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Although high-temperature solid-phase methods have become the dominant route for manufacturing layered oxide cathode materials in industry, severe Li+/Ni2+ cation mixing problems caused by high-temperature processes still prevent the realization of high-performance lithium-ion batteries. Herein, a wet chemical lithiation method by stepwise lithium intercalation to reduce and shorten the sintering temperature and time of the post-treatment process is proposed. Li 0.6 H x Ni 0.52 Co 0.19 Mn 0.29 O 2 stepwise products with lithiation efficiencies exceeding 60% were obtained at reaction temperatures below 200 °C. The as-prepared LiNi 0.52 Co 0.19 Mn 0.29 O 2 (HT-52-S) exhibits low Li+/Ni2+ cation mixing and good comprehensive electrochemical performance after subsequent heat treatment to complete all lithiation. Compared with LiNi 0.52 Co 0.19 Mn 0.29 O 2 (SS-52) prepared by the conventional high-temperature solid-phase method, the Li+/Ni2+ cation mixing of HT-52-S was relatively reduced by 57.9%, and the capacity retention after 100 cycles at 1 C was relatively improved by 22.1%. We believe that this work can serve as a useful reference to develop manufacturing processes for high-performance layered oxide cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza viruses are both highly transmissible airborne viruses and causing high morbidity and mortality. Co-infection of these two viruses results in severe disease that have been observed when influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses cocirculated in the past three years, and vaccination is still the effective way to prevent these two diseases. However, influenza and COVID-19 vaccines are designed and manufactured in different platforms, all the individuals will need to get two shots in order to prevent those two severe respiratory diseases. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a Flu-COVID combo vaccine to provide an efficient way for receiving immunization against those two diseases. In this study, we developed a flu-COVID combo vaccine that includes both influenza virus haemagglutinin (HA) proteins and SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein which formulated with AddaVax. K18-hACE-2 transgenic mice were intramuscularly vaccinated with either combo vaccine or mono Flu (HA) or COVID (S) recombinant protein vaccine in a prime-boost-boost regimen, and then were challenged with lethal doses of influenza virus or SARS-CoV-2 to evaluate vaccine efficacy. The results showed that Flu-COVID combo vaccine protected mice from both Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 challenge by preventing body weight loss and clinical signs progression. The protective immune responses elicited by Flu-COVID combo vaccine were equivalent to those elicited by mono flu or COVID recombinant protein vaccines. In conclusion, our study highlights the effectiveness of the FLU-COVID combo recombinant protein vaccine in preventing both influenza and COVID-19 infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is a promising alternative energy source for sustainable development worldwide. Despite being the world's largest hydrogen producer, China's hydrogen energy development is uneven across regions and sectors. The lack of a comprehensive and systematic analysis makes it difficult for policymakers to identify critical areas and links for targeted action. This study aims to establish a comprehensive multi-indicator framework based on a supply-demand-policy model to rank the city's hydrogen development potential. Findings are as follows. First, demand, supply, and policy environment shape the hydrogen market. Second, the development potential of hydrogen varies considerably across regions, and regional development is dependent largely on leading cities. Third, four hydrogen development patterns have been identified: advantage-demonstration, policy-guided, market-driven, and potential-enhancing. This research provides theoretical support and practical guidance for building a hydrogen-based society and may also be applied to similar energy sources. [Display omitted] • This study offers a panorama of China's hydrogen industry. • Demand, supply, and policy environment shape China's hydrogen market. • A multi-criteria economic analysis framework is established to evaluate the potential rankings of hydrogen. • Considerable heterogeneity exists across regions and four patterns are identified. • Governments and investors should explore differentiated development plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) regulates glycolipid metabolism and insulin homeostasis and acts as a cardioprotective factor by protecting against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, hypertension, and vascular dysfunction. FGF21 has been reported to prevent Doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiotoxicity, and the related signaling pathway is worthy of further study. Connexin43 (Cx43) protein was reduced by Dox treatment, especially low phosphorylated form of Cx43. Thus the aim of study is to explore the protection effect of FGF21 on Dox induced cardiotoxicity by improving the expression of Cx43 and the involved signaling pathway. FGF21 inhibited apoptosis in Dox-treated mice and cardiomyocytes. FGF21 increased the levels of connexin43 phosphorylated at serine (S) 282 (p-Cx43 S282) and total Cx43 to inhibit Dox-induced apoptosis. By RNA sequencing, we found that deubiquitinase monocyte chemoattractant protein-induced protein 1 (MCPIP1) expression was increased by FGF21. We further found that FGF21 induced the phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (Erk1/2), and Elk. Phosphorylated Elk translocated to the nucleus and increased the expression of MCPIP1. Then, MCPIP1 bound neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein 4 (Nedd4), an E3 ubiquitination ligase, as shown by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and suppressed Cx43 ubiquitination and degradation, competitively inhibiting the binding of Cx43 with Nedd4. Thus Nedd4 could not bind and ubiquitinate Cx43, leading to the up-regulation of Cx43 and phosphorylation of Cx43 at S282. FGF21 inhibited the effects of Dox on cardiomyocytes by elevating the phosphorylation of Cx43 at S282 and total Cx43 expression. This study suggests a previously unknown mechanism for the FGF21-mediated enhancement of cardiomyocyte survival and provides an effective approach to protect against the adverse cardiac effects of Dox. [Display omitted] • This study shows for the first time the protective effect of FGF21, by inhibiting Dox-induced apoptosis by increasing the levels of p-Cx43 S282 and total Cx43 through increasing MCPIP1 expression. • This study suggests a previously unknown mechanism underlying FGF21-mediated promotion of cardiomyocyte survival and provides an alternative way to protect Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. • FGF21 could be a potential protective drug against adverse cardiac effects treated with doxorubicin and MCPIP1 could be a potential therapeutic target to attenuate doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials are promising precursors to transition into metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts with high catalytic performance. Pyrolysis is one of the most common ways to convert MOFs into electrically conductive MOF-derived M-N-C catalysts. General interests in using MOFs as precursors derive from changing the MOFs' porous structure into the carbonaceous frame. However, this favorable structure is not always maintained, with the reason unidentified since pyrolysis is currently still more of an empirical process. Understanding the pyrolysis processes leading to the transformation of MOFs into M-N-C catalysts is essential to broaden the development of MOF-derived catalysts. We report here complete chemical and morphological evolution and transformation of two commercial MOFs with the same sodalite topology, the ZIF-8 and ZIF-67, via series of in situ and ex situ techniques. The results reveal that the structure of the ZIF-67 collapses after the pyrolysis due to the graphitization of the carbon. Graphitization is catalyzed by the metallic cobalt particles formed when the temperature rose above 460 °C. The ZIF-8 was found to be a promising precursor material since most of the metal evaporates at the early stages and does not aggregate to form metal particles. However, the insufficient metal-N active sites and intrinsic low electrocatalysis availability of Zn limit the performance of the final catalyst. To maintain the porous structure of MOFs it is important to control the metal species and prevent them from agglomeration. Direct utilization of high-concentration MOFs as pyrolysis precursors is not recommended without rational design to inhibit agglomeration and graphitization that are undesirable for catalyst activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electric field-modulated photoluminescent (E -PL) effect has received much attention because of its potential applications in optical data storage and communication. Based on the E- induced antiferroelectric-ferroelectric (AFE-FE) phase transition, a large and reversible modulation of the PL intensity was previously realized in lanthanum-doped Pb(Zr 0.9 Ti 0.1)O 3 (PLZT) ceramics. However, such systems contain abundant leads and are thus toxic to humans and the environment. In this work, Er-doped AgNbO 3 (ANO) lead-free ceramics were prepared, and their E -PL effect was investigated. From the perspective of the crystallographic symmetry, the reversibly E -induced orthorhombic Pbcm to orthorhombic Pmc 2 1 transition results in a negative PL intensity change of 25%, which is different from the positive 30% PL modulation in the PLZT system triggered by the AFE-FE orthorhombic-rhombohedral phase transition. This symmetry-dependent negative PL modulation in ANO ceramics enriches the understanding of the E -PL effect in AFEs and provides an environmentally friendly alternative for multifunctional optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MXene exhibits excellent electromagnetic (EM) wave attenuation ability, but its high dielectric constant is prone to impedance mismatch. Usually, the introduction of other components can adjust EM parameters and improve the impedance matching of MXene. In this paper, MXene/polyaniline (PANI) composites with lots of heterogeneous interfaces were designed and prepared by electrostatic self-assembly process, and PANI was used as impedance matching modifier of MXene to adjust the impedance matching of the composites and achieve greater reflection loss. The effect of the content of PANI nanorods loaded on MXene nanosheets on the EM properties of the material was discussed in this work. The maximum reflection loss (RL max) of −60.6 dB corresponds to an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.0 GHz for the composite with only 10% PANI loading, while the EAB reaches 8.64 GHz when the sample thickness is 2.3 mm. Moreover, the introduction of PANI balances the impedance matching of MXene while bridging individual MXene nanosheets to form a three-dimensional structure that increases the EM wave propagation path. The rich loss mechanisms such as interfacial polarization and dipole polarization provide effective attenuation of EM waves. This work provides a simple way to develop lightweight and broadband EM wave absorption materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning based facial landmark detection (FLD) has made rapid progress. However, the accuracy and robustness of FLD algorithms are degraded heavily when the face is subject to diverse expressions, posture deflection, partial occlusion and other uncertain circumstances. To learn more discriminative representations and reduce the negative effect caused by outliers, a stacked attention hourglass network (SAHN) is proposed for FLD, where new attention mechanism is introduced. Basically, in the design of SAHN, a spatial attention residual (SAR) unit is constructed such that relevant areas of facial landmarks are specially emphasized and essential features of different scales can be well extracted, and a channel attention branch (CAB) is introduced to better guide the next-level hourglass network for feature extraction. Due to the introduction of SAR and CAB, only two hourglass networks are stacked as the proposed SAHN with fewer parameters, which is different from traditional SHNs stacked by four hourglass networks. Furthermore, a variable robustness (VR) loss function is introduced for the training of SAHN. The robustness of the proposed model for FLD is guaranteed with the help of the VR loss by adaptively adjusting a continuous parameter. Extensive experimental results on three public datasets including 300W, WFLW and COFW confirm that our method is superior to some previous ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyaluronic acid (HA), which is a highly versatile glycosaminoglycan, is widely applied across the fields of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. It is primary produced through Streptococcus fermentation, but the product presents inherent challenges concerning consistency and potential pathogenicity. However, recent strides in molecular biology have paved the way for genetic engineering, which facilitates the creation of high-yield, nonpathogenic strains adept at synthesizing HA with specific molecular weights. This comprehensive review extensively explores the molecular biology underpinning pivotal HA synthase genes, which elucidates the intricate mechanisms governing HA synthesis. Moreover, it delineates various strategies employed in engineering HA-producing strains. • Defects in commercial microbial fermentation to produce hyaluronic acid. • Gene-edited microbes produce high-quality hyaluronic acid. • Key genes control hyaluronic acid production and molecular weight. • Bioproduction of hyaluronic acid driven by synthetic biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Combined the process-based modeling/random forest obtained high spatiotemporal resolution and high precision NEE of coastal wetlands. • Considering tidal influence is necessary for NEE estimation in coastal wetlands. • The net CO 2 uptake ability of plants was S. alterniflora > P. australis > S. salsa. Accurate estimation of the net ecosystem CO 2 exchange (NEE) at regional scales is of great significance for studying the carbon sink potential of coastal wetland ecosystems and their responses to global climate change. However, current NEE estimation methods are mainly developed for terrestrial ecosystems and are therefore unsuitable for NEE estimation with high spatiotemporal resolution estimation in coastal wetlands subjected to sub-daily tidal flooding. In this study, we proposed a high spatiotemporal resolution NEE estimation method for coastal marsh wetlands that properly considered tidal influence by combining the advantages of process-based modeling and machine learning. This method was verified and applied in the Changjiang estuary and Liaohe estuary marsh wetlands based on eddy covariance and environmental measurements, climate reanalysis data, and satellite images. The proposed method had good performance in the NEE estimation of tidal marsh wetlands, with Phragmites australis, Spartina alterniflora , and Suaeda salsa having coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.850, 0.676, and 0.658, respectively, and root mean square error (RMSE) values of 7.211 μmol m−2 s−1, 8.105 μmol m−2 s−1, and 0.109 μmol m−2 s−1, respectively. By integrating the tide level and salinity, the NEE estimation accuracy for each vegetation type was improved. The total annual NEE values of the Changjiang estuary and Liaohe estuary marsh wetlands in 2022 were estimated to be −0.297 and −0.444 Tg C yr−1, respectively. This study demonstrated that integrating process-based model and machine learning estimation can reliably capture the NEE dynamics of coastal wetlands, providing a useful tool to quantify coastal blue carbon potential with high spatiotemporal resolution at large scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Returning lysed sludge to biochemical tanks to achieve in-situ sludge reduction is promising. A novel approach for regulating and initiating the sludge lysis process utilizing thermophilic strains is proposed. In this study, three strains were isolated from sludge, and sequencing of the 16 S rDNA amplicon revealed that the three thermophilic strains were the closest relatives to the genus Geobacillus , and they were designated as Geobacillus sp. DX5, Geobacillus sp. DX8 and Geobacillus sp. DX11. Sludge lysis experiments demonstrated that composite thermophilic strains (CTS) were dosed at 65°C, and the sludge VSS removal efficiency after 24 h was 37.8%, significantly surpassing individual strains. Moreover, 65.8% of proteins and 52.0% of polysaccharides in Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of sludge were degraded. Furthermore, Three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3D-EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy results revealed a substantial release of dissolved organic matter during sludge lysis. Inoculation of CTS under optimal conditions (65°C, pH 7, 4 × 1010cfu/L) resulted in VSS removal efficiency and protease activity of 42.7% and 2584 U/L, respectively. After 20 days of inoculation with CTS to initiate sludge lysis reactor, VSS removal efficiency reached 46%. Additionally, it stimulated the growth of the thermophilic bacterial community, engaging indigenous thermophilic strains in the sludge lysis process. [Display omitted] • Three novel thermophilic bacterial strains were isolated from sludge. • Inoculated with CTS at 65 °C reduces sludge VSS by 36.8% within 24 hours. • CTS enables rapid initiation of the sludge lysis reactor. • Inoculation with CTS can rapidly adapt to the environment and colonize the sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studied the microwave absorption performance of carbon fiber, mixed carbon fiber/MoSe 2 (CM) bilayer composite materials in the range of 2–18 GHz. The flower-shaped layer and core-shell double-layer interface of MoSe 2 work together to improve electromagnetic wave absorption, providing a new approach for designing lightweight, broadband, and strong absorption-absorbing materials. To address the drawbacks of the high conductivity of pure carbon fibers, transition metal sulfides were introduced promptly, and the CM core-shell materials with flower-shaped outer shell structures were prepared. An in-depth analysis of the working mechanism of CM absorbing materials and the influence of the interface between carbon fibers and MoSe 2 on the absorbing performance has been conducted, providing a favorable experimental basis for the application of fiber membranes in absorbing materials. [Display omitted] • Easy preparation of carbon fiber @ MoSe 2 (CM) through electrospinning. • Compared with pure carbon fiber, the microwave absorption ability of CM is greatly enhanced. • The CM achieved a reflection loss of −41.8 dB, with an effective absorption bandwidth of 5.23 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most frequent pathogeny of aortic valve replacement in developed countries. Iron deposits are found in the intraleaflet hemorrhage (IH) areas of calcific aortic valves. Ferroptosis is a form of regulated cell death that involves metabolic dysfunction resulting from iron overload-dependent excessive lipid peroxidation. In this study, histological analysis showed that ferroptosis occurs in the IH areas of calcific aortic valves. We also demonstrated that Slc7a11 is expressed at low levels in OM-treated valvular interstitial cells (VICs) and IH areas and that low Slc7a11 expression is associated with calcification in CAVD. However, iron overload treatment did not promote VIC calcification under osteogenic conditions in vitro. Using lentiviral transfection to knockdown Slc7a11 in VICs, we found that the degree of iron overload-induced ferroptosis was positively increased in vitro. Finally, we also found that Slc7a11 knockdown promoted the osteogenic differentiation of VICs in vitro. In summary, this study reports a novel mechanism linking ferroptosis and CAVD development in which iron may promote Slc7a11-deficient VIC osteogenic differentiation by aggravating ferroptosis in vitro, thereby accelerating the progression of aortic valve calcification. Graphical abstract. The graphic illustration of Slc7a11 deficiency facilitates iron overload-induced calcification via exacerbating oxidative stress in VICs. [Display omitted] • Ferroptosis is associated with the progression of calcific aortic valve disease. • Slc7a11 expression is downregulated in osteogenic differentiation valvular interstitial cells (VICs) and calcified aortic valves. • Slc7a11 deficiency aggravates iron overload-induced ferroptosis in vitro. • Iron promotes Slc7a11-deficient VIC osteogenic differentiation by aggravating ferroptosis in vitro. • Tables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The anti-inflammatory effect of BMSCs. • Identification of BMSCs and BMSCs-secreted exosomes. • The anti-inflammatory activity of BMSCs-secreted exosomes. • miR-223 in BMSCs-secreted exosomes delays the inflammatory responses by targeting NLRP3. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with major clinical manifestations of human limb joint invasion, joint synovitis, and symmetrical lesions. In recent years, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been found to have low immunogenicity and immunomodulatory effects, which can regulate other types of cells through exosomes. However, the effect of BMSCs on immune response in the progression of RA has not been fully elucidated. The current research aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of microRNA (miR)-223 in exosomes secreted by BMSCs on immune response in the progression of RA. Firstly, BMSCs were isolated and extracted, and then the influence of BMSCs on the level of inflammatory cytokines was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Exosomes from BMSCs were extracted and characterized. Some key autoimmune response genes and their protein products were detected in vivo and in vitro by real-time quantitative PCR, western blot and ELISA. Finally, the targeting relationship between miR-223 and NLR family pyrin domain‐containing 3 (NLRP3) was predicted by bioanalytical software and verified by luciferase reporter assay and rescue experiments in vitro. Exosomes from BMSCs could inhibit the release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-18 (IL-18), and NLRP3 activation in macrophages and RA rats. In addition, we predicted online that miR-223 could target NLRP3 and provided a possible regulation pathway for the anti-inflammatory effects of BMSCs-secreted exosomes. Furthermore, we further confirmed that miR-223 could target and inhibit the expression of NLRP3. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-223 carried by BMSCs-derived exosomes targets NLRP3 to regulate the activation of inflammasomes, which therefore can be served as a possible therapy for RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dietary biomarkers measured in biospecimens can play an important role in correcting for random and systematic measurement error in self-reported nutrient intake when assessing diet-disease associations. To date, high-quality biomarkers for calibrating self-reported dietary intake have only been developed for a few nutrients.Objectives: To investigate new study designs and regression calibration approaches for calibrating self-reported nutrient intake for use in disease association analyses.Methods: We studied 3 regression calibration approaches: 1) an existing approach built on a calibration cohort assuming the existence of an objective biomarker (i.e., biomarker with random independent measurement error), 2) a proposed approach using a biomarker development cohort, and 3) a proposed 2-stage approach using both cohorts. We conducted simulation studies to compare the performance of different study designs/methods for estimating diet-disease associations and applied suitable methods to examine the association of sodium and potassium intake with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in Women's Health Initiative cohorts.Results: Simulation studies showed that the first approach can lead to biased association estimation when the objective biomarker assumption is violated; the second and third proposed approaches obviate the need for such an objective biomarker. Precision for estimating the association depends critically on sample size of the biomarker development cohort and the strength of the self-reported nutrient intake. Analyses based on the second and third approaches support previously reported significant findings using the first approach about associations of the ratio of sodium to potassium intake with CVD risk while providing efficiency gain for some outcomes.Conclusions: Self-reported dietary intake needs to be calibrated for measurement error correction in diet-disease association analyses. When there are no existing objective biomarkers that can be used for calibration purpose, controlled feeding studies can be used to develop new biomarkers for use in calibration or can be used to calibrate self-reported dietary intake directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) materials have been the focus of scientists' efforts to address the rising need for earth-abundant materials solutions for energy technology and decarbonization of the economy. They are viewed as one of the most promising candidates to replace platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts in the fuel cell and energy conversion fields, including the application of oxygen reduction reaction, carbon dioxide reduction reaction, and nitrogen reduction reaction. In the effort to improve M-N-C materials properties and achieve atomic dispersity of the transition metal in the carbonaceous matrix, a re-pyrolysis process has been proposed. This secondary heat treatment process of already obtained primary pyrolysis-derived M-N-C materials has been widely reported to substantially improve the electrochemical performance and operational stability of the catalysts. Here, we report a systematic investigation of this process used on samples of templated M-N-C catalysts to obtain state-of-the-art catalysts via in situ heating X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray computed tomography (CT) characterization methods. It is found that the re-pyrolysis of M-N-C materials could result in the partial amorphization of the carbonaceous substrate. It causes the rearrangement and transformation of multitudinous N moieties, leading to optimization of their morphological display and association with atomically dispersed transition metal dopants. Ultimately, the re-pyrolysis results in an increase in uniformity of the active Fe-N x sites distribution without the formation of nano-crystalline phases (metallic or carbide) and with overall preservation of the morphology of the carbonaceous framework achieved during the first formative pyrolysis step of the templated synthesis. These observations provide confirmation that empirically established re-pyrolysis is recommended to be used on all M-N-C materials despite the different synthesis routes to obtain a practical advanced catalytic material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CS IM-CT (collagen score of the tumor margin minus tumor center) was proposed. • Collagen score was analyzed using multiphoton imaging. • CS IM-CT was an effective prognostic predictor in advanced rectal cancer. • Nomogram with the CS IM-CT can individually predict prognosis in rectal cancer. Little is known about the relationship between collagen and the prognosis of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). This study aimed to quantitatively analyze collagen alterations, establish a collagen score (CS) in the tumor microenvironment, and evaluate and validate the relationship of the CS with prognosis in these patients. A total of 365 primary patients diagnosed with LARC after nCRT between 2011 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed (training cohort: 210; independent validation cohort: 155). Multiple collagen features of two fields in the tumor microenvironment, the core of the tumor (CT) and the invasive margin (IM), were derived from multiphoton imaging, and the CS IM-CT was generated using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis. The CS IM-CT was created based on 3 features: collagen area, number of collagen fibers and a Gabor textural feature. In the training cohort, the CS IM-CT predicted 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.765 (0.675–0.854) and an overall survival (OS) with AUROC of 0.822 (0.734–0.909). Additionally, the CS IM-CT was significantly associated with DFS and OS in the two cohorts. A nomogram with the CS IM-CT was developed and showed good prognostic value predicting a 3-year DFS with an AUROC of 0.826 (0.748–0.905) and an OS with AUROC of 0.882 (0.803–0.960). The CS IM-CT is an effective prognostic marker in patients with LARC after nCRT, and the nomogram with the CS IM-CT can be used to accurately predict the individual prognosis of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fe-MOFs acted as recognizers and catalysts. • The peroxidase-mimic-like activity of Fe-MOFs was inhibited by glyphosate. • Direct detection of glyphosate by a colorimetric and fluorescence dual-mode strategy was proposed. To satisfy the public's urgent demand for food safety and protect the ecological environment, sensitive detection of glyphosate holds paramount importance. Here, we discovered that glyphosate can engage in specific interactions with iron organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) nanozymes, enabling a selective detection of glyphosate. Based on this principle, an innovative colorimetric and fluorescent dual-mode detection approach was devised. Specifically, Fe-MOFs were synthesized at room temperature, exhibiting remarkable peroxidase-mimic activity. These nanozymes catalyze the conversion of colorless and fluorescent 3,3′,5,5′-Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into blue oxidized and nonfluorescent TMB (oxTMB) in the presence of H 2 O 2. However, the introduction of glyphosate disrupts this process by interacting with Fe-MOFs, significantly inhibiting the catalytic activity of Fe-MOFs through both physical (electrostatic and hydrogen bonding) and chemical interactions. This suppression further hindered the conversion of TMB to oxTMB, resulting in a reduction in absorbance and a corresponding enhancement in fluorescence. The method offers a colorimetric and fluorescence dual-mode detection capability with enhanced applicability. Notably, our approach avoids complex material modifications and is more stable and cost-effective than the traditional enzyme inhibition methods. This innovative detection technique holds immense potential for practical applications and provides a fresh perspective for the detection of pesticide residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstractive Text summarization aims to generate a short summary for a document while preserving salient information. Recently, contrastive learning has been extended from visual representation to summarization tasks. At present, the methods of contrastive learning summarization focus on modeling the global semantics of source documents, targets and candidate summaries to maximize their similarities. However, they ignore the influence of sentence semantics in the document. In this paper, we propose a sentence-level salience contrastive learning method to help the model capture salient information and denoise. The model expresses the sentence salience according to the semantic similarity between the summaries and sentences of the source document, and integrates the similarity distance into the contrastive loss in the form of soft weights. Therefore, our model maximize the similarity between summaries and salient information, while minimizing the similarity between summaries and potential noise. We have verified our method in three widely used datasets, CNN/Daily Mail, XSum and PubMed. The experimental results show that the proposed method can significantly improve the baseline performance and achieve competitive performance in the existing contrastive learning methods. • We propose a contrastive learning method for abstractive text summarization. • We construct contrastive samples in the source sentences. • We incorporate the salient distance-aware weightsinto the contrastive loss. • Experiments show that our model has obviously better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a substitute for graphene-based carbon materials, carbon fiber (CF) based absorbing materials have enormous application prospects. Effective improvements have been made in solving the problems of heavy quality and complex preparation processes of ordinary absorbing materials. In order to obtain a flexible thin fiber membrane absorbing material with good stability and excellent performance, we prepared a multi-layer hollow carbon sphere/CF@MoSe 2 with carbon fiber as the matrix, and controlled the microstructure through hollow carbon shell and MoSe 2 , and introduced transition metal chalcogenides to coordinate electromagnetic parameters. As a result, the hollow carbon sphere/CF@MoSe 2 flexible composite film achieved a minimum reflection loss (RL min) of −47.98 dB at a thickness of 2.5 mm, and an effective bandwidth (EAB) of 8.1 GHz at a thickness of 2.7 mm. The RL min of the hollow carbon ball/CF composite film reached −45 dB at a thickness of 2.6 mm, and the EAB reached 3.2 GHz. The theoretical characterization results jointly prove the reason for the improved performance, and this study provides an experimental basis for a more in-depth exploration of the birth of new absorbing materials. [Display omitted] • Elucidated the growth mechanism of electromagnetic wave absorption in multi-layer core-shell heterostructures. • The prepared hollow carbon shell/CF@MoSe 2 achieved an effective absorption bandwidth of 8.1 GHz. • Hollow carbon shell/CF@ MoSe 2 achieves effective absorption in the X and Ku bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooling channel (CC) design is an effective measure to improve the internal thermal management of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). In this paper, a new elliptical dimple (EDC) cooling channel structure is proposed. The heat transfer and flow characteristics of EDC, circular dimpled cooling channel (CDC), and smooth cooling channel (SC) are compared by numerical simulation method, and the influence of elliptical dimple structural parameters on their performance is discussed. The serpentine CC with elliptical dimples is further compared with the traditional serpentine CC. The results indicate that the EDC is more effective than the other two types due to the narrow surface of the elliptical dimple, which enhances fluid flow and creates a region at the trailing edge of the vortex that promotes heat exchange. It is worth noting that lengthening the elliptical dimple leads to reduced performance, while elongating it initially improves but eventually decreases performance. This study found that the EDC with an elliptical dimple of 0.1 mm depth and 0.6 mm length outperformed the SC, resulting in a 10.6% improvement. Furthermore, the elliptical dimple serpentine cooling channel was found to enhance heat transfer and reduce pressure loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioactive scaffolds accurately mimicking the structure and composition of the extracellular matrix have garnered significant interest in tissue engineering. In this study, we developed a platform utilizing natural silk nanofibrils, hyaluronic acid, and basic fibroblast growth factor for the purpose of promoting spinal cord regeneration by creating an optimal microenvironment. The bioactive scaffold exhibited notable characteristics such as high porosity and hydrophilicity, attributed to its unique nanostructure, high connectivity, and polysaccharide composition. Furthermore, the pore size of the scaffold can be adjusted within the range of 90 μm to 120 μm by varying the content of hyaluronic acid. In vitro , human umbilical vein endothelial cells were seeded into the scaffold, demonstrating enhanced cell viability. The scaffold facilitated cell proliferation and migration. In vivo experiments on rats indicated that the scaffold had a beneficial impact on spinal cord regeneration, creating a conducive environment for motor function recovery of the rats. This effect may be attributed to the scaffold's ability to stimulate axon growth and neuronal survival, as well as inhibit the formation of glial scars, as evidenced by the decreased expression of growth associated protein-43, microtubule-associated protein 2, and neurofilament-200. This study presents a promising method to develop a feasible bioscaffold for the treatment of spinal cord injury. • Bioactive scaffold accurately mimicking ECM structure and composition were fabricated successfully. • The multifunctional scaffold supported cell growth and migration significantly. • The scaffold could significantly restore the function recovery of the spinal cord transected rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing high-density contact-separation sites on conductive materials highly determines the sensitivity of flexible resistance-type sensors relying on the crack microstructures. Herein, inspired from the multiple-tentacle structures on octopus, we demonstrated a sort of novel carbonized ZIF-8@loofah (CZL) as conductive material to develop ultrasensitivity flexible sensor, in which the carbonized ZIF-8 nanoparticles (~100 nm) served as tentacles. Originating from the formation of high-density contact-separation sites, the fabricated CZL-based strain sensor delivered ultrahigh sensitivity of GF max = 15,901, short response time of 22 ms and excellent durability over 10,000 cycles. These features enable the sensor with efficient monitoring capacity for complex human activities, such as pulse rate and phonation. Moreover, when CZL was assembled into triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), CZL-based TENG can effectively convert the irregular biomechanical energy into electric energy, providing sustainable power supply for the continuous operation of the sensing micro-system. Our findings established a novel platform to develop high-performance self-powered sensing systems of physiological parameter of human inspired from the nature. • Constructing high-density contact-separation sites on CL by carbonized ZIF-8. • Overall performances of CZL-based hydrogels were enhanced. • CZL-based sensor displays satisfied gauge factor as high as 15,901. • CZL-based sensor displays short response time of 22 ms. • The maximum power density of 3.675 μW m−2 is achieved in CZL-based TENG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcumin nicotinate (Curtn), derived from curcumin and niacin, reduces serum LDL-C levels, partly due to its influence on PCSK9. This study investigates IDOL's role in Curtn's lipid-lowering effects. To elucidate Curtn's regulation of the IDOL/LDLR pathway and potential molecular mechanisms in hepatocytes. Differential metabolites in Curtn-treated HepG2 cells were identified via LC-MS. Molecular docking assessed Curtn's affinity with IDOL. Cholesterol content and LDLR expression effects were studied in high-fat diet Wistar rats. In vitro evaluations determined Curtn's influence on IDOL overexpression's LDL-C uptake and LDLR expression in hepatocytes. Lipids were the main differential metabolites in Curtn-treated HepG2 cells. Docking showed Curtn's higher affinity to IDOL's FERM domain compared to curcumin, suggesting potential competitive inhibition of IDOL's binding to LDLR. Curtn decreased liver cholesterol in Wistar rats and elevated LDLR expression. During in vitro experiments, Curtn significantly enhanced the effects of IDOL overexpression in HepG2 cells, leading to increased LDL-C uptake and elevated expression of LDL receptors. Curtn modulates the IDOL/LDLR pathway, enhancing LDL cholesterol uptake in hepatocytes. Combined with its PCSK9 influence, Curtn emerges as a potential hyperlipidemia therapy. • Curcumin nicotinate (Curtn), derived from curcumin and niacin, demonstrates potential in modulating LDL-C levels. • Molecular docking reveals Curtn's high affinity to IDOL's FERM domain, suggesting competitive inhibition potential. • Curtn elevates LDLR expression in Wistar rats while reducing liver cholesterol content. • IDOL overexpression in HepG2 cells is counteracted by Curtn, enhancing LDL-C uptake and LDLR expression. • Curtn's lipid-lowering effect may result from a multi-faceted mechanism involving both IDOL and PCSK9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Clarified the absorption mechanism of multi-layer hollow heterostructures. • Multi-layer hollow heterostructure effectively attenuates electromagnetic waves. • The Cu/Cu 2 O-CF@MoS 2 achieved a RL min of −56 dB, with an EAB of 4.14 GHz. Through extensive literature review, it has been found that the influence of material morphology on absorption performance cannot be ignored. Although the adjustment of material morphology is still in an immature stage, its significant impact on absorption performance cannot be denied. In order to fully leverage the influence of morphology on materials, in this study, carbon fiber composite Cu/Cu 2 O coated with multiple layers of MoS 2 is formed by appropriately adjusting the hydrothermal and carbonization temperature, in which the bow-shaped Cu/Cu 2 O (BT) composite carbon fiber was uniformly coated with flower like MoS 2 , and the loss mechanism is effectively adjusted by adjusting the morphology of BT. The introduction of carbon fibers and the coating of MoS 2 provide suitable dielectric loss. The obtained Cu/Cu 2 O-CF@MoS 2 (BCM) exhibits excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performance. The results show that when the thickness is 4 mm, the minimum reflection loss (RL min) of BCM is −56 dB, and the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is 4.14 GHz. We believe that the improvement in performance benefits from specific structural design and appropriate dielectric constant. Therefore, our research provides strategies for adjusting the material's absorption performance through structural design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Newly-built parks yields ecological and economic benefits but poses issues related to gentrification. • Nanjing's green gentrification primarily occurs in urban expansion areas. • Large parks are more likely prone to gentrification than small ones. • Parks with diverse service facilities can mitigate gentrification. • Findings suggest urban park development should balance ecological and social benefits. The provision of newly constructed parks in urban areas offers numerous benefits to residents but also gives rise to the phenomenon of green gentrification. Accurately defining the extent of park services, examining the characteristics of gentrification resulting from new parks, and identifying the key park features that contribute to gentrification are crucial for research. This study employs network analysis tools to determine the service area of new parks and utilizes data on the attributes of new parks in the central urban area of Nanjing, residential transaction data, POI data, and census data. A canonical correlation analysis is conducted to explore the canonical correlation between the characteristics of green gentrification and the attributes of the new parks. The findings reveal that the housing price premium, the proportion of high-end commercial places and the proportion of elderly population were the typical characteristics of green gentrification, with the correlations of −0.896, −0.530 and 0.415, respectively. In addition, park service facility density, park service facility type, park area and park perimeter are the key park characteristics that were easy to cause gentrification, and the correlations with the typical characteristic variables of newly built parks were 0.742, 0.657, −0.594 and −0.570, respectively. Based on these results, it is suggested that the house price premium best reflects the characteristics of green gentrification, while small parks with robust service capabilities can help mitigate the effects of green gentrification. The research findings provide novel strategies for alleviating gentrification resulting from the construction of new parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mg, N-CQDs were developed for plants to resist UV damage. • UV-B caused severe damage to wheat seedlings through oxygen toxicity. • Mg, N-CQDs exhibit strong transfer, transportation, and adsorption properties for UV-B. • NH, OH, Mg, and N modified CQDs could enhance the absorption and transfer of UV-B. • The mechanism of anti-ultraviolet effect of Mg-N-CQDs was explained. Mg and N co-doped carbon quantum dots (Mg-N-CQDs) were synthesized and applied to alleviate oxygen toxicity by UV-B radiation and enhance antioxidative responses to wheat seedlings. It showed that Mg-N-CQDs pre-treatment attenuated the UV-B stress effects in a dose-dependent manner, as indicated by enhancing the characteristics of seed germination and early seedling growth parameters. Meanwhile, Mg-N-CQDs can be applied in plant nutrient solutions with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other fertilizers to promote the growth of seedlings. Furthermore, efficient antioxidant systems, chlorophyll content, and stability of fluorescence intensity were activated by Mg-N-CQDs pre-treatment, which effectively increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD), and eliminate the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide, and the production rate of superoxide anion radical in the roots and germs, thereby preventing oxidative damage from UV-B stress. Notably, Mg-N-CQDs pre-treatment significantly increased the expression of related genes to improve the antioxidant capacity of roots and germs, resulting in an increased level of ATPS, CS, and GS. The mechanism study indicated that amino and hydroxyl groups and Mg, N modified CQDs could broaden the light absorption range of CQDs and improve the ability to convert blue light and ultraviolet rays to visible light, which was the main reason why Mg-N-CQDs could relieve wheat seedlings from ultraviolet stress. Therefore, Mg-N-CQDs could serve as a regulator to reduce the damage of UV-B, laying the foundation for their application in environmental protection and agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine and quantify the burden of opioid-related mortality utilizing a serial cross-sectional design of individuals 15 to 64 years of age whose death was related to opioid use from January 1, 1999, to January 31, 2019.Methods: Data was obtained from the CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death Online Database, which captures mortality and population estimates across the United States stratified by geography, age, sex, race, and ethnicity. The burden of opioid-related deaths in Texas was evaluated as the proportion of all deaths attributable to this underlying cause of death over the study period and years of potential life lost (YPLL).Results: Results revealed that between 1999 and 2019, 19,039 opioid-related deaths occurred among persons age 15 to 64, resulting in an increase of 402% over the study period (from 3.8 per 100,000 in 1999 to 8.2 per 100,000 in 2019). In 2019, the number of opioid-related deaths was highest among males (67.1%), non-Hispanic whites (76.0%), and adults aged 25-54 (74.1%). Overall, in Texas in 2019, opioid-related deaths resulted in 51,743 years of potential life lost (3.2 YPLL per 1000) most of which were among males (36,318 YPLL). Additionally, premature mortality due to opioids was highest among adults aged 25 to 34 years (5.1 YPLL per 1000) , and those aged 35 to 44 years (3.8 YPLL per 1000).Conclusions: We identified a steady yet significant rise in opioid-related mortality in Texas since 1999 and in particular among demographic groups considered at relatively high risk for midlife mortality. This study is also considered the first of its kind to quantify the burden of premature mortality related to opioid overdoses in Texas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new calreticulin was identified from Takifugu obscurus. • Bacterial stimulation upregulated the expression of ToCrt. • rToCrt could bind to several Gram-negative bacteria and polysaccharides. • rToCrt could agglutinate different kinds of microorganisms. • rToCrt could suppress the growth of three Gram-negative bacteria. Calreticulin (Crt) is a highly conserved and multi-functional protein with lectin-like properties and important immunological activities. In this study, a Crt homolog, namely, ToCrt , was cloned and characterized from the obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus with an open reading frame of 1278 bp encoding a putative protein of 425 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of ToCrt consisted of three conserved structural domains: N-domain, P-domain, and C-terminal domain. In the phylogenetic tree, ToCrt formed a separate cluster with three Crts from other pufferfish species (Takifugu rubripes , Takifugu flavidus , and Takifugu bimaculatus). The mRNA transcript of ToCrt was ubiquitously expressed in all the examined tissues in a decreasing order: liver, spleen, kidney, gills, intestine, and heart. After Vibrio harveyi , Edwardsiella tarda , and Aeromonas hydrophila stimulations, the levels of ToCrt mRNA in the kidney and spleen were significantly upregulated compared with that in the control group. The recombinant calreticulin domain of ToCrt (rToCrt) could bind three Gram-negative bacteria (V. harveyi , E. tarda , and A. hydrophila) and polysaccharides from bacterial cell walls such as lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan. Meanwhile, rToCrt could agglutinate different kinds of microorganisms and exhibit antimicrobial activity. These results suggested that T. obscurus ToCrt could serve as an antimicrobial effector in the host immune response against invading microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • DME can quick and effectively recover oil from spent bleaching clay (SBC). • Over 80 wt% oil can be recovered through 5-stage DME extraction. • Equilibrium model of oil extraction from SBC by DME was approached. • Light petroleum hydrocarbon and SFA were preferentially extracted from SBC. With the increasing production of spent bleaching clay (SBC), the recovery of the waste oil in SBC is becoming an important and urgent needs for our environment and economy. In this research, we have developed a new effective recovery technique to recover oil from SBC by use of liquefied dimethyl ether (DME). Over 65 wt% oil and 81% wt.% oil are efficiently recovered from SBC under equilibrium single-stage extraction conditions and multi-stage extraction conditions, respectively based on the systematically investigation to the effects of the DME/SBC ratio, extraction time, stirring speed and extraction stage number on oil recovery via a batch extractor. Compared with using other extraction solvents, the extraction solvent DME can be reused without heating and therefore significantly reduce the energy consumption during the oil recovery process. In addition, the quantitative oil extraction relationship is derived from the adsorption equilibrium model and is well verified by experimental results. The results show a great potential for using this oil recovery technique in SBC as well as in the large amount of oily sludge and oil sands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing new therapeutic strategies that damage tumour cells without harming normal tissues is among the primary obstacles in chemotherapy. In this study, a novel β-glucuronidase-sensitive albumin-binding prodrug was designed and synthesized to selectively deliver the drug SN38 to tumour sites and maximize its efficacy. After intravenous administration, the prodrug Mal-glu-SN38 covalently bound to plasma albumin through the Michael addition, enabling it to accumulate in the tumour and release SN38 when triggered by extracellular β-glucuronidase. Compared to irinotecan, Mal-glu-SN38 displayed a slower plasma clearance and increased drug exposure over time. Moreover, Mal-glu-SN38 caused an increase in tumour-site accumulation of both the albumin-prodrug conjugate and free SN38 released from albumin conjugate when compared with irinotecan. After administration of multiple doses, Mal-glu-SN38 also significantly delayed the tumour growth, resulting in an impressive reduction or even disappearance of tumours (67% of mice cured) without causing any observable side effects. A β-glucuronidase-sensitive albumin-binding prodrug was designed and synthesized to selectively deliver SN38 to tumour sites, which showed ameliorated pharmacokinetic characteristics, enhanced tumour selectivity and outstanding in vivo antitumor efficacy (67% of mice cured). [Display omitted] • A β-glucuronidase-sensitive albumin-binding prodrug was designed to selectively deliver SN38 to tumour sites. • Prodrug Mal-glu-SN38 covalently bound to plasma albumin, enabling it to accumulate and release SN38 in the tumour. • Mal-glu-SN38 showed ameliorated pharmacokinetic characteristics, tumour selectivity and outstanding antitumor efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous 3D hierarchical construction has been proved to serve as a feasible method to prepare high-efficiency microwave absorption (MA) composites. Herein, an innovative hierarchical carbon fiber (CF)@MXene@ZnO core-sheath synergistic structure with tunable and efficient MA performance has been synthesized via a self-assembly (MXene) and hydrothermal (ZnO) process. Because of increased conductivity loss of the interlayer MXene sheath due to synergistic effects and the enhanced impedance matching of the outer ZnO layer, the optimal reflection loss (RL) value of CMZ2 is −67.35 GHz at 9.0 GHz at a thickness of 3.5 mm and the optimal effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is 5.44 GHz, covering the full X band at a thickness of 4.0 mm. Furthermore, the CMZ microrods can be used as energy transformers and molecular heaters due to the synergistic effects of the high photothermal conversion efficiency of MXene, high photocatalytic activity of ZnO, and high thermal conductivity of CF. When used as wearable CMZ/polyurethane (PU) composite coatings, the surface temperature increases rapidly with a healing efficiency of above 91% for mechanical damage. These results provide a new strategy to fabricate wearable materials with effective MA and photothermal properties for designing safe and wearable devices. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of heteroatom is a practical tactic that can enhance the ability of carbon materials to store Na+. In this article, N, O, P co-doped hierarchical porous carbon (NOPC) is produced via co-carbonization with phytic acid and soybean protein as precursors. Phytic acid, as a multifunctional additive, macroscopically promotes the formation of a hierarchical pore structure in which micropores and mesopores coexist. It is necessary for the transmission of Na+ and penetration of electrolytes. It microscopically regulates different types of surface functional groups, induces defects to enhance the spacing between graphite layers, and enhances the adsorption and intercalation capacity of Na+. The macroscopic and microscopic co-working changes the NOPC to have a reversible capacity of 359.5 mA h g−1 at 0.05 A g−1. Using density functional theory, it is confirmed that the co-doping of N/O/P can increase the capture capacity of Na+ and reduce the diffusion barrier of carbon materials. Ex-situ XRD, ex-situ Raman and ex-situ TEM were used to verify the structural stability and cycle stability of the NOPC. This study is based on experimental design and theoretical calculations used to prove that synthesis strategy is an effective method for preparing heteroatom-doped carbon with excellent capacity to store sodium. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A JNK and its isoform were identified from Eriocheir sinensis. • Bacteria challenge upregulated the expression of EsJNK. • RNAi showed that EsJNK regulated the transcription of two AMPs. • Knockdown of EsJNK can weaken the host's ability to eliminate bacteria. • rEsJNK protein can accelerate the bacterial clearance. c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK) is a member of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that participates in the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we identified a novel JNK (EsJNK) and determined the cDNA sequence of its isoform (EsJNK-a) from the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. The open reading frame (ORF) of EsJNK was predicted to encode 421 peptides with a serine/threonine protein kinase, a catalytic (S_TKc) domain, and a low complexity region. The ORF of EsJNK-a was 1380 bp encoding a protein with 459 amino acids, which was 38 amino acids more than that of EsJNK. The predicted tertiary structure of EsJNK was conserved and contained 15 α-helices and 10 β-sheets. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that EsJNK was clustered with the JNK homologs of other crustaceans. Quantitative real-time PCR assays showed that EsJNK was expressed in all the tissues examined, but it was relatively higher in hemocytes, muscles, and intestines. The expression of EsJNK mRNA in the hemocytes was upregulated by lipopolysaccharides and peptidoglycans, as well as by Staphylococcus aureus or Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge. Functionally, after silencing EsJNK by siRNA in crabs, the expression levels of two antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), namely, anti-lipopolysaccharide factor and crustin , were significantly inhibited. The purified recombinant EsJNK protein with His-tag accelerated the elimination of the aforementioned bacteria in vivo. However, knockdown of EsJNK had an opposite effect. These findings suggested that EsJNK might be involved in the antibacterial immune defense of crabs by regulating the transcription of AMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although dietary selenium (Se) deficiency or excess induces type 2 diabetes-like symptoms in mice, suboptimal body Se status usually causes no symptoms but may promote age-related decline in overall health.Objectives: We sought to determine the dietary Se requirement for protection against type 2 diabetes-like symptoms in mice.Methods: Thirty mature (aged 4 mo) male C57BL/6J mice were fed a Se-deficient torula yeast AIN-93M diet supplemented with Na2SeO4 in graded concentrations totaling 0.01 (basal), 0.04, 0.07, 0.10, and 0.13 (control) mg Se/kg for 4 mo (n = 6) until they were middle-aged (8 mo). Droplets of whole blood were used to determine glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the mice from ages 5 to 8 mo. Postmortem serum, liver, and skeletal muscle were collected to assay for selenoprotein expression and markers of glucose metabolism. Data were analyzed by 1-way ANCOVA with or without random effects for time-repeated measurements using live mice or postmortem samples, respectively.Results: Compared with control, the consumption of basal diet increased (P < 0.05) fasting serum insulin (95% CI: 52%, 182%) and leptin (95% CI: 103%, 118%) concentrations in middle-aged mice. Dietary Se insufficiency decreased (P < 0.05) 1) glucose tolerance (13-79%) and insulin sensitivity (15-65%) at ≤0.10 mg Se/kg; 2) baseline thymoma viral proto-oncogene phosphorylation on S473 (27-54%) and T308 (22-46%) at ≤0.10 and ≤0.07 mg Se/kg, respectively, in the muscle but not the liver; and 3) serum glutathione peroxidase 3 (51-83%), liver and muscle glutathione peroxidase 1 (32-84%), serum and liver selenoprotein P (28-42%), and liver and muscle selenoprotein H (39-48%) and selenoprotein W (16-73%) protein concentrations at ≤0.04, ≤0.10, ≤0.07, and ≤0.10 mg Se/kg, respectively.Conclusions: Mice fed diets containing ≤0.10 mg Se/kg display impaired glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, suggesting increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes by suboptimal Se status at levels ≤23% of nutritional needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Transition metal-nitrogen-carbon materials (M-N-C catalysts) are promising electrocatalysts in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) and electrolyzer applications. High temperature treatment in inert atmosphere (pyrolysis) is the essential, most common method for the synthesis of M-N-C catalysts and critical to achieve high electrocatalytic activity and electronic conductivity. To this day, despite many uses and successful implementations in materials manufacturing, pyrolysis has been an entirely empirical technology, with process control and optimization relying exclusively on "Edisonian" approach. The knowledge gap in the mechanism about how the precursor is being transformed into catalysts hinders further development of the M-N-C catalysts regardless of the precursor class and processing protocols. Herein, we probed the morphological evolution and chemical transformation of a nitrogen-containing charge transfer organic salt, mixed with transition metal (iron) salt and amorphous silica powder (precursor) during the pyrolysis process via a combination of in situ synchrotron and laboratory-based diagnostic techniques. The pyrolysis process is found to be divided into three stages. During a controlled temperature ramp, the selected organic N-C precursor (nicarbazin) began melting and decomposing just below 400 °C, forming a certain number of micrometer-scale pores and pathways. With increase in temperature from 400 °C to 900 °C, amorphous carbon domains started forming, and reduced (metallic) iron nanoclusters appeared, being dispersed uniformly throughout the carbonaceous matrix. When temperature advanced above 900 °C, graphitization of carbon commenced, associated with appearance and evolution of atomically dispersed metal-nitrogen moieties in the carbonaceous matrix. As the graphitization advanced further, a secondary process of agglomeration of metal nanoparticles occurred. Multi-analytical technique observations conducted here provide a base for rational design and optimization of M-N-C electrocatalysts via pyrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The direct relationship between inflammation and depression in patients with diabetes is still unclear. We examined the association between serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the high prevalence of depression in populations (aged ≥49 years) with and without type 2 diabetes.Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal data from 3895 participants obtained from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) were analyzed to determine the association between serum CRP levels and depression, accounting for relevant confounding factors.Results: Multivariable analyses showed a positive association between serum CRP and depression score, independent of age and gender, BMI, marital status, education, smoking status, alcohol drinking status, systolic BP, diastolic BP, physical activity, self-reported CVDs and laboratory measurements in subjects with diabetes mellitus (coefficient = 0.179, P<0.001) but not in subjects without diabetes mellitus (coefficient = 0.011, P = 0.495). Higher serum CRP levels were associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms in subjects with diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.301, 95% CI 1.012-1.799, P = 0.011) but not in subjects without diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.004, 95% CI 0.992-1.013, P = 0.344) after adjusting for these same confounding factors. After a follow-up of 4 years, higher serum CRP levels were significantly associated with a higher possibility of depression events in subjects with diabetes mellitus.Limitations: Time-varying confounding factors may interfere with our results.Conclusion: We observed a significant positive association between serum CRP levels and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a middle-aged and elderly population with diabetes after adjustment for a range of lifestyle factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • UV 275nm -EC/Cl 2 degrades CECs with high electrical efficiency for wastewater reuse. • The •OH and RCS were quantified and [Cl 2 •−] ss was the highest in EC/Cl 2 and UV-EC/Cl 2. • TPs of DCF, LVX, CBZ, and IBU in EC/Cl 2 and UV-EC/Cl 2 were investigated. • The cytotoxicity of CBZ spiked in reclaimed water was reduced by UV-EC/Cl 2. • The E E/O for CBZ decomposition by LED UV 275nm -EC/Cl 2 was as low as 1.46 kWh m−3 order−1. Treating wastewater to augment surface water can be a practicable solution to water scarcity, while the residual contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and inorganic ions put forward new requirements to the treatment methods. Electrochemical chlorine process (EC/Cl 2) utilizes the remaining Cl− in wastewater to generate free chlorine and radicals, which could be further improved in conjunction with LED UV 275nm irradiation (UV-EC/Cl 2). Compared to UV only and EC/Cl 2 , UV-EC/Cl 2 could effectively decompose the selected CECs at higher rates due to the much higher yield of reactive chlorine species (Cl•, ClO•, and Cl 2 •−). A MATLAB R2021a programming method was developed to estimate the order of magnitude of these radicals, and Cl 2 •− was the most abundant radical. In the UV-EC/Cl 2 system, CECs with phenolic or aniline moieties were mainly degraded by electrochemical oxidation (EC), ClO•, and Cl 2 •−; and the CECs with weakly electron-donating moieties were predominately decomposed by EC, •OH, and Cl•. The degradation pathways of levofloxacin, diclofenac, carbamazepine (CBZ), and ibuprofen were proposed according to the transformation products (TPs) detected by LC/Q-TOF-MS. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of spiked CBZ in real water samples, that were discharged to surface water, was significantly reduced by UV-EC/Cl 2. Interestingly, the electrical energy per order (E E/O) for CBZ decomposition by LED UV 275nm -EC/Cl 2 (1.46 kWh m−3 order−1) is lower than that by UV/Cl 2 , EC/Cl 2 , and UV 254nm -EC/Cl 2. The results indicate that UV-EC/Cl 2 could be used as a promising method to remediate CECs during the tertiary treatment and reuse of wastewater for augmenting surface water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Variations in composition and function among the three types of Daqu were revealed. • Eukaryota were predominated in HTD and MTD while bacteria were more abundant in LTD. • Higher peak temperature-induced deterministic assembly weaken bacterial function. • The correspondence between species and enzymes in each type of Daqu were elucidated. The enzyme activity of Daqu is an important prerequisite for defining it as a Baijiu starter. However, little is known about the functional species related to enzymes in different types of Daqu at the metagenomic level. Therefore, we analyzed the differences in enzymatic properties, microbial composition and metabolic function of three types of Daqu , namely high-, medium- and low-temperature Daqus (HTD, MTD and LTD), by combining chemical feature and multi-dimensional sequencing. The results showed that both liquefaction, saccharification, fermentation and esterification powers were remarkably weaker in HTD compared to MTD and LTD. Totally, 30 bacterial and 5 fungal phyla were identified and significant differences in community structures were also observed among samples, with Brevibacterium / Microascus , Pseudomonas , and Lactobacillus / Saccharomycopsis identified as biomarkers for HTD, MTD and LTD, respectively. Additionally, the importance of deterministic assembly in bacterial communities was proportional to the fermentation peak-temperature, while stochastic assembly dominated in fungal ones. Metagenomics analysis indicated eukaryota (>80 %, mainly Ascomycota) predominated in HTD and MTD while bacteria (54.3 %, mainly Actinobacteriota) were more abundant in LTD. However, the functional profiles and pathways of MTD and LTD were more similar, and the synthesis and metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids were the crucial biological functions of all samples. Finally, the relationship between species and enzymes in different samples was constructed and the functional species in LTD and MTD were more diverse than HTD, which elucidated the functional species associated with enzyme activity in each type of Daqu. These results will greatly enrich our understanding of the core functional species in three typical Daqu , which provide available information for rational regulation of Daqu quality and the Baijiu fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New Economic Normal is a revolutionary change in China's economic development model, and it is of great significance to understand the characteristics and drivers of carbon intensity (CI) under the New Economic Normal at multiple levels for formulating carbon mitigation plans. By coupling subsystem analysis and structural decomposition analysis, this study examines the characteristics and drivers of Guangdong's CI from 2007 to 2017 from multiple demand-side perspectives. It reveals in detail the impact of economic structural changes on CI during the New Economic Normal, especially demand transformations. Moreover, it outlines a methodology for providing further insights into the mechanisms of drivers in reducing CI from an industrial linkage perspective. The results show that 1) Interprovincial trade has replaced investment as the demand type with the highest CI during the New Norm. 2) Production restructuring has replaced energy efficiency improvement as the largest driver of CI decline. In contrast, changes in consumption patterns and demand conversion within the economic inner-cycle strategy impeded CI decline. 3) Production or demand restructuring has differential impacts on CI of different sectors or demand types, with offsetting effects even sometimes leading to insignificant overall impacts. 4) In industrial linkage, restructuring promoted CI associated with internal linkages and suppressed CI associated with cross-sectoral linkages, further altering the linkage characteristics of CI. The findings and research methodology will provide theoretical support for the formulation of carbon mitigation strategies in Guangdong and other regions. • Carbon intensity (CI) for a representative region during the "New Normal" is scrutinized. • It focuses on demand-side factors and industrial linkage perspectives. • CI mitigation trajectories have shifted before and after the New Normal. • Restructuring has altered linkage characteristics of CI. • Emphasis on optimizing domestic trade and restructuring upstream intermediate inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an incompatible unsymmetric 8-node hexahedral solid-shell element is proposed with different sets of trial and test functions. The trial functions used in the 8-node hexahedral solid element in our previous work are adopted with minor revision. In addition, to eliminate the transverse shear and trapezoidal locking in the calculation of thin shell structures, the test functions are revised by the assumed natural strain method. The present solid-shell element inherits advantages from the original solid element and also alleviates the typical locking phenomena for shell elements. Numerical investigations show that the present element is insensitive to mesh distortion and has rapid convergence. In the tests of thin shell structures with bending, it can also provide locking-free predictions with high precision. Finally, the present element is extended to geometrically nonlinear analysis and its accuracy is demonstrated by a simple numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating carbon-based nanoparticles and optimizing the curing conditions of epoxy nanocomposites are commonly employed as two practical strategies to achieve enhanced properties of epoxy coatings. This study investigated the synergistic effects of nanoparticle geometric shape and post curing on carbon-based nanoparticle reinforced epoxy coatings. Nanocrystalline diamonds (NCDs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphenes (GNPs) with spherical, cylindrical, planar geometric shapes were incorporated into epoxy coatings as 0-D, 1-D, and 2-D nano-fillers, respectively. For each nano-filler, epoxy coatings with and without post curing were synthesized and evaluated based on dispersion quality, viscosity, microstructure, and adhesion properties. Experimental results indicated that NCD reinforced epoxy coatings exhibited a more homogenous nanoparticle dispersion, lower viscosity, reduced porosity, and stronger pull-off adhesion, while GNP reinforced epoxy coatings achieved a higher lap shear strength. Although post curing was effective in reducing porosity and improving adhesion properties of epoxy coatings, its effect became less pronounced with the addition of nanoparticles. • Epoxy coatings were reinforced by NCD, CNT, and GNP with different geometric shapes. • Epoxy coatings were synthesized with and without an optimized post curing process. • NCD reinforced epoxy coatings showed lower porosity and stronger pull-off adhesion. • GNP reinforced epoxy coatings achieved a higher lap shear strength. • The effect of post curing became less significant with the addition of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-type lectins (LTLs) have leguminous lectin domains that bind to high-mannose-type oligosaccharides. LTLs are involved in glycoprotein secretory pathways and associated with many immune responses. In the present research, three LTL homologs from obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus , designated as ToVIP36-1 , ToVIP36-2 , and ToVIP36-3 , were first cloned and identified. The open reading frames of ToVIP36-1, ToVIP36-2, and ToVIP36-3 were 1068, 1002, and 1086 bp in length, respectively, and encode polypeptides with 355, 333, and 361 amino acids, respectively. Key conserved residues and functional domains, including lectin_leg-like domain (LTLD), transmembrane region, and C-terminal trafficking signal KRFY, were identified in all ToVIP36s. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the three ToVIP36s were widely expressed in six examined tissues and had relatively high expression levels in the liver and intestine. The expression levels of ToVIP36s were remarkably altered in the liver and kidney after induction by Vibrio harveyi and Staphylococcus aureus. Subsequently, the recombinant LTLDs of ToVIP36s (rToVIP36-LTLDs) were prepared by prokaryotic expression. Three rToVIP36-LTLD proteins agglutinated with S. aureus , V. harveyi , Vibrio parahaemolyticus , and Aeromonas hydrophila in a calcium-dependent manner. In the absence of calcium, rToVIP36-LTLD proteins bound to the bacteria by binding to lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycans, d -mannose, and d -galactose and inhibited the growth of S. aureus and V. harveyi. Our results indicated that ToVIP36s function as pattern-recognition receptors in T. obscurus immunity, providing insights into the role of LTLs in the antibacterial immunity of fishes. • Three new L-type lectins were identified from Takifugu obscurus. • Three ToVIP36s were significantly upregulated after bacterial challenge. • rToVIP36-LTLDs exerted the ability of agglutination with different bacteria. • rToVIP36-LTLDs bound to four bacteria and four carbohydrates. • rToVIP36-LTLDs inhibited the growth of bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Electrospinning, room temperature growth and calcination processes are adopted. • The maximum reflection loss and absorption bandwidth reach −57.6 dB and 6.64 GHz. • Absorption mechanisms include electromagnetic losses and good impedance matching. In this work, N-doped carbon fibers-Co 3 O 4 (NCFs-Co 3 O 4) composites are obtained through electrospinning, carbonization and oxidation processes. When the carbonization temperature is 800 °C, NCFs-Co 3 O 4 -800 shows efficient electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption properties. The maximum reflection loss (RL) reaches −57.6 dB at 9.04 GHz with a thickness of 3.9 mm. When the thickness is 3.0 mm, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 6.64 GHz. The excellent performance is attributed to the abundant dielectric loss and magnetic loss effects, as well as good impedance matching. The results have positive significance for the research of carbon fiber-based composite absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Successfully synthesized a salamo-type probe NBS for detecting Cu2+ and B 4 O 7 2ˉ. • The additions of Cu2+ and B 4 O 7 2ˉ have opposite fluorescence behavior on NBS. • The detection mechanisms were proposed based on experimental and theoretical researches. A novel salamo-type fluorescent probe NBS (5-(N,N′-diethylamino)-2,2′-[ ethylenedioxybis (nitrilomethylidyne)]phenolnaphthol) for selectively recognition of Cu2+ and B 4 O 7 2ˉ was successfully synthesized. According to the Cu2+ recognition experiment, the probe NBS underwent a coordination process with Cu2+, leading to fluorescence quenching. Theoretical analysis of the recognition mechanism was conducted through DFT calculations. The binding ratio of NBS to Cu2+ was further determined to be 1:1 through high-resolution mass spectrometry. The limit of detection (LOD) of NBS for Cu2+ was calculated to be 3.57 × 10−8 M, and the association constant (K a) was 5.45 × 104 M −1. In addition, the probe NBS can also be used for selective detection of B 4 O 7 2ˉ, which was theoretically analyzed through molecular electrostatic potential. The limit of detection (LOD) of NBS for B 4 O 7 2ˉ was calculated to be 7.13 × 10−8 M, and the association constant was 5.66 × 104 M −1. At the same time, the probe can also quantitatively detect Cu2+ in water samples. A novel asymmetric salamo-type fluorescent probe NBS for detecting Cu2+ and B 4 O 7 2ˉ was successfully synthesized. In a mixed solvent DMF : H 2 O (9:1, V/V, pH=7.2), the NBS probe exhibits good selectivity for Cu2+ and B 4 O 7 2ˉ. The detection limit (LOD), quantification limit (LOQ), and association constant (Ka) of the NBS probe for detecting Cu2+ and B 4 O 7 2ˉ were determined. In addition, based on high-resolution mass spectrometry, Job's plots, DFT calculations, and molecular electrostatic potential analysis, reasonable mechanisms for the interaction between the probe NBS and Cu2+ and B 4 O 7 2ˉ were proposed. Meanwhile, the probe NBS can also be used for quantitative detection of Cu2+ in water samples. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel tetranuclear Cu(II) salamo-like complex has been synthesized and characterized structurally. • Different modes of the Cu(II) complex were obtained by changing the reaction ratio between H4L and copper(II) salts. • The four Cu(II) atoms possess respectively four- and five-coordinated modes. • A series of theoretical calculations and fluorescence properties of H4L and its Cu(Ⅱ) complex were investigated. A novel tetra-nuclear Cu(II) salamo-like complex containing four- and five-coordinated Cu(II) atoms, [Cu 4 (L) 2 (MeOH) 2 ]·2MeOH was synthesized and characterized structurally. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis indicated the Cu(II) complex is a triclinic system, including four Cu(II) atoms and two completely deprotonated ligand (L)4− units, forming an asymmetric geometric structure. Specifically, Cu2 and Cu4 atoms are located in the N 2 O 2 cavities of two different ligand (L)4− units, respectively, and coordinate with one methanol molecule in the axial position to form five-coordinated tetragonal pyramid geometries. Meanwhile, Cu1 and Cu3 atoms respectively coordinate with four phenoxy atoms in the two ligand (L)4− units to form slightly distorted planar quadrilateral geometries with four coordination. The spectral properties of the ligand H 4 L and its Cu(II) complex were further analyzed by IR, UV–vis absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra. DFT calculation results showed that the Cu(II) complex has low optical reaction activity. In addition, the electrophilic and nucleophilic sites favorable for the formation of hydrogen bonds were found through molecular electrostatic potential analysis. Hirshfeld surface analysis identified the interactions in the crystal structure. In the Cu(II) complex, H···H/H···H interaction is dominant, indicating that there are a large number of hydrogen bonds in the complex. IRI analysis revealed that there are weak hydrogen bond interactions, all of which make the Cu(II) complex more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]