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Objective: Exposure to heavy metals has been reported to be associated with impaired cognitive function, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This pilot study aimed to identify key heavy metal elements associated with cognitive function and further explore the potential mediating role of metal‐related DNA methylation. Methods: Blood levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, copper, manganese, and zinc and genome‐wide DNA methylations were separately detected in peripheral blood in 155 older adults. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator penalized regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression were used to identify metals associated with cognitive function. An epigenome‐wide association study examined the DNA methylation profile of the identified metal, and mediation analysis investigated its mediating role. Results: The MMSE scores showed a significant decrease of 1.61 (95% confidence interval [CI]: −2.64, −0.59) with each 1 standard deviation increase in ln‐transformed arsenic level; this association was significant in multiple‐metal models and dominated the overall negative effect of 6 heavy metal mixture on cognitive function. Seventy‐three differentially methylated positions were associated with blood arsenic (p < 1.0 × 10−5). The methylation levels at cg05226051 (annotated to TDRD3) and cg18886932 (annotated to GAL3ST3) mediated 24.8% and 25.5% of the association between blood arsenic and cognitive function, respectively (all p < 0.05). Interpretation: Blood arsenic levels displayed a negative association with the cognitive function of older adults. This finding shows that arsenic‐related DNA methylation alterations are critical partial mediators that may serve as potential biomarkers for further mechanism‐related studies. ANN NEUROL 2024;96:87–98 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Given the distinct physiological and societal traits between women and men, we propose that there are distinct risk factors for lumbar degenerative disc disease surgeries, including lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), in middle‐aged and older populations. However, few studies have focused on middle‐aged and older women. This study aims to identify these risk factors specifically in this population. Methods: In this case–control study, the study group comprised 1202 women aged ≥ 45 years who underwent operative treatment of lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDH, n = 825; LSS, n = 377), and the control group comprised 1168 women without lumbar disease who visited a health examination clinic during the same period. The study factors included demographics (age, body mass index [BMI], smoking, labor intensity, and genetic history), female‐specific factors (menopausal status, number of deliveries, cesarean section, and simple hysterectomy), surgical history (number of abdominal surgeries, hip joint surgery, knee joint surgery, and thyroidectomy), and systemic diseases (hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hyper‐low‐density lipoprotein cholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of associated factors. Results: The risk factors for surgical treatment of LDH in middle‐aged and older women included BMI (OR = 1.603), labor intensity (OR = 1.189), genetic history (OR = 2.212), number of deliveries (OR = 1.736), simple hysterectomy (OR = 2.511), hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 1.932), and hyper‐low‐density lipoprotein cholesterolemia (OR = 2.662). For surgical treatment of LSS, the risk factors were age (OR = 1.889), BMI (OR = 1.671), genetic history (OR = 2.134), number of deliveries (OR = 2.962), simple hysterectomy (OR = 1.968), knee joint surgery (OR = 2.527), hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 1.476), hyper‐low‐density lipoprotein cholesterolemia (OR = 2.413), and diabetes (OR = 1.643). Cerebrovascular disease was a protective factor against surgery for LDH (OR = 0.267). Conclusions: BMI, genetic history, number of deliveries, simple hysterectomy, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyper‐low‐density lipoprotein cholesterolemia were independent risk factors for surgical treatment of both LDH and LSS in middle‐aged and older women. Two disparities were found: labor intensity was a risk factor for LDH patients, and knee joint surgery and diabetes were risk factors for LSS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near‐infrared (NIR) chiroptical response has been less explored because it is challenging to achieve both chirality and NIR absorption/emission. Herein, we describe the design of heterohelicene‐type β‐isoindigo‐based boron‐dipyrromethene (BODIPY) analogs (β‐IBs), which shift the absorption peak to 800 nm and produce significant Cotton effects (127.8 M−1 cm−1) and absorbance dissymmetry factors (|gabs| = 3.5 × 10−3). The luminescence dissymmetry factor (glum) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) brightness (BCPL) of up to 1.24 × 10−3 and 1.78 M−1 cm−1 were realized beyond 800 nm. These β‐IBs are the first examples of helicene‐type compounds with the highest gabs in the NIR region and CPL beyond 800 nm. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the strong chiroptical activities are triggered by their large transition magnetic dipole moments. This study not only provides a new approach to the synthesis of a larger variety of unprecedented helicene‐type BODIPY analogs but also demonstrates excellent NIR chiroptical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas (PAs) are pivotal to biodiversity conservation, yet their efficacy is compromised by insufficient funding and management. So‐called other effective area‐based conservation measures (OECMs) present a paradigm shift and address PA limitations. Such measures can expand conservation areas, enhance connectivity, and improve the existing system. To assess the conservation status of biodiversity in Tibetan cultural areas in China, we investigated the spatial distribution of wildlife vulnerable to human disturbance (large‐ and medium‐sized mammals and terrestrial birds) in Xinlong, a traditional Tibetan cultural area. In particular, we compared a PA (Xionglongxi Nature Reserve) and OECMs targeting species conservation. We also investigated the relationship of wildlife with human temporal and spatial activities. The OECMs complemented areas not covered by PA, especially in rich understory biodiversity regions. More species in OECMs tolerated human presence than species in the PA. Existing biodiversity reserves failed to cover areas of high conservation value in Tibet and offered limited protection capacity. Expanding PAs and identifying OECMs improved Xinlong's system by covering most biodiversity hotspots. Building on the tradition of wildlife conservation in Tibet, harnessing OECMs may be an effective means of augmenting biodiversity conservation capacity. We recommend further evaluation of OECMs effectiveness and coverage in Tibetan area as a way to enhance the current PA system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective transition metal‐free photoredox/bismuth dual catalytic reductive dialkylation of nitroarenes with benzaldehydes has been reported. The nitroarene reduction through visible light‐driven photoredox catalysis was integrated with subsequent reductive dialkylation of anilines under bismuth catalysis to enable the cascade reductive alkylation of nitroarenes with carbonyls. Salient features of this relay catalysis system include mild reaction conditions, no requirement for transition metal catalysts, easy handling, step‐economy, and high selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and HCC‐related deaths have remarkably increased over the recent decades. It has been reported that β‐catenin activation can be frequently observed in HCC cases. This study identified the integrin‐linked kinase‐associated phosphatase (ILKAP) as a novel β‐catenin‐interacting protein. ILKAP is localized both in the nucleus and cytoplasm and regulates the WNT pathway in different ways. First, it is demonstrated that ILKAP activates the WNT pathway in HCC cells by increasing the protein level of β‐catenin and other proteins associated with the WNT signaling, such as c‐Myc and CyclinD1. Next, it is shown that ILKAP promotes the metastasis of HCC both in vitro and in vivo in a zebrafish xenograft model. It is also found that ILKAP dephosphorylates the GSK3β and CK1, contributing to the reduced ubiquitination of β‐catenin. Furthermore, it is identified that ILKAP functions by mediating binding between TCF4 and β‐catenin to enhance expression of WNT target genes. Taken together, the study demonstrates a critical function of ILKAP in metastasis of HCC, since ILKAP is crucial for the activation of the WNT pathway via stabilization of β‐catenin and increased binding between TCF4 and β‐catenin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stretchable electronics have the unique capability of 3D (three dimensional) deformation, overcoming the brittleness of traditional inorganic electronics. However, during large deformations, different scale strains between the rigid and stretchable components lead to mismatch, causing interconnect failures. Therefore, the development of the rigidity‐programmable substrate with effective strain shielding capabilities has become a research hotspot. Furthermore, the exponential growth in electronic density presents challenges in the circuit design of stretchable electronics. The urgent need is to develop highly integrated stretchable electronic systems. In this study, a highly integrated stretchable pulse sensor with effective strain shielding capabilities using hybrid 3D printing technology is developed, which comprises electronic chips, a rigidity‐programmable substrate/encapsulation layer printed by using PSC (polydimethylsiloxane/silica‐nanoparticles composite)‐based ink, and LM (liquid metal)‐based 3D circuits. First, the PSC‐based ink is optimized to enhance the strain shielding effectiveness of the rigidity‐programmable substrate. Meanwhile, 3D printing parameters are optimized to achieve high printing precision with minimum line widths below 100 µm. The resulting stretchable pulse sensor demonstrated good mechanical and electrical stability under complex 3D deformations, including bending, twisting, and stretching. The PSC region strain of the sensor is only ≈2% when the global strain is up to ≈65%, which exhibited effective strain shielding capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A successful test of Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Displays (FLCD) on Gen 4.5 is realized in this paper. A new polyimide (PI) that can replace Nylon 6 (N6) is synthesized and tested on the production line. This used to be the barrier in the commercialization of FLCD. Apart from that, a new FLC for mass production is synthesized. To investigate the surface energy and relative performance, various materials are compared. This proof of the feasibility on the production line is a significant step towards the commercialization of field‐sequential‐color high‐resolution FLCDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater megafish species, such as sturgeons, salmonids, carps, and catfishes, have a maximum reported weight ≥30 kg. Due to their charisma and economic value, they have been widely introduced outside of their native ranges. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the introduction of freshwater megafish and an assessment of their environmental impacts. Of the 134 extant freshwater megafish species, 46% have been introduced to new environments, and of these, 69% have established self‐sustaining alien populations. These introductions affect 59% of the world's main basins, with the USA and western Europe being particular hotspots of megafish introductions. The common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is the most widely introduced species. Using the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT and EICAT+) frameworks, we assessed the severity and type of negative and positive impacts posed by alien megafish on native species. Alien megafish caused negative impacts through nine different mechanisms, with predation being the most frequently reported mechanism, followed by herbivory and competition. Moreover, 58% of the alien megafish species with sufficient data to evaluate the severity of their impacts caused declining populations of native species, or worse, extirpations of native species populations. The positive environmental impacts of alien megafish were far less frequently documented. They include biotic interactions that benefit native species, and the provision of trophic resources or habitats. Widely introduced or extensively studied species are more likely to have documented severe impacts on native species. There is a clear trade‐off between the economic benefits associated with megafish introductions and the severe adverse impacts they have on native biodiversity. Our study highlights the need for comprehensive risk assessments to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of megafish. More research and long‐term monitoring schemes are required to inform management actions to protect biodiversity, particularly in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative splicing (AS) is a fundamental mechanism that regulates gene expressionin both physiological and pathological processes. This article introduces ASTK, a software package covering upstream and downstream analysis of AS. Initially, ASTK offers a module to perform enrichment analysis at both the gene‐ and exon‐level to incorporate various impacts by different spliced events on a single gene. We further cluster AS genes and alternative exons into three groups based on spliced exon sizes (micro‐, mid‐, and macro‐), which are preferentially associated with distinct biological pathways. A major challenge in the field has been decoding the regulatory codes of splicing. ASTK adeptly extracts both sequence features and epigenetic marks associated with AS events. Through the application of machine learning algorithms, we identified pivotal features influencing the inclusion levels of most AS types. Notably, the splice site strength is a primary determinant for the inclusion levels in alternative 3'/5' splice sites (A3/A5). For the alternative first exon and skipping exon classes, a combination of sequence and epigenetic features collaboratively dictate exon inclusion/exclusion. Our findings underscore ASTK's capability to enhance the functional understanding of AS events and shed light on the intricacies of splicing regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a broadband reconfigurable active frequency selective rasorber is proposed, which can be used as a radome for antenna radar cross section (RCS) reduction. By tuning the active components, the radome can achieve in‐band RCS reduction and reconfigurable absorptive/transmissive states. In the absorptive state, the max bandwidth with an absorption rate greater than 90% spanning from 1.62 to 5.37 GHz; in the absorptive/transmissive state, 2.2 GHz is the transmissive frequency with the insertion loss of 93% while absorbing in 0.94–2.06 GHz and 2.63–6.5 GHz, which demonstrate impressive characteristics of broadband and a high absorption rate. Additionally, the radome can maintain performance at ±35° angular incidence and is insensitive to incident wave polarization. Furthermore, it features a lightweight and low‐profile design, with a cell electrical size of just 0.078λ × 0.078λ × 0.066λ. The prototype test shows a noteworthy correlation with simulation. This study has wider applications in the electromagnetic stealth of communication antennas and aircraft, as well as in the control of electromagnetic pollution signals in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Protein‐based nanoparticles have gained considerable interest in recent years due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and functional properties. However, nanoparticles formed from hydrophobic proteins are prone to instability under environmental stress, which restricts their potential applications. It is therefore of great importance to develop green approaches for the fabrication of hydrophobic protein‐based nanoparticles and to improve their physicochemical performance. RESULTS: Gliadin/shellac complex nanoparticles (168.87 ~ 403.67 nm) with various gliadin/shellac mass ratios (10:0 ~ 5:5) were prepared using a pH‐driven approach. In comparison with gliadin nanoparticles, complex nanoparticles have shown enhanced stability against neutral pH, ions, and boiling. They remained stable under neutral conditions at NaCl concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 mmol L−1 and even when boiled at 100 °C for 90 min. These nanoparticles were capable of effectively reducing oil–water interfacial tension (5 ~ 11 mNm−1) but a higher amount of shellac in the nanoparticles compromised their ability to lower interfacial tension. Moreover, the wettability of the nanoparticles changed as the gliadin/shellac mass ratio changed, leading to a range of three‐phase contact angles from 52.41° to 84.85°. Notably, complex nanoparticles with a gliadin/shellac mass ratio of 8:2 (G/S 8:2) showed a contact angle of 84.85°, which is considered suitable for the Pickering stabilization mechanism. Moreover, these nanoparticles exhibited the highest emulsifying activity of 52.42 m2 g−1 and emulsifying stability of 65.33%. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study revealed that gliadin/shellac complex nanoparticles exhibited excellent resistance to environmental stress and demonstrated superior oil–water interfacial behavior. They have strong potential for further development as food emulsifiers or as nano‐delivery systems for nutraceuticals. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical application of room‐temperature sodium‐sulfur (RT Na–S) batteries is blocked by the notorious shuttle effect of sodium polysulfides (NaPSs) and sluggish refox reaction kinetics. Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely studied for boosting the energy storage performance of RT Na‐S batteries. Nevertheless, the catalytic centers of SACs reported so far have focused mainly on symmetrical metal–N4 structures, which offer weak bonding affinity toward polar NaPSs, leading to detrimental shuttle effect and sluggish sulfur conversion kinetics. Herein, a novel asymmetrical Mn–N2 structure is implanted into nitrogen‐doped carbon nanofibers (Mn‐N2/CNs) through thermal NH3 etching of a symmetrical Mn–N2O2 structure. The Mn–N2 structure promotes the bonding affinity and catalytic conversion of NaPSs due to the strengthened d‐p orbital‐hybridization between the d orbital of Mn in the Mn–N2 structure and the p orbital of S in NaPSs. Consequently, Mn‐N2/CNs@S achieves a high capacity of 458 mAh g−1 at 3.0 C with a capacity decay of 0.23% over 2300 cycles. This work offers a promising pathway for regulating the coordination number of SACs with strengthened d‐p orbital‐hybridization for high‐performance RT Na–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical application of hard carbon in sodium‐ion batteries is limited by insufficient reversible capacity and low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE), which are caused by the lack of active sites and unstable electrode/electrolyte interface. Herein, a biomass‐derived hard carbon material based on tea stems is proposed, which exhibits an ultrahigh ICE of 90.8%. This remarkable ICE is attributed to the presence of an inorganic‐rich, thin, and robust solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer. Furthermore, the material demonstrates excellent cycling stability, showing a capacity retention of 99.5% after 500 cycles at 280 mA g−1. Additionally, when it works as the anode material in a sodium‐ion full cell without presodiation, it reaches a high energy density of 212 Wh kg−1 and a superior stability, e.g., retaining 93.1 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1 with a capacity retention of 91.3%. The sodium storage capacity of this material is primarily attributed to a combined adsorption‐intercalation/filling effect as confirmed by in situ XRD and ex situ Raman analyses. These findings make this biomass‐derived hard carbon material a promising candidate for commercial application of sodium‐ion batteries, achieving high performance at low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One‐third of the food produced worldwide is wasted annually and never consumed, of which ≈ 40–50% are perishable vegetables and fruits (VFs). Although various methods are proposed to reduce this loss, high manufacturing costs and food safety concerns pose significant challenges for the preservation of VFs. Herein, a respiration‐triggered, self‐saving strategy for the preservation of perishable products based on a biomolecular Schiff base composite fabricated by imidization of chitosan and cinnamaldehyde (CS‐Cin) is reported. Ripening of VFs produces acid moisture and triggers a Schiff base reaction in CS‐Cin, permitting the release of volatile Cin into the storage space. This enables versatile preservation by placing CS‐Cin on the side without the need to touch the food, like the desiccant packet in a food packaging bag, while the rotting of VFs is retarded in a self‐saving manner. As a result, the lifetimes of broccoli and strawberries are extended from 2 to 8 days. Furthermore, CS‐Cin with restored preservative properties can be repeatedly recycled from used CS via imidization with Cin. Compared with conventional techniques, the preservatives are easy to use, versatile, and cost‐effective, and the respiration‐responsive release of Cin empowers a self‐saving approach toward the smart preservation of perishable food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Several previous studies have shown that skin sebum analysis can be used to diagnose Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to develop a portable artificial intelligence olfactory‐like (AIO) system based on gas chromatographic analysis of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in patient sebum and explore its application value in the diagnosis of PD. Methods: The skin VOCs from 121 PD patients and 129 healthy controls were analyzed using the AIO system and three classic machine learning models were established, including the gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), random forest and extreme gradient boosting, to assist the diagnosis of PD and predict its severity. Results: A 20‐s time series of AIO system data were collected from each participant. The VOC peaks at a large number of time points roughly concentrated around 5–12 s were significantly higher in PD subjects. The gradient boosting decision tree model showed the best ability to differentiate PD from healthy controls, yielding a sensitivity of 83.33% and a specificity of 84.00%. However, the system failed to predict PD progression scored by Hoehn−Yahr stage. Conclusions: This study provides a fast, low‐cost and non‐invasive method to distinguish PD patients from healthy controls. Furthermore, our study also indicates abnormal sebaceous gland secretion in PD patients, providing new evidence for exploring the pathogenesis of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt precipitation is a crucial process occurring during CO2 injection into saline aquifers. It significantly alters the porous space, leading to reduced permeability and impaired injectivity. While the dynamics of precipitation have been studied within porous media, our understanding of precipitation patterns and permeability evolution within rough fractures remains inadequate. Here, we conduct flow‐visualization experiments on salt precipitation, wherein dry air invades brine‐filled rough fractures under various flow rate conditions. Our observations reveal that the precipitation pattern shifts from ex situ precipitation to homogeneous form as the flow rate (capillary number Ca) increases. Through real‐time imaging of the salt precipitation process, we determine that ex situ precipitation is due to capillary‐driven backflow. This backflow phenomenon occurs when previously precipitated salt, acting as a hydrophilic porous medium, attracts the brine flow backward. As a result, precipitation occurs at a location different from the original site. We further show that the impact of capillary‐driven backflow is significant at low flow rates and is gradually suppressed as the flow rate increases. We provide a theoretical estimation for the critical Ca for the occurrence of capillary‐driven backflow. As Ca is smaller than this critical value, backflow‐precipitation positive feedback causes fracture voids to become completely clogged, thereby leading to a more substantial permeability reduction. In contrast, a homogeneous precipitation pattern tends to only partially clog the fracture voids, causing a relatively smaller permeability reduction. This study enhances our understanding of the role of capillary‐driven backflow in controlling salt precipitation and permeability reduction in fractures. Plain Language Summary: Injecting CO2 into underground water layers (saline aquifers) is one way to tackle climate change by storing it away from the air. However, this process can lead to salt formation within the rock fractures, especially near the injection well, which can block the flow pathways and make it more challenging to inject additional CO2. Our research focuses on how salt forms within the rock fractures when we introduce dry air into areas filled with salty water, at different flow rates. We discover that at slower flow rate, the salt forms in patches due to a process where the salt already formed pulls more water toward it, leading to blockages. At higher flow rates, this doesn't happen, and the salt is distributed more uniformly, causing less blockage. We identify a specific flow rate at which the transition between these two types of salt formation occurs. Understanding this can help us better manage CO2 injection strategies and make it more effective by minimizing the risk of blockages. This work is important for enhancing how we store CO2 underground, an important strategy in reducing its levels in the atmosphere and fighting global warming. Key Points: We show that precipitation pattern shifts from ex situ to homogeneous form and ex situ precipitation is due to capillary‐driven backflowWe verify that capillary‐driven backflow occurs when previously precipitated salt, as a hydrophilic porous medium, draws brine flow backWe quantify that capillary‐driven backflow causes voids to be completely clogged, leading to a more substantial permeability reductions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a fast and effective image deblurring method, the blind recovery of motion‐blurred images based on DeblurGAN(GAN, Generative Adversarial Networks) is researched.Firstly, the number of residual modules in the DeblurGAN network is changed, and an attempt is made to optimize the network structure to achieve better results in the blind recovery of motion‐blurred images. Secondly, an image deblurring method based on the improved DeblurGAN network is proposed.This paper makes corresponding adjustments to the generator and discriminator networks to change their input and output size to 512 × 512 while keeping the overall structure of the network unchanged, and the experimental results show that the quality of the restored images has been greatly improved. In addition, the images were divided into four classes of images,to achieve improved restoration of blurred images with specific content. Experimental results on the benchmark GoPro dataset validate that the improved DeblurGAN achieves more than 1.5 dB improvement than DeblurGAN in terms of peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR) as trained utilizing the same amount of data, and structural similarity assessment (SSIM) evaluation means and maximum values increased between 0.2 and 0.3. The improved DeblurGAN is more effective in terms of both blur removal and detail recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Changes in surface thaw onset in Arctic permafrost can regulate terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. Permafrost surface thaw onset has advanced significantly because of strong Arctic warming. However, surface thaw onset change effects on vegetation during the different growing season stages remain unclear. Location: Arctic and subarctic permafrost region. Time Period: 1982–2016. Major Taxa Studied: Arctic vegetation. Methods: This study investigated surface thaw onset change effects on vegetation growth in the Arctic permafrost region by analysing the relationships between surface thaw onset dates and vegetation indices obtained via satellite remote sensing from 1982 to 2016. Results: The leaf area index (LAI) from April to June was negatively correlated (−0.16 area‐averaged partial correlation coefficient) with surface‐thawed dates in over 78.6% of the Arctic permafrost region, and the LAI from August to October was positively correlated (0.17 area‐averaged partial correlation coefficient) with surface‐thawed dates in over 79.9% of the Arctic permafrost region. These distinct relationships suggest that earlier thaw onset may have a positive effect on vegetation growth during the early stage of the growing season. However, earlier thaw onset can limit vegetation growth during the late stage of the growing season. The different relationships between surface thaw onset and LAI can be explained by moisture availability. This difference occurred because 67.3% of the Arctic permafrost region was more constrained by temperature during the early stage of the growing season, therefore, the earlier thaw onset alleviated this temperature constraint and benefited vegetation growth. During the late stage of the growing season, 47.7% of the Arctic permafrost region was more constrained by moisture. Main Conclusions: Our results suggest that surface thaw onset change effects on vegetation vary by period, and this difference requires careful consideration when predicting ecosystem changes in permafrost regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study firstly examines the causal effect of environmental information disclosure on political trust and then provides a novel psychological mechanism through which the effect occurred. Exploiting the staggered rolled‐out implementation of a national program in China that provides real‐time air‐pollution information to the public, we find that air pollution adversely moderates the positive effect of information disclosure on political trust. Notably and surprisingly, this “adverse moderation” is concentrated in less polluted areas, where the lack of visible smog led citizens to remain unaware of the actual pollution levels until information is disclosed. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the adverse moderation is more pronounced among urban residents using Internet, an important source for pollution information. Furthermore, we establish that the causal effect operates through the channels of citizens' mental well‐being, demonstrated by a large and statistically significant increase in the risk of mild depression due to heightened concern over pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an emerging anode material for commercialization, the silicon (or SiOx)/graphite composite (SiC) anode faces bottlenecks such as large volume expansion and short cycle lifespan, which hinder its commercial implementation process. To remove these limitations, a mussel byssal thread‐inspired hard–soft segment synergism binder (denoted as PCH‐CR) is presented based on an in situ ester cross‐linking reaction between a hydrophilic copolymer of sodium 2‐carboxyethylacrylate and N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)acrylamide as the hard segment with an oleophilic elastomer carboxylic styrene butadiene rubber as the soft segment. This synergetic hard–soft segment binder design can evidently improve the polymer topological structure entropy, thus obtaining enhanced mechanical and adhesive properties. By virtue of these strengths, the as‐prepared SiC600 (600 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C) electrodes can apparently suppress electrode volume expansion, and subsequently maintain high structural integrity and interfacial stability during cycling. As a result, the as‐prepared SiC600 electrode at a limited PCH‐CR binder dosage achieves unprecedented cycling and rate performance in coin and home‐made soft package cells. These results promise great potential for the as‐developed binder for practical SiC600 electrode applications. This work marks a new milestone in developing state‐of‐the‐art binders toward high‐specific‐capacity Si‐based anode applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extraordinary X‐ray scintillation performance of three‐dimensional (3D) lead perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs), the serious biotoxicity of Pb2+ and luminescent instability in water remain insurmountable obstacles for their applications in medical imaging. To address these drawbacks, herein, the study demonstrates one new lead‐free zero‐dimensional (0D) hybrid cuprous halide of single‐crystalline [BzTPP]2Cu2I4 (BzTPP = Benzyltriphenylphosphonium) as a satisfactory X‐ray scintillator. [BzTPP]2Cu2I4 displays broadband yellowish‐green light emission with a high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) of 44.2% and large Stokes shift of 167 nm upon UV light excitation. High PLQY and negligible self‐absorption enable [BzTPP]2Cu2I4 to display impressive scintillation performance excited by X‐ray with a light yield of 27 706 photons MeV‐1 and low detection limit of 0.352 µGy s−1, surpassing typical 3D PNCs. More importantly, [BzTPP]2Cu2I4 represents extraordinary structural and luminescent stability in water for at least one month. The excellent and stable radioluminescence performance as well as solution growth method ensure a [BzTPP]2Cu2I4‐based screen for fine‐resolution X‐ray imaging with potential in radiography and inspection. This work highlights the multiple merits of low‐toxicity and cost, high light yield, and long‐term water‐stability of 0D hybrid cuprous halides as highly desirable X‐ray scintillators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study aims to compare retrospectively three clinically applied methods for the diagnostic performance of cystic renal masses (CRMs) by contrast‐enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and contrast‐enhanced computer tomography (CECT) with Bosniak classification system. Methods: A total of 52 cases of Bosniak II–IV CRMs in 49 consecutive patients were diagnosed from January 2013 to July 2022 and their data were analyzed. All patients had been subjected to CEUS and CECT simultaneously. Pathological diagnoses and masses stability were used as standard references to determine whether lesions were malignant or benign. Then 49 CRMs only with pathologic results were classified into group 1 and 2. Results: A total of 52 CRMs in 49 enrolled patients were classified into 8 category II, 16 category IIF, 15 category III, and 13 category IV by CEUS (EFSUMB 2020), 10 category II, 13 category IIF, 16 category III, and 13 category IV by CEUS (V2019), while 15 category II, 9 category IIF, 13 category III, and 15 category IV by CECT (V2019). Pathological results and masses stability longer than 5 years follow‐up performed substantially for CEUS (EFSUMB 2020), CEUS (V2019), and CECT (V2019) (kappa values were 0.696, 0.735, and 0.696, respectively). Among 49 pathologic approving CRMs, wall/septation thickness ≥4 mm, wall/septation thickness, presence of enhancing nodule and the diameter were found to be statistically significant for malignancy. Twenty‐two malignant masses were correctly diagnosed by CEUS (V2019), while 21 malignant masses were both correctly diagnosed by CEUS (EFSUMB 2020) and CECT (V2019), and 1 mass was misdiagnosed. Conclusions: Bosniak classification of EFSUMB 2020 version might be as accurate as version 2019 CEUS and version 2019 CECT in diagnosing CRMs, and CEUS is found to have an excellent safety profile in dealing with clinical works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal oxide materials are widely adopted in UV sensing due to their advantages of reliability, stability, and high sensitivity. However, the fabrication of metal oxide films on flexible substrates using micro/nano printing techniques still poses challenges. Notably, inks containing oxide nanoparticles often lead to nozzle clogging during the printing process. In addition, methods relying on precursor solutions typically require high post‐processing temperatures that conventional flexible substrates cannot withstand. In this study, a novel precursor ink based on zinc amine hydroxide complexes is proposed, enabling post‐processing at a low temperature of 250 °C. Through a fully printed approach, a wearable UV sensor based on a zinc oxide nanofilm on a flexible substrate is successfully fabricated. The sensor exhibits outstanding sensitivity and rapid response characteristics. By incorporating silver nanoparticles into the ink, the baseline resistance of the sensitive material is adjusted. Furthermore, a smart patch utilizing the NFC communication protocol is developed, allowing for wireless, passive, and wearable UV detection. In this study, a process paradigm for fabricating metal oxide films on flexible substrates using micro/nano printing techniques is introduced, showcasing significant potential in the field of micro/nano sensor fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large dark current at room temperature has long been the major bottleneck that impedes the development of high‐performance infrared photodetectors toward miniaturization and integration. Although infrared photodetectors based on layered 2D narrow bandgap semiconductors have shown admirable advantages compared with those based on conventional compounds, which typically suffer from the expensive cryogenic operation, it is still urgent to develop a simple but effective strategy to further reduce the dark current. Herein, a tellurium (Te)‐based infrared photodetector is reported with specifically designed asymmetric electrical contact area. The deliberately introduced asymmetric electrical contact raises the electric field intensity difference in the Te channel near the drain and the source electrodes, resulting in the spontaneous asymmetric carrier diffusion under global infrared light illumination under zero bias. Specifically, the Te‐based photodetector presents promising detector performance at room temperature including a low dark current of ≈1 nA, an ultrahigh photocurrent/dark current ratio of 1.57 × 104, a high specific detectivity (D*) of 3.24 × 109 Jones, and a relatively fast response speed of ≈720 µs at zero bias. The results prove that the simple design of asymmetric electrical contact areas can provide a promising solution to high‐performance 2D semiconductor‐based infrared photodetectors working at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid alkalinization factors (RALFs) in plants have been reported to dampen pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP)‐triggered immunity via suppressing PAMP‐induced complex formation between the pattern recognition receptor (PRR) and its co‐receptor BAK1. However, the direct and positive role of RALFs in plant immunity remains largely unknown. Herein, we report the direct and positive roles of a typical RALF, RALF22, in plant immunity. RALF22 alone directly elicited a variety of typical immune responses and triggered resistance against the devastating necrotrophic fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in a FERONIA (FER)‐dependent manner. LORELEI (LRE)‐like glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)‐anchored protein 1 (LLG1) and NADPH oxidase RBOHD were required for RALF22‐elicited reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The mutation of cysteines conserved in the C terminus of RALFs abolished, while the constitutive formation of two disulfide bridges between these cysteines promoted the RALF22‐elicited ROS production and resistance against S. sclerotiorum, demonstrating the requirement of these cysteines in the functions of RALF22 in plant immunity. Furthermore, RALF22 amplified the Pep3‐induced immune signal by dramatically increasing the abundance of PROPEP3 transcript and protein. Supply with RALF22 induced resistance against S. sclerotiorum in Brassica crop plants. Collectively, our results reveal that RALF22 triggers immune responses and augments the Pep3‐induced immune signal in a FER‐dependent manner, and exhibits the potential to be exploited as an immune elicitor in crop protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antennas using the active frequency selective surface (AFSS) can achieve fast beam‐scanning ability at a low cost. In this study, a switched beam antenna with a high gain and 360° coverage in the horizontal plane is proposed. Twelve columns of AFSS form a cylindrical cavity and are transmissive or reflective to the incident electromagnetic waves under the control of PIN diodes. Benefiting from a coaxial continuous transverse stub array placed at the cavity centre and using 4 units to generate a high gain omnidirectional radiation, the proposed antenna can realise a highly directive switched beam. An antenna prototype is designed, fabricated and measured. Results show that it achieves a |S11| < −10 dB bandwidth of 12.9% and is able to sweep its beam around the azimuth plane with a high gain up to 13.6 dBi at 5.8 GHz working frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the identification of two novel variations in the ABO*B.01 allele that give rise to weak B and AB phenotypes. The variations, c.11_15dup and c.17G>A, were found in exon 1 of the ABO gene. The study involved a 35-year-old Chinese woman and her family, and serological and genetic testing was conducted to determine their ABO phenotypes and genotypes. The results showed that the proband had the Bvar/ABO*O.01.02 allele, while her children had the ABO*A1.02/Bvar allele. The novel B allele was altered at position 17 and had a duplication between bases 11 and 15. The authors suggest that these variations may decrease the activity of B transferase and weaken the expression of related antigens. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the weak B phenotype. [Extracted from the article]

Cellular proteins are dynamically regulated in response to environmental stimuli. Conventional proteomics compares the entire proteome in different cellular states to identify differentially expressed proteins, which suffers from limited sensitivity for analyzing acute and subtle changes. To address this challenge, nascent proteomics has been developed, which selectively analyzes the newly synthesized proteins, thus offering a more sensitive and timely insight into the dynamic changes of the proteome. In this Minireview, we discuss recent advancements in nascent proteomics, with an emphasis on methodological developments. Also, we delve into the current challenges and provide an outlook on the future prospects of this exciting field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Station parking accuracy is an important indicator for the automatic control of high‐speed trains; however, it is subject to many influencing factors, such as the characteristics of high nonlinearity and large time delays in the train control model, time‐variant humidity, and uncertain weather conditions, leading to unsatisfying performance with existing feedback control algorithms. This study first proposes an intelligent train stopping control approach based on deep learning for high‐speed railways. By collecting a large amount of historical train operation data from the Beijing–Shenyang high‐speed railway, three data‐driven models are developed for train stopping control. The first model is based on a deep‐layered feedforward neural network (DNN), which predicts the exact train stopping position with dynamic train running states (position, velocity etc.) as input. Taking advantage of the physical train control models used in practice, the DNN to a convolutional neural network (CNN) is then improved by customizing the convolutional layers of the CNN. To overcome the issues arising from the incompleteness of data samples, a few‐shot convolutional neural network (FSCNN) is further developed to enhance the prediction performance of the CNN. Compared with that of the current method used in practice, the simulation experiments show that the train station parking error can be decreased by 38.6%, 42.8%, and 49.2% by our developed DNN, CNN, and FSCNN, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluid‐rock dissolution occurs ubiquitously in geological systems. Surface‐volume scaling is central to predicting overall dissolution rate R involved in modeling dissolution processes. Previous works focused on single‐phase environments but overlooked the multiphase‐flow effect. Here, through limestone‐based microfluidics experiments, we establish a fundamental link between dissolution regimes and scaling laws. In regime I (uniform), the scaling is consistent with classic law, and a satisfactory prediction of R can be obtained. However, the scaling for regime II (localized) deviates significantly from classic law. The underlying mechanism is that the reaction‐induced gas phase forms a layer, acting as a barrier that hinders contact between the acid and rock. Consequently, the error between measurement and prediction continuously amplifies as dissolution proceeds; the predictability is poor. We propose a theoretical model that describes the regime transition, exhibiting excellent agreement with experimental results. This work offers guidance on the usage of scaling law in multiphase flow environments. Plain Language Summary: Fluid‐rock dissolution is ubiquitous in natural and engineered systems, including karst formation, geological carbon sequestration, and acid stimulation. Recent developed method for CO2 sequestration relies on mineralization, which transforms CO2 into carbonate minerals through geochemical reactions involving dissolution. The precise modeling of dissolution processes at the continuum‐scale is dependent on the estimation of the overall dissolution rate using surface‐volume scaling laws. This important scaling law is always established in a single‐phase system. Here, through limestone‐based microfluidics experiments, we find that the scaling is significantly affected by the dissolution regime in a multiphase flow environment. When the injection rate is lower, and the geometry is more homogeneous, the dissolution regime adheres to classic law. On the other hand, when the flow is stronger and the heterogeneity exhibits, the dissolution scaling significantly diverges. Our discovery indicates that a layer of CO2 gas attaches to the uneven surface, causing a shielding effect on the dissolution and resulting in a notable deviation. Through establishing a theoretical model for the regime transition, this work offers guidance on the usage of scaling law across various dissolution scenarios. The newly developed scaling can enhance dissolution modeling precision in multiphase flow‐dissolution systems such as geologic carbon sequestration. Key Points: We observe two regimes, and the scaling in regime II deviates significantly from classic law, with a poor predictability of dissolution rateWe identify a barrier effect in real rock samples that inhibits the contact of acid and rock for the deviation of scaling in regime IIWe propose a theoretical model for regime transition that offers guidance on the usage of scaling law in multiphase environments [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteins are ubiquitously modified with glycans of varied chemical structures through distinct glycosidic linkages, making the landscape of protein glycosylation challenging to map. Profiling of intact glycopeptides with mass spectrometry (MS) has recently emerged as a powerful tool for revealing matched information of the glycosylation sites and attached glycans (i.e. intact glycosites), but is largely limited to individual glycosylation types. Herein, we describe Click‐iG, which integrates metabolic labeling of glycans with clickable unnatural sugars, an optimized MS method, and a tailored version of pGlyco3 software to enable simultaneous enrichment and profiling of three types of intact glycopeptides: N‐linked, mucin‐type O‐linked, and O‐GlcNAcylated glycopeptides. We demonstrate the utility of Click‐iG by the identification of thousands of intact glycosites in cell lines and living mice. From the mouse lung, heart, and spleen, a total of 2053 intact N‐glycosites, 262 intact O‐GalNAc glycosites, and 1947 O‐GlcNAcylation sites were identified. Click‐iG‐enabled comprehensive coverage of the protein glycosylation landscape lays the foundation for interrogating crosstalk between different glycosylation pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, supercapacitors (SC) are fabricated on arbitrary flexible substrates by constructing copper sulfide nanotrough‐network and electrodeposition of polyaniline (PANI@CuS NN) as electrode. Attributed to its unique hollow structure, the CuS NN current collector demonstrates high conductivity (10.4 Ω □−1) and mechanical flexibility (within 2.3% relative resistance change after more than 1,000 bending times at the radius of 4 mm). The obtained PANI@CuS NN electrode demonstrates more than 218.28 F g−1 specific capacity at the current density of 1 A g−1, remaining 85.08% of the original capacity after 1,000 cycles (5 A g−1). This can be attributed to that CuS NN provides abundant attachment sites for PANI by the large specific surface area. Additionally, a flexible solid‐state supercapacitor is constructed by coating silk fibroin hydrogel as the electrolyte between the PANI@CuS NN and another CuS NN electrode loaded with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs@CuS NN). The capacity is 107.8 F g−1 at the current density of 0.25 A g−1 with excellent cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low band gap materials have always been a focus of attention due to their potential applications in various fields. In this work, a series of asymmetric bistricyclic aromatic ene (BAE) compounds with fluorenylidene‐cyclopentadithiophene (FYT) skeleton were facially synthesized, which were modified with different substituents (−OMe, −SMe). The FYT core exhibit twisted C=C bond with dihedral angles around 30°, and the introduction of −SMe group can provide additional S⋅⋅⋅S interaction between molecules, which is conducive to the charge transporting. The UV‐Vis spectra, electrochemistry and photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that these compounds have relatively narrow band gaps, particularly, the −SMe modified compounds have slightly lower HOMO and Fermi energy levels than that of the −OMe modified compounds. Furthermore, PSCs devices were fabricated with the three compounds as HTMs, and FYT‐DSDPA exhibit the best performance among them, revealing the fine‐tuning band structure could influence properties of HTMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In rice breeding, thermosensitive genic male sterility (TGMS) lines based on the tms5 locus have been extensively employed. Here, we reported a novel rice TGMS line ostms15 (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica ZH11) which show male sterility under high temperature and fertility under low temperature. Field evaluation from 2018 to 2021 revealed that its sterility under high temperature is more stable than that of tms5 (ZH11), even with occasional low temperature periods, indicating its considerable value for rice breeding. OsTMS15 encodes an LRR‐RLK protein MULTIPLE SPOROCYTE1 (MSP1) which was reported to interact with its ligand to initiate tapetum development for pollen formation. In ostms15, a point mutation from GTA (Val) to GAA (Glu) in its TIR motif of the LRR region led to the TGMS phenotype. Cellular observation and gene expression analysis showed that the tapetum is still present in ostms15, while its function was substantially impaired under high temperature. However, its tapetum function was restored under low temperature. The interaction between mOsTMS15 and its ligand was reduced while this interaction was partially restored under low temperature. Slow development was reported to be a general mechanism of P/TGMS fertility restoration. We propose that the recovered protein interaction together with slow development under low temperature compensates for the defective tapetum initiation, which further restores ostms15 fertility. We used base editing to create a number of TGMS lines with different base substitutions based on the OsTMS15 locus. This work may also facilitate the mechanistic investigation and breeding of other crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Chemical control is an important method for tackling crop diseases. Clarifying the antibacterial mechanisms of bactericides is useful for developing new bactericides and for continuous plant disease control. In this study, the antibacterial mechanism of a novel bactericide, dioctyldiethylenetriamine (Xinjunan), which affects adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, was investigated. RESULTS: The results of an in vitro inhibition activity assay showed that dioctyldiethylenetriamine inhibited the growth of a variety of plant pathogenic bacteria, especially that of Xanthomonas spp. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that dioctyldiethylenetriamine caused cell distortion and rupture. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the antibacterial effect of dioctyldiethylenetriamine, transcriptome sequencing (RNA‐seq) was performed for Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo, PXO99A) treated with dioctyldiethylenetriamine, which has strong antibacterial effects against xanthomonads. The results showed that differentially expressed genes were enriched mainly in the oxidative phosphorylation and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle pathways after treatment. Moreover, the dioctyldiethylenetriamine treatment exhibited reduction in enzyme activities in the TCA cycle, decreased intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and ATP contents, and increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species. In addition, dioctyldiethylenetriamine exhibited an inhibitory effect on the growth of other bacterial pathogens by reducing ATP synthesis. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of the mechanism by which dioctyldiethylenetriamine inhibits ATP synthesis by affecting oxidative phosphorylation and TCA cycle pathways in bacteria. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi‐resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR‐TADF) emitters have been studied to address the issue of the broadband emission in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, the authors have systematically investigated the effect of electron‐donating or ‐withdrawing units in the para position of B atom on the optoelectronic emission modulation BCz‐BN MR‐TADF emitters. Due to the enhanced spin‐orbit coupling (SOC) effect, BN(p)SCH3 with electron structure of para‐D‐π‐B is synthesized by introducing a heavy S atom into the para position of B atom of BCz‐BN. By oxidizing BN(p)SCH3, BN(p)SOCH3 and BN(p)SO2CH3 with electron structure of para‐A‐π‐B have been synthesized. The quantum simulations and photophysical studies have illustrated BN(p)SCH3 can exhibit large reverse intersystem crossing rate constant (kRISC) of 6.4 × 104 s−1 due to the large SOC constants and small singlet‐triplet energy splitting (ΔEST) of 0.12 eV. BN(p)SOCH3 and BN(p)SO2CH3 with electron structure of para‐A‐π‐B displayed red‐shift emissions with smaller full‐width at half‐maximum (FWHM) values of ≈21 nm and kRISC values owing to enhanced ΔEST and the low emission contribution of the triplet excitons in contrast to those of BN(p)SCH3 with electron structure of para‐D‐π‐B. Consequently, BN(p)SCH3‐based OLEDs show highly efficient blue emission with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 26.2% and excellent color purity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeleton‐based gait recognition models suffer from the robustness problem, as the rank‐1 accuracy varies from 90% in normal walking cases to 70% in walking with coats cases. In this work, we propose a state‐of‐the‐art robust skeleton‐based gait recognition model called Gait‐TR, which is based on the combination of spatial transformer frameworks and temporal convolutional networks. Gait‐TR achieves substantial improvements over other skeleton‐based gait models with higher accuracy and better robustness on the well‐known gait dataset CASIA‐B. Particularly in walking with coats cases, Gait‐TR gets a ∼90% accuracy rate. This result is higher than the best result of silhouette‐based models, which usually have higher accuracy than the skeleton‐based gait recognition models. Moreover, our experiment on CASIA‐B shows that the spatial transformer network can extract gait features from the human skeleton better than the widely used graph convolutional network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Freshwater megafauna species (i.e., animals that can reach a body mass ≥30 kg, including fish, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians) play important roles in freshwater systems (e.g., by influencing habitat structure, trophic dynamics, or the dispersal of smaller species). As they tend to be large and charismatic, they may also function as flagship umbrella species in future freshwater conservation initiatives. Despite this, as a group they are highly threatened, and our knowledge of the nature of these threats is limited. In this study, we aim to improve our understanding of the impacts of alien species on native freshwater megafauna. 2. We undertook the first global assessment of the impacts of alien species on native freshwater megafauna using the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) framework. We conducted a literature review to identify published and grey literature on impacts, which we quantified and categorised by their severity and type, following the EICAT guidelines. 3. Negative impacts on native freshwater megafauna were caused by 61 alien species from a diverse range of taxonomic groups, including both freshwater and terrestrial alien species, and both vertebrates and invertebrates. They adversely affected 44 of 216 native freshwater megafauna species, including amphibians, fish, mammals, and reptiles. The Great Lakes Basin had the highest number of affected megafauna species (six of the 14 freshwater megafauna species it supports, mainly fish). Impacts occurred through a broad range of mechanisms (10 of the 12 identified mechanisms under EICAT); predation and competition were the most frequently reported mechanisms. Some impacts were relatively minor, adversely affecting the performance of individuals of native freshwater megafauna species. However, some reported impacts did cause declining populations of native freshwater megafauna species, and one impact contributed to the local extinction of the ship sturgeon (Acipenser nudiventris) in the Aral Sea. The vulnerability of native freshwater megafauna species to different types of impact varies during different life‐cycle stages (egg, juvenile, and adult). 4. Our understanding of impacts posed by alien species on native freshwater megafauna is limited because data are unavailable for many regions, particularly the Global South, including hotspots for freshwater megafauna diversity such as the Amazon, Congo, Mekong, and Ganges‐Brahmaputra basins. Freshwater megafauna species are often subject to multiple threats, which makes it difficult to determine the significance of alien species impacts relative to other threats such as habitat degradation and overexploitation. In addition, short‐term studies are likely to be masking the severity of the impacts identified. We call for more long‐term studies that attempt to identify population‐level impacts, and for studies that identify impacts in data‐deficient regions. 5. The EICAT assessments undertaken for this study will be reviewed by the EICAT Authority and subsequently incorporated into the IUCN EICAT database. They may be used to guide future research and conservation actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting slope deformation is an important issue in engineering. Timely deformation detection can effectively avoid catastrophic slope failure and ensure the safety of a project and engineering personnel. In this study, deformation detection for a quarry slope is implemented using the integration of subpixel offset tracking (sPOT) and unsupervised change detection algorithms based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image datasets. The sPOT algorithm is used to give the surface displacement field of the slope with subpixel accuracy, and the unsupervised change detection algorithm yields the ground object reconstruction area of the slope to verify and explain the sPOT result. The integrated analysis method in this paper is highly applicable and only requires a minimum of two UAV datasets as raw data. Combining the advantages of the sPOT and unsupervised change detection algorithms, the proposed method has the ability to detect and analyse slow and rapid slope deformation with good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced machine intelligence is empowered not only by the ever‐increasing computational capability for information processing but also by sensors for collecting multimodal information from complex environments. However, simply assembling different sensors can result in bulky systems and complex data processing. Herein, it is shown that a complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS) imager can be transformed into a compact multimodal sensing platform through dual‐focus imaging. By combining lens‐based and lensless imaging, visual information, chemicals, temperature, and humidity can be detected with the same chip and output as a single image. As a proof of concept, the sensor is equipped on a micro‐vehicle, and multimodal environmental sensing and mapping is demonstrated. A multimodal endoscope is also developed, and simultaneous imaging and chemical profiling along a porcine digestive tract is achieved. The multimodal CMOS imager is compact, versatile, and extensible and can be widely applied in microrobots, in vivo medical apparatuses, and other microdevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient electrode material, three‐dimensional reduced graphene oxide with varying wrinkles and folds (WRGO), applicable for electrochemical determination of Hg(II) was obtained by treating graphene oxide (GO) with KOH aqueous solution. After alkaline etching, the relatively flat graphene was altered and its self‐aggregation was significantly alleviated, producing more wrinkles and folds, which provided more active adsorption sites for heavy metal ions. WRGO‐5 modified electrode system herein offers a highest sensitivity of (31.83 μAμM−1) and a lowest LOD of (16.28 nM). Moreover, the electrode sensor possesses good stability and reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the role of public climate attention, captured by the Baidu search volume index, in the downside risk. Using 45 keywords from five perspectives related to climate change, we construct a public climate attention index in China. We find a positive and significant relationship between climate attention and downside risk at the market‐level and firm‐level. Moreover, the risk‐increase effect of climate attention becomes more prominent for state‐owned and high‐carbon‐emission firms. Further analysis shows that excellent sustainable performance can moderate the adverse effect of rising climate attention, while the major climate disasters exacerbate the effect. Overall, our findings shed additional light on the important role of collective climate beliefs in corporate risk management and investor decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]