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Self-vibrating systems obtaining energy from their surroundings to sustain motion can offer great potential in micro-robots, biomedicine, radar systems, and amusement equipment owing to their adaptability, efficiency, and sustainability. However, there is a growing need for simpler, faster-responding, and easier-to-control systems. In the study, we theoretically present an advanced light-actuated liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) fiber–mass system which can initiate self-sliding motion along a rigid circular track under constant light exposure. Based on an LCE dynamic model and the theorem of angular momentum, the equations for dynamic control of the system are deduced to investigate the dynamic behavior of self-sliding. Numerical analyses show that the theoretical LCE fiber–mass system operates in two distinct states: a static state and a self-sliding state. The impact of various dimensionless variables on the self-sliding amplitude and frequency is further investigated, specifically considering variables like light intensity, initial tangential velocity, the angle of the non-illuminated zone, and the inherent properties of the LCE material. For every increment of π/180 in the amplitude, the elastic coefficient increases by 0.25% and the angle of the non-illuminated zone by 1.63%, while the light intensity contributes to a 20.88% increase. Our findings reveal that, under constant light exposure, the mass element exhibits a robust self-sliding response, indicating its potential for use in energy harvesting and other applications that require sustained periodic motion. Additionally, this system can be extended to other non-circular curved tracks, highlighting its adaptability and versatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding, predicting and controlling the motion of the solid particles in the square cavity with obstacles are important. This work performs a lattice Boltzmann study on the motion of a neutrally buoyant circular particle in a lid-driven square cavity with a semicircular obstacle, where the effects of Reynolds numbers and initial positions of the circular particle on the motion of the circular particle are investigated. The motion of the circular particle is affected significantly by the semicircular obstacle, which is quite different from the case without obstacles. With the increase of the Reynolds number, the motion of the circular particle is divided into three stages. At low Reynolds numbers (5 0 0 ≤ Re ≤ 8 0 0), similar to the case without obstacles, no matter where the initial position of the circular particle is, the limit cycle of the circular particle is the same. Beyond a critical Reynolds number (between 800 and 900), the limit cycle of the circular particle is dependent on the initial position of the circular particle obviously, which is attributed to the opposing centrifugal and wall-repulsion forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemostasis of deep irregular wounds is a severe problem in clinical practice. The development of rapid-acting hemostatic agents for deep and irregular wound is urgently needed. Here, sodium alginate/carboxycellulose/polydopamine (SA/CNF/PDA) microspheres was prepared by reverse emulsification and crosslinking with Ca2+, and SA/CNF/PDA composite hemostatic microspheres with porous structure were obtained by freeze-drying. SA/CNF/PDA composite hemostatic microspheres exhibited excellent porosity and water absorption which could rapidly absorb blood on the wound surface. Moreover, SA/CNF/PDA composite microspheres demonstrated remarkable hemostatic capabilities both in vitro and in vivo. It exhibited strong hemostatic performance in models of mouse tail-break and liver damage. Especially in liver injury model, it was completely hemostatic in 95 s, and blood loss (19.3 mg). The hemostatic efficacy of the SA/CNF/PDA composite microspheres was amplified through the stimulation of both exogenous and endogenous coagulation pathways. Therefore, SA/CNF/PDA composite hemostatic microspheres are suitable for rapid hemostasis of deep irregular wounds which are potential rapid hemostatic material for surgical application. • SA/CNF/PDA hemostatic microsphere was obtained by reverse emulsification and freeze-drying. • SA/CNF/PDA microsphere stopped bleeding within 95 s in liver injury model. • The activation of exogenous and endogenous coagulation pathways were activated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO 2 -active enhances the performance of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material, increasing its utilization in cementitious systems. CFC3, a low-carbon cementitious material, effectively utilizes CO 2 -active incineration fly ash (CIFA). To minimize cement usage, the component effects on hydration need to be studied. In this study, hydration, mechanical and environmental properties of CFC3 were evaluated based on cement dosage and calcined clay/CIFA values. The maximum compressive strength of the samples reached 18.0 MPa at 3d and 47.6 MPa at 56d. The introduction of CIFA delayed the reactions of C 3 S and aluminates. Calcined clay contributes to improved gel polymerization, optimizes the Si/Al CASH ratio, and refines pore structure. A decrease in cement content increased in the aluminate phases, making monocarbonate the primary hydration product. The results of leaching tests indicated that Cd and Pb in R2C50 were transformed into non-leachable, inactive substances. Demonstrating the environmental friendliness of CFC3. • CFC3 is a low-carbon material can effectively utilize incineration fly ash. • The use of incineration fly ash causes extra ettringite and Friedel's salt. • Higher calcined clay usage resulted in two distinct aluminate reaction periods. • CFC3 can reduce the cement content to 35%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miniaturized microscopes with large field-of-view (FOV) have wide applications in biomedical imaging and automated machine vision. Conventional microscopes with a single objective lens have tradeoffs among FOV, resolution and device thickness. Thanks to the high compactness and design flexibility, metalens has a great potential for building the next generation compact imagers. However, there have been various challenges and performance tradeoffs in the design, fabrication and implementation of metalens that could support a large FOV. Here, we present a metalens array based miniaturized microscope that provides extremely high compactness and large FOV. Each metalens unit can image the object tile immediately below it. By tiling such metalens units, we can scale up the FOV while keeping the same device thickness and imaging quality as the microscope with a single metalens unit. Our metalens array enables a compact microscope that can perform large FOV imaging through arbitrary polarized light. We experimentally demonstrated the miniaturized metalens array microscope in 1310 nm wavelength, which has an FOV of 3 × 4 mm2 and can resolve 6.9 μm lines, with 4 mm distance between the sample surface to the camera sensor. Although this is a proof-of-concept demonstration, our metalens array microscope provides a promising solution for portable and implantable camera for large-FOV high-resolution imaging. • The metalens array based miniaturized microscope can perform large field-of-view imaging through arbitrary polarized light. • The metalens array microscope is compact with a very small device thickness. • The field of view of the metalens array microscope can be scaled up while the device thickness remains unchanged. • Metalens array microscope can be used as a portable and implantable camera for large-field-of-view, high-resolution imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

—With the development of energy storage technology and sharing economy, the shared energy storage in integrated energy system provides potential benefit to reduce system operation costs and carbon emissions. This paper presents a bi-level carbon-oriented planning method of shared energy storage station for multiple integrated energy systems. Firstly, the energy-carbon relationship of the multiple integrated energy systems is established, and the node carbon intensity models of power grid, integrated energy system and shared energy storage station are established. Secondly, a bi-level planning model of shared energy storage station is developed. The upper layer model solves the optimal capacity planning problem of shared energy storage station to minimize average emission reduction cost in a long time scale. The lower layer model solves the optimal operation problem of multiple integrated energy systems with the goal of minimizing the operation cost in a short time scale. Furthermore, considering the uncertainty of wind and photovoltaic power in integrated energy system, the conditional value at risk method is adopted as the risk measurement index in the lower layer operation cost. Finally, the case study verifies the advantages of the proposed method in economy and environmental friendliness through the comparative analysis of three different energy storage planning cases. Simulation results show that, compared with the energy storage planned separately for each integrated energy system, it is more environmental friendly and economical to provide energy storage services for each integrated energy system through shared energy storage station, the carbon emission reduction rate has increased by 166.53 %, and the system operation cost decreases by 33.48 %. • Node carbon intensity model is established for integrated energy system. • Carbon emission reduction model of integrated energy system is developed. • Carbon-oriented planning model of shared energy storage is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study data-free knowledge distillation (KD) for monocular depth estimation (MDE), which learns a lightweight model for real-world depth perception tasks by compressing it from a trained teacher model while lacking training data in the target domain. Owing to the essential difference between image classification and dense regression, previous methods of data-free KD are not applicable to MDE. To strengthen its applicability in real-world tasks, in this paper, we propose to apply KD with out-of-distribution simulated images. The major challenges to be resolved are (i) lacking prior information about scene configurations of real-world training data and (ii) domain shift between simulated and real-world images. To cope with these difficulties, we propose a tailored framework for depth distillation. The framework generates new training samples for embracing a multitude of possible object arrangements in the target domain and utilizes a transformation network to efficiently adapt them to the feature statistics preserved in the teacher model. Through extensive experiments on various depth estimation models and two different datasets, we show that our method outperforms the baseline KD by a good margin and even achieves slightly better performance with as few as 1 / 6 of training images, demonstrating a clear superiority. • Novel data-free distillation for depth estimation using OOD simulated images. • Analysis of scene similarity, dataset size, and domain gap for accurate distillation. • Specialized framework addressing challenges in data-free depth distillation. • Superior performance with different depth estimation models and benchmark datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An electrochemical sensor was used for monitoring of H 2 O 2 released from cancer cells. • Cu-TCPP has better supporting and electrocatalytic activity than Co-TCPP or Zn-TCPP. • AuPt/Cu-TCPP displays the best electrocatalytic activity towards H 2 O 2 reduction. • The sensor exhibits a low detection limit of 3.1 nM and a wide linear range. Two-dimensional (2D) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as supporting nanomaterials to encapsulate or load metal nanoparticles have been widely applied in electrochemical sensing. Therefore, the influences of tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin-based MOFs (M-TCPP (M = Co, Cu, Zn)) as supporting materials on the electrocatalytic activity were studied. A surfactant-assisted method was employed to facilely synthesize three types of 2D M-TCPP nanosheet MOFs. Polyvinylpyrrolidone was selected as a surfactant for preparing M-TCPP and played a key role in the controlled anisotropic growth of MOF crystals, resulting in the formation of 2D MOF nanosheets. Then, one-step electrodeposition of gold-platinum nanoparticles (AuPt NPs) on the M-TCPP-modified glassy carbon electrode (AuPt/M-TCPP/GCE) was explored for reducing hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2). Cyclic voltammetry was applied to investigate the electrocatalytic performance of AuPt/M-TCPP/GCE, and AuPt/Cu-TCPP/GCE exhibited better electrocatalytic characteristics than AuPt/Co-TCPP/GCE and AuPt/Zn-TCPP/GCE. The electrochemical H 2 O 2 sensor displayed a low detection limit of 3.1 nM in the wide concentration range of 0.01 μM to 80 mM. In addition, the proposed sensor showed high stability, good reproducibility, and selectivity. Moreover, HepG2 human liver cancer cells were selected for real-time detection of H 2 O 2 to verify the feasibility of this technology for the evaluation of anticancer drugs. The results showed that Cu-TCPP can be used as an efficient supporting material for enhancing the detection property of electrochemical sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the accuracy and efficiency of fish behavior assessment, this paper focuses on quantitatively exploring the variations and relationships between different monitoring dimensions. A systematic comparison was conducted between 3D and 2D behavioral factors using an infrared tracing system, during both day and night. Significant differences in swimming distance were observed among the different monitoring methods, as determined by two‐way ANOVA and Tukey's test. A correction was applied to account for the disparities observed in 2D swimming distance, ensuring accurate measurements. These findings present a cost‐effective and efficient approach for obtaining precise 3D distance data. Additionally, a kinematic factor called the "number of U‐turns" was proposed to provide a more intuitive characterization of directional changes in fish swimming. Significant differences were observed between 2D and 3D data, with higher percentages of false U‐turn counts and missing U‐turn counts compared to correct counts in the 2D view. These findings suggest that reducing the monitoring dimension may impact the accurate estimation of swimming motion, potentially resulting in inaccurate outcomes. Finally, the statistical analyses of the non‐linear properties of fractal dimension revealed significant differences among the various monitoring methods. This conclusion has practical implications for biologists and physicists, enabling them to improve the accuracy of behavioral phenotyping for organisms exhibiting 3D motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small round cell tumor (SRCT) is a group of malignancy with similar optical microscopic morphology. Despite its low incidence, SRCT has a high malignant degree and poor prognosis. Besides, atypical clinical symptoms make it difficult in preoperative diagnosis. Case report: A 67-year-old man was presented to the outpatient service with dysuria and weak urine stream lasting for 3 months. After oral treatment with tamsulosin and finasteride for 2 months, the symptoms worsen. Transurethral prostate holmium laser enucleation was operated and postoperative pathology result revealed small blue round cell malignant tumor. Further immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization examination indicated Ewing-like SRCT. So a Da Vinci Robotic prostatectomy was performed further and whole-genome sequencing was conducted. Several gene mutations including RAF1, ARID1A, SMARCA4, and BCL2L11 were found but no FDA-approved drug could treat specifically. Then the patient received Ewing-type therapeutic regimens treatment and has been followed up to date (over 24 months). Conclusion: Because of its non-elevated serum PSA level, prostate SRCT is often ignored as a possibility of malignant tumor and regarded as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The possibility of prostate SRCT need to be considered if dysuria symptoms could not alleviate significantly after a period of oral treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater wet welding processes with minimal energy consumption and high efficiency is the future goal for researchers in the field. Al/CuO exothermic mixtures in consumables for land welding process can improve welding process stability and decrease the electrical dependence of the welding process. To confirm the beneficial effects of Al/CuO thermite and gain a better understanding of metallurgical properties of the thermite welds in underwater environment, this study investigated underwater wet self-shielded flux-cored arc welding (FCAW-S) of high-strength low-alloy steel with highly exothermic Al/CuO mixture. The effects of Al/CuO thermite on arc stability, weld metallurgical behavior and melting characteristics of flux-cored wire were clarified. The ratio of chemical heat in the flux to the heat required to melt welding wire increased from 4.7 % to 38.4 % with the addition of Al/CuO, potentially accelerating the melting of flux-cored wires. The arc stability with thermite addition was superior to that without the addition of thermite. The presence of copper as a result of metallurgical reactions had a substantial impact on metallurgical behavior of underwater wet welds. The ferrite weld was a non-equilibrium Cu supersaturated solid solution, which increased the microhardness and tensile strength of wet welds. The measured cooling time proved that the incorporation of Al/CuO had the capacity to reduce cooling rate. The incorporation of 50 wt% thermite yielded a 7.8 % increase in welding process efficiency compared to the base formulation. Current work provided an important direction for the development of a chemically self-heating flux-cored wire. [Display omitted] • High-strength low-alloy steel was welded using flux-cored wire with Al/CuO mixture. • The Al/CuO mixture changed metallurgical behavior of underwater wet welds. • The incorporation of Al/CuO had the capacity to reduce the cooling rate. • The Al/CuO addition to the flux-cored wire increased arc process efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mn and Mg were recovered from EMR as MgMn 2 O 4 (MMO) through Na 2 CO 3 hydrothermal-roasting process. • Synthesis conditions significantly affect the morphology and structure of MMO. • Flower-like f-MMO and hollow h-MMO were synthesized. • The as-synthesized MMO showed superior electrochemical performances as cathode material of magnesium-ion batteries. Recovering high-value-added Mn products from electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) is prominent due to the scarcity of Mn resource and its increasing importance in various industries. In this study, we explored Mn and Mg recovery from EMR for the synthesis of cathode material MgMn 2 O 4 for the first time through Na 2 CO 3 hydrothermal-roasting method. Na 2 CO 3 concentration and roasting temperature were found to significantly affect the morphology and structure of MgMn 2 O 4. Both flower-like MgMn 2 O 4 (f-MMO) and hollow MgMn 2 O 4 (h-MMO) were synthesized under optimized conditions. Additionally, the electrochemical performances of MgMn 2 O 4 as cathode material of magnesium-ion batteries were evaluated. Both f-MMO and h-MMO showed superior rate performance. High initial reversible capacity can be achieved (237.5 mAh/g), and still retain 157.7 mAh/g after 40 cycles at 100 mA/g and 76 mAh/g after 500 cycles at 500 mA/g. This work inspires the way for recovering Mn from EMR as energy storage material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand, predict and control the motion of the solid particles, the motion of a neutrally buoyant circular particle with thermal convection in a square cavity is studied with the lattice Boltzmann method, where the effects of the initial position of the circular particle, Rayleigh number and particle size are investigated. Under the effect of thermal convection, the obvious feature of the motion of the circular particle in the square cavity is the existence of the limit cycle, which is created by the inertia of the circular particle, confinement of the boundaries of the square cavity and centrifugal force. Interestingly, the limit cycle is insensitive to the initial position of the circular particle. The effect of the Rayleigh number on the motion of the circular particle is obvious, with the increase of the Rayleigh number, the limit cycle expands toward the boundaries of the square cavity first, then shrinks and migrates toward the bottom left corner, which is caused by the combined effects of the centrifugal force and vortex behavior. The effect of the particle size on the motion of the circular particle is significant, with the increase of the particle size, the inertia of the circular particle becomes larger, which is more difficultly dragged by the fluid, thus, the limit cycle shrinks toward the bottom left corner of the square cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection probability of underwater weak targets using active sonar is low, and inter-pulse coherent integration can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of echoes. When a target executes a maneuvering turn, complex range and Doppler frequency migrations occur during the coherent integration time that decrease the coherent integration gain. Most existing integration methods simplify the target motion to a finite-order polynomial model but fail to integrate a maneuvering turning target (MTT) due to model mismatch. Hence, this study proposes an underwater MTT integration method based on the modified Radon-Fourier transform. The proposed method constructs a theoretically accurate motion model for the MTT and a phase compensation function to compensate for the Doppler frequency migration. Furthermore, it yields a well-focused integration peak in the range-velocity and offset angle-turn rate dimensions and accurately estimates the target motion parameters. Moreover, the proposed method is suitable for targets with radial and oblique uniform motions. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through simulations and a lake test. The proposed method demonstrates good integration performance, with an integration gain approximately 4–7 dB higher than that of traditional methods when using 30 integration pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northeastern periphery of the Qaidam Basin is a crucial region for comprehending the northeastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau, as it documents Late Cenozoic crustal deformation that elucidates the plateau's growth process. In this study, we reconstruct three stages of crustal deformation in the northeastern periphery of the Qaidam Basin during the Late Cenozoic based on interpretation of growth strata from five seismic profiles, structural mapping of the typical superimposed folds and detailed detrital zircon analysis within the study area. (1) During the Early Miocene to Late Miocene period (23–8.6 Ma), there was NW–SE extensional deformation in the northeast margin of the Qaidam Basin, which exerted control over the deposition of the Youshashan Formation. (2) The NW–SE shortening occurred during the Late Miocene period (8.6–8.1 Ma), subsequent to the deposition of the Youshashan Formation and preceding the deposition of the Shizigou Formation, resulting in a parallel unconformity between these two geological units. (3) The intense shortening of the NE–SW direction occurred during the Late Miocene and Pliocene epochs (8.1–2.5 Ma). The timing of this deformation aligns with the sedimentary age of the Shizigou Formation, suggesting that the initial deformation age may represent the onset of NE extrusion from the Tibetan Plateau towards the northeast margin of the Qaidam Basin. The present study not only delineates a Late Cenozoic structural dome resulting from two‐stage crustal shortening in the northeastern periphery of the Tibetan Plateau, but also provides a crucial evidence for reconstructing the Late Cenozoic intracontinental deformation process in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vine tea (Ampelopsis grossedentata), a traditional Chinese tea, is rich in flavonoids with various biological activities. Our study found that Vine tea total flavonoids (TFs) treatment reduced the body mass and blood lipid levels and improved the hepatic tissue morphology in mice fed the high‐fat diet (HFD). In vivo, TF treatment activated the hepatic adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, initiated autophagy, and regulated the expression levels of proteins for lipid metabolism in those HFD‐fed mice. In vitro, TF treatment dramatically reduced the lipid droplets and triacylglycerol content in HepG2 and L02 cells treated with oleic acid (OA). These were associated with the activation of the AMPK/mTOR pathway and autophagy initiation in OA‐treated hepatocytes. This phenotype was abolished in the presence of 3‐methyladenine, an autophagy inhibitor. Our results indicated that the TF activation of AMPK/mTOR leads to the stimulation of autophagy and a decrease in the buildup of intracellular lipids in hepatocytes, showing the potential of TF as a therapeutic agent for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Practical Application: Vine tea, a tea drink, has been consumed by Chinese folk for over a thousand years. The result of this study will provide evidence that vine tea total flavonoids have potential use as a functional material for the prevention and amelioration of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The geographic distribution and host-parasite interaction networks of Sarcocystis spp. in small mammals in eastern Asia remain incompletely known. Methods: Experimental infections, morphological and molecular characterizations were used for discrimination of a new Sarcocystis species isolated from colubrid snakes and small mammals collected in Thailand, Borneo and China. Results: We identified a new species, Sarcocystis muricoelognathis sp. nov., that features a relatively wide geographic distribution and infects both commensal and forest-inhabiting intermediate hosts. Sarcocystis sporocysts collected from rat snakes (Coelognathus radiatus, C. flavolineatus) in Thailand induced development of sarcocysts in experimental SD rats showing a type 10a cyst wall ultrastructure that was identical with those found in Rattus norvegicus from China and the forest rat Maxomys whiteheadi in Borneo. Its cystozoites had equal sizes in all intermediate hosts and locations, while sporocysts and cystozoites were distinct from other Sarcocystis species. Partial 28S rRNA sequences of S. muricoelognathis from M. whiteheadi were largely identical to those from R. norvegicus in China but distinct from newly sequenced Sarcocystiszuoi. The phylogeny of the nuclear 18S rRNA gene placed S. muricoelognathis within the so-called S. zuoi complex, including Sarcocystisattenuati, S. kani, S. scandentiborneensis and S. zuoi, while the latter clustered with the new species. However, the phylogeny of the ITS1-region confirmed the distinction between S. muricoelognathis and S. zuoi. Moreover, all three gene trees suggested that an isolate previously addressed as S. zuoi from Thailand (KU341120) is conspecific with S. muricoelognathis. Partial mitochondrial cox1 sequences of S. muricoelognathis were almost identical with those from other members of the group suggesting a shared, recent ancestry. Additionally, we isolated two partial 28S rRNA Sarcocystis sequences from Low's squirrel Sundasciurus lowii that clustered with those of S. scandentiborneensis from treeshews. Conclusions: Our results provide strong evidence of broad geographic distributions of rodent-associated Sarcocystis and host shifts between commensal and forest small mammal species, even if the known host associations remain likely only snapshots of the true associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygonum cuspidatum (PC) extract has been listed in the "Catalog of Used Cosmetic Ingredients (2021 Edition)", which can inhibit melanogenesis, thus exerting a whitening effect, and has been widely used in cosmetics. However, there are currently no quality standards for PC extract used in cosmetics, and the bioactive components associated with anti-melanogenesis remain unclear. In view of this, the present study was the first to investigate the spectrum-effect relationship between fingerprints of PC extract and melanogenesis inhibition. Ten batches of PC extract fingerprints were established by HPLC. Pearson's correlation analysis, gray correlation analysis (GRA) and orthogonal partial least squares regression analysis (OPLSR) were used to screen out resveratrol, emodin and physcion as the main whitening active ingredients using the inhibition of tyrosinase in B16F10 cells as the pharmacological index. Then, the melanogenesis inhibitory effects of the above three components were verified by tyrosinase inhibition and a melanin content assay in B16F10 cells. The interaction between small molecules and proteins was investigated by the molecular docking method, and it was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) that resveratrol, emodin and physcion significantly down-regulated the transcript levels of melanogenesis-related factors. In conclusion, this study established a general model combining HPLC fingerprinting and melanogenesis inhibition and also analyzed the spectrum–effect relationship of PC extract, which provided theoretical support for the quality control of PC extract in whitening cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reduced graphene oxide encapsulating Fe6Ni20Co2Mn2Cu1.5@rGO catalyst is prepared using a Joule heating strategy. The graphene-coated layer with high crystallinity enhances the stability of the crystal structure, resulting in superior OER activity. Rechargeable zinc-air batteries with Fe6Ni20Co2Mn2Cu1.5@rGO demonstrate remarkable performance, boasting a high specific capacity of 800 mA h gZn−1, an impressive peak power density of 154.612 mW cm−2, and a cycle life of 300 hours at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corpus luteum is primarily responsible for the production and secretion of progesterone. Melatonin has been established to regulate autophagy and induce progesterone secretion in luteal cell. However, whether melatonin affects progesterone secretion by interfering with autophagy is yet to be reported. In the present study, the expression levels of melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2), autophagy-related protein Beclin1 (Bec1), microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 B (LC3B), progesterone and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), and cytochrome P450scc (CYP11A1) were analyzed in the corpus luteum of sheep at different stages (early, middle, and late); specifically, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, immunohistochemical staining, and western blotting were utilized for this expression analysis. In addition, to determine whether melatonin regulated progesterone secretion via the regulation of autophagy, luteal cells were cultured before being exposed to different concentrations of melatonin (0.01–100 nM) and the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (50 μM). Next, luteal cells were treated with the melatonin receptor inhibitors 4-phenyl-2-propionamidotetralin (1 μM) and luzindole (1 μM) before detecting Bec1, LC3B2, AMPK/mTOR, and progesterone secretion levels to ascertain whether the effect of melatonin on autophagy and progesterone secretion is mediated by its corresponding receptors in luteal cells. Finally, to determine the significance of the AMPK/mTOR pathway in this process, an AMPK inhibitor, Compound C (10 μM), was added to luteal cells. Overall, the highest expression of melatonin receptors, autophagy and progesterone secretion was observed in the middle-phase corpus luteum; additionally, melatonin promoted autophagy, at least partially, through its receptor-mediated AMPK/mTOR pathway, which thereby promoting progesterone secretion in luteal cells in vitro. Ultimately, this study is the first to clarify the important role of autophagy in the melatonin-mediated regulation of progesterone secretion in the corpus luteum of sheep; it also lays a foundation for further exploration into the role of melatonin in regulating sheep's ovarian function. • The high level of melatonin receptors, autophagy and progesterone secretion were in the middle-phase corpus luteum. • Melatonin promoted luteal cell autophagy in sheep luteal cells. • Melatonin promoted sheep luteal cell progesterone secretion through its receptor-mediated autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncontrollable bleeding caused by severe trauma is life-threatening. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop hemostatic materials that meet the rapid hemostasis of wounds. In this study, a water-triggered shape memory carboxylated cellulose nanofiber/sodium alginate/montmorillonite (CNSAMMTCa) composite hemostatic sponge was prepared, which can promote coagulation by concentrating the blood and activating intrinsic pathway. The anisotropic three-dimensional porous structure formed by directional freeze-drying technology improved the performance of composite sponges which showed good prospects in rapid hemostasis. The results showed that CNSAMMTCa composite sponge had good porous structure, water absorption ability, cytocompatibility and blood cell aggregation capacity. Simultaneously, we confirmed that CNSA3MMT2Ca has best coagulation performance in the mouse censored bleeding model and liver rupture bleeding model. Therefore, CNSAMMTCa composite hemostatic sponge is a safe and efficient rapid hemostatic material which is expected to become an alternative material for clinical hemostatic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming may exacerbate cropland soil drought, affect microbial systems, and decrease grain yield. However, the compensatory effects of supplementary irrigation on winter wheat yield and soil microbial communities under increased temperatures have not been fully studied. Here, a three-year field experiment was conducted, to verify the effects of warming treatments (WS: winter and spring warming; FF: flowering and filling period warming) and irrigation (W0: conventional irrigation; W1: supplemental irrigation) on crop-soil systems during the winter wheat growth stages. The results demonstrated that warming measures have significant negative effects on the net assimilation rate of flag leaves and yield formation, which led to a reduction of wheat yield by 14–40%. However, increasing irrigation can compensate for a yield of 9.7–15%. In addition, warming increases the soil temperature and decreases the soil water content, resulting in decreased soil microbial diversity. The effect size (β) = −0.23 to −0.53 for index of phylogenetic diversity (PD) under warming, while β = 0.16 under increased irrigation. The SEM model further showed that supplementary irrigation during anthesis to filling can improve the soil environment and extend the validity of photosynthetic to increase production, which was an important mitigation measure to adapt to the warming climate in wheat production. [Display omitted] • The yield reduction of WS (winter and spring warming) was more serious. • WS reduces yield mainly by reducing panicle number. • Farmland soil microbial diversity is more susceptible to warming. • The compensation effect of irrigation on the yield of warm wheat was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge tracing (KT), in which the future performance of students is estimated by tracing their knowledge states based on their responses to exercises, is widely applied in the field of intelligent education. However, existing mainstream KT models explore the importance of knowledge relations but ignore the key role of cognitive factors. According to the knowledge construction theory, the human cognitive system performs both spatial accommodation and temporal assimilation to internalize knowledge. In this paper, we propose an innovative heterogeneous graph-based Knowledge tracing method with spatiotemporal evolution (TSKT), in which knowledge state evolution is traced along both temporal and spatial dimensions. We construct a heterogeneous graph with multiple exercise attributes, including content, concepts, and difficulty, to obtain a knowledge space with richer exercise representations through hierarchical aggregation. We design a spatial updating module in which each interaction updates the current node's state of the knowledge space and transfers its influence to its neighbors. We also design a temporal updating module to further update the knowledge state through short-term memory enhancing and long-term memory forgetting. Finally, we stack these modules to obtain deeper features by using alternate spatiotemporal updating. Extensive experiments on three datasets reveal the superiority of the proposed method and its variants in terms of future performance prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was highlighted by recent studies on the biological significance of vasculogenic mimicry (VM) in tumorigenicity and progression. However, it is unclear whether VM also plays a potential role in immune regulation and tumor microenvironment (TME) formation. To identify patterns of VM alterations and VM-associated genetic features in non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma, we have screened 309 VM regulators and performed consensus molecular typing by the NMF algorithm. The ssGSEA and CIBORSORT algorithms were employed to measure the relative infiltration of distinct immune cell subpopulations. Individual tumors with immune responses were evaluated for alteration patterns of VM with typing-based differential genes. In 490 LUAD samples, two distinctive VM alteration patterns connected to different clinical outcomes and biochemical pathways were established. TME characterization showed that the observed VM patterns were primarily saturated with cell proliferation and metabolic pathways and higher in immune cell infiltration of the C1 type. Vasculogenic mimicry-related genes (VMRG) risk scores were constructed to divide patients with lung adenocarcinoma into subgroups with high and low scores. Patients with lower scores had better immunological scores and longer survival times. Upon further investigation, higher scores were positively correlated with higher tumor mutation burden (TMB), M1-type macrophages and immune checkpoint molecules. Nevertheless, in two other immunotherapy cohorts, individuals with lower scores had enhanced immune responses and long-lasting therapeutic benefits. Finally, we monitored the ANLN gene from the VMRG model, which was highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and negatively correlated with prognosis; it was also highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, and knockdown of ANLN elicited low expression of VEGFA, MMP2 and MMP9. This study highlights that VM modifications are significantly associated with the diversity and complexity of TME, revealing new features of the immune microenvironment in lung adenocarcinoma and providing a new strategy for immunotherapy. Screening ANLN as a critical target for vasculogenic mimicry in lung adenocarcinoma provides a novel perspective for the targeted treatment of lung adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]