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DNA modifications add another layer of complexity to the eukaryotic genome to regulate gene expression, playing critical roles as epigenetic marks. In eukaryotes, the study of DNA epigenetic modifications has been confined to 5mC and its derivatives for decades. However, rapid developing approaches have witnessed the expansion of DNA modification reservoirs during the past several years, including the identification of 6mA, 5gmC, 4mC, and 4acC in diverse organisms. However, whether these DNA modifications function as epigenetic marks requires careful consideration. In this review, we try to present a panorama of all the DNA epigenetic modifications in eukaryotes, emphasizing recent breakthroughs in the identification of novel DNA modifications. The characterization of their roles in transcriptional regulation as potential epigenetic marks is summarized. More importantly, the pathways for generating or eliminating these DNA modifications, as well as the proteins involved are comprehensively dissected. Furthermore, we briefly discuss the potential challenges and perspectives, which should be taken into account while investigating novel DNA modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ketamine-induced anxiety and impairment in mice reveal distinct proteomics in different brain regions. • Alterations in prefrontal cortex proteins may be primarily associated with immuno-inflammatory processes. • Proteins associated with synaptic plasticity and mitochondrial function are predominantly regulated in the hippocampus. • Changes were observed in the expression levels of glutamatergic system-related proteins in the hippocampus. Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder with diverse symptoms, has been linked to ketamine, known for its N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonistic properties. Understanding the distinct roles and mechanisms of ketamine is crucial, especially regarding its induction of schizophrenia-like symptoms. Recent research highlights the impact of ketamine on key brain regions associated with schizophrenia, specifically the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (Hip). This study focused on these regions to explore proteomic changes related to anxiety and cognitive impairment in a chronic ketamine-induced mouse model of schizophrenia. After twelve consecutive days of ketamine administration, brain tissues from these regions were dissected and analyzed. Using tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling quantitative proteomics techniques, 34,797 and 46,740 peptides were identified in PFC and Hip, corresponding to 5,668 and 6,463 proteins, respectively. In the PFC, a total of 113 proteins showed differential expression, primarily associated with the immuno-inflammatory process, calmodulin, postsynaptic density protein, and mitochondrial function. In the Hip, 129 differentially expressed proteins were screened, mainly related to synaptic plasticity proteins and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex-associated proteins. Additionally, we investigated key proteins within the glutamatergic synapse pathway and observed decreased expression levels of phosphorylated CaMKII and CREB. Overall, the study unveiled a significant proteomic signature in the chronic ketamine-induced schizophrenia mouse model, characterized by anxiety and cognitive impairment in both the PFC and Hip, and this comprehensive proteomic dataset may not only enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying ketamine-related mental disorders but also offer valuable insights for future disease treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• RIS-GAN is proposed for the self-supervised learning of generative adversarial networks. • RIS-GAN greatly improves the quality of extracted features and generated images. • RIS-GAN brings the network more stable training property. Self-supervised methods play a vital role in representation learning without the need for annotated data and learn feature representations where data itself provides supervision. However, it is still challenging for the discriminator to learn reliable representations. To address this issue, we propose the self-supervised GANs via recovering initial state of subimages (RIS-GAN). Recovering initial state (RIS) task requires the network to recover the original state information of each sub-part of a composite image. Specifically, the network should predict the rotation angle and the initial position of subimages, and also predict which original image each subimage belongs to. To recover these information, the network should capture intra-image and inter-image information and extract high-similarity features between those patches belonging to the same original images. Besides, we propose local-discriminator, to improve the ability of the discriminator to judge global features from local patch features. To accomplish the above task, our proposed model should extract multi-level information to improve the understanding of image structure and content, and the ability to mine valuable information from image patches. We experimentally demonstrate the state-of-the-art performance of our RIS-GAN with respect to other self-supervised GAN methods on CIFAR-10, ImageNet 32 × 32, CelebA, and STL-10 datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A dual-function and pH-universal electrocatalyst of CoRu/C was synthesized. • The CoRu/C exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity for overall water splitting. • The crystal defects could account for the enhanced electrocatalytic performance. Exploring highly-efficient and pH-universal overall water splitting electrocatalysts are critical but keep challenging. Herein, a highly-efficient, dual-function and pH-universal electrocatalyst consisting of CoRu alloy nanoparticles embedded in the carbon matrix (CoRu/C) was successfully synthesized through an acid etching-pyrolysis conversion process using ZIF-67 as a precursor. Benefiting from the rich crystal defects created during the alloy formation process that could serve as active catalytic sites and the optimized electronic structure, the as-obtained CoRu/C electrocatalyst required overpotentials of only 18 and 37 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and 184 and 170 mV for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 M KOH and 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 aqueous solution, respectively. For practical application, the CoRu/C catalyst only needs a cell voltage of 1.49 and 1.45 V in a two-electrode overall water splitting system to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline and acidic medium, respectively. The present work paves a new way for the design and construction of efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting, and would inspire widespread research interest in the field of energy storage and conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzodithiophene derivatives represent a category of planar and rigid sulfur-containing heterocyclic molecules that possess a diverse range of applications in the development of organic optoelectronic materials, due to their versatile chemical structures and exceptional optoelectronic properties. Depending on the different connection positions between the benzene ring and thiophene, benzodithiophene can be classified into four constitutional isomers. In particular, benzo [1,2- b :4,5- b' ]dithiophene (BDT) has found extensive utility as fundamental components in various photovoltaic polymers and small molecule materials. This article provides a comprehensive review of the research progress of BDT materials in fields such as organic solar cells, electrochromic devices, organic field-effect transistors, and biomedical imaging, with a specific focus on their performance in organic solar cells. The article explores molecular design strategies, chemical structures, and photovoltaic performance of these materials, providing valuable insights for the design and synthesis of novel BDT-based derivatives with enhanced performance and stability in the future. [Display omitted] • Benzodithiophene: Multifunctional sulfur-containing molecule with excellent optoelectronic properties. • Summary of novel BDT synthesis methods. • Exploring the relationship between molecular design, structure, and properties to guide future BDT derivative synthesis. • Latest applications of BDT materials in organic solar cells, organic field-effect transistors, and biomedical imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have potential applications in immobilized enzyme fields due to their unique chemical and mechanical properties. First, a novel COF material for immobilizing enzyme for preparing ginsenosides was obtained using 1,3,5-tricarbaldehyde and 3,3′-dihydroxybenzidine （BTDH）as organic monomers. Then the morphology, stability, pore size and the loading capacity of COF-BTDH were investigated using transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and loading capacity experiments. At last effect of reaction time on ginsenoside extraction efficiency and the maximum usage amount of material were explored. Results showed that pectinase was effectively immobilized on COF-BTDH. In addition the optimized reaction time of catalytic hydrolysis for extracting ginsenosides Rb1 and Rd was 2 h, and the mass ratio of material to enzyme was 31.25:1. Additionally, the immobilized enzyme remained more than 85% active according to the amount ratio of ginsenoside Rd after five consecutive cycles. [Display omitted] • A COF material with dihydroxybenzidine (BTDH) as monomer was used for immobilizing pectinase. • The mass ratio of material to enzyme was 31.25:1 for extracting ginsenoside Rb1 and Rd. • The immobilized pectinase remained more than 85% active after five consecutive cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous TiO 2 nanotubes were irradiated in-situ in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) with Kr+ ions at energies of 46 keV, 150 keV, and 1 MeV and with 46 keV Xe+ ions, to investigate the structural and morphological evolution of the nanotubes under irradiation. At all irradiation conditions, amorphous TiO 2 nanotubes exhibited significant morphological instability, and tended to undergo volumetric swelling with increasing ion counts, often until collapse of the original nanotube structure. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed that irradiation-induced defects can explain the observed swelling. Structurally, nanotubes remain amorphous following all Kr+ irradiation conditions, but irradiation with 46 keV Xe+ leads to the formation of anatase nanocrystallites. Importantly, through systematically varying ion energy and ion species, we try to elucidate the influence of nuclear and electronic stopping power on ion irradiation induced changes. By contextualizing these results within the existing literature, we propose that the observed changes in TiO 2 nanotube morphology and structure could be due to a competition between two mechanisms: (1) disorder-induced swelling and (2) irradiation-induced amorphous-to-crystalline transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have revealed that the design of printing parameters influences the filament shape, while the similarity degree between filament shape and modeled slice directly determines the precision of multi-layer stacking structures. This paper experimentally investigates the influence of printing parameters on filament shape and pressure along the printing path. Computational Fluid Dynamic simulation is employed to verify the experimental findings from the aspect of internal stress distribution. The results highlight the crucial role of printing pressure in connecting these parameters with filament shape. A settlement theory of the multi-layer structure is proposed and tested based the filament shape analysis. In practice, guaranteeing filament shape and adjusting printing progress can be achieved through proportional changes in nozzle travel speed and screw rotation speed. Controlling structure settlement is possible by adjusting nozzle height and time interval. These findings provide a solid foundation for the precise manufacturing of 3D printed structures. • The influencing laws of printing parameters on the filament shape are obtained. • Shape difference with rising nozzle height is explained with pressure in the path. • Internal stress distributions of mortar are visualized using CFD model. • A stacking height prediction method is proposed considering the printing pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic gels as novel conductive components for flexible electronics are key to developing and improving the performance of next-generation electronic devices. Herein, for the first time, the structure-activity relationship of ionic gels based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) embedded with different alkyl chain lengths of imidazole ionic liquids is reported in detail. Surface morphology, internal structure, mechanical properties, electrochemical properties, and simulations are used to investigate alkyl chain effects on ionic gels. The results show that ionic gels with shorter alkyl chain lengths of imidazole cation have the highest electrochemical performance and porosity, among which the ionic gels based on 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazole tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid have the highest ionic conductivity (5.27 × 10−3 S cm−1), and the assembled flexible capacitors have better specific capacitance with 261 F g−1 and energy density with 36.25 Wh kg−1. On the contrary, the longer the chain, the better the mechanical properties: the ionic gels prepared with 1-decyl-3-methylimidazole tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid have the best ductility (77.4% deformation) and potential application value in human sensing and monitoring. This work provides a viable idea for the design, development, and application of ionic gels as flexible electronics. [Display omitted] • Comprehensive performance testing supports structure-activity mechanism research. • Multifaceted simulation reveals the structure-activity relationship of the ionic gel. • The length of alkane in ionic gel chain can control the gel properties. • Ionic gels with high electrochemical performance are used in flexible capacitors. • Flexible and wearable ion gels are used for human motion sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional polyesters with good biocompatibility are always important biomaterials. In this study, poly (latide- co - N -trityl serine ester)s (P (LA- co -TSL)s) were synthesized through the copolymerization of lactide (LA) and N -trityl serine lactone (TSL) in toluene under 90 °C with the catalysis of diethylzinc. The molecular weight (Mn) of P (LA- co -TSL) with different TSL molar ratios (4.5%, 8.8%, 25.2%, 41.7% and 100 mol%) ranged from 3.7 kDa to 7.2 kDa with the polydipersity index (PDI) from 1.40 to 1.57. The chemical structure of poly (LA- co -TSL)s was characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. As the proportion of TSL in P (LA- co -TSL) increased, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of P (LA- co -TSL) increased gradually, from 56 °C of PLA to 161 °C of Poly (TSL). The initial weitht loss temperature of P (LA- co -TSL) increased as the ratio of TSL increased, from 172 °C of PLA to 230 °C of Poly (TSL). Upon removal of the N -trityl protecting group, amino functional poly (latide- co -serine ester) (P (LA-co-SL)) was realized and confirmd by FTIR and 1H NMR spectra. GPC displayed approximately 19.5% polyester backbone degradation during deprotection with trifluoroacetic acid. DSC analysis illustrated better crystallization properties of the copolyester after amino group deprotection. Using mPEG as an initiator, a new type of block copolymer, mPEG- b -poly (latide- co - N -trityl serine ester)s (mPEG- b -P (LA- co -TSL)s), was obtained. After N -trityl removal, mPEG- b -P (LA- co -TSL) displayed excellent cytocompatibility in L929 cell culture experiments. [Display omitted] • Polyesters with lateral amino-functional groups derived from serine were synthesized and characterized. • Lactide and N -trityl-serine lactone monomers are distributed disorderly along the polyester backbone. • Cell culture experiments demonstrated the excellent cytocompatibility of mPEG- b -poly (lactide- co -serine ester)s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two CCAs demonstrated reduced void swelling compared to less complex materials. • Increasing temperature from 500 to 600 °C slightly reduced swelling levels in CCAs. • Swelling levels increased significantly with temperature in pure Ni and Fe 56 Ni 44. • Measured stacking-fault energy (SFE) increased with Mn-content between CCAs. • Increased swelling corresponded to lower faulted loop sink strength, higher SFE. This work attempts to link the microstructural evolution of single-phase compositionally complex alloy (CCA) compositions under dual-beam irradiation to their Mn-content via the stacking-fault energy (SFE) and vacancy migration energies. Two alloys, Cr 18 Fe 27 Mn 27 Ni 28 and Cr 15 Fe 35 Mn 15 Ni 35 , along with less compositionally complex pure Ni and Fe 56 Ni 44 binary were irradiated at 500 and 600 °C under dual-beam 1 MeV Kr2+ and 16 keV He+ heavy-ions up to 7 displacements per atom (dpa) with a He/dpa ratio of 0.75 %/dpa using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Due to the bubble-stabilizing effect of implanted He, bubbles were observed in all irradiations, and populations of faulted interstitial loops were characterized in Cr 18 Fe 27 Mn 27 Ni 28 and Cr 15 Fe 35 Mn 15 Ni 35. A reduction in swelling was observed in the two CCAs compared to pure Ni and Fe 56 Ni 44. Although swelling increased from 500 to 600 °C in Fe 56 Ni 44 , Cr 15 Fe 35 Mn 15 Ni 35 and Cr 18 Fe 27 Mn 27 Ni 28 both swelled slightly more at 500 °C. This was attributed to the difference in vacancy mobility, stronger pinning effect of vacancies on He, and the sink strength of faulted dislocation loops. Faulted interstitial loops nucleated with a higher number density and dislocation line density in Cr 15 Fe 35 Mn 15 Ni 35 at both temperatures, and at 600 °C in both materials. The differences in faulted loop population and temperature effect on swelling are correlated to the Mn-content and the measured SFE (20.2 ± 6.7 mJ/m2 for Cr 18 Fe 27 Mn 27 Ni 28 and 9.2 ± 3.4 mJ/m2 for Cr 15 Fe 35 Mn 15 Ni 35). [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus displays the typical circadian rhythms. This present study investigated the molecular regulation of clock genes, as well as monoamines and melatonin, in multiple tissues of A. japonicus , responding to the photoperiod. In order to determine their pivotal role in circadian rhythms, the crucial clock genes, namely AjClock , AjArnt1 , AjCry1 , and AjTimeless , were identified and a comprehensive analysis of their expressions across various tissues in adult A. japonicus was conducted, revealing the potential existence of central and peripheral oscillators. Results demonstrated that the tissues of polian vesicle and nerve ring exhibited significant clock gene expression associated with the orchestration of circadian regulation, and that environmental light fluctuations exerted influence on the expression of these clock genes. However, a number of genes, such as AjArnt1 and AjCry1 , maintained their circadian rhythmicity even under continuous light conditions. Moreover, we further investigated the circadian patterns of melatonin (MT), serotonin (5-HT), and dopamine (DA) secretion in A. japonicus , data that underscored the tissue-specific regulatory differences and the inherent adaptability to dynamic light environments. Collectively, these findings will provide the molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm in echinoderms and the candidate tissues playing the role of central oscillators in sea cucumbers. [Display omitted] • The molecular circadian system was identified in Apostichopus japonicus. • The polian vesicle and nerve ring were determined with roles as circadian oscillators. • A. japonicus circadian system exhibits stability. • The rhythmicity of molecular circadian system can be affected by photoperiods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, researchers have prepared glass-ceramics using a mixture of multiple solid waste materials, which is an effective and resourceful way to use and store solid waste. However, solid waste usually contains multiple heavy metals, which presents challenges during the mixing and co-solidification processes. In this study, high-performance glass-ceramics with low leaching were prepared from blast furnace slag (BFS). The synergistic curing mechanism of BFS glass-ceramics for heavy metals Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Co was investigated in detail, as well as the migration pattern and storage state of heavy metals under different heat treatment stages and different Cr contents. The results show that the increases in temperature and Cr 2 O 3 content contribute to the incorporation of heavy metals into the crystal lattice and promote crystal growth. Excessive crystallization of spinel causes aggregation, which further curtails the leaching of heavy metals. The leaching concentration of heavy metals mainly depends on the heavy metal content in the glass network and the degree of network polymerization. Thus, spinel acts as a crystal core for the solidification of heavy metals, while augite and glass phases act as a double barrier to physically encapsulate them, which is effective for the storage of a wide range of heavy metals. Furthermore, the physical and chemical properties of BFS glass-ceramics are consistent with the Chinese industry standard "Glass-ceramics plate for industrial application" (JC/T 2097-2011). This study provides important theoretical support for the synergistic solidification of multiple heavy metals in glass-ceramics, as well as insights into the preparation of glass-ceramics by mixing BFS with other solid wastes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been achieving remarkable results in medical image segmentation. However, for accurate segmentation of subcortical brain structure in MR images, it is still a challenge due to the ambiguous boundaries, the complex structures, and the various shapes, which limits their clinical application. In this paper, we focus on utilizing multi-scale image contexts and attention mechanisms to improve networks' ability to learn discriminative feature representation for accurate segmentation and present a novel FCNN architecture called multis-scale guided squeeze-and-excitation network (MSGSE-Net). In particular, we first propose the multi-scale guided squeeze-and-excitation (MSGSE) attention module which can progressively and selectively aggregate discriminative features. In contrast to existing attention modules, the MSGSE module performs an adaptive recalibration that features at different locations of the feature map are recalibrated under the guidance of multi-scale contexts. Then multi-scale spatial attention supervision is adopted to enhance the intra-class homogeneity and inter-class distinction of the attention weights. Moreover, we propose a novel entropy-weighted Dice loss (EDL) to force the network to focus on the ambiguous voxels around the boundaries of subcortical structures. We evaluate the proposed method on two challenging benchmark datasets (the IBSR dataset and the MALC dataset). The experimental results show that our model consistently yields better segmentation performance than several state-of-the-art methods and improves the segmentation Dice score by 1.6% at most compared with baseline method U-Net. Our code is available at https://github.com/neulxlx/MSGSE-Net. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of the soft tissue surrounding and supporting the teeth, which causes periodontal structural damage, alveolar bone resorption, and even tooth loss. Its prevalence is very high, with nearly 60% of the global population affected. Hence, periodontitis is an important public health concern, and the development of effective healing treatments for oral diseases is a major target of the health sciences. Currently, the application of local drug delivery systems (LDDS) as an adjunctive therapy to scaling and root planning (SRP) in periodontitis is a promising strategy, giving higher efficacy and fewer side effects by controlling drug release. The cornerstone of successful periodontitis therapy is to select an appropriate bioactive agent and route of administration. In this context, this review highlights applications of LDDS with different properties in the treatment of periodontitis with or without systemic diseases, in order to reveal existing challenges and future research directions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the value of the combination of lymphatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (LCEUS) and intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound (IVCEUS) for the identification of cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). From November 2018 to March 2019, 24 consecutive patients with PTC were evaluated. All patients underwent routine US, LCEUS and IVCEUS. Pathology was used as the gold standard. After injection of a contrast agent into the thyroid parenchyma, lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes (LNs) could be exclusively displayed as hyper-enhancement on LCEUS. Benign LNs displayed a complete bright ring (100%) and homogeneous perfusion (88.9%) on LCEUS, while displaying centrifugal perfusion (66.7%) and homogenous enhancement (88.9%) on IVCEUS. Perfusion defects (94.9%) and interruption of the bright ring (71.8%) were the two characteristic LCEUS signs for diagnosing CLNM. On IVCEUS, CLNM appeared as centripetal perfusion (59.0%) and heterogeneous enhancement (59.0%). After comparison with pathology, perfusion defect was correlated to the metastatic foci in the medulla and interruption of the bright ring to the tumor seeding in the marginal sinus (all p values <0.05). LCEUS had more value (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.850, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.682-1.000) in diagnosing CLNM than IVCEUS (AUC = 0.692, 95% CI: 0.494-0.890) and routine US (AUC = 0.581, 95% CI: 0.367-0.796). The combination of LCEUS and IVCEUS has the highest diagnostic value (AUC = 0.863, 95% CI: 0.696-1.000). LCEUS had higher diagnostic value than IVCEUS and US for CLNM from PTC. The combination of LCEUS and IVCEUS has the highest diagnostic value for CLNM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionogel electrolytes (IGEs) with chemical and thermal stability properties have attracted considerable attention for all-solid-state energy storage devices, particularly for high-performance supercapacitors (SCs). However, achieving high conductivity, flexibility, and toughness, as well as deformation and impact resistance in special cases, is challenging with the typical polymer based on ionic liquids (ILs). Here, an effective gelation strategy is proposed for the preparation of free-standing LiTFSI/[EMIM][TFSI]/PVDF-HFP ionogels (IGs) by double-additive induced physical cross-linking. The mechanical and electrochemical properties of the IGs can be synergistically optimized by the cross-linking and entanglement of LiTFSI and [EMIM][TFSI] with the PVDF-HFP network. The target IGs simultaneously exhibit excellent deformation capacity (over 50 %), high ionic conductivity (10.3 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 25 °C), hardness (H: 728.6 kPa), and Young's modulus (E: 11.4 MPa), which can exhibit the specific capacitance of 274. 55 F g−1, energy density of 38.13 Wh kg−1 and maximum power density of 2499.93 W kg−1 in the fabricated symmetric supercapacitor. The results will motivate us to further explore their applications for flexible electronic devices, wearable electronic skin, and flexible energy storage. [Display omitted] • The IGE has excellent mechanical strength and deformation ability. • The IGE with high ionic conductivity of 10.5 × 10−3 S cm−1. • The supercapacitor provides higher specific capacitance, energy and power density. • The change of ionic conductivity was verified by molecular dynamics simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Superelectrophilic-initiated Friedel–Crafts reaction of diazafluorenols with aromatic derivatives was developed, which leads to the production of migrated and unmigrated multi-diazafluorene units, respectively, depending on the structure of aromatic derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PS induced longitudinal GMV atrophy in bilateral cerebellar posterior lobes. • GMV decreased from 1 month, then continued to decrease after PS. • More covariant brain regions and structural connections were induced in PS groups. • The GMV changes of covariant brain regions were correlated with behavioral recovery. Our aim was to identify the longitudinal changes in gray matter volume (GMV) and secondary alterations of structural covariance after pontine stroke (PS). Structural MRI and behavioral scores were obtained at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months in 11 patients with PS. Twenty healthy subjects underwent the same examination only once. We used voxel-based morphometry and seed-based structural covariance to investigate the altered GMV and structural covariance patterns. Furthermore, the associations between the GMV changes and behavioral scores were assessed. With the progression of the disease, GMV decreased significantly in the bilateral cerebellar posterior lobe (ipsilateral Crus II (CBE Crus II_IL) and contralateral Crus I (CBE Crus I_CL)), which were initially detected at the first month and then continued to decrease during the following 6 months. Based on the CBE Crus II_IL and CBE Crus I_CL as seed regions, structural covariance analysis revealed that there were more positively and negatively correlated brain regions in PS group, mainly distributed in the bilateral prefrontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, paralimbic system and cerebellum. In addition, PS group showed more additional correlations between these covariant brain regions, and the changes of GMV in these regions were correlated with behavioral scores related to motor and cognitive functions. These findings indicate that PS could lead to significant GMV atrophy in the bilateral cerebellar posterior lobe at the early stage, accompanied by anomalous structural covariance patterns with more covariant brain regions and additional structural connectivity, which may provide useful information for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of behavioral recovery after PS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) care has traditionally been fragmented. The newly introduced Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) model provides streamlined care based on expedient, multi-disciplinary decision-making. This study aimed to quantify the impact of PERT, as part of a hospital-wide PE treatment protocol, on clinical outcomes.Methods: Consecutive adult patients with acute PE diagnosed via computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) were included. The PERT and treatment protocol were introduced in January 2015. Patient characteristics, therapies, quality measures of CTPA reporting, and clinical outcomes of PE patients treated for 2 years before and after implementation of these changes were evaluated. Primary endpoints were median length of stay in intensive care (ICU) and survival to discharge.Results: A total of 321 consecutive PE patients were enrolled, of which 154 (treated in 2013-2014) and 167 (2015-2016) patients formed the historical control and study groups, respectively. Implementation of the algorithm was associated with less variance in anticoagulation and improved reporting of right heart strain parameters on CTPA. The ICU stay was reduced from a median of 5 to 2 days (p < 0.01). Eligible massive PE patients receiving reperfusion increased from 30% to 92% (p = 0.01), with mean delay from diagnosis to reperfusion decreasing from 763 to 181 minutes (p < 0.01). Bleeding complications were not increased, but overall survival to discharge remained unchanged.Conclusions: Introducing a PERT and treatment protocol reduced ICU stay, enhanced quality measures, and improved access of massive PE patients to reperfusion therapies, without increasing bleeding complications or health care costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, three types of fully dense aluminum-based (Al) coatings (pure Al, AA2219 and AA6061) were deposited on AZ31B magnesium (Mg) alloy by a recently developed in-situ micro-forging assisted cold spray process. The detailed microstructure, coating adhesion and corrosion protection performance were systematically investigated. Results show that the porosities of the pure Al, AA2219 and AA6061 coatings are as low as 0.34 ± 0.11%, 0.23 ± 0.09% and 0.24 ± 0.08%, respectively. Strong adhesion strength (83.6–91.5 MPa) was achieved for the Al-based coatings due to the in-situ micro-forging induced enhanced mechanical-interlocking between Al-based coating and the magnesium alloy substrate. The corrosion current density of the AZ31B Mg alloy decreases to 1.9–5.8 μA cm−2 from 312.8 μA cm−2 after coated with the Al-based coatings. The long-term corrosion tests further indicate that the Al-based coatings are not aqueous solution permeable during the entire 1000 h immersion, thus provided robust long-term corrosion protection of AZ31B Mg alloy substrate. Moreover, the difference in corrosion resistances among the three Al-based coatings was observed and was further explained based on their unique microstructures arising from the coating deposition process. The present in-situ micro-forging assisted cold spray process shows great potential for economical and effective corrosion protection of magnesium alloy and provides more freedom for industries to design and use magnesium alloy parts. Image 1 • Three types of fully dense Al-based coatings were deposited on AZ31B. • Strong adhesion strength (83.6–91.5 MPa) was achieved for the Al-based coatings. • Al-based coatings possess excellent long-term corrosion protection performance. • Key factors of the different corrosion rate among the coatings were clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A newsvendor model with two reference points: industry benchmark and a minimum requirement on profit. • Dividing a newsvendor's psychological value into gains, losses, and failures. • Optimal order quantity as a tradeoff between marginal underage and overage costs, losses, and failures. • Decision bias significantly dependent on the endowed reference profits and the shortage cost. • A simple wholesale price may coordinate the supply chain with the reference effects. This paper studies a newsvendor's ordering decision with two exogenous reference points: industry benchmark and a minimum requirement on profit, based on which the psychological values are divided into gains, losses, and failures. With the objective to maximise the total expected value, the order quantity is to balance the marginal values of underage and overage costs, losses, and failures. The decision bias relative to a risk-neutral or a loss-averse newsvendor could be positive or negative and significantly determined by the reference profits and the shortage cost. In addition, a wholesale price contract may coordinate the supply chain under certain circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs), which are a critical component of viperid and crotalid venoms, play various important roles in the pathogenesis of snakebite envenomation. The SVMPs from elapid venoms are not well elucidated, as compared with those from viperid and crotalid venoms. Atrase A is a nonhemorrhagic P-III SVMP purified from Naja atra venom that possesses only weak fibrinogenolytic activity. In our prior study, we found that atrase A detached adherent cells from the substrate. In this work, we investigated further the effect and mechanism of atrase A on endothelial cells. Oxidative damage, inflammatory mediators, apoptosis, and activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways were measured after HMEC-1 cells were exposed to atrase A. The results showed that HMEC-1 cells released inflammatory mediators, exihibited oxidative damage and apoptosis after exposure to atrase A. The Western blot analysis results revealed that atrase A increased Bax/Bcl-2 and caspase-3 levels and activated the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in endothelial cells. The effects on endothelial cells were nearly completely abolished after atrase A was treated with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. These results showed that atrase A led to an inflammatory response, cellular injury and apoptosis in endothelial cells, and this effect was due to its metalloproteinase domain. The study contributes to a better understanding of the structures and functions of cobra venom P-III class metalloproteinases. [Display omitted] • Cobra venom metalloproteinase atrase A which has three different domains induced inflammatory response in endothelial cells. • Atrase A activated the nucler factor kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways in endothelial cells. • Atrase A caused inflammatory response, injury and apoptosis in endothelial cells via its metalloproteinase domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiking neural network (SNN) based on sparse triggering and event-driven is a hardware-friendly model. SNN can provide an ultra-low power alternative for the deep neural network (DNN) to process remote sensing images. Brain information processing depends on the action potential of neurons. Therefore, the biological rationality of the artificial neural network (ANN) has been questioned. SNN is a more suitable model for brain information processing mechanisms. At present, the SNN obtained by ANN conversion has achieved the best performance in the current image processing tasks. However, the method based on ANN to SNN will have performance loss in the conversion process. Herein, we proposed a spiking neuron threshold-following reset (TF-reset) method and a membrane potential modulation method to reduce the loss of network conversion. We theoretically analyzed the proposed TF-reset and deduced the relationship between spike firing rate and neuron activation. In the experiment, we used an improved VGG-15 architecture combined with the method of transfer learning to apply the model to the classification task of remote sensing images. SNN-VGG-15 based on TF-reset and membrane potential modulation algorithm achieved a classification accuracy of 99.14%, 94.54%, and 95.00% on UCM, RSSCN7, and AID. Our algorithm can not only realize the lossless conversion of SNN but also outperforms the original network in classification performance on UCM and RSSCN7. In addition, our model also has advantages in energy consumption and noise robustness. The algorithm in this paper can provide a reference for the research remote sensing images procession using SNN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the stability of irradiation-induced voids in materials is important for engineering material's swelling behavior under irradiation. In-situ TEM offers a spatial and temporal resolution that is suitable for investigating the evolution of voids under irradiation. However, the in-situ videos have often been too large to be analyzed manually, leaving the valuable data underutilized. We developed a deep learning-based semantic segmentation model to consistently study the growth and shrinkage of voids in nickel under 1 MeV krypton ion irradiation at various temperatures from 525 °C to 650 °C. With a foil thickness near 100 nm and ion flux of 6.3 × 1011 ions⋅ cm−2⋅s−1, the pre-existing voids, which were created beforehand by irradiation at 600 °C to 0.5 dpa, shrank at low temperatures and grew at high temperatures under irradiation, where the transition occurred at 575 °C (∼0.5 T M). The observed stability transition provided new insight for the shrinkage mechanism of voids under irradiation. In addition, an annealing experiment on nickel, previously irradiated at 600 °C to 3 dpa, was performed sequentially at 650 °C to 720 °C to reveal the shrinkage rate of void as a function of temperature and void size. The advantage of combining computer vision and in-situ TEM to obtain comprehensive void evolution was demonstrated. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cell/exosome therapy is a novel strategy for primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). This paper is to examine the role of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (hUCMSC-EVs) in POI. hUCMSC-EVs were extracted and identified. POI rats were induced by cyclophosphamide for 15 days and treated with EV or GW4869 every 5 days and euthanized 28 days later. Vaginal smears were observed for 21 days. Serum hormone levels (FSH/E2/AMH) were measured by ELISA. Ovarian morphology, follicle numbers, and granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis were observed by HE and TUNEL staining. GCs extracted from Swiss albino rats were cyclophosphamide-induced to establish the POI cell model, followed by oxidative injury and apoptosis evaluation with the help of DCF-DA fluorescence, ELISA, and flow cytometry. The relation between miR-145–5p and XBP1 was predicted on StarBase and validated by dual-luciferase assay. miR-145–5p and XBP1 levels were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot. EV treatment reduced irregular estrus cycle incidence since day 7, increased E2 and AMH levels and all-stage follicle numbers, reduced FSH level, GC apoptosis, and atretic follicle numbers in POI rats. EV treatment diminished GC oxidative injury and apoptosis in vitro. miR-145–5p knockdown in hUCMSC-EVs partly abolished hUCMSC-EV-mediated effects on GCs and ovarian function in vivo and on GC oxidative injury and apoptosis in vitro. Silencing XBP1 partially negated miR-145–5p knockdown-exerted effects on GCs in vitro. miR-145–5p carried by hUCMSC-EVs attenuates GC oxidative injury and apoptosis and thus extenuates ovarian injury and improves ovarian function in POI rats. • hUCMSC-EVs inhibit GC apoptosis and improve ovarian function in POI rats. • miR-145–5p inhibition partly averts hUCMSC-EV-exerted effects on POI rats. • hUCMSC-EVs inhibit oxidative injury and apoptosis of CTX-damaged GCs. • miR-145–5p inhibition partly averts hUCMSC-EV-exerted effects on GCs in vitro. • hUCMSC-EV-derived miR-145–5p affects CTX-damaged GCs by targeting XBP1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Increasing introduction of antibiotic residues from humans and animal farming into the environment impacts the functioning of natural ecosystems and significantly contributes to the propagation of antibiotic resistance. Microbial degradation is the major sink of antibiotics in soil but the identification of in situ degrading populations is challenging. Here, we investigated sulfamethoxazole-degrading bacteria in soil microcosms by culture-independent DNA and protein stable isotope probing. 0.5% of the carbon from 13C 6 -labeled sulfamethoxazole amended to soil microcosms was transformed to 13CO 2 demonstrating partial mineralization of the antibiotic. DNA stable isotope probing revealed incorporation of 13C from 13C 6 -labeled sulfamethoxazole into Actinobacteria and among them into the families Intrasporangiaceae , Nocardioidaceae , and Gaiellaceae and the order Solirubrobacterales. Protein stable isotope probing demonstrated the incorporation of 13C from 13C 6 -labeled sulfamethoxazole into proteins of bacteria of the families Intrasporangiaceae , Nocardioidaceae and the order Solirubrobacterales , which is consistent with the results of DNA stable isotope probing. The 13C abundance of 60 to 80% in several taxonomically relevant proteins indicated that Intrasporangiaceae directly acquired carbon from 13C 6 -labeled sulfamethoxazole. The results highlight the crucial role of yet-uncultivated indigenous bacteria for antibiotics degradation, and the potential of cultivation-independent stable isotope based molecular approaches to elucidate the structure of antibiotic-degrading populations in complex microbial communities under natural conditions. Highlights • SMX can be mineralized in pig farm soil. • Intrasporangiaceae within the phylum Actinobacteria assimilate SMX in soil. • Stable isotope probing is a crucial method to link microbial identity to function. • DNA-SIP and protein-SIP give complementary results to identify SMX degraders. • Results contribute to rational design of treatment for SMX-containing manure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Heat stress adversely affects plant physiological and metabolic processes and is considered an important constraint on crop growth and productivity in agriculture worldwide. Grafting techniques are capable of mitigating various stresses. Here, compared with self-grafted cucumbers subjected to 42 °C heat stress for 24 h, we found that Momordica-grafted cucumbers exhibited higher cytomembrane thermostability, less photoinhibition reflected by their chlorophyll fluorescence, and a reduction in oxidative stress. To better understand the mechanism, optimized Blue-Native/SDS-PAGE two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was firstly applied to entire thylakoid membrane of grafted cucumbers, and 25 significantly differential accumulated protein spots were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS analysis. The proteomic analysis revealed that high temperatures suppressed the accumulation of 13 proteins in self-grafted cucumbers, while Momordica rootstock stimulated the accumulation of 12 of these proteins. The transcriptional analysis indicated that grafting onto Momordica significantly increased the expression of genes that encode the photosystem II subunit S (PsbS) and minor light-harvesting complexes (CP24, CP26 and CP29.1), which are closely associated with non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) after heat shock. Immunoblotting for PsbS corroborated the Momordica-induced acceleration of heat dissipation. Taken together, Momordica rootstock alleviated heat-induced photoinhibition by maintaining intracellular redox homeostasis, stabilizing the protein library of the thylakoid membrane and modulating NPQ in the scions. Highlights • Momordica-grafting attenuated heat-induced photoinhibition and oxidative stress in cucumber leaves. • Momordica-grafting stabilized protein library of thylakoid membrane under heat exposure. • Momordica-grafting stimulated PsbS accumulation and NPQ of their scions under heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Dienzyme-assisted salting-out extraction of flavonoids from the seeds of Cuscuta chinensis Lam was realized. • Cellulase and protease were used to promote dissolution of pharmaceutical components. • A flavonoids yield of 18.75 mg/g was obtained. Abstract The extraction process involving enzymatic treatment and salting-out extraction was developed to accelerate dissolution of flavonoids from the hard compact seeds of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. A combination of enzymes (cellulase and protease) provided higher flavonoid yields than single enzyme. The optimum enzymatic conditions were 5% acidic cellulase, 5% neutral protease, pH 4.5, 45 °C, and 45 min. The salting-out extraction used ammonium sulfate and ethanol (1:2, w/v). Flavonoid yields as high as 18.75 mg/g were obtained from Semen cuscutae under the optimum conditions. Results also showed that the antioxidant properties of the flavonoids were correlated with their contents dirrectly guided by the scavenging activity of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The extraction process could be used for mass production of flavonoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Though many models of continental crustal growth rely on the assumption that juvenile crust is derived from depleted mantle of fairly uniform composition, mafic magmas derived from the mantle – potential candidates for newly formed continental crust – often bear heterogeneous radiogenic isotope compositions. Mafic granulite and some pyroxenite xenoliths from Cenozoic basalts at Hannuoba, in the northern margin of the North China Craton, have younger crystallization ages than the exposed basement rocks, and are generally interpreted to represent juvenile additions to the crust. Here we report mineralogical and geochemical data for the websterite xenoliths from the basalts with the aim of constraining the chemical and isotopic compositions of juvenile continental crust. Two-pyroxene geothermometry suggests that the studied websterite xenoliths originated in the lower crust and last equilibrated at temperatures in the range of 830 to 930 °C. The cumulate texture, together with the geochemical and geochronologic data, indicate that they formed as high-pressure cumulates through crystal fractionation from Phanerozoic mafic magmas. These xenoliths can be subdivided into two groups. Group 1 websterites have low Mg# of 66.1–79.2 and high REE concentrations, and are characterized by extremely evolved radiogenic Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions and high radiogenic Pb ratios. Group 2 websterites have high Mg# of 89.4–89.5, very low REE concentrations, and MORB-like depleted Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic compositions. We interpret these websterites as additions to the crust formed via magma underplating. The parental magmas for these two websterite groups formed by partial melting of mantle materials with both isotopically enriched (Group 1) and depleted (Group 2) components. The data provide evidence that components from both mantle sources contributed to the underplating magmas and to lower crustal growth beneath the craton. Highlights • New geochemical and isotopic data for the Hannuoba pyroxenites are reported. • These rocks were interpreted as cumulates in the lowermost lower crust in Phanerozoic. • The crustal growth by basaltic underplating derived from heterogeneous mantle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The iron-samarium oxide catalyst was modified by Zr, Co and Ti. • Ti 0.15 Sm 0.075 Fe 0.775 O x -350 showed 95% NO conversion between 150 and 300 °C. • The effects of GHSV, KCl and SO 2 on NH 3 -SCR activity were investigated. • Surface acidity of samples were analyzed evidently by Py-IR and NH 3 -TPD. Abstract A series of iron-samarium mixed oxide catalysts modified by zirconium, cobalt and titanium were prepared by co-precipitation method, and the effects of modified transition metal species and calcination temperature in preparation process on NH 3 -SCR activity were investigated. The catalysts were characterized by TG-DSC, SEM, EDS-mapping, BET, XRD, XPS, PY-IR, NH 3 -TPD, O 2 -TPD and in situ DRIFTS. We also investigated the effects of gas hourly space velocity (GHSV), KCl, water vapor and SO 2 on NH 3 -SCR activity over the optimal catalyst. The results indicated that the addition of transition metal could alter the activity of iron-samarium mixed oxide catalyst. In all the samples tested, titanium was illustrated to be the most suitable assistant that could increase surface acid species and acid amount, meanwhile broaden the reaction temperature window and improved the N 2 selectivity. Moreover, Ti 0.15 Sm 0.075 Fe 0.775 O x -350 sample possessed best NO conversion rate and excellent resistance to water vapor and SO 2. However, The NH 3 -SCR activity of K/Ti 0.15 Sm 0.075 Fe 0.775 O x -350 was much lower than that of the fresh Ti 0.15 Sm 0.075 Fe 0.775 O x -350. Furthermore, in situ DRIFT study verified the NH 3 -SCR reaction of Ti 0.15 Sm 0.075 Fe 0.775 O x -350 involved both E–-R mechanism and L–-H mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract High entropy alloys (HEAs) have been considered for applications in nuclear reactors due to their promising mechanical properties, corrosion and radiation resistance. It has been suggested that sluggish diffusion kinetics and lattice distortion of HEAs can enhance the annihilation of irradiation-induced defects, giving rise to a higher degree of tolerance to irradiation damage. In order to understand the irradiation effects in HEAs and to demonstrate their potential advantages over conventional austenitic stainless steels (SS), we performed in-situ ion irradiation experiments with 1 MeV krypton at 300 °C on two HEAs and a 316H SS under an identical irradiation condition. The irradiation introduced a high density of dislocation loops in all materials, and the microstructural evolution as a function of dose was similar for HEAs and 316H SS. Nanoindentation tests showed that the degree of irradiation hardening was also comparable between them. The similar microstructural evolution and irradiation hardening behavior between the HEAs and 316H indicate that, at low temperatures (≤300 °C), the irradiation damage of fcc alloys is not sensitive to compositional variation and configurational entropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irradiation induced microstructural changes in the NF709 austenitic stainless steel were investigated under 1 MeV Kr ion irradiations to a dose of 3 dpa at room temperature (RT), 300, 400, 500 and 600 °C, and a dose of 20 dpa at RT. The irradiation-induced defects and the stability of precipitates were characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Frank dislocation loops were observed in all the irradiated samples, and the loop sizes were much larger at 600 °C than those at lower temperatures. “Raft” defect structures, formed through self-alignment of small dislocation loops, were also observed in all irradiated samples. M 23 C 6 precipitates were amorphorized under irradiations at RT and 300 °C, but remained to be crystalline at 400 °C and above. MX precipitates were stable under irradiations at RT up to 20 dpa, and at temperatures below 600 °C to 3 dpa. At 600 °C, some MX precipitates were observed to dissolve during in-situ irradiation, suggesting possible precipitate instability at this irradiation temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of rare earth Keggin-type tungstophosphorate doped iron oxide catalysts were prepared by physical mixing method. The effects of type and the content of rare earth element over NH 3 -SCR activity were investigated and the catalysts were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDS, XPS, BET, TGA, ICP-AES, H 2 -TPR and NH 3 -TPD. It is indicated that the addition of rare earth Keggin-type tungstophosphorate could increase the NH 3 -SCR activity of the iron oxide catalysts, while the effect of rare earth species on SCR activity over Fe y O x is not obvious. Effects of O 2 concentration, SO 2 and SO 2  + H 2 O on NH 3 -SCR activity over NdPW/Fe y O x(25) and the control experiments were also investigated, the results of which illustrates that O 2 exerts a significant promotion effect on the SCR reaction and the impact of SO 2 (470 ppm) on catalytic activity is almost negligible. NdPW/Fe y O x(25) presents appealing properties of hydrothermal stability and SO 2 -tolerance, and exhibits a great potential in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructural changes resulted from neutron irradiation and post-irradiation annealing in a high-temperature ultra-fine precipitate strengthened (HT-UPS) stainless steel were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT). Three HT-UPS samples were neutron-irradiated to 3 dpa at 500 °C, and after irradiation, two of them were annealed for 1 h at 600 °C and 700 °C, respectively. Frank dislocation loops were the dominant defect structure in both the as-irradiated and 600 °C post-irradiation-annealed (PIAed) samples, and the loop sizes and densities were similar in these two samples. Unfaulted dislocation loops were observed in the 700 °C PIAed sample, and the loop density was greatly reduced in comparison with that in the as-irradiated sample. Nano-sized MX precipitates were observed under TEM in the 700 °C PIAed sample, but not in the 600 °C PIAed or the as-irradiated samples. The titanium-rich clusters were identified in all three samples using APT. The post-irradiation annealing (PIA) caused the growth of the Ti-rich clusters with a stronger effect at 700 °C than at 600 °C. The irradiation caused elemental segregations at the grain boundary and the grain interior, and the grain boundary segregation behavior is consistent with observations in other irradiated austenitic steels. APT results showed that PIA reduced the magnitude of irradiation induced segregations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by a series of emotional, physical and behavioral symptoms. Although PMS is related to dysfunctions of the central nervous system, the neuropathological mechanism of PMS still has not been clearly established. The aim of this study is to evaluate potential differences in both cortical thickness and subcortical volumes in PMS patients compared to healthy controls (HCs).Methods: Twenty PMS patients and twenty HCs underwent a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan and clinical assessment. Cortical thickness and subcortical volumes were computed using the FreeSurfer image analysis suite. Relationships between cortical thickness/subcortical volumes and the daily rating of severity of problems (DRSP) score were then measured in patients.Results: Compared to HCs, PMS patients exhibited reduced cortical thickness in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and insula, and increased subcortical volumes of the amygdala, thalamus and pallidum. Furthermore, negative correlations were detected between the DRSP and cortical thickness in the anterior cingulate cortex and precuneus.Limitations: The study is limited by a small sample size and narrow age range of participants.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the abnormal morphological changes are mainly implicated in emotional regulation and visceral perception in PMS patients. We hope that our study may contribute to a better understanding of PMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analysis of massive CT lung image among COVID-19, CAP, and nonpneumonia subjects. • Significantly reduced lung volume was found in COVID-19 patients. • Significantly increased lung mass and density were found in COVID-19 patients. • The infections of COVID-19 patients tend to present as bilateral lower lobes. The ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has become a huge threat to global public health. Using CT image, 3389 COVID-19 patients, 1593 community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients, and 1707 nonpneumonia subjects were included to explore the different patterns of lung and lung infection. We found that COVID-19 patients have a significant reduced lung volume with increased density and mass, and the infections tend to present as bilateral lower lobes. The findings provide imaging evidence to improve our understanding of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A simple and effective method for the synthesis of 3D heterogeneous structures. • The synergistic effect between the components improves the activity of the material. • The 3D heterostructured catalyst has excellent electrocatalytic performance. • Electron transfer was studied using DFT. The use of efficient and economical electrocatalysts is essential to facilitate hysteretic kinetics throughout the water-splitting process. This paper presents a strategy for the in-situ conversion of NiMoO 4 to needle-like NiS 2 -MoS 2 heterojunction structures on reduced graphene oxide-modified nickel foam substrates (rGO/NF) via a one-step vulcanization method. Theoretical calculations reveal that charge engineering modulation of dissipation and accumulation of electrons at the NiS 2 and MoS 2 heterogeneous interface optimizes the reaction sites and d-band centers away from the Fermi energy level, improving the intrinsic catalytic activity. As expected, NiS 2 -MoS 2 /rGO/NF catalysts with rich heterogeneous interfaces, abundant defects, fully exposed active sites, and electronic interactions exhibit excellent activity in oxygen evolution reactions (OER) and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), specifically, at overpotentials of 210 and 103 mV, reaching 10 mA cm−2 for OER and more importantly, when used as both cathode and anode for overall water separation, a low cell voltage of 1.52 V is required to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2, which is considerably better than other bifunctional electrocatalysts. 3D needle-like NiS 2− MoS 2 /rGO/NF heterogeneous interface engineering to promote overall water-splitting [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• One tubular micro-sonobot with a conical inner space for trapping microbubbles was proposed. • The maximum speed of the micro-sonobot achieves up to 1800 times body length per second. • Both fast propulsion and predefined aggregation can be modulated on demand. • The micro-sonobot providies a powerful tool for enhanced fluorescence detection. Artificially synthesized self-powered micro/nanorobots have evolved greatly based on the established micro/nano-fabrication technology. However, micro/nanorobots in multiple practical applications including biosensing, environmental governance, and drug delivery are still limited by their moving agility and biocompatibility. Here, we present an acoustically actuated microrobot fabricated by electrochemical deposition using 3, 4- ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) and SiO 2 as the basic materials, called PEDOT/SiO 2 micro-sonobot. The proposed microrobot has a creative structure design of a tubular body with a conical inner space for trapping microbubbles, which helps to achieve an ultra-high moving speed. The streaming generated by the resonant microbubble propels the PEDOT/SiO 2 micro-sonobot at a maximum speed of 1800 times body length per second. The multi-mode control strategy is attractive in manipulating the PEDOT/SiO 2 micro-sonobot to trap and enrich cargos, providing a powerful tool for nano-sized biological target detection. Facilitated by the streaming induced by resonant microbubble and the negative charge carried by the PEDOT/SiO 2 micro-sonobots, positively charged microparticles are therefore adsorbed and trapped. Furthermore, a V-shaped reflector was introduced as a solid isolator to aggregate the micro-sonobots as well as the carried target particles towards the bottom of the reflector. At last, 500 nm Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA) fluorescent particles are selected to demonstrate the enhanced fluorescence biodetection using the multifunctional micro-sonobots. Featured with the capability of rapid locomotion, electrostatic attraction and on-demand aggregation, the proposed PEDOT/SiO 2 micro-sonobot paves a new way for enhancing fluorescent biodetection signals in an active and fast manner. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel bilayer Pickering emulsion stabilized by zein modification via selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) was developed. Under the guidance of morphology and encapsulation efficiency of oil, the synthesis process of the Pickering emulsion was optimized. The formation mechanism of the Pickering emulsion was speculated based on the microstructure, distribution of selenium and competition adsorption at the oil/water interface. Then, the influence of the concentration of zein in the zein-selenium nanoparticles on Pickering emulsion was discussed according to the size of emulsion droplets, freeze-drying stability, rheology and lipid oxidation. Finally, an in vivo experiment was used to investigate the skin penetration and biodistribution of Pickering emulsion containing selenium. The results indicated that zein NPs were adsorbed on the surface of selenium and formed a bilayer Pickering emulsion. Under optimized conditions, the size of the emulsion droplets could remain 11.60 ± 0.13 μm, and no obvious coalescence or instability occurred after 60 days of storage. The increase in zein concentration had a positive effect on the encapsulation efficiency of oil, rheology and oxidation resistance of Pickering emulsion. In addition, this research provided a potential synthesis strategy for the introduction of other inorganic trace elements into Pickering emulsion and further applications. Top: Schematic diagram of the formation of Pickering emulsion and the effect of Zein concentration to the emulsion Down: The rheology, selenium content and permeability in vivo of Pickering emulsion. The photographs were plotted by Hao Wang. [Display omitted] • Pickering emulsions stabilized by Zein-selenium nanoparticles were developed. • Zein could avoid the accumulation of nano-selenium at the oil-water interface. • Pickering emulsions with high content of Zein showed great physical stability. • The nano-selenium in Pickering emulsion was skin permeable in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted tremendous attention as an emerging photovoltaic technology due to their high efficiency, low cost and ease of fabrication from earth-abundant materials [1], [2]. We fabricated mixed Pb-Sn low-bandgap perovskite solar cells using NiO SB x sb as HTL with a planar device structure of glass/ITO/NiO SB x sb /perovskite/C SB 60 sb /BCP/Cu (Fig. Our results indicate that NiO SB x sb is a promising HTL for mixed Pb-Sn low-bandgap perovskite solar cells, which sheds light on fabricating highly efficient and stable all-perovskite tandem solar cells. [Extracted from the article]

A 150 μm thick fully dense Ni coating was deposited on AZ31B magnesium alloy by a newly developed in-situ shot-peening-assisted cold spray process. Strong adhesion strength of Ni coating (>65.4 MPa) was achieved. The present Ni coated AZ31B reveals comparable electrochemical behavior with annealed bulk Ni in 3.5 wt.% NaCl aqueous solution. Long-term immersion test (1000 h) and NaCl salt spray test (1000 h) further verified the robust corrosion resistance of the cold sprayed Ni coating. This work provides a novel green approach for corrosion protection of magnesium alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Functional brain abnormalities have been noted in premenstrual syndrome (PMS). However, the brain structural alterations related to PMS remain unclear. This study aimed to identify possible abnormalities in gray matter (GM) volumes and structural covariance patterns among PMS patients.Methods: Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained from 20 PMS patients and 20 healthy controls. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was applied to examine GM volumes changes between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to investigate the most reliable biomarker for distinguishing PMS patients from health controls based on the intergroup differences. Correlation analysis was then performed to assess relationships between the daily rating of severity of problems (DRSP) and abnormal brain regions. Finally, the regions identified from VBM analysis were served as seeds to characterize the whole-brain structural covariance patterns.Results: Compared with healthy controls, PMS patients showed increased GM volumes in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (precuneus/PCC) and thalamus, and decreased GM volumes in the insula. The precuneus/PCC exhibited the highest classification power by ROC analysis and positively correlated with the DRSP. Moreover, different patterns of structural covariance in the two groups were mainly located in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, angular gyrus and hippocampus.Limitations: This study is limited by a small sample and narrow age range of participants.Conclusions: Our findings may provide preliminary evidence for brain morphology alterations in PMS patients and contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of PMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A joint timing and frequency synchronization method has been proposed for coherent optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) system in this paper. The timing offset (TO), integer frequency offset (FO) and the fractional FO can be realized by only one training symbol, which consists of two linear frequency modulation (LFM) signals with opposite chirp rates. By detecting the peak of LFM signals after Radon–Wigner transform (RWT), the TO and the integer FO can be estimated at the same time, moreover, the fractional FO can be acquired correspondingly through the self-correlation characteristic of the same training symbol. Simulation results show that the proposed method can give a more accurate TO estimation than the existing methods, especially at poor OSNR conditions; for the FO estimation, both the fractional and the integer FO can be estimated through the proposed training symbol with no extra overhead, a more accurate estimation and a large FO estimation range of [ − 5 GHz, 5GHz] can be acquired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles decorated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal treatment for enhancing gas-sensing performance toward ethanol. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic (EDS) results indicate the presence of Ag nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results reveal that Ag nanoparticles are tightly anchored on the surface of ZnO nanorods. The UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS) results confirm that the band gap energy is decreased due to the decoration of Ag. The gas sensing performance of as-synthesized materials was investigated at different working temperatures and toward various ethanol concentrations. The gas-sensing results exhibit that the 1 wt% Ag/ZnO sensor shows the highest sensitivity of 389.6 toward 800 ppm ethanol and fast response among all the sensors. The improved response of Ag/ZnO sensors is ascribed to the catalysis and spillover effect of Ag. This result makes Ag/ZnO sensor a very promising gas sensing material for gas detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we demonstrate the high-performance inverted planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) based on the novel inorganic hole-transporting layer (HTL) of silver (Ag)-doped NiO x (Ag:NiO x ). Density-functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that Ag prefers to occupy the substitutional Ni site (Ag Ni ) and behaves as an acceptor in NiO lattice. Compared with the pristine NiO x films, appropriate Ag doping can increase the optical transparency, work function, electrical conductivity and hole mobility of NiO x films. Moreover, the CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite films grown on Ag:NiO x exhibit better crystallinity, higher coverage and smoother surface with densely packed larger grains than those grown on the pristine NiO x film. Consequently, the Ag:NiO x HTL boosts the efficiency of the inverted planar heterojunction PeSCs from 13.46% (for the pristine NiO x -based device) to 16.86% (for the 2 at.% Ag:NiO x -based device). Furthermore, the environmental stability of PeSCs based on Ag:NiO x HTL is dramatically improved compared to devices based on organic HTLs and pristine NiO x HTLs. This work provides a simple and effective HTL material system for high-efficient and stable PeSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a life-threatening disease with high misdiagnosis and mortality rates due to its complex etiology and unknown pathophysiology. The present study aimed to establish an animal model suitable for assessing the pathophysiology of CVST and develop treatment methods. Methods 40% ferric chloride (FeCl3) was administered for 5 min followed by thrombin injection to induce superior sagittal sinus thrombosis (SSST). Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed to ensure thrombosis and evaluate the recanalization rate 7 days post-CVST. Neurological evaluation, Evans blue injection, 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining were used to assess thrombosis and the accompanying brain parenchyma. Results SSST was detected in all model rabbits, with a thrombus recanalization rate of 10%. Brain infarction, hemorrhage, cell edema, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) were also observed. Conclusion The method of inducing cerebral venous sinus thrombosis by applying 40% FeCl3 and injecting thrombin is feasible and efficient. This experimental model mimics the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of actual CVST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanshinone I from tanshen has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory diseases. Given the link between inflammation and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), we suspect that tanshinone I may have a beneficial effect on T2DM. This study was to investigate the potential effects of tanshinone I on T2DM and its underlying mechanism. T2DM was thus induced in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats using streptozotocin (STZ) and high-fat diet. It was observed that T2DM rats had higher levels of total cholesterol (TC), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs), total triglyceride (TG) and total low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared with normal, healthy SD rats. Treatment with tanshinone I decreased these levels and lowered blood glucose level in T2DM rats. In addition, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis showed that T2DM rats had elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Furthermore, Western blot analysis revealed that T2DM rats had enhanced nuclear translocation of NF-κB as well as elevated phosphorylation of Ser307 in IRS-1(insulin receptor substrate 1). Treatment by tanshinone I lowered the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, decreased nuclear translocation of NF-κB as well as phosphorylation of Ser307 in IRS-1. These results demonstrated that tanshinone I could alleviate T2DM syndrome in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The complexity of periodontitis, including the complex formation mechanisms and the complex periodontium physiological environment, as well as the complex association with multiple complications, often results in poor therapy effects. Herein, we aimed to design a nanosystem with a controlled release of minocycline hydrochloride (MH) and good retention to effectively treat periodontitis by inhibiting inflammation and repairing the alveolar bone. Firstly, insoluble ion-pairing (IIP) complexes were constructed to improve the encapsulation efficiency of hydrophilic MH in PLGA nanoparticles. Then, a nanogenerator was constructed and combined with a double emulsion method to encapsulate the complexes into PLGA nanoparticles (MH-NPs). The average particle size of MH-NPs was about 100 nm as observed by AFM and TEM, and the drug loading and encapsulation efficiency were 9.59% and 95.58%, respectively. Finally, a multifunctional system (MH-NPs-in-gels) was prepared by dispersing MH-NPs into thermosensitive gels, which could continue to release drug for 21 days in vitro. And the release mechanism showed that this controlled release behavior for MH was influenced by the insoluble ion-pairing complex, PLGA nanoparticles, and gels. In addition, the periodontitis rat model was established to investigate the pharmacodynamic effects. After 4 weeks of treatment, changes in the alveolar bone were assessed by Micro-CT (BV/TV: 70.88%; BMD: 0.97 g/cm3; TB.Th: 0.14 mm; Tb.N: 6.39 mm−1; Tb.Sp: 0.07 mm). The mechanism of MH-NPs-in-gels in vivo was clarified by the analysis of pharmacodynamic results, which showed that insoluble ion-pairing complexes with the aid of PLGA nanoparticles and gels achieved significant anti-inflammatory effects and bone repair capabilities. In conclusion, the multiple controlled-release hydrophilicity MH delivery system would have good prospects for the effective treatment of periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]