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The lanthanum sulfide γ-La 2 S 3 with cubic Th 3 P 4 structure has emerged as a promising long-wave infrared transparent material. However, the γ-La 2 S 3 is only stable at high temperatures (>1300 °C). In this work, a novel method to lower the stabilization temperature is reported. Bivalent Ba ions are incorporated into the La 2 S 3 crystal structure and the stabilization temperature of the γ-La 2 S 3 decreased to less than 850 °C. The Ba2+-doped γ-La 2 S 3 (γ-La 2 S 3 : Ba2+) was successfully developed using the coprecipitation reaction method and sulfidation with CS 2. The high phase purity, good thermal stability, and lowest oxide sulfide impurities were obtained by Ba/La = 0.1 (in mole, abbreviated as n Ba/La = 0.1). The first-principles calculation shows that the theoretical E g of the prepared γ-La 2 S 3 : Ba2+ was 2.94 eV, which matched well with the experimental data. The energy band structure and density of states of the synthesized γ-La 2 S 3 : Ba2+ powder indicated that it was an indirect semiconductor which could be employed as a raw material for preparing infrared transparent optical ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An atomic lattice-mimicry method is proposed to design macroscopic metamaterials with scaled-up NPR mechanism. • The effective Poisson's ratio and normalized Young's modulus of the metamaterial are strain-independent. • An optimized auxetic metamaterials is achieved, with 3 times enhancement of NPR and 2 orders of magnitude enhancement of normalized Young's modulus. Metamaterials with strain-independent negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) and Young's modulus are essential for the applications with extreme loading conditions. However, strain-independent auxetic metamaterials are rare, and there is a lack of design inspiration for them. In this paper, we present a novel auxetic metamaterial inspired from the atomic lattice with strain-independent NPR. The novel NPR properties due to the unique atomic lattice keep valid when scaling up by 6 orders of magnitude to macroscopic metamaterials, with the similar deformation mechanism. The NPR and Young's modulus keep constant with increasing loading strain. These strain-independent auxetic effects are robust with various designable geometric parameters in wide ranges. Furthermore, the geometric parameters optimization for the auxetic metamaterial is conducted through developing the matrix displacement method. An optimized metamaterial is achieved with 3 times enhancement of auxeticity and 2 orders of magnitude enhancement of Young's modulus, compared to the initio architectures. This work provides a wealth of inspirations from atomic lattice in nature to design strain-independent macroscale auxetic metamaterials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is a risk gene for schizophrenia and involved in neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity. Polymorphisms in NRG1 may affect psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. This study investigated the effects of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6982890 on peripheral plasma NRG1 immunoreactivity, clinical symptoms and cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients. We recruited subjects from the Han population of northern China from 2010 to 2022. We first genotyped and analyzed 6 NRG1 SNPS in 1304 patients with schizophrenia and 871 healthy controls. Then, 91 patients with schizophrenia and 40 healthy controls were selected to detect the peripheral plasma NRG1 immunoreactivity by ELISA. Among them, 84 patients were divided into rs6982890 genotypes to analyze the correlation between NRG1 immunoreactivity and clinical symptoms. Rs6982890 allelic frequencies were statistically significant between patients and controls. Baseline peripheral plasma NRG1 immunoreactivity in patients were significantly lower than controls. NRG1 immunoreactivity in patients were significantly increased after 8 weeks of antipsychotic treatment and significantly correlated with clinical symptoms and cognitive function. Genotyping of patients with SNP rs6982890 indicated NRG1 immunoreactivity in CC genotype increased significantly after treatment, while CT genotype had no significant change. Baseline NRG1 immunoreactivity with the CT genotype were significantly higher than CC genotype. NRG1 SNP rs6982890 is significantly associated with schizophrenia in the Han population of northern China, and it may affect the effect of antipsychotic drug treatment by regulating the peripheral plasma NRG1 immunoreactivity. • To verify the genotype frequency of NRG1 SNP rs6982890 in the northern Han population. • Peripheral plasma NRG1 immunoreactivity was measured by Elisa in healthy controls and schizophrenia. • Different genotypes of NRG1 SNP rs6982890 have an effect on the expression of NRG1. • NRG1 expression was significantly correlated with psychiatric symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-stable flexible ammonia operation strategy with engineering feasibility. • A two-stage optimization model for capacity design and operational scheduling. • The different flexible strategies of ammonia synthesis are compared and analyzed. • Balancing economic, safety, and low-carbon attributes of the green ammonia system. • Daily cumulative fluctuation rate of ammonia production load reduced by 79.89%. The potential of power-to-ammonia is increasingly recognized as a large-scale renewable electrical energy storage technology in the energy-transition landscape. Unlike conventional, continuously operating Haber-Bosch production processes, power-to-ammonia processes face operational challenges stemming from fluctuations in renewable power supply. Systematic strategies that can adapt to these fluctuations are required to improve the operational flexibility and stability of power-to-ammonia processes for industrial applications. This study proposes a multi-stable flexible ammonia operation strategy, which is practical and feasible in engineering. To maximize net profit, a design scheduling coordination optimization model is established and solved using a two-stage algorithmic framework of particle swarm and mixed integer linear programming. Additionally, three flexible scenarios are designed for the simulation analysis of a grid-connected green ammonia system. Compared with the traditional constant inflexible scenario, the multi-stable flexible scenario increases annual net profit by 5.05 M$ and reduces carbon emission intensity by 1.61 kg CO 2 /kgNH 3. Furthermore, compared with the continuous flexible scenario, the volatility of the ammonia production load is reduced by 79.89 %. The multi-stable flexible operation strategy balances the green ammonia system's economic, safety, and low-carbon attributes. Sensitivity analysis reveals that wind and photovoltaic complementary power generation reduces green ammonia costs and carbon emissions. When the selling price of ammonia exceeds 550 $/t, ammonia production and sales should be prioritized, but at lower ammonia prices, selling electricity to the grid to optimize economic efficiency is advised. This study provides novel insights into the flexible operation of the power-to-ammonia process and is expected to offer guidance for constructing and operating green ammonia systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral infections are amongst the most prevalent diseases that pose a significant threat to human health. Targeting viral proteins or host factors represents two primary strategies for the development of antiviral drugs. In contrast to virus-targeting antivirals (VTAs), host-targeting antivirals (HTAs) offer advantages in terms of overcoming drug resistance and effectively combating a wide range of viruses, including newly emerging ones. Therefore, targeting host factors emerges as an extremely promising strategy with the potential to address critical challenges faced by VTAs. In recent years, extensive research has been conducted on the discovery and development of HTAs, leading to the approval of maraviroc, a chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) antagonist used for the treatment of HIV-1 infected individuals, with several other potential treatments in various stages of development for different viral infections. This review systematically summarizes advancements made in medicinal chemistry regarding various host targets and classifies them into four distinct catagories based on their involvement in the viral life cycle: virus attachment and entry, biosynthesis, nuclear import and export, and viral release. [Display omitted] • Host-targeting antivirals offer promising prospects due to their broad-spectrum antiviral profiles and high genetic barrier against drug resistance. • This review systematically summarizes advancements made in medicinal chemistry regarding various host targets and classifies them into four different catagories based on the viral life cycle, namely virus attachment and entry, biosynthesis, nuclear import and export, viral assemble and release. • This review aims to provide insights for the development of the broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moisture-sensitive gels with recyclable and switchable mechanics hold great promise for electronic generation. However, the volume, mechanical, electrical stability of gels during repeated hydration-dehydration remain a big challenge. In this study, we have developed a high-strength ionogel by incorporating a polyacrylic acid (PAA) network with multiple hydrogen bonds into the polyzwitterion-ionic liquid (PVBIPS-VEIMBF 4) network. The resulting ionogel exhibits an exceptional breaking strength of 67 MPa and significant water-induced softening (2600-fold modulus decrease) with the elongation of approximately 708%. Moreover, it remains stable over 7 rehydration processes without volume deformation, simultaneously exhibits excellent water/heat induced shape memory behavior. Additionally, due to the protonation ability of polyelectrolytes and the exceptional hydration ability of zwitterions, a single gel-based MEG can consistently produce a high voltage of 1.17 V at 85% outdoor humidity. With diverse applications in different states, this excellent ionogel demonstrates enormous potential for sustainable development of green materials. [Display omitted] • Zwitterionic ionogels show excellent stability during repeated dehydration-swelling. • The obtained ionogel exhibits desired water/heat induced shape memory behavior. • A single gel-based MEG can consistently produce a high voltage of 1.17 V at 85% RH. • A universal method to prepare such ionogels with various type of monomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct regeneration of cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries is efficient but suffers from the difficulty of accurately replenishing lithium, leading to poor performance of the regenerated materials. In this research, a solvothermal strategy for direct regeneration of spent cathode material into high electrochemical performances cathode material is reported. Spent LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 is directly regenerated by combining CH 3 CH 2 OH-LiNO 3 solvothermal relithiation and thermal annealing step. The results indicate that lithium can be precisely replenished to the missing sites, and the regenerated materials return to a stable layered structure, corresponding to excellent cyclability (90.23 % capacity retention after 560 cycles at 1 C). Owing to solvent circulation and the low relithiation temperature, the regeneration process displays low energy consumption, low CO 2 emissions and high profit; thus, presenting a promising route for direct regeneration of high-performance cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries. [Display omitted] • A solvothermal strategy for direct regeneration of spent cathode material has been proposed. • Solvothermal strategy achieves restoration of composition and structure in spent cathode materials. • Regenerated cathode material exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. • The regeneration process displays low energy consumption, low CO 2 emissions and high profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The influence mechanism of harmful impurities in copper concentrate on copper oxide is analyzed. • The minimum threshold for harmful impurities is between 0.1 wt% and 0.5 wt%. • The self-made copper oxide has a content above 99% and an extraction rate of over 97%. • The self-made CuO added with MgO and Al 2 O 3 can still react 97% after 250 cycles, and the reoxidation rate is still 96.3%. Copper oxide is a promising material for thermochemical heat storage, but its high cost remains a challenge for large-scale applications. To address this issue, we explore using relatively cheap copper concentrate as a starting material. We heat treat the concentrate and find that it mainly consists of CuO and CuFe 2 O 4. Our thermogravimetric analysis shows that the re-oxidation performance of the concentrate is poor, with only 12.5 % reaction, which is about 32.5 % lower than that of commercial copper oxide (≥99.5 %). Our investigation reveals that impurities in the concentrate inhibit the re-oxidation of copper oxide, and their removal is essential to improve performance. Based on these findings, we optimize the existing purification process that removes impurities to less than 0.1–0.5 wt%. The resulting copper oxide has a content above 99 % and an extraction rate of over 97 %, which can minimize the waste of raw materials and reduce the influence of impurities. The redox properties of the purified copper oxide are comparable to those of commercially available copper oxide. On this basis, the self-made CuO was modified by doping with cheap MgO and Al 2 O 3 , whose reduction conversion rate and reoxidation rate could still reach 97.0 % and 96.3 % after 250 redox cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In order to overcome shortcomings of battery as a single energy source for electric vehicles and improve performance of electric vehicles, a simple multimode hybrid energy storage system (HESS) with battery and supercapacitor (SC) is proposed in this paper. The proposed simple multimode HESS can achieve boost mode when energy flows from power sources to motor inverter to supply power and buck mode when the energy flows from the motor inverter to the SC to recover power. The flexible power management can be achieved with the simple multimode HESS. Meanwhile, a small number of switches and a simple structure is helpful to design control strategy. In addition, taking into account the fractional characteristics of the HESS circuit, a fractional model of the HESS operation mode is established, and a novel fractional sliding mode control strategy is proposed based on the above model. Simulations are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed simple multimode HESS. Results show that the fractional order control strategy has better dynamic performance when compared with integer-order control strategy under the condition of system startup and parameters changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rose jam is a Chinese traditional food, usually preserved from rose petals and sugar. There were few metabolomics studies on rose petals accompanying pickling. We conducted a LC-MS/MS based metabolomics study to feature the dynamics profiles of rose jam nutrients. The rose jams with 10-, 20- and 30-days' sugar-pickling under different sun-exposure gradients were analyzed. Ultimately, there were 838 and 213 rose jam metabolites being identified in positive and negative ion mode, respectively. And a total of 492 differential metabolites accompanying pickling were detected. The dynamic temporal profiles of rose nutrients revealed that metabolites in rose jams showed directional distribution according to sugar-pickle times and parallel distribution according to sun exposure gradients. The temporal features of the nutrients suggested that the sugar pickling process could remain most of rose nutrients and expand the diversity of them. These results revealed the influence of sugar ratio and exposure time on rose jams nutrition composition and might be used as a theoretical guidance for the process optimization of rose jams industrial standardization production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO 2 hierarchical nanomaterials have been intensively investigated as a very promising photoanode in photoelectrochemical water splitting due to its combined effects of large surface area and fast electron transfer. However, the TiO 2 hierarchical nanostructures prepared by most prevailing synthesis methods currently are at distinct disadvantages such as complicated process, poor controllability, poor interfacial contact, excessive impurities and so on. Here we report a facile route to construct a well-defined TiO 2 hierarchical nanostructure via in-situ transformation of TiO 2 nanoparticles with highly exposed {001} facets in the tube wall of the pristine TiO 2 nanotube arrays. The resulted TiO 2 hierarchical nanostructures exhibit enhanced light harvesting, lowe recombination rate of photo-generated charger carrier. Upon these synergistic effects, the target hierarchical nanostructure shows significantly improved PEC performance and excellent photo-switching response with good reproducibility and stability. Corresponding photocurrent density and photon-to-current efficiency achieve 0.76 mA cm−2 and 0.50%, respectively, which show an enhancement of 1.70 and 1.32 times to those of the control one. This work provides a possible route for fabrication of TiO 2 starting materials with decent efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Bacterial communities in high C/N conditions have stronger connectivity. • Compost products retain more inorganic nitrogen under low initial C/N ratio. • C/N ratio of 14.6 is a better choice for low C/N composting. • Pseudoxanthomonas and Chelicaria were associated with reduced nitrogen losses. This study investigated compost quality and gaseous emissions during the algal sludge composting. The experiment explored the feasibility of low initial carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio composting by using different volume ratios of algal sludge and spent mushroom substrates (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4, corresponding to C/N ratios of 9.5, 12.3, 14.6, 16.0, respectively). The results showed that increasing the proportion of algal sludge in the initial material led to a longer maturation time and higher nitrogen losses but also enhanced the mineralization of organic nitrogen (converted to NH 4 + and NO 3 -) and reduced carbon losses. The addition of carbon-rich bulking agents within a certain range improved the diversity and interactions of bacterial communities during algal sludge composting. In conclusion, considering the nitrogen and carbon lost, retained, and made available across the four treatments, treatment 3 (C/N = 14.6) appears to be the optimal choice for low C/N composting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ML models are capable for estimating molecular biodegradability from formulas. • Thermodynamic indicator is helpful for interpreting molecular biodegradability. • Model explainability clarified the relations of biodegradability and formulas. • A ML based framework for exploring DOM biodegradability was presented. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is essential in biological treatment, yet its specific roles remain incompletely understood. This study introduces a machine learning (ML) framework to interpret DOM biodegradability in the anaerobic digestion (AD) of sludge, incorporating a thermodynamic indicator (λ). Ensemble models such as Xgboost and LightGBM achieved high accuracy (training: 0.90–0.98; testing: 0.75–0.85). The explainability of the ML models revealed that the features λ, measured m / z , nitrogen to carbon ratio (N/C), hydrogen to carbon ratio (H/C), and nominal oxidation state of carbon (NOSC) were significant formula features determining biodegradability. Shapley values further indicated that the biodegradable DOM were mostly formulas with λ lower than 0.03, measured m / z value higher than 600 Da, and N/C ratios higher than 0.2. This study suggests that a strategy based on ML and its explainability, considering formula features, particularly thermodynamic indicators, provides a novel approach for understanding and estimating the biodegradation of DOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oncogene amplification is a significant factor contributing to poor prognosis and limited treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Therefore, identifying amplified oncogenes and elucidating their oncogenic mechanisms will provide reliable therapeutic targets for the clinical treatment of gastric cancer. In this study, we identify a high amplification of 17q12, which includes five oncogenes that are co-amplified and co-overexpressed with ERBB2 using array comparative genomic hybridization, with migration and invasion enhancer 1 (MIEN1) being particularly highlighted for its clinical significance, function, and role in gastric cancer progression. By detecting MIEN1 copy number and expression level across eight gastric cancer cell lines and in tissue microarrays from 543 primary gastric cancer tissues, we found that MIEN1 amplification and overexpression correlated with sex and Lauren's intestinal type classification of gastric cancer. Besides that, elevated MIEN1 expression was associated with poorer patient survival. In vitro experiments have shown that MIEN1 overexpression enhanced cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, whereas MIEN1 knockdown reversed these malignant phenotypes in vitro. Furthermore, MIEN1 knockdown inhibited tumorigenesis and metastasis of gastric cancer cells in nude mice. Mechanistically, MIEN1 activates the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, which drives the proliferation, invasion, and migration of gastric cancer cells. This study demonstrates that MIEN1 contributes to the malignant behavior of gastric cancer through the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 pathway, suggesting that MIEN1 could serve as a valuable therapeutic target for gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much remains unknown for the selective translocation of ions across microporous polymeric membranes and it maintains a daunting challenge to pursue a polymeric membrane that can efficiently separate both anions and cations of comparable size. Here we explore the ion transport across hydrophilic microporous membrane derived from polymers of intrinsic microporosity, specifically the Trӧger's Base (TB) polymer DMBP-TB, through protonation and quaternization. We find the ion conduction through the resultant DMBP-TB+ membrane exhibits an obvious confining effect and a comprehensive study on the dependence of charge selectivity on ion concentrations reveals two distinct regimes, with an inverse from anion-selective to non-selective. The concentration-driven and electric-driven transport of anions or cations show a strong size sieving effect, with a cutoff size of around ~8.2 Å. The confining effect and the size effect transform to the best combination of a Li+ flux of 190.8 mmol m−2 h−1 and a Li+/Mg2+ selectivity of 21, which may benefit the extraction of Li resources. Our work provides new facts about the confined ion transport and potential applications of hydrophilic microporous polymeric membranes that feature easy fabrication, simple processing, and low cost. The highly rigid and contorted structure of Trӧger's Base polymer, specifically DMBP-TB, frustrate the packing of polymer chains, affording solution-processable microporous materials. When protonated or quaternized, the micropores serve as ion-conducting channels. The resulting DMBP-TB+ membrane behaves differently from conventional ion exchange membranes, demonstrating an inverse in charge selectivity. Distinct confining effect and strong size sieving effect are observed for cross-membrane ion transport. The transport of anions or cations with sizes bigger than 8.2 Å across the membrane is restricted. [Display omitted] • Ion conductive membranes were prepared from hydrophilic microporous polymers. • Ion selectivity of the hydrophilic microporous membranes was examined. • Charge effect, confining effect, and size effect were observed for ion permeation. • Hydrophilic microporous membranes can discriminate both anions and cations. • Ion sieving based on size effect was reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]