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In this study, a 34‐MW tubular hydro‐generator was selected as the study example. For the electromagnetic field–circuit coupling analysis model, the effects of the ideal DC voltage and current sources (i.e. two models of the rotor excitation power supply) on the no‐load voltage waveform quality and the damper winding loss calculation results were studied by considering the influence of the electromagnetic induction of the rotor excitation winding. The obtained results provide direct and effective theoretical support and technical reference for improving the accuracy and rationality of the calculation results of the electromagnetic performance parameters and the analysis, design, manufacturing and operating level of such generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To refine the currently used, weight‐grouped protocol for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), in terms of the radiation and contrast medium dose, through clinical evaluation. Methods: Following the current routine setting that varies between three weight groups (group A: 55–65 kg, group B: 66–75 kg, group C: 76–85 kg), three additional reduction protocols were proposed to each group, with different combinations of lowered tube voltage (70–100 kVp), tube current (100–220 mAs), and iodine delivery rate (0.8–1.5 gI/s). A total of 321 patients scheduled for CCTA due to suspected coronary artery disease were enrolled, who were randomly assigned to one of the four subgroups of settings under the corresponding weight group. The resulting objective image quality was compared by measuring the contrast‐to‐noise ratio and signal‐to‐noise ratio. Subjective image quality was graded by two radiologists using a 4‐point Likert scale, on a total of 3848 segments. The optimal protocol for each weight group was determined with respect to the image quality and the applied radiation dose. Results: For all three groups, no significant difference was noticed in objective images quality between subgroups of dose settings (all p > 0.05). The average score on subjective image quality was ≥3 for every subgroup, while the percentage of score 4 showed greater dependence on the setting, ranging from 83.2% to 91.5%, and was chosen to be the determining factor. The optimal dose settings were found to be 80 kVp, 150 mAs, and 1.0 gI/s for patients of 55–75 kg in weight, and 100 kVp, 170 mAs, and 1.5 gI/s for those of 76–85 kg. Conclusion: It is feasible to refine the currently used, weight‐grouped protocol for CCTA in terms of radiation and contrast medium dose, by use of an optimization strategy where the balance between dose and image quality can be improved in a routine clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus accompanied by autoimmune liver cirrhosis (SLE‐ALC) patients and differences from the non‐cirrhosis group. Methods: Forty‐three patients with SLE‐ALC were enrolled in this study from 2653 patients with SLE in Peking University People's Hospital. A descriptive case–control study was performed between SLE‐ALC patients and the entry time‐matched non‐cirrhosis group. Results: Among the 43 SLE‐ALC patients, 41 (95.3%) were female. Eight patients (18.6%) were first found to have cirrhosis and then diagnosed with SLE. Eighteen patients (41.9%) had jaundice and 27 (62.8%) had esophageal and gastric varices. The age of SLE‐ALC patients was 51.1 ± 17.2 years, which was significantly older than the non‐cirrhosis group (P < 0.001). Lung involvement was more common as initial manifestations in SLE‐ALC patients during the SLE course (P=0.027). Compared with the non‐cirrhosis group, SLE‐ALC patients had worse liver function. A significantly higher rate of hematological system involvement (anemia, leucopenia, and thrombocytopenia) and a higher level of immunoglobulins were observed in SLE‐ALC patients (P<0.05). Moreover, SLE‐ALC patients displayed a lower positive rate of anti‐double‐stranded DNA and anti‐ribosomal P protein (P<0.05). The most common radiologic manifestations are ascitic fluid (72.1%) and splenomegaly (71.4%) in SLE‐ALC patients. Six SLE‐ALC patients underwent liver biopsy, and interface hepatitis was present in all patients. Conclusions: Cirrhosis is rare in SLE patients but is manifested as a unique pattern of clinical features characterized by late‐onset age, lung involvement, high immunoglobulins, and impaired liver function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a group of chronic diseases caused by kidney damage from multiple causes. Metabolic syndrome (MS) manifests as dysfunction of endothelial cells and chronic functional inflammatory states, and may be involved in pathological changes related to renal impairment. Based on longitudinal data analysis of the association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), proteinuria and MS in patients with CKD, this study aims to provide new ideas for the pathophysiological mechanism of CKD and a theoretical basis for the early prevention and effective intervention of MS‐related kidney damage. A total of 126 patients with CKD were divided into non‐MS group and MS group. According to the eGFR level, 126 patients with CKD were divided into G1 group, G2 group, G3a group, G3b group, G4 group and G5 group. Serum markers such as eGFR, urine protein, and triglycerides (TG) were collected. The correlation between eGFR, urine protein and MS‐related indexes was analysed, and the risk factors affecting CKD complicated by MS were analysed. In patients with CKD, the levels of urine protein, abdominal circumference, TG, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and fasting blood glucose (FPG) were increased with the course of the disease, but the levels of eGFR and high density lipoprotein (HDL‐C) were decreased (p < 0.05). Abdominal circumference, TG, SBP, DBP, FP were significantly negatively correlated with eGFR, but HDL‐C was positively correlated with eGFR (p < 0.05). Diabetes, hyperlipidemia, UA, and SBP were independent risk factors affecting CKD complicated MS, and eGFR were independent protective factors (p < 0.05). The combination of diabetes, hyperlipidemia, UA, SBP, and eGFR exhibited higher prediction value for the CKD patients complicated by MS. There was a certain correlation between between MS components with eGFR and urinary protein in patients with CKD. The early intervention treatment of MS was helpful in delaying the development of CKD and reducing proteinuria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High efficiency organic solar cells (OSCs) based on A‐DA′D‐A type small molecule acceptors (SMAs) were mostly fabricated by toxic halogenated solvent processing, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the non‐halogenated solvent processed OSCs is mainly restricted by the excessive aggregation of the SMAs. To address this issue, we developed two vinyl π‐spacer linking‐site isomerized giant molecule acceptors (GMAs) with the π‐spacer linking on the inner carbon (EV‐i) or out carbon (EV‐o) of benzene end group of the SMA with longer alkyl side chains (ECOD) for the capability of non‐halogenated solvent‐processing. Interestingly, EV‐i possesses a twisted molecular structure but enhanced conjugation, while EV‐o shows a better planar molecular structure but weakened conjugation. The OSC with EV‐i as acceptor processed by the non‐halogenated solvent o‐xylene (o‐XY) demonstrated a higher PCE of 18.27 % than that of the devices based on the acceptor of ECOD (16.40 %) or EV‐o (2.50 %). 18.27 % is one of the highest PCEs among the OSCs fabricated from non‐halogenated solvents so far, benefitted from the suitable twisted structure, stronger absorbance and high charge carrier mobility of EV‐i. The results indicate that the GMAs with suitable linking site would be the excellent candidates for fabricating high performance OSCs processed by non‐halogenated solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative dearomatization of phenols is an important transformation for synthesis of complex molecules. Oxysporidinone and related 2‐pyridones feature a hydroxy‐substituted cyclohexanone ring, which has been proposed to form by phenol dearomatization, although the details of the biochemical process are still unknown. In this study, we identified the oxysporidinone biosynthetic gene cluster in Fusarium oxysporum by regulator activation and gene knockout studies. Through in vivo and in vitro studies, we confirmed that the phenol dearomatization process involves two enzymes. OsdM, a TenA‐like cytochrome P450 with expected ring‐expansion activity, converts the phenol ring and the 4‐hydroxy‐2‐pyridone core into an unexpected fused [6‐5‐6] ring system. OsdN, on the other hand, catalyzes two successive ene reduction reactions, followed by hydroxylation by OsdM. This new route enriches current knowledge on enzymatic phenol dearomatization and the mechanism of TenA‐like P450s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention of oral cancer by analyzing the epidemiological trends of oral cancer. Materials and Methods: The data on oral cancer from 1990 to 2019 were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 database. The incidence, mortality, disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs), and age‐standardized rate as well as attributable risk factors of oral cancer were used for the analysis. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to describe the changes in age‐standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age‐standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age‐standardized DALYs rate (ASDR). Results: The global ASIR of oral cancer showed an increasing trend from 1990 to 2019. ASIR in high SDI regions showed a decreasing trend during the studied period, with high SDI regions having the lowest ASMR in 2019. In 2019, the highest ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR were detected in South Asia. At the national level, Pakistan had the highest ASMR and ASDR in 2019. The increasing disease burden was observed in younger populations aged below 45 during the studied period. Smoking and alcohol use still exerted profound impacts on the oral cancer burden, with South Asia having the greatest increase in the percentage of deaths due to oral cancer attributable to chewing tobacco from 1990 to 2019. Conclusion: In conclusion, there is a large variability in the temporal and spatial burden of oral cancer, and it is essential for priority countries to take targeted intervention policies and measures to reduce the disease burden of oral cancer. In addition, the oral cancer burden caused by attributable risk factors should also receive close attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly[bis(4‐phenyl)(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA), as an extensively used hole transport material in inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs), has given reason for concern due to its hydrophobicity for a long time. Herein, buried interface engineering is applied for the scalable deposition of perovskite films by introducing an amphiphilic molecule hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride on the PTAA surface, which improves the interfacial wettability of the perovskite precursor solution on the organic hole transport layer (HTL), facilitates the nucleation and growth of perovskites, and reduces the nonradiative recombination at the perovskite/HTL interface. As a result, all photovoltaic parameters of the inverted PSCs are improved significantly. The champion devices demonstrate power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 22.04% and 20.47% with aperture areas of 0.148 and 1.0 cm2, respectively. Moreover, the encapsulated 1.0 cm2 device exhibits excellent stability and maintains over 70% of its initial PCE after 1200 h under continuous 1 sun illumination at 65 °C in a nitrogen environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel‐rich layered oxides have attracted many attentions for their superior specific capacity and low cost, but they are subjected to fast structural degradation during cycling. Herein, the Al and Sm co‐doped LiNi0.83Co0.07Mn0.10O2 (SC‐NCM‐AS) single‐crystal is demonstrated to overcome their cycling instability issue, and its mechanistic origin for improved structural stability is investigated. It is found that soluble Al ions are homogenously incorporated in the LiNi0.83Co0.07Mn0.10O2 (SC‐NCM) lattice, while Sm ions tends to aggregate in the SC‐NCM outer surface layer. The Li/Ni cation disordering is greatly suppressed through the pillaring effect of stronger AlO bond in SC‐NCM single crystals. Sm‐concentrated outer surface layer can effectively prevent the dissolution of transition metals from SC‐NCM‐AS and inhibit undesirable side reactions induced by the organic electrolyte. This synergistic effect facilitates to suppress the formation of LiOH/Li2CO3 and oxygen vacancies, resulting in released the internal strain, decreased in‐plane transition metals migration and gliding, and eventually preventing formation of nanocracks in SC‐NCM‐AS single crystals upon cycling at high cut‐off voltage. Consequently, Al and Sm co‐doped SC‐NCM exhibits a high specific capacity of 222.4 mAh g−1 and remarkable cycling performance with a capacity retention of 91.1% for 100 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a new fibrous conjugated microporous polymer bearing phenazine species (PNZ‐CMP) is reported as a universal and ultrastable electrode to host various mono‐ and multi‐valent charge carriers for diverse aqueous rechargeable cells combining rapid kinetics, ultralong lifespan, and chemical rechargeability. The porous cross‐linked structure, interconnected donor‐acceptor network, and readily accessible active sites endow PNZ‐CMP with highly‐reversible redox activity, superhydrophilicity, facile electron transport, high ion diffusion coefficient, and all‐pH‐adaptability (−1 to 15) in aqueous electrolytes. Thus, adopting PNZ‐CMP electrodes enables good compatibility with H+/Li+/Na+/K+/Zn2+/Al3+ ions and fast surface‐controlled redox reactions for diverse aqueous battery chemistry. Multiple PNZ‐CMP‐based full cells show superior electrochemical performance especially ultralong lifespan, e.g., ≈84% capacity retention over 200 days for K+, ≈100% over 127 days for Zn2+, and ≈76% over 47 days for anion‐coordinated Al ions, surpassing small molecule counterparts and most previously‐reported corresponding systems. The spontaneous redox chemistry of reduced phenazine species with O2 is first explored to render PNZ‐CMP with repeatable chemical self‐chargeability in four electrolytes. Especially in 0.05 m H2SO4, an accumulative discharge capacity up to 48505 mAh g−1 is achieved via facile self‐charging, which can originate from the "reactive antiaromaticity to stable aromaticity" conversion of the redox moieties as revealed by theoretical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrimination of physically similar molecules by porous solids represents an important yet challenging task in industrially relevant chemical separations. Precisely controlled pore dimension and/or tailored pore surface functionality are crucial to achieve high‐efficiency separation. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising candidates for these challenging separations in light of their structural diversity as well as highly adjustable pore dimension/functionality. We report here a microporous, ftw‐type Zr‐based MOF structure, HIAM‐410 (HIAM=Hoffmann Institute of Advanced Materials), built on hexanuclear Zr6 cluster and pyrene‐1,3,6,8‐tetracarboxylate (ptc4−). Its crystallographic structure has been determined using continuous rotation electron diffraction (cRED) technique combined with Rietveld refinement against powder X‐ray diffraction data, aided by low‐dose high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging. The compound features exceptional framework stability that is comparable to the prototype MOF UiO‐66. Interestingly, the linker vacancies in the pristine MOF structure could be partially restored by post‐synthetic linker insertion. Its separation capability of hexane isomers is enhanced substantially upon the linker vacancy engineering. The restored structure exhibits efficient splitting of monobranched and dibranched hexane isomers at both room temperature and industrially relevant temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyvinyl alcohol‐engineered cementitious composite (PVA‐ECC) exhibits strain hardening and multiple cracking characteristics under tension. Its superior tensile behavior may also influence the flexural behavior of reinforced PVA‐ECC beams. This paper investigates the load capacity and failure mode of reinforced PVA‐ECC beams in bending. Seven beams with different tensile reinforcement ratios, including six PVA‐ECC beams and one conventional concrete beam, were tested in the experimental program. The influence of reinforcement ratio on load capacity and failure characteristics was discussed in detail. Test results showed that with increasing reinforcement ratio, the ultimate load of beams was increased, but the failure mode was changed from fracture of PVA‐ECC in the tension zone to crushing in the compression zone, thereby limiting the full development of beam ductility. An analytical model is proposed to calculate the load and the vertical deflection of beams. In the model, the tension‐stiffening effect of reinforcement after cracking of PVA‐ECC is considered by defining the bond–slip relationship of reinforcement embedded in PVA‐ECC. Comparisons are made between experimental results in the literature and those calculated by using the analytical model to show the accuracy of the model in predicting the load–deflection relationship, the moment–rotation relationship, and the moment–curvature relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the continuous dependence of eigenvalues on the potential function for a nonlocal Sturm–Liouville equation with truncated Marchaud fractional derivative term by two‐parameter method. To this end, we first study the properties of eigenvalues for a two‐parameter nonlocal Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problem. We obtain the two‐parameter nonlocal Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problem that has countable number of simple real eigenvalues. Meanwhile, the asymptotic behavior of eigenvalues is studied by aid of the analytic perturbation theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: White matter injury (WMI) significantly affects neurobehavioral recovery in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. Gut dysbiosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. Oxymatrine (OMT) has therapeutic effects on inflammation‐mediated diseases. Whether OMT exerts therapeutic effects on WMI after ICH and the role of gut microbiota involved in this process is largely unknown. Methods: Neurological deficits, WMI, gut microbial composition, intestinal barrier function, and systemic inflammation were investigated after ICH. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was performed to elucidate the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of ICH. Results: OMT promoted long‐term neurological function recovery and ameliorated WMI in the peri‐hematoma region and distal corticospinal tract (CST) region after ICH. ICH induced significant and persistent gut dysbiosis, which was obviously regulated by OMT. In addition, OMT alleviated intestinal barrier dysfunction and systemic inflammation. Correlation analysis revealed that gut microbiota alteration was significantly correlated with inflammation, intestinal barrier permeability, and neurological deficits after ICH. Moreover, OMT‐induced gut microbiota alteration could confer protection against neurological deficits and intestinal barrier disruption. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that OMT ameliorates ICH‐induced WMI and neurological deficits by modulating gut microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The tumour microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in disease progression in multiple myeloma (MM). This study aimed to present an atlas of MM‐TME in disease progression and explore TME‐directed therapeutic strategies. We performed single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) in samples from different disease stages. We validated the findings by bulk RNAseq, flow cytometry (FCM) and in vitro and in vivo functional experiments. We delineated a compromised TME during disease progression, characterized by enrichment of exhausted NK cells and CD8+ T cells and reprogramming of macrophages (MPs). The reprogrammed tumour‐associated MPs (TAMs) displayed a mixed phenotype showing both M1 and M2 features, with two TAM clusters exclusively present in the MM stage showing higher M2 scores. We validated the mixed M1/M2 phenotype in TAMs in a clinical cohort and verified phagocytic dysfunction in reprogrammed TAMs. Cellular interaction analysis identified two enriched ligand–receptor pairs between MPs and malignant plasma cells (PCs), including the SIRPA‐CD47 pathway suppressing phagocytosis and the CD74–MIF (macrophage inhibitory factor) reshaping the phenotype of MPs. The expression of CD47 and MIF correlated with disease progression and adverse outcomes. We designed a dual‐MP‐targeted strategy by combining an anti‐CD47 antibody and MIF inhibitor to activate phagocytosis and repolarize MP to a functional phenotype and proved its potent antitumour effect in vitro and in vivo. We drafted alterations in MM‐TME during disease progression and unravelled TAM's reprogramming. The dual MP‐targeted approach blocking both CD47 and MIF showed potent antitumour effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The salt‐reducing pickling method has been applied to the industrial production of zhacai. In order to reveal the succession of the microbial community structure and flavor components during the pickling process, this study used PacBio Sequel to sequence the full length of 16S rRNA (bacteria, 1400 bp) and ITS (fungi, 1200 bp) genes, and detected flavor components simultaneously, including organic acids, volatile flavor components (VFC), monosaccharides, and amino acids. Eleven phyla and 148 genera were identified in the bacterial community, and 2 phyla and 60 genera in the fungal community. During the four stages of pickling, the dominant bacterial genera were Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and Lactobacillus, while the dominant fungal genera were Aspergillus, Kazachstania, Debaryomyces, and Debaryomyces, respectively. There were 32 main flavor components (5 organic acids, 19 VFCs, 3 monosaccharides, and 5 amino acids). Correlation heat mapping and bidirectional orthogonal partial least squares (O2PLS) analysis showed that the flora having close relation to flavor components included 14 genera of bacteria (Leuconostoc, Clostridium, Devosia, Lactococcus, Pectobacterium, Sphingobacterium, Serratia, Stenotrophomonas, Halanaerobium, Tetragenococcus, Chromohalobacter, Klebsiella, Acidovorax, and Acinetobacter) and 3 genera of fungi (Filobasidium, Malassezia, and Aspergillus). This study provides detailed data regarding the microbial community and flavor components during the salt‐reducing pickling process of zhacai, which can be used as a reference for the development and improvement of salt‐reducing pickling methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: TBAJ‐876, developed by TB Alliance, a novel anti‐tuberculosis‐specific drug, has entered Phase II clinical trials. Herein, the first asymmetric synthesis of TBAJ‐876 has been realized using synergistic Li/Li catalysis with excellent yield of 95% and 88 : 12 er (99.6 : 0.4 er, 10 : 1 dr after simple recrystallization). Furthermore, DFT calculations and 7Li‐NMR analysis illustrated the mechanism of the synergistic reaction: a chiral Li‐complex activates the nucleophile to control the stereoselectivity, while the other achiral Li‐complex activates the electrophile to catalyze the carbonyl addition reaction. Additionally, this protocol has been successfully carried out at 5 gram‐scale, showing its industrial potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photomediated immunotherapy explored to combine the anti‐cancer effect of phototherapy with the immune enhancement ability of immunotherapy, and shown great prospects for cancer treatment strategies. However, photomediated immunotherapy triggered antitumor immunity through the release of tumor antigens and damage‐associated molecular patterns from necrotic tumor cells was not enough mighty to improve the therapeutic benefits due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. Herein, a tumor‐targeted nano‐adjuvant Fucoidan@Al(OH)3‐Poly(I:C)/IR‐820 for tumor‐targeted therapy and metastasis inhibition was designed and prepared. The intrinsic immunomodulatory effects of tumor‐targeted nano‐adjuvant and their ability to simultaneously trigger tumor antigen release, thereby reversing immunosuppression and achieving potent antitumor immunity and augmented cancer therapy, were explored. The results proved that the multifunctional nano‐adjuvant combined with photothermal, photodynamic, and immunotherapy could effectively treat breast cancer and had metastasis inhibition effect by enhancing anti‐tumor immunity through immunomodulation, it should have great application potential in the treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There has been increasing concern about the importance of sagittal alignment in the evaluation and treatment of spinal scoliosis. However, recent studies have only focused on patients with mild to moderate scoliosis. To date, little is known about the sagittal alignment in patients with severe and rigid scoliosis (SRS). This study was performed to evaluate the sagittal alignment in patients with SRS, and to analyze how it was altered after corrective surgery. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included 58 patients with SRS who underwent surgery from January 2015 to April 2020. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were reviewed, and the sagittal parameters mainly included thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacrum slope (SS), and sagittal vertical axis (SVA). The sagittal balance state was evaluated according to whether the PI minus the LL (PI‐LL) was less than 9°, and the patients were divided into thoracic hyperkyphosis and normal groups based on whether the TK exceeded 40°. The Student's t test, Pearson's test, and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to compare related parameters between the different groups. Results: The mean follow‐up duration was 2.8 years. Preoperatively, the mean PI was 43.6 ± 9.4°, and the mean LL was 65.2 ± 13.9°. Sixty‐nine percent of patients showed sagittal imbalance, and they showed larger TK and LL values and smaller PI and SVA values than those with sagittal balance. Additionally, most patients (44/58) presented with thoracic hyperkyphosis; this group had smaller PI and SVA values than the normal patients. Patients with syringomyelia‐associated scoliosis were more likely to present with thoracic hyperkyphosis. The TK and LL values were significantly decreased, and 45% of patients with preoperative sagittal imbalance recovered after surgery. These patients had a larger PI (46.4 ± 9.0° vs 38.3 ± 8.8°, P = 0.003) and a smaller TK (25.5 ± 5.2° vs 36.3 ± 8.0°, P = 0.000) at the final follow‐up. Conclusion: Preoperative sagittal imbalance appears in the majority of SRS patients, accounting for approximately 69% of our cohort. Patients with small PI values or syringomyelia‐associated scoliosis were more likely to present with thoracic hyperkyphosis. Sagittal imbalance can generally be corrected by surgery, except in patients with a PI less than 39°. To achieve good postoperative sagittal alignment, we recommend controlling the TK to within 31°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus mutans is considered to be a major causative agent of dental caries. VicRK is a two‐component signal transduction system (TCSTS) of S. mutans, which can regulate the virulence of S. mutans, such as biofilm formation, exopolysaccharide production, acid production, and acid resistance. Meanwhile, it can also regulate the production of mutacins (nlmC) through the TCSTS ComDE. In this study, we found that the vicR‐overexpressing strain was more likely to aggregate to form cell clusters, leading to the formation of abnormal biofilm; the overexpression of vicR increased the length of the chain of S. mutans. Furthermore, the expression of the mutacins in the vicR overexpression strain was increased under aerobic conditions. Compared with the control strain and the parental strain, the vicR overexpression strain was more competitive against Streptococcus gordonii. But there was no significant difference against Streptococcus sanguinis. In clinical strains, the expression level of vicR was positively correlated with their competitive ability against S. gordonii. Transcriptional profiling revealed 24 significantly upregulated genes in the vicR‐overexpressing strain, including nlmA, nlmB, nlmC, and nlmD encoding mutacins. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting assays confirmed that VicR can directly bind to the promoter sequence of nlmD. Taken together, our findings further demonstrate that VicRK, an important TCSTS of S. mutans, is involved in S. mutans cell morphology and biofilm formation. VicRK regulates the production of more mutacins in S. mutans in response to oxygen stimulation. VicR can bind to the promoter sequence of nlmD, thereby directly regulating the production of mutacins NlmD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the influence of shot peening (SP) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 3D printed 316L stainless steel is studied by optical microscopy (OM), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), and mechanical properties testing. The changes in microstructure and mechanical properties of 316L stainless steel by 3D printing under different SP strengths are explored, which are drawn as follows: 1) the microstructure of 3D‐printed 316L stainless steel is greatly refined, and the thickness of ultrafine microstructure in the surface layer increases from 0 to 112.5 μm with the increase in peening strengths from 0 to 0.4 MPa; 2) with the increase of peening strengths from 0 to 0.4 MPa, the hardness increases from 236 to 518 HV, and yield strength increases from 547.3 to 740.7 MPa; and 3) based on the EBSD results, the enhanced hardness and yield strength are caused by refinement hardening and dislocation hardening for the SP samples. In addition, it should be noted that the SP decreases the elongation of 3D‐printed 316L stainless steel up to 9%, and makes the ultimate tensile strength reach the maximum value of 871.2 MPa at 0.2 MPa SP strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study investigated the relationship between the glucocorticoid‐induced transcript 1 (GLCCI1) gene variant and the degree of improvement in lung function with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI and Wanfang databases to obtain studies on the GLCCI1 rs37973 variant and the efficacy of ICS in asthma. Results: The overall meta‐analysis showed that patients with the GG phenotype (mutant homozygotes) exhibited significantly smaller forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) change than patients with the AG phenotype (mutant heterozygous) (MD = −0.08, 95% CI [−0.12, −0.03], P = 0.001). Compared with the AA phenotype (wild homozygotes), the GG phenotype (MD = −4.23, 95% CI [−6.09, −2.38], P < 0.00001) and AG phenotype (MD = −1.92, 95% CI [−2.35, −1.49], P < 0.00001) had significantly smaller FEV1%pred changes. The FEV1 change subgroup analysis showed that the GG phenotype group was smaller than the AA phenotype group at 8 (MD = −0.53, 95% CI [−0.91, −0.14], P = 0.007), 12 (MD = −0.16, 95% CI [−0.30, −0.02], P = 0.02) and 24 (MD = −0.09, 95% CI [−0.17, −0.01], P = 0.02) weeks of treatment; the GG phenotype group was smaller than the AG phenotype group at 12 weeks (MD = −0.08, 95% CI [−0.15, −0.01], P = 0.02). Conclusion: This meta‐analysis suggests that the GLCCI1 rs37973 variant affects the efficacy of ICS and that the presence of the G allele attenuates the improvement in lung function with ICS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum samples were collected from 54 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐positive Chinese patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) subgenotype B2 or C2. They were compared for transmission efficiency using same volume of samples or infectivity using same genome copy number. Adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) during inoculation did not increase infectivity of fresh samples but markedly increased infectivity following prolonged sample storage. Differentiated HepaRG cells infected without PEG produced more hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and higher HBsAg/HBeAg ratio than sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP)‐reconstituted HepG2 cells infected with PEG. They better supported replication of core promoter mutant in contrast to wild‐type (WT) virus by HepG2/NTCP cells. Overall, subgenotype C2 samples had higher viral load than B2 samples, and in general produced more HBeAg, HBsAg, and replicative DNA following same‐volume inoculation. Precore mutant was more prevalent in subgenotype B2 and had reduced transmission efficiency. When same genome copy number of viral particles was inoculated, viral signals were not necessarily higher for three WT C2 isolates than four WT B2 isolates. Using viral particles generated from cloned HBV genome, three WT C2 isolates showed slightly reduced infectivity than three B2 isolates. In conclusion, subgenotype C2 serum samples had higher transmission efficiency than B2 isolates in association with higher viral load and lower prevalence of precore mutant, but not necessarily higher infectivity. PEG‐independent infection by HBV viremic serum samples is probably attributed to a labile host factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic pollution has posed a serious threat to water environments. To cope with this issue, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been employed and exhibited effective removability. However, most of LDHs adsorb antibiotics for water decontamination, which is difficult to degrade the pollutants and usually takes a quite long treatment time. In this work, Mn doped NiAl‐LDHs electrode was synthesized for antibiotic degradation with target pollutant tetracycline (TC). The removal efficiency of TC was then investigated by conducting electro‐oxidation with Mn doped NiAl‐LDHs anode. Specifically, some Mn doped NiAl‐LDHs nanoflowers were shed from NF substrate during the oxidation process, thus forming a 3D‐like electrode device and facilitating TC removal. Meanwhile, due to particle electrode‐like architecture and electro‐oxidation of the composite electrode, high concentration of TC can be removed quickly in a short time, and the removal efficiency can reach 92.6% in 5 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine if the artificial intelligence‐based Thyroid Imaging, Reporting and Data System (AI TIRADS) would perform better than the American College of Radiology (ACR) TIRADS in monitoring malignant thyroid nodules not recommended for biopsy using follow‐up thresholds. Methods: A total of 3499 thyroid nodules with surgical histopathology and ultrasound features were retrospectively reviewed and categorized using ACR TIRADS and AI TIRADS. The recommendations for biopsy and follow‐up divided nodules into three groups 1) fine needle aspiration (FNA), 2) follow‐up ultrasound, and 3) no further evaluation. Results: Of the total 1608 malignant nodules in this study, 974 malignant nodules would not be biopsied in ACR TIRADS compared with 967 in AI TIRADS. While 60.0% (584/974) of these non‐biopsied malignancies could be followed‐up by ultrasound in ACR TIRADS and 62.8% (607/967) in AI TIRADS. For the malignancies of no further evaluation, 97.4% (380/390) were sized <10 mm in ACR TIRADS and 93.3% (336/360) in AI TIRADS. Compared with ACR TIRADS, AI TIRADS had lower unnecessary FNA rate and missing cancer rate (41.0% vs 47.8% and 22.8% vs 27.5%, P <.05, respectively) while having higher specificity and AUC as well as lower sensitivity (65.0% vs 57.9%, 0.895 vs 0.881, and 96.1% vs 97.8%, all P <.05). Conclusions: Using the follow‐up thresholds, more than half of the malignancies not being biopsied were monitored by ultrasound in both ACR TIRADS and AI TIRADS, and AI TIRADS had lower missing cancer rate. More than 90% of malignancies recommended for no further evaluation were <10 mm in diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composite of CuO coated MIL‐101(Fe) (CuO@MIL‐101(Fe)) was successfully prepared using a one‐pot hydrothermal technology. X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and TG technologies were used to characterize its structural, morphological, and physicochemical properties. CuO@MIL‐101(Fe) exhibited a better pH adaptivity, a faster removal ratio of 95.8% for glyphosate within 10 min at pH 7, and a higher selectivity of adsorption capacity, even reaching 231.6 and 233.5 mg g−1 with coexisting Cl− (10 mmol L−1) and SO42− (10 mmol L−1). The enhanced adsorption performances of CuO@MIL‐101(Fe) may be caused by Cu forming a coordination interaction with glyphosate. A possible mechanism of glyphosate removal was discussed on the basis of the FTIR and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. CuO@MIL‐101(Fe) composite would be more favourable to capture glyphosate from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Measurable residual disease (MRD) is a prognostic factor for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A next‐generation sequencing (NGS) based MRD panel was developed and the results were validated. Methods: The NGS sequencing data was collected from 1003 Chinese AML patients. Results: The sequencing data from 586 newly diagnosed AML patients showed that NRAS mutation was most common (20.8%), followed by NPM1 (19.4%), FLT3‐ITD (18.5%), and DNMT3A (15.4%). NPM1 and FLT3‐ITD mutations were less in Chinese than in Caucasian AML patients, and the result of KRAS mutation was opposite. A new panel named "AML NGS‐MRD hot‐spot panel" was designed, containing 178 hot‐spot exons from 52 mutated genes and only 62.8 Kb in size. With this hot‐spot panel, 92.5% newly diagnosed AML patients were found to carry ≥1 mutations. To verify the performance of this panel, additional 205 newly diagnosed AML patients and 212 post‐treatment AML patients were evaluated, and the hot‐spot panel achieved a similar detection rate (91.2% for newly diagnosed AML patients and 89.2% for post‐treatment AML patients). Finally, this study found that the mutation frequencies of signaling pathway genes (e.g., KRAS, NRAS, FLT3‐ITD, KIT) were significantly reduced in post‐treatment AML. Conclusion: The "AML NGS‐MRD hot‐spot panel" detected the mutations from relapsed AML patients with minimal panel size, and was a reliable and cost‐effective panel for AML patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem that the features extracted by CNN‐based facial expression recognition (FER) do not consider structural information, a region adaptive correlation deep network (RACN) is proposed. The network consists of two branches. In one branch, the features obtained by applying CNN to facial sub‐blocks are used as the input of the proposed second‐order region correlation network (SRCN), which obtains structural features by adaptively learning the correlation of facial regions. Furthermore, they are fused with the parallel branch‐extracted global features to obtain a comprehensive high‐semantic feature representation. Finally, weights are assigned to the two features through the channel attention mechanism for more accurate expression classification. Experimental results show that our method can effectively extract expression features in an end‐to‐end manner, improve the accuracy of FER, and achieve competitive performance without relying on any a priori knowledge. And the region‐adaptive correlation feature extraction branch RACN can be applied to other deep learning networks to extract discriminative structural‐adaptive features. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to enrich the feature representation for end‐to‐end static FER by adaptively obtaining more discriminative regional adaptive correlation feature vectors via the autocorrelation matrix combined with CNN compared to the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation response to soil and atmospheric drought has raised extensively controversy, however, the relative contributions of soil drought, atmospheric drought, and their compound droughts on global vegetation growth remain unclear. Combining the changes in soil moisture (SM), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and vegetation growth (normalized difference vegetation index [NDVI]) during 1982–2015, here we evaluated the trends of these three drought types and quantified their impacts on global NDVI. We found that global VPD has increased 0.22 ± 0.05 kPa·decade−1 during 1982–2015, and this trend was doubled after 1996 (0.32 ± 0.16 kPa·decade−1) than before 1996 (0.16 ± 0.15 kPa·decade−1). Regions with large increase in VPD trend generally accompanied with decreasing trend in SM, leading to a widespread increasing trend in compound droughts across 37.62% land areas. We further found compound droughts dominated the vegetation browning since late 1990s, contributing to a declined NDVI of 64.56%. Earth system models agree with the dominant role of compound droughts on vegetation growth, but their negative magnitudes are considerably underestimated, with half of the observed results (34.48%). Our results provided the evidence of compound droughts‐induced global vegetation browning, highlighting the importance of correctly simulating the ecosystem‐scale response to the under‐appreciated exposure to compound droughts as it will increase with climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of C2H4 from C2H6/C2H4/C2H2 mixtures is of great significance in the chemical industry for C2H4 production but the process remains challenging due to the similarity of these C2 hydrocarbon species in their molecular size and physical properties. Here, we report the fluorination of a stable Zr‐MOF, UiO‐66, to fine‐tune the pore dimensions and pore functionality. In particular, UiO‐66‐CF3 shows notably preferential adsorption of C2H6 and C2H2 over C2H4, with C2H2/C2H4 and C2H6/C2H4 selectivities of 1.4 and 1.9, respectively. Theoretical calculations provide insight into the binding sites of UiO‐66‐CF3 for C2 hydrocarbon adsorption. Breakthrough experiments further confirmed the capability of the material for purification of C2H4 from C2H2/C2H4/C2H6 ternary mixtures, evidenced by the high purity C2H4 (99.9%+) obtained directly from outlet gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic epoxide alcoholysis through C−O bond cleavage and formation has emerged as an alternative to synthesizing anti‐tumoral pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. However, the lack of crucial evidence to interpret the interaction between reactants and photocatalyst surface makes it challenging for photocatalytic epoxide alcoholysis with both high activity and regioselectivity. In this work, we report the hierarchical ZnIn2S4@CdS photocatalyst for epoxide alcoholysis with high regioselectivity nearly 100 %. Mechanistic studies unveil that the precise activation switch on exposed Zn acid sites for C−O bond polarization and cleavage has a critical significance for achieving efficient photocatalytic performance. Furthermore, the establishment of Z‐scheme heterojunction facilitates the interface charge separation and transfer. Remarkably, the underlying regioselective photocatalytic reaction pathway has been distinctly revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zn anode in aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) is severely impeded by uncontrolled dendrite growth and promiscuous water‐induced side reactions, resulting in low Coulombic efficiency (CE) and poor lifetime. Herein, a versatile Zn‐based laponite (Zn–LT) interface is constructed for uniform and rapid Zn deposition for long‐life AZIBs. The combined experimental results and theoretical simulations reveal that the abundant negatively charged channels in the Zn–LT layer permit cation penetration but shield anions to uniformly modulate Zn deposition. Moreover, Zn–LT not only acts as a desolvation layer to promote Zn deposition kinetics, but also effectively inhibit harmful Zn anode corrosion. Therefore, the functional Zn–LT interface enables the anode to deliver an average CE as high as 99.8% at 1 mA cm−2 and a long lifespan of >830 h at 10 mA cm−2 and 5 mA h cm−2. Moreover, the assembled MnO2||Zn–LT@Zn full battery exhibits prominent rate performance (123 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1) and long‐term cycling stability (80.4% capacity retention at 1 A g−1 after 700 cycles). Furthermore, the fabrication of this Zn‐LT@Zn anode can be extended to rolling method, reflecting the industrial manufacturing potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes an easy and effective process for preparing a homogeneous polybutadiene (PB) dielectric elastomer with improved actuated strain by utilizing a photochemical thiol‐ene click reaction. The carboxyl groups and various ester groups are used for grafting on the PB. Since the length of the alkyl chains of the ester groups will significantly influence the polarities of the carbonyl groups and hydrogen bonding effect, the influence of polarity and hydrogen bonding effect on the dielectric properties and mechanical properties of the modified polybutadienes is carefully discussed. Very interestingly, it is found that the increment of dielectric constant of PB modified by carboxyl groups is the lowest one compared to other modified PBs with the ester groups. Meanwhile, the modified PBs with the ester groups could achieve pretty low dielectric loss factor, and finally, a high dielectric constant (3.6), low dielectric loss factor (0.0005), and large actuated strain (≈25%) of the modified polybutadienes could be achieved by the modified PBs with butyl acrylate groups. This work provides a simple and effective method for the designing and synthesizing of a homogeneous high electromechanical performance dielectric elastomer with high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor prognosis of serous ovarian cancer (SOC) is due to its high invasive capacity and cisplatin resistance of SOC cells, whereas the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the present study, the expression and function of non‐muscle myosin heavy chain IIB (MYH10) in SOC are identified by immunohistochemistry, in vitro, and in vivo studies, respectively. The mechanism of MYH10 is demonstrated by co‐immunoprecipitation, GST pull‐down, confocal laser assays, and so on. The results show that the knockdown of MYH10 suppressed SOC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, metastasis, and cisplatin resistance both in vivo and in vitro. Further studies confirm that the MYH10 protein functional domain combines with non‐muscle myosin heavy chain IIA (MYH9) to recruit the deubiquitinating enzyme Ubiquitin‐specific proteases 45 and deubiquitinates snail to inhibit snail degradation, eventually promoting tumorigenesis, progression, and cisplatin resistance in SOC. In clinical samples, MYH10 expression is significantly elevated in SOC samples compared to the paratumor samples. And the expression of MYH10 is positively correlated with MYH9 expression. MYH10+/MYH9+ co‐expression is an independent prognostic factor for predicting SOC patient survival. These findings uncover a key role of the MYH10‐MYH9‐snail axis in SOC carcinogenesis, progression, and cisplatin resistance, and provide potential novel therapeutic targets for SOC intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimuli‐responsive porous materials have captured much attention due to the on‐demand tunable properties. Most reported stimuli‐responsive porous materials are based on molecule isomerism or host‐guest interaction, and it is highly desired to develop new types based on different responsive mechanism. Herein, inspired by natural cells which have the ability to fuse and divide induced by external stimulation, we report a new type of stimuli‐responsive porous material based on detachment mechanism. A detachable porous organic polymer, namely DT‐POP‐1, is fabricated from the polymerization of anthracene‐containing monomer (AnMon) when irradiated by 365 nm UV light. DT‐POP‐1 can detach into the monomer AnMon when irradiated with 275 nm UV light or heat. Such polymerization/detachment is reversible. The detachment results in a big difference in porosity and adsorption capacity, making the present detachable porous polymer highly promising in adsorptive separation and drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkali metal doping plays a great role in improving the efficiency of Cu2SnZn(S, Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin film solar cells. However, it is unclear how to realize the ideal distribution of alkali metal in CZTSSe films. Meanwhile, the mechanisms of alkali metal doping are still controversial. Herein, Na‐doped CZTSSe cells are fabricated by magnetron sputtering with Na‐containing Cu2SnZnS4 target which is in situ doping and annealing in selenization atmosphere. The incorporation of Na enhances the diffusion of K from the substrates to the absorbers. Na doping can increase the contact potential at the grain boundaries, which has beneficial effects on reducing the carrier recombination at the grain boundaries. Furthermore, Na incorporation modifies the conduction band offset at the CdS/CZTSSe interface from −0.07 to 0.03 eV. The defects and recombination in different regions are quantitatively extracted. It is demonstrated that the optimized grain boundary electrical properties and the heterojunction band alignment passivate the defects of the depletion region, the heterojunction interface, and the quasineutral region. Finally, a total‐area efficiency of 11.18% has been achieved in CZTSSe solar cell with an in situ Na doping concentration of 0.6 at%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GeTe and (Bi,Sb)2Te3 are two representative thermoelectric (TE) materials showing maximum performance at middle and low temperature, respectively. In order to achieve higher performance over the whole temperature range, their segmented one‐leg TE modules are designed and fabricated by one‐step spark plasma sintering (SPS). To search for contact and connect layers, the diffusion behavior of Fe, Ni, Cu, and Ti metal layers in GeTe is studied systematically. The results show that Ti with a similar linear expansivity (10.80 × 10−6 K−1) to GeTe, has low contact resistance (3 µΩ cm2) and thin diffusion layer (0.4 µm), and thus is an effective metallization layer for GeTe. The geometric structure of the GeTe/(Bi,Sb)2Te3 segmented one‐leg TE module and the ratio of GeTe to (Bi,Sb)2Te3 are determined by finite element simulation method. When the GeTe height ratio is 0.66, its theoretical maximum conversion efficiency (ηmax) can reach 15.9% without considering the thermal radiation and thermal/electrical contact resistance. The fabricated GeTe/(Bi,Sb)2Te3 segmented one‐leg TE module showed a ηmax up to 9.5% with a power density ≈ 7.45 mW mm−2, which are relatively high but lower than theoretical predictions, indicating that developing segmented TE modules is an effective approach to enhance TE conversion efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of alkane isomers is an important yet challenging process in the petrochemical industry. Being a crucial step to produce premium gasoline components as well as optimum ethylene feed, the current industrial separation by distillation is extremely energy intensive. Adsorptive separation based on zeolite is limited by insufficient adsorption capacity. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) hold enormous promise as alternative adsorbents due to their diverse structural tunability and exceptional porosity. Precise control of their pore geometry/dimensions has led to superior performance. In this minireview, we highlight the recent progresses in developing MOFs for the separation of C6 alkane isomers. Representative MOFs are reviewed based on their separation mechanisms. Emphasis is put on the material design rationale for achieving optimal separation capability. Finally, we briefly discuss the existing challenges, possible solutions, and future directions of this important field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]