Search

Accurate interpretation of the emotional information conveyed by others' facial expressions is crucial for social interactions. Event‐related alpha power, measured by time‐frequency analysis, is a frequently used EEG index of emotional information processing. However, it is still unclear how event‐related alpha power varies in emotional information processing in social anxiety groups. In the present study, we recorded event‐related potentials (ERPs) while participants from the social anxiety and healthy control groups viewed facial expressions (angry, happy, neutral) preceded by contextual sentences conveying either a positive or negative evaluation of the subject. The impact of context on facial expression processing in both groups of participants was explored by assessing behavioral ratings and event‐related alpha power (0–200 ms after expression presentation). In comparison to the healthy control group, the social anxiety group exhibited significantly lower occipital alpha power in response to angry facial expressions in negative contexts and neutral facial expressions in positive contexts. The influence of language context on facial expression processing in individuals with social anxiety may occur at an early stage of processing. The study investigated context‐influenced facial expression processing in individuals with social anxiety, revealing lower occipital alpha power for angry expressions in negative contexts and neutral expressions in positive contexts, compared to healthy controls. Our findings provide strong evidence for the early‐stage impact of context on facial expression processing in individuals with social anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lately novel strategies to enhance the sensing properties on iron oxide have been proposed to achieve high performance gas sensors for acetone detection. In this working report, the synthesis of iron-glycerate (Fe-Gly) using glycerol to combine with Fe3+ is first presented. Depending on the thermal treatment, this compound can evolve into γ-Fe2O3, α/γ-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3. α/γ-Fe2O3 shows better sensing performance as far as acetone detection is concerned. Using the dual phases of α/γ-Fe2O3 as a fundamental building block, their sensing properties were further improved using Ni doping and Ru nanoparticles functionalization. The high response and selectivity to acetone detection was ascribed to the synergistic effects of unique nanosheets, mixed phases, rich oxygen vacancies and excellent catalytic activity of Ru nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surge in multidrug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the lag in antibiotic discovery necessitate the development of new anti‐infective strategies to reduce S. aureus infections. In S. aureus, von Willebrand factor‐binding protein (vWbp) is not only the main coagulase that triggers host prothrombin activation and formation of fibrin cables but also bridges the bacterial cell wall and von Willebrand factor, thereby allowing S. aureus to bind to platelets and endothelial cells, playing a vital role in pathogenesis of S. aureus infections. Here, we have identified that galangin, a bioactive compound found in honey and Alpinia officinarum Hance, is a potent and direct inhibitor of vWbp by coagulation activity inhibition assay, thermal shift assay and biolayer interferometry assay. Molecular dynamic simulations and verification experiments revealed that the Trp‐64 and Leu‐69 residues are necessary for the binding of galangin to vWbp. Significantly, galangin attenuated S. aureus virulence in a mouse S. aureus‐induced pneumonia model. In addition, we also identified that galangin can enhance the therapeutic effect of latamoxef on S. aureus‐induced pneumonia. Taken together, the results suggest that galangin may be used for the development of therapeutic drugs or utilized as adjuvants to combine with antibiotics to combat S. aureus‐related infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon‐based lithium‐ion battery anodes, in recent years, have caught widespread interest seeing their great theoretical capacity, low charge‐discharge potentials, and ample natural storage. However, poor electrochemical performance is typically observed, attributed mainly to significant volume expansion, unstable solid‐electrolyte interphase, and low intrinsic electronic/ionic conductivity. Numerous attempts have been reported to revamp its electrochemical performance, including the capacity cycle stability and cycle life. Herein, we reported the synthesis of three‐dimensional (3D) Si@TiO2@C nanohybrids adopting a facile three‐step synthesis strategy. Compared with Si@C and C (derived from polyaniline) electrodes, the well‐designed Si@TiO2@C electrode delivered a momentous enhancement in the electrochemical performance thanks to the presence of robust TiO2 shell and polyaniline‐derived porous carbon skeleton to cope with volume changes of silicon during lithiation and promote the electric conductivity of the overall electrode. The Si@TiO2@C hybrid electrode delivered a high initial discharge capacity of 1748.6 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and a stable reversible capacity of 1112.5 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 500 cycles, with the coulomb efficiency of 98.8 %. Moreover, the electrode showed a high reversible capacity of 508.9 mA h g−1 even at 500 mA g−1 at the 500th cycle with the coulomb efficiency of 99.1 %. This work showed the paramount role of TiO2 shell and 3D porous carbon skeleton, being a promising future for designing the next generation of high capacity, long cycle stable anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH) is an important feedstock in fuels, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals. Nanostructured electrocatalysts drive green electrosynthesis of hydroxylamine from nitrogen oxide species in water. However, current electrocatalysts still suffer from low selectivity and manpower-consuming trial-and-error modes, leaving unclear selectivity/activity origins and a lack of catalyst design principles. Herein, we theoretically analyze key determinants of selectivity/activity and propose the adsorption energy of NHO (G ad (*NHO)) as a performance descriptor. A weak *NH 2 OH binding affinity and a favorable reaction pathway (*NHO pathway) jointly enable single-atom catalysts (SACs) with superior NH 2 OH selectivity. Then, an activity volcano plot of G ad (*NHO) is established to predict a series of SACs and discover Mn SACs as optimal electrocatalysts that exhibit pH-dependent activity. These theoretical prediction results are also confirmed by experimental results, rationalizing our G ad (*NHO) descriptor. Furthermore, Mn-Co geminal-atom catalysts (GACs) are predicted to optimize G ad (*NHO) and are experimentally proved to enhance NH 2 OH formation., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)