No. 3' (A. sativa) and 'BaiYan No. 2' (A. nuda) seeds, providing a basis for the physiological evaluation of oat seed aging and serving as a reference for scientifically safe storage and efficient utilization of oats. Results: In both oat varieties, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in seeds showed increasing and decreasing trends, respectively. Variance analysis revealed significant differences and interaction in all measured indicators of oat seeds between the two varieties at different aging times. 'LongYan No. 3' seeds, aged for 24–96 h, exhibited a germination rate of < 30%, Conductivity, malondialdehyde, soluble sugar, and soluble protein levels increased more significantly than the 'BaiYan No. 2'. With prolonged aging leading to cell membrane degradation, reactive oxygen species accumulation, disrupted antioxidant enzyme system, evident embryo cell swelling, and disordered cell arrangement, blocking the nutrient supply route. Simultaneously, severely concentrated chromatin in the nucleus, damaged mitochondrial structure, and impaired energy metabolism were noted, resulting in the loss of 'LongYan No. 3' seed vitality and value. Conversely, 'BaiYan No. 2' seeds showed a germination rate of 73.33% after 96 h of aging, consistently higher antioxidant enzyme activity during aging, normal embryonic cell shape, and existence of the endoplasmic reticulum. Conclusions: ROS accumulation and antioxidant enzyme system damage in aged oat seeds, nuclear chromatin condensation, mitochondrial structure damage, nucleic acid metabolism and respiration weakened, oat seed vigor decreased. 'LongYan No. 3' seeds were more severely damaged under artificial aging than 'BaiYan No. 2' seeds, highlighting their heightened susceptibility to aging effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The length of hypocotyl affects the height of soybean and lodging resistance, thus determining the final grain yield. However, research on soybean hypocotyl length is scarce, and the regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we identified a module controlling the transport of sucrose, where sucrose acts as a messenger moved from cotyledon to hypocotyl, regulating hypocotyl elongation. This module comprises four key genes, namely MYB33, SWEET11, SWEET21 and GA2ox8c in soybean. In cotyledon, MYB33 is responsive to sucrose and promotes the expression of SWEET11 and SWEET21, thereby facilitating sucrose transport from the cotyledon to the hypocotyl. Subsequently, sucrose transported from the cotyledon up‐regulates the expression of GA2ox8c in the hypocotyl, which ultimately affects the length of the hypocotyl. During the domestication and improvement of soybean, an allele of MYB33 with enhanced abilities to promote SWEET11 and SWEET21 has gradually become enriched in landraces and cultivated varieties, SWEET11 and SWEET21 exhibit high conservation and have undergone a strong purified selection and GA2ox8c is under a strong artificial selection. Our findings identify a new molecular pathway in controlling soybean hypocotyl elongation and provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of sugar transport in soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the three-year survey data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database, in combination with the environmental statistical data of 122 cities, this study empirically tests the effect of air pollution on the labor participation of the elderly and the mechanism. Using the panel data model, two-way fixed effect method, and instrumental variable method, the results show that air pollution significantly reduces the labor participation of the elderly, with a decrement of 0.43%. With the respect of transmission mechanisms, air pollution affects the overall labor participation behavior of the elderly mainly through the number of working days per week and working hours per day. At the same time, along with the cumulating of the days of Air Quality Index (AQI) ≥100, the labor participation of the elderly is significantly reduced. In addition, the impact of air pollution on the labor participation of the elderly shows apparent heterogeneity divided by the gender, education level, urban-rural, and regional economic-level, and there are obvious substitution effects and income effects. This study confirms that air pollution affects the total labor participation of the elderly through the number of working days per week and working hours per day, and this impact reaches a peak when AQI is in the range from 100 to 150. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Hydrogel microneedle patches have emerged as promising platforms for painless, minimally invasive, safe, and portable transdermal drug administration. However, the conventional mold-based fabrication processes and inherent single-functionality of such microneedles present significant hurdles to broader implementation. Herein, we have developed a novel approach utilizing a precursor solution of robust nanocomposite hydrogels to formulate photo-printable inks suitable for the direct 3D printing of high-precision, triple-responsive hydrogel microneedle patches through digital light processing (DLP) technology. The ink formulation comprises four functionally diverse monomers including 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, N -isopropylacrylamide, acrylic acid, and acrylamide, which were crosslinked by aluminum hydroxide nanoparticles (AH NPs) acting as both reinforcing agents and crosslinking centers. This results in the formation of a nanocomposite hydrogel characterized by exceptional mechanical strength, an essential attribute for the 3D printing of hydrogel microneeedle patches. Furthermore, this innovative 3D printing strategy facilitates facile customization of microneedle geometry and patch dimensions. As a proof-of-concept, we employed the fabricated hydrogel microneedles for transdermal delivery of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Importantly, these hydrogel microneedles displayed no cytotoxic effects and exhibited triple sensitivity to pH, temperature and glucose levels, thereby enabling more precise on-demand drug delivery. This study provides a universal method for the rapid fabrication of hydrogel microneedles with smart responsiveness for transdermal drug delivery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binderless cemented carbide has garnered attention for its exceptional hardness and suitability in extreme service conditions. The absence of a metal binder, however, leads to inadequate fracture toughness, which limits its broader application. This study explores the influence of SiC whisker on the microstructure and mechanical properties of WC-Al 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 binderless cemented carbide, utilizing a combination of experimental method and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The inclusion of 1 wt% SiC whisker resulted in a notable increase in fracture toughness, reaching an impressive toughness of 16.4 ± 0.5 MPa⋅m1/2, while maintaining a high Vickers hardness of 19.4 GPa. DFT calculations provided insights into the interface energy, cohesive energy, and charge density differences at the WC/SiC interface. This work also presents two models depicting the behavior of whiskers during fracture, based on the observed microstructure and computational findings. Overall, the present work offers significant insights and practical guidance for advancing binderless cemented carbide technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the probable existence of a causal relationship between sleep phenotypes and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with sleep phenotypes were selected as instrumental variables at the genome-wide significance threshold (P < 5 × 10−8). Inverse‐variance weighted was applied as the primary Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis method, and MR Egger regression, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode methods were used as complementary analysis methods to estimate the causal association between sleep phenotypes and PDR. Results indicated that genetically predicted sleep phenotypes had no causal effects on PDR risk after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.05/10) [Chronotype: P = 0.143; Daytime napping: P = 0.691; Daytime sleepiness: P = 0.473; Insomnia: P = 0.181; Long sleep duration: P = 0.671; Morning person:P = 0.113; Short sleep duration: P = 0.517; Obstructive sleep apnea: P = 0.091; Sleep duration: P = 0.216; and snoring: P = 0.014]. Meanwhile, there are no reverse causality for genetically predicted PDR on sleep phenotypes [Chronotype: P = 0.100; Daytime napping: P = 0.146; Daytime sleepiness: P = 0.469; Insomnia: P = 0.571; Long sleep duration: P = 0.779; Morning person: P = 0.040; Short sleep duration: P = 0.875; Obstructive sleep apnea: P = 0.628; Sleep duration: P = 0.896; and snoring: P = 0.047]. This study's findings did not support the causal effect of between sleep phenotypes and PDR. Whereas, longitudinal studies can further verify results validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by synovial inflammation, causing substantial disability and reducing life quality. While macrophages are widely appreciated as a master regulator in the inflammatory response of RA, the precise mechanisms underlying the regulation of proliferation and inflammation in RA-derived fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) remain elusive. Here, we provide extensive evidence to demonstrate that macrophage contributes to RA microenvironment remodeling by extracellular vesicles (sEVs) and downstream miR-100-5p/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) axis. Results: We showed that bone marrow derived macrophage (BMDM) derived-sEVs (BMDM-sEVs) from collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice (cBMDM-sEVs) exhibited a notable increase in abundance compared with BMDM-sEVs from normal mice (nBMDM-sEVs). cBMDM-sEVs induced significant RA-FLS proliferation and potent inflammatory responses. Mechanistically, decreased levels of miR-100-5p were detected in cBMDM-sEVs compared with nBMDM-sEVs. miR-100-5p overexpression ameliorated RA-FLS proliferation and inflammation by targeting the mTOR pathway. Partial attenuation of the inflammatory effects induced by cBMDM-sEVs on RA-FLS was achieved through the introduction of an overexpression of miR-100-5p. Conclusions: Our work reveals the critical role of macrophages in exacerbating RA by facilitating the transfer of miR-100-5p-deficient sEVs to RA-FLS, and sheds light on novel disease mechanisms and provides potential therapeutic targets for RA interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, population aging is the main trend of population development. Home-based care is mainly adopted in Chinese society, and scholars have paid ample attention to the effect of intergenerational support on the mental health of older people. However, research conclusions differ. This study uses data from the 2018 China Health and Pension Tracking Survey (CHARLS), which we analyzed with STATA software to construct least squares regression and two-stage least squares regression models. The regression model included 6,647 respondents to investigate the mental health status of older people based on depression status. Intergenerational support was defined as economic support, emotional support, and daily care provided by the children of older people. We studied the impact of three aspects of intergenerational support on the mental health of the elderly. We performed a robustness test using the variable replacement and propensity score matching methods, and analyzed age, gender, and urban-rural heterogeneity. The results showed that economic support had no significant impact on the mental health of older people, while emotional support and daily care had a positive effect. The heterogeneity results indicated that the relationship between intergenerational support and mental health of older people differed significantly based on age, gender, and urban and rural areas. Therefore, children should raise their awareness of supporting their parents, pay attention to their parents' mental health, and provide emotional support and daily care. Furthermore, community work improves family relations, creates a good social environment, and encourages young people to respect and be filial to older people. The government should improve the medical security system and old-age service system, and provide policy support to help the mental health of older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by synovial inflammation, causing substantial disability and reducing life quality. While macrophages are widely appreciated as a master regulator in the inflammatory response of RA, the precise mechanisms underlying the regulation of proliferation and inflammation in RA-derived fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) remain elusive. Here, we provide extensive evidence to demonstrate that macrophage contributes to RA microenvironment remodeling by extracellular vesicles (sEVs) and downstream miR-100-5p/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) axis. Results: We showed that bone marrow derived macrophage (BMDM) derived-sEVs (BMDM-sEVs) from collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice (cBMDM-sEVs) exhibited a notable increase in abundance compared with BMDM-sEVs from normal mice (nBMDM-sEVs). cBMDM-sEVs induced significant RA-FLS proliferation and potent inflammatory responses. Mechanistically, decreased levels of miR-100-5p were detected in cBMDM-sEVs compared with nBMDM-sEVs. miR-100-5p overexpression ameliorated RA-FLS proliferation and inflammation by targeting the mTOR pathway. Partial attenuation of the inflammatory effects induced by cBMDM-sEVs on RA-FLS was achieved through the introduction of an overexpression of miR-100-5p. Conclusions: Our work reveals the critical role of macrophages in exacerbating RA by facilitating the transfer of miR-100-5p-deficient sEVs to RA-FLS, and sheds light on novel disease mechanisms and provides potential therapeutic targets for RA interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The support properties can be tuned through changing the addition amount of Zr. As a result, the formation and stability of Co species can be regulated, then, the relationships between different Co species and reaction pathways have been revealed. [Display omitted] TiO 2 , ZrO 2 and a series of TiO 2 -ZrO 2 (TxZ1, x means the atomic ratio of Ti/Zr = 10, 5, 1, 0.2 and 0.1) composite oxide supports were prepared through co-precipitation, and then 3 wt% Co was loaded through wetness impregnation methods. The obtained 3 wt% Co/TiO 2 (3CT), 3 wt% Co/ZrO 2 (3CZ) and 3 wt% Co/TxZ1 (3CTxZ1) catalysts were evaluated for the oxidative ethane dehydrogenation reaction with CO 2 (CO 2 -ODHE) as a soft oxidant. 3CT1Z1 catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic properties, with C 2 H 4 yield, C 2 H 6 conversion and CO 2 conversion about 24.5 %, 33.8 % and 18.0 % at 650 °C, respectively. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), in-situ Raman, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis DRS), H 2 temperature-programmed reduction (H 2 -TPR), Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and quasi in-situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) have been utilized to thoroughly characterize the investigated catalysts. The results revealed that 3CT1Z1 produced TiZrO 4 solid solution with more metal defect sites and oxygen vacancies (Ov), promoting the formation of Co2+-TiZrO 4 structure. Furthermore, the presence of Ov and Ti3+can facilitate the high dispersion and stabilization of Co2+, as well as suppressing the severe reduction of Co2+, leading to superior ethane oxidative dehydrogenation activity. Besides, less Co0 is beneficial to ODHE reaction, because of its promotion effects for reverse water gas shift reaction; however, more Co0 results in dry reforming reaction (DRE). This work will shed new lights for the design and preparation of highly efficient catalysts for ethylene production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of bank market structure on firm innovation in China using a two-way fixed effects model. Our analysis is based on a dataset comprising 2,412,316 firm-city level observations. Our findings suggest that there exists a U-shaped relationship between bank market structure and firm innovation in China. Specifically, we identify that the financing channel is a crucial pathway through which bank market structure influences firm innovation. Moreover, our results indicate that this relationship is mainly driven by small firms and innovative firms, and is more pronounced in regions with stronger intellectual property rights protection or greater openness to foreign markets. In sum, this study contributes to the existing literature by advancing our understanding of the impact of bank market structure on innovation in Chinese firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most previous advanced backbones usually ignore the requirements on real-time and speed, which are directly affected by model size. In our study, we present a light-weight model, IDPNet. We design a dense layer and identity block parallel block as the basic block of the backbone. And we introduce an intra-level block fusion representation head to fuse high-resolution. As a result, our IDPNet decreases the number of parameters by 85.3% on both two datasets, and the GFLOPs by 80.4% and 60.7%, respectively. To extend the usability, we propose two extra variant networks IDPNet-Balance and IDPNet-Precision. We train and test our IDPNet over the COCO keypoint detection dataset and the MPII human pose dataset without pretrain. The best accuracy in both datasets is prior than previous networks. During testing process, all models can predict per image at the speed of 13 ms, 20 ms and 21 ms, respectively, and they also achieve real-time fundamentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-supported FcNi-BDC-H 2 O 2 electrocatalysts were synthesized on nickel foam via a one-step solvothermal technique. The electrocatalysts demonstrated improved performance in both OER and UOR, attributed to the ligands competition and H 2 O 2 etching. [Display omitted] Two-dimensional metal–organic frameworks are considered to be promising electrocatalytic materials due to their ultrathin lamellar structure, ultrahigh porosity and large surface area, but there are still many challenges such as the embedding of organic ligands leading to low density of active sites and poor conductivity. Herein, we synthesize two-dimensional ferrocene-based metal–organic frameworks nanosheet electrocatalysts via the one-step hydrothermal hydrogen peroxide etching method. The prepared FcNi-BDC-H 2 O 2 /NF exhibits excellent oxygen evolution reaction performance with a current density of 100 mA·cm-2 at only 258 mV and a small driving potential of 1.542 V (10 mA·cm-2) is required to achieve overall water splitting. Significantly, an overall water-cracked cell using a solar cell assembly achieves the solar hydrogen conversion efficiency of 19.5%. The introduction of high electronegativity ferrocene and the etching of H 2 O 2 increase the Ni3+ content of FcNi-BDC-H 2 O 2 , and expose more unsaturated active sites, which improve the intrinsic activity of the catalysts and the mass transfer rate during the catalytic process. Moreover, the FcNi-BDC-H 2 O 2 /NF demonstrates significant urea oxidation reaction performance, achieving a potential of 1.35 V and producing 10 mA·cm-2. This study presents a viable approach to investigating highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction and urea oxidation reaction using MOF-based bifunctional catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing carbon productivity (CP) is key to achieving carbon reduction goals while maintaining economic growth. Digital technology plays a significant role in improving CP. Based on panel data from 136 countries worldwide from 2000 to 2020, this study empirically examines the impact of digitalization on CP and its mechanisms using fixed-effects and mediation models. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Overall, digitalization significantly enhances CP. (2) In terms of the mechanism, digitalization primarily improves CP through technological innovation and mitigating income inequality. (3) In terms of the quantile regression results, as the quantile level of CP increases, the promoting effect of digitalization on CP gradually strengthens. (4) From the perspective of heterogeneity among regions, income levels and human capital levels, digitalization has the greatest promotion effect on carbon productivity in European countries, high-income countries and high human capital countries. This study provides a reference for policymakers worldwide to use digital technology in achieving carbon emission reduction targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) are gaining popularity for their cost‐effectiveness, safety, and utilization of abundant resources. MXenes, which possess outstanding conductivity, controllable surface chemistry, and structural adaptability, are widely recognized as a highly versatile platform for AZIBs. MXenes offer a unique set of functions for AZIBs, yet their significance has not been systematically recognized and summarized. This review article provides an up‐to‐date overview of MXenes‐based electrode materials for AZIBs, with a focus on the unique functions of MXenes in these materials. The discussion starts with MXenes and their derivatives on the cathode side, where they serve as a 2D conductive substrate, 3D framework, flexible support, and coating layer. MXenes can act as both the active material and a precursor to the active material in the cathode. On the anode side, the functions of MXenes include active material host, zinc metal surface protection, electrolyte additive, and separator modification. The review also highlights technical challenges and key hurdles that MXenes currently face in AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High dense Al 4 SiC 4 –SiC ceramic composites with different SiC contents were hot pressed using self-synthesized Al 4 SiC 4 and commercial SiC powders without any sintering additives. The effect of SiC contents on the densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Al 4 SiC 4 -based ceramics was investigated. The anisotropic growth of Al 4 SiC 4 grains was inhibited by the pinning effect of the introduced SiC particles, while the weakly bonded interfaces were formed due to the thermal expansion mismatch between Al 4 SiC 4 and SiC. As a consequence, the mechanical properties of Al 4 SiC 4 -based ceramics were improved significantly. With the SiC contents increasing from 0 to 30 wt%, the flexural strength increased from 314 ± 7 to 466 ± 18 MPa and the fracture toughness increased from 4.8 ± 0.4 to 7.3 ± 0.3 MPa m1/2, respectively. The flexural strengths of Al 4 SiC 4 –SiC composites at elevated temperatures were also tested under an argon atmosphere. No strength degradation of Al 4 SiC 4 –SiC composites was observed at 1200 °C and a high strength retention rate of 96.3 % at 1400 °C was obtained. The above results demonstrate the application prospects of Al 4 SiC 4 –SiC ceramics as high-temperature structural materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inorganic phosphate–solubilizing bacteria (IPB) in the rhizosphere of Hydrilla verticillata can convert insoluble inorganic phosphorus in the environment into soluble phosphorus that can be directly absorbed and utilized by Hydrilla verticillata. In this research, the roots and rhizosphere sediments of Hydrilla verticillata were collected from high–organic matter urban landscape water. The National Botanical Research Institute's Phosphate growth medium (NBRIP medium) was used to screen for efficient cultivable IPB. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis was used to determine the taxonomic affiliation of the strains, and ammonium molybdate spectrophotometry was used to detect the phosphate-solubilizing ability of the strains. The results show that a total of 28 IPB strains with good phosphate-solubilizing effect are obtained from the roots and rhizosphere sediments of Hydrilla verticillata. These IPB strains belong to two phyla, four orders, seven classes, nine families, and nine genera. Among these, Bacillus and Acinetobacter are the dominant genera, and the strains SWIH-7, SWIP-6, SWIP-7, SWIP-13, SWIP-15 and SWIP-16 are potential new species. The IPB strains isolated and screened in this research are rich in diversity, with potential new species and stable phosphate-solubilizing characteristic. These IPB strains are suitable for further development as microbial bacterial agents, which can be applied to promote the recovery of submerged plants in polluted water with high–organic matter, treatment of polluted water and ecological restoration of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T-2 toxin and deoxynivalenol (DON) are two prevalent mycotoxins that cause cartilage damage in Kashin–Beck disease (KBD). Cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation in chondrocytes is a significant pathological feature of KBD. It has been shown that the Hippo pathway is involved in cartilage ECM degradation. This study aimed to examine the effect of YAP, a major regulator of the Hippo pathway, on the ECM degradation in the hiPS-derived chondrocytes (hiPS-Ch) model of KBD. The hiPS-Ch injury models were established via treatment with T-2 toxin/DON alone or in combination. We found that T-2 toxin and DON inhibited the proliferation of hiPS-Ch in a dose-dependent manner; significantly increased the levels of YAP, SOX9, and MMP13; and decreased the levels of COL2A1 and ACAN (all p values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence revealed that YAP was primarily located in the nuclei of hiPS-Ch, and its expression level increased with toxin concentrations. The inhibition of YAP resulted in the dysregulated expression of chondrogenic markers (all p values < 0.05). These findings suggest that T-2 toxin and DON may inhibit the proliferation of, and induce the ECM degradation, of hiPS-Ch mediated by YAP, providing further insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to cartilage damage caused by toxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To analyze the clinical efficacy of K-wire placement guided technology in paediatric supracondylar humerus fractures. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 105 patients who underwent closed reduction and percutaneous pinning surgeries in our hospital from June 2019 to August 2022. 54 patients treated with a assisted reduction fixation device to assist in closed reduction and percutaneous K-wire cross-fixation were allocated into the Non-guided group, and 51 patients with K-wire placement guided technology to guide K-wire placement were assigned into the Guided group. The operation duration, number of disposable K-wire placement, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, Baumann angle, carrying angle, fracture healing time and Flynn score of elbow joint function at the final follow-up were compared between two groups. The postoperative complications of two groups were recorded. Results: There were significant differences between two groups in terms of operation duration, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, and disposable K-wire placement rate (p < 0. 05), while no significant differences of Baumann angle, carrying angle and the fracture healing time between two groups were observed (p > 0. 05). In the control group, ulnar nerve injury in 2 case, pin site infection in 4 cases, mild cubitus varus in 2 cases and loss of reduction in 4 cases were detected. In the study group, ulnar nerve injury in 1 case, pin site infection in 2 cases and loss of reduction in 1 case was observed. There was no significant difference in Flynn scores between two groups. Conclusion: K-wire placement guided technology is simple and convenient. The application of K-wire placement guided technology could relatively improved disposable K-wire placement rate, shorten the intraoperative fluoroscopy frequencies and reduce complication rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation In bioinformatics, multiple sequence alignment (MSA) is a crucial task. However, conventional methods often struggle with aligning ultralong sequences. To address this issue, researchers have designed MSA methods rooted in a vertical division strategy, which segments sequence data for parallel alignment. A prime example of this approach is FMAlign, which utilizes the FM-index to extract common seeds and segment the sequences accordingly. Results FMAlign2 leverages the suffix array to identify maximal exact matches, redefining the approach of FMAlign from searching for global chains to partial chains. By using a vertical division strategy, large-scale problem is deconstructed into manageable tasks, enabling parallel execution of subMSA. Furthermore, sequence-profile alignment and refinement are incorporated to concatenate subsets, yielding the final result seamlessly. Compared to FMAlign, FMAlign2 markedly augments the segmentation of sequences and significantly reduces the time while maintaining accuracy, especially on ultralong datasets. Importantly, FMAlign2 enhances existing MSA methods by conferring the capability to handle sequences reaching billions in length within an acceptable time frame. Availability and implementation Source code and datasets are available at https://github.com/malabz/FMAlign2 and https://zenodo.org/records/10435770. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past three years, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought an overwhelming impact on China's hospital system and health care workers, which can lead to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Previous research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic had long-term adverse effects on the mental health of health care workers. Indeed, PTSD symptoms have emerged as one of the significant mental health issues for health care workers arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we conducted this cross-sectional survey to investigate the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in health care workers and its relationship with the fear of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 burden after the full liberalization of COVID-19 prevention and control policy in China. Methods: This study was conducted three years after the global COVID-19 pandemic (January 15 to January 16, 2023). This study was conducted via the Wenjuanxing platform and used the Chinese versions of the scales PC-PTSD-5, COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (FCV-19S), Social Support Scale, COVID-19 Stress Scale, GAD-2, and PHQ-2. Results: The prevalence of PTSD symptoms in health care workers was 24.3% (232/955). depression(P < 0.001), anxiety(P < 0.05), the fear of COVID-19(P < 0.001), and COVID-19 burden(P < 0.001) were highly correlated with PTSD symptoms in health care workers. Social support(P < 0.05) was a protective factor of PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: This survey shows that PTSD symptoms were highly prevalent among Chinese health care workers after the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments and leaders of medical institutions should, through psychological interventions, address the current situation of PTSD symptoms among health care workers and develop targeted programs and strategies to reduce their psychological problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authentic SARS-CoV-2 requires to be handled in Biosafety Level 3 laboratories, which restrains investigation by the broader scientific community. Here, we report the development of a novel SARS-CoV-2 viral vector composed of all 4 SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins, the packaging signal sequence of SARS-CoV-2, a reporter gene, and an RNA amplification component of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV). This VEE-SARS-CoV-2 viral vector transduces target cells in an ACE2-dependent manner, and all 4 structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are indispensable for its transduction activity. Comparative studies show that the incorporation of the VEEV self-amplification mechanism increases the gene expression level by ~ 65-fold and extends the transgene expression up to 11 days in transduced cells. Additionally, we demonstrated the significant applications of this new VEE-SARS-CoV-2 vector for neutralizing antibody quantification and antiviral drug testing. The VEE-SARS-CoV-2 vectors developed will be an important and versatile tool for investigating SARS-CoV-2 molecular virology, developing antiviral agents targeting receptor binding, and studying RNA genome packaging and function of the essential but not well studied structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LaMn 0.3 Co 0.7 O 3-δ Perovskite nanofibers with oxygen-deficient structure have been used as dual-function oxygen catalysts for rechargeable zinc-air batteries with high high specific capacity of 811.54 mAh g−1 and good cycling stability. [Display omitted] The development and design of efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are crucial for rechargeable Zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Optimizing the d-band structure of active metal center in perovskite oxides is an effective method to enhance ORR/OER activity by accelerating the rate-determining step. Herein, we report a deficient method to optimize the d-band structure of Co ions in LaMn 0.3 Co 0.7 O 3-δ (LMCO-2) perovskite nanofibers, which regulates the mutual effect between B-site Co ions and reactive oxygen intermediates. It is proved by experiment and theoretical calculation that the d-band center (M d) of transition metal ions in LMCO-2 is moved up and the electron filling number of e g orbital in B site is 1.01, thus leading to the reduction of Gibbs free energy required for ORR rate-determining step (OH*→H 2 O*) to 0.22 eV and promoting reaction proceeds. In this manner, LMCO-2 showed good bifunctional oxygen electrocatalytic activity, with a half-wave potential of 0.71 V vs. RHE. Furthermore, the high specific capacity of 811.54 mAh g−1 and power density of 326.56 mW cm−2 were obtained by using LMCO-2 as the cathode catalyst for ZABs. This study proved the feasibility of d-band structure regulation to enhance the electrocatalytic activity of perovskite oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modules, toolboxes, and synthetic biology systems may be designed to address environmental bioremediation. However, weak and decentralized functional modules require complex control. To address this issue, an integrated system for toxicant detection and biodegradation, and subsequent suicide in chronological order without exogenous inducers is constructed. Salicylic acid, a typical pollutant in industrial wastewater, is selected as an example to demonstrate this design. Biosensors are optimized by regulating the expression of receptors and reporters to get 2‐fold sensitivity and 6‐fold maximum output. Several stationary phase promoters are compared, and promoter Pfic is chosen to express the degradation enzyme. Two concepts for suicide circuits are developed, with the toxin/antitoxin circuit showing potent lethality. The three modules are coupled in a stepwise manner. Detection and biodegradation, and suicide are sequentially completed with partial attenuation compared to pre‐integration, except for biodegradation, being improved by the replacements of ribosome binding site. Finally, a long‐term stability test reveals that the engineered strain maintained its function for ten generations. The study provides a novel concept for integrating and controlling functional modules that can accelerate the transition of synthetic biology from conceptual to practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liu, H.; Deng, J., and Wu, J., 2023. Benthic turbulence affected by various wave conditions in the surf zone. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(6), 1082–1093. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. To understand turbulence and associated sediment transport in the surf zone, it is of crucial importance to explore the effect of wind waves consisting of non-breaking (low) and breaking (moderate) waves. A bottom-mounted instrumental tripod was deployed on a dissipative beach in the surf zone in the south China coast to examine the relative importance of wave-induced turbulence and bed-induced turbulence in the different hydrodynamic conditions. The data were collected in 0.5–3 m water depth from 20–29 July 2016. During the survey, a tropical storm attacked the nearby coast from 26–27 July. The Synchrosqueezed Wavelet Transform method was used to decompose the wave and turbulent data. The results show that the bed-generated turbulence dominated with weak wind waves during neap tide. The Reynolds shear stresses and turbulent kinetic energy was almost vertically uniform in this period. On the contrary, the degree of turbulence anisotropy became weak and various turbulence properties or scaling (e.g., Reynolds shear stresses, turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation rate, Froude-scaled turbulence) enhanced significantly with moderate waves during spring tide and storm period. The turbulent properties increased in magnitude away from the bed beneath waves breaking. The observations suggest that breaking waves are the dominant source of turbulence under strong onshore winds, which are significant and may dominate over bottom boundary layer process in the surf zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-speed driving is an underestimated dangerous behavior that may cause safety issues, such as speed dispersion and traffic flow bottlenecks. To investigate the influence mechanism of low-speed driving behavior, this study constructed the low-speed specific model (LSSM) by extending theory of planned behavior (TPB). The LSSM incorporated two factors, namely, risk perception and behavior habit, into the standard TPB components (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and behavior intention). Web-based questionnaires were used to collect data from a valid sample of 374, of which males accounted for 50%. The participants were aged from 18 to 65 years (M = 35.40, SD = 0.88). The structural equation model was applied to calculate and validate the interrelationships among the components of LSSM. Results showed that the LSSM could explain the variance in low-speed driving behavior and behavior intention by 46% and 76%, respectively. Meanwhile, attitude (β = 0.52, p < 0.001) and behavior habit (β = 0.48, p < 0.001) had the strongest positive influence and prediction power over low-speed driving behavior, respectively, whereas subjective norm (β = 0.05, p > 0.01) and perceived behavioral control (β = -0.12, p > 0.01) showed few significant in influencing the intention. LSSM also showed that people who were sensitive to driving risk perception would avoid low-speed driving behaviors and attitudes. Our findings may provide theoretical support for interventions on low-speed driving behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TWIK1 (K2P1.1/KCNK1) belongs to the potassium channels of the two-pore domain. Its current is very small and difficult to measure. In this work, we used a 100 mM NH4+ extracellular solution to increase TWIK1 current in its stable cell line expressed in HEK293. Then, the inhibition of magnolol on TWIK1 was observed via a whole-cell patch clamp experiment, and it was found that magnolol had a significant inhibitory effect on TWIK1 (IC50 = 6.21 ± 0.13 μM). By molecular docking and alanine scanning mutagenesis, the IC50 of TWIK1 mutants G229A, T225A, I140A, L223A, and S224A was 20.77 ± 3.20, 21.81 ± 7.93, 10.22 ± 1.07, 9.55 ± 1.62, and 7.43 ± 3.20 μM, respectively. Thus, we conclude that the inhibition of the TWIK1 channel by magnolol is related to G229 and T225 on the P2- pore helix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelets are generated by specialized cells called megakaryocytes (MKs). However, MK's origin and platelet release mode have remained incompletely understood. Here, we established direct visualization of embryonic thrombopoiesis in vivo by combining multiphoton intravital microscopy (MP-IVM) with a fluorescence switch reporter mouse model under control of the platelet factor 4 promoter (Pf4CreRosa26mTmG). Using this microscopy tool, we discovered that fetal liver MKs provide higher thrombopoietic activity than yolk sac MKs. Mechanistically, fetal platelets were released from MKs either by membrane buds or the formation of proplatelets, with the former constituting the key process. In E14.5 c-Myb-deficient embryos that lack definitive hematopoiesis, MK and platelet numbers were similar to wild-type embryos, indicating the independence of embryonic thrombopoiesis from definitive hematopoiesis at this stage of development. In summary, our novel MP-IVM protocol allows the characterization of thrombopoiesis with high spatio-temporal resolution in the mouse embryo and has identified membrane budding as the main mechanism of fetal platelet production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mechanical ventilation is an important means of respiratory support and treatment for various diseases. However, its use can lead to serious complications, especially ventilator‐induced lung injury (VILI). The mechanisms underlying this disease are complex, but activation of inflammatory signalling pathways results in activation of cytokines and inflammatory mediators, which play key roles in VILI. Recent studies have demonstrated that nod‐like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation mediates VILI and also accompanied by cell proliferation and transdifferentiation to compensate for alveolar membrane damage. Type I alveolar epithelial cells (AECs I), which are involved in the formation of the blood‐air barrier, are vulnerable to damage but cannot proliferate by themselves; thus, replacing AECs I relies on type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECs II). Objective: The review aims to introduce the mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and its inhibitors, as well as the mechanisms that regulate cell proliferation and transdifferentiation. Methods: A large number of relevant literature was searched, then the key content was summarized and figures were also made. Results: The mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome activation has been further explored, including but not limited to pathogenic and aseptic inflammatory signals, such as, pathogenic molecular patterns and host‐derived danger‐associated molecular patterns activate toll‐like receptor 4/nuclear factor‐kappaB pathway or reactive oxygen species, cyclic stretch, adenosine triphosphate induce K+ efflux through P2X7, Ca2+ inflow, mitochondrial damage, etc, eventually induce NIMA‐related kinase 7/NLRP3 binding and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Not only that, the review also described in detail the inhibitors of NLRP3 inflammasome. And the mechanisms regulating cell proliferation and transdifferentiation are complex and unclear, including the Wnt/β‐catenin, Yap/Taz, BMP/Smad and Notch signalling pathways. Conclusions: NLRP3 inflammasome activation mediated VILI, and VILI is alleviated after interfering with its activation, and inflammation and repair exist simultaneously in VILI. Clarifying these mechanisms is expected to provide theoretical guidance for alleviating VILI by inhibiting the inflammatory response and accelerating alveolar epithelial cell regeneration in the early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The L-H mechanism dominates the low-temperature induction stage. • Coexistence of M−K and L-H mechanisms in ammonia catalytic combustion. • (M−K) /(L-H) = 0.427 (Induction stage) and 0.627 (continuous combustion stage). • The NH and NH 2 are the key species for the two stages of N 2 production (i-SCR). • The CuO-CeO 2 achieves self-sustained catalytic combustion at NH 3 = 14%. Carbon-free hydrogen-rich ammonia (NH 3) is a potential next energy generation source, where a high ignition point and high nitric oxide contents, thereby limiting further development. This study aims to investigate the mechanism evolution during the catalytic ignition process of high NH 3 concentration over copper-cerium catalyst to address the demerits of flame combustion. The phase composition, elemental valence, and active species of the copper-cerium oxide (CuO-CeO 2) catalyst are investigated using various characterization techniques. The results indicated that Cu species are mainly present in copper-cerium solid solutions and highly dispersed CuO clusters, providing sufficient Cu sites to adsorb NH 3 and abundant reactive lattice oxygen. The catalytic ignition triggered a kinetic transition from low-rate to high-rate steady-state. During the induction process, the predominance of the L-H mechanism is implied by the kinetic modeling and transient experiments (low-rate induced phase). Combined with IR spectroscopy and isotope (18O 2)-transient response study, the results indicated that adsorbed NH 3 reacted with surface adsorbed oxygen, simultaneously pulling out lattice oxygen to react with adsorbed NH 3 , confirming the coexistence of L-H and M−K mechanism over CuO-CeO 2. The L-H mechanism (18O, contribution of adsorbed oxygen) plays a relatively dominant role in the induction stage, while the involvement of the M−K mechanism (16O, contribution of lattice oxygen) is significantly increased in the sustained combustion stage. At both stages, NH and NH 2 served as critical species for N 2 generation (i-SCR), respectively, playing an important role in N 2 selectivity. Moreover, in the self-sustained combustion stage for CuO-CeO 2 (14%NH 3), the rapid gas diffusion and mass transfer facilitated the adsorption and activation of NH 3. These results are envisaged to provide theoretical support for the handling and application of high concentrations of NH 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) production has been greatly threatened by numerous diseases. Infection with these pathogens causes extensive changes in gene expression and the activation of hormone signal transduction. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is the most common technique used for gene expression validation. Screening proper reference genes for mung bean under pathogen infection and hormone treatment is a prerequisite for ensuring the accuracy of qRT-PCR data in mung bean disease-resistance research. In this study, six candidate reference genes (Cons4, ACT, TUA, TUB, GAPDH, and EF1α) were selected to evaluate the expression stability under four soil-borne disease pathogens (Pythium myriotylum, Pythium aphanidermatum, Fusarium oxysporum, and Rhizoctonia solani) and five hormone treatments (SA, MeJA, ETH, ABA, and GA3). In the samples from different treatments, the Ct value distribution of the six candidate reference genes was different. Under the condition of hormone treatment, the Ct value ranged from a minimum of 17.87 for EF1α to a maximum of 29.63 for GAPDH. Under the condition of pathogen infection, the Ct value ranged from a minimum of 19.43 for EF1α to a maximum of 31.82 for GAPDH. After primer specificity analysis, it was found that GAPDH was not specific, so the five reference genes Cons4, ACT, TUA, TUB, and EF1α were used in subsequent experiments. The software products GeNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and RefFinder were used for qRT-PCR data analysis. In general, the best candidates reference genes were: TUA for SA, ABA, GA3, and Pythium myriotylum treatment; TUB for ETH treatment; ACT for MeJA and Fusarium oxysporum treatment; and EF1α for Pythium aphanidermatum and Rhizoctonia solani treatment. The most stably expressed genes in all samples were TUA, while Cons4 was the least stable reference gene. Finally, the reliability of the reference gene was further validated by analysis of the expression profiles of four mung bean genes (Vradi0146s00260, Vradi0158s00480, Vradi07g23860, and Vradi11g03350) selected from transcriptome data. Our results provide more accurate information for the normalization of qRT-PCR data in mung bean response to pathogen interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous SiC–Si 3 N 4 ceramics with various pore structures were prepared by adding different amounts and sizes of pore-forming agents (Polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA). The dielectric and wave absorption properties of porous ceramics were investigated over a wide temperature and frequency range. Increasing the porosity reduced the frequency dependence of complex permittivity. When the porosity increased from 50.97% to 54.59%, the loss tangent was slightly enhanced due to pore-induced polarization. An optimal pore size range enhanced the dielectric properties, beyond which a lower loss tangent was exhibited. Increasing the porosity reduced the temperature dependence of the loss tangent, and the peak of the change rate of the loss tangent moved to a higher temperature. The minimum reflection loss at room temperature can reach - 49.61 dB at 11.91 GHz for a 1.9 mm-thick sample. The minimum reflection loss at 9.72 GHz for 25 vol% PMMA-added porous ceramic with a 2.1 mm-thick material can be as low as - 65.92 dB at 300 °C. The porosity can be changed to achieve selective electromagnetic wave absorption at different temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authentic SARS-CoV-2 requires to be handled in Biosafety Level 3 laboratories, which restrains investigation by the broader scientific community. Here, we report the development of a novel SARS-CoV-2 viral vector composed of all 4 SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins, the packaging signal sequence of SARS-CoV-2, a reporter gene, and an RNA amplification component of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV). This VEE-SARS-CoV-2 viral vector transduces target cells in an ACE2-dependent manner, and all 4 structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are indispensable for its transduction activity. Comparative studies show that the incorporation of the VEEV self-amplification mechanism increases the gene expression level by ~ 65-fold and extends the transgene expression up to 11 days in transduced cells. Additionally, we demonstrated the significant applications of this new VEE-SARS-CoV-2 vector for neutralizing antibody quantification and antiviral drug testing. The VEE-SARS-CoV-2 vectors developed will be an important and versatile tool for investigating SARS-CoV-2 molecular virology, developing antiviral agents targeting receptor binding, and studying RNA genome packaging and function of the essential but not well studied structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A formula for characterizing the excitation condition of the nth-order Bragg resonance is derived. • The influence of various bed parameters on wave reflection, including Bragg resonant reflection, is investigated. • Zero reflections are closely related to the zero points of the Chebyshev polynomial of the second kind. • When there is no slope, there are N − 1 zero reflections between two Bragg peaks, otherwise all zero reflections disappear. • Higher-order Bragg resonance peaks beat faster, and the nth-order Bragg resonance peak has n local maxima. For water waves propagating over a finite periodic array of congruent trapezoidal bars on a sloping seabed or trenches dug on a sloping seabed, an analytical solution in terms of Taylor series to the modified mild-slope equation (MMSE) is constructed. Based on the analytical solution, influences of various topographic parameters (e.g., the slope of seabed, bar/trench number, bar height or trench depth, and bar/trench width) on the peak value, peak phase and zero reflection of Bragg resonances are investigated. Especially, starting from the original definition of Bragg resonances, a modified Bragg's law for characterizing the excitation condition of the n th order Bragg resonance is derived, which shows that the excitation of Bragg resonances depends entirely on the average phase velocity of the water wave within the bar/trench field. When the influence of the bar/trench field on the average phase velocity is quite small, the modified Bragg's law degenerates into the traditional Bragg's law borrowed from X-ray crystallography, which also reflects the essential difference between the water wave as a mechanical wave and the non-mechanical X-ray wave. In addition, for N bars/trenches on a flat seabed, there are at least N − 1 zero reflections between any two adjacent Bragg resonance peaks. When the bars are very low or the trenches are very shallow, the phase of the N − 1 zero reflections in those zero reflections is exactly the position of the N − 1 zero points of the Chebyshev polynomial of the second kind, U N − 1 (cos k 0 d) , where k 0 is the wavenumber on the flat seabed and d is the bar/trench spacing. However, once a sloping seabed is added, all these N − 1 zero reflections disappear possibly due to the destruction of the symmetry of the background bar/trench field. Finally, regardless of the number of bars/trenches, when the bar/trench width varies, the peak value of the n th order Bragg resonance oscillates periodically, leading to n local maxima. A comparative study shows that these characteristics are consistent with the band structure shown in the Bloch periodic gap map (PGM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkenes and their related analogs are ideal starting materials for organic synthesis, and the selective difunctionalization of alkenes, which allows the simultaneous introduction of two neighboring bonds, has gained considerable attention in recent years. In particular, the photoredox-catalyzed difunctionalization of alkenes has also been accomplished, which has been regarded as an increasingly powerful tool for the synthesis of miscellaneous interesting molecular scaffolds in an environmentally benign and economical manner. Several exquisite strategies have been developed to facilitate this transformation, such as photosensitizer-catalyzed redox reactions, electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes-mediated photoreactions, and atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) reactions. This literature review briefly describes the most recent key progress on the photoredox-catalyzed 1,2-difunctionalization of various structurally diverse alkenes, including 1,2-dicarbofunctionalization, 1,2-carboheterofunctionalization, and 1,2-diheterofunctionalization, with a special emphasis on the mechanistic details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle-mounted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been used to non-destructively inspect and evaluate railway subgrade conditions. However, existing GPR data processing and interpretation methods mostly rely on time-consuming manual interpretation, and limited studies have applied machine learning methods. GPR data are complex, high-dimensional, and redundant, in particular with non-negligible noises, for which traditional machine learning methods are not effective when applied to GPR data processing and interpretation. To solve this problem, deep learning is more suitable to process large amounts of training data, as well as to perform better data interpretation. In this study, we proposed a novel deep learning method to process GPR data, the CRNN network, which combines convolutional neural networks (CNN) and recurrent neural networks (RNN). The CNN processes raw GPR waveform data from signal channels, and the RNN processes features from multiple channels. The results show that the CRNN network achieves a higher precision at 83.4%, with a recall of 77.3%. Compared to the traditional machine learning method, the CRNN is 5.2 times faster and has a smaller size of 2.6 MB (traditional machine learning method: 104.0 MB). Our research output has demonstrated that the developed deep learning method improves the efficiency and accuracy of railway subgrade condition evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of esophageal perforation or rupture is complicated and controversial, especially in advanced cases. In fact, it is generally accepted that this disease must be treated individually according to the location, causes and clinical features of rupture or perforation. A very rare case was admitted to our department, who was injured 5 days ago by high-pressure gas of a running air compressor and resulted in a long-term longitudinal rupture of the thoracic esophagus. Although the patient suffered from empyema and mediastinitis at the same time, and his condition was very serious, the debridement and desquamation of empyema were still implemented, followed by left thoracic esophagectomy and left neck approach esophagogastrostomy in the same period successfully. The patient got a good result finally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alexithymia is common and causes serious harm to people living with HIV/AIDS. Therefore, this study aimed to examine its prevalence and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two designated AIDS medical institutions in Harbin, China between January and December 2019. In total, 767 participants completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness short-form, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the HIV Treatment Regimen Fatigue Scale, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test‐Consumption. The participants responded to several questions regarding their demographic characteristics, life satisfaction, disease-related economic burden, and their antiretroviral therapy (ART) side effects. Multivariate logistic regression assessed the relationship between alexithymia and associated factors. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for OR were calculated. Results: Approximately 36.1% of the participants were classified as having alexithymia. After adjusted age and education, the logistic regression model indicated that disease-related economic burden (OR = 1.477, 95% CI = 1.155–1.888), ART side effects (OR = 1.249, 95% CI = 1.001–1.559), loneliness (OR = 1.166, 95% CI = 1.101–1.236), and HIV treatment regimen fatigue (OR = 1.028, 95% CI = 1.017–1.039) were positively associated with alexithymia. Conclusions: The mental health problems of people living with HIV/AIDS are essential to understand and deserve attention. Disease-related economic burdens are major associated factors. Multiple actors should provide better services and guarantees for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an electrocatalytic process, the cognition of the active phase in a catalyst has been regarded as one of the most vital issues, which not only boosts the fundamental understanding of the reaction procedure but also guides the engineering and design for further promising catalysts. Here, based on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the stepwise evolution of the dominant active phase is demonstrated in the LaNiO3 (LNO) catalyst once the single‐crystal thin film is decorated by LNO nanoparticles. It is found that the OER performance can be dramatically improved by this decoration, and the catalytic current density at 1.65 V can be enhanced by ≈1000% via ≈109 cm−2 nanoparticle adhesion after extracting the contribution of surface enlargement. Most importantly, a transition of the active phase from LNO to NiOOH via surface reconstruction with the density of LNO nanoparticles is demonstrated. Several mechanisms in terms of this active phase transition are discussed involving lattice orientation‐induced change of the surface energy profile, the lattice oxygen participation, and the A/B‐site ions leaching during OER cycles. This study suggests that the active phases in transition metal‐based OER catalysts can transform with morphology, which should be corresponding to distinct engineering strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goethite and modified goethites have been found as good photocatalysts because their conduction band can mediate electron transfer in various redox processes. Many kinds of metal elements can be incorporated into the structure of goethite to form solid solutions in nature, but their optoelectronic properties have not been well disclosed. Mn-substituted goethite is one of the potential photocatalysts, which can exhibit high-photocatalytic activity in many Earth's surface processes. Based on the first-principles calculation, pairwise interaction energies and static lattice energies of goethitegroutite solid solution were computed, and the most thermodynamically stable configurations of Mn-substituted goethite were determined. The results indicate that Mn3+ ion tends to distribute within the cation layer parallel to the (001) plane. Phase relations of goethite-groutite solid solution were derived by subsequent configurational statistics with energies of all 232 configurations of a 2 × 1 × 4 supercell with 32 exchangeable cations. The phase diagram shows that no more than 3 mol% Fe of goethite can be substituted by Mn ions. Therefore, Mn-substituted goethite is thermodynamically metastable or bears groutite-like clusters/lamellae. Furthermore, the effects of Mn substitutions on the band gap were experimentally and theoretically investigated. It is found that a small amount of Mn-substitution can reduce the band gap of goethite significantly, and the decrease ceases when the Mn content is higher than 3–4 mol%. Such a decrease in band gap causes red-shift to the photo response wavelength of goethite and improves the responding capability. This improvement was confirmed in the experiments of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). Such kind of photocatalytic reaction probably can happen widely in natural environments. Therefore, the contribution of photocatalysis of natural goethites to geochemical processes on Earth's surface should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a natural and environmentally benign multifunctional plant growth regulator involved in the regulation of plant tolerance to various environmental stresses. This research aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in Populus wutunensis induced by exogenous ALA using physiological and transcriptomic analyses. Results: Physiological results showed that 50 mg·L− 1 ALA-treatment significantly reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and the relative electrical conductivity (REC) and enhanced antioxidant activities of enzymes such as SOD, POD and CAT in salt-stressed P. wutunensis seedlings. Transcriptome analysis identified ALA-induced differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associating with increased salt-tolerance in P. wutunensis. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that ALA activated the jasmonic acid signaling and significantly enhanced the protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum and the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. Results of the hormone-quantification by LC-MS/MS-based assays showed that ALA could increase the accumulation of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in salt-stressed P. wutunensis. Induced contents of soluble proteins and flavonoids by exogenous ALA in salt-treated seedlings were also correlated with the MeJA content. Conclusion: 5-aminolevulinic acid improved the protein-folding efficiency in the endoplasmic reticulum and the flavonoid-accumulation through the MeJA-activated jasmonic acid signaling, thereby increased salt-tolerance in P. wutunensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faults divide the strata into discontinuous blocks, making describing the spatial relationship between geological bodies more difficult. However, the literature still lacks simplification methods for addressing this issue. Long-term geological information research has accumulated many spatial models for building engineering geological objects. The low degree of sharing of various geological models and complex data operations has weakened the spatial analysis ability of three-dimensional geological information models. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate a new data structure and algorithm to maintain its consistency before and after the three-dimensional fault modeling so that it is possible to conduct geological analysis. This study develops a three-dimensional stratum model based on the previous research results and the GTP (generalized triangular prism) model. It includes fault data to simulate stratum fracture and proposes a three-dimensional fault modeling method under GTP element reconstruction. First, the types of GTP elements for fault cutting are analyzed. Auxiliary lines and nodes are inserted into the polyhedron with a complex shape generated after the GTP element is sectioned. The polyhedron is reconstructed into the GTP model, maintaining the consistency of the data structure. This method achieves good results in building three-dimensional geological structure models of faults at different spatial positions, indicating that the GTP model and its reconstruction method are very flexible in data storage and expression and are suitable for geological modeling. The results have significant implications for modeling and sharing operations of complex geological structures, including faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, PLB), a naturally occurring naphthoquinone mainly isolated from the plant Plumbago zeylanica L., has been proven to possess anticancer activities towards multiple types of cancer. Although there has been an increasing amount of research regarding its anticancer effects, the association between oxidative stress, genotoxicity and the cell cycle arrest induced by PLB still remains unclear. Therefore, it is important to investigate their potential connections and the involvement of DNA damage and the ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein (ATM)-p53 signaling pathway in PLB's anticancer mechanism. The present study showed that PLB exposure significantly reduced HCC cell viability and colony formation. In addition, PLB-induced G2/M cell cycle arrest, oxidative stress, and DNA damage was detected, which could be almost blocked by NAC pretreatment. PLB could trigger a DNA damage response by activating cell cycle checkpoints such as ATM, checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1), checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2) and p53. Meanwhile, the key modulator of the G2/M transition factor, Cell Division Cycle 25C (cdc25C), was significantly downregulated in an ROS-dependent manner. Furthermore, pretreatment with ATM and p53 inhibitors (KU55933 and Pifithrin-α) could reduce the occurrence of G2/M cell cycle arrest by inhibiting the activation of the ATM-p53 pathway. Taken together, these results indicate that ROS-mediated oxidative stress plays a key role in PLB-induced G2/M cell cycle arrest mediated by the ATM-p53 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ion-adsorption rare earth element (REE) deposit, a valuable type of REE deposit, has been thought to be derived from the release and enrichment of REE during granite weathering. Understanding the REE occurrence in regolith-hosted deposits is crucial for more eficient extraction. We investigated a weathering granite profile of a regolith-hosted REE deposit located in South China. X-ray difraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis of the clay fractions reveal that the highest Ce(IV) content located in intensely weathered layers and cerianite nanoparticles (CeNPs) can be observed, besides invisible adsorbed REEs. Interestingly, most of the CeNPs scatter on halloysite basal surface and exhibit preferred orientation. Detailed analysis demonstrates that the diagonal plane of cerianite matches with the exposed basal surfaces (Si-O tetrahedron) of halloysite. Such a lattice match may contribute to the nucleation and growth of CeNPs after oxidation of the adsorbed Ce(III), which results in great REE enrichment by clays. The findings provide new insight into the mechanism of Ce precipitation and REE mineralization during granite weathering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste heat and organic contaminants are significant issues in water pollution, which has caused ecological problems and threatened human health. To provide an effective solution for wastewater recovery, we designed a novel type of multifunctional phase-change microcapsule. This type of microcapsule was synthesized using n-docosane as a core and a SiO2/Fe3O4 composite as a base shell through in situ interfacial polycondensation with the assistance of a Fe3O4 nanoparticle as a Pickering emulsion stabilizer, followed by the deposition of BiOI nanosheets on the surface of the SiO2/Fe3O4 composite shell. Benefiting from the n-docosane core, the resultant microcapsules obtained phase-change enthalpies of 46.8–115.7 J/g for absorbing waste heat from wastewater. The deposited BiOI nanosheets promoted photocatalysis for the microcapsules to degrade organic contaminants in wastewater. Owing to the magnetic response of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles, the separability and recyclability of the microcapsules were improved significantly by magnetic separation. Moreover, the microcapsules demonstrate outstanding phase-change reversibility, thermal cycling stability, and shape stability due to the tight SiO2/Fe3O4 composite shell. This study provides a promising approach for designing and developing multifunctional phase-change microcapsules for waste heat recovery and wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supported Cu nanoparticle catalysts are the main players in hydrogenation of CO 2 to methanol, however, the challenges in selectivity and catalyst stability have not been properly addressed due to the reverse water-gas shift reaction initiated by Cu nanoparticles and their sintering/oxidation. Here, we have developed a series of Cu,Zn-codoped ZrO 2 catalyst, in which Cu and Zn are highly dispersed into the matrix of ZrO 2. The optimal Cu,Zn-codoped ZrO 2 catalyst demonstrates outstanding performance compared with Cu-doped ZrO 2 , Zn-doped ZrO 2 and Cu-doped ZnO catalysts. Chemisorption, H 2 -D 2 exchange and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy analyses reveal that the synergy interaction between the doped Zn and Cu plays a crucial role in boosting the selective production of methanol synthesis via promoting CO 2 adsorption and H 2 dissociation. This study provides an intriguing example for the development of selective and stable Cu-catalyst for the CO 2 hydrogenation via metal-doping strategy. [Display omitted] • An efficient CO 2 -to-methanol catalyst were prepared by co-doping Cu/Zn in ZrO 2. • Co-doping Cu/Zn improved the catalytic performance of methanol formation. • Synergy interaction of Cu/Zn sites promoted CO 2 adsorption and H 2 dissociation. • Methanol formation proceeded via HCOO* -intermediated path way. • The hydrogenation of HCOO* to CH 3 O* were enhanced by co-doping Cu and Zn sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated circuits and optoelectronics are currently dominated by silicon technology. However, silicon's response wavelength is typically less than 1,100 nm, limiting the application of silicon in machine vision, autonomous vehicles, and night vision. For infrared photodetectors, HgTe colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising materials. Because of the adjustable bandgap, it responds over a wide spectral range. However, the construction of a high-quality junction between Si and HgTe CQDs continues to be difficult, thus restricting the scope of its application. In this article, we describe the synthesis, characterization, and correlation of HgTe CQDs with reaction temperature and nanocrystal size. We then fabricated HgTe-CQDs/silicon infrared photodiodes and discussed how the silicon resistivity affected their performance. We found that the devices prepared from 9.1 nm HgTe quantum dots synthesized at 80°C and a silicon substrate with a resistivity of 20–50 Ω·cm has optimal performance parameters. This results in a responsivity of 0.2 mA/W for 1,550 nm incident light at room temperature. These results provide a direction for future silicon-compatible HgTe quantum dot infrared optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]