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Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a neurovascular disease with recently increasing incidence. Aseptic inflammatory responses play an important role in the pathology of CVT. Recent studies report that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are major triggers of thrombosis and inflammation in stroke, but their effect on brain injury in CVT requires further validation. In this study, two CVT animal models were used to simulate superior sagittal sinus thrombosis and cortical vein thrombosis. The effects of brain tissue infiltration of NETs and the molecular mechanisms associated with NET formation were deeply explored in combination with proteomics, histology, and serology. The results showed that the cortical vein thrombosis model could be combined with more severe blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption and showed more severe cerebral hemorrhage. Decreased Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression promotes high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) acetylation, causing increased cytosolic translocation and extracellular release, and HMGB1 can promote NET formation and recruitment. In addition, corticocerebral accumulation of NETs contributes to BBB damage. This establishes a vicious cycle between BBB damage and NET accumulation. SIRT1 mediated-HMGB1 deacetylation may play a critical role in attenuating BBB damage following CVT. This study employed a combined validation using models of venous sinus thrombosis and cortical vein thrombosis to investigate the deacetylation role of SIRT1, aiming to offer new insights into the pathological mechanisms of brain injury following CVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

K- and P-doped SrFe2As2 belong to hole doping and isovalent doping, respectively, and their effects on the band, Fermi surface, and partial density of states of Fe 3d and As 4p orbitals are also significantly different. However, these two types of doping consistently follow the rule that reducing the Fe ions height can quickly suppress antiferromagnetic order. Compared with the As-Fe-As angle, Fe-As bond length, and Fe-Fe distance, the decrease in Fe ions height more directly and quickly suppresses antiferromagnetic order, and the total density of states in the range of – 1.5 eV to ~ 1.5 eV exhibits similar properties in K and P doping in the process of 25% K- and 12.5% P-doped SrFe2As2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: γ-Aminobutyric acid alleviates acid-aluminum toxicity to roots associated with enhanced antioxidant metabolism as well as accumulation and transportation of citric and malic acids. Aluminum (Al) toxicity has become the main limiting factor for crop growth and development in acidic soils and is further being aggravated worldwide due to continuous industrial pollution. The current study was designed to examine effects of GABA priming on alleviating acid-Al toxicity in terms of root growth, antioxidant defense, citrate and malate metabolisms, and extensive metabolites remodeling in roots under acidic conditions. Thirty-seven-day-old creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) plants were used as test materials. Roots priming with or without 0.5 mM GABA for 3 days were cultivated in standard nutrient solution for 15 days as control or subjected to nutrient solution containing 5 mM AlCl3·6H2O for 15 days as acid-Al stress treatment. Roots were sampled for determinations of root characteristics, physiological and biochemical parameters, and metabolomics. GABA priming significantly alleviated acid-Al-induced root growth inhibition and oxidative damage, despite it promoted the accumulation of Al in roots. Analysis of metabolomics showed that GABA priming significantly increased accumulations of organic acids, amino acids, carbohydrates, and other metabolites in roots under acid-Al stress. In addition, GABA priming also significantly up-regulated key genes related to accumulation and transportation of malic and citric acids in roots under acid-Al stress. GABA-regulated metabolites participated in tricarboxylic acid cycle, GABA shunt, antioxidant defense system, and lipid metabolism, which played positive roles in reactive oxygen species scavenging, energy conversion, osmotic adjustment, and Al ion chelation in roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) having reduced chemical toxicity have been focused globally and become essential component of nanotechnology recently. In the study reported here, silver/iron oxide nanocomposite (Ag/Fe2O3) was biosynthesized from ginger oil via a green, economic, and eco-friendly strategy. The biosynthesized Ag/Fe2O3 were characterized using ultraviolet visible (UV–Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscope/energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM–EDX) analysis. The particulates showed a spherical-morphology and had sizes between 44 and 200 nm. Ag/Fe2O3 FTIR analysis revealed functional groups that were analogous to organic metabolites, which reduced and stabilized the nanocomposite. Antimicrobial efficacy of the biosynthesized Ag/Fe2O3 against bacterial pathogens was assessed. In addition, Ag/Fe2O3 exhibited broad spectrum activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with inhibition zones 22.6 ± 1.15, 21.1 ± 1.44, 18 ± 1 and 17.4 ± 2.67 mm, respectively. The Ag/Fe2O3 showed promising antibacterial action against human bacterial pathogens, making them useful in the medical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interconnected risk factors that significantly increase the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Taurine has emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for MetS. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the effects of taurine supplementation on MetS-related parameters. Methods: We conducted electronic searches through databases like Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov, encompassing publications up to December 1, 2023. Our analysis focused on established MetS diagnostic criteria, including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Meta-regression explored potential dose-dependent relationships based on the total taurine dose administered during the treatment period. We also assessed secondary outcomes like body composition, lipid profile, and glycemic control. Results: Our analysis included 1024 participants from 25 RCTs. The daily dosage of taurine in the studies ranged from 0.5 g/day to 6 g/day, with follow-up periods varying between 5 and 365 days. Compared to control groups, taurine supplementation demonstrated statistically significant reductions in SBP (weighted mean difference [WMD] = −3.999 mmHg, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −7.293 to −0.706, p = 0.017), DBP (WMD = −1.509 mmHg, 95% CI = −2.479 to −0.539, p = 0.002), FBG (WMD: −5.882 mg/dL, 95% CI: −10.747 to −1.018, p = 0.018), TG (WMD: −18.315 mg/dL, 95% CI: −25.628 to −11.002, p < 0.001), but not in HDL-C (WMD: 0.644 mg/dl, 95% CI: −0.244 to 1.532, p = 0.155). Meta-regression analysis revealed a dose-dependent reduction in DBP (coefficient = −0.0108 mmHg per g, p = 0.0297) and FBG (coefficient = −0.0445 mg/dL per g, p = 0.0273). No significant adverse effects were observed compared to the control group. Conclusion: Taurine supplementation exhibits positive effects on multiple MetS-related factors, making it a potential dietary addition for individuals at risk of or already experiencing MetS. Future research may explore dose-optimization strategies and potential long-term benefits of taurine for MetS management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is a keystone species in savanna ecosystems from southern to eastern Africa, and is well known for its spectacular migrations and locally extreme abundance. In contrast, the black wildebeest (C. gnou) is endemic to southern Africa, barely escaped extinction in the 1900s and is feared to be in danger of genetic swamping from the blue wildebeest. Despite the ecological importance of the wildebeest, there is a lack of understanding of how its unique migratory ecology has affected its gene flow, genetic structure and phylogeography. Here, we analyze whole genomes from 121 blue and 22 black wildebeest across the genus' range. We find discrete genetic structure consistent with the morphologically defined subspecies. Unexpectedly, our analyses reveal no signs of recent interspecific admixture, but rather a late Pleistocene introgression of black wildebeest into the southern blue wildebeest populations. Finally, we find that migratory blue wildebeest populations exhibit a combination of long-range panmixia, higher genetic diversity and lower inbreeding levels compared to neighboring populations whose migration has recently been disrupted. These findings provide crucial insights into the evolutionary history of the wildebeest, and tangible genetic evidence for the negative effects of anthropogenic activities on highly migratory ungulates. The evolutionary genetics of a keystone savannah species the blue wildebeest, and the related black wildebeest, remain largely unexplored. This study finds evidence for archaic introgression of black wildebeest to blue wildebeest and detrimental effects of human activities on migratory populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, theoretical and experimental research was conducted on the laser cleaning of SiO2 particles on the surface of a silicon substrate via a nanosecond pulsed laser. The adhesion force between SiO2 particles of different sizes and the silicon substrate was obtained via theoretical calculations. Numerical simulations were used to analyze the temperature rise and thermal expansion force of the silicon substrate after absorbing laser energy to quantify the cleaning force on the particles and predict the cleaning threshold of the particles and damage threshold of the silicon substrate. The results showed that the cleaning thresholds of 1-μm and 5-μm SiO2 particles on the silicon surface were 7.69 J/cm2 and 0.342 J/cm2, respectively, and the damage threshold of the silicon substrate was 8.12 J/cm2. The removal rate of SiO2 particles on the silicon surface gradually increased with increases in the laser energy density. Based on the premise of not damaging the silicon substrate, the SiO2 particles with particle size above 1 μm can be completely removed. The surface roughness of the cleaned silicon was 1 nm, which was close to that of the original silicon surface. The surface crystal spacing and lattice constant of the laser-cleaned silicon substrate exceeded those of the original silicon sample. In the nanosecond laser cleaning of SiO2 particles on the surface of silicon, particle removal mechanisms include the silicon substrate thermal absorption expansion and near-field-enhancement effect. The light intensity below the SiO2 particles was approximately 17.45 times the laser input light intensity when the near-field effect occurred. Additionally, the simultaneous removal of particles easily led to the generation of pits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid diagnosis of respiratory virus infection through breath and blow remains challenging. Here we develop a wireless, battery-free, multifunctional pathogenic infection diagnosis system (PIDS) for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptom severity by blow and breath within 110 s and 350 s, respectively. The accuracies reach to 100% and 92% for evaluating the infection and symptom severity of 42 participants, respectively. PIDS realizes simultaneous gaseous sample collection, biomarker identification, abnormal physical signs recording and machine learning analysis. We transform PIDS into other miniaturized wearable or portable electronic platforms that may widen the diagnostic modes at home, outdoors and public places. Collectively, we demonstrate a general-purpose technology for rapidly diagnosing respiratory pathogenic infection by breath and blow, alleviating the technical bottleneck of saliva and nasopharyngeal secretions. PIDS may serve as a complementary diagnostic tool for other point-of-care techniques and guide the symptomatic treatment of viral infections. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted our need for methods that allow rapid viral surveillance. Here, authors report a wireless, battery-free and wearable self-diagnosis platform that can continuously capture viral particles, diagnose infection status and evaluate symptom severity via breath and blow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of microglia to a pro-inflammatory phenotype at the site of traumatic brain injury (TBI) drives the progression of secondary neurodegeneration and irreversible neurological impairment. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been shown to suppress this phenotype transformation, thereby reducing neuroinflammation following TBI, but the molecular mechanisms are unknown. We found that Omega-3 PUFA suppressed the expression of disintegrin metalloproteinase (ADAM17), the enzyme required to convert tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) to the soluble form, thereby inhibiting the TNF-α/NF-κB pathway both in vitro and in a mouse model of TBI. Omega-3 PUFA also prevented the reactive transformation of microglia and promoted the secretion of microglial exosomes containing nerve growth factor (NGF), activating the neuroprotective NGF/TrkA pathway both in culture and TBI model mice. Moreover, Omega-3 PUFA suppressed the pro-apoptotic NGF/P75NTR pathway at the TBI site and reduced apoptotic neuronal death, brain edema, and disruption of the blood–brain barrier. Finally, Omega-3 PUFA preserved sensory and motor function as assessed by two broad-spectrum test batteries. The beneficial effects of Omega-3 PUFA were blocked by an ADAM17 promotor and by a NGF inhibitor, confirming the pathogenic function of ADAM17 and the central neuroprotective role of NGF. Collectively, these findings provide a strong experimental basis for Omega-3 PUFA as a potential clinical treatment for TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalysis is becoming more and more important in energy conversion and storage due to rising energy demands, increasing carbon dioxide emissions, and impending climate change. The design and synthesis of high-performance electrocatalysts are the spotlights of electrocatalysis. Among many design methodologies reported, strain engineering has gained growing attention because it can change the atomic arrangement and lattice structure of electrocatalysts. However, strain engineering remains to be problematic in regulating the properties of electrocatalysts. This review discusses the strain effect tactics to regulate metal and non-metal electrocatalysts, including three sections focusing on strain categorization, strain regulation mechanism, and applications in electrocatalysis, respectively. Finally, the current challenges and an outlook of strain engineering are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mohn Ridge separates the Greenland Sea and the Lofoten Basin. Previous studies identified the export across the Mohn Ridge (EMR) from the Greenland Basin into the Lofoten Basin using water mass analysis and the tracer diffusion method, but there is still lack of direct current measurements. A surface mooring with four current meters was deployed on the Mohn Ridge from June 5 to June 18 in 2015, when three cyclones passed in the adjacent area. In the absence of cyclones, the flow on the Mohn Ridge was northeastward, parallel to the ridge. When cyclones appeared, the EMR occurred to transport Greenland Sea water into the Lofoten Basin. The probable mechanism is the sea level height variation caused by the perturbation of the low pressure of cyclones, which yields an outward pressure gradient force to drive the outflow. Our results suggest that the outflow is intermittent and only happens during cyclone activities. The annual mean volume flux of EMR was roughly estimated by the limited data, which is about 3.8×106 m3/s, a little bit smaller than the estimation based on volume conservation. The results indicate that the contribution of the cyclonic storms to EMR is a greatly important mechanism that potentially influences the global thermohaline circulation through the Greenland-Scotland Ridge overflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-world networks, such as social networks, cryptocurrency networks, and e-commerce networks, always have occurrence time of interactions between nodes. Such networks are typically modeled as temporal graphs. Mining cohesive subgraphs from temporal graphs is practical and essential in numerous data mining applications, since mining cohesive subgraphs gets insights into the time-varying nature of temporal graphs. However, existing studies on mining cohesive subgraphs, such as Densest-Exact and k-truss, are mainly tailored for static graphs (whose edges have no temporal information). Therefore, those cohesive subgraph models cannot indicate both the temporal and the structural characteristics of subgraphs. To this end, we explore the model of cohesive temporal subgraphs by incorporating both the evolving and the structural characteristics of temporal subgraphs. Unfortunately, the volume of time intervals in a temporal network is quadratic. As a result, the time complexity of mining temporal cohesive subgraphs is high. To efficiently address the problem, we first mine the temporal density distribution of temporal graphs. Guided by the distribution, we can safely prune many unqualified time intervals with the linear time cost. Then, the remaining time intervals where cohesive temporal subgraphs fall in are examined using the greedy search. The results of the experiments on nine real-world temporal graphs indicate that our model outperforms state-of-the-art solutions in efficiency and quality. Specifically, our model only takes less than two minutes on a million-vertex DBLP and has the highest overall average ranking in EDB and TC metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of solid–liquid interfaces is of great importance for fundamental research as well as industrial applications. However, it has been very challenging to directly image solid–liquid interfaces with high resolution, thus their structure and properties are often unknown. Here, we report a quasi-liquid phase between metal (In, Sn) nanoparticle surfaces and an aqueous solution observed using liquid cell transmission electron microscopy. Our real-time high-resolution imaging reveals a thin layer of liquid-like materials at the interfaces with the frequent appearance of small In nanoclusters. Such a quasi-liquid phase serves as an intermediate for the mass transport from the metal nanoparticle to the liquid. Density functional theory-molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that the positive charges of In ions greatly contribute to the stabilization of the quasi-liquid phase on the metal surface. Solid–liquid interfaces are ubiquitous in natural and technological processes, but their imaging at the atomic scale has been challenging. The authors, using liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy, identify a quasi-liquid phase and the mass transport between the surface of In and Sn nanocrystals and an aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oceanic vertical mixing of the lower halocline water (LHW) in the Chukchi Borderland and Mendeleyev Ridge was studied based on in situ hydrographic and turbulent observations. The depth-averaged turbulent dissipation rate of LHW demonstrates a clear topographic dependence, with a mean value of 1.2×10−9 W/kg in the southwest of Canada Basin, 1.5×10−9 W/kg in the Mendeleyev Abyssal Plain, 2.4×10−9 W/kg on the Mendeleyev Ridge, and 2.7×10−9 W/kg on the Chukchi Cap. Correspondingly, the mean depth-averaged vertical heat flux of the LHW is 0.21 W/m2 in the southwest Canada Basin, 0.30 W/m2 in the Mendeleyev Abyssal Plain, 0.39 W/m2 on the Mendeleyev Ridge, and 0.46 W/m2 on the Chukchi Cap. However, in the presence of Pacific Winter Water, the upward heat released from Atlantic Water through the lower halocline can hardly contribute to the surface ocean. Further, the underlying mechanisms of diapycnal mixing in LHW—double diffusion and shear instability—was investigated. The mixing in LHW where double diffusion were observed is always relatively weaker, with corresponding dissipation rate ranging from 1.01×10−9 W/kg to 1.57×10−9 W/kg. The results also show a strong correlation between the depth-average dissipation rate and strain variance in the LHW, which indicates a close physical linkage between the turbulent mixing and internal wave activities. In addition, both surface wind forcing and semidiurnal tides significantly contribute to the turbulent mixing in the LHW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ cross-linking encapsulation has been demonstrated to be an efficient strategy for enhancing the humidity stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, a novel cross-linkable fullerene derivative, namely 1-(p-benzoate-(p-methylvinylbenzene)-indolino[2,3][60] fullerene (FPPS), was readily synthesized from commercially available building blocks in two steps. This FPPS was employed as an interfacial modifier on perovskite surfaces in inverted planar p–i–n PSCs. Owing to the fast interfacial charge extraction and efficient trap passivation, PSCs based on the cross-linked FPPS (C-FPPS) exhibited excellent performance. The PSCs had a top-performing power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.82% with negligible hysteresis, compared to the control devices without C-PFFS (16.99%). Moreover, the strong water resistance of the C-FPPS interfacial layer distinctly enhances the ambient stability of PSC devices, exhibiting a t80 (the time required to reach 80% of the initial PCE) of 300 h under high-humidity conditions. This significantly surpasses the control devices, whose t80 was only 130 h. These results demonstrate that cross-linkable fullerene derivatives can be promising interfacial materials for designing high-efficiency, hysteresis-free, air-stable PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long term in situ atmospheric observation of the landfast ice nearby Zhongshan Station in the Prydz Bay was performed from April to November 2016. The in situ observation, including the conventional meteorological elements and turbulent flux, enabled this study to evaluate the sea ice surface energy budget process. Using in situ observations, three different reanalysis datasets from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Re-analysis (ERA-Interim), National Centers for Environmental Prediction Reanalysis2 (NCEP R2), and Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA55), and the Los Alamos sea ice model, CICE, output for surface fluxes were evaluated. The observed sensible heat flux (SH) and net longwave radiation showed seasonal variation with increasing temperature. Air temperature rose from the middle of October as the solar elevation angle increased. The ice surface lost more energy by outgoing longwave radiation as temperature increased, while the shortwave radiation showed obvious increases from the middle of October. The oceanic heat flux demonstrated seasonal variation and decreased with time, where the average values were 21 W/m2 and 11 W/m2, before and after August, respectively. The comparisons with in situ observations show that, SH and LE (latent heat flux) of JRA55 dataset had the smallest bias and mean absolute error (MAE), and those of NCEP R2 data show the largest differences. The ERA-Interim dataset had the highest spatial resolution, but performance was modest with bias and MAE between JRA55 and NCEP R2 compare with in situ observation. The CICE results (SH and LE) were consistent with the observed data but did not demonstrate the amplitude of inner seasonal variation. The comparison revealed better shortwave and longwave radiation stimulation based on the ERA-Interim forcing in CICE than the radiation of ERA-Interim. The average sea ice temperature decreased in June and July and increased after September, which was similar to the temperature measured by buoys, with a bias and MAE of 0.9°C and 1.0°C, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whitlockite β-Ca3(PO4)2-type materials have multiple crystallographic sites for occupying by rare earth ions to achieve a strong and broadband emitting covering the spectra from cyan to deep red and various abundant heterogeneous substitution ability to develop new luminescent materials. In this work, a broadband emitting Sr8MgGa(PO4)7:Eu2+ (SMGP) phosphor, deriving from β-Ca3(PO4)2 host by cations substitution, was prepared by solid state reaction at high temperature. Based on the Rietveld refinement results, SMGP host possesses a monoclinic system with a space group C2/m. The optimized doping concentration was determined to be 0.04. The SMGP: 0.04Eu2+ sample exhibit strong absorption at the wavelength of 250–500 nm, and a broadband emission from 450 to 800 nm covering the spectra from cyan to deep red. However, the SMGP: 0.04Eu2+ phosphors exhibit poor thermal stability with activation energy as 0.156 eV. By adjusting the composition of the trivalent ions Ga3+/Lu3+, controllable emission color from green to yellow can be achieved in the Sr8MgGa1-xLux(PO4)7:Eu2+ solid solution phosphors. Finally, a white light-emitting diodes (LED) lamp was prepared by coating the mixtures of SMGP: 0.04Eu2+ phosphors and BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ phosphors on the surface of 400 nm near-ultraviolet chip. The optimized white LED lamp exhibits a correlated color temperature of 2991 K and a good color rendering index of 90.2. These results demonstrate the commercialized prospect of SMGP: Eu2+ materials as a broadband emitting phosphor for application in solid state lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of Mn, Fe, Si vacancies and Al-doped 4H–SiC on the electronic structures and magnetic properties are studied by first principles calculations. The results indicate both Mn and Fe monodoped can induce magnetism. Additionally, the phenomenon of ferromagnetism is observed in (Mn, Fe)-codoped 4H–SiC system, mainly contributed by Mn and Fe atoms. The ferromagnetic mechanism is that C atoms act as a medium between Mn atom and Fe atom, forming a Mn–C–Si–C–Fe coupling chain. The Si vacancies have a weaker effect on inducing ferromagnetism and Al atom doped has no obvious effect on the magnetic properties. Our study provides an effective method of tuning magnetism in 4H–SiC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro/nanodevices have been widely applied for the real-time monitoring of intracellular activities and the delivery of exogenous substances in the past few years. This review focuses on miniaturized micro/nanodevices for assessment and treatment in stomatology and ophthalmology. We first summarize the recent progress in this field by examining the available materials and fabrication techniques, device design principles, mechanisms, and biosafety aspects of micro/nanodevices. Following a discussion of biochemical sensing technology from the cellular level to the tissue level for disease assessment, we then summarize the use of microneedles and other micro/nanodevices in the treatment of oral and ocular diseases and conditions, including oral cancer, eye wrinkles, keratitis, and infections. Along with the identified key challenges, this review concludes with future directions as a small fraction of vast opportunities, calling for joint efforts between clinicians and engineers with diverse backgrounds to help facilitate the rapid development of this burgeoning field in stomatology and ophthalmology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant progress on electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has been achieved in recent years. However, the research and development of electrolyzer device for CO2RR is scarce. Here we use anion exchange membrane to develop zero-gap electrolyzers for CO2RR. The electrochemical properties of the electrolyzers with Pd/C and Cu cathodes are investigated. The Pd/C cathode shows a current density of 200 mA cm−2 with CO Faradaic efficiency of 98% and energy efficiency of 48.8%, while the Cu cathode shows a current density of 350 mA cm−2 with total CO2RR Faradaic efficiency of 81.9% and energy efficiency of 30.5%. This work provides a promising demonstration of CO2 electrolyzer using anion exchange membrane for CO2 electrolysis at industrial current densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), the relationships between immune responses, carcinogens, and prognoses are not clarified yet. Here, we retrospectively reviewed the pathology samples of 46 OPSCC patients, and used p16 to determine their human papillomavirus (HPV) status. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was also analyzed for further comparison. The immunofluorescence staining of proinflammatory cytokines showed that high interferon gamma (IFNγ; T helper 1; Th1), low interleukin 4 (IL4; T helper 2; Th2), low thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP; Th2), and low transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ; T regulatory; Treg) expressions were good prognostic factors for OPSCC. p16-positive OPSCC showed higher Th1, lower Th2/Treg proinflammatory cytokine expressions, and a better prognosis than p16-negative OPSCC. In smokers alone, although p16-positive OPSCC smokers showed weaker Th2/Treg predominant cytokine expressions than p16-negative OPSCC smokers, the prognoses of both groups were equally poor. As for p16-positive OPSCC patients alone, p16-positive nonsmokers showed a significantly better prognosis than p16-positive smokers, but the immune responses of both groups were all weakly Th2/Treg predominant. Overall, higher Th1 and lower Th2/Treg proinflammatory cytokine expressions are associated with a better prognosis for OPSCC. HPV may be related to increased Th1, decreased Th2/Treg responses, and a good prognosis, while smoking may be related to increased Th2/Treg, decreased Th1 responses, and a poor prognosis in OPSCC. The impact of smoking on immune deviation may be weaker than that of HPV, but the impact of smoking on prognosis may be stronger than that of HPV in OPSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structures and magnetic properties of (Mn, Ga) co-doped SnO2 are studied by the first-principles calculations in full-potential linearized augmented plane wave formalism within generalized gradient approximations. We found that the doped system favors the ferromagnetic state and room-temperature ferromagnetism can be expected in it. The origin of ferromagnetism can be attributed to p-d exchange interactions as Mn-O-Mn. Ga acts as acceptor in (Mn, Ga) co-doped SnO2 host and can donate one hole, increasing the carrier concentration and thus leading to a more stable ferromagnetic state. These results suggest a recipe obtaining promising dilute magnetic semiconductor by doping nonmagnetic elements in SnO2 matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structures and magnetic properties of (Mn, Ga) co-doped SnO2 are studied by the first-principles calculations in full-potential linearized augmented plane wave formalism within generalized gradient approximations. We found that the doped system favors the ferromagnetic state and room-temperature ferromagnetism can be expected in it. The origin of ferromagnetism can be attributed to p-d exchange interactions as Mn-O-Mn. Ga acts as acceptor in (Mn, Ga) co-doped SnO2 host and can donate one hole, increasing the carrier concentration and thus leading to a more stable ferromagnetic state. These results suggest a recipe obtaining promising dilute magnetic semiconductor by doping nonmagnetic elements in SnO2 matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Printing of conductive inks is an attractive means of manufacturing of electronic components on flexible substrates including textiles. The textiles thus produced are often referred to as "e-textiles." When high electrical conductivity is required, inks are preferably made from metal nanoparticles such as silver. However, such inks are expensive and generally not known to withstand severe washing and wearing to which textiles are normally subjected during the end use. In the present study, which forms a part of a larger study by the authors, waterborne dispersions of conductive grades of carbon black were converted into finished inks followed by washing and creasing tests to ascertain the durability of these inks. We found that not only were the inks stable after letdown with different binders, but they possessed high electrical conductivity despite the fact that the final pigment loading in all of the formulated inks was significantly less than the pigment loading that is generally found in commercial conductive inks. In addition, the electrical conductivity after washing and creasing tests of the formulated inks was found to be significantly greater than that of the tested commercial conductive inks. This shows that using large surface area, highly conductive grades of carbon black pigments in relatively small amounts in inks for textile printing is beneficial in achieving some of the critically required characteristics, particularly those pertaining to durability of the ink film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an attempt was made to modify Zn/HZSM-5 aromatization catalyst by successively impregnating Sn and Pt. Among prepared catalysts, the Zn6.0Sn0.2Pt0.1/HZSM-5 catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performances in both activation and aromatics selectivity. Multi-techniques including XRD, nitrogen physisorption, NH3-IR, TEM, HAADF-STEM/EDX and operando dual beam Fourier transform infrared (DB-FT-IR) spectroscopy were applied to study Zn6.0Sn0.2Pt0.1/HZSM-5 catalyst to gain insight into its active sites and collaboration of them. It is concluded that, in the Zn6.0Sn0.2Pt0.1/HZSM-5 catalyst, the aromatization of propane was catalyzed by the cooperation between Brønsted acid sites (bridging hydroxyls)–Lewis acid sites [zinc species and metallic alloy (SnPt nano clusters)]. Sn had crucial mediation effect which remarkably improved metal dispersion and finely tuned metal–metal interactions. Furthermore, the 3000-h fixed-bed propane aromatization stability test indicated that the Zn6.0Sn0.2Pt0.1/HZSM-5 catalyst also had very prominent anti-coking deactivation ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oceanic heat flux (Fw) is the vertical heat flux that is transmitted to the base of sea ice. It is the main source of sea ice bottom melting. The residual method was adopted to study oceanic heat flux under sea ice. The data acquired by 28 ice mass balance buoys (IMBs) deployed over the period of 2004 to 2013 in the Arctic Ocean were used. Fw values presented striking seasonal and spatial variations. The average summer Fw values for the Canada Basin, Transpolar Drift, and Multiyear Ice area were 16.8, 7.7, and 5.9 Wm−2, respectively. The mean summer Fw for the whole Arctic was 10.1 Wm−2, which was equivalent to a bottom melt of 0.4m. Fw showed an autumn peak in November in the presence of the near-surface temperature maximum (NSTM). The average Fw for October to December was 3.7Wm−2. And the average Fw for January to March was 1.0Wm−2, which was approximately one third of the average Fw in the presence of NSTM. The summer Fw was almost wholly attributed to the incident solar radiation that enters the upper ocean through leads and the open water. Fw calculated through the residual method using IMB data was compared with that calculated through the parameterization method using Autonomous Ocean Flux Buoy data. The results revealed that the Fw provided by the two methods were consistent when the sea ice concentration exceeded 70% and mixing layer temperature departure from freezing point was less than 0.15℃. Otherwise, the Fw yielded by the residual method was approximately one third smaller than that provided by the parameterization method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a discrete-time noise-tolerant Zhang neural network (DTNTZNN) model is proposed, developed, and investigated for dynamic matrix pseudoinversion. Theoretical analyses show that the proposed DTNTZNN model is inherently tolerant to noises and can simultaneously deal with different types of noise. For comparison, the discrete-time conventional Zhang neural network (DTCZNN) model is also presented and analyzed to solve the same dynamic problem. Numerical examples and results demonstrate the efficacy and superiority of the proposed DTNTZNN model for dynamic matrix pseudoinversion in the presence of various types of noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure the installation precision of grinding wheel in precision grinding, the attitude of spindle axis must be adjusted to coincide with the geometric center of grinding wheel before the process. A special device that combined with piezoelectric actuators with three-degrees-of-freedom is designed. The corresponding method of automatic compensation technology for eccentricity of grinding wheel is developed. In order to calculate accurately eccentric angle and the eccentricity of the grinding wheel, high accuracy detection algorithm for eccentric signal of grinding wheel is given by the principle of rotary roundness error minimization firstly. Then a decomposition algorithm is proposed to decompose the eccentricity into three directions and the eccentricity can be eliminated by the coordinated control of the three piezoelectric actuators. Experimental results show that the average accuracy of the system is about 5.48 μm. Compared with the sine fitting algorithm, the algorithm presented for adjusting the eccentricity of grinding wheel in this paper is more stable and the accuracy is improved by about 78.2%, which shows that the proposed approach works successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For the initial activation of short-chain alkanes over Zn/HZSM-5 catalyst, the impact of branching degree and carbon numbers of reactants on the competition between dehydrogenation and cracking was systematically studied by experiment and calculation. The experiments were carried out on fixed-bed flow micro-reactor over HZSM-5 and Zn/HZSM-5 catalysts, by using n-butane/i-butane and propane/n-hexane as reactants with different branching degree and carbon numbers. Compared with HZSM-5, Zn/HZSM-5 obviously accelerated the cracking of C-H bond of short-chain alkanes and increased the selectivity of BTX aromatics. The selectivity to hydrogen produced from n-butane and n-hexane was higher than i-butane and propane, respectively. On the contrary, the selectivity to methane was correspondingly lower, i-butane and propane with high percentage of terminal carbons effectively suppressed the dehydrogenation. The key point to decide the reaction process through dehydrogenation or cracking is the initially activated sites of reactant. To verify this conclusion, theoretical calculations were carried out. The results showed that the (Zn-O-Zn)2+ Lewis acid sites of Zn/HZSM-5 accelerated the cracking of C-H and C-C bond simultaneously. Namely, if the initial activation occurred on the terminal carbons of reactant, the subsequent reaction would be kinetically competitive between cracking and dehydrogenation. Cracking would inevitably occur (thermodynamically favorable), and then the by-products of methane and ethane were produced in large amount. If the initial activation occurred on the internal carbons, the dehydrogenation reaction is kinetically favorable, which is beneficial to reducing the dry gas production. Therefore, cracking is more favorable than dehydrogenation for smaller alkanes and branched alkanes with high percentage of terminal carbons.Graphical Abstract: The percentage of terminal carbons of short-chain alkanes determines the probability of dehydrogenation route over Zn/HZSM-5. The activation of the internal carbon via the dehydrogenation route is more favorable for the normal alkane with higher carbon number during the first stage of conversion suppressing the formation of the by-products of methane and ethane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic structure and magnetic properties of vanadium (V)-doped 4H-SiC are researched by using the first-principle plane wave pseudopotential method based on density functional theory. Ten kinds of doping position are calculated and the most stable configuration is found. The results indicate that V-monodoped 4H-SiC favors a spin-polarized state and the magnetic moment mainly comes from the unpaired 3 d electronic of V atoms. Several doping configurations studied suggest the existence of ferromagnetic coupling between V dopant. Ferromagnetic order is activated by V doping via a V:3 d-C:2 p-V:3 d coupling chain. Hybridization occurs between p − d orbitals. The doped V atom will induce additional holes carrier into the 4H-SiC. Al itself has no contribution to the magnetic moment, whereas V- and Al-codoped 4H-SiC can induce spin polarization, which reveals that the FM stability is reduced significantly by Al codoping. The calculated electronic structure implies that the presence of Si vacancies ( V ) weakens the FM state of V- and V -codoped 4H-SiC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]